[Intermediate Energy Orb ×2, Advanced Energy Orb ×2, Zen Headbutt ×1, Sandstorm ×1, Confuse Ray ×1, Substitute ×1, Fire Fang ×1, Ice Fang ×1, HP Up ×1, Calcium ×1, Protein ×1…]
[Advanced Energy Orb: A light cluster containing a large amount of extremely pure energy. When used by a Pokémon, it can rapidly accelerate its growth.]
[Zen Headbutt: Concentrates psychic energy on the forehead to strike the opponent. Sometimes causes the opponent to flinch.]
[Sandstorm: Continuously consumes stamina to create a raging sandstorm. In a sandstorm, all Pokémon except Rock-, Ground-, and Steel-types will take damage. Rock-type Pokémon also gain increased special defense.]
[Confuse Ray: Emits a strange light that disrupts the opponent, causing them to fall into confusion.]
[Substitute: Sacrifices a small amount of one's own HP to create a temporary decoy. The higher the skill proficiency, the stronger the control over the substitute.]
[Fire Fang: Bites the opponent with flames-coated fangs. Sometimes causes the opponent to flinch or become burned.]
Theo's gaze swept across the reward list on the system panel. His fingertips unconsciously tapped against the table as he quickly calculated how he would assign these items.
He had more or less figured out the rules and probabilities behind the popularity-value lottery.
Usually, the system tended to generate rewards that matched the Pokémon he currently owned. There was a high chance of drawing skills or items suitable for his team, and only occasionally would it include miscellaneous items unrelated to his Pokémon.
His eyes fell onto the Advanced Energy Orbs. Theo reached out and took one from the virtual panel. Inside the translucent orb, the pure energy was condensed to a degree where it was almost visible to the naked eye, circulating with a soft, lustrous glow.
"The system's energy orbs are far, far stronger than the effects of pokeblocks sold on the market."
Theo murmured with a quiet sigh as he gazed at the orb.
He had bought pokeblocks from the shop before. These blocks were created from combinations of different Berries and various chemical reactions. They were indeed useful in enhancing a Pokémon's internal energy, but Pokémon needed quite some time to fully digest and absorb them.
Moreover, pokeblocks were complicated to make. Low- and mid-tier pokeblocks were still manageable, but more high-end pokeblocks required breeders with both skill and experience to craft successfully.
The system's Energy Orbs, however, were on a completely different level. Their energy density was extremely high and completely pure, without a trace of impurities—almost as if they were condensed directly from the essence within a Pokémon itself. Pokémon could absorb and convert them extremely quickly, dramatically enhancing their strength.
With a thought, Theo divided up the extracted Energy Orbs, preparing to give them to his two Pokémon.
Feebas seemed to sense the aura of the energy, excitedly swimming circles in its tank, its silvery tail flicking tiny droplets of water into the air.
Theo gently placed the orb onto the water's surface. The moment the orb touched the water, it dissolved into a faint green light and merged into Feebas's body.
"Feee."
Feebas narrowed its eyes in delight as a soft blue glow wrapped around its body. Its dull scales even seemed to gain a hint of renewed luster.
It swam to the edge of the tank and pressed its head gently against Theo's fingertips, letting out soft, contented sounds.
Seeing Theo give Feebas its orb first, Tyrunt instantly grew anxious. Its short legs scrambled across the ground as it rushed to Theo's side, rubbing its head desperately against his pant leg.
It let out soft, whiny growls—pure, adorable begging—afraid Theo might forget about its share.
"Don't worry, don't worry. How could I possibly forget yours?"
Theo chuckled at its impatience and rubbed its big forehead before handing Tyrunt its Energy Orb.
Tyrunt's eyes lit up instantly. It opened its small jaws wide and chomped the Energy Orb down in one eager bite after another.
Each swallow made its body tremble lightly; its back arched and relaxed on instinct, while its tail wagged rapidly against the floor. It closed its eyes in satisfaction, clearly enjoying every second of it.
Next came skill allocation. Theo had been incredibly lucky this time—he had actually drawn a weather move: Sandstorm.
Rock-type Pokémon gained increased special defense during Sandstorm, and this happened to be Tyrunt's biggest weakness. It was an absolutely perfect reinforcement.
But excitement aside, Theo still carefully calculated the reality:
Dragon Dance's explosive boost and Sandstorm's weather duration both consumed huge amounts of stamina.
If Tyrunt lacked the energy to sustain them, its power would collapse after a single burst.
And that was absolutely unacceptable.
From now on, Tyrunt's training had to prioritize stamina and endurance as the core focus. Not even the slightest sloppiness could be allowed.
After all, in future battles, Tyrunt would need to not only maintain both Dragon Dance and Sandstorm but also sustain the use of its other moves.
Without stamina, its strength would be wasted halfway through.
That was something Theo would never accept.
Endurance was the foundation of Tyrunt's combat ability. There was no room for weakness.
Meanwhile, Tyrunt—currently sprawled comfortably on the ground, savoring the lingering warmth of the Energy Orb—suddenly shivered for no reason. Its round head instinctively shrank down, looking adorably clueless.
Then came Ice Fang and Fire Fang. Theo decisively assigned these to Tyrunt as well.
Just like Ice Fang, Fire Fang did not benefit from Tyrunt's same-type attack bonus, but with the support of Tyrunt's Strong Jaw ability, the move still possessed great power.
More importantly, Fire Fang expanded Tyrunt's offensive coverage. Against Grass-, Bug-, or Steel-types in the future, Tyrunt wouldn't be restricted by its own typing. It could respond more flexibly.
In battles, type advantage was always one of the decisive factors.
A single super-effective hit could instantly shift a stalemate.
That was why expanding Tyrunt's coverage was meaningful.
Additionally, the proficiency boost from Ice Fang would help Tyrunt learn and master Fire Fang much more quickly.
Though skills could not be mastered through "one move leads to all moves," a high proficiency in one move could still significantly accelerate understanding of related moves.
As for Feebas, if it weren't currently busy preparing for the Contest, Theo would also have it study new Water-type moves through video learning. Feebas already had a solid foundation in controlling Water-type energy; by watching other Pokémon perform moves and practicing accordingly, it could gradually grasp the structure and flow of the moves.
But for now, new skill training for Feebas was not urgent. Preparing for the Contest came first.
Among the drawn skills, one in particular caught Theo's attention—Confuse Ray. He planned to let Feebas learn it.
He didn't care much about the confusion effect.
What he cared about was the description: "releases a strange light."
He wanted to test whether this strange, mystical glow could add new artistic flair to Feebas's move combinations.
After all, Wallace had announced that he would be serving as a special judge for this Contest in Rustboro City.
Even if it was a last-minute announcement, any trainer able to rush to Rustboro would definitely come to compete just to see him.
Theo needed Feebas to earn as many points as possible in the Contest.
Finally, Theo distributed the enhancers obtained from the lottery:
The Protein and HP Up went entirely to Tyrunt, perfectly matching its close-range combat and sustained fighting style.
The Calcium went to Feebas, laying a foundation for stronger energy-based attacks.
After enjoying the lingering effects of the energy orbs, both Feebas and Tyrunt stared at Theo eagerly. They knew their trainer still had more good things prepared for them.
Seeing their open, straightforward, and adorable expressions, Theo let out a soft laugh.
Without teasing them further, he transmitted the selected moves and vitamins to them.
Feebas and Tyrunt settled down, quietly feeling the bodily transformations brought by the enhancers while imprinting the newly acquired skill images in their minds.
Seeing the two so focused, Theo moved to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
In the afternoon, he would head to Petalburg Woods to continue Feebas's training—
to test whether Confuse Ray could be integrated into its Ice–Water combination moves,
and hopefully add one more winning edge for the upcoming Contest…
(End of Chapter)