Early in the morning, after finishing their basic lap training, Icarus, Bellsprout, and Pidgey had breakfast and rested briefly before heading to the open space behind the house.
"Alright, Bellsprout, let's test everything one by one. We'll start with Vine Whip! Target that big tree!"
Icarus pointed to a tree about twenty meters away.
"Sprout!"
Bellsprout immediately extended its two vine arms, the wooden thorns glinting as they lashed toward the target.
Crack!
The heavy impact struck the trunk, sending sawdust flying everywhere.
"Wait a second, Pidgey, come with me."
Icarus quickly ran toward the tree.
Looking at the much deeper marks than before, he nodded and recorded the data in his notebook.
"Okay, Pidgey, tell Bellsprout to extend its vines following my position and strike where I was just standing. Then fly up so I can see clearly!"
He planned to test the maximum effective attack distance. If the distance became too great, Bellsprout might not hear clearly, so Pidgey would act as the messenger.
"Pidgey~"
Pidgey flew back to Bellsprout.
"Pidgey! Pidgey!"
"Sprout? Sprout!"
The two communicated quickly. Bellsprout nodded in understanding.
Pidgey flew up high so Icarus could see.
"Alright, one meter back. Go!"
Icarus measured carefully, then stepped one meter behind the tree and waved his hands.
"Sprout!"
Even at the increased distance, Bellsprout could still see him clearly. The vines lashed out again.
Smack!
The force struck the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Cough! Cough!"
Choking slightly, Icarus decided to have Pidgey stay farther away next time and signaled for Bellsprout to shift position.
After the dust settled, he examined the marks on the ground, nodded, and gestured to Pidgey.
"Pidgey! Come here!"
"Pidgey?"
Though his voice was faint at that distance, Pidgey's sharp eyes saw him waving and flew back immediately.
"Hey, next time when you signal Bellsprout to attack, stay farther from me. The dust is too much!"
"Pidgey!"
Understanding, Pidgey flew back to relay the message.
"Continue!"
Icarus stepped another meter back and shouted again.
"Sprout!"
More than twenty meters away, Bellsprout could still hear simple commands.
Whoosh!
The enlarged vine struck precisely where Icarus had been standing.
"The depth is about the same. That seems to be within Bellsprout's effective range."
Icarus happily adjusted the numbers in his notebook.
As expected, the gap between the Freshman Level and the Normal Level was enormous. No wonder the Normal Level marked the true beginning of an officially recognized Trainer.
Previously, when Bellsprout was at the high stage of the Freshman Level, Vine Whip's effective range had only been about ten meters.
Now, immediately after breaking through, the attack range had more than doubled—and the power had increased dramatically as well.
But the test wasn't over yet.
"Continue!"
"Continue!"
Smack!
This time, the strike deviated slightly, and the mark was several centimeters shallower. Though still dangerous, it would be unreliable in real combat.
"That's already excellent, Bellsprout."
Icarus returned and patted its head.
"Sprout?"
"Yes, really. You just broke through. After more training, you'll improve even further."
On the way back, he measured intermittently. The distance between the tree and Bellsprout was about 19.6 meters when accuracy started dropping. Including the failed fifth attempt, the maximum effective distance was roughly 23.6 meters.
To be safe, he recorded 23 meters in his notebook.
He never trusted absolute limits. In real combat, there was no time to measure precisely, so leaving some margin was necessary.
"Alright, Bellsprout, eat some Bug-type meat first. Pidgey, you have some too—it was hard flying back and forth."
After testing Vine Whip, he allowed them to rest before beginning the next round.
"Okay, Bellsprout, now we'll test your powder moves. Let's work hard!"
"Sprout!"
Fully recovered, Bellsprout eagerly agreed.
"First, let's test the maximum output. Put your three powder moves into these three empty bottles and try to fill them as much as possible."
Icarus took out the special storage bottles he had prepared.
"Sprout?"
Bellsprout gave him a suspicious look, as if asking whether he was trying to collect more Poison Powder for free again.
"Cough! I'm just making efficient use of resources! You're releasing it anyway—it's better than wasting it on the ground."
Icarus coughed awkwardly, insisting it was simply practical.
"Sprout, sprout."
Bellsprout pretended to believe him and began using Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, and Stun Spore in rotation.
Soft rustling sounds filled the air as white, purple, and yellow powders flowed from its hands into the bottles.
"Pidgey—!"
"Cough! Cough!"
Despite standing at a distance, both Icarus and Pidgey inhaled a small amount.
"Pidgey, drink some antidote."
"Pidgey…"
After taking a small dose of antidote, both quickly felt normal again.
"It seems Bellsprout's control isn't as refined as before. It just broke through, so it probably hasn't regained the precision it had at the Freshman Level."
Icarus noted this weakness carefully. Powder moves were crucial for battlefield control. Bellsprout would need to retrain its precision.
"However, the power of the powders has clearly increased. But why do I feel almost the same effect as before? Pidgey seems more affected than I am."
He glanced at Pidgey, who had drunk more than half the antidote, and at the surrounding grass.
The once-green grass near Bellsprout had already begun to wither rapidly from the Poison Powder's effect.
(End of Chapter 73)
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