NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20 – Improvements
Floyd headed to his designated room, trailed by Axew and Dratini. He lowered Horsea from his head and sighed in relief.
Surveying the surroundings for any surveillance, he found nothing. As he prepared the food, he noticed that the Pokeblock quantity had diminished since earlier. He sighed and shook his head, suspecting the culprit. It seemed he had indulged them too much, and someone was getting spoiled—none other than Horsea. It appeared Dratini was following suit. Except for the more stable Axew, the two were becoming a bit much. As a qualified trainer, Floyd knew he needed to recognize limits and enforce them. He resolved to be stricter.
Horsea, seemingly nervous, kept watching Floyd's reactions but didn't notice anything amiss; he didn't even call her name or look at her. Relieved at not being reprimanded, Horsea was blissfully unaware that this would mark the beginning of her challenges.
Floyd prepared food for them; as for himself, he had already eaten. Kanraku invited not only them but also other Pokemon. The Pokemon could eat wantonly, which was fine, but amusingly, Kanraku offered Floyd and the remaining three Jonathan, Bianca, and Ivan a food with chopsticks. Floyd was okay with this since he had experience using them in his previous life. Although he wasn't adept at using them, managing to eat was sufficient. However, the expressions of the remaining three darkened, causing Kanraku some embarrassment.
He forgot that, aside from Jo-a, Longdong, and Rong Xanh, Maharlika was the only one he invited from a place where people didn't use chopsticks. Fortunately, Suzuki had brought a wooden spoon when she was shopping for souvenirs; otherwise, the scene of the three people struggling with chopsticks would have been amusing.
Thinking of this, Floyd smiled as he shook his head and prepared something else. He retrieved a powder from his bag, which was an Energy Powder, and some berry juice. He then released the Dragonite Mother from his Pokeball and poured the powder into her mouth. These were her daily supplements since she had been unconscious. Following this, he used his Dragon Power to start massaging her joints and muscles, enabling blood circulation throughout her body. This procedure was to prevent Dragonite's mother from becoming immovable or bedridden once she awoke, after lying down for such an extended period.
After half an hour of hard work, he stopped Axew and Dratini, who still wanted to train, and let them sleep. As for Horsea, she had already fallen asleep even earlier. Then, he slumped down, exhausted. He began to reflect on his actions from the previous day, realizing he had been quite careless and had let his guard down.
He had thought he was low-key enough and confident that he wouldn't get caught, but it seems he really underestimated people. This is a world full of technology, and simple things such as tracing footprints can be easily detected.
He had really forgotten such a basic thing, and it almost cost him his life. If it were not for Kanraku's help, he really wouldn't have known what to do. It seems that over-reliance on the system can really cause problems; since he had it, he became overly confident that he could do almost anything. Being arrogant because of having a stronger physique than others but forgetting that even though one is stronger than the average human, a human is still human. Just a simple grenade launcher can cause severe injury. Forgetting to erase footprints is one of the basic rules when hiding in the forest, due to arrogance, can lead to grave consequences.
Floyd examined each aspect and felt truly awful. He was still young and had much to learn. He must not make the same mistakes, or he doesn't know when he might meet his end if it happens again.
Floyd then checked the sleeping Horsea's stats:
Pokemon: Horsea
Level: 15
Type: Water
Ability: Swift Swim
Moves:
Intermediate Level: Dragon Dance
Beginner Level: Rain Dance, Water Gun, Smokescreen, Wrap, Focus Energy
Surprisingly, her Dragon Dance has improved to an Intermediate Level. How old is she? It appears to be just 3-4 months. Although she doesn't have a wide range of moves and her mastery of them is somewhat lacking, this is because the young one has been too lazy to train.
If she starts to train earnestly, her progress will surely skyrocket. Floyd has already begun contemplating a strict training regimen for her, which seems to make Horsea shiver in her sleep on the other side, as if she's experiencing a nightmare in her dreams.
Floyd then glanced at Axew, who was sleeping.
Pokemon: Axew (Shiny)
Level: 35
Type: Dragon
Ability: Mold Breaker
Moves:
Advanced Level: None
Intermediate Level: Scratch, Dig, Slash, First Impression, Taunt, Bite, Dragon Claw
Beginner Level: Breaking Swipe, Crunch, Assurance, Scary Face, Dragon Rage, Dragon Dance
Genetic Skill: First Impression
Axew's level had also increased by one, and he had managed to learn Dragon Dance, a skill Floyd had hoped he would acquire earlier. This was the shortest time Axew had taken to learn a skill, achieved through hard work and the assistance of Dragon Power. The battle the day before seemed to have stimulated Axew's ability to rapidly learn Dragon Dance.
Not only Axew, but Horsea too had been stimulated, advancing her Dragon Dance mastery to Intermediate. Floyd reconsidered his training plan for Horsea, aiming for methods that would further stimulate her. Now, Horsea's nightmares seemed to intensify as she slept.
Floyd realized that preparations were needed for Axew's evolution into Fraxure, including new customized breeding method. Customized Breeding Method would cost 2,000 in the shop, but Fraxure could consume Advanced Pokeblocks, which were more expensive and Customized Advanced Pokeblocks required four additional berries.
Then there are three stages of Advance he can opt for: E, M, or H. The initial one will cost 320, then multiplied by 3 because he wishes to advance while he is still at the Novice Stage. In addition, there are multipliers involved when simulating; given that it is advanced, he requires a x5 multiplier, which was between 90%-100%.
Calculating all of this makes Floyd dizzy. It's overwhelming! If only he could upgrade his breeding proficiency to Intermediate, then the multiplier would reduce to x2, saving him a significant amount of expenses.
320 x 2 = 640 * 5 = 3,200 Points
3,200 Points would typically last for two weeks, but this could reduce to just one week if Fraxure increases his appetite. Although it's challenging, if he and his Pokemon work diligently for a week, it can still be affordable. As long as they work hard, and by the time Axew evolves, they can face stronger opponents, potentially earning more points as the opponents grow stronger.
Finally, Floyd checked Dratini's stats.
Pokemon: Dratini
Level: 9
Type: Dragon
Ability: Shed Skin
Moves:
Beginner Level: Extreme Speed, Wrap, Dragon Breath, Twister
Genetic Skill: Extreme Speed, Dragon Breath
In just a few days, Dratini managed to increase his level by three. Floyd then counted the days since Dratini was born, realizing it had not even been a week! Counting today, this would be the fifth day since his birth, and Floyd speculated that, within the remaining days, Dratini might increase his level again by 1.
Floyd recognized that this little one was a genius. It was evident as he had learned two Genetic Skills from his parents, but Floyd understood that it wasn't solely due to his inherent genius; it was also because Dratini was diligent, showing a work ethic comparable to Axew's.
This young lad wants to grow up quickly to gain strength, but Floyd continued to moderate his training time, acknowledging the fact that Dratini was still very young, not even a week old. Floyd didn't want to risk damaging his foundational development.
Typically, a newborn Pokemon should not be trained for more than two weeks. However, due to Floyd's Dragon Power, Dratini could be trained immediately, with proper management of body conditioning and diet during the training.
Floyd's skill as a breeder was evident, as Axew and Dratini were slightly larger than their peers, providing an advantage. Even Horsea was larger, but Floyd observed her increasing tummy size with concern. He contemplated that training should include body fitness, moderation in pokeblock consumption, stimulation, and stricter discipline.
Meanwhile, Horsea continued to experience unsettling dreams, unaware of the reasons why.