Chapter 28: Natural Gift
In the forest, there were many wild plants and berries. Some were edible, while others were not. However, compared to Earth, the crops in this world were much safer.
Terrance was walking in a forest near Mt. Chimney.
Just a moment ago, he and Swablu had an unfortunate encounter with a Nuzleaf. Nuzleaf, compared to Seedot, was more mischievous.
Fortunately, the Nuzleaf’s temperament wasn’t too bad. After Terrance offered it some food, he managed to send the troublemaker away.
“This is it.” Terrance’s eyes lit up as he caught the red berry that Swablu pecked. He picked up the red berry and brought it close before sniffing it, confirming its identity with delight.
“Let’s continue.” Terrance ordered Swablu, and they resumed what they were doing.
Terrance didn’t gather too many of the red berries, only about three or four, then they proceeded to explore other areas. Terrance’s goal wasn’t just the Occa Berry; he needed more useful berries. The more, the better. Terrance hadn’t paid much attention to the types of berries in this area before, so he needed to confirm them again.
“Is this the Bitter Berry? Unfortunately, it’s not very useful.” Terrance shook his head upon encountering another type of berry.
To be honest, in undeveloped wilderness like this, although there were many types of berries in the forest, their distribution was chaotic. It was rare for Terrance to find suitable ones.
After some effort, Terrance managed to gather four Occa Berries, three Passho Berries, three Lum Berries, and two Aguav Berries.
He carefully placed the twelve berries in his backpack, treating them like precious treasures. Satisfied, Terrance returned happily.
Perhaps there was more of what Terrance needed in the forest around Mt. Chimney. However, in this particular area, he had only found these berries. Moreover, he hadn’t picked them all, and left some behind. Terrance noted their locations so that he could return for them when needed.
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“The most important part of the Occa Berry is its core, and the pulp is second. The core contains rich fire elements. If you want to learn Fire Type moves, it’s a good choice to utilize the core. However, our goal is not to make you learn a Fire Type move but to help you unleash all the energy of this berry core in a one-time explosion.”
Terrance explained to Swablu while grinding the core of the Occa Berry.
Terrance’s actions were swift. He had come across this knowledge in a book and conducted thorough research. The only thing he lacked was practical experience.
With knowledge as his foundation, although it was initially challenging, Terrance’s movements gradually became proficient.
Grinding the berry core without damaging its structure required specific assistance and techniques. Terrance also approached it with great care to avoid any unexpected mishaps.
“Natural Gift is a very tricky move,” Terrance said.
Swablu stared at him, confused.
Terrance patiently explained the principle of Natural Gift, and Swablu attentively listened. Compared to learning a new move, Natural Gift was undoubtedly a better choice for Swablu at the moment.
The advantage of this move was that once the basic principle was understood, it could be easily used without any issues of proficiency. The core of the move depended entirely on the berry itself. As for its power, although it was closely related to the strength of the Pokémon, compared to other moves, Natural Gift had relatively limited growth potential. However, in relative terms, it had a higher foundation among most moves.
Pokémon attacks using the power derived from berries. The type and power of the move depends on the berries they are carrying.
The type was self-explanatory, representing the nature of the berry. The power partly depends on the berry’s age and partly on the Trainer’s processing proficiency, referred to as energy utilization rate,along with the specific move that the Pokémon uses as a carrier.
Occa Berry contains a core of Fire-Type energy. After Terrance processes it, Swablu could store the energy and release it all at once when necessary, forming a new move called Natural Gift.
Occa Berry grants a Fire Type move to the user, while the other berries Terrance collected, Passho Berry, Lum Berry, and Aguav Berry, provide effects of Water Type, Flying Type, and Dragon Type, respectively.
Terrance was already satisfied that he could find these berries.
After about half an hour of work, Terrance finished processing the core of the Occa Berry. Now, the core could directly allow Swablu to utilize its energy.
Instead of immediately bringing Swablu to practice after processing one berry, Terrance continued to process the other berries.
The important part of the Occa Berry was its core, while the other berries had their similarities and differences. Based on their principles, Terrance made preparations one by one. With the experience from the first time, his subsequent processing went much smoother.
During this time, Terrance had already sent away Swablu, allowing it to engage in basic training once again.
Time passed quickly, and when Terrance snapped out of his work, Swablu was flying and using Peck to attack the Feather Dance it had itself created.
Cloud-like feathers were scattered in the air, and Swablu appeared to be traversing through a sea of clouds. Finally, the feathers gently descended, shattered by the pecks, and scattered like cotton rain, creating a beautiful sight.
“Let’s take a break for now,” Terrance smiled.
The training Swablu was undergoing at the moment focused on coordinating its moves, which was also the foundation of Pokémon Contests. From the beginning, Terrance intended to make Swablu pay attention to these aspects as well. Terrance believed that even in Pokémon Contests, there must be a reason for their existence. The coordination and connection between Pokémon’s moves play a crucial role in battles. That’s why most Pokémon Contests’ rules have the final competition in a battle format, to assess whether Pokémon could effectively utilize the dazzling moves in real battles, making them more than just showy displays.
However, not everyone agreed with this perspective. Most Coordinators placed great emphasis on showcasing Pokémon’s moves and overlooked battles. But they have no choice but to comply with the tournament rules.
In fact, not everyone was enthusiastic about Pokémon battles.
The rule in Pokémon Contests that required a battle in the final stage restricted many excellent contestants who loved showcasing Pokémon’s flashy moves but disliked battles.
But these have nothing to do with Terrance. While he respects Trainers who are passionate about performances, such as Little Rina who dislikes battles between Pokémon, it doesn’t mean that Terrance shares the same sentiment. For Terrance, it doesn’t matter which path one chooses. Subjective emotions have minimal influence on him. He does not possess any aversion to battles or such psychological reservations.
After all, Pokémon battles and traditional Trainers were the mainstream in this world.
Perhaps, after a long period of development, there may emerge a significant tournament dedicated solely to performances between Pokémon and Trainers. However, these are not the concerns of Terrance…..
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