ALL NOVEL Chapter 39 – Molting
Is it a coincidence that all five suddenly decreased by 1%? That's impossible. There has to be a problem, but where?
Floyd frowned as he contemplatively looked at the five Goomys. Feeling something weird, the leader Goomy looked up, happened to catch Floyd's gaze, and he shivered, stopping his eating.
Seeing this reaction, Floyd woke up from his thinking and realized he might be misunderstood. He then smiled, approached them, and said, "I'm thinking about changing your food to a better one."
"Goomy...?" The leader, along with the other four, seemed puzzled. "Change to another one? Isn't this one delicious? Why change?"
"There's actually something more delicious than this, but wait until tomorrow for me to change it," Floyd hurriedly explained.
Floyd suspected that the problem might be due to the pokeblock he created. The recipe was similar to that of Dratini's, combining Dragon and Normal, which matched their taste. But he wondered if the Dragon attribute might be causing the decrease, considering that a non-hisuian Goodra was a single type. He might search for a berry with Steel attributes in Kanraku's storage tomorrow.
Relieved that it was a misunderstanding, the leader Goomy sighed, fearing that Floyd intended to harm them.
Floyd then released Dragonite and began his treatment.
…
September 1, 2005
11:30 am
A disturbance erupted on the ship. Many Pokémon were surrounding a little blue snake-like creature, Dratini, who seemed to be struggling.
Tweet Tweet (Little Brother, you can do it!)
Machop (Do your best, Little Brother!)
Ee-buy (We support you, Little Brother!)
Mareeeep (What's happening to him?)
Dratini felt overwhelmed by the continuous "Little Brother" chants. He glared at the primary instigator, a blue cotton bird.
Earlier, during his training, Dratini felt something happening to his body. Swablu was the first to observe his discomfort and called other Pokémon for help.
Tweet (Help! There's something wrong with Little Brother!)
Machop? (Who's Little Brother?)
Tweet (It's him.) Swablu pointed at the struggling Dratini.
Machop (What happened? I'll help.)
Tweet (Something's wrong with Little Brother!)
Magby? (Who's Little Brother?)
Tweet (It's him, Dratini.)
Magby (What's the issue? I'll help!)
Swablu then went to every Pokémon, ensuring they all knew Dratini was the "Little Brother."
"What's happening?" Floyd and others rushed to the scene.
Tweet~ (God Flo... um, brother Floyd, there's something wrong with Little Brother!) Swablu corrected herself, recalling she shouldn't call him 'God Floyd'.
"Let me see." Floyd approached Dratini, who had already guessed his condition, and the system's status confirmed his suspicion.
Pokémon: Dratini (Molting)
Floyd's Dratini had the 'Shed Skin' ability, which means it can molt.
(Note: I merged 'Shed Skin' and real life molting definition , although they signify different things.)
To Floyd's surprise, his Dratini was molting quickly. The system indicated a newborn Dratini typically required a month or so to molt, but his Dratini took only less than a week.
Usually, a newborn Dratini should wait about half a month before starting training. But, due to the system's "Dragon Power" and Dratini's hard work, this period shortened.
"This molting, I've seen it in other creatures, mostly insects and some reptilian kinds like serpents. Floyd-san, your beast might belong to the Serpent type," Kanraku remarked.
Nodded, Floyd pondered, 'But serpent again' hearing that word again, he sighed, then he shared some knowledge, initiating a discussion between the two.
The Pokémon continued cheering for Dratini. Blushing with embarrassment, Dratini glared at Swablu. He thought, "Just wait until I get out of here, I'll remember this grudge."
Upon meeting his gaze, Swablu shivered and immediately hid.
A few minutes later, Dratini began moving his body, shining brilliantly as pieces of his old skin began shedding.
He emerged anew!
Machop! (Little brother, you did it!)
Magby (Congratulations little brother!)
Flaaaafy~ (Little Brother, you did it!)
EE-buy (Little brother seems a bit taller now.)
"You did it!" Floyd exclaimed, with Kanraku following close behind.
Floyd checked his stats and to his surprise, Dratini had gained two levels.
Pokémon: Dratini
Level: 11 ♂
Type: Dragon
Ability: Shed Skin
Moves:
Beginner Level: Extreme Speed, Dragon Breath, Wrap, Twister, Thunder Wave
Genetic Skill: Extreme Speed, Dragon Breath
Dratini was close to reaching level 10 when Floyd last checked. Now, having molted successfully, he'd leveled up twice. His level was also nearing that of the most pampered girl on Floyd's team. Given time, he would catch up with her.
From a distance, Horsea shivered, sensing her owner might be watching her, but maybe it was just her imagination.
Moreover, Dratini's body had grown slightly longer. Floyd felt proud of the progress made in just a week. Dratini had also learned a new move, 'Thunder Wave'. Floyd decided he'd update Dratini's training plan upon their return.
However, why did Dratini look so angry? Floyd wondered.
Suddenly, Dratini used Extreme Speed, seemingly searching for someone.
"Ewwww~" (Swablu! You scoundrel, where are you?)
Hearing this, both Floyd and Kanraku couldn't help but smile.
Bianca, meanwhile, collected the shed skin from Dratini, inspecting its properties. "This skin is elastic and tough. It would be perfect for making durable clothes when combined with certain berries. It's a shame there's so little of it," she murmured.
"Eh, Bianca-san, you know how to make clothes?" Kanraku expressed his surprise, and even Floyd looked at her in astonishment.
"Ah, erm... I... know... a little," Bianca responded, feeling overwhelmed by their attention. She had always had low self-esteem, believing her knowledge wasn't on par with the two in front of her.
"Using berries in making clothes? You knew about berries all along and didn't say anything?" Floyd questioned in surprise.
"What? Berries again? Bianca-san, can berries be used in making clothes?" Kanraku's researcher instincts ignited as he intently studied her.
"Thi...thi...this, Y-y-yes, they c-can," Bianca stammered, feeling the weight of Kanraku's intense gaze.
"Professor, relax. Look at her; you're making her nervous," Floyd interjected with a sigh.
"Ah, yes, gomenazai, Bianca-san. I'm just astonished at the various uses of berries. First, I was amazed by Floyd's techniques, and now you say they can be used in clothing? The result must be unique, right?" Kanraku inquired.
"I-i can't say… it's unique, b-but it's definitely… more durable," Bianca replied nervously, still on the edge of stuttering despite Floyd's help.
Before Kanraku could probe further, a crew member's shout interrupted them: "We're approaching Kame Village!"