Although the Shiny Skorupi was still young, under Tetsuya's care, it would become a formidable power house in the future. Toxic Spikes alone, combined with Venom Drench, could firmly seize the initiative in battle through field control.
During this past month, all of the Pokémon had devoted themselves wholeheartedly to training, and their progress had been obvious.
Every evening, Tetsuya returned to Mahogany Gym. Pryce was often away from the Gym for three to five days at a time, and Tetsuya knew very well that he was still busy with the Shadow Team investigation.
A month had already passed. Aurora's father had probably managed to organize some of the people who had lost their children to come and appeal to Pryce. Tetsuya also returned to the Gym every noon so he could better keep track of what was happening there.
Now, aside from Skorupi, every Pokémon's training routine had already been established. Up to this point, Skorupi had only "battled" against Tetsuya and had never fought another Pokémon.
That morning, after running from Mahogany Gym to the glacier falls as a warm-up, all of the Pokémon took their respective positions while Tetsuya spent two hours putting Skorupi through a workout.
Tetsuya distributed the Pokéfood he had brought, giving each Pokémon its favorite flavor. The only one that received nothing was Skorupi.
Skorupi looked around from side to side, staring at Tetsuya in confusion.
"Skorupi, your food is far better than this… ordinary, food. You'll just have to get it yourself. Now come with me to the forest. The rest of you stay here and continue training. When it's time for lunch, eat, then continue training according to your normal schedule."
After speaking, Tetsuya led Skorupi into the forest.
In the wild, Skorupi's favorite prey was Bug-type Pokémon, especially Venomoth and Beedrill. However, this Skorupi was different from Pokémon like Houndoom and Beedrill, which had grown up in the forest and fully understood the harshness of surviving in the wilderness.
Houndoom was a carnivorous Pokémon. Although it now had Pokéfood to eat, once it entered a wild forest, it would inevitably hunt Pokémon such as Stantler and Tauros. As for Beedrill, its favorite food was the nectar of Grass-type Pokémon.
Such hunting and foraging were part of their wild instincts, allowing them to exhibit fearless combat power in battle, charging forward without fearing death.
Beedrill and Houndoom both owned sufficient wild instincts. This was the natural instinct of Pokémon that fed on other Pokémon, the law of evolution in nature.
Skorupi, however, had been "artificially" raised. After generations of breeding and selection for toxicity, it indeed had exceptional potential, but it lacked the wild instincts of Pokémon that had been born and raised in the wilderness.
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Tetsuya searched through the forest with Skorupi. Since most of the Pokémon around were Ice-type, he deliberately kept Skorupi far away from the glacier falls.
Tetsuya and Skorupi remained at a constant run. With Gengar's power supporting him, Tetsuya was practically cheating and did not feel tired at all. Skorupi, however, was a different story. After running for two hours, its stamina had already been exhausted. On top of that, lunchtime had long since passed, and its stomach growled loudly with hunger.
A Weedle crawled toward them…
"Skorupi. Your food is here," Tetsuya said.
Exhausted and starving, Skorupi immediately perked up the moment it heard the word "food." It looked around in every direction, but it could not find the food it was used to.
"Stop looking. That Weedle is your food. Charge over and use Poison Tail."
Only then did Skorupi notice the crawling Weedle. Although it did not understand why, it did not dare disobey Tetsuya's command in the slightest.
Skorupi charged forward at once. It extended its tail, poison dripping from the barb as it thrust Poison Tail toward Weedle.
Seeing Skorupi openly challenge it, Weedle was unwilling to back down. It was also naturally combative and charged with its horn to meet Skorupi's Poison Tail. However, Skorupi had undergone more than two months of physical training. Its natural strength was far beyond what a small wild Weedle could match.
The moment their moves collided, Weedle was sent flying by Skorupi!
"Chase it. Poison Tail."
Tetsuya continued issuing commands. Skorupi had not experienced many battles yet and still did not know how to fight properly. This was the perfect opportunity to press its advantage. Such experience could only be accumulated through battle after battle.
Reading the flow of battle was not solely the Trainer's responsibility. A Pokémon's own initiative was equally important. Since Skorupi still lacked battle experience, it could only rely on Tetsuya's commands.
Weedle had now fallen to the ground, and Skorupi quickly closed the distance. Its Poison Tail struck the tip of Weedle's horn, failing to inflict any significant damage. Instead, it only provoked Weedle. It got back up and fired Poison Sting from its little mouth.
A dense volley of purple Poison Sting shot toward Skorupi.
"Use Poison Sting too."
Skorupi had already missed its best chance to finish the battle, which was why it had now fallen into a disadvantageous position.
Skorupi still needed to gradually build up battle experience. If its earlier Poison Tail had struck the back of Weedle's head directly, Skorupi would probably already be enjoying its feast. Even so, Skorupi was still far stronger than Weedle. It was only because this wild Weedle had much more battle experience that Skorupi had not yet managed to defeat it.
Skorupi's Poison Sting pierced straight through Weedle's, and one poisonous needle after another flew toward it.
Weedle reacted quickly, rolling across the ground to avoid the incoming Poison Sting.
"Chase it. Aim Poison Tail at the back of Weedle's head." This time, Tetsuya gave a precise command.
As Weedle rolled across the ground, it was completely on the defensive. It had no idea that Skorupi had already closed in. The instinctive rolling had already left Weedle somewhat dizzy.
This time, Skorupi lived up to Tetsuya's expectations. Its Poison Tail stabbed directly into the back of Weedle's head. The barb was immediately pulled free, grey matter spilled out, and after twitching a few times, Weedle collapsed.
"The back of Weedle's head is its most vulnerable spot. Remember that. The next time you face an opponent like this, I won't guide you. Now this Weedle is your food."
Skorupi was not accustomed to eating such a soft-bodied creature, but its stomach was already painfully empty. It slowly approached Weedle and first licked the parts that had spilled out, wearing an expression of pure enjoyment. Only now did it understand what true delicacy tasted like~
It began eating from Weedle's head downward. After consuming about half of it, Tetsuya told Skorupi to stop.
"You're almost at Weedle's poison sac. Be careful, and swallow all of it."
The real reason Tetsuya had begun making Skorupi feed on the Pokémon it would naturally hunt in the wilderness was because of their poison. Those were the most nourishing part for Skorupi and the main way to improve its toxicity.