Exclusive Skill

Sato threw a Poké Ball. Gliscor were extremely rare in the Johto Region, and a Gliscor that had learned Acrobatics was worth quite a bit.

The incapacitated Gliscor was completely unable to resist. Sato used the Talent Analysis Machine to inspect it and found that its Ground- and Flying-type talents were both at the Elite Level.

It was quite good, but not good enough to catch Sato's eye. He put it into his backpack, then looked excitedly at the Zoroark standing beside him.

"Ku~"

At nearly six feet tall, it forced Sato to look up at it. This was the appearance of the old companion he knew best.

"Jiejie~"

Haunter curiously circled Zoroark a few times. It could tell that it was now no match for Zoroark at all. Leaving aside the Type Advantage, Haunter's talent was no longer equal to its opponent's either.

"Chi..."

Spinarak looked up at the Zorua that had once carried it around to play. Who would have thought that after a flash, it would become so huge! Feeling the pressure radiating from Zoroark, Spinarak did not dare approach for the moment.

Still young, it did not yet understand what evolution meant to a Pokémon.

"Ku~"

Zoroark crouched halfway down and extended a claw, holding it flat before Spinarak. Spinarak hesitantly touched it with one of its spider legs. Only after seeing that Zoroark was not angry did it slowly crawl onto the claw.

"Ku~"

"Chichi!"

Spinarak was happy. Its little companion had merely become a big companion, and it still remembered it.

Sato smiled at the scene. The lively, restless temperament Zorua had once possessed was now nowhere to be seen. Calmness and silence were the deepest impressions Zoroark had left on Sato.

Catching sight of Larvitar, who seemed somewhat dazed, Sato squatted down and stroked the hard horn on its head.

"Take it slow. You can become this strong too. Don't forget, you're Tyranitar's child."

"Laru!"

Larvitar nodded seriously. Among Sato's team, it had the strongest desire to become stronger. Perhaps influenced by watching Tyranitar, Larvitar had always been somewhat proud since joining the team.

But Zoroark's strength had made it truly acknowledge its companions for the first time. That was a good thing.

Because of its type, Larvitar could not enjoy Zorua's treatment during its early stage and receive Blood Feeding.

And once it evolved into its Final Form, Tyranitar, Sato's Blood Feeding would no longer be capable of sustaining such a large Pokémon. After all, blood had to serve as the medium. So although it was a pseudo-legendary, Larvitar could only rely on itself and grow through hard work.

"Ku!"

Zoroark nodded at Larvitar as well, encouraging him to work hard and catch up to itself and Haunter.

"Chichi!"

Spinarak raised its spider legs and lifted its head, proudly declaring that it wanted to become very strong too!

"All right, Zoroark, Larvitar, Haunter, return for now." Sato kept Spinarak outside and recalled the other three.

He placed Zoroark's Poké Ball on the Talent Analysis Machine, and new data appeared on the Display Screen.

Pokémon: Zoroark Gender: Male

Strength: Elite Beginner Potential: Elite Four+ (Dark)

Ability: Illusion Skills: ..., Taunt, Imprison, U-turn, Hone Claws, Dark Burst, Extrasensory (Inherited Awakening)

Zoroark's evolution was a complete qualitative leap, and what delighted Sato most was the move Dark Burst.

It was not only legendary Pokémon that possessed Exclusive Skills. Some Pokémon blessed by the Creation God also possessed Exclusive Skills of their own, and Dark Burst was Zoroark's Exclusive Skill! For example, Gourgeist's Halloween, Marowak's Boneerang, Alakazam's Bending Spoon, Jynx's Lovely Kiss, Volcarona's Fiery Dance, and so on.

These moves might not be powerful, but they were the skills most compatible with their users, the easiest to master and employ on a deeper level. Their value was self-evident.

There were only two opportunities for Zoroark to learn Dark Burst: when it evolved, or when it advanced to Pseudo-Elite Four! In his previous life, Zoroark had only learned Dark Burst after breaking through to Pseudo-Elite Four! Its learning it this time was surely an added effect of Blood Feeding.

Moreover, Extrasensory was also an inherited move that had never awakened in his previous life. It could make up for Zoroark's limited coverage, while also being an extremely powerful control move. It was very good!

In his previous life, Zoroark had not received the benefits of Sato's Blood Feeding when it evolved. Instead, Sato had only risked trying it after another companion with poor talent had taken the initiative to request it.

What Sato valued most, however, was the newly appeared "+" symbol beside its potential. This meant that although Zoroark's talent had not reached Champion level, it had exceeded the Elite Four! If he had to describe it, it could probably be called Half-step Champion! Happily putting away the Poké Ball, Sato looked at the Spinarak beside him, which had grown somewhat impatient from waiting, grinned, and began searching for new opponents as they traveled. A week later, Sato and the battle-hardened Spinarak arrived at a place where people could finally be found: the famous National Park.

Every month, the National Park held a Bug-Catching Contest. Any Trainer could participate, without any restrictions.

Having spent over half a month in the forest, Sato was not interested in it. But when he heard that Bug-type Pokémon from other regions had been introduced for this contest, he decided to bring Spinarak along and take part, both to earn some money and relax.

"Chichi!"

Spinarak were very common in the Johto Region, so they were given considerable freedom. Whether in the wild or in the city, they could freely choose to stay outside or inside their Poké Balls.

Moreover, Bug-type Pokémon grew very quickly in their early stage. If he did not seize this opportunity to work hard and build a solid foundation, it would be difficult to bring out Spinarak's talent during the later stage.

After waiting for the host to officially announce the start of the Bug-Catching Contest, Sato entered leisurely with Spinarak.

The vast majority were still Caterpie and Weedle. Even the occasional Pineco would quickly be snatched up by the others.

Using Dark Power to silently sense the Bug-type Pokémon around him, Sato discovered that compared to the wild, the bugs in the contest had slightly higher average potential. However, those at the Elite Level were still rare.

"Chichi!"

Spinarak tugged at Sato's pant leg and pointed in a direction where it believed there was something. Sato had no objections and followed Spinarak forward.

"Chichi!"

Spinarak cried out happily. Sato Looked Towards the Sound and saw a red caterpillar lazily sprawled across a branch.

"A Wurmple from the Hoenn Region? Nothing special." Sato nodded, with no desire to catch it.

Spinarak could also sense the caterpillar's weakness. It was merely curious because it had never seen one before.

"There should be other Bug-type Pokémon you haven't seen. Whether or not you can find them depends on you."

"Chichi!"

Spinarak nodded seriously. Still young, it treated this as a game and eagerly began searching.

Deep within the National Park, a burrowing bug suddenly stopped digging. A deep black iron plate had blocked its path. The little bug seemed rather stubborn and immediately used Metal Claw, scraping away the iron plate bit by bit.