Methods of Increasing Experience

The reason Mark's pupils contracted was simple: he had found out why the skill Tackle Training Method (Charged Strike) had appeared on the system panel.

It was because he had already mastered Tackle Training Method (Charged Strike).

This did not mean he understood the principles of training or knew how to teach Pokémon. Rather, he had mastered a tangible skill and knew how to use it.

If he had to describe it, it was like wielding a supernatural power.

Mark walked over to Caterpie, who was eating fruit nearby, and reached out to press a hand against Caterpie's head.

A strange warm current flowed from his brain to his palm, then passed through his palm into Caterpie's mind.

"Hiss?"

Caterpie raised its head and looked at Mark in confusion.

Not long after Mark's palm touched its head, an image appeared in its mind, containing several key techniques related to Tackle.

Compared to its previous dream memories, Mark's instruction this time was much clearer. The explanation of Tackle's principles was also easier to understand, and it had gained some new insights as well.

With some improvements, its Tackle might become even better.

Caterpie suddenly felt the urge to practice immediately.

However, this was clearly not the time for training.

Because it was far too hungry right now.

Caterpie looked at Mark. "Hiss, hiss!"

Mark withdrew his hand from Caterpie's head. "You mean you want to eat first, then practice Tackle after you're done?"

"Hiss!"

Caterpie nodded repeatedly and began eating the fruit even faster.

Mark lightly pinched his chin. By now, he had found the reason why both he and Caterpie felt hungry after allocating points.

It was not merely because he and Caterpie had gone through that dream. Their bodies had also been strengthened, so they needed to replenish their nutrients.

Caterpie's Tackle had become stronger, while he had gained an ability that allowed him to teach Pokémon.

"Buy one, get one free. I allocated points to a Pokémon's skill, yet I unexpectedly gained a Spirit Master skill. I just don't know whether this process can be replicated. If it can be replicated..."

"I still need to test it. If my estimate is correct, once the Experience reaches 100%, I'll gain a New Point."

"As for how Experience increases, I haven't found the principle yet, but I've confirmed that it can rise. The Experience went from the initial 1% to the current 4%; there must be some kind of pattern."

Mark stopped muttering to himself.

Because he discovered that the Experience value on the system panel was increasing.

Yes, the Experience was increasing.

Below the Experience on the system panel was an Experience Bar. When he touched it with his thoughts, he could enlarge it.

After Mark enlarged the Experience Bar fiftyfold, he could clearly see it rising bit by bit at a snail's pace.

After observing carefully, Mark discovered that the slowly rising Experience Bar had a certain rhythm. It would rise for a while, pause for a few seconds, then continue creeping upward.

This rhythm...

Lost in thought, Mark walked up to Caterpie and stopped the fruit it was about to put into its mouth.

"Hiss?"

"I'll delay you for just a moment... All right, you can keep eating."

"Hiss, hiss hiss, hiss hiss!"

"Mm-hmm. Once you're full, we'll go practice Tackle!"

"Hiss!"

Caterpie stretched out its forelegs in a determined pose, then began eating fruit again.

Meanwhile, Mark watched the changes in the Experience Bar on the system panel and raised an eyebrow slightly.

If his observation was correct, eating was the reason the Experience Bar was rising. As Caterpie absorbed the nutrients from the fruit, the Experience Bar slowly increased.

The rhythm of the Experience Bar's increase was also due to this—every time Caterpie swallowed a fruit, it paused for a moment to spit out the core.

Then what if he ate as well?

Thinking this, Mark immediately picked up several fruits and began wolfing them down.

The result matched his guess. While he ate the fruit, the Experience Bar's rate of increase sped up a little.

Mark did not stop testing. He swept his gaze around, found several clumps of weeds, and pulled them up.

They could not really be called weeds, since Mark had eaten this kind of grass before in his memories.

When hunger became unbearable, he and Caterpie would eat this grass to fill their stomachs.

The grass looked somewhat like chives. It had a texture similar to water spinach, though it tasted a little bitter.

Mark chewed and swallowed while observing the changes in the Experience Bar.

When he ate this grass, the Experience Bar did rise a little faster, but it was clearly not as effective as eating fruit.

In other words, different foods provided different amounts of Experience. The more nutritious the food, the more Experience it provided.

Mark continued eating other types of weeds, further confirming his deduction.

A few hours later, the fruit from the Fruit Tree Caterpie had knocked down had basically been eaten clean, and Caterpie was finally full.

After eating several hundred fruits, Caterpie's body had grown another little bit.

It had already reached half a meter in length before, making it a large Caterpie. After several hours of eating, it had grown to around sixty-five centimeters long, making it a Giant Caterpie that was relatively rare in the forest.

After these several hours of eating, the Experience Bar had also risen to 12%.

At this point, the Experience Bar's rapid increase came to an end.

Mark made a rough estimate. If he and Caterpie ate according to their normal appetites, it would probably take two to three months to raise their Experience to 100%.

This speed could not be called slow, but neither could it be called fast.

So, if he wanted to increase the rate at which they gained Experience, he had to increase the amount of food he and Caterpie consumed. It would be best to exercise more in their daily lives and accelerate their bodies' consumption.

Besides that, obtaining new Pokémon and making them his spirit familiars was also a good option.

Unfortunately, he still did not know how to make other Pokémon become his spirit familiars...

"I wonder if it would work to catch Pokémon with Pokeballs..."

"Hiss hiss, hiss hiss!"

Caterpie's cries interrupted Mark's quiet murmur. He turned his head and saw Caterpie wearing a fighting spirit-filled expression.

Mark raised an eyebrow. "You mean you're full now and want to practice Tackle?"

"Hiss!"

Mark smiled. "All right. But if we keep practicing Tackle, trees are no longer suitable targets with the destructive power of your current Tackle. Let me think..."

Memories flashed rapidly through his mind, and Mark quickly thought of a place.

Mark said, "I remember there's a Boulder Pile near the village. Practicing with the rocks there should be better. But rocks are much harder than wood, and it might hurt a lot when you hit them. Can you do it?"

"Hiss hiss!!"

Caterpie gave an affirmative reply and immediately ran toward the path leading to the Boulder Pile.

Clearly, Caterpie also remembered where the Boulder Pile was.

"Hiss!"

Seeing that Mark had not caught up for a long time, Caterpie urged him on. Mark shook his head, hurried after it, and then jogged along behind Caterpie...