After leaving the Exchange Office, Qing Wu headed straight into the depths of the forest. This time, he planned to train Kecleon as well.
"Kecleon." Qing Wu released Kecleon.
Qing Wu stroked Kecleon's little head and said warmly, "Kecleon, I found some Rare Metal for you."
After Qing Wu said this, he clearly saw Kecleon's eyes light up.
"Here." Qing Wu pulled a large chunk of dark ore from his Wristband, and Kecleon immediately ran over to it.
Kecleon sniffed the ore, then looked at Qing Wu happily, as if saying, That's it. That's exactly the smell.
Kecleon had excellent teeth. It bit off a corner of the ore with a crunch and began devouring it greedily.
Qing Wu had only decided to exchange for this ore after analyzing it.
The ore contained Rare Metal elements essential to Kecleon, which could promote its growth.
Zubat used Tailwind and flew nimbly through the forest, deftly avoiding the sunlight that filtered down through the layers of leaves.
Qing Wu's next training plan was to have Zubat carry Kecleon while flying.
First, Kecleon was heavy enough already, and as it continued to grow, it would become even heavier.
Second, Qing Wu wanted Kecleon to experience the sensation of flight and develop a yearning for it.
Kecleon was a Steel-type Pokémon. There was a certain chance that it could comprehend changes in magnetic fields and use electromagnetic force to fly into the sky.
Before long, Kecleon had eaten the ore completely and let out a huge burp.
"Kecleon, now that you're full, let's begin training. Keep using Iron Defense."
"Zubat, same for you. Keep using Tailwind."
Qing Wu's plan was to turn the two little ones' active skills into passive ones.
That way, the moment they emerged from their Poké Balls, they would automatically use their skills through muscle memory.
Thanks to the tent Captain Dazuo had given him, Qing Wu could set up camp directly in the forest.
After all, the small cave where he had stayed a few days ago was some distance from the forest.
Qing Wu also planned to turn the Berries and materials into Poffins as soon as possible, quickly increasing his own strength.
There were quite a few paths through the forest that Pokémon had cleared.
However, judging from the footprints on those paths, Qing Wu could tell that most of the Pokémon passing through were harmless ones like Rattata and Oddish.
Qing Wu wrapped thick strips of cloth around his arms and legs to prevent the weeds from cutting him.
Zubat also flapped its wings and used Air Slash, smoothly clearing away the weeds that stood over a meter tall.
Qing Wu's Zubat had reached an extremely high level of mastery in flight.
At the very least, relying on its control over Tailwind, it had independently comprehended the powerful move Air Slash.
"Zubat, pay attention from now on. Use Tailwind with as little strength as possible and conserve your stamina."
After Qing Wu's adjustments, Zubat's stamina was still considerably greater than that of ordinary Zubat.
However, compared with other Pokémon—especially evolved Fearow—it was nothing impressive.
Under Qing Wu's training, his Zubat had independently overcome its troubles with bright light.
Although it was a little tsundere, it trained extremely hard.
As for Zubat's Poison-type talent, Qing Wu could only wait until he left Trial Island before preparing some Poffins to increase the poison within Zubat's body.
Maintaining a balance between both types was also one of Qing Wu's principles for raising Pokémon. After all, if its Poison type developed well, it could still prove extremely useful.
Seeing Qing Wu drenched in sweat, Zubat flapped its wings and sent out several wisps of breeze.
The breeze drove away the sun's oppressive heat and warmed Qing Wu's dark, gloomy heart.
That's right. Only if I sincerely treat my Pokémon will they sincerely treat me in return.
Kecleon kept sniffing the ground. Suddenly, it stamped both feet, and a huge boulder burst from the forest floor.
A black, gleaming stone appeared atop the boulder.
"Could this be a Dark Stone?" Qing Wu examined the black stone. Countless Dark-type energies were circulating within it.
"No mistake. This is a Dark Stone. I never expected you to be an excellent excavator too, Kecleon!"
This was a profession that had developed in the Pokémon World, one dedicated to finding ore veins and excavating all kinds of gemstones.
Usually, Drilbur was the Pokémon best at digging. Qing Wu had never expected his Kecleon to possess this kind of talent as well.
After Qing Wu praised it, Kecleon became extremely happy. It sniffed the ground again and used Rock Tomb once more.
The lush, flourishing grassland was dug into a pitted mess by Kecleon.
Kecleon had even dug up a beautiful piece of agate, which could fetch quite a bit of money on the black market.
"Let's go, Kecleon." Qing Wu stopped Kecleon from trying again.
Qing Wu needed to find a suitable place to camp, lest he be surrounded and attacked by a group of irritable wild Pokémon while sleeping at night.
Just then, a Mankey rushed out from a large tree nearby.
This Pokémon had a pink pig-like snout, a very sturdy build, and a body covered in pale yellow fur. Its triangular eyes gleamed with ferocity.
Mankey launched Low Kick at Qing Wu, but Qing Wu easily dodged it by hopping backward several times in succession.
Mankey was an extremely hot-tempered Pokémon. Especially when short on food, it would fall into a state of rage and fight desperately for anything edible.
This Mankey had come looking for him because it had caught the exceptionally fragrant scent of Berries.
"I was careless." Qing Wu glanced at Mankey's hand, then sharply sniffed the air through his nose.
How could Qing Wu not understand? The scent left behind after he made Poffins had attracted Mankey's attention.
Wild Pokémon were unruly, and they would attack humans directly.
Every year, quite a few Trainers died after being attacked by Pokémon in the wild, especially Trainers who had only just received their Pokémon.
A single mistake in giving an order could easily send them into a hopeless situation.
The reason Qing Wu had been brutally killed by enraged Pokémon in his previous life was that he had attacked an Elite Four Trainer.
As long as he could complete the mission, Qing Wu did not care whether his target was human or not.
Even the League's hawks would behead Team Rocket members first when dealing with them.
As the saying went, to capture bandits, first capture their leader. That was the principle.
Once the Trainer was killed, the Pokémon would lose some of their strength without their leader's commands, giving Qing Wu an opportunity.
"Zubat, maintain Tailwind, then use Air Slash." Zubat flapped its wings.
Countless enormous wind blades took shape around Zubat.
With Tailwind active, not only did it become much easier to use Flying-type moves, but their power was also enhanced.
Mankey was blasted away by the huge wind blades. A pale yellow ball of fur streaked through the air, accompanied by a pained howl.
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