Choice

Ever since that call, time had passed quickly.

Blake successfully caught the Dreepy. There was nothing surprising about it, though. After all, Blake was the first living thing Dreepy had seen after hatching, so Dreepy's affection for him had immediately maxed out.

Over the past month, Blake had turned into a babysitter. Aside from occasionally going to the tourist area to open up shop and sell a few things, he spent his time taking care of Dreepy and training Dhelmise.

It had to be said that Dhelmise's talent was truly remarkable. Surviving in the sea for so many years and finding the Spell Tag through instinct alone both proved how gifted it was. It simply had never received systematic guidance before, so it knew too few moves and lacked a coherent fighting style. That was exactly what a Trainer was supposed to do—help Pokémon refine their own combat systems.

As a Pokémon with the Steelworker ability, Dhelmise's Steel-type moves were strengthened. Yet before this, aside from Gyro Ball, it did not know any other Steel-type moves. Fortunately, Blake's family still had some resources. Though most were Ghost-type moves, they also had a few from other types. Iron Head and Flash Cannon were dug out, and Dhelmise had been practicing them ever since.

Perhaps because Dhelmise's base stat distribution leaned heavily toward physical attack, it learned Iron Head quickly, but Flash Cannon came along rather slowly. Of course, it also learned Iron Defense, Shadow Claw, and Protect. Those three moves greatly improved Dhelmise. Unfortunately, Blake's family had far too few Grass-type moves, and Grass-type Trainers in Hulbury were even rarer, so Dhelmise had not learned any Grass-type moves. For now, it could only rely on its Mega Drain. Yes, Dhelmise had yet to comprehend Giga Drain on its own.

After all, levels in this world were merely subjective classifications made by people, not objectively existing ranks. Pokémon could not learn moves simply by leveling up. What they needed was comprehension. Dhelmise now practiced Mega Drain every day, hoping to master Giga Drain as soon as possible through sheer familiarity.

After all, as a slow but hard-hitting Pokémon meant to hold the field, it needed some means of recovery.

As for Dreepy, it had to be said that, as a pseudo-legendary, its talent was outrageously good. Beyond the Bite, Quick Attack, Astonish, and Infestation it naturally knew, he had also inherited Disable, Double Team, Confuse Ray, Curse, Sucker Punch, and Dragon Tail. He had inherited everything he possibly could have. It was impossible to imagine what kind of monsters his parents were.

But because he was still too young, Dreepy was not put through much training yet. For now, the focus was on simply getting familiar with his body and moves.

During this time, Lulina successfully passed the beginner Trainer assessment. Blake held a small banquet to celebrate for her. Although Blake said anyone could pass it, it was still an official Pokémon League assessment, so it deserved some celebration.

Lady Haisewai also fulfilled her promise: one Pokémon, one Water-type starter Pokémon, with Lulina allowed to choose for herself. Haisewai would help her secure it.

For that reason, Lulina came to ask Blake for advice. Among the people she knew, Blake was the one with the most ideas when it came to tactics.

"If possible, I'd suggest getting a Mudkip."

Blake said this after considering Lulina's team.

"Mudkip? Why?"

Lulina knew about Mudkip too. As the Water-type starter of the Hoenn Region, Mudkip was quite popular. Still, it was truly uncommon in the Galar Region. There were no Swampert populations in the wild at all.

"First of all, Mudkip's final evolution, Swampert, is a Water- and Ground-type Pokémon. It's immune to Electric-type attacks, which Water-types are weak to. Aside from Grass-types and the Ice-type move Freeze-Dry, it barely has any weaknesses. On top of that, Swampert has a deep movepool and plenty of options. And do you know about Mega Evolution?"

Blake asked Lulina. Mega Evolution was a newly discovered form of evolution from recent years, allowing Pokémon once believed incapable of evolving further to undergo a temporary evolution. The academic world fiercely debated whether it was an ancestral reversion or a new form caused by outside interference, but there was no doubt that Mega Evolution was a means of greatly strengthening Pokémon.

"I know a little, but not much. I just know Pokémon can evolve again. Don't tell me Swampert can evolve again too?"

Lulina asked in surprise. She found it strange that Blake knew about this.

"That's right. Apparently, Swampert can Mega Evolve too. And after Mega Evolution, its ability supposedly changes to Swift Swim, giving it extremely high speed in rain. Pair it with a Pelipper evolved from Wingull, with its Drizzle ability, and that makes for a very powerful setup."

Blake briefly explained the famous Mega Swampert rain team from his original world. In the Mega era's competitive environment, it was considered a powerful team that did not require much to build.

Pelipper came with its own weather effect, and it could also use Tailwind to further enhance Swampert's strength. Then there was Waterfall, Hammer Arm, Earthquake, and Ice Punch. Combined with Mega Evolution raising its base Attack to 150, very few Pokémon could stand their ground against it.

And Lulina's Wingull had already been confirmed by Blake to have the Hydration ability. After evolving, it would naturally become Drizzle.

It could be said that aside from Swampert and a Swampertite, the system was already in place. Furthermore, the Galar Region's unique Dynamax battle style could create rain through Water-type moves, further strengthening a rain team. Most importantly, this world did not limit Pokémon to four moves. A rain-team Mega Swampert without a four-move limit would be terrifyingly powerful.

"If that's really the case, then wouldn't it be able to crush Grass-type Pokémon?"

As a Water-type Trainer, Lulina naturally regarded Electric- and Grass-type Trainers as lifelong enemies. Electric-types were manageable, since there were plenty of Water- and Ground-type Pokémon. But Grass-types were truly frustrating. There were plenty of Water- and Flying-type Pokémon, but that was nothing like the immunity Ground-types had! So when she learned that Mega Swampert could counter Grass-type Pokémon, Lulina's eyes lit up.

"Mm... that's true. But there's still one key point: this team depends mainly on weather control. Once you lose the weather, it won't be nearly as strong."

Blake reminded her.

"Don't worry, I get it. But how is your brain even built? How do you come up with so many weird battle styles?"

Lulina was so curious that she practically wanted to crack Blake's head open and see whether his brain was built differently from everyone else's. Otherwise, how could he know so much?

"It's nothing. I read about it in books. Just read more and think more."

Blake knew he was standing on the wisdom of those who came before him. After all, Pokémon in his original world had only been a game. Even the rarest Pokémon were just data, so people could naturally test all kinds of combinations. But in this world, starter Pokémon were rare Pokémon, at least for ordinary people. They certainly did not have so many opportunities to trial and error, so there were some shortcomings in overall tactics.

Still, each world had its own advantages. Pokémon in this world were not limited in their moves, nor was combat a turn-based game where one side attacked after the other. So this world had many powerful tactics of its own. What Blake needed to do was blend the successful experience from his past life with this world's experience, then develop in a more suitable direction.

"You're amazing. Those books give me a headache whenever I look at them. I really don't get how you can understand those papers. Oh, right, my friend is coming to Hulbury—the Little Yamper!"

Lulina took out her phone and showed Blake.

"Speaking of which, it's been nearly a month. They're only getting here now?"

"Can't be helped. I heard they got lost the entire way. Reaching Hulbury within a month is already pretty good."

Lulina shrugged.

Blake gained an even deeper, more accurate understanding of someone's terrifying ability to get lost. Luckily, someone had been traveling with them. Otherwise, they might not have made it there even in a month.