Seeing Little Vulpix's face practically spell out the words "not happy," Terrance laughed heartily and called the three Pokémon over.
"Vulpix, you were too careless," Terrance scolded first.
But it was also the first time Little Vulpix had experienced the "Confusion Marker" and Larvitar's "light and heavy mode." It was understandable that it couldn't react properly in its first battle.
Still, if failing to use the Ice-type move that it was most proficient in left Little Vulpix feeling a bit dejected, then having its Iron Tail destroyed by Larvitar, the one it usually bullied, really made it angry. It hadn't expected Larvitar's Bulldoze to be that powerful.
"Vulpix~" Little Vulpix then called out toward Ralts, but Ralts ignored it.
Toward this new companion who had commanded Larvitar to hurt it, Little Vulpix felt both love and hate. It hated that Ralts constantly used the clones to toy with it, yet loved it because Terrance had said that from now on, Ralts would fight alongside Little Vulpix in coordination battles. That made Little Vulpix full of anticipation.
After this battle, Little Vulpix had grown convinced of Ralts's abilities. Even though Ralts never fought it head-on, the perfectly timed use of Ally Switch had won its recognition.
"Alright, starting today, you'll learn how to control Hail weather together with Castform," Terrance said to Little Vulpix.
"Once you've grasped the basics of Hail, it'll be time for you to evolve."
That top-quality Ice Stone had been set aside for a long time, and Terrance was eager to see Little Vulpix become stronger. At this point, Little Vulpix's strength had already surpassed that of Growlithe and Misdreavus when Terrance had just left Crown Academy, and was catching up to Swablu. It had long since accumulated enough foundation.
"Vulpix~" Little Vulpix nodded vigorously.
"Lar~vitar?!!" Larvitar pointed to itself, tilting its head and asking.
"Haha, it's asking, 'When will it get to learn Sandstorm from Castform?' Roto~~" Rotom Pokédex translated.
Terrance smiled. Both Vulpix and Larvitar had witnessed Castform's weather moves. With the help of the top-level secret technique in Terrance' hand and Castform's guidance, and considering the racial advantages of these two Pokémon, they would quickly be able to grasp the basics of weather control.
Ice Vulpix was already at the threshold of mastering the power of ice, but Larvitar was still far from that level.
"Let's see… once you've learned Crunch, Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Hyper Beam, then I'll let you start systematically training in Sandstorm move," Terrance said with a smile.
Larvitar's training period had been far too short. Compared to Little Vulpix and Ralts, the number of moves it had mastered was very limited. Terrance suspected that even before it became a fossil, Larvitar must have been a rather young little fellow.
Castform had already demonstrated its mastery over the power of sandstorm and ice in front of Vulpix and Larvitar. Whether it was ice spears or sand blades, both deeply captivated Vulpix and Larvitar, filling them with yearning. However, it would take a long time for these two little ones to reach Castform's level of proficiency with these techniques.
"Ralts, you were the one who performed the best in this battle."
In the end, Terrance praised Ralts, but Ralts only gave an indifferent reply, leaving Terrance both amused and helpless.
Ralts's psychic power was very strong, and the range of moves it had mastered was already quite comprehensive. By all rights, it should have been able to evolve long ago. But Terrance wasn't in a hurry. He continued letting Ralts train its psychic power through meditation, wanting to see just where its limits lay.
Although Ralts had performed brilliantly just now, planting Confusion Markers on the clones and using Ally Switch twice had already consumed a considerable amount of its energy. That was why it hadn't launched any attacks of its own and had instead chosen to assist Larvitar. The Confusion Marker tactic was indeed very tricky, but Ralts still couldn't use it skillfully.
The seniors Beautifly, Castform, Gallade, and Mismagius, who had just watched their juniors' battle, were also deeply impressed by Ralts' clever use of Ally Switch. If Ralts' strength could grow to their level, shedding its inexperience, they felt that teaming up with it in battle would undoubtedly bring a great sense of reassurance.
"Gall~ade!!"
Just as Terrance and his group were reviewing the battle, Mismagius and Gallade exchanged a quick glance. Gallade used Teleport to appear behind a tree, pressing the blade of its elbow-sword against a figure who was forced to step out.
"Gallade, no need to be so cautious."
Terrance spoke up. Though he was aware someone had been watching them secretly, with Beautifly, Castform, Mismagius, and Gallade all present, even if the intruder harbored ill intent, they posed no real threat.
Of course, the more likely explanation was simply that someone had been passing by, noticed the commotion, and secretly sneaked a few glances.
Sure enough, when Gallade brought out a young girl at blade-point, Terrance was momentarily stunned.
"So it was you."
The girl was none other than Jessica, the guide Terrance had met at the Pokémon Center, daughter of the shopkeeper who had given him the map.
"Mr. Terrance, I mean no harm!" Jessica said with a pained expression, raising her hands.
At this point, Gallade also realized she was no enemy and, with a Teleport, returned to Terrance's side.
"Um…"
Jessica looked at Terrance and said, "Mr. Terrance, I finally found you."
"Looking for me?" Terrance was taken aback, "Why?"
"I heard from my father that you're looking for the Carbink colony. I thought maybe I could help you… I know this area even better than my father does," she said earnestly.
"Is that the only reason?" Terrance asked. "Just speak your mind."
"And also… aren't you searching for the Diamond Domain?! I want to go with you, please." After saying this, Jessica nervously bowed. "I grew up hearing stories of the Diamond Domain and Diancie. I want to see them with my own eyes, not let this story remain just a story."
Hearing that, Terrance chuckled. "You're overthinking things. While I am interested in the Diamond Domain, without any concrete location for it, I don't intend to waste large amounts of time searching all across Kalos for it."
"Ah…" Jessica froze.
"So you should go back. Don't make your father worry. You're far too young to be traveling outside." Terrance smiled gently. Jessica, who had offered to guide people at the Pokémon Center, looked to be only about ten years old, perhaps even younger. Terrance definitely didn't want to drag along such a burden.
Hearing Terrance's words, Jessica's expression dimmed, then she gave a bitter smile. "I was being presumptuous. In that case, Mr. Terrance, as an apology, please allow me to guide you to find the Carbink."
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