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Sato toyed with the Key Stone in his hand for a moment before carefully storing it back into his storage equipment.
Glancing at his Swampert still diligently practicing Vacuum Wave, he then waved over to the nearby Pichu, who was still bullying a Kingler.
Pichu was nearly two days old now—more precisely, one day, four hours, and thirty-seven minutes had passed since he was born.
As a rodent-type Pokémon, Pichu naturally had a fast growth rate. Even if raised on normal food, he would typically grow out of infancy within just three days.
But Sato's Pichu was receiving treatment that no ordinary Pichu could compare to. From birth, he had been nourished with Miltank milk—an excellent growth formula—and supplemented with a simplified version of the Pikachu family's special food.
Now, Pichu was already one and a half times larger than when he was born. If he used to fit in an adult woman's palm, he now fit in an adult man's.
Yes—Pichu had already left infancy ahead of schedule and entered a rapid growth phase. At this stage, he could now begin participating in simple battles.
When Pichu saw Sato beckoning, he reluctantly put away his tiny Thunder Whip, patted the Kingler beneath him (who didn't even dare to breath too loudly due to the strength of Sato's Pokemon) a few times as a farewell gesture, and muttered a few parting words.
In the next moment, bright sparks flickered across his fur as tiny currents surged around him. Then, with a sound like jingling bells that soothed the soul, he soared up from the Kingler and zipped to Sato's shoulder at high speed.
Although he was not even two days old, Pichu's control over Electric-type energy had grown increasingly refined during this rapid growth stage.
He seemed born to wield electricity—once wild and unruly Electric energy now acted as meek and gentle as lambs in his presence.
Of all the Electric-type moves Pichu had learned, his absolute favorite was Magnet Rise, which he found "super fun."
After playing with Sato, Swampert, and other Pokémon companions—as well as nearby wildlife—Pichu's mastery of Magnet Rise had shot up like a rocket.
Combined with his inherently strong electrical energy control and his substantial reserves of Electric power, Pichu now had near-equal mobility to Flying-type Pokémon, able to move freely through the air.
Sato fully supported and encouraged this behavior of using Magnet Rise to "fly" like a Flying-type Pokémon.
After all, Pichu's only type weakness was Ground-type. If he could make Magnet Rise second nature—even to the point of becoming a passive instinct—it would be a huge advantage in future battles.
Good habits should be cultivated from a young age. Since Pichu's mental development was still immature, guiding him through playful methods to use Magnet Rise constantly was the perfect approach.
Sato knew very well—having the aerial advantage could be downright unfair. Without effective counters, an opponent could get "kited" to defeat without landing a single hit.
Pichu's future combat role would undoubtedly be that of a long-range artillery unit. The reason was simple—Pikachu with the mutated Thunder Orb/Light Orb (Same Thing) belonged to a class of Pokémon with high attack and low defense. Melee combat would be far too risky.
Of course, Pikachu's melee abilities weren't weak either—a Thunder Punch or Volt Tackle could knock out most opponents. But minimizing the number of hits he had to take was always a good thing, wasn't it?
(Note: The mutated Thunder Orb increases Pikachu's Attack and Special Attack by 2.5x and maintains a continuous charge state, making its Electric-type attacks devastatingly powerful.)
Still, to keep Pichu from growing into a physically fragile Pokémon, Sato planned to have him undergo daily physical training in the future. After all, a thunder mouse that can't sprint isn't a good mouse.
Once Pichu returned to his perch, Sato patted his little head, then led him into the small forest in the center of the island.
Cinnabar Island, where Cinnabar Town was located, sat near the equator. Being at the edge of a tectonic plate region, it experienced frequent volcanic and seismic activity.
Although the island they were on now was uninhabited and under 30,000 square kilometers in size, it was covered in dense tropical rainforest, which made it incredibly rich in biodiversity.
However, due to its limited size and lack of human presence, resources were scarce, leading to constant competition among the wildlife.
As a result, the creatures that managed to survive here tended to be particularly dangerous.
That morning, Sato had already explored the outskirts of the jungle.
The local wild Pokémon were generally around Level 25, with a dominance of Bug and Grass-types.
Possibly due to the climate, the island boasted a massive variety of plant life. Food sources were abundant, allowing wild Pokémon from various regions to thrive here.
Some of the Bug and Grass-types found here even exceeded the diversity seen in Kanto.
Sato had even spotted Combee from Sinnoh and Whimsicott from far-off Unova.
He followed a path he had cleared earlier through the jungle. Before long, a small, flat clearing came into view, neatly cut from the surrounding foliage.
There, Bellossom was dancing gracefully on the grass in a mysterious, elegant style. A faint but undeniable sharpness radiated from her every step.
A verdant green glow surrounded Bellossom, exuding vibrant life energy. The surrounding grass even grew more lush and tall in her presence.
In both hands, she held a blade of sharp leaf—two glowing green Leaf Blades twirling alongside her flowing dance, like a pair of elegant emerald ribbons.
At first glance, the performance was beautiful. But on closer inspection, one could see that the longer Bellossom danced, the more pronounced her aura of sharpness became. Soon, she was completely surrounded by shimmering shadows of blades.
Wherever Bellossom danced, the wildly growing grass was trimmed perfectly even, and any cut blades of grass were shredded into fine fragments by the crisscrossing movements of her twin swords.
The move she was training was Swords Dance—a new technique she had just learned that day thanks to a TM Sato had used on her.
Swords Dance and Leaf Blade complemented each other flawlessly, blending into a seamless technique. Bellossom was able to execute both moves simultaneously with ease and grace.