Luther knew Cynthia's conclusion was correct. Even with Garchomp's abilities, it took time and practice for Luther to perform move conversions with a high success rate. It was only natural that Pokémon whose strength or insight didn't reach Garchomp's level would get stuck partway through the process.
This kind of advanced training should only be attempted after a Pokémon has built a solid foundation of strength.
Luther wasn't greedy; he didn't expect immediate mastery. He just wanted his Pokémon to gradually grow accustomed to this kind of rhythm and, over time, gain a deeper understanding.
Espurr's training task was to convert her Psychic-type move, Psyshock, into a Fairy-type move, Disarming Voice.
Since Psychic-type Pokémon like Espurr are easily exploited by Dark-type Pokémon or Pokémon that know Dark-type moves, being able to counter with a Fairy-type move is essential.
Hakuya, meanwhile, was still struggling. The transition between Hammer Arm and the elemental punches (Fire Punch, Ice Punch, and Thunder Punch) was mechanically similar, but Ursaring seemed to comprehend slowly. No matter how he tried to redirect his internal energy, he couldn't make the new type of power surge in before the original move was finished.
Among Luther's Pokémon, Espurr was the best at this kind of thing. Her transitions between moves were fluid, and she could channel energy across different types without tiring easily.
Although Luther had been concerned about her stamina during battles with Hakuya, post-training checks showed that her exhaustion came mainly from accumulated damage and movement during combat, not the move conversions themselves.
To be sure, Luther had Espurr cycle through all the moves she currently knew, one after another, while he observed her.
From what Luther understood, moves that changed the weather drained the most stamina. Moves such as Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Sandstorm, and Hail required Pokémon to gather and unleash a tremendous amount of energy all at once.
Even Pokémon with Abilities that automatically changed the weather weren't exempt. The moment they entered the field, they expended massive amounts of energy to alter the climate. It wasn't unheard of for such Pokémon to be wiped out in the first turn because they were caught off guard while their stamina was depleted.
Espurr began her routine with Sunny Day, then performed her Psychic-type moves, followed by her Fairy-, Normal-, Electric-, and Grass-type moves.
Her final two moves were Dark Pulse, an effective Dark-type move against Psychic-types, and Rain Dance, another stamina-draining weather move.
Espurr finished the entire sequence without even panting.
This performance sparked a new idea in Luther's mind. Up until now, his designated lead Pokémon had always been Jumpluff, whose "triple powder" tactics (Sleep Powder, Stun Spore, and Poison Powder) delighted him and annoyed his opponents.
However, considering Espurr's precise control over her power, Luther started to reconsider.
If Espurr could take the lead in battle and immediately establish a weather advantage, wouldn't that be better than Jumpluff's usual tricks?
Once Houndoom returned to the team, the idea became even more tempting. Once Houndoom finished adjusting under Professor Rowan's care, Luther's team would have another Dark–Fire-type attacker. Sunny Day could boost Houndoom's firepower, give Jumpluff the perfect opportunity to instantly fire off Solar Beam, and activate Jumpluff's Ability.
Luther therefore adjusted Espurr's training, focusing less on posture and subtle move execution and more on speed and evasion to further develop her natural agility and small frame.
Next came countermeasure training, using Fairy-type moves to retaliate against Dark-type opponents.
Meanwhile, Ursaring attempted yet again to switch from Hammer Arm to an elemental punch, and failed once more.
Hakuya had to console him. After all, this wasn't something that could be mastered overnight. The frustrated Ursaring reluctantly accepted her reassurance. However, seeing Espurr flawlessly switch back and forth between Disarming Voice and Psyshock under Luther's commands reignited his fighting spirit.
As Luther went to the sidelines to grab a drink of water, he found Marill sprawled on the ground, covered in footprints.
Luther sighed, crouched down, and poured some water over her.
Marill raised her head, mouth open, and began gulping the water down with a bubbly "glug-glug."
"What was it this time? Did you grab Chikorita's leaf and lick it again? Or did you chase Milcery around, trying to lick her? Or maybe you snuck a bite of the snacks Jumpluff left out?"
Marill hugged her tail sheepishly, avoiding eye contact.
"All three of them?"
Marill nodded.
"I leave you plenty of snacks every single day, so why do you still cause trouble?" Luther's head started to ache.
Honestly, licking Chikorita's leaf wasn't a big deal. As for Jumpluff's snacks, Marill only ate them because Jumpluff looked like she didn't want them. She swore it was just one bite! It wasn't her fault the chocolate bar disappeared in one bite, it was too easy to eat!
But recently, Milcery had stopped coming near her altogether.
That wasn't right. Before, even though Milcery was a bit afraid of her, she'd still come close sometimes. Now, the moment she saw Marill, Milcery either bolted out of sight or hid inside Chansey's pouch and refused to come out.
Where had things gone wrong?
Luther didn't bother entertaining Marill's confusion. He gave her tail a light squeeze and went to check on Milcery himself.
Lately, Chansey's pouch had become quite the popular spot. After she took her egg out, there was enough space to fit all sorts of things.
So, when Luther reached into the pouch, he could pull out a Pachirisu, an Eevee, or even a Milcery.
Ever since discovering the comfort of Chansey's pouch, Pachirisu practically refused to leave. Whenever it wanted to nap, it would wriggle in next to the egg.
Eevee only hopped in after seeing Chansey remove the egg this time.
When Luther pulled them out, both Pachirisu and Eevee carried with them a rich, creamy fragrance.
It smelled amazing, so sweet and warm that Luther felt a little lightheaded.
Nestled inside the cozy pouch was a toasty little Milcery. As soon as she saw Luther, she jumped into his arms and climbed up to his shoulder.
"Milcery, you should be able to suppress that scent for a while, right? It's one of your species' natural survival instincts."
Luther had read in research materials from the Galar Research Lab that Milcery and Alcremie could hide their scent, an evolutionary adaptation for survival.
Otherwise, if they constantly released that delicious scent, it would be like walking around as a glowing lantern in the night, other Pokémon would notice them immediately.
Milcery nodded at his words. She shook her body, and soon the sweet aroma around Luther began to fade, growing fainter and fainter until it disappeared completely.
Luther took out a milk candy and popped it into her hands. "From now on, don't spread that scent around whenever you want. Sometimes it can attract dangerous things."
Like a certain Marill, for example.
After saying that, Luther looked around. All the other Pokémon had wandered off; no one was watching.
"All right, Milcery. Now, release your scent again."
Milcery obediently released her milky fragrance once more. As the thick, creamy sweetness filled the air, Luther quickly leaned forward and secretly took a lick.
Perfect. Satisfaction achieved. He'd finally done it, and the taste was absolutely divine!
(End of Chapter)
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