Chapter 139. Diglett's Training Focus
"Many Fire-type and Ground-type Pokémon feeds add volcanic mud, so you can work with some Breeding Centers."
Brock's voice sounded.
"Yeah, yeah, my mom's face masks seem to have some volcanic mud in them, and you can sell to those cosmetics companies too."
"Pokémon and women's money are the easiest to make."
Ash looked at Blaine with hope, eager for him to accept the challenge.
"Hey, hey, Ash, are you bad-mouthing me behind my back?"
From the other side of the hot spring partition, Misty's voice came through.
"Really?"
Blaine glanced at Natsume, doubtful.
Three years ago, this researcher named Natsume took less than three months to turn himself from Cinnabar Island's richest man into its most indebted.
As for that damn Professor Oak, he swore he would never trust another word from him again.
At this moment, Blaine couldn't afford not to be on guard.
"Ahem, in that case, I accept your challenge."
Blaine thought it over and figured that since he was penniless anyway, even if something blew up, the League could only ask Natsume for compensation.
"Alright!"
Ash was thrilled.
"But," Blaine changed the subject.
"You have to help me set up a device to collect volcanic mud."
"No problem."
As Natsume spoke, he took out a pack of explosives.
"What are you doing?"
Blaine reacted instantly.
"Adding a little charge, otherwise it's hard to bring it to the surface."
Natsume said that, and in a flash he was gone.
"..."
Blaine fell silent for a moment and sighed deeply.
"Forget it, you come with me."
Blaine beckoned to Ash.
"Wait for us!"
From behind the partition, Misty's voice followed.
Ash went off to battle, while Natsume headed into the underground space.
There was a very large hollow here, and you could vaguely make out the ruins of a battle platform.
Only, in the volcanic eruption three years ago, the platform had been damaged, and this place could no longer serve as a battlefield.
"Yahoo—"
A pillar of magma shot skyward, and a Pokémon covered in orange markings and blazing red all over emerged from the pillar, landing on a nearby rock.
"Hey!"
Natsume waved hello to Magmar.
The instant it saw Natsume, Magmar lost its footing and almost tumbled back into the magma.
Magmar leapt upward as if fleeing, rushing toward the volcanic crater.
After so many days, there was finally going to be a challenger again!
[Magmar, the Spitfire Pokémon. Often found near volcanic craters.]
At the crater, Ash stood opposite a majestic-looking Pokémon.
"Alright, this time each side sends out one Pokémon, single round to decide the winner."
Across the crater, Blaine's voice rang out.
"It's decided—Charizard, I choose you!"
Ash threw the ball, a red light flashed, and Charizard appeared, immediately locking into a test of strength with Ash.
"Charizard, your opponent this time is Magmar!"
With effort, Ash balled Charizard up and tossed him onto a rock pillar at the crater's edge.
Seeing this, Blaine's eye twitched.
Underground, Natsume searched around.
Unfortunately, there was nothing here.
"Diglett—Diglett—Diglett—"
At Natsume's feet trailed a little Diglett that would nibble the soil now and then, offer Natsume a Berry from time to time, and sometimes butt Natsume with its head.
"Diglett, try to find the place here where the rock layer is thinnest."
Natsume spoke to Diglett.
"Diglett—"
Okay.
Diglett nodded.
"Diglett!"
I refuse.
Diglett shook its head.
"Dig—"
This stuff smells sour.
Diglett took a tiny mouthful of magma.
"What are you doing!"
That sudden mouthful scared Natsume so much he hurriedly yanked Diglett back.
"Diglett!!!"
It burns!
Diglett spat out the red glow from its mouth.
"Dig—"
Sour and tangy, tasty!
"Diglett!"
Spicy-hot, tasty!
Hearing Diglett's reaction, Natsume froze.
Spiciness is pain, so that disobedient personality is actually a masochist?
Natsume's expression turned odd, but he still urgently checked Diglett for burns.
Unexpectedly, the burns were far less severe than he had estimated.
Natsume's hand, about to spray Burn Heal, paused.
A bold conjecture popped into his mind.
[Ding—The battlefield has been established!]
The battle music swelled.
"Gengar, I'll trouble you."
Opposite Diglett, a smoke-puffing Gengar appeared.
"Gengaa!"
Gengar held out its chubby little hand to say it was no big deal.
"Psychic—no, use Toxic!"
Given Diglett's level was far too low, Natsume hurriedly corrected himself.
"Gengaa—"
A dark purple venom struck Diglett.
"Diglett!"
[Diglett was badly poisoned.]
[Due to bad poison, Diglett's HP fell.]
Natsume's eyes fixed on the green HP bar above Diglett's head.
Badly poisoned damage is deducted by percentage.
The damage from Toxic rises with each passing turn.
The first turn is about one-sixteenth.
However, Diglett only lost a sliver—around one forty-eighth, maybe.
Natsume wasn't sure and waited for the next turn.
"Diglett, use Scratch!"
[Diglett used Scratch, and it hit Gengar!]
[Diglett used Scratch, and it hit Gengar!]
[Diglett used Scratch, and it hit Gengar!]
[Due to bad poison, Diglett's HP fell.]
On the second turn of bad poison, it should deduct about one-eighth.
This time, Diglett again lost only a sliver—around one twenty-fourth.
After several trials, Natsume roughly understood.
Not only could Diglett strike three times in a row, but the damage it received also seemed to be split by its three personalities, taking only one-third.
What was the principle behind this?
Natsume was stunned and couldn't help recalling that paper on Zygarde research.
At 100% Forme, it likewise seemed to have its cells and core share damage together.
With a wave, Natsume dismissed the battlefield.
"Hiss—But there's already a god of ecological order."
Natsume picked Diglett up, amazed.
He remembered that Diglett could learn a one-hit knockout move called Fissure.
That move is extremely restrictive: your level must be no lower than the opponent's, and it has no effect on Pokémon with Levitate or on Flying types.
Most crucially, Fissure has only a 30% chance to one-hit KO.
Even an 80%-accurate Hydro Pump can miss three times in a row.
In Pokémon battles, most people won't choose low-accuracy moves no matter how strong they are.
They'd rather sacrifice some power for 100% accuracy, or else you'll be fuming yourself into a stroke.
But Diglett is different—it can hit three times in succession.
Natsume narrowed his eyes, and in a flash calculated the odds for three consecutive Fissures.
The chance to land exactly once is 44.1%, twice is 18.9%, and three times is 2.7%.
The chance to miss all three is 34.3%.
The chance to hit at least once is 65.7%.
Sixty-five percent odds to one-hit KO.
Natsume squinted.
That actually sounds workable.
He had been fretting over Diglett's training direction.
Now it seemed he could lean fully into gambling on probability.
Coupled with the shared-damage quirk of only taking one-third, once it evolves into Dugtrio its bulk will be high.
If one round of triple Fissure doesn't do it, run it twice.
If twice doesn't do it, run it three times.
Natsume refused to believe his luck could be that bad.
After the testing, Natsume fed Diglett a sour Berry.
"Find me the thin spot in the rock layer."
"Dig Digle!"
"Dig!"
Two votes beat one.
Diglett got moving.
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