"Mudkip~"
Mudkip finally realized what it had done wrong. It ducked its head apologetically, all but bowing to Caster.
The Ability Orb had simply been too tempting!
Mudkip had been terrified of missing out on such a precious treasure!
Seeing that it had admitted its mistake, Caster summoned the deep blue orb back into his hand with a thought.
Mudkip stared, bewildered.
"Mudkip~"
The treasure was right in front of it, but it had learned its lesson. It could only stare, afraid to make a move.
"Go ahead. Eat it!"
Only after Caster gave permission did Mudkip leap up again, catch the Ability Orb in its mouth, and swallow it with a gulp.
"Mudkip~"
The instant it swallowed the orb, rich, pure Water-type energy emerged from its body, forming waves that kept rising beneath its feet.
At the same time, Mudkip's presence grew steadily more powerful.
It was quite a while before the waves beneath it faded and the Water-type energy around its body withdrew inside.
When Mudkip opened its eyes, though, Caster saw a bright gleam flash through them.
"How do you feel, Mudkip?" he asked.
To make sure they could understand each other properly, he also let Slowking out to translate.
"I feel amazing!"
Mudkip looked thrilled as it tried to put the feeling into words. "Whenever I get really worn out, a surge of power wells up inside me. But now I'm sure I can control that power whenever I want, even when I'm not tired at all. Like this!"
Whoosh!
Mudkip suddenly opened its mouth and fired a thick jet of water. It struck a nearby rock head-on and blasted it straight into the sea.
Its Water Gun had clearly become much more powerful.
A thought sprang into Caster's mind. Torrent at full health?
Torrent, Blaze, and Overgrow were abilities found almost exclusively among starter Pokémon. When a Pokémon ran low on stamina, these abilities increased the power of moves matching its type.
With enough training and mastery, a Pokémon could activate one of those abilities after taking only minor injuries.
But activating Torrent without any injuries at all was the stuff of legend. It was the highest level of mastery!
And now Mudkip had done it!
Then again, the Ability Orb had come from catching a Champion-level Blastoise. Remembering that, Caster felt it made sense.
There were probably fewer Champion-level Pokémon than Mythical and Legendary Pokémon, after all.
The Ability Orb's effect was powerful, but it was clearly still a step below Royal Authority of the Sea.
Thinking about it that way, Caster actually began to feel a little shortchanged.
That turtle's rewards weren't good enough!
"Mudkip~"
On the ground, Mudkip was beside itself with excitement. So these were the treasures Caster had been saving!
It had never been happier about choosing to follow him.
How else would it ever have gotten to eat something like that?
To its surprise, after it swallowed the Ability Orb, Caster turned his hand over and took another orb from his fishing space. This one gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.
"Mudkip, this is a Power Orb. Eat this one too!"
Caster stroked its little head and smiled. "Once you've absorbed it, your strength potential will increase dramatically."
"Mudkip~"
Mudkip only half understood, but it obediently swallowed the Power Orb as well.
The orb was tiny, only the size of a thumbnail. Yet after swallowing it, Mudkip felt as though it had eaten far too much.
Then another surge of power welled up inside its body.
This time, it wasn't type energy. It was tremendous physical power. Mudkip's body swelled like an inflating balloon, muscles bulging all over.
Its forelegs were especially alarming. Thick muscles knotted beneath the skin, with veins standing out starkly along them.
"Trainer, I feel so strong!"
Mudkip was surprised, but even more excited. "I'm a powerhouse!"
With a cry, it reared onto its hind legs, clenched both fists, and brought them down like hammers on a nearby boulder the size of a large water jar.
Boom!
The instant its fists landed, the boulder shattered. Fragments flew in every direction, nearly hitting Caster.
Luckily, Slowking reacted quickly and blocked the flying stones with its psychic power. Otherwise, Caster would certainly have been hurt.
Staring at Mudkip's bulging muscles, Caster swallowed and blinked. "What are you, Popeye? A blue Hulk?"
Mudkip had already been incredibly strong. The Power Orb had increased both its potential for further growth and its current physical strength by a considerable amount.
Caster had a feeling that even a Machoke might struggle to overpower it in a contest of raw strength.
Plenty of Pokémon could smash a boulder, provided they used a move.
Doing it with physical strength alone was a little terrifying.
The Ability Orb had increased Mudkip's Water-type power, and the Power Orb had increased its physical strength.
It was already several times stronger than it had been half an hour ago.
But Caster wasn't finished yet!
He still had plenty of suitable TMs stored in his fishing space, so he decided to teach Mudkip all of them at once.
"Mudkip~"
As the TMs' knowledge poured into its body, Mudkip shuddered. Its brain itched unbearably, as though the top of its skull were about to pop open.
Caster was being merciless. He activated a dozen or so TMs one after another and poured them into Mudkip without giving it a moment to recover.
Mirror Coat had been a reward for catching Squirtle in Professor Oak's yard.
He had seven Ancient Power TMs, earned from catching Fossil Pokémon in Grampa Canyon.
Wide Guard had come from catching a Mantine in Johto. None of his Pokémon had been able to learn it before, so Mudkip would benefit now.
Superpower was the reward he'd received for catching Mudkip itself. Teaching it back to Mudkip was only fitting.
Water Gun and Water Pulse were rewards he'd built up over years of fishing. He had more than he could ever use.
Before long, Mudkip's entire status panel had been upgraded.
[Pokémon: Mudkip]
[Type: Water]
[Ability: Torrent (Powers up Water-type moves)]
[Moves: Water Gun (Mastered), Water Pulse (Mastered), Supersonic (Mastered), Strength (Mastered), Ancient Power (Proficient), Waterfall (Proficient), Mud Shot, Dig, Foresight, Rock Smash, Superpower, Wide Guard, Refresh, Screech, Protect, Substitute, Double Team]
First, Torrent's description had changed. It no longer required Mudkip to be low on stamina. It could activate the ability whenever it wanted.
Second, its move list was now several times longer, giving it much broader coverage.
What surprised Caster most, though, was that Strength had also reached Mastered.
He didn't have any Strength TMs, so he hadn't been able to improve that move directly.
"Could it be because of the Power Orb?"
Caster rubbed his chin. It seemed very likely.
The Power Orb had caused an explosive increase in Mudkip's physical strength, and Strength was obviously a move that depended on that.
Put that way, it seemed to make sense.
After trying out a few moves, Mudkip gradually grew accustomed to its transformed abilities.
Caster, meanwhile, was beginning to look forward to seeing what it could do on the battlefield.