"Getting stronger by eating meat simplifies things a lot," Zhang Tian mused. "When we're hungry, we eat. When we're out of meat, we hunt."
"At this rate, evolving Pidgeotto into a Pidgeot within a month is definitely achievable."
A smile touched his lips as he led Pidgeotto and the Izuchi out to the courtyard to begin training. The Izuchi, having just been captured, needed the most work. It had zero coordination with him and didn't even understand the concepts of Pokémon battles or commands.
Three hours later, the training session concluded. Zhang Tian, Pidgeotto, and the Izuchi had all fully digested their meal, completely absorbing the energy from the monster pork and growing stronger. Zhang Tian saw the greatest improvement, his own level jumping to 6. Pidgeotto and the Izuchi didn't level up, but their power had noticeably increased, and they were both close to their next level.
"Let's rest for a bit, then we'll go hunting again," Zhang Tian said, lying down on the grass and closing his eyes. The wild boar carcass from earlier didn't have much meat on it, certainly not enough to last the three of them very long. If they wanted to eat, they had to hunt.
After an hour's rest, they were ready to go.
"It's 10 p.m. now. We'll head back before midnight to make a late dinner."
Glancing at his watch, Zhang Tian shouldered his backpack, walked into the living room, and activated the system.
He reappeared inside the same abandoned house in the Shrine Ruins. Signaling for Pidgeotto and the Izuchi to stay quiet, he carefully surveyed the room. It was empty, which allowed him to relax slightly. After quietly closing the door, he opened his backpack and took out a drone.
Whirrr...
With a faint buzz, the drone lifted off under his control, flying out of a window and ascending into the night sky. It climbed higher and higher, soon reaching an altitude of one hundred meters, giving him a panoramic view of the surrounding area.
"No large monsters near the house. Good," Zhang Tian said, a smile forming as he watched the screen.
The large monsters in this world were massive and virtually impossible to hide. If the drone couldn't spot them, it meant the immediate vicinity was clear.
"Bombadgy, Gajau, Slagtoth."
Through the drone's camera, Zhang Tian identified three types of small monsters. Compared to the dangerous large monsters, these smaller creatures were docile and posed almost no threat.
"The Slagtoth are the closest. They'll be our target."
After confirming the location, Zhang Tian chose tonight's prey. He recalled the drone, then set off with Pidgeotto and the Izuchi, moving stealthily toward the Slagtoth's position.
In a quiet corner of the Shrine Ruins, several Slagtoth were slowly grazing, completely oblivious to the approaching danger.
Peeking over a low wall, Zhang Tian used his system to analyze the creatures.
Slagtoth
Level: 21 (Normal-tier)
Slagtoth
Level: 23 (Normal-tier)
Slagtoth
Level: 26 (Normal-tier)
All three were of normal-tier strength.
Snap!
Zhang Tian made a quick hand signal, ordering the Izuchi to prepare for an attack. Pidgeotto wasn't strong enough for this fight and could only observe from the side. The Izuchi crept along the wall, while Zhang Tian aimed his black crossbow at one of the Slagtoth.
Thwump!
The instant Zhang Tian pulled the trigger, the Izuchi sprang into action.
Fwish!
It leaped towards its target. Twisting in mid-air, it swung its massive tail claw at the Slagtoth's head, executing its unique skill: Triple Tail Swipe.
The Slagtoth, struck by the tranquilizer dart, let out a mournful cry and collapsed. While not asleep, it was too disoriented to get up. This was the one the Izuchi was aiming for. Zhang Tian wasn't greedy; he had no intention of hunting two at once. The risk was too high. Taking one was the safest and most reliable approach.
Slish!
The Izuchi's tail blade slashed into the back of the Slagtoth's neck, instantly carving a deep gash. Its tail then snapped up, and after a 360-degree spin, came crashing down again. The hook claw struck the same spot, widening the wound until bone was visible. Then, the Izuchi's tail recoiled one last time.
CRUNCH!
The third strike of its tail swipe landed, cleanly severing the Slagtoth's head.
Having been Pokémonized, the Izuchi's skills were far more potent. Before, it never could have pulled off such a feat, especially since the Slagtoth was much larger than it.
"Let's go."
Zhang Tian jumped down from the wall. He activated his traversal ability, and in an instant, he, the Izuchi, Pidgeotto, and the Slagtoth's corpse were back in the living room of his old home.
"That's our food sorted for at least a week." He nodded in satisfaction, looking at the large carcass before him. "Time for a late dinner."
With a wave of his hand, Pidgeotto and the Izuchi eagerly began to eat. Clearly, they were starving.
"Good thing Pidgeotto is a carnivorous bird of prey. If it were a grass-type, I'd probably have to catch bugs for it. At least they both eat meat," Zhang Tian thought with relief.
"I'll have some too." He took a knife, cut off a large piece of meat, and decided to grill it. Stir-frying was too much trouble; grilling was far more convenient. As he ate, he noticed his appetite had grown significantly.
"Looks like getting stronger has made me hungrier," he mused, patting his stomach.
Once Pidgeotto and the Izuchi were full, Zhang Tian butchered the rest of the Slagtoth meat and packed it into the freezer and refrigerator. Since his parents occasionally came back to the old house for a break, it was still fully equipped with appliances.
He glanced at Pidgeotto and the Izuchi, now lying contentedly on the floor, and shook his head with a smile. Then, he picked up a pen and paper and began to formulate a training plan.
"For Pidgeotto, we'll stick to the same plan: focus on flight training, aerial evasion, and attack maneuvers."
"As for the Izuchi, out of its three unique skills, Triple Tail Swipe is the strongest. We need to train that skill until it can be used effortlessly anytime, anywhere. I remember in the game, the Izuchi could only do a single tail swipe. While three is more powerful, you don't always get the opportunity for a three-hit combo. Training a single, flexible tail swipe is more practical. The Izuchi is fast, so a hit-and-run style suits it perfectly."
"Its other moves, Water Spit and Bladed Claw Charge, are too risky. Both have a long recovery animation, leaving it wide open. When I used to play the game, I loved it when the Great Izuchi used those moves, because that long wind-up was the perfect opportunity to attack."
"After becoming a Pokémon, the Izuchi also learned Quick Attack. This skill is crucial and needs to be trained as well."
Muttering to himself as he wrote, Zhang Tian soon had a detailed training plan for his two Pokémon. After putting the plan away, he lay down on his bed, pulled out his phone, and started browsing the latest news about Pokémon.