"Come on, Snivy, let me see your strength!"
On a sunny afternoon, Draconis took Snivy and Dratini to the training ground with wooden stakes and began to test the moves Snivy had mastered.
"Snivy."
On the snowy ground, Snivy stood with its arms crossed, its posture quite elegant.
Hearing Draconis's words, it began to demonstrate the moves it had currently learned, one by one.
Snivy looked intently at the wooden stake in front of it, its small body, like a small cannonball, crashed towards the stake.
With a bang, the stake swayed from the impact.
"Glare and Tackle? The power seems pretty good." Draconis murmured to himself, at least for now, Snivy's strength was greater than Dratini's.
After one move, Snivy nimbly jumped back, then landed steadily on the snowy ground.
Immediately after, a green Vine Whip extended from its neck, striking the wooden stake with a sharp whoosh.
"Vine Whip." Looking at the clear whip mark left on the wooden stake, the name of this move silently appeared in Draconis's mind.
Next, Snivy demonstrated a move that Draconis couldn't recognize for a moment.
It gathered strength, and its small body seemed to become even smaller in an instant, and Snivy's state also looked a bit… tribal.
Is that… a Normal-type move, Growth?
Growth is a stat-boosting move. Some Pokémon may grow larger after using it, thereby increasing their Attack and Special Attack to some extent.
But why did Snivy's Growth seem to make it weaker instead?
After a brief thought, Draconis quickly understood the reason.
His Snivy's Ability was Contrary!
Contrary: Stat changes are reversed. When they would normally increase, they decrease, and when they would decrease, they increase.
The effect of the Growth move was reversed!
"..."
It really was a double-edged sword!
This also meant that Snivy couldn't boost its own stats during battle.
However, a teammate Pokémon could use moves like Screech on Snivy to help boost its stats, Draconis thought.
Next was Wrap.
Dratini also knew this move, and compared to the previous Vine Whip, Snivy's proficiency with this move was noticeably lower.
After Wrap, Snivy began to demonstrate its last move.
It controlled the Grass-type energy in the earth, silently causing grass to form a Grass Knot under the wooden stake.
If the wooden stake were a real Pokémon, it would probably be tripped by this Grass Knot.
"Hmm, it's a very good disruptive move." Draconis nodded in satisfaction.
It was sufficiently concealed and silent, capable of being activated quietly before the opponent noticed, making it perfect for ambushing.
"Well done, Snivy!" Draconis praised.
"Snivy."
Snivy acted as if it was nothing, crossing its arms and raising its head proudly.
Draconis glanced at the sky; it was gloomy, and although there was sunlight, the temperature in the air was still very cold.
Winter had a certain impact on Pokémon's condition, especially Grass-type Pokémon like Snivy.
The climate and temperature of this season were not suitable for Grass-type Pokémon to live in. Snivy's body would become sluggish and weak in this season, and the power of its moves would also decrease.
However, in spring, summer, or autumn, Snivy's movements would become faster under the bright sunlight, and its moves would become more powerful than in winter.
This was the ecological habit of Pokémon like Snivy.
"Alright, that's enough for today! Let's go back!" Draconis said.
Returning to the house with the two Pokémon, Draconis couldn't help but sigh.
It was really inconvenient without Poké Balls in this era!
It was fine with only two Pokémon for now, but if he captured more Pokémon later, a long procession of Pokémon would follow him every time he went out… That scene would be truly exaggerated.
Thinking of this, Draconis couldn't help but think of a special Berry in the Pokémon world.
Apricorns.
This was a very magical Berry; it grew on trees, was hollow inside, and came in various colors.
As Draconis knew, in the distant future, even without technology, some Poké Ball craftsmen could manually create various Poké Balls.
His technology tree still had a long way to go before unlocking Poké Balls.
Instead of waiting for technology to unlock, they might as well develop it themselves in advance.
He would roughly draw the design of the Poké Ball and hand it over to the blacksmiths, asking them to work on it together.
Human wisdom was limitless; perhaps they could create Poké Balls through this opportunity.
Thinking so, Draconis casually drew the appearance of an Apricorn on parchment with a quill.
When Alfred arrived, Draconis handed the drawing to him and asked:
"Alfred, have you ever seen this kind of Berry?"
"Is this… an Apricorn?" The Old Butler was slightly stunned.
"You've seen it?" Draconis was a little surprised.
Alfred nodded and recalled: "I saw it before in the royal city, but Your Highness, this Berry cannot be eaten. It's hollow inside, with only some pulp and seeds, so it's useless to us."
Similar to a gourd… Draconis couldn't help but think, listening to that description.
However, he did not explain the use of the Apricorn to Alfred, but nodded and said: "I understand."
*
The next day, Draconis had originally planned to continue training outside with Dratini and Snivy as before.
However, plans couldn't keep up with changes. Before they even woke up, they heard the howling sound of a Blizzard.
Overnight, the firewood in the fireplace had been completely burned out, leaving only a few sparks, and the temperature inside the house had a touch of coolness.
"The Blizzard is here again?"
Draconis lay on the bed surrounded by a group of Pokémon, listening to the howling wind and snow outside, but felt an unprecedented sense of peace within.
Outside, the Blizzard raged, but inside, there was a tranquil and harmonious atmosphere.
The maid came and replaced the firewood. The flames in the stone fireplace burned brightly, and in a short while, the house became warm again.
Draconis got up and looked at the world outside through the small wooden window.
Outside the window, wind and snow raged, and the entire world was a gloomy expanse. In the distance, wooden houses stood amidst the Blizzard, and even the air had fallen silent.
"Woo?"
"Lili?"
"..."
Several Pokémon were woken by Draconis's movements and opened their blurry, sleepy eyes to look over.
Draconis lay back down on the bed, burrowed under the covers, and said to them with a smile:
"Keep sleeping!"
What could be more comfortable than sleeping in a warm bed on a cold winter day?