This had proven to be the best place for Mismagius to refine its new illusion skill.
When facing slightly weaker Pokémon, Mismagius’s newly mastered “Spinning World” skill can instantly bewilder the opponent, causing them to lose their balance and fall.
Against slightly stronger Pokémon, it can disrupt their movements and interrupt their moves. When ambushed by Pokémon, Mismagius can first use the illusion skill to turn the opponent into an easy target, and then Castform fires a high-speed Hydro Pump, ensuring the opponent wouldn’t pose a threat anymore.
“Look, what I found.”
Terrance stepped through a patch of grass, and his face lit up with excitement at what he saw.
It was a lone Venonat.
If it were just a Venonat, it wouldn’t be much. But this one was holding a Leppa Berry.
“After walking so far, I’ve finally found something worthwhile.” Terrance looked at the Venonat with a mischievous grin. Since the Venonat was holding a Leppa Berry, there had to be a Leppa Berry tree nearby. Terrance signaled to Mismagius, who cast an illusion skill, causing the Venonat to obediently head in a certain direction.
The plan was perfect: use the illusion skill to induce Venonat to go towards the source of the Leppa Berry and then quietly follow it.
Leppa Berries are rare in the wild. When Pokémon use their moves repeatedly, they gradually deplete their energy, but Leppa Berries act like a universal elixir. They’re a key ingredient in various energy-restoration potions, capable of converting the energy within the pulp into the energy needed for Pokémon to use their moves. This makes them an extremely useful Berry.
Furthermore, Leppa Berries are easy to cultivate, making them one of the most well-known Berries. Over 60% of Trainers have used potions containing Leppa Berries for their Pokémon.
If Terrance could get his hands on some Leppa Berries, he wouldn’t have to worry about his Pokémon being in poor condition.
Ten minutes later.
Terrance lay prone in a patch of grass, observing a tree in the distance.
“As I suspected, berries like this are definitely guarded by Pokémon. Finding unclaimed resources is nearly impossible.”
The competition was fiercer than Terrance imagined. One Leppa Berry tree was guarded by a group of Venomoth!
Terrance counted roughly ten of them, with even more Venonat nearby.
And… there were only two Leppa Berry trees in the area!
Each tree had no more than a dozen berries left, making them incredibly precious.
This appeared to be a Venonat habitat!
Terrance had seen enough to understand that this deserted island was teeming with Pokémon, often clustered in groups to survive better, and in just one day, he had already encountered three such group-based Pokémon habitats.
The Leppa Berry tree looked similar to an apple tree, with a gray-brown trunk, partially peeling bark, and numerous branches. The Venomoth perched on the tree were seemingly asleep, but they also seemed to be observing their surroundings.
Terrance felt a twinge of anxiety, suddenly getting the feeling that he had been discovered. However, he quickly devised a battle plan.
He must take away the Leppa Berries; they were essential for his survival on the island in the coming days. However, dealing with the Venomoth required careful planning. After all, he only had Castform and Mismagius with him right now.
“Rain Dance…”
He softly commanded Castform. Immediately, dark clouds silently began to gather in the sky, with raindrops condensing one by one.
“Use the rain to neutralize the Venomoth’s dustlike scales first!”
Venomoth’s dustlike scales are highly poisonous, and this toxic dust is the best at spreading in the air among all Pokémon with toxic dust.
Even if only a tiny bit accidentally touches the skin, it can slowly cause the poison to seep into the skin. Even if it is very diluted, it can still cause a certain degree of paralysis.
Moreover, Venomoth’s dustlike scales exhibit multiple types of toxicity, with different colored scales causing varying effects. This can pose a significant challenge for Terrance, especially since he didn’t have a single antidote with him. Acting recklessly was out of the question, but creating a favorable situation seemed to be his only option for now.
Rain… could entirely prevent the spread of the scales.
As the first raindrop fell, two Venomoth flapped their wings. The black pupils in their bubble-like eyes instantly lit up. In a flash, the grass that had been concealing Terrance was swept aside. Feeling embarrassed, Terrance immediately stood up.
“Uh… if I say I’m just passing through, would you believe me?”
As the rain continued to patter down, one of the Venomoth’s eyes glowed even more brightly. Terrance suddenly felt a powerful force gripping his body, lifting him off the ground against his will.
“Cr*p,” he immediately began struggling to break free.
One of these Venomoth was capable of using psychic power!
No wonder they were able to guard these two Leppa Berry trees.
“@#%￥#%……@#￥” Mismagius uttered an incantation, its eerie chant disrupting the thoughts of the Venomoth using psychic power. Terrance finally broke free from the Confusion attack but was far from at ease.
Pokémon like Venomoth, Butterfree, and Dustox could theoretically learn psychic-type moves, but they were usually seen in human-captured Pokémon. Wild Venomoth, Butterfree, and Dustox awakening psychic-type moves was extraordinarily rare. If a Butterfree could use Confusion, it could protect an entire Caterpie colony from bird Pokémon. Even among Trainer captured Pokémon, it wasn’t easy for these Pokémon to awaken psychic power. For a move like Confusion to appear on a Butterfree is itself a miracle. One move is enough to allow a Butterfree to drastically improve and undergo a qualitative change in its strength.
For Bug Catchers who start their journey by catching Pokémon like Caterpie, obtaining a Caterpie that can naturally awaken Confusion would make their early journey even smoother than those of rookie Trainers who receive Starter Pokémon from the League. After all, Caterpie grows at a speed unmatched by most other Pokémon.
Awakening psychic power also signifies exceptional potential in these Pokémon.
“Hmm~~~~”
All the Venonat and Venomoth turned their gaze toward Terrance, ready to attack. However, Terrance remained unfazed, his eyes fixed on the sky.
The rain was growing heavier and heavier.
By now, most of the Venomoth realized that even flying was becoming difficult……
Two of the Venomoth attempted to attack with Confusion, but Mismagius disrupted them. While awakening psychic power is indeed commendable, it merely corresponds to the vast base of this species. Even when facing a psychic-type Pokémon, Mismagius wouldn’t be afraid, let alone Venomoth using Confusion.
Other Venomoth tried using Flying-type moves to blow away the raindrops and disperse the clouds, but their efforts were in vain. The rain was too heavy, and it seemed to be intentionally targeting their position under Castform’s control. At this moment, to avoid having their wings and dustlike scales soaked by the rain, the Venomoth and Venonat began retreating from under the clouds.
But in the next instant, Mismagius suddenly increased the power of its illusion skill, causing countless Pokémon to become enveloped in an overwhelming blinding light. It instantly jolted them, numbing their minds, and soon the shaking of the Spinning World followed. Several Venomoth struggled to fly steadily, as Mismagius’ spell left them feeling like they were under a collective assault, plunging them all into chaos.
The turning point came with the rain.
Relying on the heavy downpour, Castform unleashed its full power, releasing a surge of energy. A biting chill swept through the area around the Venonat and Venomoth. Terrance watched calmly as the rain, now tinged with blue and white, transformed into gusts of swirling snowflakes, bringing a sudden chill!
In an instant, the water-soaked Venonat and Venomoth were frozen with a layer of frost as the temperature around them plummeted!
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