Chapter 47: Training with the Ampharos Leader
The largest Ampharos in the Ampharos Family stepped forward. "Liu?" He looked warily at the large Ryū and asked.
"Ying." Ryū stated his intention to challenge directly. He couldn't quite tell the level of this Ampharos from his size. However, with such a large Ampharos Family, this Ampharos Leader should probably not be below Lv. 50. Otherwise, it would be difficult to develop to this scale on this grassland. Omnivorous creatures like Fearow, Persian, and Houndoom, which also frequent the grassland, don't mind occasionally eating some mutton.
"Liu? Liu." The Ampharos was startled at first upon hearing Ryū's words, then nodded, walked 2 steps forward, and patted his chest. His meaning was that he would accept the challenge.
"I can't beat you; I want to fight him." However, Ryū immediately shook his head and pointed his tail at the smallest Ampharos. Even the smallest Ampharos would definitely be above Lv. 30. Because Flaaffy only accumulate enough energy to evolve when they reach around Lv. 30. As for this Ampharos Leader, Ryū knew very well that fighting him was just asking to be beaten. He would definitely end up with injuries after the fight, and the whole day would be wasted. But starting with the weakest Ampharos might allow him to fight a few more rounds.
"Liu..." The Ampharos Leader turned his head to look, showing hesitation. "Liu." That small Ampharos, however, accepted the challenge calmly and didn't mind. Seeing this, the Ampharos Leader said no more, leading his family back a distance to clear the area.
Seeing this, Ryuuki took the opportunity to blend into the Ampharos Family, hugging a reserved Mareep and snuggling with her. The surrounding Mareep and Flaaffy did not show hostility towards her. One reason was their naturally gentle nature, which wouldn't actively harm other creatures. Another reason was that Ryuuki looked very weak, and they didn't feel she was a threat.
"Ampharos, huh..." Ryū couldn't help but feel a little emotional looking at the relatively small Ampharos in front of him. Mega Ampharos is quite powerful, but regular Ampharos is rather average in the game. If there's an advantage, it's probably his wide move pool. Without needing special teaching, he can learn moves of 9 different types just by leveling up and remembering.
Among these, Dragon Pulse and Dazzling Gleam are particularly effective against Ryū. The former requires remembering, while the latter requires a high level to learn. As long as this Ampharos hasn't remembered Dragon Pulse, Ryū won't have much pressure fighting him.
"Liu!!" Originally, the Ampharos intended to let Ryū, his guest, attack first. But seeing that Ryū was slow to act, the Ampharos had no choice but to attack first. His whole body flashed with dazzling yellow electricity, and then a swift yellow lightning bolt shot towards Ryū.
'Thunderbolt.' Ryū raised his eyebrows, quickly rose higher, and flew up, dodging the move. He looked at the Ampharos Leader, starting to feel some pressure. Because Thunderbolt is not a move that ordinary Ampharos can master; one must be taught to learn this move. Clearly, this little Ampharos must have learned it from the powerful Ampharos Leader. He just didn't know how many other moves he had learned.
The battle didn't last long, ending in just 5 minutes. As Ryū expected, this little Ampharos had probably just evolved and was a lower level than him. "Hoo..." Ryū felt the paralysis symptoms in his body and lay tiredly on the grass. This battle was not as easy as he had imagined. The damage caused by Electric-type moves was indeed weakened for him, but Ryū's moves didn't have a significant effect on the Ampharos either.
Moreover, the Ampharos's 'Static' ability was troublesome. Ryū's contact moves could potentially paralyze the opponent, which made Ryū hesitant during the fight. 'Move pool is too shallow.' Although he didn't gain much experience from this battle, it made Ryū realize his current problem. The offensive moves he had mastered were monotonous in type, and there were very few long-range moves. Moves like Dragon Tail, Wrap, Slam, and Aqua Tail all require contact with the Ampharos. In reality, the only special moves he could use were Twister and Icy Wind, which don't deal high damage.
"Aran~" Seeing that the battle was over, Ryuuki quickly ran over and looked at Ryū worriedly. She felt that Aran looked really tired right now. Speaking of which, she had never known why Aran frequently sought out other Pokémon to fight; she felt that Aran didn't like fighting deep down. Ryū didn't respond but continued to lie on the ground resting. The paralysis effect was still ongoing, and he didn't want to move right now.
"Liu." The Ampharos Leader walked over. "What are you doing?!" Ryuuki stretched out her arms to block in front of Ryū. She was afraid the Ampharos would be unsportsmanlike and attack while Ryū was weak. "Liu." The Ampharos Leader had no ill intentions; instead, he pulled out a red fruit that looked like a cherry. Then he motioned for Ryuuki to feed it to Ryū.
Ryuuki took it, hesitated for a moment, and then took a small bite herself first. After waiting for a minute to confirm no symptoms appeared, she put it into Ryū's mouth. 'Cheri Berry.' Ryū knew what kind of Berry it was just by looking at it. After all, in his previous life as a Beedrill, he had specifically collected these Berries that could cure status conditions, just in case. Cheri Berry is a Berry that can cure paralysis. This kind of fruit is relatively common; it can be found in forests and also on the plains. But most Pokémon generally don't know the special effects of these Berries.
The fact that this Ampharos Leader gave the Cheri Berry to Ryū so accurately indicates that he knows the effect of the Cheri Berry. 'This guy must be quite old.' Ryū felt the paralysis in his body gradually disappear, got up, and looked at the Ampharos Leader in front of him. He was knowledgeable, had a deep move pool, and was quite high level.
"I want to learn moves from you, is that okay?" Ryū hesitated for a moment and asked tentatively. He didn't know if Ampharos would teach moves to Pokémon of other species. However, to broaden his move pool, he decided to ask anyway.
"Liu? Liu!" The Ampharos Leader first tilted his head in confusion, then, upon realizing, smiled and nodded generously. "Thank you." Ryū was a little moved. It's no wonder the Ampharos line is so popular; their gentle and generous personalities made Ryū even like them a little. He had originally thought about whether to catch an Ampharos to bring back for Liz and Ryuuki to train, but now he gave up that idea. Pokémon that love peace like this should not be involved in cruel wars.
For the next few days, Ryū took Ryuuki to frequent the Ampharos Family's territory every day. They had already become friends with the Ampharos Family. While Ryū learned moves from the Ampharos Boss, he could also challenge the stronger Ampharos to accumulate experience. And Ryuuki was already having such a good time surrounded by the soft, fluffy Mareep and Flaaffy that she forgot about home.