Chapter 48: Four New Skills
In the blink of an eye, 2 months had passed since Ryū met the Ampharos Family. Ryū did not stay with the Ampharos Family for the entire 2 months. Aside from his daily lessons with the Ampharos Boss, Ryū would also ask the Ampharos Boss about powerful Pokémon tribes nearby and then go to greet them and challenge them.
Within these 2 months, Ryū had already greeted 6 Pokémon tribes.
One was the Persian Family located to the north, not large in scale, consisting of 3 Persian and 10 Meowth. These cats' attitude towards Ryū was quite poor at first. The Persian Leader was around Lv. 40, and even played a trick on Ryū when they first met. Ryū wasn't a hothead either, choosing to run back to the Ampharos Family for backup, and gave that Persian a good electric shock. After that, the Persian Family was very respectful whenever they saw Ryū, accompanying him in training without any complaints on the surface.
The second tribe was the Tauros Family. It was quite large, with a full 30 Tauros. Moreover, one remarkably exaggerated point about the Tauros Family was their high average level; the 30 Tauros were basically all between Lv. 25 and Lv. 35. Only the Tauros Leader, a scarred adult Tauros, had a higher level, similar to the Persian. The Tauros Family was quite welcoming to Ryū's arrival. But it wasn't a friendly welcome, rather a welcome full of fighting spirit. Tauros are energetic and short-tempered, rough-natured Pokémon who like to confirm their strength through battling. So, the Tauros Family was very enthusiastic about Ryū's challenge invitation, practically scrambling to fight him. Ryū spent the most time challenging the Tauros Family, taking about half a month to fight through all of them. And in the frequent head-on battles, Ryū unexpectedly learned the move 'Take Down.'
The third and fourth tribes were both Miltank Families. The difference was that the former was a Miltank family raised here in the Royal Dragon Kingdom. The latter was a wild Miltank Family. Ryū had no interest in the former; it was a large-scale tribe, but with an average level of only Lv. 20. The latter, the wild Miltank Family, was quite strong. Although there were only about 10 of them, the lowest-leveled Miltank was also Lv. 35, quite powerful. This Miltank Family was very gentle, similar in attitude to the Ampharos Family. Ryū would occasionally bring Ryuuki there to get some high-quality moo moo milk.
The fifth tribe was the Rapidash Family. This tribe was not large, but its strength was comparable to the Ampharos Family. The tribe consisted of 5 Rapidash and 10 Ponyta. Ponyta generally need to reach around Lv. 40 to meet the conditions for evolving into Rapidash. Therefore, the number of Rapidash in this tribe shows how powerful they are. Ryū only greeted the Rapidash Family from a distance and did not have much interaction. The Rapidash Family was not too welcoming to Ryū's arrival. While they didn't show hostility, they had no intention of befriending Ryū either.
The sixth tribe was the Golduck Family located near a large lake. The Golduck Family is the overlord of that lake, and the Golduck Leader's level is at least Lv. 50 or higher. The tribe was not very large, but they were mostly Golduck of not-too-low levels, with relatively few Psyduck. Ryū got along quite well with this group of Golduck. Aside from the Ampharos and Tauros Families, he visited them most frequently.
Now, 2 months have passed, and Ryū's personal panel has also changed.
[Dragonair]
[Potential]: Purple
[Level]: Lv. 35
[Type]: Dragon
[Ability]: Shed Skin
[Height]: 9m
[Weight]: 40kg
[Moves]: Hone Claws (Inherited), Wrap, Glare, Twister, Thunder Wave, Dragon Tail, Agility, Slam, Icy Wind, Aqua Tail, Thunderbolt, Take Down, Water Pulse, Thunder
His level didn't increase much, only 2 levels. There are 2 reasons for this. One reason is that the requirements for leveling up have increased significantly. He might now need dozens of evenly matched battles to level up once. Another reason is that most of his energy was focused on learning moves from the Ampharos Boss and the Golduck Boss.
This can be seen from his move list. In 2 months, he has gained 4 more moves compared to before! The value of Thunderbolt and Water Pulse goes without saying. The former is Ash's Pikachu's signature move; besides high power, it can also paralyze the target, and its accuracy is also very high. The latter can cause confusion in the target, and its accuracy is also very high.
As for Take Down, the move he learned unexpectedly, it's somewhat of a mixed bag for Ryū. Take Down is a Normal-type physical move; its accuracy isn't great, and it also causes slight recoil damage to himself. Even if he has a chance to use a physical move, Ryū wouldn't choose Take Down. Whether it's Dragon Tail or Aqua Tail, the benefits are basically better than Take Down.
Finally, a move worth specifically mentioning - Thunder. As a powerful Electric-type move, it sacrifices a bit of accuracy for higher power. Ryū only took 1 month to learn the first 3 moves, but he spent an entire month learning Thunder. As for the issue of move accuracy, different trainers have different ways to compensate. But for Ryū, who is both a trainer and a Pokémon himself, accuracy is basically not a problem. Without 100% accuracy, it would be impossible for him to unleash a move like Thunder, which consumes a lot and has a post-move delay. And the solution he thought of was to make good use of the move 'Wrap.' First, use his body to restrain the target; only when the target is restrained will Ryū consider using Thunder.
It was another evening. Ryū painstakingly rescued an innocent Meowth from Ryuuki's embrace, then took the reluctant little girl back to the Royal Palace. The first thing Ryū did upon returning to the Royal Palace was to find Liz in the study. He felt he should be shedding his skin today. The frequency of shedding after evolving into Dragonair is about once a month. Ryū had already shed his skin twice before, both times with Liz and Ryuuki helping. After all, his body is very long now, and it would be cumbersome for Liz to do it alone, so he pulled Ryuuki in as well.
"Aran, Ryuuki, you're back. I have something to tell you just in time." Liz, who was feeding the Magikarp in the study, turned her head and smiled when she saw the two entering the study. "What is it?" Ryū approached and took a look at the Magikarp. After more than 2 months of getting along, the two girls and the Magikarp had developed a good bond. He felt it was almost time to take the two Magikarp out to level up and prepare to evolve into Gyarados.
"The day after tomorrow, I have something to handle in Cherrygrove City. Do you want to come with me?" Although she was asking Ryū and Ryuuki, Liz was actually only looking at Ryuuki. Because Liz knew very well that Aran would definitely go with her; there was no need to ask him at all.
"Cherrygrove City? Perfect." Ryū turned his head and recalled briefly. Then he remembered that it was the southernmost coastal city within the Royal Dragon Kingdom. 'Cherrygrove City is right next to the sea.' Thinking of this, Ryū couldn't help but look at the Magikarp.
"I want to go!" Ryuuki showed yearning and anticipation. Of course, she wanted to go to Cherrygrove City with Aran and her aunt. For her, this was simply going on a trip and having fun, so naturally, she couldn't miss it.