Chapter 37

Fourth update!!!

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"Dig, huh?" Brock's eyes were a bit more solemn, his tone carrying a bit more understanding. "No wonder you dared to send Nidorina out; it turns out you taught it Dig in advance. However... your proficiency in Dig is probably not long after learning it, right?"

As a Gym Leader who dealt with Rock-type Pokémon all year round, he could tell at a glance that Nidorina's movements when digging were still a bit raw, and the edges of the hole were not neat enough, obviously not a skill it had mastered proficiently.

Huo La did not deny it.

After getting the recovered Poké Balls from the Pokémon Center, he used a TM to let Nidorina master Dig in the room he rented. At this moment, the skill proficiency was indeed only 1%.

But... even if the proficiency was low, this move was enough to disrupt Brock's rhythm.

Just as Brock's voice fell, a cracking sound of "Click" suddenly came from the center of the rock field!

The rock ground under Geodude was suddenly pushed open by a pair of sharp claws. Nidorina's head poked out from the ground, and immediately after, its entire body leaped out of the ground with debris of soil, its sharp claws slapping fiercely on Geodude's abdomen—the second stage of Dig's attack hit the target solidly!

Geodude let out a painful muffled groan, the momentum of its Rollout was instantly interrupted, its body lost balance, and it fell heavily to the ground, with even a small crack appearing on the rocks on its body.

Huo La looked at the situation on the field, a shallow smile curling at the corners of his mouth: "The Gym Leader is right, Dig is indeed a newly learned skill. But for battle, as long as it can hit, proficiency has never been a problem."

"Nidorina, continue using Dig!" Huo La ordered in a low voice.

Receiving the command, Nidorina immediately drilled into the ground again, then broke through the ground from the other side, constantly repeating the attack rhythm of Dig.

"The same move is useless against me. Geodude, use Bulldoze!"

As the voice fell, Geodude leaped high, then fell heavily toward the ground, launching a stomp attack with its body one after another.

Huo La watched Geodude's movements, his expression slightly unnatural—not because he cared about this targeted attack, but purely because Geodude didn't have feet to begin with, yet it was jumping and stomping with its own strength, which was truly a bit strange.

Just in the gap when Huo La was slightly distracted, Nidorina was suddenly shaken out of the rock soil layer by the vibration of the ground. After landing, its eyes rolled back and it fell into a coma, thoroughly losing its ability to battle.

"Come back, Nidorina, you've done very well." Huo La raised his hand to recall Nidorina's Poké Ball, then threw another one. "Go, Bulbasaur, the rest is up to you."

Brock's gaze fell on the Bulbasaur sent out by Huo La, and he nodded involuntarily: "The flower bud is full and bright, and the leaves are thick and lush. You have cultivated this Bulbasaur quite well; it seems it should be your main Pokémon. What's more coincidental is that the Grass-type happens to counter the Rock-type and Ground-type—then let me test how strong your Bulbasaur is."

"If you want to test my Bulbasaur, then bring out your real skills. Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip to knock Geodude out of the field!"

Following Huo La's command, two thick vines shot out from the flower bud on Bulbasaur's back instantly, whipping fiercely at Geodude with strong force—Geodude was immediately whipped away, falling heavily outside the field, its eyes rolling back into a coma.

Pokémon: Bulbasaur

Gender: Female

Level: Lv23

Aptitude: B

Status: Healthy

Nature: Diligent

Type: Grass/Poison

Ability: Chlorophyll (A Pokémon with this ability has its speed doubled in strong sunlight.)

Height: 1.3m

Weight: 14kg

Held Item: None

Skills: Tackle (Proficiency 64%), Growl (Proficiency 67%), Vine Whip (Proficiency 73%), Poison Powder (Proficiency 41%), Leech Seed (Proficiency 21%), Razor Leaf (Proficiency 30%), Sleep Powder (Proficiency 22%)

Improvement Count: 1 (Evolve using Leaf Stone)

"Such thick vines, such fast speed, and such strong force!" Brock looked at the Bulbasaur in the field, his face full of surprise, and after a moment, he praised it sincerely.

"Very interesting. Come back, Geodude." He recalled the Geodude that had lost its ability to battle, then threw another Poké Ball. "Go, my Onix!"

Pokémon: Onix

Gender: Male

Level: Lv25

Aptitude: A

Status: Healthy

Nature: Calm

Type: Rock/Ground

Ability: Pickup (A Pokémon with this ability will retain at least 1 HP when hit by an attack while at full HP.)

Height: 10m

Weight: 211kg

Held Item: None

Skills: Tackle (Proficiency 91%), Bind (Proficiency 65%), Rock Throw (Proficiency 85%), Sandstorm (Proficiency 71%), Dig (Proficiency 82%)

Improvement Count: 1 (???)

Huo La stared at the attribute panel of the Onix in front of him, his heart full of surprise: the aptitude has reached A, and it can still be improved?

This Onix, which Flint gave to Brock as a birthday gift, I don't know where it came from, but it's so heaven-defying. It's already at the same level as my Beedrill, and with another improvement, it will be a complete, genuine "Gym-level" existence.

Looking at those skill proficiencies again, Huo La secretly pondered: an ordinary novice Trainer, if they don't have enough strength, I'm afraid they wouldn't even be able to withstand one hit from Onix.

"Onix, use Sandstorm!" Onix raised its head and let out a muffled roar. Instantly, the entire battlefield was swept by a sky full of fine sand, forming a howling sandstorm, and visibility dropped suddenly.

"Starting with Sandstorm, that's indeed not bad. But that can't stump us—Bulbasaur, use the wind of the Sandstorm to scatter Sleep Powder!"

Bulbasaur shook the flower bud on its back, and a cluster of green-glowing Sleep Powder drifted out, quickly permeating the entire field along with the airflow of the Sandstorm.

The Onix, which was originally waiting with its head held high in the Sandstorm, now had its head gradually drooping, and its eyes began to become unfocused.

"It's Sleep Powder... Onix, hold on! Quick battle, use Rock Throw to cover the entire field!"

"Roar—" Onix roared again, and dense rocks instantly condensed in the sky, crashing down toward the location of Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, use Leech Seed first, then drill into the hole Nidorina dug to hide!" Huo La ordered calmly.

Bulbasaur acted swiftly, a green Leech Seed shot out from the flower bud, precisely attaching to Onix; immediately after, it leaped, drilling into the hole Nidorina had left not far away without hesitation, barely avoiding the falling rain of rocks.

Brock frowned, a trace of understanding flashing in his eyes: "So this is your tactic. Nidorina was an auxiliary from the beginning, and the real main force has been this Bulbasaur all along."