Chapter 43: Whirlwind Shield

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That evening, Sato accessed Team Rocket's internal points exchange system via his desktop computer and discovered that all the PokeBlocks he had listed for sale had been sold out. Additionally, over thirty requests for additional stock were left on his personal sales page.

While Sato was pleased with the popularity of his PokeBlocks, he was also concerned. After careful consideration, he decided to ignore the requests on the sales page and refrain from selling any more PokeBlocks for the time being.

After selling the remaining 550 PokeBlocks, Sato's points reached 3,725. With his surplus points, he purchased a portable laptop worth 2,000 points.

Having witnessed the power of a high-powered electric fan earlier, Sato abandoned the idea of purchasing such a dangerous item, opting instead to focus on training Zubat's endurance at the paid training grounds.

Not even five minutes after placing the order for the laptop, a staff member delivered the brand-new device to his room. This laptop, developed by Team Rocket and worth 2,000 points, looked almost identical to the laptops Sato had used in his previous life. However, the materials it was made from were unknown—remarkably sturdy yet lightweight, weighing only about 2 kg, which was surprisingly light.

Upon further experimentation, Sato found that the laptop's functions matched the description. Its main feature was automatic detection, using an infrared camera to scan objects and accurately provide detailed data about them.

An unexpected bonus was the presence of a slot for placing a PokeBall. After trying it out, Sato discovered that the laptop could automatically analyze the data of the Pokémon inside the PokeBall and display a 3D diagram, showing the Pokémon's abilities.

Additionally, the laptop had a large battery capacity, capable of running for 24 hours a day for an entire week on a full charge. The back of the screen featured a solar panel, allowing for automatic recharging via sunlight.

Aside from its primary detection function, the laptop had all the basic features of a standard computer, and it could connect to satellites for GPS navigation via a wireless network.

After acquiring this expensive laptop, Sato officially began his evening training session.

As usual, Sato conducted Zubat's nightly skill training in the hall of his dormitory. The first move to train was Gust, a move that had shone brightly earlier in the day and was key to Zubat's victory.

Perhaps due to Zubat's experience in performing an extraordinary Gust during a desperate situation earlier or due to the stamina training with the fan at noon, its proficiency with the move had improved significantly. Zubat executed Gust again with remarkable progress.

A whirlwind almost as large as the one it had created earlier in its desperate state appeared in front of Sato. The white whirlwind rotated counterclockwise towards its center, generating a strong pull, forcing Sato to move a safe distance away from Zubat.

Using the laptop's infrared detection, Sato could easily and conveniently obtain detailed data on the whirlwind, no longer relying on his eyes alone to gauge it.

The white whirlwind created by Zubat's Gust had a diameter of 2 meters and a height of 4.5 meters. Based on the rotational speed of the airflow, the wind force was categorized as level 5, and it lasted for five minutes. Zubat could control the whirlwind within a five-meter range, but beyond that, the power weakened. Once the whirlwind reached 10 meters, it completely dissipated.

Sato observed Zubat's progress with the move Gust and concluded that it had fully got a hang of the technique. In terms of skill proficiency, Zubat had advanced from beginner to proficient, now able to release the power of Gust with much more precision.

After recognizing Zubat's increased mastery of the move, Sato began exploring different tactical uses for it. During the earlier Pokémon battle, Zubat had managed to shatter Ekans' Rock Tomb by using the whirlwind it created. This had given Sato a new perspective on Pokémon moves.

Sato believed that offensive moves weren't solely for attacking—they could also be used defensively. For example, Zubat's Gust created a white whirlwind that intercepted the fragments of rock from Ekans' Rock Tomb, and even sent them back as an attack.

Sato further speculated that if the whirlwind had rotated outward from the center instead of inward, it might have fully reflected the rocks back at Ekans. However, these were just his initial thoughts, and he hadn't yet tested them.

Currently, Sato was directing Zubat to use Gust in a new way, creating a white whirlwind around itself to form a protective barrier. Zubat attempted to generate the wind wall, but the first attempt failed. Fortunately, it was unharmed, as the whirlwind it had created wasn't powerful enough to hurt itself.

After 11 failed attempts, Zubat finally located the eye of the storm, the area of lowest pressure within the whirlwind, and successfully created the Gust centered around itself. The resulting white whirlwind completely enveloped Zubat, and the strong outward flow of air formed a circular wind wall.

"Well done, Zubat! Exactly like that! Try to remember how this feels—it could become your regular defensive technique," Sato said with a pleased smile as Zubat successfully executed the move as he had envisioned.

"Zee zee zee~" Zubat chirped happily, pleased with Sato's praise as it continued to skillfully manipulate the white whirlwind.

Though it was still in its early stages, Sato believed that as Zubat's strength grew, the defensive power of this variation of Gust would improve significantly. Eventually, it might even become a reliable method for Sato to protect himself.

Sato gave this defensive variation of Gust a fitting new name—he called it the "Whirlwind Shield" (though it was still fundamentally the Gust move).

With the success of the Whirlwind Shield, Sato instructed Zubat to continue refining the technique while the momentum was still strong, aiming to perfect its use.

After spending 15 PokeBlocks and nearly two hours of continuous training, Zubat performed the Whirlwind Shield 158 times, with only 23 failures. It had begun to form muscle memory and was becoming familiar with the technique.

Additionally, the white whirlwind created by Gust had increased in size: its diameter grew to 2.3 meters, height to 4.7 meters, and its range extended to 10.3 meters, while the wind force remained at level 5.