Chapter 188: Absorption Completed

Since some things can't be guessed, it's best to capture the two Grimer and study them more closely.

Although they're quite smelly, when it comes to something that could yield great profits in the future, the bad smell becomes less important.

"Slowpoke, use Confusion and control the larger Grimer. Sneasel, Icy Wind, freeze them. Murkrow, Dark Pulse."

Determined, Cain gave the order to attack.

At that moment, the coordination among the Pokémon became clear. Slowpoke and Murkrow, the instant Cain gave the command, stopped covering their noses, despite the unpleasant odor, and didn't let it affect their performance in battle.

Sneasel, although it didn't question why Cain decided to attack, hesitated for half a second before acting.

Cain noticed this but said nothing more. After all, the synchronization with Sneasel wasn't perfect yet. However, he was confident that with a few more days of training, they'd achieve full coordination.

Slowpoke enveloped the two Grimer with the Confusion move, focusing mainly on the larger Grimer, which had higher potential. Sneasel quickly followed with Icy Wind.

After a full day of training with Ice-type moves, Sneasel had improved considerably, showing signs that it was about to fully master the moves.

Since Sneasel had a natural talent for Ice-type moves, its previous lack of mastery was due to the fact that, in the Ice Cave where it lived, Pokémon had strong resistance to Ice-type moves, leading Sneasel to not pay much attention to those moves.

For this reason, despite its high potential, Sneasel didn't have an easy life in the Ice Cave.

Murkrow took to the air, flapping its wings forcefully, as if wanting to completely disperse the bad smell.

Murkrow, who had already perfectly mastered the Dark Pulse move, launched a powerful attack at one of the Grimer.

"Gluggggggg!"

Both Grimer let out a cry as they were attacked.

Originally, these two had been attracted by an extremely tempting scent. However, being slower, the Zubat and Golbat arrived first. By the time the Grimer finally reached the area, they could hardly detect the aroma that had initially lured them.

But, upon seeing the piles of Zubat and Golbat corpses on the ground, they found something much more appealing than the initial scent.

So the two Grimer forgot about everything else; they didn't even notice they were being watched while they fed.

It wasn't until they were attacked that they remembered the original purpose of their presence there.

However, they were already slow, and after eating so much, their bodies swelled, making it difficult for them to even turn around, let alone fight.

Soon, under the double pressure of Slowpoke's psychic powers and the successive attacks from Murkrow and Sneasel, both Grimer fell to the ground, unable to continue fighting.

From a safe distance, Cain threw two ordinary Poké Balls, capturing both Grimer.

Only after capturing the Grimer did the strong stench in the tunnel begin to dissipate.

Murkrow flapped its wings wildly toward both sides of the tunnel, trying to speed up the dispersion of the bad smell.

Slowpoke used the Confusion move to return the Poké Balls with the Grimer to Cain's side.

During the brief time the battle lasted, Cain noticed through his system that the Grimer that initially had a yellow potential had improved a bit more.

These changes were subtle. Without a system, most people wouldn't notice them, but Cain could clearly perceive that the Grimer's potential was improving, and its overall stats were gradually increasing, though very slightly.

At that moment, Gastly, who had absorbed some of the toxic gas, finally fully recovered from the daze.

Although it wasn't very noticeable, it was possible to see that the purple gas around Gastly had darkened a bit more.

In the data scanned by the system, Cain could also see that Gastly's Poison-type affinity was slowly increasing. Cain was sure this process would continue until Gastly fully absorbed the gas.

"How are you feeling, Gastly?" Cain asked gently after storing the Poké Balls with the Grimer in his pocket.

"Kekeke~!" Gastly floated around Cain, showing that it felt great and full of energy.

Seeing Gastly's energy, Cain nodded with a smile.

It seemed that Gastly had already developed a resistance to these toxic gases. Next time he uses them, he won't have to worry as much, as long as he doesn't exceed a certain amount.

Skorupi, who had been under Cain's constant watch, looked at Gastly with a hint of envy.

As a Poison-type Pokémon, Skorupi had found that smell extremely enticing. If it hadn't been for Cain's calming presence, it probably would've had difficulty resisting the temptation.

Cain noticed Skorupi's expression and, amused, patted its head, jokingly saying, "Little glutton, don't worry; I have something prepared for you too. But first, you need to get used to your body and grow as fast as possible."

Upon hearing Cain's words, Skorupi's eyes lit up, and it nodded enthusiastically. It even made a gesture as if doing push-ups, indicating it was in perfect condition.

Its playful behavior made Cain, already in a good mood, burst into laughter.

Cain and his Pokémon continued moving deeper. The appearance of the two Grimer had brought a great advantage: they no longer had to worry about clearing the Zubat and Golbat corpses on the ground.

As they advanced, after a brief encounter-free period due to the battle, some Pokémon began to appear again.

Among them were the active Rattata and Raticate, as well as some Sandshrew that suddenly appeared. All the Pokémon that attacked were defeated by Murkrow and the others.

If Cain found a particularly weak Pokémon, he had Skorupi fight. With its training vest on, Skorupi was quickly getting used to its body. Although it could get injured in battle, it endured bravely.

After all, for Bug-type Pokémon, injuries like dislocated or broken joints are quite common. These Pokémon have a high regeneration capacity, and, with enough resources and energy, they can recover in a relatively short time.

Moreover, Cain had plenty of medicine to heal injuries, along with Miltank to restore energy. Other Pokémon were also nearby, ready to intervene if the situation became dangerous. Cain was fully confident that, with one command, his Pokémon would save Skorupi from any danger.

(End of chapter)