Chapter 20: TMs

Read upto 25+ advance chapters exclusively on my Patreon ahead of everybody else - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof

------------------

Sato didn't indulge for long. He quickly regained his composure, then promptly used the free storage bags provided next to the Berry Mixer to collect the PokeBlocks from the glass container. Without leaving any trace, he swiftly left the public hall.

The PokeBlocks he created this time far exceeded Sato's expectations. After tasting them, he realized that these gem-like PokeBlocks were of the highest quality, with incredibly potent effects.

After consuming just a small piece of the PokeBlock, he felt incredibly refreshed, with both his physical and mental energy well-restored. These would be perfect for restoring the stamina and energy of Pokémon after intense training or battles, making them an excellent recovery item.

Undoubtedly, the miraculous effect of this gem-like PokeBlock was due to Sato extracting the maximum potential from the three Oran Berries using the Berry Blender.

These unexpectedly high-quality PokeBlocks were incredibly valuable, and with great value comes great profit. However, Sato was very cautious and wary of such enormous profits.

He understood that great profit also comes with great danger. At the moment, he was just a rookie Trainer who had only recently caught his first Pokémon. He had no means to protect such a valuable resource. If others found out about the value of these PokeBlocks, it wouldn't just be his money at risk—his life would be in danger.

After all, this was Team Rocket territory, a place ruled by the law of the jungle. If a weakling were to possess a big, delicious cake like this, it would surely spell disaster.

That's why, as soon as Sato regained his senses, he hurriedly packed away the PokeBlocks he had just made. Fortunately, it seemed that no one was around, and no one had noticed him messing with the unremarkable Berry Mixer in the corner. His secret was still safe, and he remained unharmed.

'Until I'm sure there are no prying eyes and I have some means of self-defense, I absolutely can't make another PokeBlock like that one. Otherwise, I'll be signing my own death warrant,' Sato sternly reminded himself.

Afterward, thanks to the energy restored from the gem-like PokeBlock, Sato's stamina and mental energy returned to a good state.

After looking around for a bit and ensuring that there was no one around, he quietly returned to the unassuming Berrey Mixer and proceeded to make more PokeBlocks with a formula of three Oran Berries and one flavored berry.

This time, however, Sato held back. Although he still set the speed to the maximum, his accuracy in hitting the red button in sync with the cross-shaped needle dropped significantly, reducing the quality.

As expected, the second batch of PokeBlocks wasn't as good as the first. They weren't as clear and gem-like, but they were more in line with what Sato had originally envisioned for PokeBlocks.

Still, even without producing gem-quality PokeBlocks, the second batch was of high quality. The surface was smooth and glossy, clearly indicating their superior craftsmanship.

Since he didn't push himself to the limit with his Bullet Time ability, Sato didn't experience the near-fainting exhaustion of the first attempt. He didn't need any recovery items either; after a brief rest of one or two minutes, he was ready to make more high-quality PokeBlocks.

After nearly an hour of effort, Sato completed 30 rounds of PokeBlock production, using 90 Oran Berries, 15 Tamato Berries, 15 Nanab Berries and paid 300 points for the using the Berry Mixer.

Now, after deducting the cost of purchasing the berries and using the Berry Blender, Sato only had 739 points left.

Nevertheless, his hard work paid off handsomely. Based on his average output of about 20 Pokeblocks per round, Sato now had 19 gem-quality PokeBlocks, 400 medium-quality PokeBlocks, and 200 high-quality PokeBlocks in his possession.

"These PokeBlocks are enough to sustain Zubat's daily diet and training for an entire month. If the results are good, I might even try selling a small batch of high-quality PokeBlocks to make some much needed money," Sato thought to himself as he placed the last bag of PokeBlocks into his Team Rocket-issued watch.

Now, everything was ready for Zubat's training. However, after roughly calculating the number of points he had left, Sato decided to head back to the public market to see if he could find something useful for survival with the remaining points.

Sato discreetly left the now somewhat empty task hall and quickly retraced his steps back to the public market.

This time, Sato was looking to buy a Pokemon item from the market: a Technical Machine (TM), a disc containing the move "Protect."

[To give a brief introduction (in case someone doesn't know), "Protect" is a move that, except for a few Pokémon, can be learned by almost all Pokémon. It's function is simple—it creates a shield, akin to an absolute defense, that protects the user from most attacks.]

Moreover, this shield can be activated instantly. The downside, however, is that it can't be used continuously—if used consecutively, its success rate gradually decreases.

When Sato was browsing the items available in Team Rocket's internal credit exchange system, he specifically searched for this life-saving move disc. To his delight, it was available for purchase.

What surprised Sato even more was the price. He couldn't believe his eyes—either he was mistaken, or Team Rocket had set the price wrong. The TM was incredibly cheap, requiring just 600 points to purchase it.

Currently, Sato had enough credits left to afford it. Of course, he didn't want to spend all his credits, and if possible, he hoped to get this life-saving skill at a lower cost.

While walking through the public market earlier to buy berries, Sato had noticed a stall selling TMs. He had deliberately stopped at the stall for a few minutes.

During that brief stop, Sato discovered several valuable items, including the "Protect" TM. The price at the stall was just 500 points, discounted by 1/6th of the price in Team Rocket's internal system.

In addition to this, Sato also spotted another TM that would be very useful for Zubat at this stage, "Gust."

Gust is a Flying-type special attack with a base power of 40, which Zubat can learn at level 25.

According to the Pokémon Encyclopedia, Zubat can inherit this move through breeding with other Flying-type Pokémon. Of course, since Zubat can learn this move naturally, it can also be learned via TMs or other skill-teaching methods (Note: I believe that as long as a Pokémon can learn a move naturally, the method of learning it doesn't matter).

Since "Gust" is a common move, it's price in Team Rocket's internal system was also low—just a 300 points. However, at the market stall, the price was only 200 points.

'Hopefully, it hasn't been sold yet. Without it, relying solely on Shadow Ball, a move that isn't even a STAB (Same-Type Attack Bonus) move for Zubat, is definitely not enough. Zubat's damage output is way too low,' Sato thought anxiously.