Pokéblocks

Soon, Larry found a recipe.

Intermediate Pokéblock, named the Sitrus Berry Pokéblock, had a very simple purpose - to replenish the missing elements in the Pokémon's body, quickly adjust the Pokémon's physique, and restore the Pokémon's innate talents as much as possible.

Larry looked at the materials listed, all of which were relatively common berrys and herbs, not uncommon on this resource-rich trial island.

Moreover, the crafting process was straightforward, requiring no overly complex procedures or special crafting tools, making it a perfect fit for Larry and Murkrow.

To create this Pokéblock, Larry used wood to craft a simple set of Pokéblock-making tools.

In short, it was quite simple and crude.

"The next task is to find these materials; as for training, it will have to be postponed for now," Larry thought silently.

Right now, his priority was helping Murkrow recover, and training and battles would have to wait.

However, Larry believed that, even if they didn't train during this period, he and Murkrow could catch up quickly.

Three days passed quickly.

During these three days, Larry and Murkrow roamed the outskirts of the forest, searching for berrys and herbs.

The three-day timeframe slightly exceeded Larry's estimate, but it wasn't too late.

Holding the just-completed Sitrus Berry Pokéblock in his palm, a slight coolness emanated from it.

When held up to the sun, Larry could clearly see tiny substances resembling berry flesh inside, and its pale yellow surface was incredibly smooth, emitting a faint, pleasant fragrance.

For Larry, making Pokéblocks was effortless, and the process went smoothly.

Looking at the finished Pokéblock, it was not far from what he had imagined.

This recipe was something he had obtained unintentionally in his previous life and had never used.

He could only hope that it would work well.

With a flick of his finger, he tossed the Pokéblock into the air.

Murkrow, who had been staring at it intently, shot out like lightning from Larry's shoulder and caught it in its beak.

Having witnessed the entire process, Murkrow had been eagerly anticipating its chance to feast on the Pokéblock, which had been tempting it with its aroma.

Seeing Murkrow's excitement, Larry nodded with a smile.

Only after receiving Larry's approval did Murkrow devour the Pokéblock.

"Murkrow!!" An unprecedented taste filled Murkrow's mouth.

It opened its beak and closed its eyes in satisfaction.

Murkrow's expression of enjoyment was proof enough of the Pokéblock's taste.

"It seems the taste is good," Larry smiled faintly.

"Sitrus Berry Intermediate Pokéblock, you can only consume ten in a day; after ten, the effect will be lost. According to the recipe, if you eat them for a full week, it should help recover your depleted body."

Larry looked at the nearly one hundred Pokéblocks in his hands, leaving nine and carefully wrapping the rest in a pouch he had prepared earlier, hanging it at his waist.

One by one, he tossed the Pokéblocks into the air, and Murkrow caught and swallowed them in a flash.

Although the effects wouldn't be immediately apparent, Larry could intuitively see the difference in Murkrow's condition through the chip.

Even the two green words on the chip were slightly darker.

"To absorb them better, Murkrow, we need to start training now. Are you prepared to get stronger?" Larry threw the last Pokéblock and asked.

"Murkrow!!" Murkrow responded with a spirited cry.

Larry was already well-versed in training and nurturing Murkrow.

Murkrow's greatest strength lay in its speed, and if it didn't make the most of its highest Speed stat, Larry would consider it a waste. Moreover, Murkrow's Hidden Ability was Prankster.

Prankster allowed it to use status-changing moves first, making it a true priority move master.

"Murkrow, use Tailwind." A gentle breeze appeared around Murkrow.

Tailwind, a status-changing move, could boost the speed of the entire team.

Murkrow felt as if there was an inexhaustible power surging within its body.

The Pokéblock it had just consumed transformed into a warm flow, coursing through its limbs and entire being, providing a continuous stream of strength.

Soon, the duration of Tailwind came to an end, and the gentle breeze gradually dissipated.

"Maintain the Tailwind state, keeping it confined to your vicinity to extend its duration as much as possible," Larry reiterated.

While Tailwind could boost the speed of the entire team, limiting it to Murkrow's immediate surroundings would only affect Murkrow, conserve energy, and allow for a longer-lasting effect.

This way, Murkrow could potentially have a permanent speed boost.

Although Murkrow wasn't sure why Larry had set this arrangement, it slowly gathered the airflow around itself, striving to extend the duration a bit longer.

"Murkrow..." After a minute had passed, the airflow around Murkrow finally dissipated entirely, as if it had expended all its strength, and its call carried a hint of exhaustion.

"Remember this state; our goal is to keep Tailwind active around you at all times. Now, let's try it again," Larry said during the training, his demeanor transformed into that of a stern drill sergeant.

"Continue, Tailwind..."

"Continue, Tailwind..."

"Continue..."

"Continue..."

Once training began, Larry became a relentless instructor.

With the chip, he could accurately gauge Murkrow's limits and ensure that the training didn't harm its body or fall short of achieving the desired effect.

Another three days passed, during which Larry trained with Murkrow for a full three days, gradually increasing the duration of the Tailwind state from one minute for an individual to ten minutes.

Murkrow also managed to use Tailwind around Larry without affecting him, striving to achieve the goal as soon as possible.

Originally, considering Larry's personality, he would have continued training in the forest until the start of the final trial.

However, Team Rocket had a rule that required reporting to the base once a week, regardless of the circumstances; failure to do so would result in a deduction of points, and insufficient points would lead to elimination.

The square that had once been filled with three hundred people now had only a sparse few remaining.

Everyone present wore a cautious and hostile look in their eyes.

Those who survived up to this point knew exactly what failure in the trial meant.

Therefore, everyone there was considered an adversary.

Larry glanced disapprovingly at the few small groups that remained close together.

While sticking together was indeed a good way to survive, it depended on the situation.

When life and death were at stake, who would care about others?

So, in the end, sticking together was just a way for a few stronger individuals to gather some lackeys to do their bidding, and as long as you were strong enough, who would dare oppose you in the final trial?

One common trait among everyone present was that they all had a Pokémon by their side.

Most of them had Zubats, and only a few had Ekans and Koffings.

A few, like Larry, had different Pokémon by their side.

Murkrow was one of the three exceptions.

Compared to the fierceness of Ekans and the danger of Koffing, Zubat was already considered a relatively easily tamed Pokémon.

For young boys and girls with no strength, taming wild Pokémon was a rare and valuable skill.

Those who could tame Ekans and Koffing were not weaklings.

After a week of jungle life, the polarization among them became increasingly evident.

The strong became stronger, while the weak grew weaker.

After three days of training, although there wasn't much combat, Murkrow's level had reached 10.

Even so, Larry's data was still unimpressive among everyone present.

Also, thanks to several days of improved nutrition, Larry's once pale and skinny face had gradually gained a hint of color.

Quietly moving to a corner of the square, Larry crossed his arms, leaned against a stone pillar, and closed his eyes to recuperate.