Terrance had been back at the Old Green House for three days. At first, there was a bit of awkwardness from being away for so long, but by now, that feeling had completely faded. Once again, Terrance had settled back into his role as the big brother of the Old Green House.
While telling the children about his experiences over the past three years, Terrance sighed in nostalgia, then he introduced his new companions—Altaria, Mismagius, Arcanine, and Castform—to everyone at the Old Green House. Though only three years had passed, Terrance couldn't shake the feeling that it had been a long time.
In these three years, Terrance has developed the initial framework for most of his plans; now, he just needs to keep refining his plans.
In the backyard of the Old Green House, Chisana's Zubat was performing the Supersonic move for Terrance, eagerly awaiting his feedback.
Both Chisana and Zubat were aiming to become Coordinators. Since Terrance had some free time now, Chisana had been constantly pestering him to teach him a few things.
Terrance naturally didn't hold back when it came to teaching them, starting with the basics.
"Brother Terrance, how was the Supersonic?" Chisana asked eagerly after Zubat finished its move.
"It was beautiful, the sound waves rippled like waves...." Terrance said, causing Chisana to beam with pride. But then, his face quickly fell.
"But if this were a Pokémon Contest, that move wouldn't score very high."
"Why?" Chisana asked, puzzled.
Terrance smiled, called Beautifly over, and said, "Watch Beautifly's move now."
After giving Beautifly a signal, Terrance and Chisana watched as Beautifly spun a string of silk, mimicking the exact same wave-like trajectory that Supersonic had just made.
"How does it look?" Terrance asked.
"It recreated the shape of Supersonic with its silk," Chisana replied.
"So, in a Battle Stage, which move do you think would earn more appeal points?"
"Well..." Chisana hesitated. He instinctively wanted to say Beautifly, given that Terrance was a Top Coordinator, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly why Beautifly's String Shot was better or why Zubat's Supersonic had fallen short.
Chisana went quiet, scratching his head in confusion.
"Alright, let's do this. Have Zubat use its Supersonic to attack Beautifly," Terrance suggested.
"Okay," Chisana agreed.
Zubat received Chisana's command and looked at the Beautifly across from it. After a moment of preparation, Zubat unleashed its signature move, Supersonic. The sound waves rolled over one another like waves crashing on the shore, creating a truly beautiful display. If Beautifly were to be hit by Supersonic, it would fall into a state of confusion...
Although Chisana didn't believe that Beautifly would lose so easily, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope as he watched Zubat's Supersonic.
However, this hope was short-lived. Chisana was left stunned as Beautifly casually shot out a string of silk. In terms of size and shape, it was no different from the Supersonic attack, but as soon as the Supersonic hit the silk, it was immediately erased. Meanwhile, the silk, still under Beautifly's control, shifted from a wave-like form into a large net, which swiftly enveloped Zubat and brought it crashing down from the sky.
"Zubat's Supersonic is too scattered and lacks power. A slight disruption caused it to lose its effect entirely. Even if it had hit Beautifly, it wouldn't have caused it to fall into confusion," Terrance explained.
"In a Pokémon Contest, it's not just about how flashy the move looks. It's about the connection between the Pokémon and its move. If you can grasp these two core elements, even without a gorgeous move, you can still earn high recognition."
"Connection between the Pokémon and its move?" Chisana pondered, though he couldn't fully grasp the meaning.
Terrance smiled and said, "You're not wrong in your choice. Supersonic is indeed the move that best showcases Zubat's unique charm. No one can deny that. But you're focusing too much on the outward appearance of the move and overlooking the essence of the move. Think about it—what is the essence of Supersonic?"
"Sound?" Chisana scratched his head.
"Close, but not quite. In the end, Supersonic is just a sound wave. Zubat's sound waves are special, but among all Pokémon that use sound-based moves, its power is not remarkable. Such sound waves are easily disrupted. Do you think using this move in battle would pose a threat to your opponent?" Terrance asked.
Zubat is a species that typically lives in large colonies, where the combined effect of their sound waves can be terrifying. But for an individual Zubat, its sound wave lacks power. Even an adult human with resolute will wouldn't be significantly affected by Supersonic. It can't generate the kind of intense sound waves that could shatter rocks or severely damage a Pokémon's hearing—these are the limitations of a single Zubat.
However, when Zubat utilizes Supersonic in coordination with others, it possesses a unique ability that sets it apart from other Pokémon.
"No..." Chisana shook his head. His confidence had taken a hit after seeing Beautifly's String Shot easily neutralize Supersonic.
"Then do you think Beautifly's moves have strong destructive power?" Terrance asked again.
"Beautifly..." Chisana's mind flashed back to the terrifying Bug Buzz from the Grand Festival. He almost said it was powerful, but after thinking carefully, he realized that without the boosts from two Quiver Dances, one Silver Wind, and the Swarm ability at play... just how much damage could Beautifly deal on its own?
Thinking of Beautifly...
"To be precise, if Zubat evolves into Crobat, its overall physique would surpass Beautifly's," Terrance pointed out. "Of course, this requires proper training, but even so, attack power isn't the strong suit of either Beautifly or Crobat."
"Then what should I do?" Chisana asked.
"How does Beautifly handle it?" Terrance continued to guide him.
Chisana thought long and hard before he finally spoke, "By mastering control over 'wind'... combining it with the Quiver Dance move, Beautifly compensates for its lack of attack power and speed..."
Terrance looked at Chisana with satisfaction; he truly is quite perceptive.
"Exactly. Beautifly's moves don't have much raw power, and speed isn't its strong point either. However, it has the Quiver Dance, which is considered nature's way of compensating for its shortcomings. By relying on Quiver Dance, Beautifly can catch up in other areas. Its ability to sense air currents, combined with the special powdery scales from Silver Wind, has a certain probability of boosting Beautifly's physique. Whether it's Quiver Dance or Silver Wind, these moves are what truly showcase Beautifly's charm. When a Beautifly masters both moves and merges them perfectly, even if Beautifly doesn't hold a natural advantage, it can still defeat opponents much stronger than itself."
Chisana nodded enthusiastically, looking at Beautifly and Terrance with admiration.
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