Flaaffy's days were actually going quite well. Every morning, it would lead the Mareep in its flock to the pasture area, where they would graze together. Of course, its main food source remained the energy cubes made by Yuli.
Aside from playing and chasing with the little Mareep on the grass, Flaaffy's favorite activity was training with its good friend Haunter. It had a strong desire for power and was not inclined to slack off.
In reality, the title of flock leader was somewhat unearned for Flaaffy. It wasn't truly a leader in the traditional sense. It regarded all the Mareep in its flock as family, often displaying a kind and caring demeanor, looking after the Mareep.
Because of this, the Mareep did not fear it. Sometimes they would even playfully tease Flaaffy. However, it never got angry at such behavior and instead joined in their fun.
The Mareep flock's gentle nature remained the same, whether they had evolved or not. But Flaaffy knew it had a responsibility to protect the flock's safety, so it worked hard to enhance its strength to shield the Mareep from external threats.
Rex believed that Flaaffy's Electric-type moves were already powerful enough. Therefore, he encouraged it to learn the Fairy-type move Dazzling Gleam to broaden its attack range. This move would be particularly effective against Dragon-type Pokémon.
To help Flaaffy quickly master Dazzling Gleam, Rex brought in a Carbink to assist in the training. Carbink, being a genuine Fairy-type Pokémon, albeit one that had not yet learned any Fairy-type moves, seemed like a suitable mentor.
Rex had searched the department store in Slateport City for Fairy-type TMs but to no avail. The Fairy-type had only been discovered recently and was still quite mysterious. Moreover, Fairy-type Pokémon were extremely rare in the Hoenn region, so it was unlikely for such niche TMs to be available.
Fortunately, despite needing his abilities for many tasks, Rex never wasted any remaining life energy. He would infuse it into Carbink, who also absorbed life energy from Victreebel and others. Now, the diamond on Carbink's head was adorned with dozens of pink light spots.
Although it was still a long way from filling the diamond completely, Carbink could already sense the special energy within the diamond, a mix of Fairy-type and life energy, which was of higher quality than Carbink's own Fairy-type energy.
As the number of pink light spots increased, Carbink felt its Fairy-type energy growing stronger. However, it had not yet learned any Fairy-type moves, akin to having plenty of ammunition but no means to fire it.
Rex chose Dazzling Gleam because it involved emitting a strong light imbued with Fairy-type energy to harm opponents. He believed this move was akin to the Normal-type move Flash but integrated with Fairy-type power.
Even if this assumption was incorrect, Rex still wanted to try. If Carbink learned Flash, it might aid in mastering the use of Fairy-type energy.
Currently, Flaaffy could use Flash but had no understanding of Fairy-type energy, let alone how to harness it. Conversely, Carbink had ample Fairy-type energy but couldn't use Flash or release the energy.
This created an interesting situation where Flaaffy and Carbink needed each other's help. Flaaffy needed to understand Carbink's Fairy-type energy, and Carbink needed to learn Flash from Flaaffy.
Additionally, Haunter, who often stayed with Flaaffy, could also learn Dazzling Gleam. Although it knew neither Flash nor much about Fairy-type energy, Haunter didn't want to be excluded from Flaaffy and Carbink's training sessions. It would join them, sometimes playing pranks to lighten the mood.
Rex assigned Haunter to practice using Shadow Ball, and it performed impressively. Haunter could now form multiple Shadow Balls at once, which could automatically track opponents, leaving them no escape.
Haunter used Mean Look to capture its opponent's presence, and after releasing Shadow Balls, they would chase the opponent's presence, unaffected by moves like Double Team.
This combination of moves surprised Rex. Haunter had essentially developed a combo move on its own, showcasing its innate talent.
To prevent Haunter from becoming too arrogant, Rex praised it modestly and encouraged it to further study compressing Shadow Ball for greater impact.
Since giving Flaaffy and Carbink the task of mastering Dazzling Gleam, Rex hadn't paid much attention to their progress until today.
"How's it going? Has any of you learned Dazzling Gleam?" Rex asked Flaaffy and Carbink.
In response, Flaaffy and Carbink looked evasive, while Haunter appeared confident.
"Could it be that Haunter has already learned it?" Rex asked, surprised.
Seeing their trainer had guessed correctly, Flaaffy and Carbink looked despondent, while Haunter released a dazzling pink light towards a nearby tree, demonstrating Dazzling Gleam.
Understanding Flaaffy and Carbink's frustration, Rex gave them a pep talk, filling them with renewed determination.
As for Haunter, Rex realized he needed to reevaluate this usually inconspicuous Pokémon.
(Chapter End)