Read upto 25+ advance chapters exclusively on my Patreon - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
------------------
"Mudkip, after a short rest, continue swimming laps around the pool as I mentioned earlier to build up your stamina. I'll leave some PokeBlocks here; eat a few to restore your energy if you get tired. Just don't eat too many at once, or you'll get a stomachache."
Sato took out a towel from his spatial gear and wiped the water from his face, smiling as he spoke.
Then, he placed a bowl of high-quality PokeBlocks by the pool before turning to check on the training of his other Pokémon.
Seeing that Sato didn't get angry about the little Water Gun attack and seemed completely unfazed, Mudkip poked his head out of the water, a curious gleam in his wary eyes.
After Sato walked away, Mudkip hopped back on land and happily munched down three more high-quality PokeBlocks from the bowl.
With nothing else to do, Mudkip watched as Sato praised Growlithe's training, giving him a gentle head pat, which Growlithe thoroughly enjoyed.
Watching Sato and Growlithe's friendly interaction, Mudkip felt a twinge of envy for reasons he couldn't quite understand. Then, he turned his gaze to the other Pokémon training in the field.
Golbat, Nidoran, and Bellossom were all accustomed to intense training, focusing their full attention on their exercises without a hint of laziness.
When Mudkip had previously spent time in Sato's room with the others, he'd quickly realized that he was the weakest in the group.
Even Growlithe, whom he technically had a type advantage over, felt intimidating to him.
Golbat and Bellossom, in particular, gave Mudkip a sense of danger that he associated with the powerful wild Pokémon he'd encountered in the past.
As a wild Pokémon well-versed in the survival of the fittest, Mudkip naturally respected stronger Pokémon.
That's why he'd seemed restrained around Sato initially—Golbat's presence had made him wary, not feigned ignorance.
Now, seeing these two strong Pokémon diligently training under Sato's guidance, Mudkip finally started to take Sato's instructions more seriously.
After a brief rest, Mudkip jumped back into the pool and resumed swimming quickly around it.
'If I follow his guidance, maybe I could become as strong as Golbat and Bellossom someday—and I wouldn't have to go hungry like before,' Mudkip thought as he swam, a flicker of hope in his eyes.
From a young age, Mudkip had survived on his own, and life had been tough.
He was often hungry and was bullied by other wild Pokémon, so his desire for strength and food was far beyond that of an average Pokémon.
Before meeting Sato, Mudkip had encountered many humans, passing from one to another and suffering neglect and mistreatment.
He was often starved, which fueled his deep distrust of humans.
Although Sato had made a good impression and fed him well from the start, Mudkip still didn't fully trust him.
But seeing Sato's calm response to his earlier attack, the strength of the other Pokémon training under Sato, and recalling the delicious food Sato had given him, Mudkip began to feel a small desire to trust and follow Sato's lead.
Sato wasn't aware of Mudkip's shifting feelings toward him; if he had known, he'd certainly be thrilled.
Right now, though, he was dealing with a bit of a headache.
The issue was that, after seeing Golbat and the others take turns battling on the Pokémon training grounds, Ditto, who'd only ever watched from the sidelines, had developed a desire to join in on the battles.
Now, Ditto was giving Sato the silent treatment over not being allowed to fight.
"Alright, if you want to join in the battles, I'll respect your decision. But remember, once you're in, there's no going back to your easy routine. I'll be sure to train you extra hard," Sato said, his expression serious as he addressed Ditto, currently transformed into an Aipom on his shoulder.
Ditto, delighted that Sato had finally agreed to its request, quickly nodded and patted its chest, signaling its readiness.
"Alright, then. Do you remember Pelipper, the one I had you transform into this morning? Your training task is to master that Pelipper form as quickly as possible and also to practice the Soak move."
Sato nodded approvingly, taking out his laptop and displaying a picture of Pelipper to the somewhat puzzled Ditto.
Seeing the image on the screen, Ditto immediately recalled the morning's transformation attempt, where he'd tried to transform into Pelipper but couldn't manage to fly, quickly shifting into another Pokémon to play instead.
Since Ditto had already assured Sato it would do its best, it steeled itself, even if it wasn't particularly thrilled about taking on Pelipper's form.
In an instant, Ditto's Aipom form began to glow with a white light as its body quickly reshaped itself.
When the glow faded, a life-sized Pelipper was perched on Sato's shoulder.
However, since Ditto's grasp of the Pelipper transformation was still basic, it flapped its wings hard in an attempt to take off but, as soon as it lifted off Sato's shoulder, its lack of coordination caused it to fall to the ground.
"Battles mean getting hurt, Ditto, and it'll hurt more than these crashes. Right now, you can't even manage steady flight, let alone a fight. You still have a chance to change your mind," Sato sighed, shaking his head as Ditto picked itself up.
But Sato underestimated Ditto's determination to join the team in battle. Ditto promptly shook off the suggestion and flapped its wings again, trying to fly once more.
After a dozen more rough falls, a somewhat bruised and battered Ditto seemed to have gotten a feel for flying. Gradually, it became more comfortable with Pelipper's body.
Finally, under Sato's approving gaze, Ditto, in Pelipper's form, managed to hover mid-air.
Cautious after so many falls, it only dared to hover two meters above the ground, flying with wobbly confidence.
"Excellent. If Ditto can fully master the Pelipper transformation, I won't need to search for a Pelipper with a hidden ability. This way, Bellossom will have a reliable support ally anytime," Sato thought, a small smile forming as he watched Ditto flying low above the ground.
--------------------------------
(20% Discount is available for all new members of my Patreon for the month of December, at just $4/month. Only a few days left! Do check it out.)