Icarus suspected that his Bellsprout had learned Growth, but he wasn't sure how it had triggered the move.
He headed to the trainer school library, flipping through the general textbooks. At that moment, he couldn't help but envy those second-generation trainers with their own Pokédexes.
With a Pokédex, you simply scan your Pokémon and instantly receive a detailed breakdown of all learnable moves.
No endless page-turning.
No vague explanations.
The textbooks only offered brief summaries. A Pokédex explained everything clearly and thoroughly.
"…There it is."
Move: Growth
Effect: Boosts the user's Attack. In harsh sunlight, both Attack and Special Attack are boosted.
"That must be it." Icarus frowned slightly. "As expected of a public textbook… short and lacking detail. But if sunlight enhances it, then it probably works by absorbing solar energy."
He closed the book and walked over to Bellsprout.
"Let's try again. If you master Growth, your battle power will increase significantly. First, use your roots to absorb energy from the soil."
"Sprout~"
Bellsprout nodded and drove its roots into the ground. The earlier experiments had drained its stamina, so this recovery took slightly longer.
After a while—
"Sprout!"
It called out, signaling it was ready.
"Alright. Recall the energy flow from earlier. Then release it in a single burst."
Bellsprout closed its eyes and focused inward.
Earlier, the energy surge had happened unconsciously. Now that it was trying to control it deliberately, things were much harder.
Sometimes the speed was right, but the energy volume was too small to trigger the burst.
Other times, the energy was sufficient—but too slow to explode outward properly.
After repeated attempts, Bellsprout finally slumped over in exhaustion.
"Sprout… ( ;Д｀)"
Its leaves drooped in frustration.
"Don't give up," Icarus said gently, handing it a piece of processed Pokémon meat. "Eat, rest, then try again. We'll figure it out together."
"Sprout!"
The moment it saw the meat, Bellsprout perked up and swallowed it eagerly, instinctively controlling its digestive fluids to break it down faster.
Icarus nodded inwardly.
Its control over digestive enzymes had improved significantly. At least now, it no longer drooled corrosive fluid in its sleep—no more melted bedding or accidental burns on him.
However, it still hadn't fully mastered Acid. The corrosiveness wasn't strong enough yet, and it couldn't store much at once.
That can wait. Growth comes first.
After resting, Bellsprout resumed training.
Dozens of failures followed.
"Don't get discouraged. Tell me what feels wrong."
Through gestures and their Poké Ball bond, Icarus understood the problem.
"Let's simplify it. Start with the smallest amount of energy. Match it to the speed of that earlier burst. Once the speed stabilizes, gradually increase the energy while maintaining control."
"Sprout."
Bellsprout obeyed, carefully rotating a small stream of energy.
"Good. Add a little more. If it slows down, speed it up—but don't exceed the previous peak. Keep them balanced."
Time passed.
"Sprout!" Bellsprout signaled that it had reached its current maximum output.
"Okay. Final push. Add the last surge—accelerate and release!"
"Sprout!"
A pulse of power rippled outward.
It worked.
Bellsprout felt its strength rise and let out an excited cry.
"Don't get distracted," Icarus quickly reminded. "Memorize the feeling. Speed and energy balance. We need instant activation for real battles."
Bellsprout nodded and focused inward again.
They kept going.
"The activation is still too slow. Again."
"Sprout."
"You ran out of energy? Fine. Another piece of meat, then root and recover."
Bellsprout shamelessly scored another snack and squinted happily.
"Alright. Last attempt before the deadline."
"Sprout!"
"Success! Again!"
By 2 a.m., Bellsprout had reduced Growth's activation time to roughly three seconds.
Exhausted, trainer and Pokémon collapsed together in the clearing behind the house, asleep under the open sky.
---
"Pidgey!"
"Rattata!"
"Weedle~!"
Morning calls echoed through the air.
Icarus opened his eyes.
"Good morning, Bellsprout. We're heading out again today. Full-day training."
"Sprout!"
Bellsprout raised its leaves confidently.
"Breakfast first. But only Grass-type Pokémon food this morning. You already ate all the meat."
"Sprout…"
Disappointed, Bellsprout stuffed the dry pellets into its mouth anyway.
Ever since tasting Pokémon meat, regular feed felt bland. Still, it endured—for stamina.
We'll hunt later, Icarus thought.
After breakfast, he packed supplies in his room.
Fresh Potion.
Repel spray.
Throwing knife.
Dry rations.
No fire-starting tools—better to avoid smoke trails.
He intended to try a direct battle approach today and test Bellsprout against a different opponent. That meant fewer traps, more mobility.
He grabbed a spare travel backpack.
"If we can't fit loot on the way back, you'll carry this. It rolls up small. No wasting resources. That's money."
He slung his bag over his shoulder.
"Let's go, Bellsprout."
"Sprout!"
Together, they set off once more.
---
(End of Chapter)