"Scyther!"
Hearing Ethan Black's condition, Kyle Miller's eyes narrowed.
After all, Scyther is considered a fairly rare Pokémon. Even though his family specializes in breeding Bug-type Pokémon, the number of Scyther they can provide each year is still very limited.
Although there are quite a few Scyther available on the market, they can't compare to the ones their breeding grounds have developed using specialized methods.
"Kyle, it's only because you asked that I've been forced to give you the Nidoran egg."
"Look, I still have a Moon Stone. If I manage to raise this Nidoran, I'll be able to obtain a powerful Nidoking directly!"
"Besides, you already know that Nidoking, being Poison- and Ground-type, fits perfectly with my sandstorm team." Ethan Black put on a regretful expression when he saw Kyle Miller hesitate.
"Heh, don't make that face."
"I know you. You probably want to get rid of the Nidoran egg because you can't afford to feed a glutton like Nidoking, right?"
"But I accept your condition. However, due to the limited number of Scyther we breed each year, I might not be able to give you one right away." Kyle Miller rolled his eyes as he replied.
"Hahaha, no rush! I already have four Pokémon in my team. If I add a Scyther, I might really not be able to maintain them all." Ethan Black laughed a little awkwardly.
"Good, that puts me at ease."
"Besides the Nidoran egg, as a veteran of the university team, you'll have to take good care of me!" Kyle Miller patted Ethan Black on the shoulder with a mischievous smile. "After all, only if I get good results will I earn more resources... including that Scyther."
Hearing Kyle Miller emphasize the word "Scyther" so much, Ethan Black rolled his eyes and, after some thought, replied: "Of course I can help you. Later I'll share with you all of my university team experience without holding back, including how to form a team and build a strong defender. Maybe it'll be useful to you."
"But I want to choose the Scyther myself. If you give me just any random one to brush me off, I won't accept it."
Kyle Miller patted his chest and assured him: "All the Scyther we breed in my family are excellent, don't worry. When the time comes, I'll let you choose for yourself."
Ethan Black finally nodded in satisfaction.
In reality, he wasn't worried about the quality of the Scyther from the breeding grounds, but specifically wanted one with the ability Technician. That way, when it evolved into Scizor, it could use Bullet Punch to maximize its potential.
Scyther has three possible abilities: Swarm, Technician, and Steadfast.
Swarm: When HP is below 1/3, Bug-type moves increase their power by 50%.
Technician: Increases the power of moves with a base power of 60 or less by 50%.
Steadfast: Increases Speed each time the Pokémon flinches.
Although all three abilities are excellent, Ethan Black would, without hesitation, choose Technician.
Very soon, after a brief negotiation, the two sealed the deal, and Kyle Miller happily took away the Nidoran egg.
...
That night
In the training room of the Pokémon Nightstar Club, Kyle Miller was teaching Ethan Black how to make nutritious juice using his Shuckle.
Although Ethan Black had a detailed recipe for the juice, he didn't know how to properly prepare the fruits, so he took the opportunity to ask Kyle Miller for help.
Thanks to Kyle Miller's meticulous explanations, Ethan Black and his Shuckle finally learned how to prepare the juice, and so began the little Pokémon's first fermentation.
With Kyle Miller's help, Ethan Black bought all the necessary fruits. Then, under his guidance, they processed the fruits one by one and placed them inside Shuckle's shell, finally plugging the holes with corks.
With that, Ethan Black had completed the first step of making nutritious juice. From here, Shuckle needed to use its natural abilities to secrete a special fluid that would ferment the fruits inside its body.
According to Kyle Miller's explanation, Shuckle is a very gentle Pokémon, rarely moving during the day, hiding in bushes or among rocks. At night, it comes out to gather berries and ferments them inside its body.
In this way, in just one night, it can produce nutritious juice, which it feeds on during the day to maintain its energy, repeating the process every night.
"Alright, it's done."
"Tomorrow morning you'll be able to taste the first nutritious juice your Shuckle prepared."
Kyle Miller looked satisfied at the Shuckle lying peacefully with its shell full of corked plugs, and clapped his hands with a smile.
Ethan Black thanked him immediately and kept watching Shuckle expectantly, looking forward to the sunrise.
Tomorrow morning, Shuckle would be able to produce a dose of nutritious juice. According to Kyle Miller, freshly made juice is a concentrate.
Afterwards, Ethan Black would only need to dilute and mix it to obtain the common juice sold on the market.
Of course, he could also give it directly to his Pokémon as it was, in its concentrated form, which would have an even greater effect on energy recovery.
"Too bad Shuckle's body is so small..."
"After a night of fermentation, only a limited amount of concentrated juice is produced."
"Even if diluted, it yields only a few dozen bottles, barely enough for personal use."
"If I want more juice, maybe I need to think about how to enlarge Shuckle's body."
Ethan Black narrowed his eyes, pondering how to increase juice production, while Shuckle shivered under his gaze.
Shuckle: (°ω°).
(End of chapter)