"End it with the Deadly Needle Stab."
Bam!
Beedrill quickly approached Graveler. The phantom of its shadow clone slipped past Graveler's rock attack, and its sharp stinger struck Graveler's back, finishing off the last bit of strength it had retained due to its Sturdy trait.
The effect of the Deadly Needle Stab has fully stacked.
One must admit, in the wild battles, the effect of the Deadly Needle Stab is particularly useful.
As long as the Deadly Needle Stab is fully stacked, even a Pokémon like Graveler, which is a Rock and Ground Type with extremely high defense, will find it hard to withstand Beedrill's repeated charge attacks once its weak point is found.
Natsuhiko threw a Pokeball to capture the Graveler, which had reached the Excellence Level and was about to step into the Senior Level.
If Flint and Hilona were here, he might have held back a bit, but since he's alone, he doesn't mind capturing a few good wild Pokémon to exchange for resources.
This was already the second wild Graveler he had captured.
In the tunnel where food is severely lacking, it seems that only Pokémon like Graveler and Geodude, which can take rocks rich in minerals as food, can survive normally.
They had been walking for a long time now, and according to the time shown on his phone, it should already be evening.
Accepting the Pokeball handed over by Beedrill, Natsuhiko pondered for a moment, then said to Beedrill:
"Beedrill, can you try to combine Shadow Clone and Deadly Needle Stab? Or you can start with something simpler, like combining Shadow Clone with Chaotic Strike."
"Buzz?"
Beedrill looked puzzled.
"It's like this, most of your attacking techniques require you to be close to engage. If the opponent's reaction is slow or not as strong as you, that's fine.
But if the opponent is of a similar strength and has sufficient reaction speed, they might catch the flaw in your attack moment and counterattack."
Natsuhiko explained bit by bit to Beedrill.
Beedrill's role is fast, powerful in attack, and skilled at finding weak spots like an assassin.
But this role, along with Beedrill's own shortcomings, inevitably comes with some problems.
That is, its own defensive ability isn't strong enough. If spotted by an opponent of the same level, even if they can't counter, they can still dodge.
Of course, Natsuhiko's Beedrill, because of the correct upbringing during its Weedle and Kakuna stages, has a stronger defense than normal Beedrill, but it's still a weakness, without a doubt.
This hit Natsuhiko the most when, during an event at the club where he had to battle six participants consecutively, he faced a Machoke with strong opportunity-grabbing ability.
If that Machoke had been a bit stronger, had reacted a bit faster, it could have caught the gap in Beedrill's attack, and a Flame Fist could have finished Beedrill, possibly changing the outcome of that day completely.
Beedrill nodded in confusion.
Natsuhiko continued: "For instance, when you attack, your stinger, or even your entire body, could suddenly appear with shadow clones. This would surely cause confusion to the opponent, and they wouldn't know how to respond. Your attack success rate would greatly increase, making it easier to hit the weak spots you intend to."
"Buzz..."
After this explanation, Beedrill seemed to understand a bit.
It raised one of its stingers slowly, gesturing towards the nearby rock wall.
Natsuhiko stood by without saying a word, letting Beedrill make its own attempt.
"Buzz!"
Suddenly.
With a low roar from Beedrill, the long needle stabbed forward.
In Natsuhiko's eyes, he saw two not-so-noticeable afterimages appear on Beedrill's sharp needle as if one needle had turned into three.
But only one hole was left on the rock wall.
"Buzz?"
Natsuhiko's eyes brightened more and more.
"That's the idea. Of course, I'm not saying you have to master it right now, but I think this could be a direction for your development."
Imagine if every attack from Beedrill were accompanied by at least seven or eight afterimages, making it impossible for the opponent to figure out from which part Beedrill was actually attacking, then the opponent would have only two choices.
Either take Beedrill's attack head-on and attempt a counterattack afterward.
But Beedrill's technique isn't that easy to withstand.
Or they could only choose to retreat and dodge in an attempt to avoid it.
But then Beedrill could attack freely, and without the opponent having the ability or chance to counter, they would only become a sitting target for its attacks.
Constant defense leads to inevitable mistakes.
Beedrill looked at its long needle, feeling that Natsuhiko's suggestion was insightful and worthy of further exploration.
If trained successfully, wouldn't it become a shadow assassin in the future?
Not the shadow-assassin that turns into shadows, but an assassin whose every attack is accompanied by numerous shadows.
Beedrill's eyes gradually lit up.
Once trained well, this could really be reliable! Me, the shadow assassin, Beedrill!
"This was just an idea I suddenly thought of. We can try and train in this direction in the future."
Beedrill nodded strongly.
Feasible!
Natsuhiko smiled, "Alright, let's find somewhere relatively safe to rest a bit. You also need to adjust your state."
They had been walking for a long time, endlessly meandering through this tunnel, as if it had no end.
Natsuhiko found it a little strange.
This underground tunnel shouldn't be this long or vast.
Yet he had walked for so long without finding any of the marks he left, which was a tad exaggerated.
Could it be they were just continuously progressing?
And where could this tunnel lead to? Below Goldenrod City?
With these doubts, Natsuhiko and Beedrill found an indentation in the tunnel. They leaned against the wall, leaving a narrow opening in front. The rock walls on both sides weren't very thick. If they encountered a Pokémon they couldn't handle, Beedrill could break through a nearby rock wall to escape.
Without materials, they couldn't start a fire. So, they had to make do with mineral water and bread.
Beedrill, on the other hand, ate its Advanced Energy Block generously.
It needed a timely replenishment of stamina.
Leaning against the rock wall, he took out Abra's Pokeball. Through the transparent glass, he confirmed Abra was safe before continuing to satisfy his hunger.
Meanwhile.
In a dimly lit corner.
The small figure saw the person in front stop and sighed in relief as if collapsing onto the ground. Its round body allowed it to fit snugly between two rocks.
Soon, its small nose twitched, its eyes lighting up, drool slipping from the corner of its mouth.
It smelled a fragrance it had never encountered before, a scent that greatly tempted it.
Struggling to get up.
But finally, its vigilance against strangers overcame its desire for food.
Pouting, it dug out a clump of something dark and murky from somewhere, carefully holding it in its hands as it began to eat.
As it ate, it kept glancing toward the faint light in the distance, sniffing the light aroma of food filling the air.
It took a dry bite of the thing in its hand.
Suddenly finding that the food it usually found acceptable no longer tasted good.
"Chakorii-ee—" A tiny stubborn sound was made.
The few short spikes on its head retracted with its voice.