....
The Rattata territory spread outward from the great tree at its center.
Their burrows were dug beneath its roots.
The moment Ekans retreated, the whole colony exploded into celebration.
The strongest female Rattata, who actually ran things, immediately started assigning their mates to raid the family stash and bring out the stored food for everyone to share.
And just like that, in broad daylight, a full-blown rodent-sized victory feast got underway.
As for Julian...
At this point, his role wasn't all that different from someone in a mascot costume at a theme park.
The only real difference was the height issue.
Audino, as a species, averaged about three feet tall. Under ideal growth conditions, the tallest could reach around four and a half feet, while the smallest might only be a little over two and a half.
Julian had never measured himself, but by his estimate, he was definitely under three feet.
Enough to intimidate a young Ekans, maybe.
That snake from earlier had been, at most, about two feet long.
Basically a rookie.
Once fully grown, though, an Ekans could easily stretch past six feet.
And when that day came, who was scaring whom would be a very different conversation.
Julian sat with his back against the great tree, quietly playing the part of decorative centerpiece.
The second he opened his mouth, berries and dried fruit would roll right in.
The moment he held out a paw, some helpful Rattata would rush over with berry juice like they were serving royalty.
Honestly, he was living embarrassingly well.
But if he wanted to survive in this forest, kicking back and enjoying the good life wasn't going to cut it.
Not for him.
Not for the Rattata.
They all needed to get stronger.
Otherwise, becoming somebody else's lunch was only a matter of time.
After the meal, Julian flopped back down and stretched out beneath the tree, enjoying the shade while sorting through the mess of thoughts in his head.
Just like he'd already decided earlier, he was going to train these Rattata.
And by "train," he didn't just mean better food...though the right berries, proper Pokemon food, and energy-rich snacks certainly mattered.
What mattered more was battle strength.
For example, not a single Rattata in the colony could use Hyper Fang yet.
And even without a type advantage, Julian was sure that if they learned a move that strong, they wouldn't end up in such miserable shape every time they faced Ekans.
So if they were going to start special training, their first goal would be simple.
learn Hyper Fang.
After that, he could teach them other efficient moves specifically chosen to counter their natural predators.
That was his first draft of the plan.
It still needed work, but once the celebration wound down, Julian gathered the colony and explained what he had in mind.
Thanks to his role in driving off Ekans, his suggestion landed surprisingly well the moment he made it.
Telepathy barely drained his Psychic energy at all.
So even after the short but serious little meeting ended, Julian could still stay in constant contact with the Rattata during training without any trouble.
First, he selected ten of the most talented Rattata out of the full group of thirty.
These ten would receive focused training.
Then, once those ten had improved, they would pass their move knowledge and combat experience on to the others.
That way, Julian could build a proper Rattata strike team as quickly as possible.
But the moment he finished choosing the ten, some of the others immediately started protesting.
Because Julian hadn't simply picked the strongest or biggest Rattata.
"I'm not choosing based only on who's strongest right now," Julian explained, stepping in before things escalated. "I'm looking at your Abilities, your physical traits, and the potential you haven't unlocked yet."
Even in a colony this small, with only thirty members, there were still cliques and rivalries.
The female Rattata already functioned as a group of their own.
And every one of them stood above.
The male Rattata, meanwhile, had split into groups too.
The two biggest groups centered around what Julian privately called Scar and Patch.
...
First, there was Scar.
Among the old ones, he was probably the most talented Rattata present, and he'd also been the one the late Raticate leader had valued most highly.
But age was catching up with him.
Given a little more time, he'd probably have to retire from front-line fighting altogether.
And with his physical injury on top of that...
Even though he was the only Rattata in the colony who had come close to the threshold of learning Hyper Fang, Julian had almost immediately ruled him out.
It wasn't that Scar lacked talent.
He had plenty of that.
And his grit was beyond question.
But too much time had already slipped through his paws, and the damage to his body had cost him too much. Even with guidance, Julian didn't think Scar could still be molded into something greater.
Then there was Patch.
Compared to Scar, he was the up-and-comer.
By Rattata standards, he was still basically in his teenage years.
Yes, he had a natural defect...but he'd had long enough to adapt to it and compensate.
Young as he was, he was already trying to learn Pursuit.
With proper training, Julian was confident he could soon start approaching the entry point for Hyper Fang as well.
So Patch made the cut.
Most of the Rattata who followed Scar were from the older generation.
Most of the ones behind Patch were younger.
Julian had chosen the young prospect over the battle-worn veteran.
That was exactly why so many of the older Rattata were upset and confused.
To keep the unselected Rattata from feeling useless, Julian gave them jobs of their own.
The older generation could help coach the younger Rattata who hadn't made the elite group.
As long as safety allowed, they should also work on raising their own levels.
That way, when Julian's ten elite trainees eventually circled back to train the rest, the process would go much faster.
On top of that, Julian picked out a separate support team.
These Rattata would be working directly for him.
Audino could learn a move called Refresh...
a move that could heal poison, paralysis, and burns.
It was incredibly useful.
But leveling up alone wouldn't be enough for Julian to learn it.
He needed certain materials.
Paralysis powder and poison powder were two of the key ingredients.
So this support team's job was to patrol the area around the territory.
Partly to make sure Ekans couldn't sneak in again...
and partly to trade with the nearby Oddish for those materials.
Oddish were one of the few truly harmless species in this forest.
So the trade should go smoothly.
They were easygoing Pokemon, with gentle natures and kind hearts.
Honestly, if they weren't so weak in a straight-up fight, Julian might have chosen the Oddish territory for protection in the first place...
instead of the Rattata.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter