The largest Ampharos in the herd stepped forward.
"Pharos?" he asked, looking warily at the massive Dragonair.
"Ying," Will stated his purpose directly: he was here to issue a challenge.
He couldn't tell the Ampharos's level just by its size, but with such a large herd, he was sure the leader's level wouldn't be lower than 50. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to grow to this scale on the plains. Omnivorous creatures that also road these grasslands, like Persian and Houndoom, wouldn't mind an occasional al of lamb.
"Pharos? Pharos."
The Ampharos was surprised at first, but then it nodded. It took two steps forward and patted its chest, indicating that it would accept the challenge.
"I can't beat you. I want to fight him," Will imdiately shook his head, pointing his tail at the smallest Ampharos.
Even the smallest Ampharos would have a level of at least 30. A Flaaffy needed to reach around Lv. 30 to accumulate enough energy to evolve. As for the chief, Will knew that fighting it would be asking for a beating. One battle would leave him covered in injuries, and his whole day would be wasted. But if he started by challenging the weakest Ampharos, he might be able to get in a few more fights.
"Pharos..."
The Ampharos Chief turned to look, a hesitant expression on its face.
"Pharos," the smaller Ampharos said, accepting the challenge without any issue.
Seeing this, the chief said no more. It led the herd back a short distance, clearing the field for the battle.
Iris took this opportunity to slip into the Ampharos herd, hugging a modest-looking Mareep and nuzzling it with all her might. The surrounding Mareep and Flaaffy showed no hostility towards her. Firstly, because their nature was gentle, and they wouldn't proactively harm other creatures. Secondly, because Iris looked very weak, and they didn't perceive her as a threat.
"An Ampharos..." Will mused, looking at the relatively small opponent before him with a sense of nostalgia.
ga Ampharos was quite powerful, but the regular version was rather average in the gas. Its main advantage was probably its wide movepool. Without special tutoring, just by leveling up and rembering moves, it could master attacks of nine different types. Of those, the ones that were super-effective against him were Dragon Pulse and Dazzling Gleam. The forr needed to be rembered, and the latter could only be learned at a very high level. As long as this Ampharos hadn't rembered Dragon Pulse, he wouldn't be under too much pressure.
"Pharos!!"
The Ampharos had originally intended to let Will, the guest, make the first move. But seeing him hesitate, it had no choice but to attack first. A dazzling yellow current of electricity sparked all over its body, and a swift yellow lightning bolt shot towards Will.
Thunderbolt, Will thought, raising an eyebrow. He quickly flew higher, dodging the attack.
His gaze shifted to the Ampharos Chief, and he began to feel so pressure. Thunderbolt was not a move an ordinary Ampharos could master; it required a teacher. It was obvious that this young Ampharos had learned it from the powerful chief. He just didn't know how many other moves it had learned.
The battle didn't last long, ending in just five minutes. As Will had predicted, this Ampharos had likely just evolved, and its level was even lower than his own.
"Phew..." Will felt the paralysis creeping through his body and lay down on the grass, exhausted.
The battle hadn't been as easy as he had imagined. While the damage from Electric-type moves was reduced, his own moves hadn't been very effective against the Ampharos either. Moreover, the Ampharos's "Static" ability was troubleso. His contact moves had a chance of paralyzing him, which made him fight timidly.
My movepool is too shallow.
Although he hadn't gained much experience from this battle, it had made him realize his current problem. The attacking moves he knew were monotonous in type, and he had very few ranged options. Moves like Dragon Tail, Wrap, Slam, and Aqua Tail all required him to make contact with the Ampharos. The only moves he could actually use from a distance were the low-damage special attacks, Twister and Icy Wind.
"Lan~"
Seeing the battle was over, Iris quickly ran over, looking at Will with worry. She thought he looked really tired right now. Co to think of it, she had never known why Lan so frequently picked fights with other beasts. She had a feeling that, deep down, he didn't actually like to fight.
"..."
Will didn't respond and just continued to rest on the ground. The paralysis was still in effect, and he didn't want to move.
"Pharos."
The Ampharos Chief walked over.
"What do you want?!" Iris cried, spreading her arms to block the way in front of Will. She was afraid the Ampharos would be dishonorable and attack while he was weak.
"Pharos."
The Ampharos Chief ant no harm. It took out a red, cherry-like berry and gestured for Iris to feed it to Will.
"..."
Iris took it. After a mont's hesitation, she took a small bite herself. She waited a minute, and after confirming there were no adverse effects, she placed it in Will's mouth.
A Cheri Berry, Will knew what it was at a glance. In his past life as a Beedrill, he had specifically collected these status-curing berries for ergencies. A Cheri Berry was what cured paralysis.
This berry was relatively common, found in both forests and on the plains. But most Pokémon didn't know about their special effects. The fact that this Ampharos Chief had so accurately given him a Cheri Berry ant that it knew its purpose.
This guy must be pretty old, Will thought, feeling the paralysis gradually fade. He stood up and looked at the Ampharos Chief.
Knowledgeable, a deep movepool, and a high level.
"I would like to learn so skills from you. Is that possible?" Will asked tentatively after a mont's hesitation. He didn't know if an Ampharos would teach skills to a Pokémon of another species. But to broaden his movepool, he decided to ask anyway.
"Pharos? Pharos!"
The Ampharos Chief first tilted its head in confusion, but then it smiled and nodded generously.
"Thank you," Will said, feeling touched.
No wonder the Ampharos line was so popular. Their gentle and generous nature was making even him grow fond of them. He had originally thought about catching one for Liz and Iris, but now he dismissed the idea. A peace-loving Pokémon like this shouldn't be involved in a brutal war.
For the next several days, Will and Iris beca frequent visitors to the Ampharos herd's territory. They had beco friends with them. While Will learned new skills from the Ampharos Chief, he could also challenge the stronger Ampharos to gain experience.
Iris, anwhile, was lost in a sea of soft, fluffy Mareep and Flaaffy, so happy she forgot all about ho.
~~~
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