Pokémon: Global Invasion

Chapter 25: The Difference Between Game and Reality

Chapter 25: The Difference Between Game and Reality

After Ryoma nodded, Yuto didn't hesitate to pull out a stack of cash, respectfully handing it to Ryoma and adopting a humble demeanor.

"It's really simple. You just need to have Donphan use Defense Curl before using Rollout to enhance the power of the Rollout moves!"

That's right; Sandshrew was able to knock Donphan away because it had habitually used Defense Curl before executing Rollout.

According to game mechanics, Sandshrew's final hit increased Rollout to a power of 960, while Donphan's Rollout power, without using Defense Curl, only stood at 480. That's a significant difference!

"Defense Curl? Doesn't that just raise Defense power?" Yuto asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"Just try it, and you'll see. I discovered this by accident," Ryoma explained.

Yuto, being impatient, immediately took Ryoma to the Pokémon Training Room on the basement level. He generously paid Ryoma's share of the money and led him to a device for testing move power.

"Donphan, use Defense Curl, then use Rollout."

Under Yuto's command, Donphan curled into a ball, executed Defense Curl, and charged towards the testing device.

Instantly, the device displayed a value of 40.

Ryoma looked at the number on the device, but his expression changed slightly as he sensed that Donphan's power for Rollout didn't show a noticeable improvement after using Defense Curl!

"What's going on?"

"Sandshrew's Rollout power doubled after using Defense Curl. Why doesn't it work like that for Donphan?!"

Ryoma furrowed his brows, his mind racing to understand the issue.

"It did improve; it really did!"

Just as Ryoma was thinking about how to explain this to Yuto, he saw Yuto suddenly jump up in excitement, quickly flipping through his notebook!

Ryoma was left puzzled. When he leaned over to look at the notes, he saw Yuto had flipped to the page where he recorded Donphan's Rollout power.

It stated that Donphan's Rollout power was 35, dated at 7 PM that evening.

Clearly, before deciding to battle with Donphan, Yuto had conducted a thorough examination and carefully documented everything.

"35?"

Ryoma squinted his eyes, glancing at the 40 displayed on the device, and a moment of realization struck him.

"Donphan, release the effects of Defense Curl, then use Rollout again!" Yuto ordered nervously.

Donphan nodded, dispelling the effects of Defense Curl and using Rollout again. This time, the device displayed a clear 35!

Seeing this, Yuto commanded Donphan to use Defense Curl followed by Rollout again, and the device registered 40 once more.

After using Defense Curl, Rollout's power increased by 5 points!

"I see! It appears my thinking was confined by the game."

"While the game's description states that Defense Curl doubles Rollout's power, in reality, while Defense Curl does enhance Rollout, the degree of enhancement relies on the Pokémon's own training and understanding."

"Just like Sandshrew, which was expelled from its group right after birth. Its Defense Curl and Scratch moves, being among its few survival moves, have been trained to perfection."

"That's why its Defense Curl can maximize the enhancement of Rollout moves, allowing its power to double!"

"However, this Donphan clearly has a rough grasp of Defense Curl, so it can only increase Rollout by 5 points!"

"Additionally, since Defense Curl is a Normal-type move while Rollout is a Rock-type move, achieving perfect synergy between these two types of moves may require continuous training for the Pokémon!"

In an instant, Ryoma identified the key issue; it was similar to Rhydon's Lightning Rod ability, which starts weak and only sees significant improvement through continuous development!

This also explained why there was hardly any information online regarding such a simple and fundamental combination of Defense Curl and Rollout.

This also explained why there was hardly any information online about such simple and fundamental combinations of Defense Curl and Rollout.

Clearly, those Trainers did not take the move Defense Curl seriously. Even if they accidentally used Defense Curl in conjunction with Rollout, the enhancements would be minimal, and without specific testing, such a slight improvement would be nearly invisible!

"It looks like I need to change my thinking; the power and function of moves cannot be assessed through the lens of the games."

Ryoma reminded himself.

"Wow, it's actually true! The power has really increased!"

Upon seeing the fluctuating power values displayed on the instrument multiple times, Yuto exclaimed excitedly, instinctively cursing as if he had discovered a new continent.

"Boss Ryoma, do you have any other tricks? I'll buy them all for 10,000 each!" Yuto said, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at Ryoma.

"Not at the moment; after all, my Sandshrew can only use these few moves right now," Ryoma replied after some thought.

He wasn't entirely sure how much of the knowledge he had from the games would apply in reality. Only through personal experimentation could he confirm its effectiveness.

Additionally, this knowledge was clearly very valuable, and he felt a bit regretful for having shared the secrets about Defense Curl and Rollout with Yuto.

If he had written it up as a research report to submit to the Alliance, wouldn't he be able to make quite a profit?

"That's such a shame! But if you discover anything, you must tell me first; we can negotiate the price!" Yuto said, clicking his tongue.

Ryoma also clicked his tongue, feeling that this seemed like a potential goldmine!

After exchanging some insights on training, Yuto took his leave. Contrary to appearances, this wealthy young master truly had some genuine skills.

With his wealth, he had gathered many methods for training Pokémon, which benefited Ryoma greatly as well.

......

After Yuto left, Ryoma started training with Sandshrew.

Now that Sandshrew had basically mastered Rapid Spin and the Rapid Spin machine was temporarily unnecessary, Ryoma planned to use the training equipment available there to practice other moves.

With Rapid Spin and Sand Attack, they could definitely train at the construction site, especially since it wouldn't cost any money.

Recalling the moves Sandshrew could learn, Ryoma noted that most of them were Normal, Rock, Ground, and Steel-type moves.

Now, there was Rollout as a Rock-type move, Sand Attack as a Ground-type move, and Normal-type moves including Scratch, Defense Curl, and Agility. Therefore, Ryoma decided to train a Steel-type move.

This would also expand Sandshrew's range of attacks, allowing it to have effective counters against Ice, Rock, and Fairy-type Pokémon.

Additionally, Steel-type moves would help improve a Pokémon's physical conditioning, making them very suitable for Sandshrew's current training.

But which Steel-type move should he choose?