Early the next morning.

  Samuel and Petilil woke up at the same time.

  Even though they'd only been together for a few days, their bond had already grown strong.

  "The Growth Fertilizer is working well."

  After carefully checking Petilil's condition, Samuel nodded in satisfaction.

  He had refrained from putting Petilil through any direct training over the past few days, wanting to focus on rebuilding its foundation and replenishing the potential it had previously expended.

  Potential is crucial for a Pokémon. Whether it’s battle training, learning moves, or general conditioning, all of it consumes potential.

  Many Pokémon show rapid progress early on, but over time, their growth slows and eventually stalls. This is often the result of excessive potential consumption—once a Pokémon depletes its potential, improving further becomes extremely difficult unless that potential can be restored.

  He recalled a case study from his textbooks about a Meowth.

  Because it had spent so much potential learning to speak human nguage, it was unable to learn any moves or grow stronger.

  This example alone showed just how vital potential is to a Pokémon.

  Aside from general strength improvement, a Pokémon’s ability to grasp new moves is also closely tied to its potential. Pokémon with abundant potential can often learn moves naturally, while those with lower potential may struggle even with targeted training.

  There are various ways to replenish a Pokémon’s potential, with food and nutritional supplements being the most common. In fact, this is where Trainers typically invest the most resources.

  "Petil~!"

  Petilil affectionately rubbed its leaf against Samuel’s shoulder, eyes filled with anticipation.

  Eager to start training already? Samuel pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "Not yet."

  Hearing this, Petilil looked disappointed and gestured again as if asking, "Then when can I train?"

  "Once you’ve learned a move on your own," he said with a smile, patting Petilil on the head. "Don’t worry—it won’t take long."

  A move... Petilil tilted its head in thought. Then, suddenly, a faint green glow flickered across its body before quickly fading away.

  "That was... Absorb?"

  Samuel’s eyes lit up. For Petilil, Absorb was indeed one of the easiest moves to learn.

  A move that it had discovered on its own—this was proof that Petilil had solid natural talent and an ample reserve of potential.

  After successfully executing its newly learned move, Petilil exhaled in relief and looked expectantly at its—yes, Trainer. That was the right word.

  "Alright, I got it. I’ll put together a training pn for you soon."

  "Absorb is a great move to focus on in the early stages."

  Samuel nodded thoughtfully, recalling everything he knew about the move.

  Just as the name suggested, Absorb allowed a Pokémon to drain an opponent’s energy and use it to restore its own stamina.

  However, an opponent wasn’t the only target—many natural elements, like trees and soil, could also serve as sources for Absorb.

  By training Absorb, Petilil could replenish its energy by drawing nutrients from trees or the earth itself, reducing the risk of over-exertion.

  If Petilil had instead learned Growth or Tackle—moves that consume a lot of energy—Samuel wouldn’t have allowed it to start training yet.

  Excessively burning through potential without effective ways to restore it would only lead to diminishing returns and eventual stagnation. That kind of overtraining would do far more harm than good.

  Even with the Growth Fertilizer helping to replenish Petilil’s energy, its supply was limited and wouldn’t be enough to sustain heavy training.

  "Looks like I’ll need to make more Growth Fertilizer."

  Samuel sighed and rubbed his forehead before muttering under his breath, "Damn Starly."

  Under Petilil’s eager gaze, Samuel led it to the orchard, ready to begin its Absorb training in earnest.

  In truth, he was just as eager to grow stronger. Deep down, he couldn’t shake the feeling that an unknown danger was looming over him.

  At that moment, near a pile of rotting berries, Uncle Darby was shoveling soil, preparing to bury the spoiled fruit.

  Seeing this, Samuel quickly grabbed another shovel and stepped forward to help.

  "Samuel? What are you doing here?"

  "Didn’t I tell you that your priority should be helping Mr. Berlitz manage the orchard? You don’t need to trouble yourself with this," Darby said, his tone slightly reproachful.

  He felt that Samuel had nded a rare and valuable opportunity with this job and should focus on making a good impression on Mr. Berlitz.

  "Uncle Darby, I actually have a reason for coming here—and I figured I might as well lend a hand while I’m at it."

  "Oh? What reason?"

  Uncle Darby paused his work, intrigued. If there was something Samuel needed help with, he wanted to know.

  Looks like he won’t let me help unless I expin first… Samuel thought, both touched and helpless. He then gestured toward Petilil.

  "Petilil, see that pile of soil?"

  "Try using Absorb on it. See if you can draw energy from the compost below."

  Petilil’s eyes sparkled. There’s fertilizer under there too?

  With that thought, it eagerly waddled over, plopped itself down on the mound, and began testing out its Absorb move.

  "Fertilizer?"

  Darby frowned. It was the first time he’d heard that term used in this context.

  "It’s a type of energy beneficial to Monster," Samuel expined with a smile. "Especially Grass-types."

  Monster...?

  Darby’s expression changed. His gaze flickered between Petilil and Samuel, his tone suddenly urgent. "Samuel, are you raising Monster?"

  "Is something wrong, Uncle Darby?"

  "Petilil may not be cssified as a ‘Monster’ here in Ambition City, but that doesn’t mean it can be trained freely."

  Samuel hesitated. This was also the reason he, not being a Monster Tamer, had been able to bond with Petilil.

  "Samuel, while Petilil isn’t officially considered a Monster, if you train it and strengthen its abilities, it will be regarded as one."

  "You know what the city enforcers do when they find an uncontrolled Monster within Ambition, don’t you?"

  Darby lowered his voice, gncing around nervously before looking at the faint green glow flickering across Petilil’s body. He hesitated, then seemed to want to say more but held back.

  -----

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