Magnetic Training

At Mount Coronet, inside the academy walls, there was a small pavilion.

Darren had been waiting there for a while when a chubby guy with brown hair arrived, looking dusty and out of breath.

It was clear that, judging by his size, he had run all the way here and was exhausted.

"Sorry, sorry..." the chubby guy looked very apologetic and took a few deep breaths before slowly speaking.

Darren waved his hand in a friendly manner.

"No problem, do you want to rest for a bit?"

"Ah, thank you." Gerry was surprised.

"We're classmates, so if you feel embarrassed, you can pay me back with extra credits."

"... "

The two remained silent for a while, finally beginning to discuss the task of taking care of the Pokemon entrusted to them.

"These are the four Nosepass that I recently caught, and they'll probably need to be taken care of for about five months."

"I'm not very good at training Rock-type Pokemon...and I have a lot of other things to do. If it's okay, could you help me out?"

Darren looked at the four Nosepass that the other had released. Their arms and legs looked short, and it seemed like they didn't have mouths. Except for their red noses, their bodies were covered in dark blue. After inspecting them for a while, Darren spoke up.

"No problem, but what about the price..."

"What if I raise it by 50 credits?" Darren smiled, as if he were negotiating.

As soon as the words fell, Gerry's face changed instantly. "400 credits? That's too much! Even if they're being raised in a breeding house, the price wouldn't be that high."

"Your team should have some shortcomings, right? If these four can evolve into Probopass, it should be of great help to you in your upcoming ranking battles."

"And since the academy is completely closed, except for special tasks, you probably won't be able to go out now. That's why you wish to entrust them to me, a student of the breeding class, to take care of your Pokemon."

"Even so, 400 credits is too much, and it's easier to find food for Nosepass than other Pokemon. You know, earning credits is not easy..."

"I know, but you should also understand the situation of us students in the breeding class. We're not good at battling, and our Pokemon aren't strong enough for training. For the sake of a few credits, we have to study hard every day and answer those annoying exam papers..."

Darren made a pitiful expression, but fortunately, these words were not heard by the students of the breeding class, or else they would have given this guy who had never attended a class a good scolding.

"Well…"

"Don't hesitate, the credits you're offering are a lot, but if these Nosepass can help you fill in the gaps in your team and win in the upcoming ranking battles, you can double your credits in no time."

"Besides me, there's probably no one else in the breeding class who can help your Nosepass make a huge progress in five months."

Chubby Gerry stared suspiciously at Darren, feeling a bit uneasy about this person's overconfidence...

"Is this guy really reliable?" Darren not only looked unfamiliar but also seemed young, and the chubby student from the advanced class began to have second thoughts.

After all, 400 credits was not a small amount for him.

"Well...let me think about it and get back to you." Scratching his head, Gerry put on a naive expression...

Slap!

Darren slapped the small blue book in his hand.

"Gosh...on second thought, you should really think this over. Among all the students in the breeding class, I'm probably the only one who is a junior breeder."

"You met Cynthia two months ago, right? Why is she so strong? Because she's also a breeder...if I help you take care of your Nosepass, your team will become a lot stronger in five months, this opportunity won't come again."

As Darren took out his junior breeder certificate, everything fell into place reasonably fast.

The last line of defense in Gerry's mind was broken. During his time at the academy, besides asking teachers for help with his Pokemon, Darren, a junior breeder, was the best choice.

...

Darren felt very pleased. He had spent 600 credits in two months and immediately earned back 400.

As for how to raise the four Nosepass into Probopass, he still needed to do some preparation.

Mount Coronet in the Sinnoh is one of the best places for Nosepass to evolve.

When a Nosepass is in a place with a strong magnetic field, such as Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh or Chargestone Cave in Unova, it can sense the special electromagnetic waves in the area and reflect them. By combining with three other Nosepass, it can evolve into a large Probopass measuring up to 1.4 meters and gain the Steel-type attribute.

Since the chubby student Gerry has captured four small Nosepass, he must have known their evolution methods, but he was unsure and had many things to do. Therefore, he sought help from a member of the breeder class.

"Whether it's Nosepass or Probopass, they can both effectively counter Beautifly and Swablu. Having them as training partners is also beneficial to me..."

After returning to his dormitory, Darren formulated a breeding plan for Nosepass based on the situation of Swablu and Beautifly. The most important step in cultivating them into large Probopass is to let one of them sense the unique electromagnetic waves inside Mt. Coronet. Based on the current situation of the four of them, none of them seems capable of doing so.

"For now, let's train them to better control their own magnetism."

Darren possesses knowledge about Nosepass' behavior without the need to research it. Nosepass utilize their magnetic abilities to ensnare feeble Steel-type Pokémon or draw in minerals in their vicinity for sustenance. If a Nosepass continues to hunt frequently, it will eventually attain exceptional mastery over magnetism. If such a Nosepass manages to capture electromagnetic waves resembling those found on Mt. Coronet, it can evolve by merging with three other Nosepass.

That is to say, these four Nosepass before him do not yet have enough control over their own magnetism. This is one of the reasons why Gerry cannot make them evolve immediately.

"It seems that they don't need to eat minerals, but objects with magnetism are currently the most suitable food for them."

"At the same time, they need to continue to hone their own magnetism. Once captured by a trainer, they cannot use their magnetism to hunt."

While searching for food for them, Darren also found dozens of steel marbles, each about the size of a coin and able to respond well to the magnetism of Nosepass. The Nosepass can also control them through magnetism...

So, the four Nosepass guarded each direction, and Beautifly and Swablu began the first round of special training, reflexes.

Due to their relatively small size, Swablu and Beautifly can use the pain caused by being struck by steel balls as a means to enhance their focus. While getting hit by the marbles can be painful, it can also serve to sharpen their concentration.

Beautifly has the ability to generate air currents, allowing it to evade steel balls effectively. In contrast, Swablu can use its cotton-like feathers as a shield and move at great velocity to avoid the balls. However, the challenge for Swablu lies in its capacity to maintain precise control during high-speed movements.

Regarding the Nosepass, what methods can they utilize to enhance their control over the steel marbles through their magnetic powers, and how can they target the two smaller Pokémon more effectively? All parties involved in the challenge were exerting efforts towards improvement, including Darren, who began to study books diligently in his pursuit of becoming an Intermediate Breeder!