The next morning, Gladion decided to focus on the newest members of his team. He had already let Guy train them physically, but now he wanted to understand exactly what each Pokémon could do.
Drapion stood in front of him, its large body covered in purple armor while its claws clicked against the ground.
Gladion looked over the Pokémon carefully before opening his notebook. "Let us start with you. I already know that you have a strong body and an impressive Poison type arsenal, but I want to know exactly what moves you have mastered and which ones still need work."
He then instructed Drapion to demonstrate some of its moves. Drapion moved into the training field and immediately fired a series of sharp projectiles from its claws.
The Pin Missile struck several wooden targets one after another, each hit obliterating them. Gladion watched the attack carefully, paying attention not only to its power but also to the speed and accuracy of each projectile.
"Your Pin Missile is already quite good. With enough training, we can make it difficult for opponents to avoid every hit."
Drapion then lowered its body and rushed forward. Purple energy gathered around one of its claws before it slashed through another target.
Cross Poison tore through the thick wooden board and left behind a dark purple mark. Gladion's eyes immediately brightened. Cross poison was usually a rnage type move but it seems that Drapion can use it in close range too.
"That is exactly what I wanted to see. Cross Poison gives you a strong close range option. while also carrying a chance to land a critical hit and poison the opponent. If we combine that with your natural speed and your other moves, you can become extremely annoying for anyone trying to fight you."
Drapion looked pleased with itself. [I was already planning on being annoying. I simply appreciate that you finally understand my vision.]
Gladion laughed again. "You are certainly developing a personality quickly." He walked closer and examined Drapion's claws before looking through its records which he had gathered after scanning the Pokemon. It was perks of being rich. Then something caught his attention.
He stopped moving for several seconds as he reread the information. His eyes widened, and a grin slowly spread across his face. "Wait a minute. You have the ability Sniper?"
Drapion nodded proudly. [Apparently I do. Is that important?] Gladion stared at it as if it had just revealed that it could control the weather.
"Important? Drapion, this is fantastic." Gladion practically looked over the moon. "Sniper is an extremely rare hidden ability for your race, and it makes your critical hits far more dangerous. A normal critical hit already increases the damage considerably, but your ability pushes that critical damage roughly sixty six percent higher than what an ordinary critical hit would achieve. That means every time you land one, your opponent is going to feel a lot more pain."
Drapion's eyes widened slightly as it looked at its claws.
Gladion continued with a grin. "And now I have to build your entire fighting style around that potential. We will not simply throw random attacks at the opponent and hope something works. We will create situations where you can repeatedly pressure them and search for openings. If you can consistently land critical hits, Sniper will make those moments extremely painful for whoever is standing opposite you."
"Poison spikes is going to be a must for you eventually, because I want you to be capable of controlling the battlefield rather than simply attacking whatever happens to be standing in front of you."
Drapion tilted its head before giving a confident growl. [If you want me to poison the entire battlefield, I can certainly try. I already have enough poison in me to make that happen.]
Gladion laughed at Drapion's confidence. "I like that attitude, but I am not asking you to poison everything you see. We need control. If you poison the battlefield carelessly, our own Pokémon could suffer as well."
Gladion's thoughts immediately turned to from what he remembered from the Sinnoh League.
'Paul's Drapion was a perfect example of why this Pokémon can become terrifying with the right trainer. Poison Spikes alone caused Ash enormous trouble during their battle. Drapion managed to eliminate multiple members of Ash's team and forced him to fight around the poison instead of simply attacking normally.'
Gladion looked toward his own Drapion and smiled. 'Mine can become just as dangerous, perhaps even more dangerous if I develop the right combination of moves.'
Drapion asked,[What exactly does Poison Spikes do?]
Gladion explained the technique carefully. "Poison Spikes allows you to place a trap on the battlefield. When an opposing Pokémon switches into battle and steps onto the area covered by the spikes, the poison enters its body and begins affecting it. It means your opponent cannot freely switch Pokémon without paying a price."
Drapion's expression became noticeably more interested. [So I can hurt Pokémon without even attacking them directly?]
Gladion nodded. "Exactly. That is what makes it so useful. Imagine fighting a trainer with six Pokémon. Every time they switch because they do not like the matchup, they risk sending another Pokémon into your trap. Suddenly, their entire team is slowly becoming weaker before you even have to defeat them directly."
Drapion's tail moved excitedly behind it. [That sounds wonderfully unfair.]
"That is because it is wonderfully unfair," Gladion said with a laugh. "But remember, battles are not about being fair. They are about using what you have better than your opponent uses what they have."
After finishing Drapion's evaluation, Gladion turned toward Abomasnow. The large Grass and Ice type stood patiently nearby, covered in thick white fur. Snow had already begun gathering around its body despite the clear weather.
Gladion looked at the information he had collected. "You have Snow Warning. That is another ability I am very happy about."
Abomasnow gave a proud rumble. [I can make the battlefield cold whenever I want. That sounds useful to me.]
Gladion nodded. "It is extremely useful. Snow Warning allows you to summon a hailstorm when you enter battle, which immediately changes the environment."
Gladion had realized something important about Pokémon abilities long ago. They did not work exactly like the games of his previous life. Not every Pokémon was born with an ability.
Only a portion of Pokémon naturally possessed them, and even among those Pokémon, hidden abilities were considerably rarer. Drapion having Sniper made it particularly valuable because Sniper was a hidden ability, while Snow Warning was a normal ability that could naturally appear in Abomasnow.
"That means both of you are special in different ways," Gladion explained. "Drapion has an extremely rare hidden ability that makes its critical hits stronger, while you have an ability that lets you control the weather simply by entering the battlefield."
Abomasnow raised its arms proudly. [I believe I am starting to like the sound of this conversation.]
Gladion smiled. "Then you will probably like what I have planned next. I want you to learn a field based technique called Snowscape."
Abomasnow looked curious. [What does Snowscape actually do?]
Gladion explained that the technique would allow it to summon a powerful snowstorm around the battlefield, increasing its defensive strength and making the environment more difficult for its opponents.
"But unlike the simple version most trainers know," Gladion continued, "I want you to develop it into something far more useful. I do not want the snow to simply exist around you. I want it to become part of your fighting style."
Abomasnow listened carefully as Gladion explained his idea. "Your snowstorm should reduce visibility, make the ground slippery, and interfere with the movement of opponents. Non Ice type Pokémon should have to struggle simply to move normally while you remain comfortable in your own environment."
Abomasnow's eyes narrowed with interest. [So while I become stronger inside the snow, everyone else becomes slower and less comfortable?]
Gladion nodded. "Exactly. Your Snow Warning can create the first layer of the storm. Snowscape can strengthen the field and improve your defenses. Together, the two effects can turn the battlefield into your territory."
Abomasnow gave a deep roar that caused snow to fall from the nearby trees. [I like this plan much more than simply standing around and throwing ice at people.]
Gladion laughed. "You will still be throwing ice at people. I am simply giving you more ways to make them miserable before you do it."
Drapion clicked its claws from nearby. [Why does the giant snow monster get a storm while I only get poisonous spikes?]
Gladion looked between them and smiled. "Because you are both going to specialize in making the battlefield unpleasant in completely different ways. Drapion will make switching dangerous, while Abomasnow will make movement difficult. If I put the two of you on the same battlefield, your opponent might spend more time worrying about where they can stand than actually attacking."
Drapion immediately looked toward Abomasnow. Abomasnow looked back.
For a moment, the two Pokémon seemed to understand that they were being turned into weapons designed to make their opponents miserable.
Gladion smiled.
-----Author Notes------
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