The move Ingrain allows a Pokémon to grow roots beneath itself and embed them into the ground, continuously absorbing energy from the earth to restore its stamina.
Its effect is similar to Absorb, but instead of being an active move, it becomes passive. Through these roots, the Pokémon can also draw upon deeper sources of energy buried within the land.
Moreover, the roots produced by Ingrain can become formidable weapons. During the battle between Tangela and the Knights, the Tangela used Ingrain to send out a mass of root-like vines from underground.
That was only ten or so Tangela using the move—if hundreds of Gloom were to perform it together, they could create a terrifying field of roots, one that mounted cavalry wouldn't stand a chance of crossing.
However, the Tangela' powerful use of Ingrain is due to their unique abilities. For Gloom to reach that level of mastery would take a long time and a lot of training. Still, basic entangling attacks are within reach.
In fact, Gloom cannot normally learn Ingrain through conventional means—it must be inherited. So, among the gathered Gloom, only a few can actually learn the move.
Based on whether or not a Gloom can learn Ingrain, their training paths will be further divided. Those that cannot will move on to the next level of Absorb training.
Absorb is one of the few moves that can evolve into more advanced forms—Mega Drain and Giga Drain. These advanced versions provide stronger attack power and greater healing, maximizing combat efficiency in a short time.
In fact, Petilil has been training to master Mega Drain recently. After learning how to use Absorb to harness life energy, she's now using Mega Drain to gather even more in a shorter period.
Compared to the Gloom training in the Grass-type path, those on the Poison-type path require more complex preparation.
Due to a lack of materials to make toxic reagents, Aven can't replicate Petilil's training methods for Toxic.
However, since Gloom are naturally Poison-types and immune to poison themselves, Aven had Petilil use Toxic on them directly, allowing them to absorb the toxins through a special method.
Interestingly, ever since the move Toxic was discovered, Gloom as a species developed the ability to learn it naturally over time!
They no longer need external materials or instruction—they can just acquire it on their own, which shows their strong affinity for Poison-type techniques.
Aven plans to have Gloom absorb Petilil's poison and first master Acid Spray, a basic Poison-type move, and only afterward begin learning Toxic.
In a sense, Toxic is a status-inflicting move, similar to Earth Power in how it can enhance other Poison-type moves by increasing the toxicity level.
Peter's Gloom ultimately chose the Poison training path.
He was still worried about the risks of poison, afraid Gloom might get hurt. Although Aven reassured him that Gloom can't be poisoned, Peter wasn't at ease until he saw it with his own eyes.
When he saw Petilil use Toxic on the Gloom, Peter held his breath. Only after confirming that Gloom was unharmed did he finally relax.
To prevent the poisonous training from accidentally harming other Pokémon or villagers, the Poison-path Gloom were relocated to a training area far from the village grasslands.
Even Peter, as Gloom's trainer, could only observe from a distance—he couldn't approach the training site. But since Aven was overseeing the training personally, Peter had no concerns.
"Awoo~ Awoo~ Awoo!"
Beside Peter, Mightyena let out a series of low growls.
After seeing the Gloom undergoing intense training, Mightyena couldn't hold back any longer and wanted to train too.
"Alright, we can't lose to Gloom," Peter nodded. After another glance at Gloom's training, he mounted Mightyena and rode toward the abandoned orchard.
As they approached the orchard, Peter heard the chorus of howls echoing through the trees.
After all they'd been through together, the Mightyena pack had fully integrated into Fruitvale Village. They were now an essential part of the community.
Aven had initially been cautious about the Mightyena and hadn't trained them strictly, but after the recent battle, he had begun their formal development.
Howl is a Normal-type status move that increases a Pokémon's attack by letting out a fierce cry.
It's especially useful for close-combat fighters like Mightyena and is also one of the easier moves for them to learn.
Most importantly, it involves mastering Normal-type energy. To aid this, Aven used a nutrient juice infused with Normal energy, making the learning process relatively easy.
Mightyena have three possible Abilities: Intimidate, Run Away, and the hidden ability Moxie.
Intimidate works particularly well with Howl, amplifying its effects.
Together, they greatly reduce the opponent's morale and attack power, while boosting the user's own momentum—producing a mutually reinforcing effect.
The long-range move Roar is also a good follow-up, as it pairs well with Howl since both are sound-based attacks.
Once Mightyena masters Howl, its close-combat power will increase significantly.
The next move on the training list is Pursuit. Combining Howl with Pursuit allows Mightyena to fully leverage its speed and power to strike fast and hard. This combo will greatly raise its battle potential in a short time.
"Awooo~ Awooo~ Awooo~"
Peter's Mightyena howled loudly in excitement after hearing its packmates.
"Alright, alright, I get it," Peter said, exasperated, as he jumped off its back. "Go join your friends and train."
Mightyena wagged its tail happily and bolted into the orchard, howling the whole way.
"Now it's time for my own knight training," Peter said.
"With Gloom and Mightyena working this hard, I can't afford to fall behind!"
Taking a deep breath, Peter broke into a jog toward the knights' training camp outside the village, the morning sun shining down on him as youthful energy surged from within.
(End of Chapter)