Chapter 292: Violent air currents: Quiver Dance
As for the finishing move that Terrance devised for Beautifly… it's based on two moves and a technique.
The moves are Gust and Quiver Dance, while the technique is Beautifly's mastery over air currents.
To address the issue of Beautifly's offensive power and considering its own defense, Terrance concluded that improving its speed was the best course of action.
To increase speed and agility, Beautifly's mastery of Airflow Perception and the strengthening-type moves that enhance its own stats are indispensable.
Just like Altaria's Dragon Dance, which dramatically strengthened its battle power after using it—though that might be a slight exaggeration—it's undeniable that strengthening-type moves hold high tactical value for a Pokémon.
However, the common drawback of strengthening-type moves is the time required to prepare them. Essentially, these moves tap into and overdraw the Pokémon's maximum potential, trading it for a temporary boost in physical attributes.
As the "demand" increases, the difficulty of executing the move also rises.
Moreover, if the move is interrupted midway, all efforts go to waste.
Quiver Dance and Dragon Dance both involve a mysterious dance that awakens and delves into one's deeper-level abilities. If this process is interrupted in any way, the move will fail.
In a normal battle where the opponents are evenly matched or the opponent is only slightly weaker, it is generally difficult to find an opportunity to use such strengthening-type moves.
But Terrance wanted Beautifly to strengthen itself even in the midst of a direct confrontation!
Altaria, due to its size, is not as agile as Beautifly, so let's not consider it for now.
Beautifly, on the other hand, is small and nimble, making it easier to dodge attacks. If they could amplify this advantage to the point where Beautifly could maintain its agility even while performing Quiver Dance, or even increase it, Beautifly would succeed.
Even if the opponent was stronger, Beautifly could quickly become more powerful through this technique.
…
…
"A small sandstorm is approaching…"
A storm of sand swept through, and Beautifly suddenly darted out, plunging into the raging sandstorm alone, performing its mysterious dance.
Faced with the turbulent sandstorm, Beautifly seemed like a moth to a flame, battered by the violent air currents and struggling to maintain its flight.
But upon closer inspection, it appeared that Beautifly had entered a mysterious state. Despite being hit by sand grains in the sandstorm, most of its flight path still followed the original movements of Quiver Dance.
However, this didn't last long. While the sand grains were small, there were too many of them. They came from all directions, pelting Beautifly relentlessly.
Caught in the sandstorm, the powerful force of the wind greatly increased Beautifly's speed. Its figure seemed to blend into the sandstorm, moving in rhythm with the sandstorm as it swiftly performed Quiver Dance.
Bang!
Suddenly, a few larger grains of sand struck Beautifly's wings, causing them to twitch violently. Looking at Beautifly's body covered in dust, Terrance checked his watch and said, "You performed Quiver Dance faster than when you create your own wind, but due to the sand grains, you only completed about 80% of Quiver Dance."
Beautifly let out a frustrated cry, wanting to try again, but by then, the small sandstorm had already passed.
"No need to rush. There's plenty of time to train, and the ground is also covered in sand, so you can simulate a sandstorm on your own for practice."
By utilizing the violent high-speed air currents, having Beautifly perform Quiver Dance in this environment will greatly enhance both the speed and agility of the move! Dodging while in Quiver Dance state wouldn't just be a dream!
However, if Beautifly gets lost in the violent high-speed air currents and couldn't grasp the rhythm, it will fail on its own, without any need for the opponent to attack.
"Air currents are inherently unpredictable and can change due to various external factors. Even a slight flap of Beautifly's wings could cause the known air currents to shift in unexpected directions."
"In relatively gentle air currents, this isn't much of an issue. But in ultra-high-speed, violent air currents, trying to maintain the Quiver Dance while relying on the power of the wind, dodging the opponent, or even influencing the air currents with its moves would require extremely intense training."
Beautifly had been training for several months. Progress had been made, but not to the level that satisfied Terrance.
In this final stretch, Terrance chose Hoenn Desert, a place known for its frequent sandstorm weather.
The sandstorms here were perfect for Beautifly's training. Compared to the high-speed air currents it can create on its own, the ones here were far more violent, and due to the sand grains, they were far more unpredictable, changing constantly without any pattern. At the same time, the sand grains would also affect Beautifly's Quiver Dance. If it could adapt to this environment and successfully perfect Quiver Dance, the training for this technique would be considered complete.
After a short break, Terrance and Beautifly resumed training.
Depending on the environment, the time it took Beautifly to perform Quiver Dance varied.
Under normal conditions, it would take more than twice as long for Beautifly to perform Quiver Dance compared to when it was using the air currents in the sandstorm to assist it.
By harnessing the power of the wind, Beautifly's Quiver Dance took on a more passive quality. However, Beautifly was still sensing and adapting to the shifting air currents, using them as a tool to speed up its Quiver Dance.
Amid the chaotic, turbulent air currents of the sandstorm, Beautifly, while in its Quiver Dance state, cautiously dodged the larger sand grains. At the same time, under the barrage of smaller sand grains, it focused intently on observing the changes in air currents to find the most optimal path for Quiver Dance.
Sometimes, Terrance couldn't help but lament. If Quiver Dance was a deduction problem, you could solve it step by step, but it would never be as fast as using a shortcut.
They chose a shortcut, immersing themselves in a sea of information—some useful, some not. This information might help them solve the deduction problem, saving time, but it might also disturb them, leading them down the wrong path. Currently, what Beautifly was doing is sifting through this vast amount of information to find the one piece that will be most helpful, allowing it to solve the deduction problem faster.
The air current perception training they had done in the past now acted like a "search tool," helping Beautifly quickly identify the changes in air currents that are most beneficial for Quiver Dance and make use of them.
In the sandstorm, the sand grains served as a stand-in for an opponent's "moves," constantly interfering with Beautifly's Quiver Dance. In such an environment, Beautifly went from failure to success to gradually making progress, embarking on rounds of difficult training.
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