Next, Pidgeotto found another group of Paras, and with the combined efforts of the three, they were quickly dealt with.
This time, since there was no Parasect, Icarus specifically had Pidgeotto assist Airi.
However, after the battle, the pure Water-type Poliwag inevitably took quite a few hits, and its damage output still couldn't compare to Geodude.
"Yo yo bo" Poliwag was sitting on the ground while Airi replenished its Water-type energy.
"It's almost noon. Let's find a place to eat first. I also have an idea for Poliwag that we can try," Icarussaid after finishing collecting the Paras materials, glancing at the mostly recovered Poliwag.
"Mm, okay."
"Mm~"
Airi and Stone nodded, following behind Icarus as they searched for a place with a wide view.
After walking for a short while, the three finally found an open grassy area. After quickly dealing with the Arbok lurking in the grass, they sat down and began feeding their Pokémon in batches.
Only after all the Pokémon were fed did the three begin eating their own lunch.
"Uh~ Brother Icarus, you said you had an idea earlier, right?"
After hurriedly taking a few bites of her biscuit, Airi couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked.
After all, this task was extremely unfriendly to her and Poliwag. Even with Pidgeotto's help last time, Poliwag had still been heavily injured, and she still hadn't collected 20 mushrooms. She estimated it would take two or three more battles to gather enough.
Every battle carried significant risk for Poliwag, which was why she felt so anxious.
"Gurgle gurgle" Seeing Airi's anxious expression, Icarus took a couple of gulps of water and got straight to the point.
"Airi, do you know the Moves Whirlpool and Fire Spin?"
He first asked about the two Moves.
"I know Whirlpool. It's a Move that creates a water vortex to trap enemies and continuously deal damage.
As for Fire Spin, it's like turning that vortex into flames, right?"
Airi quickly recalled the Water-type Moves she knew and answered.
"Mm, not bad. What I want is for Poliwag to learn a Move like that. I don't need high damage—just the ability to trap Paras. That alone would make things much easier."
Hearing her answer, Icarus nodded approvingly and explained his idea.
"That's true! But… Poliwag doesn't know it at all, and it's too late to buy a TM now."
Airi's eyes lit up, only to dim again as she thought of their situation.
"Cough~ We can try something else. Pidgeotto knows Twister. That's essentially a vortex in the air, while Whirlpool is a vortex in water. The formation principle is the same. I'll have Pidgeotto teach Poliwag. With its control over water, it should be able to learn it."
Seeing her rigid line of thinking again, Icarus coughed lightly and explained.
People in this world often relied too heavily on TMs—this wasn't the first time he had seen it, so he wasn't surprised.
"Look—Twister has a central point, and the wind rotates entirely around it. A vortex works the same way, doesn't it?"
As he spoke, Icarus used a branch to draw on the ground and even swirled water in a cup to demonstrate a miniature vortex.
This kind of basic concept was common knowledge in his previous life. Even without technical terms, the general idea was easy to grasp.
And in truth, understanding every detail wasn't necessary. Pidgeotto already knew the Move—if it could pass on the feeling and method, that was enough.
"It really is like that! Brother Icarus, you're amazing!?"
After the clear and simple explanation, Airi finally understood, as if a door to a new world had opened.
So Moves could be learned like this! She looked at Icarus with admiration.
"Haha~ it's nothing. Once you explore more, you'll figure it out too."
As someone who had once been an average student, Icarus never expected to be called a genius. He couldn't help but smile a little proudly.
"Alright, I'll have Pidgeotto teach Poliwag."
After enjoying the moment, he quickly got serious again, called Pidgeotto over, and gave detailed instructions.
"Beep beep beep beep beep" Pidgeotto understood that it needed to demonstrate Twister for Poliwag, keep it small, and explain how the energy flowed.
"Whoosh whoosh~" Pidgeotto slowly flapped its wings, and a small Twister formed in front of Poliwag.
"Yo? Yo bo?" Following Airi's instructions, Poliwag stretched a hand into the vortex, carefully feeling the flow and characteristics inside.
"Yo~ yo bo!" Since the Twister was small, it didn't harm Poliwag. Instead, it seemed to gain insight, looking excited.
"Beep beep beep" Seeing this, Pidgeotto flew closer and began explaining its experience using Twister, including how the energy circulated.
"Yo~ yo bo! Yo!" Poliwag nodded repeatedly, as if it had already grasped the concept.
"Beep~" Pidgeotto happily gestured for it to try.
"Yo~" Poliwag cried out and began to spit water from its mouth.
"Splash splash~ Bang!" It started smoothly, forming a complete water ring—but just as it began to spin, it suddenly collapsed.
"Splash~ Come on, Poliwag! You're halfway there!"
Even though the vortex broke apart, Airi looked delighted.
The first attempt had already proven it was possible. Now it was just a matter of control and practice. She immediately infused more Water-type energy into Poliwag, encouraging it to keep going.
"Yo bo (???_???)?" Feeling the renewed energy, Poliwag nodded firmly, determined to continue.
"Beep beep~ beep!" Pidgeotto analyzed the failure, suggesting it might have been too rushed and recommending starting with a smaller vortex.
"Yo~" Poliwag agreed, realizing its mistake, and began carefully forming a smaller vortex.
"Uh… Brother Icarus, do you think there are any Moves my Geodude can train?"
Seeing Poliwag making progress, Stone hesitantly stepped forward and asked.
"Heicha heicha" Geodude cried out in agreement.
After all, no one would refuse the chance to learn more Moves.
"Hmm… Stone , don't you already have Compressed Rock Throw? You haven't fully mastered it yet, right?"
Icarus paused before replying.
"Yes, but Brother Icarus, I feel like even if Geodude learns it, it's only useful for surprise attacks in the wild. No matter how much I practice, it always needs time to charge."
Stone scratched his head awkwardly as he explained.