Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
Of course, how does one raise a Slaking that has Protean and doesn't slack off? It was just a plan for now—the difficulty of actually putting it into action was immense.
This Kecleon, who currently possessed both the Protean Ability and the move Skill Swap, was essentially a key—but for Sato to find the treasure that matched this key would still take considerable time and effort.
After all, what Sato needed was a Slaking that either had a strong desire to grow stronger or simply didn't enjoy being lazy. That sort of Pokémon was likely rarer than encountering a Shiny.
Still, obtaining a Kecleon capable of granting Protean to other Pokémon was already a stroke of unimaginable fortune.
Even if he could never proceed with the "Protean Slaking" training plan, Sato could pivot to other plans—like perhaps a Protean Swampert. That didn't sound bad either, right?
In fact, aside from Protean and Skill Swap, Sato had also noticed that this Kecleon held yet another rare opportunity: the move Role Play.
He had previously been so captivated by Protean and Skill Swap that he had momentarily overlooked this move. Now that his excitement had settled, he finally noticed the hidden potential of this technique.
If Sato remembered correctly, Role Play was also a Psychic-type move, and its effect allowed the user to temporarily copy another Pokémon's Ability.
So, with Kecleon having access to both Skill Swap and Role Play, this meant that as long as it was willing, it could make a teammate acquire the Ability of either an enemy or an ally.
Abilities are one of the most vital components of a Pokémon's overall strength. However, not every Pokémon's default Ability is best suited for it. If one could switch to another Ability, its power would often increase drastically.
Take Swampert, for instance—if its Ability could be changed from Damp to Sap Sipper, it would become a Pokémon without a single type weakness. Or, if it gained Swift Swim, then even without Mega Evolution, it could still reach astonishing levels of strength in rainy weather.
Now Kecleon could help Swampert attain both of these Abilities, with just one condition: the presence of a Pokémon with Sap Sipper, and another with Swift Swim.
In short, this Kecleon, armed with both Skill Swap and Role Play, effectively functioned as an Ability Converter. As long as the conditions were met, it could smoothly and easily swap Abilities.
Moreover, once the conditions were met, this Ability Converter could repeat the process indefinitely, allowing as many Pokémon as needed to gain the same Ability.
For example, Kecleon could use Role Play to copy Sap Sipper from another Pokémon, then use Skill Swap to transfer Sap Sipper to Swampert.
Immediately after, it could use Role Play to copy the Sap Sipper Ability now on Swampert, then use Skill Swap again to give it to another Pokémon.
In this manner, Kecleon could efficiently convert all nearby teammates to temporarily have Sap Sipper.
"Amazing… I almost overlooked how good Role Play is. Now that I have Kecleon, I just need to catch a Pokémon with Sap Sipper, and I can completely solve Swampert's problems in the tropical rainforest. And if I catch one with Swift Swim, I can fully unleash my rain-based tactics!"
As Sato imagined the tactical combinations these two moves could provide, he was instantly stunned. His excitement, which had just calmed down, reignited with full force.
At this moment, Kecleon's status in Sato's heart shot up rapidly—almost on par with his Swampert and Pichu.
Of course, Kecleon had no idea that it had just been ranked among Sato's most valuable Pokémon. All it saw was Sato staring at it with a hungry, almost predatory look—and its heart pounded with fear.
Just moments ago, it had tried to assassinate Sato with Shadow Sneak. If not for Sato's quick reflexes and vigilance, he would've been dead. So now, from Kecleon's perspective, this human's current expression likely meant he wanted to eat it.
It had heard from other wild Pokémon that bipedal, half-hairless monkey-like creatures like Sato were terrifying. They had the power to enslave Pokémon and were vicious—killing without remorse.
Imagining itself about to be killed and roasted over a fire like that deer just now, Kecleon was terrified beyond belief.
"Wuuuuhhhh…"
As it saw this terrifying human reaching out toward it with a monstrous grin, Kecleon nearly leapt out of its skin. It wanted to scream, but its mouth was tightly bound in Ariados's web.
It struggled with all its might, but the silk was just too strong—there was no escape. The moment Sato's hand touched its head, a warm stream involuntarily trickled down from its legs.
"Don't be scared. I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, I'm going to treat you well—nurture and protect you. I'll raise you until you're chubby and healthy."
Seeing Kecleon this scared—and even wetting itself—Sato couldn't help but feel a little speechless. But considering its enormous value, he still spoke in a gentle and friendly tone.
Ironically, that smile made things worse. The moment he grinned, Kecleon's eyes rolled back, its head drooped, and it fainted from fright.
"..."
Watching Kecleon pass out from sheer terror, despite having done nothing to it, Sato was left in stunned silence.
Still, being this timid wasn't all bad. It meant Kecleon had far less resistance compared to Ariados. Once it woke up and heard that Sato wasn't trying to kill it, but rather to make it work for him like Ariados, it instantly gave up and sold itself out.
After some intimidation and bribery from Sato, Kecleon quickly adapted to its new role. In no time, it was sitting beside Ariados, chatting away and munching on high-quality Pokémon food as if nothing had ever happened.
After sharing some delicious snacks, Kecleon and Ariados became sworn friends—no trace of their earlier hostility remained.
Once he had easily captured Kecleon with a PokeBall, Sato turned his attention to Scyther and Zangoose. Finding nothing particularly useful about either of them, he decided to release them both.
Of course, he wasn't kind enough to treat the wounds of these wild Pokémon who had just attacked him.
He simply cut away the webs binding them and tossed them into the surrounding forest. Whether they lived or died was up to fate.