Chapter 74: Breaking the Limits of Species
Chapter 74: Breaking the Limits of Species
Shaking his head, Rio cast aside the chaotic and sorrowful thoughts in his heart, refocusing on the panel before him. There was still a very important piece of information waiting for him.
"Free Attribute Points! A full 5 of them!"
Rio held his breath. As his thoughts turned, a "+" sign appeared behind each attribute on the panel displayed on the light screen.
Joy welled up in Rio's heart.
Similar to how different human races possess abilities of varying strengths, Pokémon also have attribute values that influence their strength based on their species. These values are referred to as "base stats" by human Pokémon researchers. The inclination and level of these "base stats" determine which fields different Pokémon excel in.
For example, Gardevoir, a Psychic-type, has base stats that lean towards "Special Attack," while being weaker in "Attack." This aligns with the areas Pokémon specialize in; Gardevoir excels at Psychic-type special moves but is not proficient in Fighting-type physical attack moves.
And for example, the Normal-type Ursaring has base stats that lean more towards "Attack." Due to its heavy body, its "Speed" is relatively low. Therefore, the mainstream fighting style for Ursaring is to rely on its thick skin and tough flesh to absorb damage, then counterattack with its extremely high physical attack power.
However, the appearance of Free Attribute Points gave Rio the infinite possibility of breaking through these species limitations.
Because he could choose to allocate these free attribute points to any attribute except HP.
Under normal circumstances, for a Riolu, its strengths lie in high agility and sharp attacks. For a Lucario, its species' strengths are in Attack and Special Attack. Correspondingly, their lean bodies determine that the defenses of both these Pokémon are not very good.
But if Rio could steadily obtain a large number of Free Attribute Points and willfully allocate them to both defenses, the result might be the emergence of the most formidable tank Riolu or Lucario in history, enough to shatter the glasses of all researchers studying Pokémon ecology.
Beyond that, these Free Attribute Points held another, more important meaning for Rio: he could use this point allocation method to catch up to, or even erase, the base stat difference with the top-tier Pokémon of the world.
Yes, as mentioned before, between Pokémon, there can be differences in strength at the same level due to differences in species. Although in battle, a species' strength isn't the sole determinant of victory, possessing powerful species abilities will, more or less, give a Pokémon a more dominant initiative in battle.
And between ordinary Pokémon and legendary Pokémon, the gap in base stats is often wider than a heavenly chasm. Leaving aside the unevolved Riolu for now and using Lucario and Mewtwo as examples, Lucario was considered a powerful species even in the Pokémon world of his previous life. According to Rio's memory, this Pokémon's base stat total in the games of his past life was about 525, higher than the vast majority of Pokémon. However, compared to a world-class super legendary Pokémon like Mewtwo, with its base stat total as high as 680, this difference of nearly one-fifth in base stats could lead to an all-around advantage.
Taking Lucario's proud Attack and Special Attack stats as an example, for Mewtwo, a Psychic-type legendary, Attack was not its particularly strong suit. But due to its extremely high base stats, its Attack value was not far behind that of the attack-specializing Lucario. And in terms of Special Attack and Speed, it was a complete and utter碾压 (crushing/steamrolling).
If this was the case even in its strong suits, not to mention its weaker areas of defense, where Mewtwo still surpassed Lucario. Imagine, under this kind of all-encompassing attribute suppression, for Lucario to defeat Mewtwo was truly harder than ascending to the heavens.
But now it was different. After Rio obtained this ability to freely allocate points, the gap between him and the world's top powers—the various legendary Pokémon—could be narrowed step by step.
In other words, he, Riolu/Lucario, now finally had the qualification to contend for the title of the strongest.
Rio's heart surged with emotion, and he immediately began to study how to allocate his points.
"At this stage, my moves and fighting style are still mainly based on physical attacks during high-speed movement, and my Attack stat is relatively excellent for this level. Conversely, my Special Attack, without the boost, has dropped to a relatively low level. In that case, if I want to use the [Aura Sphere] move with its infinite potential, the power of this move might not be quite enough."
"However, being able to take a hit is also a relatively important part of battle. Increasing both defenses is also a reasonable choice."
"Hmm, so frustrating. How should I allocate the points..."
Rio, suffering from indecisiveness, plopped down on the ground, lost in deep thought.
The Taillow nearby seemed to have grown tired of watching this strange Pokémon. It paid no more attention to Rio, instead focusing its attention on the grass beside him. Taillow's eyes stared intently at the grass, its demeanor focused.
Suddenly.
With a "swish," the Taillow, like an arrow released from a bow,倏忽 (suddenly/in a flash) swooped down onto the grass. With a peck of its beak, a wriggling green caterpillar was caught in its mouth. Then, with a flicker of its body, it returned to its branch to enjoy its meal.
This scene was caught by Rio's eyes.
A glimmer of understanding rose in his mind.
"Whether it's increasing Special Attack or increasing both defenses, there's a very important prerequisite: being able to hit the opponent or being hit by the opponent."
"A Speed value of 50, while not bad, seems rather lackluster when facing those highly agile Pokémon."
"So, in the early stages, rather than adding these few free attribute points to my weak areas, which won't provide much of an improvement, it's better to use them to enhance my strengths, thereby highlighting my combat characteristics."
Rio figured out this key point and, without hesitation, allocated all 5 Free Attribute Points to his Speed stat.
"Ding!" A soft sound rang in his ear, and the point allocation was complete.
There was no dazzling light, no earth-shattering strange sound. Just that simply, Rio's attributes were enhanced.
Looking at his Speed stat, which had now reached 55, close to his strongest stat, Attack, at 56, Rio subconsciously stood up and bounced in place.
"My body is indeed much lighter!"
Rio felt as if a small burden had been removed from his body, making it feel lighter and quicker.
"And the rate of my punches and kicks is much faster too!"
Quickly throwing out jabs and trying various kicking techniques, Rio was surprised to find that the Speed value not only affected his own agility but also greatly improved the attack rate of his fighting moves. It was truly killing two birds with one stone.
Like a child who had gotten a new toy, Rio excitedly tried out his various moves. With the bonus from the 5 points in Speed, the various moves he used, whether in terms of startup speed or attack frequency, were also faster and stronger than before.
Unconsciously, night fell.
Rio, who had been training for the better part of the day, was somewhat tired. So, he stretched lazily, allowing his slightly stiff limbs to loosen up a bit. Then, staring at the tree where the Taillow was perched, he grinned. "Brother, you don't mind if I squeeze in with you, do you?"
Without waiting for the Taillow's reply, Rio climbed up the tree with both hands and feet, found a comfortable spot, lay down, and hummed contentedly.
"…"
The Taillow glanced at this shameless Pokémon beside it, then moved a little further out on the branch with some disgust. It then buried its head under its wing and fell into a deep sleep.
"Tomorrow's business is for tomorrow. Heh... yawn. Good night... zzzz..."
Feeling the fatigue in his body, Rio also fell asleep.