Pokemon: A New Path-Cyclizar’s Ability Test[596]

With Dragonite's current strength, if it were to eat one of the Dragon Shedding Dumplings, on top of already having the Multiscale ability, Naoki suspected even a blow from a Legendary Pokémon wouldn't do much damage.

And the craziest part? The dumpling wasn't limited to just Dragonite. It worked on all Dragon-type Pokémon.

Eager to test it out, Naoki called over Koraidon, Cyclizar, and Dragonite, then offered each of them a dumpling.

Though the three Pokémon weren't quite sure what it was, they trusted Naoki and happily ate the treats.

Dragonite munched into the soft rice shell and discovered the jam inside. A look of bliss crossed its face as it let out a delighted cry.

"Awoo~"

"How do you feel?" Naoki asked, watching the trio closely.

"Agas~" chirped Koraidon in reply, its eyes sparkling.

"Gaaa~" Cyclizar gave a nod of contentment, its tail gently swishing.

"It looks like the dumpling enhances their physical resilience gradually," Naoki muttered, thinking aloud.

The change wasn't instantaneous. Instead, it likely boosted the toughness of their skin and scales little by little over time, much like a slow-release tonic.

"Alright, that's all for now. Go ahead and play!" he said with a smile.

After verifying the dumpling's effect, Naoki packed the rest of the Dragon Shedding Dumplings. He planned to deliver them to Giratina and the other Dragon-type Pokémon living atop the World Tree.

But just as he watched Cyclizar race off joyfully, Naoki couldn't help but pause. He thought back to just how much this little Pokémon had changed.

It was nearly two months ago that he had celebrated Cyclizar's birthday by feeding it a rare cake that permanently boosted its base stats.

In fact, that had been the fourth birthday cake Cyclizar had received over the years. On top of that, he'd frequently cooked it stat-enhancing dishes during training. All things considered, Cyclizar's current stats were probably leagues beyond what anyone expected from such an unassuming Pokémon.

"I need to find a chance to properly test it," Naoki mused.

As fate would have it, the perfect opportunity appeared later that same afternoon.

While picking up supplies in town, Naoki noticed a newly opened Pokémon research center. The sign out front read: "Pokémon Physical Fitness & Battle Aptitude Assessment Lab."

"Huh? A lab that tests Pokémon strength and stamina?" Naoki tilted his head, intrigued.

Curious, he asked a few locals about the lab. The friendly townsfolk were quick to share what they knew.

It was run by a young researcher named Dr. Kuroki, who had recently moved here from the Kanto region. Apparently, Kuroki was fascinated by the culture of the Paldea region and the ancient traditions surrounding the King of Bountiful Harvests, so he decided to relocate his lab here.

Naoki had expected an older professor, someone in the vein of Dr. Oak.

But when he entered the lab, he was surprised to see someone barely older than himself.

"Ah! Welcome to my lab!" greeted Dr. Kuroki with an enthusiastic smile. He gave Koraidon a curious look. "Whoa… that's some powerful Dragon energy I'm sensing!"

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Kuroki," Naoki said politely. "I'm Naoki. I'd like to get a physical and battle-readiness assessment done for my Pokémon."

"Absolutely! I'd be happy to help," Kuroki replied, clearly delighted. "Let me give you a quick tour."

As they walked through the lab, Naoki spotted several certificates and medals proudly displayed on the walls, including a diploma from a prestigious University and several accolades in Pokémon biology and training systems.

'So he's a real prodigy,' Naoki thought.

Kuroki pointed to a section of the lab with various high-tech devices. "Over here is the strength-measurement station. That one gauges speed. And the one at the back? It tests how much impact a Pokémon can endure."

"I specialize in analyzing the differences in power and potential between Pokémon of the same species," he explained.

Naoki blinked. "I've never heard of someone doing that kind of research."

Kuroki chuckled. "To be honest, all these machines were developed by me from scratch."

"Enough talk! Why not come and see for yourself?" Dr. Kuroki said cheerfully as he raised a whistle to his lips and gave it a quick blow.

In response, a group of Pikachu came bounding into the lab from outside.

"Alright, everyone, get into position and help out!" Kuroki called.

The next moment, Naoki watched as the Pikachu scampered onto the lab's power platform and began releasing bursts of electricity. Their coordinated Thunder Shocks powered up the entire research facility, and with a hum of life, the machines around the lab lit up one after another.

"These machines need a huge amount of power to operate," Kuroki explained. "If I relied on the town's electricity, I'd probably short-circuit the entire grid. That's why I use my Pikachu to generate energy for the lab."

Naoki stared, speechless. Only in the Pokémon world could you casually power high-tech machines using Electric-types as generators.

"Now then, let's get started! My partner, let's go!" Kuroki took a Poké Ball from his belt and tossed it.

With a flash of white light, a massive Beedrill materialized inside the lab.

"Beedrill, buddy, I need you to step into the scanning pod," Kuroki instructed.

The large Beedrill buzzed its wings in response, calm and focused, and flew into a sleek machine shaped like a capsule. A beam of red light began scanning its body from antennae to stingers.

Naoki watched in fascination.

Once the scan finished, Beedrill moved on to a series of stations, speed testing, defense resistance testing, and more, each one designed to measure a different aspect of Pokémon performance.

After several minutes, all the data was processed and displayed on the lab's central computer.

Kuroki sat down at the terminal and gestured for Naoki to look.

"Take a look here," he said, pointing at a set of colored bars on the screen. "I've categorized a Pokémon's physical profile into six stats—HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed."

"I've collected data from hundreds of Pokémon of the same species and calculated an average baseline. That's this white line here across each bar," he explained.

"If a stat falls below this line, it means the Pokémon is underdeveloped, maybe malnourished or lacking proper training. But if the stat exceeds it, that means the Pokémon's been raised really well."

Naoki listened carefully, eyes scanning the bars.

"Of course," Kuroki added, "even a weak Pokémon at birth can become amazing if nurtured properly. Training and care matter just as much as natural ability."

Naoki blinked. This... this was basically the real-world equivalent of the "IV" system from the games!

"Take my Beedrill, for example," Kuroki said, pointing to the balanced stats. "All its attributes meet or slightly exceed the standard line. It's in peak condition."

Naoki nodded, then looked at Koraidon standing beside him. "Can I test one of my Pokémon?"

"Well…" Kuroki hesitated. "I'd love to, but I've never seen a Pokémon like that before. I don't have any benchmark data for it, so I wouldn't be able to generate accurate comparisons."

Naoki wasn't surprised. Koraidon was a unique Pokémon, officially undocumented in most modern Pokédex systems.

"How about Cyclizar then?" Naoki suggested.

Kuroki's eyes lit up. "Cyclizar? That famous ride Pokémon from the Paldea region? Perfect! I just finished collecting standard data on Cyclizar two days ago."

Naoki smiled. "Great. I'd like to check my Cyclizar's stats."

"Let's do it!" Kuroki beamed.

Naoki tossed the Poké Ball, and with a flash of light, Cyclizar appeared in the lab. It glanced around curiously before locking eyes with Naoki.

"It's alright," Naoki reassured it. "Just a simple checkup."

"Come on over, Cyclizar!" Kuroki said with an encouraging wave.

With a nod from Naoki, Cyclizar calmly stepped into the first machine.

One by one, the scanners did their work.

Five minutes later, the results were displayed across the monitor in vivid detail.

"Let's see now…" Kuroki leaned in, scanning the screen. The moment he saw the data clearly, his jaw dropped.

"W-What is this?!"

The strength stat was off the charts, so far above the standard Cyclizar benchmark that it nearly maxed out the measurement bar.

Not just strength. Its HP, defense, and speed were all dramatically above average. The progress bars extended far beyond the baseline, pushing the display's limits.

"This… This is insane! Is this really a Cyclizar?" Kuroki gasped. "I've never seen anything like it!"

Naoki chuckled sheepishly. 'Well... it has been on a very generous meal plan.'