Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
At 7:30 AM the next morning, on the training field outside the Pokémon Center in downtown Goldenrod City, Sato was leading his Pokémon in a physical conditioning session.
Since the Rookie Competition hosted by Team Rocket, Sato hadn't had this much free time to personally guide his Pokémon through endurance training, so he was putting extra focus and effort into it today.
With no swimming pool nearby, Sato had Swampert do a few laps around the track as warm-up. After that, he pulled out some terrifyingly heavy weights—each weighing in the ton range—and had Swampert start lifting to hone its raw strength.
Now that Swampert's strength stat was incredibly high, even a pair of dumbbells weighing 20 tons each felt like toys in its hands. It could effortlessly lift one in each hand and pump them repeatedly for hundreds of reps without even panting.
As the weightlifting continued, Swampert's muscles swelled visibly, and sweat poured off its body like rain. Its breathing became deep and thunderous. From a distance, it looked like a blue muscle beast, the very embodiment of strength and power.
On the other side of the field, a Shiny Pelipper in a weighted vest was flying through a sky-course made of numerous ringed poles—just like many other Flying-type Pokémon at the facility.
These ringed poles, placed all along the edge of the training field, were topped with large metal hoops connected by thin poles of varying lengths and spacing.
To successfully navigate this aerial course, a Flying-type Pokémon had to show excellent flying control and technique—otherwise, a midair collision was almost guaranteed.
Despite wearing a 65kg weighted vest—roughly Sato's own weight—Shiny Pelipper remained at the front of the pack. Thanks to the mutated Supreme Sky Splitting Stone it carried and the Tailwind it had set up, it had maintained its lead effortlessly.
At the same time, it was also proudly displaying the results of over a month of training under Elsa. Its flight skills had drastically improved, and its stamina was leagues better than before.
Sato wasn't surprised by Shiny Pelipper's results. With its aptitude elevated to gold tier after using a Mew Gene Enhancement Serum, he had expected solid progress.
With such exceptional potential, even without direct guidance, a Pokémon like her could rapidly improve as long as she had access to the right resources.
In Sato's opinion, this month's training results were only average. If he had been the one coaching Shiny Pelipper, her growth would've been even more impressive—especially with his stockpile of gem-grade PokeBlocks, which could rapidly restore stamina and drastically increase training efficiency.
Seeing that Shiny Pelipper was training well, Sato shifted his focus back to Nidoking—the current priority.
Nidoking had only recently evolved and was still adjusting to his new body. For now, Sato had him doing exercises to improve coordination and body control, helping him adapt to his evolved form.
The first step was teaching Nidoking to walk properly on two legs.
Back when he was a Nidorino, he moved on all fours. Now that he had to walk upright, his speed had actually dropped due to unfamiliarity with bipedal movement.
To help him adjust, Sato had him run laps. Although clumsy at first, repeated use built up muscle memory in his legs.
With perfect individual values and naturally high perception, Nidoking adapted quickly. After ten laps around the field, he had already gotten the hang of running on two legs. While he couldn't yet dart around nimbly, he no longer looked like a toddler learning to walk.
Next, Sato had Nidoking focus on his drastically changed tail. Unlike the short stub of a Nidorino, Nidoking's tail was now thick, long, and stretched over 2.6 meters.
Such a powerful tail could become a devastating weapon in battle if properly trained.
And that was no exaggeration—Nidoking could potentially learn Poison Tail, Iron Tail, Aqua Tail, and Dragon Tail. Once he mastered these, sneak attacks from behind would no longer be a threat—he'd deliver painful surprises of his own.
Moreover, the tail was essential for balance. Strengthening it would go a long way in helping Nidoking master his body.
To help him learn tail control quickly, Sato hired a Trainer with a Furret and had it teach Nidoking how to channel force through his tail to strike.
Under Furret's guidance, Nidoking swiftly grasped the mechanics of tail-based attacks. With his exceptional hearing, he also learned to use his tail to strike at targets behind him based on sound alone.
Finally, Sato had Nidoking begin adapting to his newly transformed arms. Now that he walked upright, his arms were fully freed up and could be trained for combat.
With these arms, Nidoking could learn many punching techniques—including the elemental "Triple Punches": Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, and Fire Punch. He was now capable of starting that path.
In fact, Nidoking's physical attack stat was 17 points higher than his special attack stat (102 vs. 85), meaning he was even better suited for melee combat than ranged—though he excelled at both.
And in close-quarters battle, arm techniques were essential. Nidoking needed to learn to use his arms swiftly and precisely. He would also have to learn hand-to-hand combat techniques so he wouldn't be overwhelmed in tight encounters.
For this part of the training, Sato chose to have Nidoking adapt through punch training.
To make it happen, he paid handsomely—one large bag of high-grade PokeBlocks and 100,000 PokeDollars—to hire a Fighting-type specialist Trainer and have his Hitmonchan teach Nidoking the basics of boxing and the Triple Punches.
As expected of a perfect-IV Pokémon, Nidoking's talent was extraordinary. With just one hour of instruction and a few demonstrations, he already mimicked the basic motions.
Of course, Nidoking was still far from truly mastering the Triple Punches. Right now, he could only produce a few sparks, a puff of frost, and a small flame. But his form when striking a sandbag already reflected solid fundamentals and power control.
Sato estimated that if he had Hitmonchan guide Nidoking a few more times, Nidoking would soon be able to learn the full Triple Punches set.
With that in mind, Sato exchanged contact information with the Hitmonchan's Trainer, planning to schedule more sessions in the coming days.