A battle rainbow arced across the North Province (Area Two), and the grueling training that would last for several days began.
The original plan had been three to five days, but Hikaru felt that using a full week for an intensive strengthening block was just right.
As long as they reached Cortondo Town before September 30, everything would be fine.
Raifort didn't leave either. Instead, she stayed to study the text on the back of Wo-Chien. Although the handwriting had already grown blurry and unclear, the little snail had learned how to write on its own, so it could convey the content of the text in a simple way.
Tempering mind and body beneath a waterfall, honing breath through long-distance runs, doing push-ups while carrying massive boulders… then tying weights to the body and sparring.
Thud! Thud-thud! Thud-thud-thud~!
Riolu and Kubfu had weights on their bodies as they sparred beneath the waterfall, while Marshadow stood nearby, throwing out ho-ho-ha-ha critiques and pointers—while also dodging Charcadet's sneak attacks, then casually countering with a heavy punch so it could personally "experience" the new move.
Training while bound with weights was something Fighting-type specialists did all the time. And among Pokémon held items, there was also a whole category of tools made specifically for training Pokémon.
[Training Item: Power Weight.]
[Description: While holding it, Speed is lowered, but the Pokémon's HP will grow more than usual!]
[Effect: A Pokémon holding this item has its Speed halved in battle. Each time it gains base points (EVs) through battle, it gains an additional 8 base points (EVs) in HP. This effect can be doubled by Pokérus and by SOS Battles. When a Pokémon holding this item produces an Egg, it can pass down its HP IV to its offspring.]
It wasn't just Power Weight.
This whole series of items, led by the "forced training gear," also included Power Bracer, Power Belt, Power Lens, Power Band, and Power Anklet.
Among these, aside from the Macho Brace, which increases all EV gains, the others were purposeful and selective—boosting specific Effort Values depending on what you wanted.
Before Generation IX, items like these were generally something you could only obtain through Fighters, researchers, or in certain special locations. They were also high-end training items that you typically had to exchange for points earned through repeated battles at each region's challenge facilities.
But by the Scarlet and Violet era, a shop called the Delibird Presents began wholesaling these training items. As a result, powerful held items that originally needed to be earned through battle facilities could now simply be purchased whenever you wanted.
And during the training, the glow within several scrolls gradually grew fiercer and brighter. The written characters seemed to come alive—like tadpoles, like Unown—bouncing in midair, only to gradually fall silent again after several days of cultivation.
That meant the Pokémon had completely learned the ultimate principles recorded in the scrolls. All that remained was to continuously reinforce those principles, master them thoroughly, and integrate them into everyday battles.
In the process of comprehending moves, now and then there would be moments where a move's power suddenly increased, or a Pokémon's understanding accelerated—as if a "flash of enlightenment" had struck.
This phenomenon was called a move's "burst growth." In that state, the rate of the move's growth would double.
And this, too, was the result of repeatedly refining the three great secrets of training.
Of course, the thing that shocked the Pokémon the most—and even shocked Marshadow, their temporary instructor—was this:
During the training, it wasn't only the Pokémon who were training.
Even Hikaru was training.
Sure, in many regions, Fighting-type specialists really did spar with their Pokémon, or even take moves head-on.
But your physical ability is way too outrageous, isn't it?!
"Marsha!"
Even Marshadow couldn't help delivering a sharp review.
A 20,000-meter long run circling the waterfall—wearing weights just the same—and you're running faster than your Pokémon. How is that reasonable?!
Then there was weightlifting, rock climbing, mountain trekking, striking rocks, and even cutting a waterfall!
The rock you lifted was bigger than the rock Riolu lifted!
Your climbing speed was faster than Torterra's—even though Torterra had already learned the rock-climbing technique!
When you climbed the mountain, Charcadet couldn't even catch up while chasing with Flame Charge from behind!
Striking rocks—Kubfu's full-power hit could crack boulders, but you could do the same, and your fists even became harder!
And cutting a waterfall—that was even more absurd!
Holding nothing but a straight tree branch, you swung it hard—and the waterfall was actually split apart for an instant! Drawing a blade to cut water?!
Why is it that this training and assessment was set up for Pokémon, yet you—the Trainer—keep taking first place?!
Marshadow felt this was unreasonable.
You're already this strong. Why don't you just go battle in the matches yourself?!
But Kubfu was already full of reverence.
"Ku!"
See? I told you. Sensei is basically a superhero.
He's only one step away from running on a falling cliffside boulder and making it look relatively motionless.
Riolu waved a paw.
"Rio!"
This is nothing! Sure, the Trainer got even stronger again, but you don't know this—he once traded blows with Landorus!
Even Landorus, covered head to toe in muscle, said he wasn't human!
He even went to the Sin City—Black City—and beat down a long line of challengers and thugs with his bare hands!
And one of my dreams is to fight the Trainer one-on-one at the Training Rock—and defeat him completely!
"Ku?"
Kubfu was stunned.
So that's why you haven't evolved. I knew it—if you and Sensei can synchronize your hearts like that, how could you still refuse to evolve for so long? So you wanted to spar with him!
That idea is great. I want to try it too!
"Hold it. The idea is good, but don't do it!" Hikaru said. "If you come at me with No Guard + Dynamic Punch, do you think I can take that?"
"Traditional martial arts emphasize redirecting force, but with your No Guard Ability, how am I supposed to redirect anything?"
"When we say 'sparring,' we mean without using Pokémon moves. Otherwise it's Bullet Punch, Meteor Mash, Dynamic Punch—and then Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch—and then two more flying kicks and spinning slashes…"
"Cutting a waterfall is the same. Those legendary scrolls were made by me. And that sword art for cutting invisible enemies requires the human heart to merge with the Pokémon's mind—so if you can do it, then I can do it too."
"A branch? Don't get hung up on weapons. In normal training, you don't need some famous sword. A sword is such an inconvenient object, you know?"
"Ah, but if you really want to go all-out, that's fine too—then I'll need to prepare protection first, like forging armor and a proper blade."
"Humans have neither claws nor fangs. In front of Pokémon, we are so fragile."
Hikaru muttered to himself over here, while several Pokémon were already giving him disbelieving looks.
You have no claws and no fangs, and you're already this ridiculous.
If you get claws and fangs too, then we should be the Trainers—while you go up and beat people.
"Rio?!"
At that, Riolu remembered something. While resting, it shared with the others one of the oldest legends of Sinnoh that Hikaru had spoken about.
If you're asking whether there has ever been someone who could defeat Pokémon with claws and fangs—there really was such a person. But that person was far too ancient, and existed in history as a negative example.
That was the Pokémon-hunting swordsman of Sinnoh's ancient legends.
The story-sharing only lasted a short while. At Marshadow's call, the little ones stood back up and began their weighted training again.
At the same time, Marshadow also pointed out issues—this and that—in the moves of Aegislash and Lilligant.
Marshadow didn't understand many sword schools, so it felt that the sword art that could cut invisible enemies was already an insanely formidable martial discipline. After all, being able to "cut" a Fighting-type directly, and even smash shadows—that was simply unbelievable.
But when it came to kicking techniques, Marshadow had plenty to teach!
Although Lilligant's stomp-kick had shaken Marshadow with its sheer power, as for other kicking styles, it wasn't like Marshadow hadn't learned them before!
The Martial Arts Pokémon had copied countless styles. Even if there were some martial arts it hadn't truly mastered, that didn't stop it from imitating them through shadow and passing them on to others.
Otherwise, do you really think human move tutors can actually use those moves themselves?
Does a "wife cake" really contain a wife?
All they have is knowledge of the training and application methods for those moves!
"Marsha marsha~!"
Kicking moves, in fact, carried significant risk! For some kicks, if you land wrong, you can easily injure yourself!
"Lilli?"
Lilligant watched Marshadow's hey-hey-ha-ha flying kicks, blinked, and after thinking briefly, began to spin lightly at high speed!
A powerful aura erupted from Lilligant's body!
Heavenly Power VSTAR!
"Marsha?!"
Feeling the energy around Lilligant resonating with nature, Marshadow jumped in surprise. At that moment, the little shadow man heard Hikaru's explanation:
"Heavenly Power comes from a god's sharing. Lilligant's Heavenly ability draws strength from other Grass-type Pokémon—restoring vitality—and links with nature through aura."
"The flower crown on its head is a relic of an ancient king, fused with its original blossom until they are inseparable. It greatly amplifies energy. The feedback it receives from the world becomes stronger, which also makes it easier for Lilligant to learn moves that resonate with it—and it can share that power outward as well."
"A new move learned from shadow imitation…"
Lilligant balanced on tiptoe like an ice blade against the ground, then kicked hard at a huge boulder—its body spinning a full 360 degrees, bringing a fierce whirlwind with it!
Bang!
A deep, explosive crack-mark was carved into the rock. The power wasn't dispersed at all—it was highly concentrated—though the move's base power itself wasn't very high.
But this move was extremely special!
[Lilligant learned "Rolling Kick"!]
"Rolling Kick—the kicking technique that Marshadow has fully mastered. Its base power is only 60, and its accuracy is only 85. In Fighting-type combat, it's a very unremarkable move. Low power and imperfect accuracy—who would even run it?"
"But this move has an extremely powerful additional effect: flinching!"
"Rolling Kick has a 30% chance to make the target flinch. If paired with Serene Grace, or with the Rainbow, then that additional chance becomes 60%."
Hikaru thought about the power he had also obtained from N-sensei—a belief he pursued, a conviction that could double the trigger rate of additional effects. In simple terms, it was the bond with friends—something like that.
N-sensei could communicate heart-to-heart with Pokémon, unleash the right move at the right time with the correct power, and maximize its impact. In the Special manga, N-sensei used this to drive Black into a corner, and also used it to attack Whitley.
As for the games… N-sensei usually only spoke a couple of flashy lines in battle. After all, you couldn't actually let N-sensei steamroll the player.
"Pursued Conviction plus the Battle Rainbow—meaning 100% flinch!"
"By learning and mastering engraving craftsmanship, you improve your own accuracy. At the same time, by learning the secret of accuracy, you can further raise accuracy."
"In that case, Rolling Kick becomes—"
"Base power 60, with STAB ×1.5, plus Hustle ×1.5, turning it into power 135, accuracy 100—and a move that guarantees flinching!"
"This school inherits from Marshadow. I say we call it—Battle Rainbow!"
It even matched the name of Ho-Oh and Marshadow's card expansion pack.
Gaze upon the Battle Rainbow, use a Mysterious Ornament, proactively open Rainbow Terrain, gamble on additional effects—and fill Pokémon battles with smiles!
"Marsha!" Marshadow crossed its arms and nodded hard, torch-like eyes blazing bright!
Oh! Human grandmaster—so you think I can found a school of my own now?!
But I don't really have that kind of intention. After all, there are still many secret martial arts in this world!
"Speaking of legendary martial arts—at the end of this year, or maybe January next year, there'll be a Fighting festival where martial artists from all over the world take part."
"Have you heard of the divine moves—Unseen Fist, and Resonant Burst?"
"Marsha?" Marshadow's interest was piqued.
There are secret techniques even I don't know? I've never heard of any of those.
Hikaru smiled. "So-called divine techniques are ultimate moves that only Trainers recognized by the gods can perform. At the same time, in the distant ancient past, there were also battle techniques of ferocity and swiftness. I'll teach those to you later."
"As for Unseen Fist—that's a fist style and an Ability that Kubfu will master after evolving into Urshifu. It's even stronger than Feint: it's a fist art that can ignore Protect and still strike."
"Even though Unseen Fist is an Ability for Urshifu, I think—just like the sword art for cutting invisible enemies—through years upon years of training, you could still grasp a similar effect."
"This is the martial comprehension of a master named Mustard—several decades of hard-won insight, and his secret trump card."
"As for the last one—Resonant Burst—I've only heard of it; I haven't truly seen it. In short, it uses a stone called a Resonance Stone to strengthen the bond between humans and Pokémon. It sounds a lot like Mega Evolution, but it's something completely different."
"Martial arts unleashed through Resonant Burst are called Burst Attacks. They're secret techniques only martial artists from the Ferrum Region can use. That region is basically full of martial artists. It's said that a kind of energy called Kun-qi fills that land."
The Resonant Burst moves Hikaru spoke of were, in truth, from a side series—Pokémon Tekken, that is, Pokkén Tournament.
Among the ones that suited his Pokémon… for example, Aegislash's ultimate was a technique called "Shadow-Stealing Slash of the Underworld King." It sounded extremely edgy, nothing like a Pokémon move at all—but the visuals were genuinely cool.
Beyond that, he also had Riolu, which could master Burst techniques. After evolving into Lucario, it could comprehend the ultimate "Aura Burst Strike."
"Ku!"
Kubfu's voice made Hikaru turn. The little gray bear was extremely excited, trembling all over. Even as it panted hard—exhausted to the bone—the thrill surging through its body refused to stop.
To peer into a higher realm of martial arts, to reach the level of a divine messenger!
Shishou, I can't wait to learn stronger ways to fight!
Hikaru said, "Ahem. Those three techniques—I can't use any of them. But ferocity and swiftness are our next training targets."
"Alright! Then teach us right now!"
Looking at the excited Kubfu, the curious Marshadow, the deep-breathing Riolu, and Charcadet whose flames burned without end—
"Listen carefully."
"Ferocity and swiftness are ancient battle methods. You must first master a move completely before you can successfully use these methods."
"Ferocity means sacrificing your striking speed, but greatly increasing power."
"Swiftness means strengthening your striking speed, mobility, and combat technique—but the power of moves will be reduced."
Hikaru then called to Aegislash.
"Now is the perfect time to teach ferocity and swiftness. Aegislash—teach the others the ultimate principles we once witnessed. Help them master their respective moves!"
"Slash!" Aegislash patted its shield and shook off the water droplets. Because of constant pounding and training, there were now faint scuff marks on the shield—but that was what a training medal looked like.
Aegislash was already proficient with this battle method, so it immediately went to gather the other partners—those training, eating, repairing, and checking their gear.
The ones who had also grasped this battle method included Lilligant and Torterra. However, neither of them had ever truly used it; they had only seen it back at the Sinjoh ruins.
Still, even if you said "gather everyone," there were always a few who weren't around.
Celesteela had hidden itself in the bamboo forest to take root. No one knew what method it used, but it had actually buried half its body into the ground, leaving it in a state where it couldn't move.
Archaludon stood atop a waterfall's peak. It was said that the more you climbed toward the sky, the more you could comprehend the ultimate meaning of Draco Meteor—so Archaludon had been spacing out above the waterfall for three full days. During that time, there were torrential downpours and flashing lightning, and it got struck.
Under those conditions, Archaludon comprehended the ultimate meaning of Draco Meteor—opening a rift in the sky and calling down a rain of meteors. It caused ecological damage to the bamboo grove and even attacked the shut-in Celesteela.
"Waaaaaah meteors! Meteors are falling from the sky! Is this place going to be destroyed?! I'm going to die before I finish my dream!"
Celesteela was so frightened it rooted itself even deeper into the earth—so much so that the passing Entei shook its head, expressing that the child was overthinking again.
Right. Since Charcadet had been dragged off for devil training, Entei's training targets had shifted from Charcadet to Larvesta and Chi-Yu.
But those two—one was very laid-back, and the other was slow and sluggish.
The phased objective was to learn Heat Wave and Eruption, and Sacred Fire… and depending on the situation, to learn Victini's Searing Shot.
Of course, aside from those two, "Bao-bao" was also on Entei's training list.
"Chien-Pao… do you want to defeat me?"
"Then hate me like that."
"Then try to resist the scorching of flame, and use Sheer Cold!"
Entei turned its head, stared at Chien-Pao as it struggled to gather icy energy, trying to freeze everything here, then pivoted and ran toward the cliff—while Chien-Pao roared and chased Entei up the cliffside!
Over here, Hikaru saw a blue radiance streak across the distant sky like a missile, and couldn't help nodding secretly.
That was Aerodactyl.
Since arriving in Paldea, Aerodactyl had been flying and wandering everywhere. It had even joined Walking Wake, Archaludon, and Gimmighoul's "trash-picking organization." And in the North Province (Area Two), the "dragon power" it had been longing for had finally shown some promise.
During the days of training, Hikaru handed Aerodactyl an important "Candy Bag," sending it to look for a certain Pokémon here.
Dragon Rush.
One of the premier Dragon-type physical finishing moves. Its accuracy wasn't perfect, but in real battle, you could compensate for that through the secrets of cultivation.
Wild Dragon-type Pokémon were rare to begin with—let alone ones that knew this finisher. Even so, there were still a small number of Dragon Pokémon that could learn it through leveling up.
In terms of levels, Walking Wake should have been able to learn Dragon Rush on its own, but his "Husky-Wake" at home seemed to have no idea how to use it.
So before finding true Dragon specialists… why not ask a wild powerhouse for help first?
Learn sooner or later—it's learning either way!
And just so—
Near North Province (Area Two) and Area One, there were some Dragon Tamers, and among the wild Pokémon, in the forested mountain zone of North Province (Area Two), there was a Tera Steel Dragonite!
Dragonite learns Dragon Rush at level 39, and this Dragonite's level was… 75! Its Ability was Inner Focus!
"Looks like we've found that Dragonite," Hikaru murmured.
And in a distant patch of sky, Aerodactyl—just as Hikaru said—found the fixed-point Tera Steel Dragonite.
This Dragonite had a silver-white axe on its head. It looked extremely fierce, though in truth, that was simply the post–Tera Steel styling. This Dragonite had absorbed enormous quantities of natural Tera energy; it was a naturally Terastalized Pokémon.
Faced with Aerodactyl's request to study, and the temptation of "Rare Candy," Dragonite happily agreed to teach Dragon Rush!
Time gradually passed.
Marshadow was still teaching illegal moves…
Following Rolling Kick—another brand-new ultimate technique!
And.
An unexpected friend contacted Hikaru through the Pokégear.
"Hey, hey, it's Piers."
"About Archaludon, and about Raihan on the Isle of Armor—I'm calling to thank you."
"The Galarian Star Tournament—against Leon."
"Come watch."
(End of Chapter)[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"][Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop][Thanks for Reading!]