"Meow~ meowrr~"
From afar, Luxray came sprinting back at incredible speed.
Its muscles were twitching constantly, arcs of electricity dancing along its body in bursts of blue light.
When it finally reached Aven's side, Luxray gave a low growl, gasping for breath as it collapsed next to him.
Just moments ago, it had been training by stimulating its body with electrical current to push its speed to the absolute limit. For Luxray, speed was everything.
However, that kind of intense sprinting placed immense strain on its muscles and nerves. After every bout of training, it had to rest for a while to let its body adjust and adapt to the new speed it had forced itself to reach.
Of course, as Aven's "Second Mad Dog"—the second Pokémon in his team known for overtraining, it naturally refused to rest easily. Even while lying there, its golden eyes began to flash with electric light once more, practicing its signature move: Electric Eye.
Aside from allowing it to see through objects, Electric Sight also enabled Luxray to visualize the electrons drifting through the air, helping it control its electricity with greater precision. By doing so, it could stimulate its muscles in a more stable manner, steadily enhancing its physical endurance.
At that moment, Luxray happened to spot Kirlia teleporting away. A confident smirk spread across its feline face—it could feel just how strong it had become lately. Illusions like Kirlia's? Those wouldn't even work on it anymore.
Thinking this, it swept its gaze around the area. A surge of pride welled up inside—it was certain its strength ranked among the very top of all Aven's Pokémon.
With that thought came renewed determination. It suddenly rose to its feet again, sparks flashing wildly, clearly intending to begin the next round of its intense Thunder-Body Forging —this time using the electrical discharges of other Electric-types to stimulate itself even further!
"Luxray, hold on a moment. Let me check your body first," Aven said, frowning slightly.
He stepped closer and placed his hand gently on Luxray's muscled flank. Instantly, a crackle of electricity ran through his palm, accompanied by a faint but undeniable heat radiating from its body.
Aven's frown deepened. "Luxray, you need to stop for now and rest. That's an order."
"Meow~?"
Luxray blinked, tilting its head. It flexed experimentally—it still felt fine.
"Training isn't about recklessly pushing yourself like this," Aven said sternly. "Even if you feel okay right now, the strain you're building up will only keep accumulating."
"If you don't rest properly, that hidden fatigue will cause irreversible damage to your body over time."
He shook his head. "I'm not just your trainer—I'm also a Pokémon breeder. I trust my own judgment."
"What you need to do now is rest. Once you've fully recovered, then we can move on to the next stage of your training."
Luxray opened its mouth as if to argue that it was fine, but when it saw Aven's serious expression, it quietly shut its mouth again.
Its golden eyes flicked toward the distant Rhydon, who was still roaring and shaking the ground with his brutal training. Luxray's expression seemed to say: But look at him—he's way more extreme than me!
"Don't compare yourself to Rhydon," Aven said immediately, seeing right through its thoughts. "His ability is Solid Rock—it lets him completely ignore the recoil from his own moves."
"He's trained that trait to its absolute limit. No matter how hard he pushes, he can't hurt himself."
"Your ability, on the other hand, is Guts. It helps you endure pain and keep fighting, but that doesn't erase the damage. Every bit of stress still takes a real toll on your body. You need a balance between training and rest."
Hearing that, Luxray finally fell silent. After drinking a bottle of healing potion, it obediently curled up beside Aven, ready to rest as instructed.
"That's right. Just like that. Take a good nap—once you wake up, you'll be fully recovered."
Aven smiled softly, kneeling down to stroke Luxray's smooth fur.
His eyes glimmered faintly with psychic energy, releasing a calming wave of mental power that slowly lulled Luxray into drowsiness. Its breathing grew slower, and eventually, it drifted into deep sleep.
"Phew… that was a bit exhausting," Aven muttered, straightening up and rubbing his temples. "But it looks like Hypnosis worked."
He glanced down at the peacefully sleeping Luxray, satisfaction flickering in his eyes.
What he had just used was Hypnosis, a classic Psychic-type move that induced sleep in its target. Of course, the only reason it had worked so smoothly was that Luxray hadn't been guarding its mind at all.
Still, it was a major accomplishment—he had just successfully used a second Psychic technique besides Telekinesis.
As he thought of this, an image of Princess Mira came to mind—her elegant figure vanishing in an instant through Teleport.
For true psychics, Teleportation was indeed a technique they could master.
Of course, that required a level of mental strength he hadn't yet reached.
Since returning to his territory, Aven had been working harder than ever at meditation, determined to refine his spiritual power as quickly as possible. With Kirlia guiding him, his progress had been rapid.
It was Kirlia who had shared the method for Hypnosis with him through telepathy, and once his psychic strength reached the next threshold, she would begin teaching him Teleportation as well.
His Pokémon were all training so fiercely to grow stronger—how could he allow himself to fall behind?
If he could master Teleport, he would finally gain a reliable means of self-preservation and could utilize his team's full combat potential more freely.
"Meow~ meow~…"
Luxray purred softly in its sleep, clearly exhausted.
Smiling, Aven picked up the coat draped over a nearby chair and gently laid it across Luxray's resting form.
Then, his gaze swept across the training grounds, finally landing on the grassy plains across the Fair River.
There, the sky was split in two—on one side, clear sunlight blazed; on the other, thick, suffocating clouds hung heavy overhead.
As Aven approached, a wave of biting cold hit him. Soon, delicate snowflakes began drifting down from the heavens, melting as they landed on his palm.
He turned back to glance at the twin suns shining behind him, astonished to see that within this small patch of land, two opposing weather phenomena—scorching sun and falling snow—existed side by side.
"Lass~!"
Hearing him approach, Froslass floated over joyfully, her translucent body gleaming in the frosty air.
At her subtle gesture, the chilling wind instantly subsided, and the air around Aven warmed slightly.
This was Froslass's precise temperature-control ability. As her Ghost-type power had become fully unsealed, it had simultaneously driven her Ice-type energy to new heights.
Even without specific training, her Ice energy had now naturally risen to the quasi-king level. She could freely command the cold, bending frost and snow to her will.
In winter especially, her power was at its peak. Aven planned to take full advantage of this season to push her strength even further, aiming for the King level strength in her Ice typing as well.
If she could achieve that, her dual Ghost–Ice typing would multiply her battle potential, massively expanding her offensive range.
Furthermore, if she could learn to merge her Ghost and Ice energies into a unified combat style, her power in extreme-cold environments would skyrocket.
After all, Ghost-types naturally thrived in eerie, frigid domains. One of their signature moves—Ominous Wind—was literally born from the chill of the grave.
If Ominous Wind could be fused with Blizzard, the result would be devastating.
Moreover, Ominous Wind possessed a rare strengthening property akin to Ancient Power, capable of enhancing all of the user's attributes. It was the perfect move for Froslass to develop further, maximizing her Ghost-type potential.
However, Aven also knew she needed to remain cautious. The gray mist sealed within the Odd Keystone still maintained a faint link to her. Though the stone kept the corruption locked away, some subtle resonance between them lingered.
"Froslass, you've worked hard. How are the Aspear, Pomeg, and Yache Berries coming along?" Aven asked.
"Lass~!"
Froslass nodded cheerfully and led Aven toward a snow-covered field near the Fair River.
The temperature dropped steadily as they drew closer, and soon the entire landscape was blanketed in pristine white.
Yet, amidst the snow, rows of berry trees stood tall and vibrant, their leaves unfazed by the frost.
These were the Aspear, Pomeg, and Yache berries Aven had mentioned—all Ice-type-affinity berries. Among them, the Yache Berry was particularly special; it could actively draw in surrounding Ice energy.
Even in the depths of winter, these berries thrived. In fact, they needed such frigid conditions to bear fruit at all.
To help them reach that stage, Froslass had personally lowered the temperature of the entire orchard, blanketing the area in heavy snowfall.
"The Yache Berries are finally about to ripen," Aven said, stopping before one particular berry tree that stood out among the rest.
This Yache variant had been born from a successful mutation experiment—a rare strain capable of absorbing Ice-type energy directly.
Because of that, its berries were often used to resist Ice-type attacks; by absorbing part of the ice energy from incoming moves, the damage suffered was greatly reduced.
But more importantly, these berries were saturated with pure, condensed Ice energy—making them invaluable ingredients for crafting top-grade Ice-type potions.
After obtaining this rare mutation, Aven had quickly planted more seedlings and tasked Tangrowth and its tribe with tending them carefully.
Through careful cultivation—using growth fertilizer, Grassy Terrain, and the move Growth—they had dramatically shortened the berry's growth cycle. Now, under Froslass's winter domain, they were finally nearing full maturity.
In just a few more days, the Yache Berries would ripen completely. Aven could then extract their seeds to cultivate a whole new generation of saplings.
Once distributed to the serfs for planting, the Yache berry orchards could expand rapidly. By the time winter ended, he would likely harvest another batch—enough to popularize Yache cultivation throughout the territory.
He had already discussed this plan with Uncle Mike: even through winter, the serfs would continue working, focusing on growing Aspear, Pomeg, and Yache berries—all perfectly suited for cold-season farming.
Among them, Aspear and Pomeg would be the main crops, while each orchard would also plant a single Yache tree at its center. The Yache's Ice-energy gathering ability would accelerate the growth of all surrounding trees.
Then, once spring arrived, the Aspear and Pomeg trees could be transplanted elsewhere, leaving the Yache berry to crossbreed with Hondew Berries to produce something even rarer, Liechi Berries.
Liechi Berries were far more precious than Yaches; a single fruit could permanently increase a Pokémon's Attack stat when consumed. The effect was extraordinary.
If Aven could succeed in cultivating them, he could create potent elixirs to continually boost his Pokémon's offensive power.
"Lass~!"
Froslass floated happily through the orchard, clearly delighted by the thriving berries—especially the Yache berries, whose surroundings brimmed with intense Ice energy.
Training near them dramatically enhanced her Ice moves, and once the berries ripened, their pulp could be brewed into a special Ice-type tonic—something she had already tested before, with excellent results.
"The Yache berries still need a little more time," Aven said, surveying the field, "but the Aspear and Pomeg Berries are ready for harvest."
He planned to send Uncle Mike and a few workers to pick them in the next few days, then use their seeds to sprout new seedlings for the serfs to cultivate.
With enough of these crops, the workers would earn the contribution points needed to advance to freeman status. By next spring, Fairhaven Town would have even more free citizens participating in production.
(End of Chapter)