"N... no, I can't do it anymore!"
"Master, I need to rest."
"I must rest, or I'll die!"
...
After just the first stage of training, the previously confident Kyogre immediately collapsed.
Riku didn't have any particular expectations for Kyogre's first attempt at training, so he wasn't too surprised.
The three Legendary Birds and Groudon, however, snickered repeatedly.
Groudon even fell flat on its face from laughing too hard.
But Groudon thought it was worth it.
To see its lifelong rival in such a miserable state—and about to lose a fortune of twelve cans—was more satisfying than anything else.
---
"Ralts, if you can't hold on, just take a break."
Riku ignored the petty squabbles between the idiots. His full attention was on Ralts.
He hadn't expected her to be so interested in watching the training—so much so that she actively joined in.
Though the little girl seemed a bit tired, she was still able to keep going.
In fact, it was even easier for her than it had been the first time for the three silly birds and Groudon—let alone the now-sluggish Kyogre.
However, Riku could tell at a glance that, as a Water-type, Kyogre doing the one-legged stance for Stage One was understandably difficult.
Ding
First stage training exceeded expectations. Reward: 1000 points
Huh?
Why did it double? I remember the first stage only rewarded 100 points!
"Exceeded expectations"…
Could it be because of Ralts?
Riku was puzzled but didn't dwell on it.
Even if it were ten times the reward, it was still just 1000 points.
Times had changed.
With over 1.8 million points in the bank, Riku no longer cared about such small gains.
"Let's go. We'll start the second stage of training."
"There's a second stage?!"
Kyogre trembled.
It had thought that enduring the standing-on-one-leg drill was the end of it.
Who knew there'd be more?
Seeing that Groudon and the three silly birds looked relatively relaxed now, Kyogre became even more suspicious.
Clearly, there had to be more stages—otherwise, why had those four been so terrified earlier?
When Kyogre saw that the second stage was at a waterfall, it breathed a sigh of relief.
As the god of the sea, if it couldn't handle water-based training, it'd be a joke.
Regaining its confidence, Kyogre watched as Groudon and the birds walked into the waterfall.
They looked mildly affected by the pressure, but nothing serious.
Kyogre then floated over...
"Whoa!"
"This... why is the impact of this waterfall so strong?!"
Kyogre was instantly pinned down by the heavy pressure, flailing desperately but unable to lift itself.
Groudon, watching from a higher point, sneered.
"Worthless. With just this much ability, you stinky fish, you actually fought me for so many years?"
Sigh…
"You should just wash up and go to sleep, hand over your cans, and call us boss."
"Gagaga…" Zapdos laughed.
"Surrender quickly. It'll be more comfortable that way."
"We don't accept half-surrenders," Moltres and Articuno added.
"Even if you're a Legendary Pokémon—the god of the sea—the three of us plus Red Shrimp can beat you senseless. Don't even think of backing out."
"Who's backing out of anything?!"
Kyogre roared, gathering strength and slowly lifting itself against the torrent.
"Don't worry! If you guys can do it, I can do it too!"
"Just wait. I'll definitely earn your twelve cans!"
"Awesome!" Groudon and the birds laughed maliciously.
"Hope you keep that tough attitude—let's see how long it lasts."
Kyogre knew the later stages would be even tougher, but the arrow was already on the bowstring—there was no turning back.
Bowing before its master Riku was acceptable.
But bowing to Groudon? Never. Not in this life.
As the god of the sea who had lived for who knows how many years, that kind of humiliation would be the greatest stain on its reputation.
"Alright! Keep holding on!" Groudon smirked.
Leaving those words behind, he ignored Kyogre.
Even though they had trained before, the second stage was never easy—even for a Legendary Pokémon.
"Alright!"
"Everyone come back and rest for five minutes."
Riku, alerted by a system reminder, called the Pokémon back from training.
This time, Ralts also joined them, but Riku made sure she trained at the waterfall's edge, where the impact was weaker.
Result: Over-completion. Reward: 2000 points.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Not just Kyogre—Groudon and the birds were all panting as they rested.
They knew very well: the third stage was the real nightmare.
The first two stages, though intense, were just appetizers.
Kyogre, however, didn't know that yet.
Having passed two stages, it judged that if the next stages were of similar intensity, it could hang on.
Then it saw the third stage.
Jump rope.
Kyogre despaired.
The three Legendary Birds had chicken feet.
Groudon, even with his short legs, could jump.
But Kyogre?
It only had fins.
Normally, its ability to float let it move freely on land—a source of pride, even mockery toward Groudon.
But at the very moment jump rope training began...
That floating ability vanished.
First jump— barely made it.
Second jump— it tripped, rolling like a gourd.
Groudon and the birds burst into merciless laughter.
Even though Groudon had fared even worse on its first try, it didn't stop it from enjoying Kyogre's failure.
Stimulated by their jeers, Kyogre jumped two more times.
In the end...
Kyogre lay flat on the ground, helpless, staring blankly at the vast, azure sky.
Was coming here a mistake after all?
Suddenly, Kyogre began pondering the meaning of its existence.
Following Riku's training would grant it law attributes.
It wasn't much now, but if the pattern continued, future stages might provide significant growth.
But... could it really endure?
That night, when training ended and they returned to the small wooden house for dinner—
All of Kyogre's philosophical musings were instantly forgotten.
With food and shelter—what more could a Pokémon want?
It had lost twelve cans, sure.
But as long as it could keep following Riku...
There would definitely be plenty more cans in the future.
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--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter