['Dragon Ascent' Mastery — 25%]
"Hmm, not bad."
Glancing at the system panel, Ai Xia nodded in satisfaction.
Every bit of strength his Caterpie gained was another bit of confidence for him.
The mastery of Dragon Ascent could be improved through daily training, and with the system's assistance, Caterpie had already managed to grasp the basics and some tricks of this move exclusive to Rayquaza—thanks to its own talent and hard work.
But even a rookie Trainer fresh out of the gate knew that mindlessly drilling moves wouldn't do much to boost a Pokémon's overall strength.
Ai Xia was well aware of this.
In reality, there were only two real ways for a Pokémon to grow stronger:
Training and battles.
These two aspects were inseparable—only by combining them could a Pokémon's potential be fully unlocked, turning its innate talent into real power.
Considering Caterpie's… unique circumstances, Ai Xia had long since devised a thorough training plan.
Back then, the system hadn't even appeared yet, so his original plan was straightforward—focus on strengthening a few key moves while building up Caterpie's physical endurance. By pouring in high-quality training resources, he could rapidly develop its potential while ensuring it had enough energy reserves to keep training even after evolving into Metapod.
Notably, this plan had zero actual battles in it.
Because, let's be real—Caterpie and Metapod were not built for combat.
A standard Caterpie could only learn four moves legally, and Electroweb wasn't even something every Caterpie could pick up.
Ai Xia also had no intention of being like those generic Bug Catchers, throwing his poor worm Pokémon out as cannon fodder for some newbie Trainer with a starter to farm EXP off of.
So his original plan was simple—train Caterpie all the way through Metapod, fully develop its potential in that form, then let it emerge as a Butterfree, finally capable of holding its own in real battles with proper offensive moves. Then he'd start taking on actual fights.
But now? That plan was officially scrapped.
"Mii!"
Having finished its Pokéblock, Caterpie blinked up at Ai Xia—who was currently lost in thought about missions and the upcoming Rookie Tournament—and let out a cheerful cry.
"Hm? Oh."
Snapping out of it, Ai Xia turned to his overgrown worm.
"You've already broken free from the usual Caterpie evolution path."
After a moment of consideration, Ai Xia studied his Caterpie—whose size had long since surpassed its peers, looking downright overdeveloped—and laid out the facts based on his observations.
"So there's no need to wait until you evolve into Butterfree to start battling. Sure, we can't just casually reveal Dragon Ascent yet, but even with just String Shot, Tackle, Bug Bite, and Electroweb as your 'normal' moves, your stats are already more than enough to handle some rookie Trainers' Pokémon."
Thanks to Dragon Ascent's buffs, even though Caterpie hadn't fully started evolving into Rayquaza, its life essence had already transcended the limits of a normal Caterpie, gradually transforming into something entirely new.
In simpler terms?
Its stats were cracked now.
This Caterpie could throw hands.
"In a few days—no, no point dragging it out. Today, we'll go find some opponents and officially start battle training."
Running a hand through his hair, Ai Xia quickly settled on the day's agenda.
By his calculations, Caterpie was already more than ready to evolve into Butterfree, so the timing for actual combat training wasn't far off anyway.
Which meant their training grounds and targets were no longer the backyard and move-practice dummies—now, it'd be wild Pokémon habitats and weaker strays.
Time to farm some mobs.
Originally, Ai Xia had planned to head to the Hoenn region to search for the real Rayquaza and squeeze in some wilderness training along the way—killing two birds with one stone.
But thanks to something causing the region's danger levels to spike, Hoenn had unilaterally shut down all inbound travel. Only those already in Hoenn could leave, while outsiders couldn't enter through normal means.
Unless Ai Xia decided to ride a Pokémon across the ocean—which, yeah, not happening anytime soon.
So instead, his attention turned to the wild Pokémon habitats near his home in Modu (Shanghai in this World), and the Rookie Tournament he'd initially put on hold was back on the table.
"Eh, EXP is EXP. Might as well get a feel for the difference between wild Pokémon and trained ones."
Clapping his hands together, Ai Xia headed for the storage room to gather camping and survival gear.
When he set his mind to something, he acted—one of his better traits.
Before entering, he glanced back at Caterpie, who was about to head to the yard for more move practice, and stopped it.
"No Dragon Ascent training today. Rest up and recover—overworking yourself is the last thing we want, got it?"
"Mii~"
Responding to his concern with a happy trill, the big green worm obediently wiggled its stubby legs and plopped into the cozy nest Ai Xia had picked out for it, closing its eyes.
"Mii..."
Rest really is the best...
Training's so exhausting...
Truth be told, Caterpie wasn't exactly a hardworking Pokémon by nature.
Despite its freakish talent, it had fully intended to live out its days as a lazy, carefree loaf—after all, most Bug-types didn't live very long. Even with a Trainer's care, its lifespan wouldn't stretch far enough to accompany its chosen human for life, unlike other starters.
How ironic—for all its talent, it was still just a Caterpie...
Caterpie had always known Butterfree had limits.
No matter how quickly it mastered moves or how efficiently it used energy, once it evolved, it'd still never measure up to the likes of Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or Charmander.
So why bother?
Thus, the unusually mature-for-its-age Caterpie had embraced the slacker life.
It never expected to find a Trainer willing to take it seriously.
And then... Ai Xia showed up.
The moment it laid eyes on that handsome young man, something inside Caterpie stirred. Before it knew it, it was scrambling toward him, only to lock eyes with Ai Xia mid-charge.
They clicked instantly.
Despite its prior resolution to stay Trainer-less, when Ai Xia asked, "Want to be my Pokémon? I'll train you properly," Caterpie nearly nodded its head clean off.
And just like that, an unconventional duo was born.
Damn it, I'm a simp. —Caterpie's self-roast upon regaining its senses.
Worth it. —Its immediate follow-up thought upon seeing Ai Xia's face again.
Maybe this was fate?
The bond between Trainer and Pokémon really was something inexplicable.
Either way, after moving in with Ai Xia and listening to his detailed training plan, Caterpie's emotions were... complicated.
Complicated, but happy.
"This guy's actually serious about training a Caterpie..."
Ai Xia was keeping his promise.
And so, the former slacker did a complete 180, throwing itself into training with shocking enthusiasm. Following Ai Xia's regimen, devouring the nutrient-rich Pokéblocks and rare items he provided, its strength skyrocketed—something it never could've imagined before.
Maybe I can become the world's strongest Butterfree...
Not that it had faith in itself—but it did have faith in its Trainer.
And then, that Trainer blew its expectations out of the water.
That day, Caterpie and Ai Xia stared at each other in stunned silence as its body blazed with evolution light—and it became Rayquaza.
The rest was history.
Guess the heavens really did have plans for it. Neither Ai Xia nor fate would let it laze around anymore.
Butterfree has limits?
Not anymore.
Caterpie: "This is some high-stakes gameplay."
I reject my Caterpiehood!!!
"Mii."
Opening its eyes, Caterpie watched as Ai Xia rummaged through the storage room, already sweating from the effort.
A determined gleam flashed in its eyes.
"Mii!"
I'll live up to your expectations!
I'll make you the strongest in the world!
--+--