"I'm… I'm exhausted…!"
Ann Chovy's black high-collared top was already completely soaked through. On the final lap, she wasn't really running anymore—she was dragging herself forward step by step.
She couldn't forget what Kael had just said: if she didn't finish twenty laps before seven o'clock, breakfast would be canceled.
She'd been up since a little after five, then ran twenty full laps. Her stomach was growling uncontrollably. Thankfully, people in this world generally had a stronger physical foundation. Even so, for a fifteen-year-old girl to push through twenty laps like that was no easy feat.
Kael and Weavile had finished their twenty laps over an hour ago. Though Rhydon's massive body made him slower, his stamina was immense—twenty laps were merely a warm-up. He had finished thirty minutes earlier.
...
Breakfast was lavish.
A steak seared to medium—coarse salt evenly sprinkled across the surface. Beneath the browned crust, streaks of tender pink peeked through, instantly whetting the appetite.
The Lucky Egg provided by Chansey had been steamed with medicinal herbs for a full hour, the nutrients thoroughly infused into the egg—nearly the size of an ostrich egg.
When sliced open, the golden yolk gleamed, releasing a rich herbal fragrance laced with a hint of honeyed sweetness.
Paired with a large glass of milk made from Miltank's milk powder, Kael's breakfast was almost indulgent.
Miltank's milk. Chansey's Lucky Egg. Premium Wagyu ribeye steak.
Rhydon's appetite was enormous, so his main meal consisted of concentrated energy cubes made from Salac Berries blended with supplementary ingredients. About ten thumb-sized pokeblock were enough to sustain him for the entire morning.
He also drooled shamelessly over meat, so to supplement his protein intake, Lulu had roasted an entire beef leg for him.
Weavile's meal was similar to Kael's—Miltank milk, a steak, and specialized Dark-type pokeblocks crafted from Aguav Berries.
As the saying goes: three parts training, seven parts nutrition.
If you want Pokémon to improve quickly and steadily, to develop properly, blind special training alone won't suffice. Comprehensive daily nutritional investment is equally crucial.
Combined with scientifically targeted training, only then can Pokémon improve efficiently—without leaving hidden injuries due to improper conditioning.
"Mr. Kael, I'm back…"
Ann's voice was weak and breathless. She looked as if she'd just been hauled out of water. The imitation silver headband modeled after Kael's had long since been removed, her hair hanging messily down her back.
The moment she reached the pavilion, she collapsed onto the cool stone floor with a thud, sighing in relief.
Kael glanced at his watch. 6:59.
He smiled faintly and nodded. "Not bad. You weren't late again. Lulu, prepare her breakfast."
Lulu looked at the sweat-soaked patch of floor Ann had left behind. Her eyelid twitched slightly—that was the spot she and Chansey had just cleaned that morning.
"So good I've never had pork and rice taste this amazing!"
Ann cradled a large bowl of rice, shoveling food into her mouth like someone reborn from starvation.
Fluffy white rice was drenched in a dark brown meat sauce so fragrant it was intoxicating. A fried egg rested on top, alongside a thick slice of pork.
It wasn't as refined or nutritionally calculated as what Kael and the others ate—but it was hearty and filling.
Meat was expensive in this world. Most ordinary families could only afford one or two meat-based meals a week, and even then, it was usually fish.
Beef and chicken were luxuries enjoyed regularly only by the relatively well-off.
...
After breakfast came an hour of rest. Formal training began at eight sharp.
Kael was someone who valued structured planning. He made meticulous use of every hour in a 24-hour day.
At the same time, he paid close attention to balance between work and rest. Pokémon, like humans, would grow irritated and fatigued from prolonged training. At such times, relaxation and games were necessary. It strengthened bonds—and in future battles, that closeness would translate into seamless coordination.
During the break, Ann took a cool shower and changed into a white short-sleeved shirt. Her developing figure stretched the fabric taut across her chest. She kept on her denim skirt.
She wandered curiously around the training ground, staring in awe at the massive equipment, exclaiming from time to time.
Because Kael's Rhydon was far larger than others of its species, most of his training equipment had to be custom-made.
The heavy industries division under the Silph Co. handled such orders. Kael had placed many orders with them and was considered a long-time client; his requests were always among the first completed.
Large sandbags made of top-tier composite leather. Titanium alloy grip-strengtheners. Solid steel parallel and horizontal bars. A multifunctional evasion-and-strike chamber…
This entire set of equipment had cost Kael nearly one million Pokédollars.
Previously, without a stable base of operations, he had hesitated to invest heavily in high-end Pokémon training equipment. Now that he had a proper dojo as his base, he could finally build the facilities he wanted.
"Do you have Pokémon of your own?" Kael asked after finishing a few rounds on the parallel bars, dropping down and rubbing his palms as he looked at Ann, who was still exploring.
"I do! I have two Pokémon." Ann jogged over excitedly, pulling out two red-and-white Poké Balls from her small waist pouch. The paint on them was chipped.
These were the most basic and cheapest Poké Balls on the market—still priced at 1,000 Pokédollars each. A regular department store sales clerk earned about 5,000 dollars a month. One standard Poké Ball cost nearly a fifth of her monthly salary.
Kael, by contrast, usually used yellow-and-white Ultra Balls, which retailed for around 15,000 dollars—fifteen times the price of a standard ball. The quality was far superior as well: larger internal space, more comfortable for Pokémon to reside in.
The durability of an Ultra Ball was comparable to refined darksteel—even dropped from the twentieth floor of a building, it wouldn't crack.
***************************
Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell