Kai's Pokémon joined the party, with Poliwrath being a familiar favorite among the children, while the others were new and exciting additions.
"Poliwrath, eat this." A child walked up to Poliwrath with a berry.
"Eat mine." Another child, not to be outdone, brought an even larger one.
Poliwrath happily took one in each hand.
"Ursaring, you were so amazing in the tournament. Can I touch you?" A little girl cautiously approached Ursaring.
"Roar? Roar, roar, roar."
Ursaring was initially a bit flustered by the little girl's approach, but hearing her praise, it couldn't refuse such a small request. It even puffed out its chest, indicating that she could touch the circular pattern on its stomach.
"Skarmory, your photo of fighting Zapdos is so cool! This is the Berry Juice I specially prepared for you."
"Quagsire, that's a seed, don't eat it. Here, eat mine."
"Lanturn, what do you want to eat? I'll get it for you."
The children took turns feeding them, and even the Butterfree that Ivy had just caught was treated to several cups of juice.
As night deepened, the party wound down. Under Fergus's direction, the children worked together to clean up the area.
Kai glanced at his Staryu watch and realized how late it was. He turned to Ivy and said, "There are some empty single dorms here; you're welcome to stay the night."
Ivy nodded in agreement and followed Kai to a dorm room in the base. They chatted briefly before Kai bid her goodnight and left.
He walked quickly to his own room, eager to wash up and sleep. The last two days had been spent either on Skarmory's back or in the airship's VIP cabin. While comfortable, it wasn't the same as having his feet on solid ground.
When he pushed open the door, a familiar scent wafted over him. The room was neat and clean, clearly having been maintained in his absence.
Poliwrath quickly found its small bed and lay down. Its arm strain was still slightly painful, and ample rest was crucial for recovery. It closed its eyes, preparing to use Sleep to fall into a deep slumber.
Kai unbuckled his belt, placed it by the bed, and then collapsed onto his own. A wave of exhaustion washed over him. "Poliwrath," he mumbled, "remember to wake me up tomorrow morning."
Poliwrath let out a low growl of understanding. Soon, snores echoed through the room as both human and Pokémon fell asleep.
"Wrath!"
Kai felt a hand pushing him and groggily opened his eyes. He was greeted by the large heads of five of his Pokémon, all except Lanturn, staring down at him.
"What time is it? I feel like I only just fell asleep."
"Roar?"
Ursaring held the Staryu watch, staring at it blankly before handing it to Kai, who struggled to focus on the dial.
"Five AM!"
"Wrath!"
"Roar?"
"Skarr!"
The Pokémon reacted in various ways. Ursaring was ready to go back to sleep, but Poliwrath and Skarmory clearly had other ideas.
Their determined growls snapped Kai fully awake.
"This is about Zapdos, isn't it? You want to start training?"
"Wrath~" Poliwrath waved its injured arm, and for the first time, Kai saw an expression of pure, unadulterated frustration on its face.
In the battle yesterday, Poliwrath's full-power Hyper Beam had barely fazed Zapdos. It had only succeeded by catching the legend completely by surprise. Poliwrath was deeply dissatisfied. Since its birth, under Kai's guidance, its battles had always been decided by either overwhelming power or clever strategy. But yesterday, a full-power strike had barely disrupted the opponent's rhythm—an experience it had never had before. It felt its progress was too slow. Reaching the Elite level had already taken half a year; at this rate, how long would the Champion level take? It was time for extra training.
Skarmory, having fought Zapdos the longest, felt a similar sting. At first, Zapdos had dodged its attacks. But after a few hits, the legend realized they were painless and simply stopped bothering. The damage it had inflicted was less than a single Facade from Ursaring. It felt a huge gap, not just between itself and Zapdos, but between itself and its own teammates.
"Alright," Kai said, swinging his legs out of bed. "Since you two are volunteering for extra training, let's do it. Ursaring, get my backpack. I'm going to change."
Kai had always been strict with his Pokémon. The intense training regimen he designed was why they had shot from intermediate wild Pokémon to Elite-level combatants in just a few months. He had promised them strength, and he had delivered. But after facing Zapdos, they understood there was always a higher peak to climb.
Soon, Kai emerged in his training attire, a custom uniform designed for ease of movement.
"Poliwrath, take everyone to the training ground. I'll wash up and meet you there."
The Recycling Station was more than a factory; it was a comprehensive base Kai had built over many years, integrating production, offices, and living quarters. This was all thanks to his foresight, having bought the land at a rock-bottom price during the Orange League's development boom. Today, it was the cornerstone of his enterprise.
The factory and office building handled all of Pummelo Island's waste, recycling useful materials for sale or remanufacturing. The dormitory section, while smaller, was enough to house all his employees and the homeless children he'd taken in. The remaining thirty percent of the land had been leveled and equipped to serve as a training ground.
When Kai arrived, he found Poliwrath already leading the team in warm-ups.
"Very good. Lanturn, there's a pool over there; your training will be there." A large pool had been dug long ago for when his Poliwrath was still a Poliwag, and it was perfect for Lanturn now.
Kai outlined training plans for each Pokémon before starting his own warm-ups.
"Poliwrath, Skarmory, we'll go easy on the stamina training today. We'll ramp it up once you're fully recovered."
"Skar!"
"Wrath!"
Both Pokémon understood. Pushing too hard and getting injured would only slow them down.
Kai began running laps. In the wild, Pokémon didn't politely wait for commands; they often attacked the Trainer directly. A trainer had to be agile enough to survive the first strike just to earn the right to battle.
The activity at the training ground quickly attracted other early risers. Fergus appeared, holding a special supplement, his determined Poliwag at his side. This Poliwag, though still unevolved, carried itself like a seasoned warrior.
With him was a short-haired young man with the fiery energy of a hot-blooded anime protagonist. Beside him stood a Tyrogue.
"Boss! You're training already? Tyrogue, look at that! Boss's Poliwrath has perfect muscle lines. We need to work even harder today!" the young man shouted, greeting Kai while encouraging his own Pokémon.
"Al! Has your Tyrogue decided which form it wants to evolve into?" Kai asked, his breathing steady despite his run. "It's best to plan early. Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, and Hitmontop all have very different fighting styles."
"I think Hitmonchan would be best, so it can learn punching skills from Poliwrath," Fergus suggested.
"That's what I thought too," Al said, "but Tyrogue is still on the fence."
"Haha, well, you have time. Keep discussing it with him." Fergus and Al began their own warm-ups with their Pokémon.
Outside the training ground fence, some of the children had gathered to watch. Nearby, more than a dozen factory employees waved a greeting to Kai. Most were former delinquents from the island, youths Kai had "physically persuaded" to reform. He not only gave them jobs but also promised them their own Pokémon. Getting paid and getting a Pokémon was an offer no one could refuse.
"Now that I'm back, the Pokémon distribution plan is officially on the agenda," Kai announced after finishing his warm-up. "I'll be bringing in a batch of Pokémon to be raised here. Those of you who meet the conditions can receive one. I hope they can become a great help in your work."
"Thank you, Boss!" they cheered. These former ruffians didn't just call him Kai; they all called him 'Boss,' even those who were older.
After the employees left for the cafeteria, Kai turned his attention back to his team. He and Poliwrath began sparring, their movements a blur of close-quarters combat.
"Poliwrath! When you attack, you have to be thinking about your defense! A good opponent will find an opening in the middle of your strike!" Kai ducked under a punch, countering with a sweep.
"And your move switching needs to be seamless! I know you favor your own types—that STAB bonus feels good—but you can't rely on one move to win. A clever opponent won't fall for the same trick twice."
"Wrath!" Poliwrath grunted, understanding the critique.
Like a right-handed person feeling awkward using their left, most Pokémon subconsciously favored moves of their own type. Mastering a wide and varied move pool required dedicated, professional training—the very training that separated the good from the great.
***
(End of Chapter)
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