Altaria reached the Elite-level rank, and Ralts successfully hatched.
Two surprises in a single day.
However, after the joyful moment, the routine of intensive training and rigorous daily battles once again set the pace of life.
In these battles, Larvitar and his teammates learned and grew a lot.
When a Pokémon's level increases, it's necessary to prepare the appropriate potions to enhance their potential.
Fortunately, Aron and Larvitar's quality-enhancement potions were nearly ready, but Cain had yet to prepare those for Combusken, Bagon, and Horsea.
Luckily, the popularity of the Fairy type when it was introduced brought Cain a great profit.
With that income, he now had enough money to purchase the materials, though some of them were not easy to obtain.
Because of this, Cain decided to slow down the pace of battles and focus more on physical training, energy control, and move practice.
A month passed.
A whole month.
It had been just under two months since the Sinnoh Tournament ended.
During this time, Cain's first team of Pokémon hadn't increased their levels significantly. Slowking remained at level 58 without any change.
However, Honchkrow had reached level 53, Gengar rose to level 54, Drapion also reached level 54, Weavile got to level 52, and Florges rose to level 53.
Except for Slowking, the rest of the first team had increased by about one level.
These improvements didn't come from battles, but from daily training and the energy absorbed through their meals, which allowed them to gradually raise their levels.
This type of advancement is slower, but also more stable.
During the first month after the tournament, Cain focused on helping his Pokémon internalize what they had learned during the battles on Azelf Island and in the Sinnoh Tournament, helping them reinforce their foundations.
Every step in the process of growth and strengthening must be firm, so that when they reach higher levels, they don't collapse due to a weak foundation.
Even though their levels hadn't risen significantly, their strength continued to solidify steadily.
Their progress was evident in move control, energy management, and physical conditioning.
Even Slowking, who hadn't advanced in level, had improved his abilities day by day.
That's why sometimes, even if two Pokémon are at the same level, the power gap between them can be huge.
The trainer's focus and dedication to their Pokémon's development are essential. Even when levels increase quickly, there must be balance and room to correct possible mistakes.
For example, Swampert and Politoed, who had leveled up quickly for the tournament, now had to face the consequences of that accelerated growth.
Both were subject to the most intense and rigorous training.
Fortunately, neither complained, aware of their current shortcomings. They completed every task assigned by Cain, no matter how exhausting.
Their training now aimed to fill the gaps left in their development.
That's why their levels barely rose. Swampert remained at level 45, while Politoed, having grown less excessively, stayed at level 41—already within the advanced range and very close to reaching level 42.
Though there were still areas for improvement, his progress wasn't as slow as Swampert's.
Meanwhile, the second team of Pokémon showed faster progress during this time.
Cain had invested more resources into them than into the first team, with greater expectations for their development.
And they did not disappoint.
Aron reached level 30. As planned, he would evolve into Lairon at level 32, experiencing a notable increase in strength and size.
Larvitar, the most enthusiastic in battles, had reached level 26, and his evolution seemed to be drawing closer.
Combusken, on the other hand, was displaying impressive physical development. With defined muscles in both arms and legs, he stood out as the most physically powerful of all the second-team Pokémon.
He was now at level 30, and Cain had decided to halt his progress until he could make him a quality-enhancement potion.
Finally, there were Bagon and Horsea.
As the most recent team members, they were still in a phase of exploration and adaptation.
Unlike Larvitar and Aron, who had developed a solid foundation from the beginning, Bagon and Horsea needed to work more on their fundamentals.
That's why, after reaching level 20, Cain separated them from the main group to focus exclusively on strengthening their bases.
This would ensure that, like Larvitar and Aron, they wouldn't face issues when leveling up quickly in the future.
Meanwhile, Flygon, the ground dragon that Cain used as a mount, finally reached the quasi-elite level.
Although Flygon had been neglected by his previous trainer, Cain saw potential in him and believed he could make up for lost ground.
At the very least, having a Dragon-type Pokémon at quasi-elite level as a mount was quite impressive.
Lastly, there was the youngest member of the team: Ralts.
Under Slowking's guidance and Miltank's care, she still needed time to grow out of her infant stage and enter the growth phase, at which point she could join the team's training.
Despite being so young, her talent was undeniable. From birth, with her Light Purple-quality status, Ralts had shown exceptional abilities—so much so that even Slowking sometimes didn't know how to continue teaching her.
And, of course, whenever Ralts sweetly called out the word "Daddy!" Cain was left completely flustered and at a loss.
(End of chapter)