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A temper isn't something that can be refined overnight.
The Three-Blind Perception Method could indeed meet Metang's needs.
However, it's difficulty to master was obvious.
Even Psychic-type Pokémon couldn't claim to have any supernatural advantages when it came to mental fortitude.
After evolution, while Metagross was known as a fierce and violent hothead, many also saw it as a calm perpetrator of violence.
It was said to analyze opponents with computational precision, cornering them effortlessly.
But that was a different personality altogether.
Considering Metang's current behavior, Li Xiang didn't believe a evolved Metagross would exhibit those traits.
Transitioning from an honest, straightforward type to a gloomy, cold-hearted guy... well, it wasn't necessarily a contradiction, was it?
Li Xiang shook his head, thinking that regardless, mental training was still essential.
Why did it suddenly feel like this guy was also a teenager going through puberty?
He looked at the confused Metang, a strange sense of déjà vu flashing through his mind.
"Get in, get in."
He gave Metang a push.
The two entered the testing room together.
As a Pokémon whose body was largely composed of special metals, Metang naturally had decent innate physical defense. But metals—hardness and toughness, the two properties that determine a metal's strength, aren't synonymous.
So, its defensive capabilities were actually just so-so.
"I'm going to start with the hard pellets now!"
Li Xiang stood in the safe zone behind the energy barrier and reminded Metang, "Stay where you are, don't move. Don't get angry even if you get hit. You can do this!"
Getting hit could train physical endurance, and learning to vent properly could also temper the recipient's patience.
These aspects were interconnected.
"Metang!"
Metang raised its claws, responding firmly.
Ultimately, if training could exhaust Metang to the point of collapse every day, it probably wouldn't even have the energy to get angry.
As someone who had been through this, Li Xiang knew this all too well. So, unless something urgent came up today, Metang would have to fly in and crawl out.
No negotiations.
Training began.
Durable white pellets shot out from various directions, slamming into Metang's body.
Thud thud thud thud—
A continuous series of dull impacts. The white pellets ricocheted off Metang in all directions.
Metang crouched on the ground like a crab, eyes closed, enduring the attacks.
Li Xiang glanced at the panel displaying Metang's vitals but didn't idle himself. He silently began practicing his punches.
Unless it was particularly dangerous, training alongside their Pokémon often yielded better results for trainers.
For Pokémon, their trainer was a pillar of emotional support. No matter how painful the battle or how unbearable the training, having them there made it possible to persevere.
"Endure it!"
Li Xiang noticed Metang's body swaying and couldn't help but call out, "Have you forgotten what Senior Sister said? Restrain impatience and rashness! Stabilize yourself! Think about that magnet you ate yesterday!"
As a Steel-type Pokémon with a body largely made of metal, its need for metallic elements far exceeded that of humans.
Thus, metal shavings or intact metal ingots became part of their diet.
Metang's diet was actually quite complex. On one hand, it could draw energy from electricity. On the other, metals and certain special minerals could also meet its physiological needs.
Even some Pokémon food was part of its diet.
Among all these foods, "magnets" were Metang's favorite.
"That magnet tasted really good, right? I bought another one today. You can share it with Rotom tonight. It'll be happy too."
Li Xiang's voice, neither too loud nor too soft, calmed the nearly erupting Metang.
—Distracting its attention.
Metang wasn't a possessive eater; in fact, it loved sharing food with others. Unfortunately, few Pokémon could eat its food.
Rotom was one. Though it only consumed the magnetic force within magnets, Metang was still very happy about it.
Among all the Pokémon, these two had the best relationship—both genderless, one tsundere and the other a simple-minded good-natured fool.
Sure enough, after mentioning Rotom, Metang's pre-eruption signs vanished. It quietly crouched, enduring the pellet attacks.
It was probably already thinking about how to share the magnet with Rotom tonight.
Before long, the predetermined attack duration ended. The pellet guns stopped, and three training dummies emerged in the room.
"Bullet Punch!"
Li Xiang shouted sharply. Metang instantly surged up from the ground, eyes blazing red, furiously swinging its claws at the dummies.
Bang bang bang bang—
Silver light flashed repeatedly. It was clear it had been holding back for a long time.
The venting process lasted about two minutes. After two minutes, Metang collapsed to the ground.
It needed to rest before continuing.
Watching this, Li Xiang knew he was on the right track.
He had previously asked his senior sister what to do about Metang's short temper. The response was naturally to practice the Three-Blind Perception Method.
There were no shortcuts.
Even his senior sister said so; Li Xiang could only let Metang take it slow.
"Practice your psychokinesis with these balls for a while. I'm going to check on the others."
He walked over and patted Metang's head.
The latter let out a weak "Metang" to acknowledge it.
Returning to Riolu's side, the dog was just resting, sitting on the ground with a look of marveling at its own strength.
Seeing Li Xiang approach, it quickly straightened its face, pretending to be nonchalant.
"Alright, alright, I saw it all. No need to pretend! So vain!"
Li Xiang laughed and scolded, handing over a piece of chocolate.
Humans often revel in their vanity; Pokémon were no exception.
Perfectly normal.
Riolu took it with its mouth, covering its chewing muzzle with its tiny paws. Its expression was extremely serious, as if savoring the flavor while eating.
It still loved chocolate as much as ever, especially after sweating it out.
However, this reward system was Riolu's own idea, not Li Xiang's.
Li Xiang thought that if it liked eating it, it could just eat it freely. But Riolu believed that only rewards after hard work were truly worth cherishing and would bring greater joy.
From this perspective, Riolu understood the brain's reward mechanism much better than he did.
In the brain, there exists a system called the reward mechanism. At certain times, it secretes "happiness hormones."
For instance, dopamine for pleasure, norepinephrine for passion, endorphins for enjoyment and pain relief, and oxytocin to help overcome difficulties.
This was also why people could become addicted to games but not to entrepreneurship, reading, or studying.
The latter didn't trigger their brain's reward mechanism.
Riolu's anticipation for chocolate naturally made it train harder to earn more.
"Riolu!"
After licking the last bit of chocolate, the blue-black puppy exhaled contentedly.
Li Xiang watched Riolu's training video at 32x speed and couldn't resist pinching its cheek. "If only everyone were as worry-free as you."
He sighed. After making progress with the Three-Blind Perception Method, Riolu's level hadn't increased, but its combat ability had improved significantly.
At least in terms of movement speed, it far surpassed everyone else on the team.
At 32x speed, Li Xiang could barely track its movement path.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh— like a gust of wind.
"Riolu."
Riolu nuzzled his palm. In its brain's reward mechanism, chocolate was only one part.
The other, more important part was Li Xiang's praise.
"I'll come check on you later. I'm heading to Greninja now."
After spending a little more time with Riolu, Li Xiang got up and walked out, laughing, "Keep it up! My little speed-strength double A dog!"
Riolu didn't get the reference but watched him leave before diving back into training.
Next door.
Greninja's testing room.
Li Xiang scanned the room several times before spotting it in the center.
It was striking a strange pose, face filled with a expression of being lost in thought, as if transcending into the void.
—A yoga pose.
Not a skill, just the motion itself. Feeling the myriad things in nature.
This happened to complement the Three-Blind Perception Method perfectly.
Thus, even when Li Xiang entered, Greninja didn't notice, fully immersed in its practice.
Not wanting to disturb it, Li Xiang silently played the training video at the lowest volume.
After quickly watching it, he gradually frowned.
Greninja was probably the only one on the team hitting walls everywhere.
It had many ideas, but most were hard to implement, and compared to the rapidly improving Incineroar and Riolu, it seemed slightly lacking.
In reality, Greninja was already very powerful. Its stealth, camouflage, and numerous moves made it formidable against gods and buddhas alike.
But it wasn't satisfied.
Bullying weaker opponents wasn't Greninja's goal.
Even now, it still yearned for the ace position. Becoming Li Xiang's most synergized partner was also its aim.
It was striving for that.
Li Xiang left a note on the wall to show he had been there and quietly left the room.
As one of the first Pokémon to start learning the Three-Blind Perception Method, being the only one without significant progress was incredibly frustrating.
And the more frustrated it became, the harder it was to breakthrough.
It was up to Greninja itself.
There was still plenty of time.
Later, Li Xiang went to Corviknight's room, just in time to hear it cursing and grumbling.
From the content, it seemed it couldn't reflect the light beams and was getting impatient.
This guy was hitting a wall too.
Although he had expected it, Li Xiang still felt some regret, deeply understanding that this wasn't something that could be achieved overnight.
After ruffling the big raven's feathers, he headed to Rotom's room.
This guy was as worry-free as Riolu, slowly improving its ability to cast spells while moving.
The Electric Cage was already quite effective.
It was also becoming more adept at using various appliances.