"Nidorino, congratulations on evolving!"
Ever since Beedrill, this was the first time Yozora had raised one of his Pokémon to evolve. For a moment, he couldn't help feeling a little excited.
"Rooaar~~!"
After evolving, Nidorino clearly felt its newfound strength. It stood proudly, a joyful grin spreading across its face.
Off to the side, A.J. twitched at the corner of his mouth."Tch tch tch… his whole team are Seniors! Is this guy Yozora really just a rookie trainer who only recently started out?"
For a moment, A.J. was deeply shaken, and he swore in his heart to work even harder.
That night, when everything grew quiet, Yozora and A.J. lay in their sleeping bags, chatting about their dreams until they both drifted into a deep sleep.
The night passed without incident…
The next morning, after breakfast, Yozora and A.J. shouldered their backpacks and walked out of A.J.'s personal Gym together.
"Yozora, thank you for waking me up. Next time we meet, I'll definitely have reached a whole new level of strength!"
Turning back one last time, A.J. looked at the place he had lived in for two years. Then, pressing his hand on Sandshrew's head, he bowed deeply to Yozora.
"With your skills, I'm certain you'll accomplish great things."
Yozora shook hands with him, bidding their final farewell.
Truth be told, Yozora genuinely admired A.J.
But traveling together was out of the question.
Yozora didn't mind journeying with companions—just not with another trainer.
If two trainers traveled together, what would happen if they encountered a rare Pokémon along the way? Who would get to capture it?
Not to mention, trainers were inherently rivals. How could rivals travel as a team?
"Then, Yozora, until we meet again!" said A.J. as he turned to leave.
But just then—shhh!—a brilliant white light suddenly burst out from Sandshrew's body!
Within that radiance, Sandshrew began to transform—began to evolve!
"Sandshrew!" A.J. froze, eyes wide with excitement.
He had never expected this. Yesterday, he had watched Nidoran evolve with envy burning in his chest. And now, today, his very own Sandshrew was evolving!
Beside him, Yozora remained calm.
Sandshrew had accumulated strength for two years, its foundation strong and solid. Evolution was long overdue.
Now that it was finally happening, it was only natural.
Through his Aura, Yozora could sense the energy within Sandshrew surging higher and higher with its evolution…
Senior High Tier…
Senior Peak Tier!
When Sandshrew evolved into Sandslash, its Aura stabilized at the very peak of the Senior level!
One evolution—and it had leapt two whole tiers!
Normally, only defective evolution stones failed to trigger potential. In almost every other case, evolution unlocked hidden power and raised a Pokémon's tier.
But usually, a Pokémon's evolution would only grant a single-tier boost.
A.J.'s Sandslash, however, had broken through two full tiers at once.
It was clear—its years of accumulation had been overwhelming, and with evolution, it all burst forth at once…!
"Congratulations, A.J. With your strength now, if you stayed here, I believe you'd soon reach a hundred consecutive victories!" Yozora said with a smile.
"Haha! I'll achieve my hundred-win streak on my journey!"
The two exchanged smiles, then parted ways, each setting out on their own path.
Yozora's next goal was to fulfill his promise—to head for Pokémon Tech and face the challenges of the junior class students.
Pokémon Tech was located between Cerulean City and Vermilion City.
Checking the map, Yozora realized it wasn't far away at all.
"I promised to arrive within a week. No need to rush—only four days have passed."
Taking his time, Yozora camped by a small river that night.
The following morning, after breakfast, Yozora and his partners began a two-day intensive training session.
At this moment—
Beedrill, Charmander, Psyduck, Pidgeotto, Nidorino, and Kangaskhan—all six wore advanced limiters.
These, clearly, had come from A.J.: five sets of regular limiters, and twenty sets of advanced ones.
Yozora joined in personally, wearing a regular limiter.
Even with the Power of Aura, his physique was still human—far weaker than that of a Senior-level Pokémon.
For him to endure a regular limiter and train alongside his partners was already impressive.
The first task was physical training—no tricks, just long-distance running.
Beedrill and Pidgeotto flew instead.
But with limiters weighing them down, after only two hours Yozora and his Pokémon were gasping for breath.
Only Beedrill remained unshaken, still brimming with energy.
Beedrill's stamina was considered weak compared to Elite-tier Pokémon. But against ordinary Seniors? Two words—invincible!
Or better yet—crushing!
Yozora didn't worry about Beedrill, letting it train freely.
In truth, Beedrill rarely needed regular drills anymore. Stuck at the peak of Elite level for years, it had already built up incredible experience and foundation. Normal training no longer helped it.
But now, wearing the limiter, Beedrill was pushing itself nonstop—spinning at high speed, striking with Twinneedle, cycling through techniques without pause.
Clearly, even Beedrill recognized the limiter's value.
As long as it trained under that weight, it could build up even greater reserves!
When the run ended, after a ten-minute break, Yozora began the next phase—skill training.
Each partner worked on their own:
Charmander sharpened its Flamethrower and Fire Punch.
Psyduck aimed Hydro Pump and psychic power at a massive boulder over a hundred pounds heavy—and either move alone was enough to make the rock shift.
Its power was undeniable.
Yozora could feel Psyduck's Aura steadily growing stronger. Its breakthrough couldn't be far off.
Kangaskhan drilled Dynamic Punch.
Nidorino, after evolving, had naturally learned Take Down. Now it repeatedly hurled itself at a tree as thick as a water barrel—until the poor thing was full of holes, and finally snapped in half with a resounding crack.
But Yozora's main focus these two days was Pidgeotto.
Even before now, he had already been working on developing a special combo move for it.
He had even given it a name: Lightning Blade—a fusion of Quick Attack and Wing Attack.
One plus one didn't equal two. Lightning Blade's destructive power was unmatched, far beyond the sum of its parts.
"Again, Pidgeotto! Target that tree—use Lightning Blade!"
With Yozora's command, Pidgeotto shot forward like a bolt of lightning—not just with its wings, but with its entire body.
A dazzling white aura engulfed it completely, slicing through the air. Energy swirled into a crescent-shaped shockwave, wrapping Pidgeotto in a shimmering barrier of light.
Whsssh!
Pidgeotto slashed past. The tree ahead, thick as a barrel, was cleaved clean in two—the cut surface smooth and flawless, like polished glass.
(End of Chapter)