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Early in the morning, the sun had just begun to rise above the horizon.
At this hour, several active figures could be vaguely seen moving along the trails of the back mountain behind Ascending Dragon Gym.
"Zorua, Riolu, keep pushing! We're almost at the summit!"
"Zo... rua..."
"Ri... olu..."
Amidst these familiar encouraging calls, near the mountain's peak, David's steadily jogging figure emerged from around a bend in the trail, accompanied by a sweating and noticeably breathless Zorua and Riolu struggling to keep pace.
Seeing that both Pokémon were close to exhausting their stamina reserves, David felt relieved.
Fortunately, the mountain peak was already visible ahead. Looking at the summit not far away, after gritting their teeth and enduring the final few minutes of this "grueling" uphill sprint, they finally reached their destination.
"Zorua~"
After reaching the summit, Zorua immediately collapsed onto the grassy ground, utterly exhausted.
David didn't allow himself time to rest and immediately approached Zorua with concern.
Clang!
Four black training weights were unfastened by David one by one from Zorua's small body, falling to the ground with heavy, dull thuds. This weight training equipment was clearly the primary reason why Zorua had experienced such difficulty during the run.
As the weights were carefully removed, Zorua, lying limply in David's supportive arms, let out a long sigh of profound relief. Gently stroking the exhausted Zorua cradled in his arms, David disregarded his own need for rest. He took out the special medicinal ointment he had prepared beforehand to prevent training-related injuries, and carefully applied it to Zorua's sore muscles while praising softly, "Excellent work, Zorua. You did wonderfully today."
"Zorua~" Zorua responded with a weak but appreciative murmur.
It had been one full week since Aria departed from Imperial City. Because David had spent Aria's final two vacation days accompanying his sister while also allowing Zorua to relax and enjoy herself, immediately after Aria's vacation concluded, David and Zorua resumed their intensive training regimen.
Although David maintained strong confidence in his own abilities and genuinely believed he would have no significant problems defeating all opponents and claiming ultimate victory in the upcoming competition, if he became arrogant and complacent because of this confidence, neglecting proper training due to overconfidence, and subsequently failed as a result—that would be an absolutely embarrassing disaster!
A wise person from his previous life once stated, "Strategically, regard the enemy with contempt; tactically, treat the enemy with utmost seriousness." David wholeheartedly agreed with this philosophy, so immediately after Aria's departure, he resumed rigorous training without delay.
However, a new companion had now joined their training team.
"How does your first real training session feel, Riolu? Can you still keep up with us?"
After finishing the ointment application for Zorua, David turned his attention toward Riolu, who was still breathing somewhat heavily from exertion.
"Ri... olu~ (I'm perfectly fine, David!)"
Riolu shook his head determinedly at the concerned question, stood up straight despite his fatigue, and then proudly puffed out his small chest toward David, clearly indicating he could continue without issue.
"Alright, you've performed exceptionally well for your first time. However, don't push yourself too hard—come here and rest properly!" David said warmly, then carefully picked up Riolu as well.
This marked Riolu's first formal training session since his birth. Approximately two days ago, Riolu had successfully passed through his newborn developmental stage. Originally, David had fully intended to let him play carefree for a considerably longer period, but after observing David and Zorua train diligently every single day, the enthusiastic little Fighting-type simply couldn't remain idle. It was at Riolu's persistent and earnest request that today's training scenario had unfolded.
[Name: Riolu]
[Type: Fighting]
[Gender: ♂]
[Energy Level: 7]
[Potential: Light Red]
[Ability: Prankster]
[Held Item: None]
[Moves: Detect, Miracle Eye, Agility, Blaze Kick, Bullet Punch, Vacuum Wave, Aura Sphere (Incomplete), Endure, Feint, Quick Attack]
From the data displayed on his Pokédex, Riolu could now legitimately be considered to possess basic combat capabilities. Compared to Zorua's strength level during her first training sessions with her companions, Riolu clearly had no equals among similarly aged Pokémon, and his development wasn't significantly behind Zorua's progress during the same developmental period.
This exceptional aptitude was also precisely why David wasn't particularly opposed to Riolu's desire to participate in serious training. In fact, for any Trainer, a Pokémon like Riolu—brimming with fighting spirit and genuine desire to grow stronger—represented an incredible blessing.
Trainers frequently achieved dramatically better results with considerably less effort when raising such naturally motivated Pokémon.
Today marked Riolu's inaugural training session: a complete ten-kilometer mountain trail run. For a Pokémon undergoing first-time formal training, Riolu's performance was undeniably outstanding—managing to keep pace with both Zorua and David, who had awakened his Aura abilities, throughout such an extended run without voicing a single complaint about fatigue or difficulty.
At this moment, David had already begun mentally drafting Riolu's comprehensive future training schedule and development plan.
As for Zorua, after many consecutive days of dedicated training, ordinary running exercises had essentially become ineffective for building her strength and stamina further. Therefore, David had specifically selected a complete set of four adjustable training weights from the Gym's equipment storage.
Throughout recent days, David had accompanied Zorua on runs and conditioning exercises every single day without exception.
Starting from an initial three kilograms, the weight gradually increased to five kilograms, then ten kilograms, and most recently fifteen kilograms per weight. Today, Zorua successfully carried all four weights—totaling a full sixty kilograms—and completed the entire climb to the mountain summit alongside David.
David couldn't help but marvel once again at just how truly amazing Pokémon physiology was. Zorua, with her relatively small frame and delicate limbs, weighed at most ten to fifteen kilograms when picked up, yet she could successfully carry more than four times her own body weight all the way to the mountain's peak.
Morning sessions focused on physical conditioning and stamina training; afternoon sessions emphasized move proficiency practice and battle technique refinement.
After one full week of diligent, consistent training, Zorua had finally completely absorbed and integrated the effects of those vitamin supplements, and her overall strength had improved dramatically compared to her previous baseline.
[Name: Zorua (Hisuian Form) - Disguised]
[Type: Normal/Ghost]
[Energy Level: 19 (Ordinary Rank)]
That's correct—Zorua had now reached the absolute limit of the Ordinary rank, just like Deino had previously, and stood ready to advance into the next competitive tier.
Observing Zorua, who had now fully adapted to her significantly increased strength and power level, David concluded that the time had finally arrived for Zorua to achieve her breakthrough and "level up" to the next rank.
Retrieving the carefully prepared items from his backpack, David produced a lustrous light purple gem and a brilliantly gleaming white gem—corresponding perfectly to Zorua's Ghost-type and Normal-type attributes respectively. These were the precious Type-enhancing Gems that Aria had generously given him weeks earlier.
When David first received the Type-enhancing Gems from Aria as gifts, he had deliberately chosen not to immediately allow Zorua to consume them. Firstly, Zorua had recently taken multiple vitamin supplements at that time and hadn't yet fully absorbed their beneficial effects; simply accumulating resources without proper timing would prove harmful rather than beneficial to Zorua's healthy development.
Secondly, the current moment represented the optimal timing. David had originally intended to reserve the Type-enhancing Gems for when Zorua achieved her breakthrough into the Advanced rank.
"Zorua, you've been anticipating this moment for so long, and now it's finally time for your breakthrough..."
Hearing David's announcement, even before he could physically hand over the precious gems, Zorua—who had been lying lazily on the grassy ground moments earlier—suddenly pounced on David with explosive speed, immediately swallowing both gems clutched in his hand in one swift motion.
Burp~
After consuming the Type-enhancing Gems, Zorua's previous exhausted sluggishness vanished entirely, replaced by vibrant, overflowing energy. The intake of such a substantial quantity of concentrated elemental energy caused Zorua to involuntarily release a small burp.
Witnessing this predictable scene, David couldn't help but shake his head with amused exasperation.
It genuinely wasn't Zorua's fault for her eager behavior. Much like the geological formation process of precious mineral ores, Type-enhancing Gems were also natural treasures slowly crystallized from pure elemental attribute energy in specialized environments over extensive time periods, shaped by nature's overwhelming power.
The refined, concentrated energy contained within these gems represented an irresistible attraction for virtually any Pokémon, not to mention that the quality grade of these two particular gems was extraordinarily high.
In truth, on the very night David first received the Type-enhancing Gems as gifts, he had already retrieved the two gems corresponding to Zorua's typing and shown them to her directly. Zorua had originally displayed noticeable impatience and clearly wanted to consume them immediately, but David had gently refused her request, explaining that the vitamin supplements in her system hadn't yet been fully metabolized and the timing wasn't appropriate.
Zorua naturally obeyed David's instructions without argument, but she continued salivating visibly at the sight of those two beautiful gems. She had only managed to restrain her intense desire through her complete trust in David's judgment.
Now, after so many consecutive days of patient, disciplined training, she absolutely refused to wait any longer. The instant David finally gave his approval, she naturally couldn't contain herself for even one additional second and gulped down both gems in a single enthusiastic swallow.