◉◉◉◉◉
Kaise watched the imposing Electivire standing in the training arena, a rare look of admiration flashing in his eyes.
"Impressive," he muttered.
Kaise specialized in training Fighting-type Pokémon. When it came to figuring out the best way to train this newly evolved Flaaffy, even he wasn't sure where to begin.
So, from the League's central Pokémon reserve, he'd rented a high-level Electivire to assist with the special training.
It had cost him a hefty 2,000 trainer points, enough to make his wallet ache, but he didn't regret it.
Investing in Flaaffy was investing in himself.
A heavy magnetic field blanketed the arena, the air crackling faintly with static.
Kael felt the electricity stored in his wool begin to stir uncontrollably, spilling toward the surface of his body.
He gritted his teeth, forcing his mind to focus and push it back under control. But seeing Electivire standing so casually in the middle of this storm made his heart pound.
Its natural magnetic field alone almost threw me off balance.
What would it be like if it went all out?
A flicker of excitement sparked inside him.
He remembered a Pokédex entry from his previous life's games: "One Electivire can supply enough electricity to power an entire city's buildings for a year."
Back then, he thought it was exaggerated marketing fluff. Now… he wasn't so sure.
Bang. Bang.
Electivire's heavy footsteps thudded across the floor as it closed in.
The magnetic field intensified, making every hair on Kael's body stand on end.
Sweat rolled down his forehead, his heartbeat pounding against his ribs. Sparks crackled and snapped from his wool.
Trying to intimidate me, huh?
But the closer Electivire came, the harder it became to hold back the unstable current raging inside him.
Just when he thought he'd lose control—
—The magnetic field suddenly vanished, like someone had cut the power.
The abrupt shift left Kael reeling. The whiplash between extreme intensity and complete calm made his stomach churn like he'd just gone from a bungee jump to waking up in bed. He gagged dryly a couple of times.
Electivire stopped ten steps away, giving a satisfied nod.
Not bad. This Flaaffy's got potential.
After sizing up his trainee, Electivire began the real lesson.
The magnetic field flared again, forcing Kael to split his focus between training and keeping his own power under control an exercise that would sharpen his mastery of Electric-type abilities.
Then, Electivire motioned for him to watch.
Facing a thick steel plate mounted by the arena staff, the big Electric-type raised its right fist.
The voltage climbing through Electivire's body was enough to make Kael's wool prickle painfully.
Zzzzt.
Snakes of lightning coiled between its knuckles, light so bright it was hard to look at. It was like a miniature sun had formed in its palm.
Kael's eyes widened.
Planting its feet, Electivire drew its fist back, muscles bulging beneath yellow fur, then—
BOOM!
The sound cracked like thunder as it drove its glowing fist forward. The steel plate offered about as much resistance as paper shattering instantly before erupting in a deafening explosion of sparks and twisted metal fragments.
Shards clattered across the arena floor.
Kael whistled under his breath. 'That… was insane.'
Electivire shook molten residue from its hand and turned its gaze on Kael.
The young Flaaffy realized it was now his turn.
He stepped up to a freshly mounted steel plate, copying Electivire's stance.
Lightning began to gather between his fists but slowly. Far too slow for a real battle.
Even after forcing more energy into his punch, the voltage exceeded what his own skin could handle, sending stinging pain through his arm. The electric sphere he'd formed flickered and unraveled.
Gritting his teeth, he drove his fist forward anyway.
CLANG.
The strike left only a shallow dent, the electricity crawling lazily across the plate's surface, leaving faint burn marks.
Electivire shook its head.
For a newly evolved Flaaffy, pulling off [Thunder Punch] was still a tall order. More strength and control training would be needed.
On the sidelines, Kaise stood with his arms crossed like a steel pillar.
His eyes, however, gleamed with satisfaction.
"Just one look at the move, and he can mimic it that well?" Kaise thought. "If I didn't know Flaaffy and Smeargle couldn't breed, I'd almost think this one had a Smeargle for a parent."
Yes—he had chosen the right partner.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he imagined the bright future ahead.
Nearby, lab techs in white coats busily recorded data, some glancing curiously at the supervisor who was suddenly smiling to himself like a man already savoring victory.
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!