Rhydon's daily meals mainly consisted of concentrated pokeblocks. Beef and fruit were added as snacks to supplement the protein and vitamins its body required.
With these fifteen crates of Salac Berries, plus a generous supply of auxiliary ingredients, Kael could produce a large batch of concentrated pokeblocks. At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about Rhydon's food for the next month.
.....
"Bang! Bang!"
On the beach, a massive sandbag nearly three meters tall was struck by an overwhelming force and sent flying high into the air, producing a dull, bone-rattling thud. It felt as though one careless blow might cause the entire bag to explode under that terrifying power.
Kael punched the smaller sandbag in front of him while shouting instructions to Rhydon, who was copying his movements nearby.
"Put more strength into it! Watch your footwork! Keep your legs moving—small steps, keep them going!"
"Roar!"
Rhydon let out a bellow and threw a straight punch. The blow landed solidly on the sandbag, surging with brute force. The large bag swung high into the air… then, upon reaching its peak, whipped back at frightening speed.
Rhydon tilted its head to the left, trying to avoid the returning impact—but it was a fraction too slow.
Thump!
The sandbag slammed into the right side of its face.
"Wrong!" Kael barked. "Don't keep your eyes glued to the bag. Learn to rely on instinct. Use your reaction speed to dodge!"
He threw a punch of his own. His sandbag shot upward and came hurtling back. Just as it was about to strike his head, Kael shifted into quick, tight footwork—light, broken steps beneath him—and with a subtle sway to the left, he slipped cleanly past the impact.
He was training Rhydon using boxing moves, correcting the bad habits it had developed while living as a wild Pokémon. What Kael needed wasn't merely a tank that could absorb damage and hit hard—it had to learn how to skillfully evade unnecessary attacks as well.
No matter how strong one's defense, continuous assault would eventually produce cracks. Relying blindly on heavy armor and ignoring all incoming blows was the most foolish approach.
Rhydon's head was hard as iron.
Kael intended to be the blacksmith who would hammer that iron into steel.
In his previous life, whenever he watched training footage of peak-era heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, Kael had always been amazed. How could a heavyweight possess such astonishing agility? It wasn't just about raw speed—Tyson's neural reactions and his tight, one-meter range footwork were nearly flawless. With small, controlled movements—up, down, left, right—he could effortlessly slip past incoming punches.
Given Rhydon's enormous size, it was undeniably a living target.
Kael didn't expect it to dodge every attack. But boxing drills could greatly enhance its neural response speed. He hoped that, like Tyson, Rhydon—despite its heavyweight body—could use tight lateral slips and short steps to avoid many unnecessary blows.
If it could achieve that, its overall combat power would undergo a qualitative leap in a short time.
Weavile had been with Kael for nearly two months now. While her trainer focused wholeheartedly on Rhydon's training, she didn't sneak off to play. Instead, she disciplined herself—strapping on mechanical gravity rings and taking a surfboard out onto the sea for balance training.
Lulu stayed by the shore playing with Feebas. Following Kael's instructions, the little girl continuously used telepathy to encourage Feebas—telling her she was the most beautiful, and that after evolving she would become the most beautiful Pokémon in the world.
...
"Again! Don't be afraid of getting hit! Your whole body's armored—what's there to fear from such minor bumps?" Kael shouted until his throat grew hoarse.
Rhydon's face was full of grievance. It didn't understand why the "good friend" who had always been gentle before had suddenly become so fierce. Lost in distraction, it was struck square in the face by the returning sandbag once more.
Thud—
Clutching its right cheek, Rhydon plopped down heavily on the sand, letting out low, muffled whimpers. No matter how Kael shouted, it refused to get up and continue training.
Hands on his hips, Kael found himself half angry, half amused. This brat was actually throwing a tantrum. An entire afternoon of boxing practice had yielded very little progress.
He admitted Rhydon's physical qualities were outstanding. Its unusually large frame granted it unparalleled strength and terrifying defensive power. But growing up alone without parents or its own kind to guide it—never interacting much with other creatures—had left Rhydon a bit slow on the uptake.
Kael took a deep breath. He didn't truly blame Rhydon for sulking. He had been too impatient—perhaps his expectations had been set too high. When the results failed to meet his standards, his emotions had wavered.
The sun sank westward. Dusk gradually settled.
Kael sat beside Rhydon, looking at the giant who had turned away in a huff, and couldn't help but smile.
"What's wrong? Still angry?"
"Roo…"
Rhydon let out a low growl but refused to turn around. It wasn't afraid of tough training. It simply didn't like the expression on Kael's face when he was angry—it made its heart feel uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry," Kael said sincerely, raising three fingers. "I shouldn't have yelled at you earlier. That was my fault. I promise during future training, I won't lose my temper or shout at you again."
"Roo~"
Understanding the apology, Rhydon slowly turned around and raised three fingers as well. Then, perhaps sensing something was off, it lifted three fingers on its other hand too, and finally pointed toward its big mouth.
"Uh?" Kael blinked, unable to understand. After spending time together, Rhydon could already comprehend human speech quite well—but he often struggled to interpret its gestures.
He wondered if every Pokémon possessed this innate talent for understanding human language. Their ability in that regard seemed almost natural.
At that moment, Lulu walked over, carrying Feebas in her arms. With a bright smile, she translated:
"The big guy says he wants six steaks before he'll forgive you!"
"No problem!" Kael declared loudly. Such a small request was easy to satisfy. Most importantly, nothing could be allowed to damage the bond between him and Rhydon.
Rhydon slowly extended its right fist.
Seeing this, a smile curved at Kael's lips as he extended his own right fist as well—the gesture they had agreed upon between them.
One large and one small fist met gently in midair.