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Jacob didn't need to worry about special training for Grovyle, as it was the most obedient and hardworking of his three Pokémon. It possessed an extremely firm determination to become stronger, which explained its rapid progress.
Although Jacob hadn't yet arranged specific training exercises, Grovyle had already begun training independently.
As Jacob watched Grovyle, he contemplated the best approach for special training.
Grovyle's final evolution is Sceptile. Like Noivern, Sceptile excels at special attacks. This meant all three of Jacob's Pokémon—Noivern, Sceptile, and Charizard—were primarily special attack-oriented.
The only one suitable for physical attacks might be Charizard, because after Mega Evolving into Mega Charizard X, its physical attack capabilities would be greatly enhanced, reaching a level almost equal to its special attack. At that point, Mega Charizard X could effectively utilize both special and physical attacks.
However, Charmander's Solar Power ability was actually more suitable for special attacks, which would result in Jacob's team being heavily tilted toward special attacks. This meant if Jacob encountered a Pokémon with high special defense, it would be difficult to overcome. For example, Blissey with its special defense of 154 and only two weaknesses (Steel and Poison), or Chansey with its special defense of 135 and massive HP of 255. Against these Pokémon, Jacob's team would struggle significantly.
Therefore, adding a physical attacker was essential. Perhaps Jacob's fourth Pokémon should be a physical attacker. Among the stronger Dragon-type physical attackers were Garchomp, Haxorus, Salamence, and Dragonite.
His options were either to develop the physical attack potential of his current three Pokémon or to capture a dedicated physical attacker.
The first option would require Training three Pokémon plus a Haxorus with comparable power. Training all four would be extremely challenging.
The second option seemed more reliable. Returning to Grovyle's special training, though it excelled at special attacks, its physical attack capabilities were also quite good, presenting an opportunity to develop along that path.
Grovyle could learn not only boosting moves like Swords Dance but also powerful physical attacks such as Leaf Blade, Earthquake, Outrage, Dragon Claw, Drain Punch, Rock Slide, Low Kick, Acrobatics, and more. Its diverse movepool allowed for physical attack development, though this wouldn't be as effective as specializing in special attacks.
For developing Grovyle's physical capabilities, Jacob identified three key training aspects. First was speed—Grovyle's greatest strength and the core of its training regimen.
Therefore, Jacob also employed weight training to develop Grovyle's speed. Unlike Noibat's reluctance to increase weight, Grovyle actively requested more.
Watching the increasing weights, Jacob became concerned: "Grovyle, that's enough, really, that's plenty!"
"Gro!"
The weight on Grovyle's legs had reached nearly 20kg before it stopped. While this might not seem excessive, it's important to understand this weight was added specifically to the legs, not distributed across the body. Every step required tremendous energy expenditure.
It's similar to Noibat—while it could fly carrying a 15kg load, attaching even a 5kg weight directly to its wings would ground it completely.
With legs being trained for speed, the remaining two areas requiring development were Grovyle's arms and tail, especially its arms. Almost all of Grovyle's offensive moves were executed with its hands.
Moves like Leaf Blade, Rock Throw, Drain Punch, Leaf Blade, Outrage, Dragon Claw, and others all relied on arm strength. Therefore, Jacob focused on strengthening Grovyle's arms, with tail training as a secondary priority.
"Grovyle, you need to concentrate on developing both strength and flexibility in your hands. This will help you master powerful moves."
"Grovyle!" It responded obediently and immediately began training.
Finally, it was time to arrange Charmander's training. Its regimen was relatively straightforward, following a similar approach to Noibat's.
However, there was a key difference between them. While flying ability was crucial for Noibat, Charmander hadn't yet evolved into Charizard and lacked wings, making flight training unnecessary. Instead, Charmander's training focused on developing claw strength. This emphasis was partly because Mega Charizard X would have tough claws, increasing the power of contact moves—making this training particularly beneficial.
...
After arranging training for his three Pokémon, Jacob himself remained active. He picked up equipment from the ground and began exercising alongside his Pokémon, simultaneously strengthening his body and enhancing their bond.
The morning passed quickly. Intense training proved addictive—exhausting yet satisfying. After half a day of physical conditioning, Jacob and his three Pokémon were drenched in sweat, their bodies thoroughly fatigued. It was then that the Secret Realm's exceptional facilities proved their value.
The Dragon Secret Realm provided special hot spring therapy rooms specifically for trainers and Pokémon. These hot springs effectively relieved fatigue and prevented muscle damage from overexertion.
After soaking for an hour, Jacob felt hungry and headed straight to the cafeteria. While eating, he fed his three Pokémon specialized energy cubes.
For Noibat's energy cubes, he slightly reduced the dragon energy proportion. This adjustment was necessary because the Dragon Secret Realm already contained dense dragon energy. To maintain balance between flying and dragon energies, he needed to decrease dragon energy cubes while increasing flying energy cubes.
The same principle applied to Grovyle and Charmander—dragon energy proportions were appropriately lowered for both.
After a brief lunch break, afternoon energy training classes began, now led by a middle-aged man. Compared to morning physical training, energy training was more straightforward.
This simplicity stemmed from the lack of shortcuts in energy training. Improvement could only come through continuous practice. For instance, strengthening control over dragon energy required repeated training sessions. Fortunately, within the Dragon Secret Realm, the dense dragon energy accelerated training progress to twice the normal rate—one of the realm's primary advantages.
Besides energy control training, the afternoon included energy resistance training—essentially special defense development. Jacob naturally seized this opportunity, having all three Pokémon undergo weakness training.
The day passed quickly. As night fell, some classmates chose to return home, others rested in their dormitories, while some continued training through the evening.
Jacob could have returned to the Zoe family home, but he felt a sense of urgency. His Pokémon were still too weak, so he needed to utilize every training opportunity.
The gap between him and others could only be closed through his Pokémon's natural talent and relentless effort.
Bright incandescent lights illuminated the entire training ground. Jacob and his Pokémon continued working, sweating profusely. By nine o'clock, almost everyone had left, with only two or three trainers remaining. The vast training ground seemed particularly empty, completely different from the crowded atmosphere during daytime.
"Take a fifteen-minute break. We'll train for another hour before heading back."
Jacob instructed his Pokémon. Upon hearing this, Noibat immediately stopped, flew to Jacob, and affectionately rubbed against his palm.
Grovyle ignored Jacob's words and continued training. Charmander likewise gritted its teeth and persisted. There was a determination in both their spirits.
From a distance, the instructor observed Jacob training diligently, and her impression of him shifted slightly. Although he was weak, at least he knew how to work hard. She just wondered how long he could maintain this intensity.
...
Regarding the guest trainer program, ordinary King-level trainers or Heavenly King members from other countries could apply, but positions for China's Heavenly Kings were currently limited.
The country was divided into seven regions: East China, North China, South China, Central China, Southwest China, Northwest China, and Northeast China. Each region had only four Elite members and one Champion, totaling 28 Elite trainers and 7 Champions.
Currently participating:
Sylas, Southwest region, Flying-type Elite, specializing in Aerodactyl.
Aleksan, Northwest region, Fire-type Elite, specializing in Magcargo.
Sawyer, Southwest region, Water-type Elite.
Chase, North China region, Dragon-type Elite.