"Gahyaa~! (Got it, got it! Then I'm off to train!)"
After agreeing enthusiastically, Fearow immediately rushed over to join Pidgeot's training session.
If any professional trainer had witnessed this scene, they would have turned green with envy.
Pokémon this eager to train were every trainer's dream.
Milotic's status panel appeared before Ash.
Mastered
Water Gun
Aqua Ring
Splash
Safeguard
Recover
Water Pulse
Proficient
None
Skilled
None
Novice
Wrap
Disarming Voice
Twister
Attract
Life Dew
Dragon Tail
Ash turned toward Milotic.
"Beautiful, you've finally evolved into Milotic."
"Your level jumped by two full levels during evolution."
"Compared to continuing to push your strength higher, the most important thing right now is stabilizing your newfound power."
"You need to fully adapt to this evolved body."
He pointed toward the nearby shallows.
"For now, spend your time swimming in the coastal waters."
"Get used to your new body."
"At the same time, focus on training Life Dew."
"Use that move to help stabilize the tremendous power increase brought by your evolution."
After assigning training tasks to the four main members of his first-string team, Ash finally turned his attention to Milotic.
Milotic's swimming speed was already impressive.
On land, it could still move gracefully like a Serperior or Arbok, slithering across the ground with surprising agility.
But no matter what, it could never match its mobility in water.
Furthermore, after evolving into Milotic, the Swift Swim ability that doubled its speed in rain had disappeared.
And most official trainer battles were fought on land rather than in water.
Because of this, Ash had already planned Milotic's future development path.
Besides continuing to strengthen Milotic's naturally outstanding Special Defense and Special Attack...
Its natural stats made the idea almost perfect.
Special Defense: 135
Defense: 89
Special Attack: 110
HP: 105
Excellent defenses.
Powerful special offense.
Outstanding durability.
Milotic could both endure punishment and dish it out.
Combined with the moves it had already mastered—
Aqua Ring.
Recover.
And the soon-to-be-mastered Life Dew.
Unless multiple opponents attacked simultaneously...
Or unless there was an overwhelming level difference...
Defeating Milotic in a one-on-one battle would become incredibly difficult.
Most opponents would eventually meet one of two fates.
Either they would be blasted apart by Milotic's overwhelming firepower.
Or they would be slowly worn down until exhaustion claimed them.
Overall, the Regeneration Build Ash envisioned for Milotic was exceptionally powerful.
"Miiii~! (^_^)"
After receiving its assignment, Milotic raised its elegant head and released a long, melodious cry.
Then, with obvious enthusiasm, it glided gracefully into the sea and immediately began training.
Ash then turned toward Valor the Magikarp.
"Valor, you entered the team at the same time as Beautiful."
"The two of you have always progressed side by side."
"To be honest, when the first signs of evolution appeared on your body, I thought you'd evolve into Gyarados before Beautiful evolved into Milotic."
"But in the end, she overtook you."
"Using the Cerulean Water-Type Beauty Competition as an opportunity, she successfully completed her evolution."
Ash smiled.
"But don't put too much pressure on yourself."
"You've already displayed signs of evolution many times."
"At this point, you're only one final step away."
Magikarp's status panel appeared.
Mastered
Tackle
Aqua Ring
Aqua Tail
Dragon Dance
Dragon Rage
Splash
Proficient
None
Skilled
None
Novice
None
"For now, don't learn any new moves."
"Just focus on grinding the proficiency of Dragon Dance and Dragon Rage."
"Those two moves are the very core of your battle framework."
"The higher their mastery becomes, the better."
Holding the small glass fish tank, Ash walked toward the shoreline and gently released Magikarp into the shallow water.
At the same time, he assigned its training plan.
"Splash~! (Don't worry, Ash! I'll work hard! I won't let you down!)"
Magikarp immediately declared its determination.
Ash crouched down and gently patted its head.
"Mm."
"I believe in you."
"I always have."
"Splash~! (Ash! I'm going to train now!)"
Encouraged by Ash's words, Magikarp practically seemed injected with adrenaline.
It immediately threw itself into training with boundless enthusiasm.
Afterward, Ash made a full inspection round.
Pikachu was sprinting through the shallow surf while maintaining constant electrical output.
Greninja was practicing Gunk Shot and Icy Wind on the open sands.
Pidgeot was working on Substitute while simultaneously refining Sand Attack.
Fearow was diligently training Scary Face and Feather Dance.
Milotic swam elegantly through the coastal waters while repeatedly practicing Life Dew.
And Magikarp continued polishing Dragon Dance and Dragon Rage.
Seeing every Pokémon completely immersed in training and progressing smoothly without needing much supervision, Ash finally turned his attention toward himself.
He pulled out several weighted sandbags.
After fastening them around his legs, he began running across the beach.
The soft sand dramatically increased resistance.
Every step demanded more effort.
After warming up through running, he transitioned into additional physical exercises.
Push-ups.
Sit-ups.
Squats.
Frog jumps.
One after another, he trained relentlessly.
This trip to Cerulean City had given him an unexpected discovery.
He had finally uncovered the true method for utilizing the All Things Listening Meditation Technique.
As a result, his Aura power—which had previously increased only slowly—had begun growing at an astonishing rate.
By the time Milotic's beauty guidebook was published...
And the exclusive Skill Shop Pokémon Daycare officially opened...
His Aura cultivation would likely reach the threshold he had originally set for beginning true Aura development.
Level 36.
Strictly speaking, Aura development wasn't merely about strengthening Aura itself.
It was about using Aura to enhance his personal combat abilities.
And for that...
A powerful body was absolutely essential.
As training continued, system notifications rang endlessly in his mind.
[Ding! Thunder Wave trained once. Proficiency +1.]
...
[Ding! Gunk Shot trained once. Proficiency +1.]
[Ding! Icy Wind trained once. Proficiency +1.]
[Ding! Substitute trained once. Proficiency +1.]
[Ding! Scary Face trained once. Proficiency +1.]
[Ding! Feather Dance trained once. Proficiency +1.]
...
[Ding! Life Dew trained once. Proficiency +1.]
...
[Ding! Dragon Dance trained once. Proficiency +1.]
[Ding! Dragon Rage trained once. Proficiency +1.]
The system notifications echoed one after another without pause.
When someone devoted themselves completely to a task, time often passed without notice.
Between the endless proficiency gains...
The crashing waves...
The rising morning sun...
And the sweat pouring down his body...
Ash immersed himself fully in training.
Before he realized it, an entire hour had already flown by.
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