Ariel's heart jolted, and he nodded heavily.
The following days were both hell and heaven for Ariel and his Pokémon.
On the first day, Drake didn't conduct any training.
He just sat on a rock, observing quietly from sunrise to sunset.
Krookodile rolled on the sand, Weavile shuttled through the shadows, Greninja leaped through the woods, Gyarados kicked up waves in the offshore waters, and Larvitar was happily munching on a rock.
Ariel stood to the side, feeling a bit uneasy.
This veteran Elite said nothing and did nothing, yet that invisible pressure made him feel ill at ease all over.
Not until the setting sun dyed the sea surface a golden red did Drake stand up and pat the dust off his pants.
"Your Krookodile's use of skills other than Sandstorm is too crude."
"Your Weavile relies too much on sudden sneak attacks; once seen through, its frontal combat capability is insufficient."
"Your Greninja has enough speed, but its moves lack focus; they are too scattered and not refined enough."
"Your Gyarados... hmm, not bad, but its control over energy could be taken to the next level."
With every sentence Drake spoke, Ariel's heart sank a bit further.
He had realized some of these issues himself, but no one had ever pointed them out so incisively.
"As for the little one,"
Drake's gaze fell upon Larvitar, and the corner of his mouth twitched up slightly in a rare smile,
"It certainly has a good appetite."
The second day, the real special training began.
On the other side of the island, there was a barren mountain, made entirely of hard rock and poor soil.
Drake pointed at that mountain and said to Ariel:
"Have your Larvitar eat this mountain."
"Eat it?"
"Yes, eat it."
Drake's tone brooked no doubt,
"The growth of a Pseudo-Legendary requires massive amounts of energy; the energy conversion rate of ordinary food is too low. For Larvitar, the best food is the earth itself. The minerals and energy in this mountain are enough for it to complete one evolution and lay the most solid foundation."
Thus, Larvitar began its happy 'buffet' journey.
At first, it just nibbled on the rocks at the foot of the mountain in small bites, making crisp 'crunch-crunch' sounds.
Gradually, it grew bolder, and its eating speed increased.
Later, it could even swallow an entire massive rock directly into its belly, its body emitting a satisfied faint glow.
Meanwhile, the other Pokémon underwent inconceivable training under Drake's arrangements.
Krookodile was taken to the island's waterfall.
Drake had only one requirement: under the immense impact of the waterfall, it not only had to stand firm on its feet but also use 'Hone Claws' to carve marks on the rock wall being washed by the current.
If Krookodile's claws weren't sharp enough or its strength was insufficient, the marks would be instantly smoothed over by the water flow.
Greninja's training took place in a dense primeval jungle.
Drake released a lightning-fast Yanma and had Greninja use Leaf Blade to hit Yanma's wings without damaging a single tree.
This tested not only speed but also extreme precision and body control.
...
Ariel himself wasn't idle either.
During the day, he had to follow the Pokémon's training throughout, constantly using his mental power to sense their status, communicate with them, and encourage them.
At night, when the Pokémon were all sound asleep to recover their strength, the light in Ariel's small wooden cabin remained on.
He didn't sleep, choosing instead to replace sleep with Calm Mind.
In the dead of night, the sound of waves gently lapped against the shore.
Ariel sat cross-legged, his consciousness sinking into a boundless darkness.
Gradually, he could capture the Bug Buzz in the forest, the distant waves, and even Drake's steady, long breaths from the next room.
These sounds were no longer distractions but became extensions of his conscious perception.
His mental power, like an invisible net centered on him, slowly spread out, covering the entire island.
On the night of the seventh day, Ariel suddenly opened his eyes during Calm Mind.
He stood up, went outside, and released Gyarados.
"Gyarados, let's try again!"
With Ariel's call, he channeled the power of the key stone.
That familiar, massive energy surged into Gyarados's body.
That sea of mental power steadily supported this torrent, even having enough strength left to guide and organize it.
The light dissipated, and Mega Gyarados's massive form appeared under the moonlight, its aura steadier than ever before.
Ariel glanced at his watch and began timing.
Ten minutes... twenty minutes... thirty minutes...
Not until the fortieth minute did he feel a slight fatigue and proactively cut the connection with Gyarados.
Mega Gyarados reverted to its original form and affectionately nudged Ariel with its large head.
Forty minutes!
And this was in a non-combat state.
In high-intensity combat, the duration would be significantly reduced, but Ariel was confident that the time he could maintain Mega Evolution was definitely far beyond that of ordinary people!
The benefits brought by the progress of his mental power were tangible.
On the tenth day, a loud boom came from the direction of the barren mountain.
When Ariel and Drake arrived, they saw a shocking scene.
The originally barren mountain was now more than half its size, and Larvitar was floating in mid-air, its entire body wrapped in thick earthy-yellow energy, forming a massive energy cocoon.
On the surface of the energy cocoon, countless particles of rock and soil swirled and danced, finally condensing into an incredibly hard grey shell that looked as if it were cast in steel.
The light dissipated, and a brand-new Pokémon appeared in its place.
It was no longer that small Larvitar, but had turned into a greyish-black Pokémon shaped like a pupa, with only its eyes showing.
Pupitar!
Having eaten an entire mountain, Larvitar finally accumulated enough energy to evolve, and its level jumped to Level 30!
"Not bad."
Drake looked at the steady-auraed Pupitar and nodded with satisfaction,
"The foundation is very solid; when it evolves again, the entire Hoenn region will be shaken."
Ariel's heart was also racing; he could feel a terrifying power contained within Pupitar's body, constantly compressing and waiting for the day it would explode.
The twelve days of special training passed in the blink of an eye.
That evening, in Drake's small wooden cabin, the old man poured a cup of hot tea for Ariel.
Amidst the curling tea aroma, Drake looked at the young man before him; that slightly immature face now held an extra measure of steadiness and confidence.
"Your progress has exceeded my expectations."
Drake spoke slowly.
"It's all thanks to your guidance."
Ariel said sincerely.
Drake waved his hand, not picking up that thread, but shifting the topic.
"I've taught everything I should. The rest will depend on your own realization in battle."
He put down his teacup and looked into Ariel's eyes, speaking word by word.
"Tomorrow, go to Ever Grande City and prepare."
"The day after tomorrow, the Ever Grande Conference begins."
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