"So why the hell don't you tell me the true purpose of this event, old man?"
Blaire asked as she took a bite out of her pizza. In front of her sat Seth Williams, her father.
"I've already told you the information that only a pseudo-elite-level trainer is allowed to know. You aren't getting anything else out of me, so drop it."
"Don't be so stubborn, old man. Besides, Charizard already broke through. I just need two more to do the same, and I'll reach it."
Sigh. "Blaire. Just focus on getting stronger for now, I'll tell you everything when the tim--"
"Don't say 'when the time is right.' You know I hate nothing more than stupid cliches. Now, speak."
Seth sighed.
'Why were both his daughters so difficult?'
---
After his battle with Red, Eric headed off to yet another training trip.
Haunter was a little down after his poor performance against Eevee.
"Don't beat yourself over it. Haunter. You weren't weaker than that Eevee. It's just that Red had trained her better for combat. But now that we know what the gap is...we can work to close it."
"Haunt!"
"Yes, so get ready. We've gained a lot of information over the past few days, from Bill to Master Rudy, so much so that we aren't lacking at least in that department. It's now time for us to apply it. Once we do... we should have closed the gap from Red."
"Haunt!" Haunter looked at Eric, more determined than ever. Eric felt like he was looking at the young Gastly again. The one who had just escaped from the Arbok gang.
Sigh. "No need to take it so seriously. We'll work hard, but we'll have fun while doing so."
"Growl!"
"Look, even Growlithe agrees. Then what are we waiting for? Let's head off to train!"
---
Route 12
Inside a forest.
"Feel the energy around you, Growlithe."
"Growl!"
Small sparks of flame appeared in front of Growlithe as he focused.
"Ember, on that rock!"
"Growl!"
The sparks then turned into a small ball of fire, as it shot forward and hit a boulder in front of them, leaving a small mark.
"Good. You've reached the basic level of control over your fire-type energy."
Eric said as he patted Growlithe's head. He then brought out a Grade 1 fire-type crystal from his spatial watch.
"Now, try absorbing as much as you can from this crystal."
"Here," Eric said, holding out the crystal. "Focus on absorbing the energy slowly. Don't rush it."
Growlithe sniffed the crystal curiously. Semicircles of orange light began to radiate from the stone, slowly drifting into the pup's chest. Because of his Light Purple potential, Growlithe's internal core was incredibly adaptive. It welcomed the high-grade fire energy hungrily, compressing it without the typical struggle a lower-potential Pokémon would face.
A warm, bright orange aura enveloped Growlithe. His small body expanded slightly, his fur turning a richer, deeper shade of orange.
'Remarkable efficiency,' Eric noted. He opened his system to check his progress.
---
Pokémon: Growlithe
Gender: Male
Level: 7
Type: Fire
Ability: Intimidate
Held Item: None
Potential: Light Purple
Energy Grade:
Fire type - Grade 0 (Peak)
Moves: Ember (B), Leer (B), Bite (B), Odor Sleuth (B), Flare Blitz (-), Fire Spin (-)
Growlithe levelled up twice from that one crystal! Even his fire-type energy was almost at Grade 1.
Another remarkable thing to note was that Growlithe had inherited Flare Blitz as an egg move! This would save them a lot of trouble as he could start training in that move from the start.
"Good job. But energy is only half the battle," Eric said, standing up. "Next, we train your maneuvers."
Having learned from Maverick and all the information he acquired, Eric knew that raw power without physical control was useless. He spent the next three hours drilling Growlithe on body coordination.
He didn't make Growlithe spam Ember. Instead, he taught the pup how to utilize instant bursts of power through his legs to dodge, slide, and pivot.
He threw small rocks at Growlithe, forcing him to react. At first, the pup was clumsy, getting clipped repeatedly. But with his inherited instincts, his body rapidly adjusted, learning to read the trajectory of the rocks and step aside with minimal, efficient movements.
His other Pokémon also did the same - their training routine was modified by Eric after his system finished upgrading.
Particularly, Haunter, who was learning to expand the Shadow on the ground, which would significantly improve his mobility. He could only appear from areas where there was a Shadow after all.
Fearow focused on mastering Drill Peck. Once she did so, her power would leap forward.
Poliwhirl focused on mastering Surf and Brick Break.
They didn't require Eric's full supervision, so he could focus on Growlithe for now.
"Here. Absorb this as well, then we'll find a Pokémon for your first battle."
Eric handed Growlithe a tier-1 Normal Crystal this time. Knowing that Extreme Speed is one of Arcanine's signature moves, he wanted to start building his normal-type energy early to save time later.
Of course, since Growlithe wasn't a normal type, he wasted half of the energy inside it. But Eric didn't care.
Growlithe jumped another level, reaching lvl 8.
By the end of the afternoon, he was breathing heavily, but his eyes were sharp.
Eric prepared lunch for everyone, and after a hearty meal, he took Growlithe to find his first opponent.
They didn't have to go far before they found one.
The bushes rustled in front of them as a Meowth lunged, aiming for Eric. It was at level 9, perfect for Growlithe.
"Your first real fight," Eric murmured, stepping back to give Growlithe space. "Do not let it close the distance easily. Dodge and counter."
"Growl!"
The Meowth hissed, launching itself forward with a Scratch.
"Step right, then Ember!" Eric commanded.
Growlithe didn't panic. Utilizing the leg-burst maneuvers they had practiced, he dug his paws into the dirt, slipping to the right just as Meowth's claws sliced through empty air.
Before the wild Pokémon could recover its balance, Growlithe opened his jaws, releasing a concentrated, brilliant spiral of flame at point-blank range.
Boom!
The Ember hit Meowth squarely in the side, sending it crashing into the dirt, heavily scorched. It scrambled to its feet, hissed weakly, and immediately turned tail, fleeing back into the brush.
Eric exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He walked over and patted Growlithe's head, drawing a happy bark from the pup.
"A bit sloppy, but you did well for your first fight," Eric said.
Growlithe was very excited after this battle. He had seen Haunter and the rest battle many times, and now, finally, he got to fight as well.
Eric thought Growlithe might be a bit nervous over his first fight, but he wasn't.
In this manner, they continued their training.
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