Training (Bonus Chapter Reward)

September 2, 2005

8:00 am

Floyd stood emotionlessly, watching Horsea train alongside Wartortle.

Horsea faced immense pressure from her opponent, consistently avoiding Wartortle's touch and counterattacking with Water Gun. Meanwhile, the female Wartortle adeptly dodged Horsea's attacks and responded with Rapid Spin.

Their objective was simple: avoid getting hit. Each time Horsea was struck, she lost a pokeblock. After five hits, her meal would be restricted to only three pokeblocks, in addition to the total number of points she had taken. Wartortle, on the other hand, was rewarded by Floyd with three pokeblocks. To earn more, she had to hit Horsea.

"Horsea~" Horsea let out a cry after getting hit by Water Gun.

"Wartortle~" Wartortle responded with joy.

"Squirtle~ Squirtle~"

"Squirtle~ Squirtle~"

The two Squirtles kept score, marking Horsea's hits on a board with five, while Wartortle hits on a board were only two.

"Here's your total of eight pokeblocks," Floyd said, patting Wartortle's shell.

"Wartortle~ Wartortle~" The contented Wartortle then gestured for the two Squirtles.

"Squirtle~ Squirtle~"

"Squirtle~ Squirtle~"

"Here, two for each of you," Floyd handed out four pokeblocks in total, patting each Squirtle in turn.

After they left, Floyd approached Horsea, applying healing powder to her injuries.

Seeing her teary eyes, a pang of guilt hit Floyd. However, he retained his stern facade, determined to discipline Horsea for her own benefit. He presented her meal, topped with five pokeblocks, and offered, "If you can run back and forth from here to that tree 15 times, I'll add an extra three pokeblocks. If you manage to learn a new move, you'll receive an additional five pokeblocks for every meal over the next three days."

As Horsea's tears continued to flow, she fixed her gaze on Floyd's backpack. She hadn't anticipated his sudden change, and he now felt like a stranger to her. But the lure of food steadied her, and she began to eat. Watching her, Floyd regretted indulging her previously. He was now paying the price for his earlier leniency.

While watching her, Floyd was filled with regret for his prior leniency. He then shifted his attention to Munchlax. Due to the Pokémon's emaciated state, Floyd's main directive for him was simple: eat. Although unfamiliar with Munchlax's specific training requirements, he had jotted down basic stats and moves in his notebook.

[Pokemon: Munchlax

Level: 9-13 ♂

Type: Normal

Ability: Thick Fat?

Moves:

Beginner Level: Lick, Defense Curl, Tackle]

This Pokémon only knew three moves and hadn't inherited any genetic moves from his parents. Munchlax wasn't initially in Floyd's plans, but the Pokémon's persistence left him with no choice. Floyd intended to train him to guard his future breeding shop. The significant food expenses were thankfully sponsored by Professor Kanraku.

Observing Munchlax consume his meal, Floyd noted that what would be a daily meal for his other Pokémon seemed like only one meal for Munchlax. However, this was still less than what he consumed aboard the ship. Perhaps the Pokémon had been extraordinarily hungry back then. Now, things seemed normalized, with Munchlax eating daily.

Currently, Munchlax underwent mild training: a brief run followed by eating. Munchlax's foundational skills were even weaker than Goomy's. Floyd realized the need to bolster them. Had Floyd not come across Munchlax, the Pokémon might have perished within a week under his previous owner.

Speaking of Goomys, Floyd looked in their direction and saw the leader Goomy leading at the front while the other four trailed behind. Having finished their meal, they returned to their mild training.

The training regimen for the five Goomys was quite similar to that of Munchlax since their foundations were also strained. Though their state wasn't as dire as Munchlax's had once been, it was still quite concerning. Their condition was even worse than that of Axew when Floyd first met him.

These Goomys had no complaints about their current lives. Even though Floyd imposed training sessions on them, this environment was paradise compared to their past with their previous owner. Here, they had access to an abundance of delicious food, and their current owner treated them kindly. They sensed a familial bond with him, which made their lives even better.

They treasured this life and didn't want to give their current owner any reason to be disappointed in them. Especially the leader Goomy, who was the most hardworking among them all.

Floyd appreciated their dedication and watched them with admiration.

Horsea had already finished her meal and started her run. She was determined to earn those two additional pokeblocks, she thought.

As she sprinted, she looked with envy at Munchlax, who was still eating, and the Goomys who had just begun their meal. They were the privileged ones here. Sadly, she realized that Floyd had put restrictions on her food intake.

Observing her, Floyd sighed in relief. Despite her previous temper tantrums and sulking around him, she was now committed to her tasks. This was a significant improvement. Though he anticipated that their bond might not be as strong as before, he hoped for the best.

He then turned his attention to Dratini, who was practicing moves like Twister, Dragon Breath, and Thunder Wave — primarily focusing on Twister and Thunderwave. From his previous knowledge, he knew that while Twister and Dragon Breath might not seem powerful, they were crucial foundational moves for young Dragons, acting as stepping stones to more powerful Dragon moves like Dragon Pulse, Outrage, and Draco Meteor. This was because Dragon energy was the most turbulent among all types.

He had gained this understanding after purchasing the breeding method for Axew and Dratini. For now, he preferred Dratini to focus mainly on Twister, using Dragon Breath occasionally since it consumed too much energy for a young Dratini.

Floyd then made his way to where Axew was training and observed Kanraku's Blastoise teaching him a move called Protect. Recollecting the missile incident, Floyd realized that Axew lacked defensive capabilities. While Dragon Dance could deflect normal bullets, it couldn't offer protection against larger threats like grenade launchers or missiles. Thus, Axew needed a genuine defensive move for protection, and Protect seemed the ideal choice.

Approaching them, Floyd was noticed, prompting both Pokémon to stop their training. He handed pokeblocks to Blastoise and Axew. However, compared to what he gave to Gyarados, Blastoise's pokeblock was of a more basic variety. He felt somewhat helpless, sensing an impending breakthrough but still unable to achieve it.

"Blastoise, I really troubled you with this, I'm truly sorry," Floyd said with a hint of embarrassment.

"Blastoise," the Pokémon replied, shaking his head as he ate the pokeblock. For Blastoise, Floyd had done so much more, especially since, without him, Blastoise would have never been reunited with his daughter and his partner, Kanraku.

"Axew, finish your meal, and then we'll head deeper into the forest," Floyd instructed.

"Axew," Axew nodded in agreement.

...

I've created a Patreon account here, and to be honest, I'm not very familiar with it. However, after giving it a try, I found it to be quite user-friendly. On Patreon, I've released advanced chapters ranging from 4 to 13 chapters ahead of the webnovel. The number of chapters you gain access to depends on the membership tier you choose - Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/iceclaw9113

For our regular readers, there's no need to worry. I will continue to release two chapters per day, so you're just a few chapters behind.

I've already watched many Pokémon movies, such as Hoopa, Jirachi, Swords of Justice, Reshiram and Zekrom, Arceus, Giratina and Shaymin, Dialga, Palkia, Darkrai, and Diancie. Therefore, the legendary Pokémon that will appear here later were inspired by those from the movies.