"Farrrr…" Farfetch'd glanced at the other Pokémon watching, stretched out its neck stubbornly, and refused to go over.

In the end, Reiji gave Slowpoke a kick. Under Slowpoke's tug, Farfetch'd was finally dragged forward.

Slowpoke pulled Farfetch'd to Keiko's side and didn't let go. It kept holding onto Farfetch'd and even snatched away the leek stalk from its wing.

Slowpoke knew Farfetch'd hated humans. To prevent it from lashing out at the woman giving the massage, it had no choice but to do this.

Seeing the doubt on Keiko's face, Reiji quickly walked over, patted Farfetch'd on the head—only for the duck to smack his hand away with its wing.

He just laughed and explained to Keiko:

"Sorry, Farfetch'd is being temperamental. It's only fifteen minutes—just give it a casual massage."

"I understand," Keiko nodded gently. She began massaging Farfetch'd. Surprisingly, Farfetch'd didn't resist anymore, but quietly lay down to enjoy it.

Moments ago, when Farfetch'd saw the other Pokémon getting massages, they all looked so comfortable. Of course it wanted that too—only, it couldn't bring itself to ask.

Who would have thought Reiji would arrange fifteen minutes for it as well? Even Slowpoke didn't get that treatment.

For the first time, Farfetch'd felt that maybe this human wasn't so bad after all. After all, this didn't feel like the kind of treatment food would get.

Seeing that Farfetch'd wasn't showing hostility, Reiji secretly sighed in relief. In fact, this had been a test—pushing Farfetch'd's boundaries bit by bit.

Compared to before, Farfetch'd was already much better now. It no longer tried to slash him on sight. It had learned restraint, learned to hide its intent, and learned to accept…

So why didn't Reiji release it? Or eat it, for that matter?

Why keep such a disobedient Farfetch'd? Especially one with such low potential…

The reason was simple. If a free starter Pokémon appeared before him, he'd capture it too—it wasn't just about Farfetch'd.

But what really made him take it in was Farfetch'd's persistence. Even without outstanding talent, that stubborn will made it worth raising.

With proper training, Farfetch'd could still become an Elite-level Pokémon in the future—and a loyal one at that.

For Reiji, the key was to redirect that stubborn persistence toward himself.

It had been the same with Butterfree. It would be the same with Farfetch'd.

To win over these "problem children," you had to win their hearts.

As Farfetch'd slowly accepted his presence, and the other Pokémon around it, maybe it would eventually let go of its past.

Fifteen minutes passed quickly. Keiko's massage session ended. She packed up her things, left with her Meowth, and Farfetch'd fell asleep right there on the folding bed.

It was already past eight in the evening. Reiji didn't disturb Farfetch'd. Instead, he shouldered his space backpack and took Poliwhirl, Krabby, and Rhyhorn out for nighttime special training.

Poliwhirl needed to work on combo techniques using Waterfall as the core.

Krabby needed wide open beaches to run freely.

Rhyhorn needed to crash into trees at night—or else it wouldn't be able to sleep.

Since these kinds of training made a lot of noise, the courtyard at home wasn't suitable. Only the wilderness would do.

The rest of the Pokémon had no evening training scheduled, so he left them behind to guard the house.

The rented villa was close to the wilds. It didn't take long before Reiji and his three Pokémon reached the forest edge by the shore.

There were streetlights here, stretching all the way to the forest's edge. Reiji decided this was a good place to train.

"Poliwhirl, see those trees by the shore? Tonight's training is combo techniques—the same move you used at the orphanage. We'll start with punches…"

He pointed his flashlight at a tree as thick as a washbasin, curious to see how much destructive power Poliwhirl could unleash at full strength. In battles, he had never been able to gauge just how far he could go.

"Yobo! Yobo!" Poliwhirl pumped its fists, boasting its strength.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Now, go full power against that tree. Let's see."

Poliwhirl adjusted its distance, stopped about five meters from the trunk, and began charging. Both fists and feet swirled with water energy—too faint to notice until the fists glowed white-hot.

With a leap, Poliwhirl's punch slammed into the tree trunk.

Crack! Crack!

The tree groaned and collapsed backward with a crash.

"Holy crap… you actually broke it?" Reiji hurried over, shining his flashlight on the shattered trunk. The sheer power of that punch startled him.

He knew Poliwhirl had grown a lot—especially after that week of special training on the island. But still, to snap a tree as thick as that in one blow?

And this was just an Elite-level Poliwhirl. What Elite Four level? Or even Champion?

Reiji shivered at the thought. He'd seen what true top power looked like.

Like the giant Pidgeot boss he once witnessed—a single Hurricane had leveled entire swathes of forest. From kilometers away, he could still feel the cutting wind, sharp as blades.

Compared to that, an Elite-level Poliwhirl snapping a single tree wasn't so strange.

Still, he couldn't risk training here. What if someone accused him of damaging public property? Better to move deeper into the forest.

"Poliwhirl, Krabby, Rhyhorn—let's head inside."

They crossed past the fallen tree and walked another ten minutes until they found a flat stretch of sandy beach.

"Krabby, you train running with your pincers raised. Keep at it until you learn Agility."

"Krabby-krab!" Krabby clacked its pincers and started sprinting across the long flat sandbar, perfect for speed drills.

Rhyhorn didn't need orders—it had already started headbutting trees.

But Reiji wanted to measure its true power. "Rhyhorn, use Double Edge—full power against that tree!"

"Rhoo! Rhoo!" Rhyhorn scraped the ground with its forelegs. A yellow aura wrapped its body. Without hesitation, it charged, smashing into the trunk with a BOOM.

Leaves and a Caterpie rained down, but the tree itself still stood.

Reiji recalled the Caterpie into a Poké Ball, then told Rhyhorn, "Again! Double Edge, full force!"

Rhyhorn shook its head groggily, a bit dizzy from the last hit, but charged again.

BOOM! The trunk cracked audibly, but didn't fall.

"…So that's it?" Reiji checked with his flashlight. There was a deep fracture, but the tree hadn't toppled. One more strike might do it.

Three Double Edge at 120 base power each, boosted by Reckless to 140—yet still only enough to crack it. Compared to Poliwhirl's single combo punch that toppled one instantly, the gap was clear.

Maybe it was the combo technique's synergy? Or the item boost? Or just level difference?

After some thought, Reiji realized the main factor: the point of impact.

Poliwhirl had struck the upper trunk. Rhyhorn rammed the base. Like breaking chopsticks—it's easier in the middle than at the ends.

To test his theory, he had Poliwhirl strike again. Sure enough, the tree broke instantly.

He then had the Pokémon strip the branches, leaving a ten-meter trunk wedged between two other trees.

"Rhyhorn, back up a hundred meters. Use Rock Polish, then go full speed with Double Edge at the middle of the trunk!"

Rhyhorn nodded, sprinted back, then came charging forward, glowing with energy.

BOOM! The log shattered clean in half, and Rhyhorn plowed through, only stopping after smashing into another tree.

Reiji ran over in alarm—but Rhyhorn was fine, licking his hand playfully.

Relieved, Reiji concluded: yes, the impact point, speed, and distance made all the difference. Rhyhorn's full sprint carried far more force than a standing blow.

Still, in an actual battle, it was impractical—there'd be no time or space to build that much momentum. Unless the opponent stood still, the move was almost impossible to land.

Rhyhorn needed an explosive move like Poliwhirl's Waterfall combos. Scanning its movepool, Reiji's eyes lit up.

"High Horsepower."

A Ground-type attack, all-out force. Perfect for Rhyhorn.

There was also Rock Climb—a Normal-type burst move. But Reiji favored High Horsepower for the STAB boost.

Only problem: it's a Gen VII move, and in the Orange Islands era TMs/TRs or tutors for it might not even exist. He might have to reverse-engineer a method and let Rhyhorn self-teach it.

Maybe he could only hope Rhyhorn figured it out on its own. With its potential, maybe it could.

(End of Chapter)

[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

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