After that, he killed time with a stack of breeding manuals. Four hours slipped by before Pelipper winged back. Reiji hadn't even asked for a report when the old man came striding out behind Rhydon and Rhyhorn.

Before the old man reached the yard, Reiji recalled Pelipper. Rhyhorn trotted up all wagging tongue, clearly begging for the ore lure treat.

"Master, did Rhyhorn learn High Horsepower?" Reiji pushed away the slobbery tongue and looked past his partner to the old man.

"It's learned. Have Rhyhorn show you." The old man nodded, satisfied. The big lunk might look dopey, but it wasn't stupid. With his guidance and several demonstrations by Rhydon, Rhyhorn had picked up High Horsepower in a single afternoon. He'd even tested it in the grove—when that orange aura pulsed over its body, it matched Rhydon's aura perfectly. Only after confirming it several times did he bring them back.

"Learned it, huh?" Reiji tossed the ore lure to Rhyhorn, then popped open the proficiency panel:

[Rhyhorn]

Type: Ground/Rock

Gender: Male

Potential: 58.03%

Level: 24.98%

Abilities: Rock Head 21.15% / Hidden Ability: Reckless 16.17%

Known Moves: Counter 10.22%, Skull Bash 15.31%, Rock Polish 15.26%, Crunch 15.82%, Thunder Fang 6.45%, Ice Fang 12.94%, Fire Fang 11.91%, Rock Slide 6.21%, Stomping Tantrum 8.99%, Double-Edge 18.14%, Knock Off 7.37%, Bulldoze 9.17%, Horn Attack 23.53%, Rest 22.81%, Tackle 23.21%, Dig 8.73%, Rock Climb 11.27%, High Horsepower 1.28%.

He hadn't checked the big lug's panel in a week; the changes were real. Potential had crept up a hair—probably the gems. That alone made gems look worth pursuing. If he kept feeding Rhydon mineral stones, could he push potential to 59.99%? Level had ticked up three; progress was slower now, which was fine. Rock Head rose three percent, Reckless two—nice. If the lug kept headbutting trees every day, both would keep climbing.

Move gains were about what he expected: Rock Polish +5; Crunch +2 (great for hard food); Thunder Fang +1 (he didn't like eating with that one); Ice Fang +4 (favorite "eating" move); Fire Fang +2 (sometimes he liked it warmed); Double-Edge +2 (when plain ramming wasn't enough); Horn Attack +3 and Tackle +2 (tree work); Rest +3 (yeah, lots of naps); Rock Climb +4 (guess the runs help). And now the new Ground move—High Horsepower.

Seeing it on the panel was enough; no need to make him demo. If the panel said it was learned, then it was learned. The old man hadn't lied. Reiji thanked him and made to leave.

"Come again if you need another—guaranteed to teach!" The old man, reluctant to see such a straightforward-paying youngster go, even pitched his Rhydon for future lessons and promised "best prices."

Reiji didn't think much of the sales talk. Who knew where he'd be by the time his lug needed the next move.

It was past five. He shelved the second teacher for tomorrow and rode Pelipper back toward the Sailor's Bar, curious whether Skinny was still around after four hours.

He landed, recalled Pelipper, and headed inside. Since Poliwhirl's right arm was still bandaged, there was no point letting it out.

He asked the familiar server girl where the old man was and went up to the second-floor private room. The old man waved the server away and looked over. "Back again?"

"I told Skinny I'd meet him here. Haven't seen him."

"He's at the battle grounds, taking challenges," the old man said.

"Battles? Hah." Reiji smiled wryly. "What's that kid thinking?"

"They can't find you, so they're challenging Skinny instead." The old man didn't realize what Reiji had assumed and hurried to explain.

"You let that happen?" Only then did Reiji realize Skinny was running battles for him. The kid had heart.

"I warned him. It's only a few ten-thousands," the old man said with a helpless grin.

"Oh? Since when so generous? You nearly got yourself killed once over a few ten-thousands. What's the play?" Reiji didn't spare his face.

"Don't bring that up. You're the one person I misread," the old man sighed. Lucky he'd backed down back then.

"I'll go take a look." Reiji stood to leave.

"By the way, plenty of folks want you—some offering over a million—just to learn how you raise Poliwhirl. Want to see them?"

"No interest," Reiji waved. "I've already taught your grandson everything. Whether you pass it on is your call."

He knew a probe when he heard one. He didn't care. Waterfall looked flashy, but mastering it would take years even after learning the principles. He didn't believe a pack of hot-blooded kids would grind the same technique for years.

After Reiji left, the old man pulled out Skinny's notebook—the one the boy had just handed over. It contained the complete Poliwhirl combo method, with Waterfall as the core.

Reading it left him quietly stunned.

He'd assumed the "combo" was ordinary; in truth, the Waterfall burst research inside was anything but. Now he finally understood that eerie explosiveness yesterday—where it came from. If four meters already hit that hard, what happens at one?

Skinny had also said: the shorter the spacing, the greater the burst. He could picture it: compress to one meter and Poliwhirl's burst would be monstrous. He'd handled Poliwhirl for decades himself; a plain Waterfall, yet this kid had found a way to weaponize it. He'd never thought of it in all those years.

Feet for acceleration, fists for impact. Swap freely. He'd seen similar ideas before but never dug deep, dismissing them as "nothing special."

The notebook hammered the real keys: compress spacing, chain bursts. That covers Waterfall's weaknesses and multiplies power. He could already see it—once this leaks, the Poliwag line will spike in price. And not just that; he'd witnessed yesterday how far such a Poliwhirl could go, even into a straight brawl with an Electric-type's Thunder Punch. The method raises Poliwhirl's ceiling.

Anything that learns Waterfall would benefit, too.

And that was only the start. As Poliwhirl rose, the shockwaves would hit everything around it—eggs, food, items, battles… especially High-grade Water Stones.

The more he followed the branches, the colder his back ran. The cake was far too big. Whether you tried to snatch a bite from a tiger's mouth or "redistribute" the City's pie, he couldn't hold it. Too many interests.

This wasn't a "good thing"—it was a hand-scalding potato that drew envy and murder. He had to help the boy cover it up, highlight its flaws, and lower the heat.

Yes, it burned. The moment Skinny let him read it, he knew. If he were someone close to Elite Four, maybe he could guard it. But he was old; even keeping Senior strength was a stretch.

He'd warn Skinny: until you're at least an Elite trainer, do not expose this method.

Now he also understood why that young man stayed so low-key. He had to.

As written, if Poliwhirl survives the first exchange and fires second with full charge, it can decide a match with one punch. He even thought of the strongest Fighting move—Focus Punch. Fighting does nothing to one type, is resisted by five, super-effective on five, and neutral to the rest. Land it clean and, ghost aside, most targets are done.

And it isn't only Poliwhirl. Any Waterfall-learner could be remade by this method.

He shut the notebook with a sigh. Hide it. Let Skinny decide when he's grown—teach it, or keep it secret forever. By then the boy could stand on his own. Who knew if the old man would even still be around? No point fretting over five or ten years out.

Outside, Reiji knew none of this fretting. To him, the true core was Moisture Sense (his accidental discovery) and his proficiency panel. It was hard to believe no one in all these years had thought to use Waterfall this way; most likely, those who had kept it close.

When he reached the six battlefields by the Center, he arrived just in time to see Skinny's Poliwhirl trying to apply Waterfall mid-fight against a Mankey. The stands were roaring—gamblers red-faced and hoarse.

But Skinny's Poliwhirl had only just learned it; its footwork was raw, burst distance unstable—seven meters one time, eight the next. If the lunge whiffed, it needed to reset, and it couldn't chain bursts. Trying to force a point-blank burst, it never got the chance. In mid-burst it got read and swatted down.

(End of Chapter)

[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

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