Pokémon: Trainer Paul

"Buzz!"

"Ursa!"

"Buzz!"

"Ursa!"

"…"

On the battlefield, Electabuzz and Ursaring clashed repeatedly, exchanging blows before breaking apart.

The surrounding Pokémon and Paul, who had paused their training to observe, could clearly see that Electabuzz was being overpowered by Ursaring. In fact, it seemed Ursaring was even holding back.

But Electabuzz fought like a rabid Pokémon, its eyes red with fury, launching a barrage of moves at Ursaring without any semblance of strategy.

If Electabuzz hadn't evolved due to consuming the elemental tablet, Zap Plate, or if it still required the Electric Booster to evolve, its current state of unbridled rage might have triggered an evolution out of sheer anger.

"Ursa!"

As the battle wore on and Electabuzz's fury began to subside slightly, Ursaring suddenly raised its middle claw toward its opponent.

Taunt!

Electabuzz lost control once more, diving back into its frenzied "mad dog" mode. Ignoring its advantages, it charged into close combat with Ursaring again.

At one point, Electabuzz attempted to use Thunder, but the roaring lightning bolt was effortlessly countered by Ursaring's Bulk Up-enhanced punch, which shattered the attack mid-air.

Not long after, Ursaring delivered a decisive Hammer Arm, knocking Electabuzz to the ground.

The entire battle was bizarre, leaving the surrounding Pokémon stunned.

Taunt: A move that enrages the target, forcing them to use only offensive moves for a set period.

"This move... it really works like that?"

Paul had Ursaring forcing to learn Taunt with the intention of opponents into a direct 1v1 slugfest.

In theory, if the levels were close, Ursaring wouldn't fear any Pokémon in a head-on fight.

But Paul hadn't expected the move's rage-inducing effect to work so effectively against Electabuzz.

"That's enough for now. Take a break and prepare for the next training session."

Paul pulled out some berries and potions to treat Electabuzz.

After resting, Paul paired up the Pokémon for different training exercises.

"Ursaring, team up with Vulpix to train based on your abilities. Try using your fire attacks to activate your respective abilities and learn from each other."

Paul had recently realized that Ursaring's Guts ability could be triggered by deliberately burning itself with Fire Punch.

This raised the question: Could Vulpix, with its Flash Fire ability, use its own flames to enter the Flash Fire state, boosting the power of its Fire-type moves?

It was worth investigating.

For instance, in a battle, if Vulpix used Flamethrower on Wobbuffet and Wobbuffet reflected the attack with Mirror Coat in the games, the reflected move would be considered a Psychic-type attack that could damage Vulpix.

But in reality, if the reflected attack was still flames, theoretically, Vulpix's Flash Fire should be able to absorb it.

Previously, when Meditite used its psychic powers to return Vulpix's flames, it successfully triggered Flash Fire.

Paul wasn't entirely sure if Vulpix could use its own flames to enter the Flash Fire state, but he believed it was possible.

If Ursaring could burn itself to trigger Guts, Vulpix using its flames to activate Flash Fire shouldn't be out of reach.

This could be a groundbreaking discovery for all Pokémon with Flash Fire.

Similarly, Paul wondered if Pokémon with the Water Absorb ability could do something similar, though the mechanics made success seem less likely.

As for the Volt Absorb ability, the idea of ​​a Pokémon using its own electricity to restore energy seemed inefficient, as it would expend stamina to regain energy, resulting in net loss.

"Ursa?"

"Vul?"

Hearing Paul's explanation, the two Pokémon exchanged a look, then moved to a corner with a Flame Orb to test the theory.

"Electabuzz, Dewott, you'll spar over there to practice your moves."

"My instructions are simple: You can only use close-range moves, and you can't repeat the same move consecutively."

Paul issued his orders.

"Buzz!"

Electabuzz narrowed its eyes, feeling like Paul was underestimating it.

It couldn't beat Ursaring due to its opponent's superior strength and Bulk Up.

But Dewott? If it came down to close combat, Electabuzz was confident it could knock out Dewott with a flurry of punches.

"Wear this."

Paul tossed two different-sized training weights at the Pokémon.

"Buzz..."

Wear these? Never mind, Electabuzz thought silently swallowing its earlier boast.

After donning the weights, Electabuzz felt its speed movement and power severely restricted. At that moment, it retracted all its prior bravado.

A true warrior knows when to adapt.

"Chaa!"

Nearby, Dewott now wearing its own training weights, was visibly excited. Despite the restrictions, the equipment helped it understand the purpose of the training.

It even ran up to Paul, requesting to increase the weight's difficulty but Paul declined.

"Too much of anything is counterproductive. Balance is key."

"Chaa!"

Understanding Paul's reasoning, Dewott faced Electabuzz and drew its scalchops, their edges glowing with the blue-white sheen of Razor Shell.

"Buzz!"

Not to be outdone, Electabuzz unleashed an electrified punch, meeting Dewott's attack head-on.

Fists and blades clashed in a dazzling display of power and precision. Dewott's moves were especially unpredictable, alternating between bold direct strikes and cunning feints, putting immense pressure on Electabuzz.

"Twig?"

Nearby, Turtwig approached Paul, eager for its training assignment.

"Your task is simple: practice the Growth technique, but not for permanent stat increases. Focus on temporary stat boosts while simultaneously training other moves like Solar Beam and Energy Ball."

The goal was to make Growth function like a passive ability, similar to Speed ​​Boost, allowing Turtwig to grow stronger over time during battles without interrupting its flow.

The training for Solar Beam aimed to increase energy absorption and charge speed, while Energy Ball helped refine its control over life energy.

Paul envisioned a future where Turtwig as a Torterra could fight relentlessly, becoming stronger with each passing moment thanks to a perfected Growth technique.

"Twig!"

Eagerly, Turtwig summoned Sunny Day, basking in the intensified sunlight to fuel its training.

The blazing sun dispelled the morning chill, energizing all the Pokémon as they continued their rigorous exercises.

The rising sun blazed with heat, spurred on by the Pokémon's moves, chasing away the chill of the early morning and energizing the Pokémon for their training.

"Vul~!"

Feeling the sudden surge of fiery energy coursing through its body, Vulpix experimenting with its ability suddenly remembered something it had yet to accomplish. Its eyes glowed a deep, eerie blue as it unleashed a special gravity field, enveloping all the Pokémon in its vicinity.

After executing the move, Vulpix resumed its attempts to activate its ability, Flash Fire.

Not long after, Vulpix succeeded in confirming that as long as it expended enough stamina and Fire-type energy, it could indeed enter the Flash Fire state.

However, due to its inexperience, the activation process was slow and exhausting. It didn't take long before Vulpix felt completely drained.

Another drawback was that activating the Flash Fire state on its own required constant energy to maintain, unlike absorbing external flames, where each absorption would sustain Flash Fire for a longer duration.

The training was as mentally taxing as it was physically demanding.

"Ursa~!"

Nearby, Ursaring watched Vulpix with a tinge of envy.

It had burned itself countless times just to barely achieve a state where it could intentionally inflict a Burn condition on itself. If its fur didn't grow back so quickly, it would have scorched itself bald long ago.

To reach a point where it could seamlessly enter a Burn state at will still seemed like a distant goal, requiring far more training.

Training continued relentlessly, with various methods cycling through the regimen. There were even combat drills incorporated into the schedule.

For instance, Vulpix—donning a specially designed training apparatus—practiced close combat by using Iron Tail against Dewott.

The combination of the twin blades and Vulpix's whip-like tails proved highly effective for the exercise.

Paul eagerly anticipated the day Vulpix would evolve into Ninetales, seamlessly controlling all nine of its tails in battle.

Additionally, Electabuzz was tasked with learning from Turtwig. The goal was to master the art of perpetual Work Up during combat—motivating itself in every moment to grow stronger.

This method of training, when paired with the Growth Training Method (Growth move), became known as the "Infinite Growth Flow" and "Infinite Motivation Flow."

Collectively, Paul referred to these techniques as the Infinity Strategy.

Still, there was a long way to go before achieving true infinity.

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