Frozen Water Tornado

Feebas nodded and swam to the shore, affectionately rubbing against Lin Mo's fingers.

Lin Mo took the chance to stroke its scales. He could feel that the little fellow's body was slightly warm from the training just now, a sign of the rapid energy consumption inside it.

After resting for a moment, Lin Mo gave another command:

"Ready? Use Whirlpool first. Once the water tornado stabilizes, use Icy Wind on its outer surface. Remember, only freeze the outer layer of the water tornado. The water inside must keep rotating."

This was the ice-and-water combination move he had designed for the Pokémon Contest—Frozen Water Tornado.

The outer shell of ice could hold the water tornado's shape in place, giving the flowing water a sculptural three-dimensional appearance.

Meanwhile, the constantly rotating water inside would create a sense of motion. The collision of ice and water, the fusion of stillness and movement—it would definitely create a powerful visual impact at the Pokémon Contest.

Feebas took a deep breath and used Whirlpool in the water once more, creating a water tornado. This time, it was more stable than before, and its rotation was more even.

When Lin Mo shouted, "Now!" it suddenly swam up from the water and blasted an icy stream of air at the spinning water tornado—

Icy Wind came into contact with the water instantly, rapidly freezing into a transparent shell of ice along the edge of the vortex.

"That's it!" Lin Mo's eyes lit up.

The ice shell extended upward along the curve of the vortex, like a crystal-clear cover wrapped around the spinning water.

Best of all, Feebas precisely controlled the range of Icy Wind, freezing only about five centimeters of the outer water layer. The core inside continued spinning at high speed, creating the wondrous sight of "an ice shell enclosing living water."

Sunlight shone through the ice shell, refracting multicolored rays. The rotating water inside kept those rays flowing and shifting, creating a strange and beautiful sight.

Tyrantrum, secretly watching nearby, was utterly dumbfounded. It could not help letting out an amazed "Awoo!" while its tail slapped the ground with sharp smacks.

But the beauty lasted only two seconds.

The ice shell gradually failed to withstand the vortex's impact. Cracks began spreading across its top, then the entire shell shattered with a crack. Meltwater mixed with the water inside and crashed back into the pool, splashing up huge waves.

The combination move had failed. Controlling two moves at once was still difficult for Feebas. It sank dejectedly to the bottom of the pool, its tail drooping.

But Lin Mo merely smiled and shook his head as he comforted it. "Don't lose heart. It's already amazing that you managed this on your first try. You were using two moves at the same time—you did great."

As Lin Mo comforted Feebas, he picked up a piece of broken ice from the water, held it in his hand, and said to Feebas in the pool:

"Look, the ice shell was too thin this time. Next time, try increasing Icy Wind's power a little to make the shell thicker. At the same time, lower the water tornado's rotation speed a little. That should make the combination move last longer.

Take it slow. Don't rush. We still have a month. You've already managed to create the beginnings of this combination move, and that's excellent!"

After hearing Lin Mo's comfort and encouragement, Feebas floated up from the bottom and nodded firmly at him, fighting spirit blazing in its eyes once more.

It began practicing again, creating Whirlpools and releasing Icy Wind over and over, constantly adjusting the thickness of the ice shell and the speed of the water flow.

Watching Feebas train its combination move like a child under his encouragement, Lin Mo smiled knowingly.

Then he turned his gaze toward Tyrantrum, which was still secretly watching Feebas train nearby.

Tyrantrum was lying on the grass beside the pool, its little head bobbing along with Feebas's training rhythm. When the ice shell shattered, it even smacked its lips regretfully.

The moment it sensed Lin Mo's gaze upon it, it abruptly raised its head and obediently began practicing Dragon Tail. Its amber eyes sparkled as though it were saying, "I've been behaving and practicing my move the whole time."

Lin Mo sighed helplessly. Tyrantrum was still young. Unlike Feebas, which had been with him for so long, he could only coax it patiently into training.

"Tyrantrum, come here." Lin Mo beckoned.

The little fellow immediately sprang up excitedly and ran over on its short legs. It rubbed its head hard against his palm, making soft, spoiled "Woo woo" noises in its throat while its tail wagged like a tiny motor.

Lin Mo smiled and rubbed its head, his fingertips brushing over the two small orange horns on its forehead.

"Next comes your training plan. Starting today, you'll focus on practicing two moves—Dragon Dance and Ice Fang."

"Awoo?" Tyrantrum tilted its head, seemingly unfamiliar with the term "Ice Fang."

It opened its mouth to reveal its neat little teeth, then pointed at its mouth with a claw, as though confirming, "Do I use this?"

"Did you forget the move I sent into your mind last night? Focus and think carefully. Imagine a chill rising from your belly to your teeth, then gather that cold energy around them."

Tyrantrum half-understood as it closed its eyes. Its little mouth pursed, and gurgling sounds came from its throat.

A few seconds later, it opened its mouth again. A faint wisp of white mist appeared around the edges of its teeth. Though it vanished in an instant and could not last long, it was undeniably the beginning of Ice Fang.

"That's it!" Lin Mo praised Tyrantrum. "Try again and hold onto that cold air!"

Encouraged, the little fellow became even more enthusiastic.

It opened its mouth again and again. At first, the white mist flashed and vanished, but later it could keep a faint chill lingering around its teeth. Though it was still far from mastering Ice Fang, its progress was already quite obvious.

After practicing Ice Fang for a while, Lin Mo let it rest briefly before moving on to Dragon Dance.

"This is your most important move. Dragon Dance can not only increase your attack and speed, but also help you familiarize yourself with the flow of Dragon type energy within your body."

Lin Mo pointed to a flat rock beside the waterfall.

"Go practice properly over there. You need to carve Dragon Dance into your bones, so that every turn and every tail swing carries its rhythm;

Make it part of your body, woven into every movement, every turn, and every swing of your tail. Understand?"

Although Tyrantrum did not fully understand, it obediently followed Lin Mo's command and ran onto the rock. Taking a deep breath, it assumed the opening stance for Dragon Dance.

Its little claws tapped lightly on the stone as its body began twisting to a mysterious rhythm—

Its head swayed from side to side, the two short orange horns on its forehead glowing faintly. Whenever its tail swung, the wind it created was enough to stir the ripples in the surrounding water.

As the dance continued, a faint red glow gradually enveloped its body, proof that Dragon type energy was surging within it.

Lin Mo could clearly sense that Tyrantrum's presence had become much steadier than before, while the muscles along its limbs had grown firmer as well.

"Very good, keep that rhythm!" Lin Mo called from the side, secretly nodding as he watched its earnest expression.

Tyrantrum's aptitude for Dragon type moves far exceeded his expectations. Compared to its clumsy use of Ice Fang, its Dragon Dance flowed as naturally as an instinct engraved into its genes.

After performing Dragon Dance twice, Tyrantrum was already panting, lying on the rock with its tongue hanging out.

Lin Mo walked over and handed it a can of Miltank fresh milk. "Rest for a bit. Let's talk about the next part of the plan."

The little fellow gulped down the milk while Lin Mo sat beside it and pointed in the direction of Rustboro City.

"After some time, I'll take you to challenge Roxanne Gym. The Gym Leader, Roxanne, specializes in Rock type Pokémon. You'll be the main force in challenging her, so train your moves seriously, understand?

"The reason I haven't livestreamed your and Feebas's move training for others to see lately is because I want the two of you to make a strong first impression in the upcoming Gym battle and Pokémon Contest.

"This will be our first battle. I hope we can deliver a result we'll be satisfied with, okay? Tyrantrum, Feebas!"

Lin Mo spoke to Tyrantrum beside him and Feebas, which was practicing moves in the pool.

Feebas stopped practicing and nodded firmly at Lin Mo. Tyrantrum raised its head, still noisily sucking down milk, and let out a muffled "Awoo," as though saying, "Got it."