Over the past few days, while Xinhai had been constantly engaging in high-intensity battles, the other Gym instructors and Gym disciples who had gone home for the New Year gradually returned to Rustboro Gym.
More and more instructors and apprentices filled the Gym each day. Battles went on in the training grounds from morning to night, with the crashes of colliding energy, shattering rocks, and referees' flags falling one after another.
Over those few days, Xinhai met several other Gym instructors and battled each of them once or twice.
Most of the Pokémon used by these Gym instructors were Rock and Ground types, but their battle styles, pacing, and tactical preferences varied greatly.
Some liked to use Sandstorm and Rock Tomb to wage positional battles, slowly wearing down their opponents' stamina and patience;
Others favored overwhelming suppression, launching relentless attacks right from the start in an attempt to force openings before swiftly ending the battle;
There was also an older instructor who excelled at using the high defenses of Rock-type Pokémon to set traps, luring opponents into attacking before counterattacking.
Taking turns battling opponents with different styles greatly improved Xinhai and his partners' understanding of various tactics and their ability to react to them.
Whenever they encountered a new Trainer, they had to quickly adjust their own pace and responses according to their opponent. This process of learning rapidly through actual combat was far more effective than simply repeating training.
As more Gym disciples gradually returned, Xinhai sought out several Gym disciples he knew and arranged an additional Advanced Pokémon battle every day.
These battles were not about victory or defeat. Their main purpose was to provide Charmeleon, Fraxure, and the others with real combat experience.
Charmeleon grew quickly under the guidance of its seniors and through these practical battles.