Failure Is the Mother of Success

Xinhai and Torchic stood at the entrance to the Gravity chamber and exchanged a glance.

"Alright." "Torchic~"

The trainer and Pokémon stepped into the Gravity chamber. The instant they entered, the ease with which they had moved outside vanished, and immense pressure forced their bodies lower.

Xinhai had experience entering the Gravity chamber, so he fared a little better. It was Torchic's first time, and despite Xinhai's warning, it still nearly stumbled and fell at the entrance.

"Torchic~"

Although it steadied itself, Torchic was clearly not doing well. Xinhai, on the other hand, quickly adapted after enduring the crushing pressure of entering the Gravity field.

The sight made Hatake Changlin's eyelid twitch. He inwardly marveled, That kid Xinhai is getting more and more ridiculous. It's only a onefold Gravity field, but he adapted the moment he entered. That's seriously absurd.

As soon as Xinhai entered the Gravity field, he felt as though heavy lead blocks had been tied all over his body. Every movement became incomparably difficult.

He turned to look at Torchic and found that although it had not been crushed to the ground, moving was still extremely difficult. It could only inch forward step by step.

"Tor... chic..."

Torchic mobilized every muscle in its body, fighting Gravity with all its strength. Every step felt as difficult as breaking free from thick mud.

Xinhai and Hatake Changlin kept a close watch on Torchic. Seeing that it still refused to give up in such a harsh environment, both of them nodded.

After all, under such extreme pressure, refusing to give up was the first step toward success.

Of course, Xinhai was also training alongside it in the Gravity field, which undoubtedly gave Torchic even more motivation.

Seeing Torchic working hard to adapt to the pressure of the Gravity field, Xinhai quietly moved to one side.

He found a spot where he would not disturb Torchic but could still keep an eye on it at any time, then began his own training.

Hatake Changlin kept his gaze fixed on the instrument readings, closely monitoring changes in Torchic's physical indicators while constantly watching its condition to prevent any accidents.

Torchic struggled forward through the Gravity field. By the time it had covered half the room, it was already panting lightly, its Qi quickening. By the time it had covered two-thirds, every step had become exceptionally heavy, and it could barely take another.

"Tor... Torchic!"

Torchic stopped and panted heavily, struggling for Qi. It glanced at Xinhai, who was doing push-ups nearby, took a deep breath of Qi, took another deep breath of Qi, and slowly began inching toward the red line again.

Xinhai, who had been watching Torchic the entire time, saw this and the corners of his lips lifted into a faint, gratified smile.

Watching Torchic hunch beneath the weight of Gravity yet continue inching forward with determination, Hatake Changlin could not help but praise, "Xinhai really did find himself a good partner!"

Torchic continued inching forward step by step. When only the final quarter remained, it no longer looked anywhere else, staring only at the nearby red line.

When only the final fifth remained, Xinhai stopped exercising as well. He rose to his feet, his eyes locked tightly on Torchic as he silently cheered it on.

Hatake Changlin stopped recording data as well, watching Torchic with his full attention and quietly cheering for it.

Torchic continued moving forward. Before long, when it was only one-tenth of the way from the red line, every feather on its body had been soaked with sweat and plastered tightly against it.

Every feather on its body had been soaked with sweat and plastered tightly against it.

Though it persisted in moving forward, its steps grew smaller and smaller, each one looking incomparably strenuous.

After taking a few more difficult steps, Torchic's body began to sway, as though it might collapse at any moment.

Seeing this, Hatake Changlin helplessly shook his head and sighed. "It seems this is still too difficult for a level 6 Pokémon. But if Xinhai's Torchic can successfully cross the red line, it may truly have the potential to challenge the Elite level in the future..."

As he spoke, he pressed a button and shut off the Gravity field.

Xinhai quickly ran toward Torchic. Seeing it teetering on the verge of collapse yet still trying to inch forward, he clenched his fists, his heart aching.

When Xinhai reached Torchic's side, it seemed to sense a familiar Qi through its haze. It turned its head and, upon seeing its trainer, softly cried, "Torchic~" before collapsing from exhaustion.

Xinhai hurriedly cupped Torchic in both hands, looking painfully at the soaked and utterly exhausted little fellow in his palms.

He held Torchic tightly against his chest with one hand while gently stroking its little head with the other.

Hatake Changlin looked at Xinhai as he approached, then at Torchic, and sighed. "Go get it treated first. I've already activated the treatment room."

"Mm, let's go." Hearing this, Xinhai quickly headed toward the room beside them.

The two entered the room marked "Treatment Room." Xinhai recalled Torchic into its Poké Ball and placed it in a recovery machine similar to the ones beside Nurse Joy in a Pokémon Center from a game.

Hatake Changlin pressed the machine's red button. The slot holding the Poké Ball immediately emitted a faint yellow glow and began treating Torchic.

Watching the machine operate, Hatake Changlin said to Xinhai, "Xinhai, this Torchic you chose has quite good potential. It has the potential to challenge the Elite level, but actually reaching the Elite level will still be very difficult."

Xinhai stared at the Poké Ball receiving treatment and said firmly, "It's fine. Even if there's no opportunity, we'll create one."

As the first testing point among the trainer school's training facilities, the Gravity chamber was naturally not so simple. The red line within the Gravity chamber was like a dividing line, representing whether a Pokémon had a strong chance of becoming an Elite-level Pokémon.

An Elite-level Pokémon was one that had surpassed its own limits and could draw upon the attribute energy between heaven and earth. Every use of their moves represented destruction or rebirth.

To become an Elite-level Pokémon, one first needed unwavering willpower.

After all, on this challenging path, one would encounter countless failures and setbacks, and might even face mortal danger.

This alone was enough to eliminate ninety-nine percent of trainers and Pokémon.

Furthermore, the journey to the Elite level required years or even decades of continuous training—decades without relaxation, always maintaining strict self-discipline and perseverance.

This shut out the vast majority of trainers and Pokémon.

Beyond that, enormous resource investment was required.

Over several decades, vast sums of money had to be spent on high-level Energy Blocks and all kinds of training resources.

On average, the birth of every Elite-level Pokémon required an investment of tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions.

This undoubtedly eliminated another ninety-nine percent of trainers and Pokémon.

Although the Gravity field test appeared simple, Pokémon that could rapidly adapt upon entering for the first time and cross the red line as quickly as possible through sheer willpower had a chance to meet the first two conditions.

As long as sufficient resources followed afterward, they would have a strong chance of becoming Elite-level Pokémon.

Although Torchic had failed to cross the red line this time, its performance in the Gravity field had already far surpassed that of ordinary Pokémon.

Xinhai looked at the Poké Ball undergoing treatment, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.

Hatake Changlin patted Xinhai on the shoulder and said earnestly, "I knew you wouldn't give up easily. But even if there's a chance, gathering the resources you'll need won't be easy. You need to start planning early."

Xinhai nodded. He had already made plans in his heart.

At that moment, the treatment machine sounded a notification. Torchic's treatment was complete.

Torchic had not been injured, after all. It had merely overexerted itself, so it recovered quickly.

Xinhai took out the Poké Ball and released Torchic.

Seeing that Torchic had recovered but still seemed somewhat dejected, Xinhai smiled and comforted it. "Torchic, cheer up! It's alright that we didn't succeed this time. As long as we train hard together and try a few more times, we'll succeed eventually."

Torchic gave a few dispirited cries, as though it too realized this test had been unusual.

"Torchic! Torchic!"

Xinhai rubbed Torchic's little head and encouraged it. "Torchic, do you know? One failure doesn't prove anything. As long as we persevere and keep improving, nothing can stop us from moving forward."

"Torchic~"

Hearing Xinhai's encouragement, Torchic nodded its little head forcefully, and fighting spirit rekindled in its eyes.

Seeing Torchic pull itself together again, Xinhai smiled in relief, led it out of the treatment room, and began a new round of training.