Growth

Skill training was not recommended during a Pokémon's first week of life. Newly hatched Pokémon needed time to adjust.

So, during the week after Poliwag hatched, Zhang Cheng took Poliwag out for a run every morning.

Running together let him share the experience of training with his Pokémon while strengthening his own body. The wilderness held plenty of dangers, so being physically fit was essential.

It also helped deepen their bond. Training alongside a Pokémon made the Pokémon trust its Trainer more.

After every training session, Zhang Cheng rewarded Poliwag with some food and Pokéblocks.

That way, Poliwag would not grow to resent training. If a Trainer focused only on training without considering their Pokémon's feelings, the Pokémon would make slow progress and begin to resist.

Outside training, Zhang Cheng also played with Poliwag to strengthen their bond.

While they played together, Zhang Cheng discovered that Poliwag loved watching television. Whether it was a Pokémon-themed drama or an anime series popular with humans, Poliwag watched with rapt attention.

Zhang Cheng planned to buy Poliwag a television dedicated to Pokémon programs once he had more money to spare.

Whenever Poliwag was happy, Poliwag would chirp, "Poli! Poli!" looking utterly delighted.

Together, they spent Poliwag's first week of life this way, and their bond grew stronger.

After a week of development, Poliwag had grown a little bigger.

Next, Zhang Cheng planned to have Poliwag practice moves and develop some ability to fight.

The food he had bought when Poliwag hatched was almost gone, so Poliwag needed to become capable of battling as soon as possible.

Once Poliwag could battle, they could take on assignments at the League Center to earn money.

He could use those earnings to buy Pokémon supplies. His family was not well-off at the moment, and Zhang Cheng did not want to burden his mother.

Early the next morning, Zhang Cheng got up, washed, and took Poliwag to a nearby park to train.

Poliwag currently knew five moves. Two of them, Water Sport and Water Gun, were natural moves.

The other three were Egg Moves: Mind Reader, Bubble Beam, and Endeavor.

Water Sport reduced Fire-type damage for five turns. Zhang Cheng only intended to have Poliwag gain a basic grasp of this move.

Water-types already had an advantage over Fire-types in battle. Unless there was a huge level gap, this move was unlikely to be needed.

This Poliwag's Egg Moves, however, were all excellent, and Zhang Cheng intended to have Poliwag master them as soon as possible.

Mind Reader ensured that the next attack would hit the opponent. It was particularly effective when paired with powerful moves that had low accuracy.

An idea occurred to Zhang Cheng. Would pairing Mind Reader with Sheer Cold be unbeatable?

Sheer Cold had only a thirty percent chance of hitting, but a successful hit would make the opponent faint. Unfortunately, Poliwag could not learn the move, so he had no way to test it.

Bubble Beam was a damaging Water-type move with a power of 65, higher than Water Gun's 40. It also had a chance of lowering the opponent's speed.

Egg Moves took longer to master than a Pokémon's natural moves. Zhang Cheng planned to have Poliwag practice Water Gun first and use it as the main means of attack.

Once Poliwag had mastered Bubble Beam, it would replace Water Gun as the primary attack.

The final Egg Move was Endeavor. It dealt enough damage to bring the opponent's HP down to the user's own level. It worked well as a surprise move, allowing a Pokémon on the verge of fainting to make the greatest possible contribution to the team.

After gaining a basic understanding of Poliwag's moves, Zhang Cheng began having Poliwag practice Water Gun.

Zhang Cheng found a relatively thin tree trunk and had Poliwag use Water Gun on it.

At first, Poliwag's Water Gun was very weak. Hitting the trunk was little different from rain falling on it and had almost no effect.

Sometimes, the attack even went wide and missed the trunk entirely.

Poliwag was disappointed by the move's performance and felt that it had let its Trainer down.

Zhang Cheng understood how Poliwag felt and quickly stepped forward to offer encouragement. "It's natural to be clumsy when you first start using a move. Don't worry. We'll practice a little longer, and you'll see results!"

"Poli~ Poli~"

My Trainer believes in me so much. I can't let him down! Poliwag rallied and continued practicing Water Gun.

After practicing Water Gun, Zhang Cheng also had Poliwag try using Water Sport.

Water Sport only required the user to spray water outward and cover the battlefield.

Poliwag quickly learned to use Water Sport. After all, the move did not require much power. Covering the battlefield with water was enough to reduce Fire-type damage for a short time.

Once Poliwag had learned Water Sport and practiced it several more times to reinforce it, Zhang Cheng let Poliwag take a break.

He rewarded Poliwag with its favorite Pokéblocks to replenish its stamina. The long training session had taken a considerable toll.

After resting for a while, Poliwag resumed practicing Water Gun.

Throughout the practice, Zhang Cheng kept encouraging Poliwag. Hearing its Trainer's encouragement gave Poliwag even more motivation, and its proficiency with the move improved faster and faster.

As the sun sank in the west, a full day of training had made Poliwag's Water Gun increasingly accurate. Its power was also beginning to improve, enough to inflict minor damage on another Pokémon.

"Let's stop here for today, Poliwag. We'll continue training tomorrow."

"Poli~ Poli~ Poli~"

Poliwag cried out and pointed its head toward the tree trunk, indicating that it wanted to keep practicing.

It seemed his Poliwag was the competitive sort.

"You've already worked very hard today. We'll keep training tomorrow. Overtraining isn't good for you, either." Zhang Cheng patted Poliwag's head as he offered encouragement.

"Poli~ Poli~"

Poliwag was delighted to hear its Trainer acknowledge its efforts. It scampered up onto Zhang Cheng's shoulder, and the human and Pokémon set off for home together.

The setting sun shone on Zhang Cheng's back, gilding him with brilliant golden light, like the radiance that marked a champion.