With Victini's help, Xia Chi soon adapted to the intensity of his daily training.
He worked hard on his physical fitness in the morning and honed his Aura control in the afternoon.
Before bed, he used the breathing exercises Mustard had taught him to clear his mind and restore his condition.
Day after day, his routine bordered on severe.
Once Xia Chi settled down and devoted all his energy to martial arts training, time seemed to fly by.
It felt as though he had only arrived on the island yesterday, yet his departure was already looming.
Two months later, June 28.
The faint light of dawn spilled across the Isle of Armor Dojo's rustic courtyard.
Xia Chi finished his early-morning physical training and slowly relaxed his stance.
He was bare-chested, and the scrawny, wiry physique he had arrived with had long since been transformed by his daily efforts.
His well-proportioned muscles gleamed with a healthy sheen in the sunlight, brimming with lean, compact strength.
"Kub!"
Beside him, Kubfu handed him a bottle of chilled Berry Juice, which Xia Chi accepted with a smile.
"Thanks, Kubfu~"
Over the past two months, the little Pokémon had practically become Xia Chi's shadow during training.
When Xia Chi practiced controlling Aura, Kubfu sat quietly beside him, offering pointers now and then.
When Xia Chi's Pokémon underwent special energy-control training, Kubfu joined in too, as though already part of the team.
Somewhere along the way, Xia Chi and Kubfu had developed an unspoken understanding and a deep bond.
Even the most oblivious person would know that, at this point, a simple beckoning gesture would be enough to get Kubfu into his Poké Ball.
Xia Chi was certainly not oblivious. He simply wanted to save this meaningful moment for a special occasion-
His departure.
That was