Special training

Xiao Wu finally regained consciousness.

"You're awake."

Chu Xin watched Xiao Wu with concern from beside him. Although they had fought hard right up to the end, Xiao Wu still hadn't beaten Growlithe. His opponent had completely blocked Xiao Wu's Dragon Rage with Protect and hadn't taken any damage at all.

Looking a little dejected, Xiao Wu rested his head against Chu Xin.

"Mu~" (I still lost in the end.)

Chu Xin hadn't expected Xiao Wu to take this match so seriously. He helplessly stroked Xiao Wu's head, hoping to comfort him.

"It couldn't be helped. That Growlithe was just too strong. You already did amazingly well to get that far."

"Mu." (But I still lost!)

Xiao Wu gazed at Chu Xin with watery eyes. The pitiful expression on his face amused Chu Xin. How had he never realized Xiao Wu was so determined to win?

"It's all right. We'll step up our training, and sooner or later we'll beat that Growlithe!"

Losing once was a good thing, too. Now that Xiao Wu had tasted the bitterness of defeat, hopefully he would take a more active part in future training.

Xiao Wu's performance in this battle had been impressive. First, he had used Extreme Speed to dodge Growlithe's attack. Then he had used the sparks scattered by Flamethrower to burn himself, activating his Marvel Scale Ability. That had allowed him to withstand Growlithe's devastating attack and launch a counterattack.

If Growlithe hadn't blocked Dragon Rage with Protect at the end, Lei Xiao might really have lost right there.

Lei Xiao really loved playing dirty. That Growlithe had to be incredibly strong. He and the newly hatched Xiao Wu weren't remotely on the same level. She was practically picking on a little kid.

Xiao Wu had given it everything he had, even performing beyond his usual limits. In the end, he had lost simply because his opponent had overpowered him.

"Get some rest first, Xiao Wu. Once you've recovered, we'll go out and step up your training. We lost this time, but we'll win the next one!"

Huh? Do we really have to? I don't think losing was that big a deal.

Xiao Wu grumbled inwardly, but seeing Chu Xin's determined expression, he could only reluctantly agree.

Once Xiao Wu had fully rested, Chu Xin took him to the plaza.

Following their usual routine, they started with physical conditioning before moving on to the next part of their training.

"Xiao Wu, you felt it yesterday, too. Our opponent was highly proficient with all his moves. There's a huge gap between us and that Growlithe!"

"Mu!" (That's true. He's really strong.)

At the thought of that Growlithe, Xiao Wu's expression turned serious. After all, he had been Xiao Wu's first opponent.

Losing really felt awful. Even Pokéblocks didn't taste good anymore!

"That Growlithe is fast and knows a lot of moves. We have almost no chance of winning a head-on fight, so if we want to beat him, we'll have to use Extreme Speed to put some distance between us, then attack him from range."

That Growlithe really was fast, and he knew plenty of moves. Xiao Wu's Extreme Speed was his only way to evade his opponent's attacks. To defeat Growlithe, he would have to use Extreme Speed to create some distance, then attack with Dragon Rage. Only then would he have a chance of winning.

Although Growlithe also had ranged attacks, Xiao Wu wasn't without other ways to respond. Marvel Scale could increase Xiao Wu's defense, keeping him from being at a disadvantage in a ranged exchange. He also had Shed Skin, which could remove his status conditions.

Right, Xiao Wu could also use Thunder Wave to restrict his opponent's movements by inflicting paralysis!

That sounded pretty promising!

"Mu!" (It sounds like I could win that way!)

Still, all of this was based on the strength Growlithe had shown so far. Chu Xin didn't believe that Growlithe would be beaten so easily. He was saying this mainly to help Xiao Wu regain his confidence.

Afterward, Chu Xin took Xiao Wu to another, special training area. Xiao Wu looked at him curiously as he led him into the woods on the hill behind the house.

"Mu?" (What are we doing here?)

"Xiao Wu, you'll be training in these woods next."

A Pokémon's strength in actual combat depended on its basic physical attributes and proficiency with its moves. Those basic attributes included stamina, physical toughness, speed, explosive power, coordination, and mental strength.

As a Dratini with a base stat total of only 300, Xiao Wu had relatively low basic physical attributes. Even though Chu Xin had been working on Xiao Wu's stamina over the past few days, he was still far behind that Growlithe.

That was also why Chu Xin had agreed to battle Lei Xiao. Actual combat was the ultimate test of his results.

During the battle with Growlithe, Xiao Wu had been able to keep using Extreme Speed to dodge Growlithe's attacks. That was the fruit of Chu Xin's stamina training.

But that still wasn't enough!

Xiao Wu still had shortcomings in many areas. There was a huge gap between him and Growlithe in physical toughness, speed, and explosive power!

So, to help Xiao Wu defeat that Growlithe, he had to improve Xiao Wu's abilities across the board!

If Xiao Wu could precisely control every aspect of his body the way a Coordinator's Pokémon did, that would also be an enormous improvement.

To train Xiao Wu, Chu Xin had brought him into this dense forest. It had once been Chu Xin's favorite place. The trees here grew close together and were very sturdy, and they were taller than the trees elsewhere!

Although he didn't know why the trees were like that, this was the most suitable training site Chu Xin had found after a great deal of thought.

To let Xiao Wu train without worry, Chu Xin had also asked the maid Aier to drive away the surrounding Bug-type Pokémon with repellent. She had taken Garchomp out for a stroll as well. Garchomp's presence alone was enough to scare off the nearby Pokémon.

Once everything was ready, Chu Xin finally brought Xiao Wu into the dense forest. This training task was simple: use Extreme Speed to sprint back and forth through the forest. The tree trunks made ideal obstacles, and this would train Xiao Wu's physical toughness at the same time.

Xiao Wu didn't have to worry about getting hurt, either. Aier had already prepared treatment nearby. If Xiao Wu was injured, she could come out and treat him at any time.

"Mu?" (Do I really have to do this?)

Xiao Wu looked at the densely packed tree trunks around him, his eyes full of worry. He knew what Extreme Speed could do. If he used it to sprint at full speed, he would definitely crash into a tree trunk. Those trunks looked sturdy, too. Hitting them was bound to hurt!

Of course, Chu Xin had anticipated Xiao Wu's hesitation. He had never experienced such grueling training before.

The battle with Growlithe hadn't just dealt Xiao Wu a heavy blow. It had also opened Chu Xin's eyes.

The more you sweated in training, the less you bled in battle. That old saying was right. If you weren't a little hard on yourself during training, you would suffer more injuries in battle!