In Chu Xin's team, Kaka and Electrike both had clear training paths. As long as they followed those plans, their strength would grow rapidly.
Compared to Electrike and Kaka, however, Xiao Wu's progress was painfully difficult.
Xiao Wu's strength depended entirely on the Dynamax energy within him. His growth hinged on how well he could develop that energy.
Chu had discovered this trait while training Xiao Wu.
When Xiao Wu first came into contact with Dynamax energy, his strength had grown very slowly. He was a Dratini, and his strength would increase dramatically once he evolved into Dragonite. But Dragonite was a late-blooming divine beast; during a Pokémon's early and middle stages, as Dratini and Dragonair, its gains in strength were far less pronounced.
Chu Xin's Xiao Wu had temporarily broken through that limitation with Dynamax energy. Still, there was no denying that his strength would soar after evolving, whereas the gains he made through hard work in his Dragonair stage were truly meager.
For a late-blooming divine beast like Xiao Wu, the best way to grow was to evolve into Dragonite. Methods like Dynamax could only serve as supplements and did nothing at all to help a Dratini's growth.
That was precisely why Xiao Wu remained so wary within the team. He had always been the strongest Pokémon on Chu Xin's team, and even Kaka, with his formidable burst power, could only suffer defeat when facing Xiao Wu head-on.
Yet despite his tremendous strength, Xiao Wu still felt a strong sense of crisis. He knew all too well that his strength grew far too slowly compared to Kaka's and Electrike's.
After first mastering Dynamax energy, Xiao Wu had become full of himself for a while. But Kaka soon defeated him with Burst Aura Second Stage, crushing his arrogance outright.