Chapter 183: Innate Talent

"Gardevoir, use Psychic to restrain its movements, then follow up with a Psyshock!"

Floating midair with its Psychic powers, Gardevoir gazed down at Arbok, which struggled desperately to break free but was firmly pinned in place by Psychic.

At the beginning of the battle, Arbok could still resist Psychic's hold.

Now, after an intense battle, with numerous injuries and being naturally weak to Psychic-type moves, Arbok found it nearly impossible to break free.

Just as Arbok refused to give up, it suddenly realized the invisible force binding it had vanished. Without stopping to question why, it immediately writhed in an attempt to escape.

Unfortunately for Arbok, Gardevoir had released it precisely because there was no longer any chance of escape.

Psyshock was unleashed, and an invisible force struck Arbok head-on.

With Psychic-type attacks dealing double damage, Arbok not only sustained severe injuries but also felt its entire body overwhelmed by pain.

Fighting back the urge to writhe on the ground to ease the pain, Arbok struggled to get up, staring at the descending Gardevoir. Its eyes were filled not just with resentment but, more prominently, fear.

Arbok no longer dared to attack. Instead, it turned and tried to flee into the nearby bushes. However, Gardevoir effortlessly pursued it with Teleport.

Once again, Psychic was combined with Psyshock, sending Arbok flying into the air.

This time, as it crashed to the ground, Arbok could no longer stand. It had lost all ability to battle.

Having secured victory, Gardevoir used Teleport to bring the defeated Arbok to Ron's side.

Throughout the entire battle, Arbok hadn't landed a single hit on Gardevoir—even though Gardevoir had only used Teleport and hadn't yet combined it with Shave.

As his Pokémon continued to grow stronger, Ron also began noticing distinct traits emerging due to his Fighting Aura.

Machamp's raw power, Persian's unmatched speed, Bellossom's remarkable mental resilience, Nidoking's mastery over moves, and Gardevoir's exceptional psychic talent—each of them displayed unique strengths.

Perhaps they had always possessed these talents. However, Ron highly doubted he was lucky enough to capture a Pokémon that just happened to excel in a particular trait.

Take Bellossom, for example. When Ron first caught it as a Gloom, he had noticed its relatively stable temperament but nothing as exceptional as its current state.

His training methods were indeed superior to an average Trainer's, but they were still far from rivaling those of elite families or corporate-backed Trainers.

The only plausible explanation was the presence of his Fighting Aura.

From its initial healing properties to its ability to perceive Pokémon's levels and potential, then its gradual enhancement of their aptitude, and now, its capacity to amplify specific traits—Fighting Aura had revealed its astonishing capabilities step by step.

Compared to other abilities Ron had encountered, Fighting Aura was undeniably stronger, almost as if two separate powers had merged into one.

Because of this, Ron became even more cautious about concealing his unique ability—at least until he had built enough strength to protect himself.

After providing a quick treatment for Arbok, Ron set out again, searching for a suitable opponent for Gardevoir.

With its latest battle, Gardevoir had reached level 31. Though still some distance from the threshold limiting its Psychic abilities, it was now close enough to level up again.

At this pace, Ron estimated that before the Indigo Plateau Conference, Gardevoir would reach Mid-Elite rank.

Meanwhile, back at Bamboo Forest Gym, Bellossom had embarked on a new phase of training—developing its own unique sword technique.

Instinctively, Bellossom aimed to incorporate Finger Pistol into its swordplay, hoping to enhance the power of its strikes.

With a clear goal in mind, refining its technique became significantly easier.

In the dense forest, Gardevoir honed its psychic detection abilities, expanding its range to a staggering 600 meters.

According to Ron's calculations, once Gardevoir advanced at level 36, its detection range would likely surpass 1,000 meters.

With such a vast sensory range, locating wild Pokémon became increasingly effortless.

It wasn't long before Ron found a suitable opponent for Nidoking—a wild Nidoking at level 36!

The moment the wild Nidoking spotted Ron's own Nidoking, its eyes filled with vigilance.

Unlike Ron's Nidoking, which possessed the Sheer Force ability, this wild Nidoking had Rivalry.

With two male Nidoking encountering each other, territorial instincts flared, and the wild Nidoking was already preparing for battle.

"Nidoking, let's see just how much stronger you are compared to the average Nidoking. Use Blizzard!"

A bone-chilling frost surged forth. During their previous battle against the Granite Poachers, Ron's Nidoking—then at Low Elite rank—had struggled to inflict significant damage on Mid-Elite opponents.

But now, against another Low Elite Pokémon that was also weak to Ice, the sheer power of Blizzard—combined with the Life Orb's boost—was on full display.

More importantly, Nidoking's refined control over moves subtly enhanced Blizzard's destructive force.

Unlike Ron's Pokémon, the wild Nidoking had no access to TM moves, leaving its arsenal relatively limited. It had no choice but to counter with Earth Power, raising a protective barrier of energy-infused ground.

However, the howling blizzard swept through, freezing and shattering the earth barrier in moments before crashing into Nidoking's body.

After the blizzard subsided, the wild Nidoking stood stiff, its body frozen in place.

"Warm him up, Nidoking! Use Fire Blast!"

Scorching flames gathered, amplified by the Life Orb's energy. Ron's Nidoking unleashed a Fire Blast nearly twice the size of an average one, with power to match.

As the massive flames surged closer, the wild Nidoking felt warmth—but far more than that, it felt fear.

With a roar, it charged forward, executing a Double-Edge attack, one of its inherited moves, straight into the blazing Fire Blast.

The outcome was obvious. Fire Blast's overwhelming power crashed down, and the wild Nidoking had no choice but to retreat, filled with regret.

Another Blizzard howled through the battlefield. Still reeling from the recoil of Double-Edge, the wild Nidoking's mind was clouded, and it could only muster Earth Power in a feeble attempt to resist the ice.

The moment Blizzard subsided, Nidoking retaliated with Ice Beam.

Relentless assaults came one after another. The Ice-type moves struck Nidoking's weakness, pushing its stamina to the brink. Trapped within a solid block of ice, it could no longer fight.

Watching Nidoking closely, Ron's mind began piecing together a new move set for it.

It was still just a rough concept. To refine it, he would need to experiment further in battle, guiding Nidoking toward mastering this strategy.

Meanwhile, at Bamboo Grove Gym, Bellossom had begun forging its own swordsmanship.

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