Chapter 9

"Chamo!"

Torchic responded with boundless energy.

It stretched its body eagerly.

For the past twenty days, Torchic had been restless, eager to grow stronger—just like every Pokémon with a natural drive for battle.

Tetsuya had already told Torchic about today's training session the night before. Back then, the little Pokémon had flapped its tiny wings confidently, acting like today would be a breeze.

Tetsuya had only smiled at his proud little partner.

According to his plan, the first twenty days of Torchic's life had probably been the easiest it would ever experience.

After all, all it had done was eat, drink, run around a little, and sleep whenever it got tired. Its only responsibility had been absorbing nutrients to grow.

But starting today, things would change. From now on, this little one would have to endure daily, scheduled training sessions—just like its predecessor, Pidgeot.

In this world, every trainer cherished their Pokémon, but that didn't mean they would spare them from hardship.

Only through rigorous training could Pokémon become stronger.

That was, after all, the essence of being a Pokémon Trainer.

Tetsuya had always found it strange—how did Ash's Pokémon in the old anime get so strong without proper training? It made no logical sense.

Strength wasn't something that just appeared overnight.

Even with top-tier resources, it still took dedicated, long-term training to convert that potential into real power.

Otherwise, it would be nothing but a paper tiger—strong in appearance but weak in reality.

Anime was anime. Reality was reality.

"I just hope this little guy has the endurance to stick with it," Tetsuya thought.

After all, when Pidgeot had first started training, it had struggled too.

Even though Pokémon wanted to get stronger, they were still like children—prone to moments of doubt. Pidgeot had wanted to quit plenty of times in the early days.

Only after training became a habit did it stop complaining.

A Pokémon's personality also played a big role. Tetsuya just hoped his Torchic wouldn't waste its championship-level potential by being lazy.

Otherwise, he'd have no choice but to curse his own luck.

But after spending so much time with Torchic, constantly teaching and encouraging it, Tetsuya was confident in its drive.

"Alright, our first training session starts with running."

Tetsuya pointed into the distance.

"The round-trip distance is about 10 kilometers. You and I will run together."

Training alongside a Pokémon was one of the best ways to build trust and strengthen bonds. Besides, Tetsuya needed to maintain his own physical fitness as well.

"Cha!" Torchic chirped excitedly, flapping its wings in agreement.

For Torchic, running was second nature. It spent most of its days running around the house already. Running with its trainer? That sounded like even more fun.

Besides, ten kilometers didn't sound like much… though, to be fair, Torchic didn't actually know how far that was.

Torchic eagerly signaled for its trainer to start.

Tetsuya, however, pulled out a black suit from the side—part of the weighted training gear he had purchased from Devon Corp.

"You'll be running in this."

Torchic tilted its head, watching as Tetsuya dressed it in the strange outfit. It curiously poked at the shiny section on the chest.

Tetsuya was adjusting the suit's weight settings, fine-tuning the distribution based on Zero's data.

The training suit had built-in standard settings from Devon Corp, making it easy for most trainers to use straight out of the box.

But with Zero, Tetsuya could make precise customizations. Torchic's development was far beyond its peers, so the default settings weren't accurate enough—he needed to adjust them manually.

Once he finalized the values, Tetsuya signaled Torchic to begin.

Torchic moved its body around a bit. It felt slightly heavier but didn't think much of it. With an eager chirp, it started running happily.

Tetsuya gestured to Pidgeot, who was standing nearby, instructing it to keep an eye on Torchic while he followed at a steady pace behind them.

Right now, Torchic was only growing fast because of its excellent nutrition and energy reserves. The real challenge would come soon.

Tetsuya jogged at his own pace, observing Torchic from behind.

Sure enough, after a few kilometers, Torchic started slowing down.

Its breathing grew heavy, and the weighted suit suddenly felt much, much heavier.

Torchic had never imagined running could be this exhausting. Its legs were starting to feel numb.

Tetsuya smirked as he watched his struggling partner.

You underestimated this, didn't you, little one?

Devon's weighted training suits weren't ordinary. They looked simple, but in reality, they acted like a mobile gravity chamber, providing comprehensive physical conditioning. Every part of the body experienced precise resistance, and different areas could be fine-tuned for maximum efficiency.

Zero's weight settings weren't random—they were calculated based on Torchic's physique and limits, ensuring maximum training effect without causing harm.

Checking the data, Tetsuya noted they had passed the three-kilometer mark.

He estimated that, given Torchic's current stamina, it would just barely manage to finish the full distance.

Jogging beside Torchic, he offered encouragement.

"Keep going, Torchic! Focus on your breathing and match your steps."

Torchic grit its beak and nodded, trying to regulate its breathing as it ran alongside its trainer.

—

By the time they arrived back at the backyard, Tetsuya took a deep breath. For him, this was just a light warm-up—Torchic's current pace wasn't challenging at all.

But Torchic?

"Cha… Chamo!"

The moment Tetsuya stopped, Torchic collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily, its feathers ruffled and damp with sweat.

Even the natural drying properties of Fire-types weren't enough to keep it comfortable—this level of exhaustion was new for it.

Tetsuya chuckled, kneeling to help Torchic out of its training suit, then let it sit and catch its breath.

Pokémon had different physiologies from humans—they didn't need as long of a cooldown period after exercise.

After offering Torchic some Oran juice, the little Pokémon recovered slightly within half a minute.

Tetsuya pulled up a chair, placed Torchic on his lap, and began a post-training massage using techniques developed by Zero.

Zero had analyzed countless data points and formulated an optimized massage routine for Pokémon recovery. Each stage of training had corresponding techniques to stimulate growth and speed up recovery.

Torchic, still exhausted, visibly relaxed under Tetsuya's careful touch.

The soreness in its legs faded gradually.

With Tetsuya's skilled massage techniques and just the right amount of pressure, Torchic felt truly at ease.

"Cha~!"

A blissful chirp escaped its beak, signaling its trainer had done a great job.

Tetsuya smiled as he patted the little guy's head, but he didn't stop the massage.

After about twenty minutes, he finally let go.

"Alright, little one, you've had enough rest. Let's move on to the next training."

Torchic hopped down reluctantly.

After spending twenty days together, it had learned to recognize when its trainer was joking and when his instructions were absolute.

Besides, Torchic was eager to grow stronger. The training was tough, but there were also soothing massages and delicious meals to look forward to.

"Your next training is right there."

Tetsuya pointed at the specially designed training area in the backyard.

At first glance, it resembled the infamous Wooden Dummy Alley from Shaolin legends, but with some modifications.

Most of the area was enclosed by a white net. Inside, densely packed wooden stakes were arranged in several rows, with occasional lone stakes standing in the middle of the paths.

This was an obstacle course, carefully designed based on Zero's calculations. The distance between each stake was precisely measured.

From the starting point to the finish line, the difficulty would gradually increase, pushing Torchic to its limits.

There were three preset routes, each progressively harder.

Additionally, Tetsuya could adjust Torchic's route on the fly, forcing it to react and adapt mid-run, further refining its agility and instincts.

To make things even tougher, more than a dozen small launchers were placed on either side of the course. These machines functioned like tennis ball launchers, firing bouncy balls at various speeds and angles.

The firing rate, ball hardness, and velocity could all be adjusted.

Their primary purpose? To interfere with Torchic's movement, adding an extra layer of challenge.

Each firing pattern had been precisely calculated by Zero, customized to match different routes and optimize Torchic's training.

From above, the layout of the stakes and launchers almost resembled a Bagua diagram—seemingly chaotic, yet beautifully structured.

Tetsuya looked at Torchic with a smile.

This entire setup had cost him a whopping 1.5 million.

The clerk at Devon Corp had been utterly stunned when Tetsuya purchased such a ridiculous number of launchers.

For an average trainer, even one was considered extravagant. Two or three? That was something only top-tier trainers used.

Tetsuya had bought twelve, plus a full set of weighted training gear.

Most trainers wouldn't be able to make use of that many machines.

But Tetsuya was different—he had Zero.

With Zero's precise control, he could extract the absolute maximum potential from his training equipment.

Torchic stared at the strange setup, confused about what it was supposed to do.

Tetsuya led it to the entrance of the course and pointed.

Each stake was marked with a different color.

"For today's session, follow the path marked by the green stakes. Got it?"

Torchic nodded.

"Run at full speed, and pay close attention to my commands. I'll be instructing you to use Quick Attack and Agility at specific moments."

Tetsuya's smile took on a mysterious edge.

Torchic tilted its head, peering into the course. It heard what Tetsuya said, but didn't think too much of it.

"Let's try it once. You'll understand soon enough."

Tetsuya's grin widened slightly.

Torchic, blissfully unaware of the impending struggle, was eager to begin.

Tetsuya adjusted the launchers, activated Zero's timer for data collection, and gave the command.

"Go!"

Torchic shot forward like an arrow.

It nimbly dodged two wooden stakes, feeling proud of itself—only to immediately encounter its first sharp turn.

Just as it managed to adjust its speed to take the corner, a large stake loomed right in front of it.

"Duang!"

Its small body bounced off the obstacle and hit the ground with a thud.

"Get up and keep running." Tetsuya's voice was calm and unwavering.

Torchic didn't hesitate. It shook its dizzy head, scrambled back to its feet, and continued sprinting.

The next challenge was an awkwardly placed stake that required careful footwork to avoid.

But just as Torchic was about to sidestep it—

"Use Quick Attack."

Torchic's instincts screamed that if it obeyed, it would crash headfirst into the stake.

But the trust and obedience ingrained in its bond with Tetsuya, along with the lessons drilled into it over the past twenty days, made it react instinctively.

It activated Quick Attack without hesitation.

Tetsuya saw a flash of light surround Torchic as its speed suddenly surged forward—straight into the wooden stake.

This time, the impact sent it tumbling back, rolling twice on the ground.

Before Tetsuya could even say a word, Torchic was already getting back up.

Despite how hard it looked, the impacts weren't actually hurting it much. Pokémon weren't fragile creatures, after all.

Torchic just felt embarrassed.

It had wanted to impress its trainer on the first attempt, but instead, it kept slamming into obstacles like a complete rookie.

The only sounds filling the training ground after that were Tetsuya's commands and the repeated thuds of Torchic colliding with wooden stakes.

By the time Torchic finally stumbled across the finish line, covered in dust, eight minutes had passed.

"Cha…" Torchic dragged its feet toward Tetsuya, looking utterly dejected.

It was sure its trainer would criticize its poor performance.

"Well done," Tetsuya said as he wiped Torchic down with a towel.

"Cha?" Torchic blinked in confusion, instinctively cooperating as Tetsuya cleaned its feathers.

"I mean it. You did really well for your first time."

Tetsuya wasn't just saying it to be nice.

According to Zero's initial projections, it should have taken Torchic nine minutes to finish the course.

But as the session went on, Torchic's reactions had steadily improved, allowing it to shave off an entire minute from its expected time.

That was genuinely impressive.

Seeing that its trainer wasn't lying, Torchic's mood did a complete 180. It started flapping its tiny wings excitedly.

"Cha!"

Tetsuya sighed at the little Pokémon's antics but couldn't help smiling.

"Alright, let's keep going. Today's training is far from over!"

Torchic let out a determined cry, unaware that this was just the beginning.

The session continued.

At first, the simplest route combined with Tetsuya's direct commands made things manageable. Torchic was clumsy but improving steadily.

But as it got more comfortable, Tetsuya activated the second difficulty level.

More paths opened. More launchers were activated.

That was when Torchic's nightmare truly began.

"You got this."