Terrance had been resting in Fallarbor Town for a while since experiencing the Super Grand Festival and completing the Senior Breeder exam.
During this time, in addition to training his Pokémon, he occasionally took over Kotoko's work, overseeing one or two Gym assessments.
Besides that, he had also been studying the foundational knowledge of genetics passed on to him by Master Victor. According to Master Victor, mastering this knowledge was a necessary preparation before inheriting his secret techniques as a Top Breeder.
Since Terrance already had the foundation of an Intermediate Breeder, Master Victor wasn't worried about his ability to learn this on his own. After all, the books and notes he had provided explained everything clearly. And if worst came to worst, with how convenient communication is nowadays, Terrance could contact Master Victor anytime if he had questions.
Just like that, Terrance returned to a peaceful life during this period. However, his mind was far from calm, there was still one task he had yet to complete: formulating food that could support Arcanine's increase in size without affecting its health and growth.
As Pokémon were granted totem aura, their ability to harness that aura became increasingly efficient over time.
However, Terrance still hasn't forgotten that there is some difference between Pokémon that became Totem Pokémon through artificially granted totem aura and Alola's Totem Pokémon.
It was body size!
Totem Pokémon in the Alola region were significantly larger than normal Pokémon.
This enormous size didn't hinder their power; on the contrary, it seemed to allow them to better unleash even greater strength.
In the wild, there are also many reasons why some Pokémon grow much larger than others of their kind. This size difference can have both positive and negative effects, but undeniably, for certain Pokémon with aggressive combat styles, having a bulkier and larger physique allows them to exhibit greater power.
"Arcanine relies mainly on power and speed to generate explosive force..."
"If the increase in body size can ensure a perfect balance between power and speed, then it would definitely have a positive impact on its strength."
The reason why Pokémon may struggle to control their power when growing larger is mostly due to poor body coordination and lack of control. But for someone like Terrance, a Top Coordinator, these weren't major issues. With dedication, proper training and planning could address all of them.
Of course, the positive effect of increased body size on strength applied specifically to Arcanine due to its fighting style, but for a Pokémon like Castform, the results might not be the same. So for now, Terrance only intended to preliminarily verify the relationship between "totem aura" and "body size."
As for how exactly to raise other Pokémon going forward… Terrance hadn't fully decided yet.
Beautifly, Altaria, Mismagius, Arcanine, Castform, Gallade, Alolan Vulpix, and Larvitar—the first six were the absolute main team that Terrance had spent years carefully raising. Spending such a long time nurturing only six Pokémon showed just how much effort Terrance had invested. Naturally, their strength had also grown impressively as a result.
As for the last two, Terrance was still in the process of training them. They were his backup main members.
In order to fully take care of all his eight Pokémon, Terrance had specifically disabled the transfer system linked to his Poké Balls. As a "civil servant" under the League, he had the authority to do this.
Aside from these eight Pokémon, Terrance also had a special partner: Rotom Pokédex.
This Pokédex, inhabited by an Electric and Ghost Type Pokémon, had developed a full range of expression and possessed many powerful functions, effectively making it a living entity. Terrance currently relied heavily on Rotom Pokédex for most of his Pokémon training tasks.
"Lost contact with Teacher Teresa and Akon..."
Inside the Fallarbor Gym, Terrance furrowed his brow slightly upon receiving this news.
After returning from Alola, he had tried to find Teacher Teresa to inquire about "knowledge related to breeding methods for increasing body size." However, the information he received at the time was that Teacher Teresa and Akon had gone on a training journey. Since then, Terrance has not contacted them again.
Originally, Terrance had planned to contact Teacher Teresa when he had time to ask about how to formulate Arcanine's food, but before he could take the initiative, bad news came from Teacher Julian at Crown Academy.
"What happened..."
As he browsed the message sent by Teacher Julian, Terrance was slightly stunned. Teacher Teresa and Akon had already been out of contact for half a month. The last confirmed information was that the two of them had entered the danger zone of Kalos: the "Annapurna mountain range."
After reading the information, Terrance immediately contacted Teacher Julian.
On the video call, Teacher Julian's figure gradually appeared on the screen.
Teacher Julian still wore the same serious expression. Compared to how he looked when teaching Terrance, there was no change, or rather, that was simply the standard look of those from the International Police.
"You've seen the message, right?" Teacher Julian asked.
"I saw it. What exactly happened?" Terrance asked quickly.
"Teacher Teresa took Akon on a training journey without a specific objective. They ultimately lost contact in the Annapurna mountain range. It's already been half a month. Akon's father has hired explorers to search for the two, but those explorers aren't strong enough to venture deep into the mountains. They just wandered around the outskirts and didn't gain anything. Now, the academy is also planning to send people into the Annapurna mountain range to search for them. They should have already arrived in the Kalos region by now."
"No specific objective?!" Terrance questioned, puzzled.
"Yes, it's precisely because the training journey lacked a clear purpose that it's so difficult to track their movements." Teacher Julian rubbed his head.
This kind of situation… was basically no different from openly skipping class. Terrance's mouth twitched slightly.
However, now was not the time to dwell on such matters. The two of them had been out of contact for half a month. They may be in danger.
"I'm going to Kalos too," Terrance said.
"Alright." Julian nodded. "The Annapurna mountain range is an undeveloped terrain. You're aware of the Lost Region classifications, right? According to that, it should be considered a C-Level Lost Region. Ordinary Trainers simply can't venture far into it."
"Although Akon's father, Ken Matsuda, is now spending a fortune online to hire Trainers to search for his son, time is of the essence. We need to mobilize all possible resources to find them. Your current strength may even surpass that of the teachers the academy is sending. Given your close relationship with Teresa and Akon, having you involved can increase the chances of finding them deep within the Annapurna mountain range."
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