For the third match of the Champion League, Terrance attended as usual.
Because he carried the expectations of the Pokémon Contest faction, the strength of the opponents he encountered increased gradually, giving him ample time to prepare. This was all thanks to the faction's arrangements.
Pupitar, Ninetales, and Gardevoir.
These three Pokémon were Terrance's main training focus during the Champion League. There had originally been a fourth, Carbink, but unfortunately Carbink had fallen into a deep sleep and could not participate.
In the third match, his opponent still failed to force Terrance to send out a fourth Pokémon and was defeated.
After finishing the third battle of the Champion League, Terrance continued to build up his foundation.
He had less than five months left. During these months, Terrance packed his schedule tightly, leaving only a few days of rest for himself and his Pokémon.
The primary task of his main Pokémon was to fully absorb the Genetic Potion and integrate the benefits gained from it into their battle systems.
In addition, certain Pokémon were assigned other tasks.
For example, Altaria trained its Flame of Life and vocal techniques, as well as practiced Sunny Day alongside Arcanine…
Pupitar mainly tempered itself in the Desert Ruins. While Beautifly taught it air current techniques, it also used its Wind Domain there to withstand massive sandstorms, improving itself in the process.
Terrance himself was not idle either. All the supportive work for his Pokémon's training was handled by him—food, nutritional supplements, maintenance, medical care, real combat, and even entertainment.
The method Terrance chose was "using war to sustain war". [TN: "Using war to sustain war" is a military concept that refers to using the resources of occupied territories to support an army. ]
He obtained resources through real combat against illegal organizations, invested all those resources into his Pokémon, and then continued fighting.
Terrance rotated the Pokémon in his team, striving to give each one real combat experience. This kind of combat was different from ordinary battles. Although the opponents might not be as strong individually, they were numerous and sometimes even wielded firearms or technological weapons. Fighting them was far from easy, and a moment of carelessness could result in being attacked.
Of course, before deploying his main forces, Terrance's primary focus was tempering Togepi.
This Togepi has excellent talent. If nurtured properly, it could become another core member. Terrance had not abandoned their agreement and consistently let it take the vanguard.
Aside from that, Terrance did not allow Togepi to come into contact with Altaria's Fairy Aura too early to prematurely unlock its potential.
Terrance wanted to try a different training method. Unlike the gentle nurturing approach he had used with Vulpix, Ralts, and Carbink, he intended for Togepi to grow through fierce combat. This would better temper a Pokémon's battle awareness. The drawback was that if mishandled, it could leave hidden injuries and limit a Pokémon's potential.
Altaria's Flame of Life perfectly resolved this flaw, allowing Terrance to confidently use this rapid training method. After battle, not only were the Pokémon unaffected by injuries, but by bathing in the Flame of Life and receiving nourishment from life energy, their bodies became even healthier.
And so, two months passed.
During these two months, Togepi and Froakie underwent a transformation in strength, all gained through real combat. Terrance did not set specific developmental paths for them.
Two months of tempering also forged a solid friendship between Togepi and Froakie. The two Pokémon coordinated exceptionally well. What Togepi loved most was obtaining Protean Ability from Froakie.
And Froakie, after two months of fighting, gradually became accustomed to Togepi's Super Luck Ability, frequently striking enemies' vital points in the heat of battle.
Through battle, Terrance discovered that this Froakie possessed exceptional combat awareness. It was highly adept at judging situations and had remarkable endurance. Terrance paid close attention to this particular trait for a long time and eventually reached a conclusion:
Because Froakie had experienced the destruction of its homeland and the cruel taming process of poachers, the dramatic upheavals in its life had forged outstanding willpower, resilience, and mental fortitude. Of course, while this quality was nothing extraordinary in Terrance's eyes—merely something an excellent Pokémon ought to possess—for a growing Froakie, it was an exceptionally rare starting point. If it wished to grow stronger, these qualities would allow it to avoid many unnecessary detours.
Care, treatment, maintenance, and… food.
These were the matters Terrance most often discussed with Togepi and Froakie.
Terrance did not rush for quick results. He simply treated them the same way he treated his other Pokémon. After two months, Togepi and Froakie gradually began to adapt to this pace of life.
Causing trouble was Togepi's favorite pastime. Now, Terrance kept providing it with one hellish hurdle after another that seemed impossible to clear. Though Togepi resisted during the first two attempts, its competitive spirit was slowly ignited.
Watching Terrance's Pokémon repeatedly step in to clean up after it and Froakie, effortlessly resolving every situation, made Togepi begin to doubt its own abilities. But it refused to admit defeat.
Froakie changed as well. Personally rescuing many Pokémon who had suffered the same fate as it had was the root of its shift in mindset. And after every fierce battle, Terrance's meticulous care and gentle treatment only deepened Froakie's attachment.
Most importantly, Terrance firmly captured the hearts of both Pokémon through their stomachs.
How could wild Pokémon possibly withstand the bombardment of "sugar-coated shells"?
Amid the endless variety of delicious food Terrance prepared, the two Pokémon fell completely.
Every time they completed a mission, Terrance would prepare several new kinds of delicacies. Over time, the two tsundere-like Pokémon accepted this arrangement.
After adapting, aside from occasionally plotting an escape, Togepi's mindset gradually shifted toward finishing its mischief as quickly as possible so it could enjoy good food.
The fundamental reason the two Pokémon willingly indulged in this life, however, lay in something Terrance once said:
"Everyone who helps dismantle a poacher gang earns merit, you're no exception. According to the rules, bonuses are distributed based on contribution. But I figured that money would be useless to you, so I took the liberty of exchanging it for food instead."
This explanation was easier for the two Pokémon to accept. As time passed, the "evil" Togepi became less interested in making trouble for Terrance and instead, for the sake of snacks, went to even more ruthlessly torment the poachers.
Within two months, Terrance fought six more Champion League matches and destroyed thirteen illegal strongholds.
Poacher gangs across various regions mostly operated along coastal areas and preferred committing crimes across regional borders, making it difficult for local authorities to track them. Thus, apprehending such criminals had always been the responsibility of the International Police.
What frustrated Terrance was that recently, the poachers seemed to have caught wind of something and no longer dared to show themselves. Their strongholds had also begun relocating, as he had already come up empty-handed several times.
Terrance's swift and decisive actions had forced these criminal organizations to halt their operations entirely, some of them had even stopped committing crimes altogether.
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