"Captain, where's the next location?"
Jade Joy and Lan Jenny had now become Terrance's little fangirls.
In two months, they had destroyed thirteen illegal strongholds. Such a feat earned this formidable Trainer the deep admiration of not only them but also many of the police officers who accompanied the operations.
"I don't know."
Terrance spoke with some frustration. "I'm guessing the locations listed here are already obsolete. We'll need updated intelligence."
After finding three strongholds completely abandoned, Terrance finally gave up. He figured that the locations initially provided by the International Police had probably already turned into useless scraps of paper.
It was understandable… After destroying thirteen illegal strongholds in two months, even a large organization like Team Rocket would have to lie low. Who would dare to commit crimes head-on at a time like this and attract the police's attention? With no profit to gain, big organizations weren't willing, and small ones simply didn't dare.
"Then…"
"We'll stop operations for a while. My next Champion League match is about to begin. I've heard this opponent is different from the previous ones—a formidable adversary."
Terrance said to Jade Joy and Lan Jenny.
In an email from his assistant Sharan, his next opponent had been described in detail.
The man was approaching middle age and commanded three Elite Four–level Pokémon, along with three others close to Elite Four level. He could be considered a "quasi–Top Trainer."
In past matches, Pupitar, Ninetales, and Gardevoir had been enough to secure victory. But judging from this lineup, the upcoming opponent would be difficult to handle.
If he still wanted to win relying solely on Pupitar, Gardevoir, and Ninetales, it wouldn't be so easy this time.
"Alright then, we wish you a victorious return, Captain." Jade Joy and Lan Jenny said weakly, though neither of them believed Terrance would lose.
"I'll take your blessing," Terrance smiled.
…
One day later, Hoenn Desert.
Terrance hurried there to pick up Pupitar and Beautifly.
As he entered the Desert Ruins, he couldn't help but click his tongue.
"It's only been a week, but this hole seems a lot deeper."
The small pit from before had, over the course of two months, been devoured into a bottomless chasm by Pupitar.
Its depth was unknown, but Terrance knew it hadn't reached its limit yet.
"Pup~itar!"
Nearby, a lively and energetic Pupitar grinned when it saw Terrance arrive.
"You little glutton."
Just from Pupitar's current build, Terrance could tell it had been living very comfortably.
If eating counted as training, countless Pokémon would rush toward it.
Pupitar had stumbled upon exactly that kind of good fortune. Feasting on delicious food while strengthening itself at the same time. These past two months had left it immensely pleased.
Terrance had come this time to bring Pupitar and Beautifly back to prepare for the Champion League. But as Pupitar came closer, Terrance received some new information.
"Something like that happened?" Terrance asked in surprise.
Two days ago, Pupitar had noticed a slight change in the rocks it was eating, like the proportion of underground ores similar to Smooth Rock had increased.
"Could it be getting close to the source?" Terrance guessed, staring into the pitch-black, unfathomably deep hole.
"Pup~itar!" Pupitar shook its head, indicating that it was only responsible for eating, not research.
"Alright. I suppose next time we come back, we'll know the answer." Terrance cast another glance at the deep pit, anticipation rising within him.
After two months, Pupitar's strength had increased dramatically. In the Champion League, it hadn't stood out much before and had struggled early on against Terrance's opponents' Pokémon. But with continuous feeding and rigorous training, its understanding of the Sandstorm move had deepened significantly. On top of that, it had become far more adept at switching between light and heavy mode.
Therefore, even as Terrance's opponents grew stronger and stronger, Pupitar was still able to keep up with the pace of battle. Terrance thought that perhaps once it evolved into Tyranitar, its strength might leap forward and become one of his main forces. Even if it couldn't surpass Ninetales or Gardevoir, it wouldn't lag far behind, placing it among the strongest tier beneath the Elite Four.
The more skillful use of Sandstorm and its light–heavy mode wasn't the primary reason for Pupitar's improvement. The most fundamental reason was the physical enhancement it had gained over these two months through relentless training and real combat.
As its mastery over Sandstorm deepened, Pupitar had begun to gain preliminary control over directing sandstorms against enemies. In addition, its research into light and heavy mode had yielded a new ability.
The essence of Float Stone lay in psychic power. After communicating with Sabrina, Terrance still hadn't managed to teach Pupitar the technique of partially altering the weight of its body, but he had already formed a general idea.
Terrance hadn't yet had the chance to test this training method, yet Pupitar had unexpectedly developed another ability on its own.
Terrance called it the "Light–Weight Rock Technique."
The principle was to attach the energy of Float Stone onto the rocks it created.
For example, when Pupitar used Stone Edge, the sharp stones it generated were originally very heavy, only that way could they possess destructive power.
However, by fusing Float Stone energy, Pupitar could make those sharp stones extremely light.
If the rock's size was appropriate, it could even make the rock float.
Unfortunately, Terrance hadn't yet figured out any real practical combat value for this technique. Stealth Rock already had a floating effect and even came with concealment properties. By comparison, if Pupitar could freely alter a rock's weight after creating it, there would be more room for development. But regrettably, the rock's weight became fixed the moment Pupitar formed it.
For now, limited by its development, it was a technique of little practical use. Terrance wasn't discouraged. Pupitar had found a new way to utilize Float Stone, an excellent beginning. Perhaps next time it would develop an application with real battle value.
"If Pupitar could independently control the weight of rocks…" Terrance did not deny the value of this newly developed ability, but he felt it was a pity. In his view, it was an incompletely developed ability.
If fully developed, this technique might even hold more tactical value than the ability to partially alter its own body weight.
Terrance firmly kept this unexpected gain in mind. Perhaps someday it would reveal a breakthrough…
After staying at the Desert Ruins for a while, Terrance recalled Pupitar and the returning Beautifly into their Poké Balls.
It was worth mentioning that more than a month ago, Terrance had already replaced all of his Poké Balls.
Though they still looked like ordinary red-and-white balls, these Poké Balls were custom-made by a top master smith. Their materials and internal structure were worlds apart from standard ones.
Resting inside such Poké Balls, Terrance's ten Pokémon could maintain excellent condition at all times, roughly equivalent to about one-third the restorative effect of the move Rest. In addition, they possessed many other subtle benefits.
With the battle approaching, Terrance arrived that very day in Ever Grande City, bringing along Pupitar, Gardevoir, Ninetales, Beautifly, and his other Pokémon.
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