At this moment, Blaziken's training encompassed many areas.
Thanks to the resources Cain had invested, Blaziken had learned six offensive moves: Earthquake, Flamethrower, Aerial Ace, Low Sweep, Stone Edge, and Swords Dance.
Before arriving in the Kalos region, back when it was still a Combusken, it had learned these moves instantly through their respective TMs.
Although learning six offensive moves all at once is a huge challenge for any Pokémon, it also reflects how much attention its trainer gives it.
These moves had not yet gone through systematic training, so they couldn't be used effectively in battle.
For this reason, Cain had not allowed Blaziken to use them in previous battles.
In addition to those moves, after evolving into Blaziken, it had also learned four moves on its own: Blaze Kick, Flare Blitz, Fire Punch, and High Jump Kick.
All of these were very useful in combat.
However, to use them effectively in battle, Blaziken would need time to practice.
This visit to the island had, besides the goal of helping Blaziken recover physically, the purpose of training these moves.
According to Cain's plan, the first move to train would be Swords Dance.
This move greatly increases a Pokémon's offensive power. Blaziken was highly skilled in both physical and special attacks, but as a Fire/Fighting-type Pokémon, it particularly excelled at physical attacks.
By mastering Swords Dance, its offensive capabilities would increase exponentially.
Among its four physical attack moves, today Cain chose to focus on training Blaze Kick.
Both as a Combusken and now as a Blaziken, it had shown great proficiency with leg-based attacks.
Due to its prior training in Double Kick and its foundational training, Blaze Kick was likely the move it would master most quickly.
As for Flare Blitz and High Jump Kick, since both carried adverse side effects, Cain decided Blaziken should first master Swords Dance and Blaze Kick before tackling the training of those two.
Regarding the moves Earthquake, Flamethrower, Aerial Ace, Low Sweep, and Stone Edge, the Fire- and Fighting-type moves could likely be mastered more quickly, while the others were chosen strategically to counter Pokémon that might have an advantage over Blaziken.
The move Aerial Ace revealed something interesting: a "bird" like him really could fly, without a doubt.
Besides Blaziken, Cain's other Pokémon had also learned some moves via TMs. All of them needed practice to master them.
Today was entirely dedicated to training.
Blaziken, Pupitar, and even Swampert were all preparing, with Swampert getting ready to make the leap to quasi-elite level.
Swampert had been sitting at level 49 for a while, building up internal energy to push into the quasi-elite tier.
For him, surpassing that barrier wouldn't be particularly difficult, but he preferred to accumulate energy first to avoid becoming the weakest upon reaching that level.
While the present Pokémon trained, those back on the island also had to show their progress to Cain.
The system transmitted images captured by Porygon2 on the island to a screen in front of Cain, while Porygon2 projected Cain's image for the Pokémon on the island, allowing clear communication despite the distance.
Honchkrow had undergone a slight mutation in its potential, reaching Dark Blue quality, and its level had increased significantly, reaching level 56, inching ever closer to the elite threshold.
Slowking, meanwhile, remained floating in the air with its eyes closed, gathering power as it awaited an intense battle to mark its advancement.
Despite remaining at level 59, Cain believed it was close to reaching its full potential, and after that, the time for its final breakthrough would come.
That's why he chose to leave Slowking on the island, so as not to interrupt its concentration.
With Ralts temporarily taking over Slowking's Teleport duties, Cain could afford to keep Slowking on the island.
It was the first Pokémon that Cain had fully prepared to reach elite level.
Gengar, Drapion, and Weavile had also reached level 56. Though their progress wasn't as striking as Honchkrow's, they had steadily leveled up, without needing any adjustment period.
The Pokémon that had shown the most progress was Florges.
It had reached level 58, making it Cain's second Pokémon to near the peak quasi-elite level.
Thanks to its role in building up the island, Florges had expended a huge amount of energy creating meadows and gardens, helping Pokémon like Bulbasaur and Chikorita build their homes.
This constant energy usage, followed by recovery, had led to a significant increase in its energy capacity.
Under Slowking's leadership, the Pokémon on the island could also train by facing powerful Pokémon from the Sea Temple beneath the island.
Though they fought daily, Cain had instructed them not to inflict any serious harm on the resident Pokémon.
Florges was responsible for healing Pokémon after battles.
This was because Cain didn't want to risk angering Manaphy—assuming it still resided in the temple.
Thanks to this approach, the training levels of the Pokémon had significantly improved.
The Pokémon in both locations were showing steady progress—exactly what Cain had hoped for.
As the sun set, the Pokémon finally ended their training.
In just one day, Blaziken had fully recovered from the side effects of the quality-enhancing potion.
It had also begun to master the moves Swords Dance and Blaze Kick.
Thanks to its prior training, mastery of Blaze Kick was progressing rapidly, making it usable in battle.
The move Swords Dance, however, was more complicated; if the move was interrupted during battle, it would often fail.
However, if used unexpectedly, it was likely to succeed.
With Blaziken recovered, Cain believed it was time to test its Mega Evolution.
(End of Chapter)