"Boom!"
A strange, muffled impact echoed across the field as Ursaluna's massive frame collided with the vibrant green barrier projected by Torterra, stopping the force of the charge cold.
Seizing the moment as Ursaluna was bounced backward by Protect, Torterra lunged forward. With practiced unflinching motion, it delivered a straightforward Tackle—simple, but full of weight—smashing into Ursaluna's chest and knocking the beast clear off the ground.
Then, with a powerful stomp that shook the battlefield, Torterra summoned forth a host of hardened vines and thorny roots from the earth. They surged upward like spears, aiming to impale Ursaluna mid-air.
Yet, instead of retreating, Ursaluna met the threat head-on.
Harnessing the stat boost granted by Guts, Ursaluna activated Slash, extending its claws into wicked gleaming blades. Like slicing through vegetables, it cleaved through the entangling vines and charged again toward Torterra. Both arms lifted, it brought down a crushing Hammer Arm upon the green barrier—just as Protect flickered to life again.
"Raaa!"
Torterra's eyes flashed. Once more, the protective shield absorbed the heavy blow.
But this time, Torterra wasn't simply bracing itself.
A yellow glow swirled in its mouth, and the moment Protect faded, it unleashed a Solar Beam straight at Ursaluna!
This time, however, Ursaluna was ready. Though the blast knocked it back again, it twisted mid-air, readjusting its balance and posture.
With both fists ignited in searing flames, it launched a pair of Fire Punches, burning through the Solar Beam like a meteor splitting the sky—one flaming fist smashed directly into Torterra's head, sending it skidding backward across the battlefield.
"It's super effective!"
Just as Ursaluna was about to follow up with another attack, several tough little blades of grass suddenly sprouted under its feet, wrapping tightly around its legs and hindering its advance.
Grassy Glide!
"Ursaah!"
Roaring defiantly, Ursaluna activated Guts once again, tearing the grass restraints apart by brute force. With its right arm already ablaze, it raised both fists and launched another Fire Punch toward Torterra.
But this time, Torterra neither dodged nor defended.
Instead, its body began to glow with a soothing green aura—the unmistakable light of Forest's Healing. The restorative energy pulsed across its body, and in a matter of seconds, over half of its injuries were healed.
"Boom!"
At the very moment its injuries were healed, a Flare Blitz-powered Fire Punch from Ursaluna came crashing down on Torterra's head, worsening its condition.
Landing the blow, Ursaluna immediately locked its massive arms around Torterra's head, delivering relentless fiery punches with its other hand. Its feet stomped violently against the ground, triggering a localized Earthquake.
The tactic was all about brute force and suppression—there was no room for honor or restraint here. As long as the opponent couldn't break free, even if Ursaluna suffered heavy damage in return, the final victor would inevitably be itself.
More likely, the enemy wouldn't even get the chance to fight back—just be beaten down blow after blow until it was over.
But there was one critical flaw in that plan: the target of this brutal assault was none other than the largest member of the team—Torterra!
At first, the moment its head was seized, Torterra showed signs of panic. But after taking a couple of hits and regaining its composure, it quickly launched a counterattack!
Roots began anchoring it into the ground. From the three sharp rock spikes on its back, glowing energy vines shot out—Torterra was using Giga Drain to entangle Ursaluna, binding it tight while sapping its strength. Simultaneously, the vibrant green leaves from the tree on its back burst into motion, transforming into a violent Leaf Storm that shredded down upon Ursaluna's body.
Was that the end? No.
A peculiar seed was hidden in the swirling leaves. When it landed on Ursaluna, it burst open—revealing fast-growing vines that lashed around Ursaluna and began draining its energy even faster.
From the ground below, countless green tendrils erupted adding more layers to the living trap that ensnared Ursaluna.
In mere seconds, the bear that had appeared to dominate just moments ago was now tied up like a helpless bundle. Even as it tried to ignite itself in a blazing inferno to break free, it couldn't escape the suffocating control of the vines.
Ursaluna had maxed out its offensive pressure, but Torterra—thanks to its stalling tactics—had already undergone several quiet rounds of growth, boosting both its offensive and defensive capabilities to frightening levels. It was more than enough to hold its ground under Ursaluna's assault.
The tortoise and the bear remained locked in stalemate. Yet what Ursaluna couldn't see—hidden behind all the foliage and bindings—was Torterra's gaze: calm and unshakably resolute.
Suddenly, a strange crimson light shone down from the tree on Torterra's back, bathing Ursaluna in its eerie glow. It caused no pain, no injury—there was no power behind it in the traditional sense.
But within that glow, Ursaluna could feel its energy being drained away rapidly, as if something was draining its lifeforce directly into Torterra.
This was the special absorption ability Torterra had mastered beneath an ancient tree during its evolution—a technique unlike any conventional move.
Under the combined effects of multiple layers of draining and entrapment, it took less than three minutes for Ursaluna to lose its will to fight. It collapsed to the ground, wrapped tightly in vines like a mummified warrior covered by the forest.
"Raaa~"
With a shy little grin, knowing it had secured the win and nearly restored its stamina to full, Torterra gently unwrapped the plant-based "mummy" from Ursaluna's body and used Forest's Healing to heal its fallen comrade.
"Well done, both of you." Paul nodded in praise.
Although Ursaluna had lost, it had completely mastered the technique of withstanding burns without taking damage. It could now maintain Guts at will, and even draw out the added power granted by Endure.
In addition, its proficiency with Earthquake and Stomping Tantrum had grown remarkably. In an official battle, it could now just chain those ground-based attacks continuously while remaining on the field.
Torterra had made even more breakthrough progress. It could now ignore the recoil effects of its ultimate technique, allowing it to use Frenzy Plant one after another without pause.
Gone were the days of firing once, seizing up for several seconds, and giving the opponent a clear opening to counterattack.
Furthermore, even though it hadn't seen much in battle recently, its combat instincts and battlefield awareness were truly impressive. That much was clear just from how it had handled its battle with Ursaluna.
Perfectly timed Protect chained into follow-up attacks, and the seamless use of multiple moves in quick succession…
"Raaa~"
Torterra beamed. It had worked so hard just to earn Paul's approval—and now it was grinning like a child.
"Ursaah~"
Meanwhile, the defeated Ursaluna had reverted to its usual docile look, but its expression carried a trace of grievance, like it had been unfairly wronged—it almost looked like it might sulk forever.
"Torterra, continue refining that unusual draining ability and Solar Beam." Paul instructed. "Your next goal is to fire Solar Beam without charging first, and accelerate the rate at which you absorb energy."
That strange, uncanny absorption technique—if developed properly—could become a deadly weapon against immobile opponents.
"Raaa~"
Torterra gave a slow and resolute nod.
"Ursaluna, try applying the power-boosting effects of Endure to other moves as well. See if you can enhance those attacks under burn status too. Let's turn that raw force into overwhelming power."
Each Pokémon had its own strengths. Forcing Ursaluna to imitate other fighting styles was pointless; the path it needed to walk was one of sheer, unstoppable might.
"Ursaah!"
Ursaluna let out a deep growl of acknowledgment.
"Keep training…"
On the other side of the training field, Electivire and Metagross were sparring in a fairly cooperative atmosphere, exchanging techniques and tactics on occasion.
But Ninetales and Hisuian Samurott were a little special, things had taken a very different turn.
From a distance, Samurott was launching attacks in a frenzy—Hydro Pump and Air Slash fired in rapid succession. Yet every time it unleashed a barrage, Ninetales simply opened its mouth and swept it all away with a single Overheat, the scorching flame clearing the field in a wide arc before detonating right on top of Samurott.
As time passed and the training continued, Ninetales remained pristine—its fur untouched by even a speck of ash—while Samurott looked like a lump of coal, thoroughly blackened by flame.
When brute strength wasn't enough to win in a head-on clash, Samurott tried to switch tactics—attempting some clever maneuvers to gain the upper hand against Ninetales.
But Ninetales' eyes sparkled. With a single pulse of its Extrasensory, the tide turned instantly.
In the blink of an eye, every incoming attack froze mid-air—and with a bit of focus, the "bullets" were bent mid-flight, redirected straight back at Samurott.
Even Snarl—a move that normally weakened its opponent's special attack—was easily fended off. Ninetales simply conjured a shimmering psychic barrier with Extrasensory, nullifying the attack as if it were nothing.
...
By the time training has ended, Samurott stood staring blankly up at the sky, its eyes were dull and spirit seemingly drained.
The humiliation of being thoroughly outclassed by that little fox… it stung.
It was frustrating. It was unbearable.
"Wooo~"
From a distance, Ninetales watched the scene unfold, then shook its head with a soft chuckle.
It knew, its partner wasn't the type to break so easily.
"Chaah!!"
A few minutes later, that sharp gleam returned to Samurott's eyes. After a quick recovery session with Torterra, it returned once more to face Ninetales, reigniting the battle with fresh resolve.
And Paul didn't interrupt. After quietly observing them for a while, he found a spot nearby, sat down, and began his own training.
(End of Chapter)
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