A few days later, once Paul confirmed that his current team had just about completed their respective training regimens, he initiated the next phase of Pokémon rotation.
He returned all of his Pokémon to the training facility—except for Electivire and Torterra—and retrieved several others he had previously left there for intensive development.
Electivire and Torterra, being the strongest members of his team, naturally stayed behind as security guards in case of any emergencies.
Lately, after finishing his battles against the Regi trio, Torterra had taken to quietly staring at the Tree of Beginning, as though sensing some mysterious power emanating from it—or perhaps drawing inspiration from its presence.
In hopes of allowing Torterra to fully unlock this potential and turn his intuition into tangible strength, Paul decided to keep him here for a while longer so he could fully adapt himself to the power of the Tree of Beginning.
"Come on out!"
Paul tossed out four Poké Balls simultaneously.
With flashes of light, four different Pokémon emerged, each brimming with energy and a clear fighting spirit.
"Draah!"
Drapion, having thoroughly enjoyed sparring with his mentors these past few days, let out a sharp roar to release his pent-up excitement.
"Aggrr~!"
Aggron stood firm and focused. Thanks to his recent work on perfecting his Bloodline Awakening Mode, he could now enter and exit the state at will without external triggers.
Reaching the same instant activation as Garchomp was only a matter of time.
That said, that might also be the furthest he could go with it.
After all, mastering such unique abilities is one thing—but how deeply one can develop them varies greatly. Some can push them further through instinct, others through strategy… but ultimately, it depends on talent.
Each Pokémon has different abilities and varying aptitudes to go along with them.
"Gaaaar!"
Garchomp was also in high spirits. Acting as Aggron's sparring partner these past few days had deepened his understanding of the Bloodline Awakening Mode as well.
It was like moving from just solving problems to actually teaching others how to solve them. Naturally, that led to a far deeper comprehension—at the very least, solving future "problems" would come more easily.
Though Garchomp still couldn't Mega Evolve without the aid of Paul and a Key Stone, his other abilities had seen clear improvements.
Take Rough Skin, for example.
Before, he could only turn it on or off at will after extensive training. Later, he was able to slightly enhance its recoil damage.
Now, thanks to Aggron, he had become far more adept with it. The responsive damage it dealt had increased substantially.
In fact, Rough Skin was gradually evolving from a passive Ability into an active skill—a true technique in its own right.
He believed that once he fully mastered this, he might be able to activate Rough Skin even while Mega Evolved—turning it into a counteroffensive weapon during high-speed battles.
"Eeno~"
Unlike the others, Froslass quietly floated to Paul's side the moment she was released.
During her time at the training facility, she had mastered the move Grudge, and her overall abilities had also seen a significant improvement.
Perhaps her natural talents leaned more towards illusion and phantasm than toward curses—her progress in learning Curse was still a long way off.
Still, no matter how much she improved within the training facility, she always preferred simply staying by Paul's side.
"Let's go. I'm taking you to battle against some of the Legendary Pokémon. Show me your strength—see if you can win without relying on boosting moves."
Paul was reasonably satisfied with the spirit and energy of his four Pokémon. Leading the way, he guided them through a new route into the Tree of Beginning's domain.
Over the past few days of exploration, he, Electivire, and Torterra had developed several new methods to cross areas afflicted by disorienting illusions—what locals referred to as "ghost maze" zones.
Torterra would mark a mental beacon to lock onto a fixed reference point ahead, allowing the team to focus and move toward it without being misled.
Electivire made things even easier—by combining psychic focus with techniques that guarantee accuracy, it could effortlessly bypass interference.
Even Paul discovered that after practicing Yoga Meditation, his mental fortitude had become strong enough to resist some of the spatial disturbances.
Before long, Paul led his Pokémon deep inside, ready to engage in a new round of battles.
He already had a clear idea of which opponents they would face.
"Prepare for battle."
As soon as he spotted Regieleki, the fastest of the trio—darting forward in a flash of lightning, Paul gently tapped Froslass on the head.
Among the Legendary Titans—Regice, Regirock, and Registeel—their Clear Body Ability ensured their stats couldn't be lowered by opposing moves or Abilities. So even with Froslass' recent improvements, taking them down would remain extremely difficult.
Regieleki and Regidrago, on the other hand, while faster and more powerful, could still be weakened strategically.
"Eeno~"
Froslass turned to Paul with a sweet smile—but within moments, her eyes burned with boundless resentment as she launched herself toward Regieleki, summoning a hailstorm as the battlefield shifted into snowy terrain.
Tactic Activated: Haunting Shadows!
Under the combined effects of Snow Cloak and Double Team, Regieleki's lightning-fast strikes couldn't land a single hit. Instead, Froslass relentlessly unleashed her moves to weaken it further and further.
But Regieleki wasn't foolish.
After realizing that ordinary attacks had no hope of landing a blow, it swiftly used Lock-On to pinpoint Froslass' true form—and then fired a devastating Zap Cannon.
Yet just before the beam connected, a shimmering Aurora Veil and a vivid green Protect barrier materialized around Froslass.
It was a technique she had trained especially for this battle—Protect, a sacred defensive skill.
So under the protection of Aurora Veil and Protect, and with Regieleki's Special Attack weakened by Froslass' Hex—a customized Ghost-type debuff technique—its Zap Cannon failed to even breach the shield.
With Lock-On's effect expired, Froslass once again vanished into the snowstorm.
Regieleki, forced into a corner had to reactivate Lock-On and attempt alternative attacks—but no matter what it tried, Froslass nullified every move with precise timing and Protect.
By the end, Regieleki had been weakened to the point that it couldn't even pierce through Froslass' haunting Will-O-Wisp aura. Its speed had dropped below hers, and to make matters worse, it was left burned.
There was no better word for its state than crushed.
Other Pokémon soon encountered their own matchups.
Aggron faced off against Regirock, and though Aggron had a slight type advantage and had activated its Bloodline Awakening Mode, it still wasn't enough. Regirock kept it under unrelenting pressure.
Even when Aggron let out a piercing Screech to disrupt Regirock's rhythm, it couldn't turn the tide. It wasn't until Aggron sensed defeat looming and hastily used buffing moves to raise its speed and defense that the battle began to balance out.
Rock Polish, Screech, Iron Defense, and then a lunge—followed by Metal Sound and a blast of Flash Cannon. The battlefield gradually stabilized.
Drapion faced off against Regice. Despite the opponent's overwhelming strength, Drapion shamelessly went for a downright dirty strategy.
Realizing it couldn't overpower Regice head-on, Drapion immediately used Dig to close the distance underground.
The moment the Dig attack landed, it caught Regice off guard. All three of Drapion's massive claws clamped down with Fire Fang, locking onto Regice's body and pinning it to the ground—relentlessly forcing it deeper into the tunnel it had just dug.
With a roar that lowered Regice's Special Attack, searing flames from Fire Fang scorching its icy body, and a Stomp that not only dealt damage but reduced its Speed—plus that terrifying, signature poison—it was a relentless multi-layered assault.
Under this suffocating pressure, Regice couldn't even lift its head. A proud Legendary Pokémon, utterly flattened under Drapion's assault.
"…"
Even Paul fell silent watching the scene—
"I sent you out to get stomped on… not to humiliate a Legendary."
(End of Chapter)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you want to access the advance 80 chapters, please visit: patreon.com / PMadz_23