He said he wanted to do some special training, but as for how to train, Lucas had already come up with ideas long ago.
Lucas called over the Combee, who were currently being trained by Serperior on how to have queenly poise.
He then went to the orchard and called over the Applin, who was disguised as a fruit hanging under Tropius's neck, and Tropius itself, who was pretending to be the branch holding that fruit.
Finally, with Vulpix included, a four-member Pokémon special training squad was formed.
For this, Lucas also prepared a special enhanced absorption potion made from spicy seasoning, as well as a fatigue recovery potion made from sour seasoning.
It might seem extravagant to use secret seasoning-based potions directly as training resources, but on these baby Pokémon who hardly have any training marks, the effect of a small amount of potion is actually easier to observe.
After all, for Vulpix, Applin, Tropius, and Combee, any progress they make is immediately visible.
The special training was still held on the farm's open field, which had been trampled bare by the various moves of the Pokémon.
Although if Mudsdale and Calyrex tried, the ground could probably be restored, this place had already become the farm Pokémon's fixed sparring and training area. Even Corviknight, who patrolled the area, would sometimes land and act as a training partner. Lucas figured he might as well leave it for them, so they could vent their excess energy here.
Just like how Lucas had Luxray take Arcanine out for runs in the wild every day—if you tire the guy out first, he won't have the energy to wreck the house.
When Lucas brought the four Pokémon here, the field was already flashing with dazzling move effects.
Luxray dashed like a streak of lightning, leaving a faint smell of ozone in the air wherever it passed.
Dragonite, shrouded in airflow and white light, looked like a meteor streaking across the sky, closely following the explosively fast Luxray.
Their injuries had actually healed the day Calyrex threw Rayquaza, but the two pent-up Pokémon quickly started extra training on their own.
As a trainer, Lucas understood them best.
In the past, nothing ever went smoothly; they'd overcome all kinds of hardships. From Luxray and Dragonite's choices, it was clear they didn't wallow in self-pity—they just threw themselves into special training.
From Lucas's current perspective, that black Rayquaza was indeed a rare powerhouse among legendary Pokémon.
Rayquaza's combat experience seemed extremely rich, able to fiercely battle Calyrex—who was at full strength—for so long.
If Lucas hadn't had Calyrex use Trick Room—a move Rayquaza had never seen—the battle might have dragged on endlessly.
The reversal of speed order caught Rayquaza off guard, giving Calyrex the chance to land a decisive blow.
Fortunately, the Rayquaza didn't seem to have mastered or be able to use Mega Evolution, or things would have been several times more difficult.
Unlike the thoughtful Lucas, Vulpix and the others didn't know that Luxray and Dragonite had just faced Rayquaza head-on and suffered a big loss.
They just thought Luxray and Dragonite were so fast and so cool, their eyes sparkling as they fantasized about being surrounded by flashy effects and elegantly defeating opponents just like them.
For a moment, Lucas's ears rang with the excited cries of the four little ones—including Tropius, who was already taller than Lucas.
Sensing Lucas's arrival, Luxray and Dragonite stopped training and, after catching their breath, walked over.
Lucas smiled and explained to the two Pokémon, "I plan to do some special training with them."
"Meow-ao!"
"Booh~"
Upon hearing this, Luxray and Dragonite looked at Vulpix and the others, calling out greetings and encouragement.
The four Pokémon excitedly gathered around Luxray and Dragonite, chattering like a flock of noisy birds.
After patiently dealing with the four little ones, Luxray and Dragonite indicated they planned to change training locations.
Since the little ones were training here, they wouldn't hog the field and disrupt them. Instead, they'd go to Thunder Lake to train with Swampert and the others, where Politoed could even summon rain.
With the field vacated, Lucas took out a small notebook before starting training.
The notebook contained detailed records of the Pokémon move pools he'd compiled, including the four.
But since it had been a while since the last update, and Pokémon grow fast at this stage, Lucas decided to confirm things again to avoid missing any moves.
Combee's learned moves:
Gust, Bug Bite
Applin's learned moves:
Astonish, Withdraw, Bug Bite, Recycle
Vulpix's learned moves:
Tail Whip, Powder Snow, Icy Wind, Baby-Doll Eyes, Encore, Swift
Tropius's learned moves:
Gust, Leer, Growth, Razor Leaf, Sweet Scent, Dragon Dance
Basically, Vulpix and Tropius had similar numbers of moves, regardless of quality.
Applin was slightly behind, likely because it hadn't evolved yet.
As for Combee—even Gust was only learned after eating tofu pudding made with Lucas's spicy seasoning, digesting a lot of nutrients.
Holding the notebook, Lucas had the four Pokémon demonstrate their moves one by one.
To his surprise, there were quite a few pleasant discoveries.
First was Combee.
Besides Gust and Bug Bite, perhaps due to further nutrient absorption from the spicy seasoning, it had mastered two new moves: Sweet Scent and Struggle Bug.
Applin hadn't changed, possibly because unevolved Pokémon's move pools are limited.
Tropius had learned Stomp and Magical Leaf, while Vulpix learned a very important move—Aurora Beam.
Having promised to make Vulpix a special effects master, Lucas had naturally considered which moves suited it.
Just like in that video with the perfectly coordinated Lapras, Weavile, and Frosmoth, the dazzling Aurora Veil made the already exquisite ice sculptures even more mysterious and beautiful.
Aurora Beam could be seen as the pre-requisite move for Aurora Veil; once mastered, specialized training could likely let Vulpix learn Aurora Veil early.
To put it simply, it's like learning Thunder Shock → Thunderbolt → Thunder—a stepwise move upgrade.
Plus, with Vulpix's Snow Warning ability, further training and combination would make Aurora Veil's effects excellent.
Thinking of this, Lucas smiled slightly and gave the four Pokémon a pep talk: "Now that Luxray and Dragonite have given us the field, let's give our best in training and surprise them in the end!"
Such motivational words might not work on an old hand like Arcanine, but for the four little ones, the effect was unexpectedly good.
Their excited cries showed Lucas that the praising words worked, so he struck while the iron was hot, "While you train, I'll also do physical training—push-ups, running, jumping jacks—so we can all improve together!"
In his spare time at Naranja Academy, Lucas had picked up many training methods developed by trainers in this world.
Research shows that training together with Pokémon not only greatly improves their motivation but also creates a positive feedback loop.
After patting their heads, Lucas began assigning training tasks.
For Applin and Combee, the method was simplest.
Because Applin hadn't decided its evolution route and Combee needed more training before evolution, the two could pair up and repeatedly spar, increasing move proficiency. Maybe they'd even develop strategic thinking like Politoed, who could think on its own in battle!
Applin didn't have any same-type moves, but boasted strong physical defense.
Combee had same-type moves, but neither power nor stats were great.
Both had their own "weaknesses," so they were perfect sparring partners.
Otherwise, facing the huge Tropius or Vulpix (who quadruple countered Applin and double countered Combee), their training experience would be miserable.
Hiding in its apple, Applin poked its head out and greeted Combee, who was awkwardly imitating someone.
"Chiu chiu" (Hello)
Combee wanted to respond enthusiastically but remembered Serperior's recent lessons.
As a queen, the most important thing is poise—never panic, never show your emotions easily.
Though it was tough, Combee tried to maintain her dignity, nodding reservedly at Applin.
"Bee bee." (Let's work hard.)
Sensing Combee's cool response, Applin belatedly realized—
Is Combee imitating Serperior?
With them sorted, Lucas didn't have Vulpix and Tropius battle each other right away, instead assigning separate training.
Tropius's training: Accurately hit Oranguru's handmade targets with Razor Leaf.
Razor Leaf is known for speed and sharpness. Hitting a moving target without being deflected by wind or moves is a skill of its own.
The targets were high-quality, handmade by Oranguru. With Tropius's current strength, it could only leave faint marks on them.
Accuracy in ranged moves is essential—a basic most trainers know.
Lucas often emphasized this at Naranja Academy: every Pokémon must practice their aim.
Lucas set Tropius a goal: when it could hit the center ring 9 out of 10 times, it could be considered to have "graduated" in accuracy.
Fed with confidence by Serperior, Tropius stubbornly refused to accept this, determined to show Lucas what true talent looked like—
But after launching sixteen Razor Leaves, all missed the target at bizarre angles.
Lucas looked at the target. "..."
Unsure, he looked again.
A moment later, he sighed.
Seriously, how can you miss a target only five meters away?
Even without using the homing Magical Leaf, the aim shouldn't be this... abstract, right?
If Serperior found out, it'd be a disaster.
Lucas shuddered, considering giving Tropius some special one-on-one coaching.
For now, he let Tropius play on its own and turned to the main training focus—Vulpix.
As previously said, Vulpix's core task was to master Aurora Beam, then upgrade it to Aurora Veil.
Lucas already had a plan for the upgrade, but first, Vulpix needed to become fully proficient with Aurora Beam.
With the four Pokémon's tasks settled, there was only one thing left: execution and perseverance.
The summer ice sculpture contest on Mount Shuangmo was in the last two days of August, so Lucas and Vulpix had only about four days left to train.
During this time, Lucas also had to sharpen his ice sculpting, do basic physical training with the Pokémon, manage farm chores, attend Naranja Academy, and take Joey Lin's medicine tutorials.
His schedule was packed, but with Oranguru and Calyrex helping, he managed to catch his breath.
Though it looked like a mad dash to the deadline, Lucas never intended to outdo others in their specialties—he just wanted to participate.
If he failed, he could always train hard and try again next year.
Fortunately, Vulpix not only lived up to expectations, but even overachieved.
…
On the morning of August 28th, Lucas watched as Vulpix opened its small mouth, shooting a perfectly standard rainbow beam that hit the target ten meters away. Lucas's smile was harder to suppress than an AK's recoil.
He walked over and checked the marks on the target.
"Seven rings, already quite good."
"Nyuuu!"
Vulpix's eyes sparkled, and it cheered, bouncing with joy.
Nearby, Tropius, who occasionally missed the five-meter target, looked a bit stiff—
The joys and sorrows of Pokémon are not the same. I just find them noisy.
Lucas patted Vulpix's head in praise and said with a smile, "Your Aurora Beam training is about done. Next is the move you've been eagerly waiting for—Aurora Veil."
"To learn Aurora Veil using Aurora Beam, your Snow Warning ability will come in handy."
"There's only about a day left before the ice sculpture contest, but let's do our best until then."
…