When Latios just hatched, Dragapult mentioned that it had accumulated a lot of dragon energy while still an egg.
In the state of having just hatched, it simply couldn't completely withstand that kind of dragon energy.
So, in fact, Latios still has a lot of dormant dragon energy accumulated within, waiting to be tapped into.
Not only that.
As a Divine Beast that belongs to a group rather than being a unique individual, while not as powerful as singular Divine Beasts like Rayquaza or the Primal Warnings, it's still a Divine Beast!
Since it is a Divine Beast Pokémon, its potential and upper limit are naturally undeniable.
That's why Natsuhiko said that perhaps even Latios hasn't realized the extent of its potential and the tremendous power contained within its body.
But after all, it is still a recently hatched Pokémon, and its mind is temporarily fragile.
Unlike when Natsuhiko and Weedle were together, living days where they had to think about the next meal after the current one, making its growth environment relatively calm.
Its strength has progressed quite rapidly, but its mental development has been slower.
Fortunately, Natsuhiko, while understanding Latios, has also been unintentionally training it.
During this period, Latios has experienced a remarkable transformation of the mind.
And just now, you could say it was the biggest transformation, the most mental evolution, since Latios was born.
This result made Natsuhiko very pleased.
It is finally progressing slowly towards becoming an independent Pokémon.
After the battle.
Natsuhiko highly praised the progress of both Monferno and Latios.
Monferno also complimented Latios on its progress.
This constantly kept a smile on Latios's face.
That expression, eager to try and test its level against another Pokémon, also made Natsuhiko chuckle.
Of course.
Although Latios was the main offensive force, the contributions of Bagon and Monferno also cannot be overlooked.
The three Pokémon seemed to have formed a preliminary "revolutionary friendship."
"Is everything okay?" Natsuhiko asked Lance, who put away his communicator and came back with a heavy expression.
Lance nodded slightly.
"It's okay, I've informed the alliance about the situation here, and they will seal off this area as soon as possible."
The rampage of wild Pokémon was an unexpected event.
But they must continue their mission.
The two, along with the three Pokémon, continued tracking by following some of the traces left by the other side.
The alliance will seal off this area, investigate the cause of the wild Pokémon's rampage, and prevent wild Pokémon from attacking towns, which will inevitably take a lot of manpower and resources.
This also means that they will not receive much substantial support in the short term, and whether they can capture that person depends on themselves.
They continued moving forward.
Knowing about the wild Pokémon situation, the two had to be more cautious of their surroundings.
They also had to be cautious of those wild Pokémon that were originally gentle and wouldn't normally attack trainers.
This undoubtedly caused their progress to become even slower.
However.
The cooperation among the three Pokémon became more skillful, and their control over abilities also became more proficient.
While walking, they occasionally exchanged insights on Pokémon training.
After all, Lance was a "Dragon-type" expert, whereas Natsuhiko was a novice in the same field.
Getting more experience is never a bad idea.
Hmm.
As long as there's no deviation.
"Natsuhiko, I noticed you've been intentionally training Latios's ability to interpret situations?"
After crossing a few twisting, exposed roots, Lance brought up the topic.
"Yeah."
Natsuhiko didn't deny Lance's observation of his training intent.
"Preparing for the lineup?" Lance asked, somewhat surprised.
"Yes." Natsuhiko smiled. "Unlike you all with plenty of resources and energy to train many Pokémon, I have to make plans early on."
Hearing this, Lance nodded and showed his approval of this approach.
Somewhat wistfully, he said, "I thought you didn't know about this."
Once a trainer reaches a certain level of strength, the individual power of the Pokémon is just one aspect, while the synergy between Pokémon, the excellence of tactics, and the completeness of configuration gradually become things these trainers need to consider.
Lance didn't expect Natsuhiko to start preparing so early.
"It's something I've been slowly figuring out."
Natsuhiko slowly raised his hand, and as psychic power flowed through his palm, he brushed aside branches blocking their path.
"What do you think of my Pokémon lineup?" Lance suddenly asked.
Natsuhiko twitched the corners of his mouth.
Your Pokémon lineup?
Wouldn't giving me a "Dragon Slayer Shell" let me wipe out most of your team?
And considering the future emergence of the Fairy Type, it would make you even more passive.
But after thinking about it, Natsuhiko still said, "It depends on which Pokémon you want to be your core, Charizard? Dragonite? Or perhaps Salamence in the future?"
This question stumped Lance.
Scratching his head with a sheepish smile, he said, "I actually haven't thought about it thoroughly yet."
It's not that he hasn't thought about it, it's just that because each of his Pokémon is individually strong, choosing a core is somewhat difficult for Lance at the moment.
With his personality and the future strength of his Pokémon, even if they all charge together, most people wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Moreover, since Lance pursues Dragon-type Pokémon, his choices would naturally be more limited.
"Actually, I think..." Natsuhiko paused before continuing, "You don't have to consider it now, it's more important to think about how to cover your weaknesses."
"How so?" Lance blinked. Lance greatly admired Natsuhiko's tactical skills.
"The Ice type is a serious restraint for you," Natsuhiko brought up the crucial point.
There's also the Fairy Type.
But truth be told.
Compared to the future emergence of the Fairy Type, the Ice type's restraint is still the most serious for him.
After all, he was the "Flying-type Elite" first, and then the "Dragon-type Elite."
Fairies countering Dragon types has nothing to do with Flying types, does it?
The Ice type is definitely the most limiting for him.
With his current Pokémon like Dragonite, Aerodactyl, and the future Salamence, all are seriously countered by the Ice type.
Even Charizard, Gyarados, and Kingdra can only withstand Ice-type damage and cannot effectively defend against it.
The main issue is that Lance's Pokémon lack a dedicated tank.
At a glance, they are all Pokémon capable of pushing through other teams.
The roles among the Pokémon are not clearly defined.
Compared to him, both Flint and Hilona have much more reasonable arrangements.
Lance pursed his lips, an expression of slight embarrassment on his face.
He was aware of this, of course.
But there's nothing he can do.
"Actually, Duraludon is a good choice," Natsuhiko suddenly suggested.
This was Natsuhiko offering the best option after considering Lance's position.
While Duraludon might not be immune to Ice-type moves, and can't effectively defend against them,
Duraludon's Physical Defense ability is a strength that Lance's Pokémon lack.
Note that.
Whether it's the "Dragon Slayer Shell" Cloyster or the "Dragon Slayer Warrior" Azumarill,
or the "Dragon Slayer No. 2" Super Big Mouth Doll,
they are all Pokémon that focus on Physical Attack techniques.
Cloyster uses "Ice Cone."
Azumarill's trait "Strongman" enhances physical attacks, as does "Play Rough," both being Physical Attack Techniques.
Moreover, Duraludon not only lacks the Ice weakness, but also doesn't possess the Fairy weakness.
Right now, it's the most suitable Pokémon for Lance.
For this suggestion, Natsuhiko had no personal interest at all.
As a friend, as a close friend, he did everything he could have done.
As for the Special Attacks from the Ice Type or the Fairy Type, those are inherently Lance's weaknesses, and can't be avoided.
Now it's just about compensating for the weak points.
But considering Lance's strength and capabilities, dealing with opposite attributes is just a small matter.
Lance's eyes lit up.
When he first saw Natsuhiko's Duraludon, he thought it was an amazing Pokémon.
But Duraludon is so rare.
He first saw it when he visited Natsuhiko's Dojo.
"Natsuhiko..."
Natsuhiko shivered and quickly took a step back, looking Lance up and down, "What are you doing? Don't talk in that tone."
Lance: "..."
He hadn't even started speaking, and he was already shut down.
"Ahem..."
But for now, he couldn't finish his sentence.
As another frequent attack appeared in front of them.
And unlike before, the Pokémon attacking this time couldn't be handled by the three little ones.
The two had to end the "baby training" and go all out.
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Fourth update! Already ten thousand words~~ Seeking monthly votes~~