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"Do Ash and Brock really get up this early every single day?"
Zoey sat on a folding chair by the crackling campfire, watching the distant figure of Ash jogging back toward the camp. Beside her, Dawn was already wide awake, her eyes fixed on the horizon with an intensity that Zoey found both amusing and telling.
"Every day," Dawn replied, her voice filled with a mix of pride and admiration. "Ash is out there doing morning exercises with Pikachu before the sun even clears the trees. He says a Trainer needs as much stamina as their Pokémon."
"And Brock?" Zoey gestured to the tall boy currently flipping perfectly golden pancakes.
"Brock is the heart of the team," Dawn said. "He's up right after Ash to prepare nutrition-balanced meals for everyone—humans and Pokémon alike. Honestly, I don't know how I'd survive without them."
Zoey leaned back, impressed. "Diligent... and reliable. No wonder Ash's team looks so sharp. I'm starting to get a little jealous of your travel arrangements, Dawn."
"Mmm-hmm!" Dawn beamed, her chest puffing out slightly. "Who makes me the luckiest Coordinator in Sinnoh?"
The Return of the Forest King
The lighthearted chatter was interrupted when Ash suddenly stopped and turned toward the densest part of the Eterna Forest. His blue Aura flared slightly, sensing a familiar, powerful signature approaching at high speed.
A green blur whistled through the underbrush, skidding to a halt in front of Ash. It was Sceptile, its breathing steady despite the twig in its mouth being slightly frayed. There were a few scuffs on its scales, but its eyes were bright with the satisfaction of a successful hunt.
"Good work, Sceptile," Ash said, patting the Dragon-type's shoulder. "I can tell you found exactly what you were looking for."
"Cha!" Sceptile crossed its arms and gave a cool thumbs-up.
Pikachu scrambled down from Ash's shoulder to greet his old rival, chirping curiously about the morning's "grind." Sceptile began a detailed breakdown of its tactical "Search and Destroy" mission against the local Ursaring packs.
While they "talked," Ash pulled up Sceptile's internal data panel.
[Entity Status: Sceptile]
Type: Grass / (Dragon when Mega)
Ability: Overgrow
Individual Values: 6V (Perfect)
Strength: Elite Tier (10%)
Recent Gains: +4% Experience; +4,500 Gold Coins.
Ash nodded inwardly. Since the battle with Suicune, Sceptile had officially broken into the Elite Tier, surpassing even Charizard in raw leveling efficiency. The system had now provided a precise percentage bar for its progress toward the next breakthrough. Eterna Forest, with its abundance of high-level wild Pokémon, was proving to be a gold mine.
"Ash! Breakfast is ready!" Dawn called out, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the table.
The Next Phase: The Wall and the Whiner
As he ate, Ash's mind was already mapping out the day's training. He checked the status of the "rookies."
Aipom: Has mastered Agility. She's on the verge of learning Double Hit, the final requirement for her evolution into Ambipom.
Grotle: Newly evolved and ready for the "Tank Transition."
"Grotle's playstyle has to change today," Ash thought. "He's no longer a fast-moving Turtwig. He needs to learn the 'Top Lane' art of withstanding pressure."
He decided to pair Grotle and Aipom. To build Grotle's physical resistance, he would have Aipom use her powerful tail to launch pebbles—and later boulders—at Grotle's reinforced shell. It would be a dual-test: endurance for the turtle, and precision and strength for the monkey.
Then, his gaze drifted to Snorlax, who was currently "training" by seeing how many pancakes it could fit in its mouth at once. Snorlax had mastered the defensive core—Amnesia for special hits, Defense Curl for physical ones, and Sleep/Talk for recovery.
"The only thing missing is Belly Drum," Ash sighed.
The move was the key to Snorlax's true destructive potential, but the gluttonous giant was a tough negotiator. Snorlax's current policy was strictly "Pay-to-Play." Two hours of training a day was its limit; any more than that, and it demanded an extra ration of high-grade Energy Cubes to compensate for the "lost sleep."
"If you want the Drum, you have to pay the tax," Ash muttered, looking at his gold reserves. "Looks like I'll have to send Sceptile out for another afternoon shift."
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