After everything was resolved, Roy was in no hurry to leave.
Instead, he stayed for another two days.
His goal was to help Aimi's Hitmonchan adjust its condition and get back on the right track.
After all, it had Elite Four Level potential; following Anthony before had been a complete waste of that potential.
Roy glanced at the Hitmonchan standing in the yard.
That Hitmonchan was playing with Pikachu and the others, and while it seemed in good spirits, Roy could see that its actual strength was still very weak.
Its fighting techniques were crude, it didn't know a single elemental punch, and its level was only in the low twenties.
"Aimi, let me help you train Hitmonchan today," Roy said.
Aimi froze for a moment, and then her eyes lit up.
"Really?"
"Yeah." Roy nodded. "I took a look; Hitmonchan's foundation is decent, but because Anthony trained it haphazardly before, many things were practiced incorrectly. I'll help you correct them."
"I'll briefly correct its combat moves, though you're more professional than I am in that regard."
"The main thing is to help improve its other abilities."
"Thank you!" Aimi was so happy she almost jumped.
No sooner said than done.
Roy called Hitmonchan to the center of the yard and began observing its movements.
Hitmonchan assumed a fighting stance, fists clenched, eyes focused.
"Show me some punches," Roy said.
Hitmonchan quickly threw a combination of punches. The speed was fast and the power was okay, but Roy frowned.
"Stop."
Hitmonchan stopped and looked at him in confusion.
"There's a problem with the way you punch." Roy walked over and patted Hitmonchan's arm.
"When you punch, your waist needs to rotate with it; you can't just rely on the strength of your arms. Punching like this wastes at least thirty percent of your power."
Hitmonchan nodded thoughtfully.
Roy personally demonstrated the movement and then had Hitmonchan follow suit.
Hitmonchan was a quick learner and grasped the essentials after a few tries.
"Again, try to see if you can use Fire Punch."
Hitmonchan was stunned. Anthony had completely ignored elemental punches, caring only about raw fighting.
Therefore, Hitmonchan didn't know how to use it at all.
Roy saw Hitmonchan's embarrassment.
"Have you never practiced elemental punches before?"
Hitmonchan lowered its head and nodded somewhat sheepishly.
That fellow Anthony didn't understand how to train Fighting-type Pokemon at all; all he knew was to make Hitmonchan use brute force all day.
"It's okay, we'll start from the beginning."
Roy patted Hitmonchan's shoulder and released Charmeleon.
"Charmeleon, teach Hitmonchan how to condense flames."
Charmeleon nodded, walked up to Hitmonchan, and began teaching.
It slowly demonstrated the process of condensing flames, from mobilizing energy to releasing the fire, being very careful with every step.
Hitmonchan watched intently and then tried to copy it.
It didn't work at first; the flames went out as soon as they appeared.
But Charmeleon was very patient, teaching it over and over again.
After practicing for about an hour, Hitmonchan finally succeeded in landing a complete Fire Punch.
Although the flames weren't strong enough yet, it was at least a success.
"Good! Keep practicing!" Roy encouraged.
Next was Thunder Punch.
This would be taught by Pikachu.
Pikachu jumped onto Hitmonchan's shoulder, sparks crackling in its little paws.
"Pika pika~"
It grabbed Hitmonchan's hand with its small paws, teaching it how to mobilize electricity.
Hitmonchan was shocked several times, its fur standing on end, but it gritted its teeth and persisted.
By the afternoon, Hitmonchan had finally mastered Thunder Punch.
Then came Ice Punch.
Roy didn't have anyone who knew this move for the time being, but he had a way.
He let Hitmonchan watch Pikachu and the others train while he flipped through the pokédex, explaining the essentials of Ice Punch to Hitmonchan.
Hitmonchan was very perceptive; after all, with Elite Four Level potential, it understood after hearing it twice.
After practicing a few times, a cold frost also began to emanate from its fists.
Roy then instructed it to practice more.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll have Pikachu and the others give you some combat special training."
Hitmonchan nodded excitedly, its eyes full of fighting spirit.
...
The next morning, the special training began.
First was Pikachu.
Pikachu was extremely fast, and Hitmonchan couldn't keep up at all.
"Pika pika~"
Pikachu ran around the yard, as fast as a bolt of yellow lightning.
Hitmonchan chased for a long time but couldn't even touch a single hair on Pikachu.
"Don't just chase, predict its movements!" Roy guided from the side.
Hitmonchan calmed down and carefully observed the patterns of Pikachu's movements.
Then it suddenly punched!
This punch connected!
Although Pikachu dodged in time, the wind from the punch grazed its ear.
"Pika!"
Pikachu's interest was piqued, and its speed increased further.
Next was Primeape.
Primeape's fighting style was completely different from Hitmonchan's: violent, fierce, and irrational.
Primeape rushed in with a barrage of fierce attacks, every punch landing solidly, forcing Hitmonchan to retreat step by step.
"Don't retreat! Push back!" Roy shouted.
Hitmonchan gritted its teeth and held its ground, taking a punch from Primeape and then counterattacking.
A punch landed squarely on Primeape's stomach.
Primeape was knocked back two steps, then became even more excited, howling as it rushed forward again.
Finally, it was Charmeleon.
Charmeleon's fighting style was more flexible, with claw strikes, tail sweeps, and Flamethrower; every move was lethal.
Hitmonchan was beaten black and blue by Charmeleon, but it never gave up.
Every time it was knocked down, it would climb back up and continue the fight.
After two days of training like this, Hitmonchan's progress was visible to the naked eye.
Its level reached thirty, officially stepping into the Superior level!
It had also completely mastered the elemental punches; Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, and Ice Punch were all used with great proficiency.
Its fighting techniques had undergone a complete transformation: its punches were powerful, its dodging was flexible, and its reaction speed had improved significantly.
That evening, Aimi looked at the Refreshed Hitmonchan: "Thank you, Roy."
She leaned into Roy's arms, her voice a little choked up.
"If it weren't for you, Hitmonchan might have stayed that way forever."
"What's there to thank? You're my woman; isn't helping you what I should do?" Roy stroked her hair.
Aimi looked up, her eyes full of tenderness.
"Then I still want to thank you."
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Roy on the cheek, kissing him for a long time, unwilling to part...
Two days passed quickly.
On the morning of the third day, Roy packed his luggage, preparing to continue his training journey.
Delia and Misty were also ready, waiting at the door.
Aimi stood at the door, her eyes red, clearly reluctant to see him go.
Roy took a card out of his pocket and held it out to Aimi.
"This is for you."
"What is it?" Aimi was startled.
"The prize money, two hundred and fifty thousand," Roy said. "Use it to renovate the Gym."
Aimi's expression changed, and she hurriedly waved her hands.
"No, no! This is the prize money you won, I can't take it!"
"Being your woman is already enough for me." She lowered her head, her voice getting smaller and smaller, "How can I take your money too..."
Roy smiled and reached out to stroke her cheek.
"You said it yourself, you're my woman, so it's even more important that you keep this money."
Aimi was stunned.
Roy continued to explain, his voice calm but serious.
"Since I'm the man of the house, then in the future, this Fighting Spirit Gym will be our joint venture, won't it?"
"Why can't I invest in our family business?"
"Or do you consider me an outsider?"
"No! No!" Aimi hurriedly shook her head, her voice urgent, "You're not an outsider, you're my... most beloved man~"
The last part was said softly and gently, and after saying it, her face flushed with shame.
A round of knowing laughter came from behind.
Delia and Misty had stood at the door at some point, both covering their mouths, their eyes crinkling with laughter.
***************************
Thoughts on where the plot is heading? Let me know in the comments! If you're enjoying the ride, please leave a quick review and toss a few Power Stones my way. Every bit of support means the world! 🙌
