When they arrived at Azalea Town, an unusual wave of scorching heat hit them head-on.
Unlike the moist freshness of the forest, this town, famous for its traditional craftsmanship, felt as though it were trapped inside an invisible steamer.
The blazing sunlight mercilessly scorched the land. The ground was cracked and dry, the rivers had receded to pitiful levels, and even the trees lining the streets looked wilted and lifeless.
"It's... so dry here," Misty said as she fanned herself, already feeling her throat becoming parched.
Brock looked at the cracked farmland and the exhausted townspeople, his brows furrowing tightly.
"It seems Azalea Town is suffering from a severe drought."
Even Pikachu's ears drooped down, clearly disliking the hot and stifling environment.
"Let's head to the Pokémon Center first," Ash said, already thinking ahead about the Azalea Gym.
According to the Pokédex and available information, the Azalea Gym specialized in Bug-type Pokémon. In terms of typing, his Cyndaquil held an overwhelming advantage.
But...
Before that, Ash had specifically tested Cyndaquil's current condition.
Sure enough, it was exactly as he expected.
Cyndaquil still couldn't properly activate the flames of fighting spirit on its back. It still needed to continuously dodge and build momentum before the flames could finally ignite.
That definitely wouldn't do.
It was far too passive, and it completely clashed with Ash's battle style of taking the initiative and seizing momentum early. Before challenging the Gym, he had to teach Cyndaquil how to ignite its flames proactively!
After placing their luggage at the Pokémon Center, Ash immediately brought Cyndaquil to a relatively shaded clearing near the edge of town and began special training.
"Listen carefully, Cyndaquil!" Ash crouched in front of it seriously. "Your fire power is strong, but it needs to be guided out. We can't always wait until we're attacked before fighting back. You need to learn how to control it yourself! Come on, try concentrating. Feel the heat inside your body and guide it toward your back!"
"Cynda!"
Cyndaquil looked at Ash as if it half understood. It held its breath with all its might, its little face turning red, but the spots on its back remained completely inactive.
"Not by forcing it like that," Ash corrected patiently. "You need to feel it with your heart. Imagine warm energy flowing through your body and gathering at those spots."
However, no matter how much Ash guided it, Cyndaquil always seemed to fall just short.
It could already use Quick Attack for fast movement and dodging, and it could produce some SmokeScreen, but the most important move, Ember, still could not be activated consistently.
But Ash wasn't in a hurry.
He continued leading Cyndaquil through physical training. He had already made up his mind that if it really didn't work out, he would first teach it Agility. Once its speed improved, it would at least build up power faster.
"Come on, Cyndaquil, let's try again!" Ash encouraged it. "Carefully feel the Fire-type energy inside your body, guide it to your back, and then release it all at once, like this!"
As he spoke, Ash planted his feet firmly in a horse stance, demonstrating the motion himself.
Cyndaquil copied him surprisingly well, gritting its teeth as it continuously tried to force the energy within its body outward.
Then suddenly...
Flames ignited on its back before flickering out again.
"Great job, Cyndaquil! You did it!" Ash nodded in satisfaction. "Now remember that feeling from just now and maintain those flames!"
"Cynda!"
Cyndaquil nodded excitedly.
Under Ash's guidance, Cyndaquil gradually began mastering the flames of fighting spirit.
Now, it had already learned how to ignite its flames ahead of time, no longer needing to endlessly dodge around to build up momentum like before.
Taking advantage of this breakthrough, Ash also taught it moves like SmokeScreen, Swift, and Flame Wheel, giving it tools to seize the initiative at both close and long range.
After the special training ended, Ash and the others went to visit the Gym.
However, they discovered that the Gym had temporarily closed due to the town's water shortage.
At a glance, nearly all of the entertainment facilities throughout the town had also shut down.
So in the end, Ash and the others decided to visit Kurt first.
....
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