Pokemon: Bounty Hunter

However, this was just a part of the training program. At this moment, the little Torchic had no idea that the real hell was yet to come.

Next came weighted kicking drills, weighted squats, fire-type energy concentration, and a whole series of other training sessions waiting for Torchic.

After finishing the reaction training, Torchic thought it was finally free, but upon hearing its trainer's next set of instructions, it was on the verge of tears.

This was truly hell, and its trainer was nothing less than a demon king.

As the sun set, the grueling day of training finally ended. Torchic and Pidgeot sat at the dining table, enjoying their hard-earned meal.

Torchic devoured its food like crazy, as if trying to bury the pain of training under the pleasure of eating.

Silas sat nearby, eating his own cooked meal in a refined manner.

Silas calculated the consumption rate of his two Pokémon. Based on the current pace, the pre-ordered supplies he had should last for about two more months.

However, considering Torchic's increasing appetite and its future evolution, he estimated that in about seven weeks, he would need to stock up again.

Thinking about this, Silas was amazed by Torchic's talent and rapid progress—it had completely exceeded his data analysis.

It wasn't surprising, though. After all, he didn't have another Pokémon with a champion-level potential for precise data comparison. He could only use lower-potential Pokémon as a reference, which naturally led to some discrepancies.

For example, based on his and Zero's calculations, today's goal for Torchic should have been to complete the medium-difficulty wooden stake course within twelve minutes while dealing with two interference launchers.

At first, Torchic was overwhelmed and struggled to keep up, but as training progressed, its reaction speed improved significantly.

Not only was it able to navigate the medium-difficulty wooden stake course quickly, but it also managed to complete a session under the interference of three launchers in just ten minutes.

The other training areas showed progress as well, with improvements ranging from 10% to 20%. Silas couldn't help but marvel at Torchic's strength.

What impressed him the most was that this little guy never once complained. Silas had originally intended to lecture his Pokémon about perseverance, but that idea was completely unnecessary now.

Still, this made Silas genuinely happy.

After all, if Torchic could endure such harsh training, it meant it had a strong desire to become stronger.

There was nothing bad about that.

After clearing the mess on the table, Silas went upstairs to begin his daily studies.

Torchic and Pidgeot obediently returned to their Poké Balls to rest, preparing for another grueling day of training tomorrow.

Two months later.

In the backyard of a villa on the outskirts of Viridian City…

Near the end of the wooden stake course…

"Combusken!"

Combusken twisted its left foot, tilting its body slightly to dodge three rubber balls shooting toward it.

Without time to catch its breath, it quickly bent its upper body to evade two more rubber balls coming from the front and behind.

Taking advantage of the motion, it stretched out both arms and forcefully slapped the ground, executing a forward roll to avoid the wooden stakes ahead.

But it wasn't over yet.

Just as it got back on its feet and accelerated, Silas's voice rang out.

"10 o'clock, upper right! Flamethrower! Follow up with Aerial Ace and Brick Break to smash the rock ahead!"

Without hesitation, Combusken launched a stream of flames in the indicated direction.

The special rock thrown into the air by Silas was instantly incinerated into ashes by the 1800°C fire.

As soon as the Flamethrower was released, Combusken immediately cut off the energy output and switched to Aerial Ace.

It skimmed close to the ground toward the rock, its right hand glowing with a dazzling white light—Brick Break!

With a crisp crack, the rock was sliced cleanly in half.

In the next moment, five more rubber balls came flying from different directions, targeting Combusken's limbs and torso.

Combusken reacted instantly, leaping into the air. It deflected two of the rubber balls with one claw and one Fire Punch, while skillfully twisting midair to avoid the one aimed at its torso.

The last two rubber balls were already within inches of its legs, but Combusken remained calm. Tightening its core, it delivered a rapid Double Kick, sending the balls flying away.

"Quick Attack!"

Silas's voice never came too late.

The moment Combusken landed, it bent its legs and sprang forward with Quick Attack. A wooden stake stood in its path.

But Combusken showed no hesitation. Controlling its speed, it maneuvered past the wooden stake with pinpoint precision.

"Okay, that's enough!" Silas called out as he checked the timer.

Combusken steadied its breathing and slowly walked over to Silas.

"Not bad! You can now complete this high-difficulty course within three minutes, even with interference from ten launchers. This phase of your training is complete."

"Combusken!" Combusken nodded steadily, indicating that it was ready to start the next exercise.

Silas fastened the weighted training vest onto Combusken and adjusted the settings. Without wasting time, Combusken moved to another training area and began its kicking drills.

Using its core muscles, it generated power through its entire body. Its legs alternated rapidly, maintaining a steady rhythm of six kicks per second.

Silas watched the dedicated Combusken and smiled with satisfaction.

The past two months of training had allowed Torchic to evolve into Combusken.

Not only had its strength increased significantly, but its personality had also become much calmer and more composed.

With that thought in mind, Silas silently commanded, Zero, analyze and display Combusken's stats.

A blue panel, visible only to Silas, appeared in his vision.

[Combusken]

Category: Young Fowl Pokémon

Type: Fire/Fighting

Height: 1.3m (Average: 0.9m)

Weight: 26kg (Average: 19.5kg)

Ability: Blaze (Boosts Fire-type moves when HP is low)

Hidden Ability: Speed Boost (Gradually increases Speed during battle until reaching the limit)

Moveset: Scratch, Peck, Growl, Counter (Egg Move), Burn Up (Egg Move), Agility (Egg Move), Ember, Quick Attack, Double Kick, Flamethrower, Flame Charge, Detect, Fire Punch, Brick Break, Low Kick, Fire Blast, Heat Wave, Feather Dance, Aerial Ace.

Level: 26 (Standard)

Potential: Champion

Training Suggestions:

Focus on developing leg muscles. Growth rate is 1.56 times higher than the average Combusken, granting exceptional explosiveness and striking power. (Training plan and diet listed below.)

Feed a mix of Spicy Razz Berries and Chople Berries in a 1:1 ratio to enhance Fire-type energy.

Combusken's reaction speed is 2.12 times faster than the average of its species. Specialized training is recommended. (Training plan and diet listed below.)

Silas looked at the panel. Although he monitored Combusken's progress daily, seeing such an impressive status screen still made him grin unconsciously.

Despite being only level 26, Combusken's moveset alone was comparable—if not superior—to that of a freshly evolved level 38 Pidgeot.

Aside from the three inherited moves, both its Fire-type and Fighting-type techniques were exceptionally well-rounded.

Not to mention, during these months of training, Combusken's natural potential had been further unlocked.