A New Round of Training

Realizing the current issues, Yuga has been training his Pokémon with more purpose lately. Their dedication to training has increased, especially for Murkrow.

In battles against Robert and Soku, Murkrow performance was disappointing, which affected its morale. As a result, Murkrow was discontent.

Even Floette, who used to be playful, has become more diligent recently.

Perhaps influenced by the other Pokémon, Floette playful nature seems to have changed.

Both Murkrow and Absol are hardworking and serious, even without Yuga instructions.

Vulpix and Chimecho are both well-behaved, and they follow Yuga orders wholeheartedly.

Even timid Houndour has been participating in training more actively due to its good relationship with Yuga.

This positive atmosphere has made Floette feel embarrassed about slacking off, eventually leading it to forget about laziness.

Team dynamics are important; even one hardworking member can influence the whole group positively.

One morning, Yuga took his team to a nearby forest for training.

Normally, they trained in Yuga backyard, but due to ongoing construction in the ecopark, the yard was inaccessible for now.

"Houndour, use Ember on that tree. While using Ember, try to extend the duration of the flames as much as possible. Let's see if you can turn your Ember into a column of fire."

Houndour nodded at Yuga instructions and used the Ember skill on the designated tree.

Ember advanced form was a stream of flames. Though Houndour strength wasn't sufficient for the advanced version, this training would help its control over continuous flames, aiding its skill development in the future.

However, achieving consistent flames wasn't easy for Houndour.

Ember produced a spherical flame, and turning it into a forceful column required strong physical stamina and fire control.

Yuga had been focusing on improving Houndour stamina and fire control lately. Today marked the first training session on the continuity of Ember.

For training Chimecho, Yuga emphasized meditation. Psychic Pokémon offensive abilities relied heavily on their mental strength.

Teaching Chimecho attacking skills was a challenge; Yuga wasn't an expert or knowledgeable about such techniques.

The world had Technical Machines, but they were rare.

First, these machines were difficult to make, limiting their availability and causing them to be expensive and often unavailable even with money.

Second, TMs had flaws.

TMs forced skills into Pokémon minds, hindering natural learning. It limited skill proficiency and hindered learning of advanced skills.

Yuga had also read online about how TMs might affect a Pokémon understanding of elemental energy, but these were just rumors.

Currently, there were three main ways for Pokémon to learn skills: self-comprehension, inheritance, and teaching.

The latter had two categories: learning from other Pokémon or training from a Trainer.

Learning from other Pokémon was easier to understand, as Pokémon had their own language for communication.

Trainer-led skill teaching depended on the Trainer experience. However, Yuga lacked experience and knowledge in this aspect.

He was currently relying on his own experimentation and online resources, though most online information was unhelpful and scarce due to the confidentiality of precious experience.

Experienced Trainers didn't overburden their Pokémon with numerous skills; they selected the most suitable skills. Despite their intelligence, Pokémon had limited energy.

A skilled intermediate-level skill might be better than an unskilled advanced-level skill.

Skill effectiveness wasn't solely determined by the skill base power but also the Pokémon proficiency, strength, and control over the skill.

Therefore, more skills weren't necessarily better.

Murkrow was currently learning a new skill, Roar.

Since the last competition, Yuga noticed that Murkrow main weakness was its lack of ranged attack skills; all of its attacks were close-range, involving pecking and wing attacks.

Both these skills required proximity to the opponent to be effective. Being a Flying-type Pokémon, if Murkrow movement was restricted, it would become almost useless with just these two close-range attacks.

Yuga decided to have Houndour teach Murkrow the move "Roar." Being Dark-types, Murkrow could potentially learn this move.

Currently, Houndour had only taught Murkrow the technique method; Murkrow hadn't successfully executed it yet.

As for Vulpix, its focus was on learning the skills "Will-O-Wisp" and "Flamethrower."

Will-O-Wisp was a powerful skill, as seen from Soku Shuppet. Although Shuppet Will-O-Wisp wasn't effective against Yuga, Soku had utilized it well against other participants.

When a Pokémon was hit by Will-O-Wisp, failure to end the battle quickly meant inevitable defeat.

Flamethrower, as Vulpix main offensive move, was a major training priority. This intermediate skill held early-game advantage.

Floette training targeted "Magical Leaf" and "Fairy Wind."

While Fairy Wind power was low, Yuga emphasized this skill to prepare Floette for learning higher-level Fairy-type moves like "Dazzling Gleam" and "Moonblast" in the future.

Fairy-types differed from other types in that they had fewer high-power moves. Except for Magearna "Fleur Cannon" and The Eternal Flower Floette "Light of Ruin," the only moves with power over 90 were "Play Rough" and "Moonblast."

Unfortunately, Floette couldn't learn "Fleur Cannon" or "Light of Ruin."

So, Fairy Wind aimed to deepen Floette understanding of Fairy-type energy, crucial for a single-type Fairy Pokémon.

Magical Leaf, Floette primary offensive move, needed focused training.

Yuga had an idea: training Floette to use Magical Leaf as a "Leaf Tornado" effect.

Currently, Floette could use four leaves in Magical Leaf. Yuga wondered if it could eventually use eight, sixteen, and perhaps even hundreds of leaves in the future.

Whether this could be achieved, Yuga didn't know, but having a goal was important. If Floette could achieve this, it would be unrivaled.

From the recent competition, Yuga discovered that Floette Vine Whip was useful. Its power might be modest, but it was effective for control and disruption.

Yuga had previously overlooked Vine Whip potential, but now he realized it was worth revisiting.

Lastly, there was Absol.

As Yuga strongest Pokémon, Absol was also the most reliable.

Different growth conditions from the others shaped its resolute character and desire for strength. It understood the importance of strength more than anyone.

Yuga hadn't given Absol specific training tasks; it had learned skills through outdoor experiences and challenges. Its proficiency and power were exceptional.

Currently, Absol was training the only skill it hadn't mastered yet: "Future Sight."

This Psychic-type skill was remarkable, serving as both an offensive tool and enhancing a Pokémon perception and prediction abilities, though it was challenging to use.

Yuga typically focused on skill training in the mornings when Pokémon were alert, aiding comprehension. Afternoons were reserved for physical and practical training to boost their levels.

While immediate results might be lacking, consistency and gradual improvement were key aspects of training.