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The rocky mid-slope of Blazing Peak was as bleak as ever no grass, no moss, only endless slabs of dark gray stone.
Kael stood there wearing the strange black device strapped to his chest, staring blankly at his instructor.
"…What?"
His voice cracked with disbelief.
Infernape tilted his head, genuinely confused.
"What's wrong? A hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, a hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run. That level shouldn't be hard, right?"
Kael just stared at him.
His expression said everything:
Are you messing with me right now?
Infernape blinked innocently, though a tiny spark of mischief flashed in his blue eyes.
"It's not that I can't do it…" Kael muttered, sounding disappointed. "It's just… really? That's it?"
He had expected something else.
Something profound.
Something worthy of a blazing mountain, a rare device bound to his chest, and a legendary powerhouse as a mentor.
Instead, he got—
The most generic workout routine in the universe.
In any normal environment, the exercises would be easy for an enhanced Machop.
But this wasn't normal.
This was Blazing Peak, a heavy-gravity training ground where every movement felt like pushing against a collapsing mountain.
Kael knew the training wouldn't be simple. Still, this was… bizarrely plain.
It was like buying a $5000 gaming PC with a 4K monitor…
Only to use it to play Candy Crush.
Way too much setup for way too little output.
"Quit staring," Infernape called lazily. "Time's ticking, Start already."
Kael sighed deeply.
Whatever doubts he had, he trusted his instructors.
If the Gym Leader had personally assigned these mentors, then each one surely had their own philosophy behind their methods even if the method looked ridiculous.
Fine.
Kael lay back on the cold rock, legs together, hands behind his head.
His eyes drifted upward… and his fingers brushed the three plate-like ridges atop his head.
A sudden thought flickered.
A certain bald caped hero came to mind.
"…If this routine gives me his level of strength, I won't complain," Kael whispered to himself. "And hey… I have no hair. No downside."
He chuckled, but in the next breath, his expression sharpened.
Jokes aside, he was determined.
"Alright… let's go!"
He drew in a breath then his abs tightened like a coiled spring, hauling his torso upward against the crushing gravity.
A wave of pain shot through him.
It felt like ten fully grown men were standing on his chest and stomach.
His entire black frame trembled violently as he grit his teeth.
Finally—
Thunk!
His elbows tapped his knees.
"One…!"
He dropped back instantly, gravity slamming him into the stone like a boulder.
"Haah… haah…"
Sweat flooded from his skin, dripping onto the dark stone beneath him.
His abdominal muscles spasmed violently.
This was… way harder than he'd imagined.
Nearby, Infernape lounged on a raised rock, completely unfazed by the gravity, watching with casual amusement.
"All that noise already?" Infernape called. "Get moving. Don't slack."
Kael groaned, forced his body up again, and then:
zzrRT—!
A flash burst across the black device on his chest.
The previously dull crystal flared with brilliant yellow light and arcs of electricity erupted across Kael's body like snapping whips.
"Aa—WHAT!?"
His entire body convulsed as the electricity raced across his arms, torso, and legs.
The half-completed sit-up collapsed instantly and he fell flat onto the stone.
"What— what is this thing!?"
Infernape grinned, looking far too entertained.
"That's the Empowerment Crystal," he explained cheerfully. "The League designed it for elite training. It randomly releases different elemental energies while you work."
Kael twitched on the ground, smoke faintly rising from his skin.
"The gravity trains the body.
The exercises build your muscle foundation and the crystal toughens your resistance to all elements."
Infernape shrugged.
"Simple but effective."
Very effective, judging by Kael's suffering.
"Some gifted trainees even awaken new moves from the energy exposure," Infernape added, his eyes glinting with excitement. "Let's see how far you can go."
Then he clapped loudly.
"Hey! Stop dying on the floor! Back up. That was only the first one."
Kael let out a broken groan then forced his arms into position again.
"Arghhhh—!!"
"Good! Keep going!"
Infernape's voice echoed across Blazing Peak like a cheerful demon encouraging torture.
Kael's pained shouts mixed with Infernape's "motivational" yelling…
And their voices rolled across the stone cliffs of the mountain.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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