A/N: I will be posting 1 chapter a day for the next week. I am traveling and it's not possible to write a story that I'll be satisfied with in short time I'll get. I'll get back to usual 3 per day after a week
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After lunch, I checked the time.
1:30 PM.
Plenty of daylight left.
The return trip to the lake camp would take around two and a half hours, which meant we had about two more hours to train here on the plateau—the best training ground we had found so far.
I stood and clapped my hands.
"Everyone, listen up. We're training here until 3:30. Make the most of it."
The team scattered immediately.
Machop returned to the Machop–Machoke group, sliding right back into their drills like he had always belonged there.
Aron was headbutting iron chunks embedded in the cave walls, practicing Iron Head, its tiny but determined body ringing like a metal bell each time it struck.
My Rhyhorn and Mama's Rhyhorn were still bruised from their suicidal clash with Aggron.
Evergreen power had healed the worst of it, but the internal trauma… that needed time.
"Rest," I told them firmly. "Two days minimum. No exceptions."
They grunted unhappily but obeyed.
Our other two Rhyhorn—the ones chosen for Arjun and Captain Sethi—were running sprint drills, sharply turning mid-charge, practicing momentum control.
Pidgeotto was slamming Steel Wing repeatedly into a large boulder.
Every strike left a neat metallic cut.
"Good form," I called.
She chirped proudly and kept going.
I turned to Mama's Growlithe.
"You—Focus Energy, then Double Kick. Slow, controlled, don't rush."
Growlithe nodded, inhaled deeply, trying to gather focus the way Machoke taught the Machop.
Then tried to kick.
He missed.
Fell.
Got up.
Tried again.
Good start.
Next was Mankey.
"Mankey—go learn Vital Throw. Ask Machoke for guidance."
"Man!" He saluted like a tiny martial artist and ran off.
It was chaos.
Pure, beautiful training chaos.
"Arjun!" I called.
He jogged over.
"Ask the referee Machoke about Machop's growth path. Get a future training direction. Learn how fighting-types advance."
Arjun nodded and hurried off.
Machoke gave him a 10-minute lecture that made Arjun's brain melt, but he absorbed every word like scripture.
Good.
Two Hours Later
Mankey staggered back toward me, exhausted after being thrown by Machoke a hundred times.
Every time he collapsed, he sat cross-legged and breathed deeply—trying to meditate.
He wasn't successful yet.
But he was feeling the flow.
That was enough.
At 3:30 sharp, I whistled loudly.
"Everyone! Wrap up!"
They gathered—sweaty, bruised, dirty, but stronger.
I bowed slightly toward the Machoke clan.
"Thank you for your help today. Truly."
Machoke gave a respectful nod back.
We mounted our Rhyhorn and began descending the mountain.
"Pidgeotto," I said before we left the plateau, "fly ahead to the pidgey clan and go berry foraging. Bring whatever you can find."
She spread her wings, and soared away.
When we reached the base of the mountain, the rest of the Rhyhorn herd was waiting patiently.
"Let's go home."
We started toward the lake.
By the time we arrived…
A mound of berries towered near the tents.
Pidgeotto perched on top proudly like a queen.
The Pidgey clan lay on the ground around her—completely exhausted like tiny soldiers who had been worked to death.
My team stared at the pile, stunned.
"What… what happened?" Meera asked.
I sighed. "She took her job seriously."
Then I noticed something else:
Pichu fighting Shellder and Poliwag.
Poliwag doing quick spins, Pichu dodging, sparks flying.
Poliwhirl saw Pidgeotto land and instantly jumped out of the lake, fists raised.
"Poliii!"
Pidgeotto smirked.
Smugly.
Like: Now you'll understand the terror of steel wing.
I left them to it and approached the team.
They stared at the Rhyhorn herd behind me, speechless.
"What… happened up there?" Bhavesh whispered.
I told them everything.
Machoke plateau.
Aron.
Training.
And Aggron.
Their faces went pale.
Then they gave me their status report—no major incidents, just typical lake Pokémon interactions.
"Good. Now pick your Rhyhorn."
I called forward the six pre-selected candidates.
The six team members without partners slowly approached and began choosing based on personality, reaction, and compatibility.
Once everyone settled, I gathered the group again.
"Tonight, we're having a small battle competition. Friendly. Winner gets a special prize from me."
The team roared in excitement.
The battles were fun, chaotic, and surprisingly skilled.
But in the end…
Captain Sethi won.
Aron cheered like an angry steel cinnamon roll.
Night fell.
I waved at the drone.
"Alright chat—time to sleep. Good night."
Stream Offline.
I prepared two documents on my phone.
I pressed send.
• One sent to everyone – customized Rhyhorn food recipe
• One sent only to Captain Sethi – a special Aron nutrient formula
They all gasped reading through it.
"This is not to be shared," I warned. "These formulas are for your partners alone."
They nodded firmly.
I headed toward my tent, exhaustion finally beginning to pull at my eyelids.
Just as I lay down—
The satellite phone rang.
Screen: Colonel Rawat
I stared at it for a moment.
Then answered.
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Pidgeotto — Lv. 25 → Lv. 27• Steel Wing learned• Multiple battles (Poliwhirl twice + Rhyhorn leader)• Intense Steel Wing trainingMajor growth
Mankey — Lv. 13 → Lv. 16• Learned Bulk Up• Started Meditate (basic)• Trained Vital Throw directly under Machoke(That's elite-tier training)
Growlithe (Mama) — Lv. 20 → Lv. 21• Emotional setback after Aggron• Focus Energy + Double Kick training• Minor but real progress
Mama's Rhyhorn — Lv. 28 → Lv. 29• Bulldoze + charged Aggron• Took heavy damage• High-intensity endurance battle
Growlithe (Tanisha) — Lv. 13• Trained lightly with others• Helped watch the Pichu• Minor progress, consistent
Arjun's Team
Rhyhorn — Lv. 28 → Lv. 29• Fought Machoke (lost)• Fought Machop Lv 26 (lost)• Fought Machop Lv 25 (won)• Massive experience gained under Machoke supervision
Machop (new partner) — Lv. 25 (initial) → Lv. 26• Multiple spar sessions before recruitment• Accepted Arjun with respectSolid starting point
Captain Sethi's Team
Rhyhorn — Lv. 28 → Lv. 29• Won vs Aron (Lv 26)• Took Aggron collision wave• Natural level-up
Aron — Lv. 26• Iron Head training• Strong defensive growth
Ritu's Team
Rhyhorn — Lv. 25 → Lv. 26• Physical training drills• Sprint + turning practice• Consistent growth
Pichu Squadron (4) — Lv. 9 → Lv. 11• Fought Poliwag, Shellder• Daily group training
• Learned AgilityGood progress