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The next morning, Jacob woke up at dawn. After washing up, he headed straight to the training room.
Training was everything. Train, train, and train some more.
It was like working out—painful and hard to stick with at first. But once it became routine, training turned addictive. The same principle applied here.
Noivern carried weighted gear as it pushed itself to the limit, squeezing out every ounce of potential from its body.
Watching Noivern train so intensely, Charizard grew more serious too. It had sensed something—Noivern was becoming a threat to its position.
Among Jacob's first team, Drakloak stood in a league of its own when it came to strength. Behind it, Charizard and Sceptile were nearly equal in power. Both could reach Drakloak's level when they Mega Evolved.
After them came Noivern, followed by Fraxure and Shelgon at the back.
But now that Noivern's aptitude had improved, Charizard felt a sense of urgency. Today, it trained harder than ever, continuously breathing flames to sharpen its control over Fire-type energy.
Sceptile, as always, trained with discipline and independence. Jacob never had to worry about it. The Grass-type acted as the team's reliable older brother figure.
Jacob assigned training routines to Fraxure and Shelgon before turning to Noivern. "Noivern, focus only on physical training this morning. This afternoon, I'll take you to Nina. Her Noivern will help you learn Boomburst."
"Mm." Noivern nodded coolly, a far cry from when it was a Noibat that used to curl up in Jacob's arms.
Nina had no classes scheduled that afternoon, so Jacob planned to have lunch with her. More importantly, he wanted her Noivern to give his Pokémon special training to help it master Boomburst as quickly as possible.
After finishing with the first team, Jacob shifted his attention to the second team.
The second team's composition was complicated. Aside from powerhouses like Iron Valiant and Darkrai, who already possessed considerable strength, the strongest members of Jacob's entire roster were Indeedee and Diancie.
Diancie's current strength had peaked at the Overlord tier. It was just one step away from Gym Leader level.
Jacob understood why Diancie's growth came so fast. As a Mythical Pokémon—and yes, Mythical, first-tier Legendary, and second-tier Legendary Pokémon were all collectively called Legendary Pokémon—its growth rate naturally exceeded that of ordinary Pokémon.
However, Indeedee's rapid progress shocked Jacob. Even though Indeedee had obtained a Lunar Wing, it wasn't a Legendary Pokémon. Yet its current strength matched Diancie's—both stood at the peak of Overlord tier, approaching Gym Leader level.
A mortal body rivaling a deity. That was the only way to describe it.
Jacob also noticed something else: the two Pokémon seemed to treat each other as rivals. They had developed a competitive edge.
Behind these two came Cinderace and Gengar, both of whom had recently reached Overlord-level strength.
At the very back was the newly hatched Rotom.
Jacob looked at his assembled team, and an idea struck him. He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.
"Listen up, everyone. Train hard over the next month. At the end of it, we're holding a friendly tournament."
"Sceptile, Charizard, Noivern, Drakloak—you four will battle in one group."
"Fraxure, you'll battle with Shelgon, Cinderace, and Gengar in another group."
"Indeedee, you'll face Diancie."
A spark flashed in Sceptile's eyes the moment Jacob finished speaking. Its gaze locked onto Drakloak.
Ever since Drakloak had revealed its terrifying strength, Sceptile had wanted a real battle with it. Not a training exercise—a true, all-out fight until one of them couldn't continue.
As if sensing Sceptile's intense stare, Drakloak turned its head slightly. It looked back with its usual calm expression, as though saying: I'll be waiting for your challenge.
Charizard and Noivern, meanwhile, didn't pay attention to the others. Their eyes were on each other.
Even back when they were Charmander and Noibat, the two had been rivals. Their battles always had clear winners and losers. But once Charmander evolved into Charmeleon and then Charizard, Noibat found itself completely outmatched.
When Noibat finally evolved into Noivern, they still hadn't fought a proper match.
Now, with a chance to compete again, sparks practically flew between them.
The same energy filled the air around Fraxure and Shelgon, as well as Cinderace and Gengar. Every Pokémon seemed eager, ready for battle.
After all, it was just like playing video games. Beating strangers felt good for a moment, but defeating your closest friend in a one-on-one? That satisfaction lasted until the next match.
Nothing beat crushing your buddies.
If those matchups seemed friendly, Diancie and Indeedee were different. The two Pokémon radiated open hostility. Their energies flared like blazing flames, as if they wanted to fight right then and there.
Diancie and Indeedee locked eyes and let out sharp cries. Their faces showed undisguised antagonism, like fighters trash-talking before a match.
"Noivern, what are they saying?" Jacob asked curiously.
"Uh..." The honest Noivern showed a troubled expression, clearly uncomfortable with the request.
Charizard, standing nearby, wore a knowing smile.
"Master, they said—"
Before Noivern could finish, both Indeedee and Diancie snapped their heads toward it.
Two sweet voices echoed in Jacob's mind simultaneously.
"Master, she insulted me."
"Master, she insulted me."
As a Psychic-type Pokémon aided by the Lunar Wing, Indeedee naturally possessed the ability to communicate telepathically.
Diancie, being a Mythical Pokémon, had the same ability.
Indeedee: "She insulted me first!"
Diancie: "That's a lie! You started it, you chubby black thing!"
Indeedee: "Pink glass, say that again!"
Diancie: "I'm a pink diamond, understand? Not glass, you chubby black thing."
Indeedee: "Diamond? Looks as cheap as glass to me."
Jacob felt his head start to throb. Watching the stubborn Indeedee and Diancie go back and forth, he could only feel overwhelmed.
The other Pokémon seemed used to this scene. They quietly continued their training as though nothing was happening.
"Stop, stop!" Jacob quickly interrupted the two feuding Pokémon. "You're teammates. How can you fight over something so small?"
Diancie: "It's not small. She's always like this."
Indeedee: "You're the one who always starts trouble!"
Seeing them about to argue again, Jacob raised his voice. "That's enough! Both of you, settle down. Teammates should be patient and forgiving with each other. If you have problems, save them for the battle a month from now."
"Fine! I'll shatter your glass, pink sparkles."
"Fine! Just wait. I'll tear you apart, chubby black thing!"
Diancie and Indeedee both agreed before walking to opposite sides of the room. They began training seriously, each determined to win the battle in a month.
Watching this unfold, Jacob rubbed his temples. When had Diancie and Indeedee's relationship gotten this bad? He'd need to ask Charizard about it later—the social butterfly of the team always knew what was going on.
Just as Jacob got lost in thought, laughter suddenly rang out beside him.
"Hehehe!" It was Darkrai, clearly amused by Jacob's flustered state.
"Darkrai, what's so funny? In a month, you've got a match too. You'll be fighting Iron Valiant."
"..."