Late at night in Mauville City, the air still held the lingering noise and tempting aroma of the Food Street from the day.
Ariel sat in the resting area of the Pokémon Center, his fingertips lightly brushing over the Dynamo Badge he had just obtained.
The cold metallic texture of the badge couldn't dispel the lingering fear in his heart.
The Gym battle against Wattson had been won far too narrowly.
Whether it was Gyarados's world-destroying Waterfall or Ampharos's final counterattack, it was only by a hair's breadth that his team wasn't completely crushed.
Sneasel, Inkay, Sandile... every Pokémon had fought to their absolute limit.
Ariel never wanted to experience that feeling of leaving his fate to such a razor-thin margin again.
He looked out the window, where the city's neon lights sketched a false prosperity.
Beneath that prosperity, under the Mauville City Food Street, lay a massive shadow—the Team Rocket HQ.
Danger and opportunity coexisted.
There were countless Team Rockets members, madmen who craved battle and victory.
It was the best training ground.
"My strength is still not enough..." Ariel muttered to himself, clenching his fists.
The desire to become stronger was more intense than ever... Team Rockets Training Grounds.
This was a training ground exclusive to Team Rocket Executives, providing many types of Pokémon for battle practice.
Every battle was accompanied by merciless attacks and the painful roars of Pokémon.
Because of this, it had also become a catalyst for the rapid growth of a Pokémon's strength.
"Swish!"
An ice-blue afterimage flashed past. Before the opposing Golbat could even release a Supersonic, it was hit by a swift Ice Punch, frozen into a block of ice, and fell straight down from mid-air.
Sneasel landed lightly on the ground, its crimson eyes scanning the fallen opponent without a hint of emotion.
After this period of extensive combat, Sneasel's level had reached Level 26!
High-intensity practical combat made its control over Ice-type energy and its use of speed increasingly refined.
Every move carried a tempered ruthlessness and precision.
Ariel watched, satisfied. He took a box from his pocket, and upon opening it, a claw-shaped item shimmering with a sharp, cold light lay quietly inside.
sharp claw!
This was the reward Ariana had given him after he took his second Gym Badge.
It was of extremely high quality, its value far exceeding that of ordinary held items.
Ariel could feel a strange energy contained within this sharp claw, faintly resonating with Sneasel's aura.
"Soon, Sneasel. Just a few more levels, and you'll undergo a brand-new transformation."
He put the sharp claw back into his space ring and turned his gaze to the other side of the battlefield.
"Inkay~!"
Inkay, wearing its signature flashy black sunglasses, floated nimbly in the air, easily dodging a Sludge Bomb spat by a Muk.
"Now, Night Slash!" Ariel's voice rang out calmly.
Receiving the command, a glint of cunning flashed in Inkay's eyes.
It spun its body, and its originally soft tentacles instantly tightened, covered in a layer of ominous dark energy. Like an unsheathed blade, it slashed heavily at the weak point of Muk's massive body!
"Splat!"
It's super effective!
Muk let out a wail, its massive body swaying, clearly having sustained significant injury.
This was a new move Inkay had learned during the special training—Night Slash.
A powerful Dark-type physical attack move, it perfectly made up for its previous lack of physical attack options.
During this time, Inkay's improvement could be described as rapid.
Every day, it absorbed some of the psychic miracle stones from Ariel's space ring, and by now, it had absorbed a third of them.
Pure Psychic power combined with high-intensity combat had caused its level to skyrocket to Level 27!
It was the one with the most improvement among the three Pokémon!
Ariel watched Inkay playing around on the field, but his mind was racing with calculations.
Current Inkay, relying on its small body and excellent Special Attack, was an excellent mobile turret.
But once it evolved into Malamar, its physical attack capability would also be nothing to scoff at.
But what Ariel valued most was always its utility.
The Psychic-type was a type full of infinite possibilities.
Whether it was Trick Room, which allowed slow Pokémon to go first, or Skill Swap, a divine move when paired with its Contrary ability, or Light Screen to weaken the opponent's Special Attack—combining these skills could create countless tactical possibilities.
This little guy, who looked both cute and mischievous, would definitely become the tactical core of his team in the future.
His gaze finally landed on the center of the field.
Sandile, the big brother of his team, was currently silently wrestling with a Machoke.
It didn't have Sneasel's Extreme Speed, nor did it have Inkay's unpredictability.
But it had unparalleled perseverance and hard work.
In every training session, Sandile was the one who worked the hardest.
Its brown skin and muscles bulged from the continuous exertion, the knotted lines full of power.
With a low roar, Sandile suddenly exerted force, throwing the Machoke violently to the ground!
During this time, its level had also steadily increased by 2, reaching Level 28!
It was only one step away from the evolution threshold of Level 29 in the game!
Letting Sandile complete its evolution was one of the most important goals of this special training!
"Again!"
Ariel's gaze swept around and quickly locked onto a new target—a Diglett, also at Level 28.
The Staff Member understood and opened the cage holding the Diglett.
The battle began!
In a Ground-type vs. Ground-type battle, it was a test of who was tougher and whose moves were stronger.
The opposing Diglett dove straight into the ground, clearly using the move Dig.
However, Ariel showed a meaningful smile.
"Sandile, Stomping Tantrum!"
"Boom!!"
Sandile didn't pay any attention to the Diglett that had burrowed underground. Instead, it suddenly raised its foot and stomped hard on the ground with all its might!
A strong shockwave instantly spread out with it as the center, and the entire underground field trembled!
The Diglett, which hadn't burrowed very deep yet, was directly dazed by this sudden violent vibration. It was forced to emerge from the ground elsewhere in a sorry state, with stars spinning over its head.
"Now, Crunch!"
A fierce light flashed in Sandile's eyes. Its large body rushed over with amazing explosive power, and it opened its bloody maw, biting the Diglett before the opponent could react!
As Sandile defeated the Diglett, the moment the battle ended, a white light far more dazzling than any before suddenly erupted from its body!
"Buzz—"
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