Kai skillfully continued to drill Poliwrath on its fighting techniques.
In all his years in the Pokémon world, he had never placed his hopes solely on his Pokémon's training; he hadn't relaxed his own for a single moment. Without using Fighting-type energy, Poliwrath might not even be a match for Kai in pure hand-to-hand combat.
Think you can keep up with a real champion? Kai thought with a smirk, planting his hands on his hips and leaning back.
Ursaring's training was simple and unadorned: pure strength conditioning. Mastering how to quickly and precisely unleash its full power was its most urgent task. Although it had evolved some time ago, its previous life in the wild had left it with many bad habits. Its mastery of most skills was average, and its application of strength was rough. Several months of training had brought great improvement, but it had not yet reached the final, desired effect.
Octillery's training was a further development of its ability. The Sniper ability increases the damage of critical hits, a powerful effect that many trainers underestimate. They know critical hits do more damage, but few realize they also ignore the opponent's defensive stat changes. For example, if a Graveler used Iron Defense multiple times, a critical hit would bypass those boosts entirely.
Quagsire's training focused on accuracy. Kai's Quagsire was a bit clumsy, and its precision with moves wasn't very high.
Lanturn's training was the most comfortable; all it had to do was fully vent the electricity it had absorbed, releasing it through various attacks. It was essentially using Zapdos's power to train its own skills. Its target was Skarmory, who would dodge the incoming attacks. If it couldn't dodge, the hits served as excellent electrical resistance training.
The session continued until 7:30 AM, when Kai called everyone to prepare for breakfast.
The dining location was the factory's cafeteria, run by a friendly uncle from Pummelo Island.
Ivy, also an early riser, had been observing the training for a while before heading to the cafeteria. By the time Kai and the others entered, she had already finished eating and was sitting aside, waiting.
"Ivy, we'll go to the weather station first today to check the situation. After getting accurate weather information, we'll depart for Tangelo Island," Kai said, grabbing a Soda Pop from the cooler.
"Is the weather station on Pummelo Island on that mountain over there?" Ivy pointed to a building on a nearby mountain, clearly distinct from the residential houses.
"Oh, that? That's the Pummelo Island Pokémon Center. The weather station is on Big Wave Island."
Kai glanced in the direction Ivy was looking.
"The earliest Pokémon Centers in the Orange Archipelago all looked like the one on Mikan Island, very characteristic of the local area. However, the original Pummelo Island Pokémon Center was destroyed in a storm ten years ago. Later, during reconstruction, the coastal areas were designated as tourist zones, so the Pokémon Center was moved to the mountainside."
Ivy listened, a bit perplexed. "A Pokémon Center built on a mountainside? Wouldn't that be very inconvenient for trainers?"
"Because the previous Orange League President never considered that problem at all," Fergus chimed in from the side.
The Mikan Island Pokémon Center was filled with rich regional charm, its main building constructed entirely from unique local tropical timber. Originally, other Pokémon Centers in the Orange League shared this style, but due to harsh weather or new urban planning, they were either destroyed or rebuilt.
Mikan Island became the sole airship destination in the Orange League due to objective geographical factors. Its surrounding waters were exceptionally calm, without turbulent waves or strong sea winds, allowing for safe landings and takeoffs.
Pummelo Island had an attached smaller island that locals called Onami Island It was sparsely developed, home to only a few local residents and a single, crucial weather station. The station provided accurate forecasts, helping seafarers avoid adverse weather.
"There are no regular ferries to Onami Island. To get there, we either have to take a boat ourselves or ride a Water-type Pokémon." Kai gulped down his Soda Pop, feeling refreshed from head to toe. "But don't worry. We have a speedboat docked at the port we can take."
"You have a speedboat?" Ivy asked, a bit surprised.
"On land, people have cars. Here by the sea, we have speedboats. What's so surprising?" Kai said with a grin.
"Alright! When do we leave?"
"You just got to Pummelo Island, so take some time to look around. We'll go to Onami Island this afternoon; the waves are too rough in the morning, making it difficult to land."
Ivy nodded in agreement.
"Have Jade accompany Ivy on a stroll through the market by the beach. You'll come with me to the warehouse to check on the machines," Kai instructed Fergus.
"Yes, Boss!"
After breakfast, they split into two groups.
"Boss, only some of our machines are in this warehouse. There are a few larger ones in the rented warehouse at the pier," Fergus explained as they walked.
"Where's Wood? I haven't seen him since I got back."
"Wood has been holed up in the warehouse researching ever since that batch of machines arrived."
They quickly reached the warehouse area. The door was shut tight, but light seeped out from underneath.
Fergus knocked on the iron door a few times. "Wood! The Boss is back, open up!"
Footsteps scrambled from inside, and the iron door creaked open.
"Kai? You're back! Come in, let me show you my latest discovery." A man in a white lab coat, with hair like a bird's nest and a scruffy beard, poked his head out, looking ecstatic.
"What a strong smell! Wood, how many days has it been since you showered?" Fergus said, pinching his nose.
"Haha, it must have been several days, huh? Ah, that's not important; just come in and see." Wood looked the oldest of the three but was also the most single-minded.
Kai pushed the door wide open to air the place out. "I mean, Wood, no one's coming to bother you. There's no need to keep the door shut so tight."
"A habit from when we were in the basement," Wood chuckled.
Dozens of machines were piled up inside.
"I've thoroughly researched these production lines from Team Rocket; they're used to produce their standard-issue tools," Wood said, pointing at the tarp-covered machines.
"Do you know how to use them all?" Fergus asked.
"To be precise, I've disassembled and studied all of them. I could probably rebuild a few now," Wood scratched his head.
"Do the manufactured items all have the Team Rocket logo?" Kai asked.
"It's just a mold issue. I can remake the molds, and the spray-painting devices are data-controlled. I can change them directly."
"What are these production lines used for?"
"Those two are for clothing. This one here is more interesting; it produces a modular, multi-functional combat belt. Team Rocket must have other machines that make the modules for it."
"Interesting. What about that one?" Kai pointed at a machine not yet covered.
"This is what I really wanted to tell you about. This thing is Team Rocket's internal Poké Ball production line. They installed a very unique shielding device inside it. The Poké Balls produced, even if placed in a Pokémon Center, can't have their internal information collected normally. Instead, a set of virtual Pokémon data is generated."
"Huh? Team Rocket has something like that? Does that mean with these balls, someone could get treatment at a legitimate Pokémon Center without being discovered?"
"From my experiments, that's indeed the case. But these Poké Balls have a drawback. The stability of this shielding component isn't very high; it's particularly prone to damage."
"Sounds like an experimental version; the technology isn't fully mature yet." Kai took the Poké Ball Wood handed him and examined it carefully.
"This discovery is just one of the surprises. By disassembling and studying this machine, I've figured out the production process of Poké Balls. This means that as long as I can get the right materials, I can produce qualified Poké Balls with this machine. I even have ideas for some improvements," Wood said, pointing at the machine with confidence.
"During my challenge in Johto, I bought a few Poké Balls made by Kurt. You can come with me later to get them and see if they help your research." Kai placed the special Poké Ball back into the machine.
At noon, Kai took Wood to eat and gave him the Poké Balls from his backpack. After taking care of some miscellaneous tasks, Kai and Al went to the beach to meet up with Ivy and the others.
"It's Mr. Kai! I'm Gunnar, currently undertaking the Southern Cross Star challenge. I heard you defeated Zapdos, and I'd like to battle you to see the difference between us!" A trainer dressed as a traveler stopped Kai as he was heading to the pier.
"How many badges have you obtained?" Kai calmly looked at the trainer. As someone who had traveled an entire region, he was accustomed to sudden challenges.
"One! It's the Sea Ruby Badge from Navel Island."
"Al, he's all yours."
Kai roughly understood the trainer's level. The Gyms in the Orange Archipelago didn't just use battles to award badges, and most of the Gym Trainers here lacked true Gym Leader strength—a common issue in smaller regions.
Tyrogue, by Al's side, stepped forward. It had long reached the intermediate level but had been hesitant to evolve, so it remained in its base form.
Gunnar sent out his Tentacool.
Although fighting by the sea was very disadvantageous for Tyrogue, the battle concluded quickly.
Gunnar dejectedly recalled his fainted Tentacool. He hadn't expected to lose to a young boy by Kai's side.
After the short interlude, Kai and Al quickly met up with Ivy at the dock. Led by Al, they found the speedboat docked in the port.
Kai, Al, and Ivy boarded. As soon as Ivy was settled, Al immediately started the engine, heading toward the small island clearly visible on the horizon.
***
(End of Chapter)
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