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"Gyarados, bring some more waves!" Chris pulled the rope and stepped onto the racing boat, with Greninja holding the other end of the rope.
Surfing was a bit challenging. If Greninja had to take the lead while Gyarados stayed in the front, there wouldn't be any excitement—it would feel just like standing on a boat.
"Roar~~" Gyarados let out a powerful cry, summoning a wave.
The massive waves surged forward, and Chris and Greninja used the momentum to glide along, skillfully maneuvering over the rolling water. With graceful movements, they rode the crest of the wave before it came crashing down.
By the time the wave broke, Chris and Greninja had already traveled over a hundred meters.
"Cool~" Chris cheered excitedly.
Starting each morning with a surf session—it didn't get any better than that.
After days of training, he was becoming more and more skilled in Surfing.
After stepping off the racing boat and doing some stretches, Chris went back inside to have breakfast, take a shower, and start his usual leisurely day.
Just as he got off the boat, a white figure suddenly leaped in front of him.
"Vigoroth!!"
Huh?
It was only then that Chris realized the Pokémon in front of him was a Vigoroth.
"It evolved?" Chris was surprised. The Slakoth he had received from Norman had been lazing around for days, and now it had finally evolved.
He quickly pulled up its status panel.
[Vigoroth (Normal)]
[Level: 18]
[Ability: Vital Spirit (Prevents the Pokémon from falling asleep; Rest is ineffective.)]
[IVs: HP (31), Attack (31), Special Attack (31), Defense (31), Special Defense (31), Speed (31)]
[Moves: Yawn, Uproar, Fury Swipes, Slash, Endure, Focus Energy, Encore]
[Held Item: None]
This proved that even without battling, a Pokémon could grow stronger just by eating and resting.
Still, Slakoth had grown stronger much faster than Chris had anticipated. He originally thought it would take at least six months before evolving into Vigoroth, so he had mentally prepared to train it into a Slaking in the future.
But this process was happening much faster than expected.
Now, his focus was on helping Vigoroth master as many moves as possible before it evolved into Slaking.
To do that, Chris had already prepared a structured training regimen for Vigoroth, ranking each move in order of importance.
The key principle of raising a strong Slaking was simple: mastering the core techniques of Machamp-style power combined with contact-based moves. Norman's Slaking had already set the perfect example.
To be honest, thinking back to battling Norman's Level 52 Slaking was a little painful.
With an incredible 160 base Attack—higher than some Legendary Pokémon—Slaking was a true powerhouse.
While it might not reach Legendary-level strength in real battles, it could certainly hold its own against pseudo-Legendary Pokémon.
When he visited the Petalburg Gym to learn from Norman, the best strategy wasn't to face Slaking head-on—it was to outmaneuver it.
As for his own Vigoroth, if not for Norman's training manual stating that it shouldn't hold an Everstone, Chris would have seriously considered giving it one. Keeping Vigoroth in its energetic stage as long as possible while mastering Machamp-style strength + contact moves + Force Palm before evolving into Slaking would have been ideal.
But if Vigoroth remained in this high-energy phase for too long, it might become even lazier once it evolved.
Ultimately, whether Vigoroth could master those top-tier techniques depended on its own potential.
Chris recalled that Vigoroth evolved into Slaking at Level 36.
From Slakoth to Vigoroth, it took only thirteen levels to evolve. Although the last eighteen levels before reaching Slaking require significantly more experience, Vigoroth will be actively training during this time. In contrast, Slakoth had simply been lazing around. This period of training likely won't take longer than the passive growth Slakoth experienced before evolving.
Time is of the essence.
The second most important goal: advancing Vigoroth's Aura abilities to at least be able to use Aura Sphere.
This objective was added after Chris tested Slakoth's Aura potential some time ago. Since it had the talent, letting it go to waste would be a shame.
It's not a requirement, but it must be learned!
The third priority is maximizing move proficiency.
Originally, Chris planned for Vigoroth to learn some wide-area attack moves. However, upon further thought, he realized that while Vigoroth wouldn't naturally learn many moves after evolving into Slaking, he didn't have to rely solely on training—he could simply use Technical Machines (TMs) to bypass the learning process.
With all the TMs he had collected, this wasn't a problem.
While Slakoth was still lazing around, Chris had refrained from teaching it anything. But now that it had evolved into Vigoroth...
Chris opened his TM inventory in the game and applied several TMs to Vigoroth.
Immediately, it learned Focus Blast, Thunder, Blizzard, and Fire Blast.
Out of the seven TMs he had bought in Lilycove City, Vigoroth could learn four of them right away.
There were still three more moves—Hyper Beam, Giga Impact, and Stone Edge.Stone Edge wasn't an option for Vigoroth, but Hyper Beam and Giga Impact could be learned after it evolved into Slaking.
For defensive moves, Protect was another viable option.
Teaching Slaking powerful moves wasn't an issue—he could always use other TMs later.
Therefore, Chris' primary focus was ensuring Vigoroth mastered the key moves it would rely on as a Slaking. That way, it could build proficiency in advance.
Mastering Aura Sphere wouldn't happen overnight, so Chris planned to train that move gradually.
However, the secret "Machamp Technique" style of combat—Vigoroth's core combat strategy—needed to reach the highest possible level of proficiency.
Then there were the powerful attack moves Chris had specifically chosen for it: Mega Punch and Body Slam. These moves packed a punch, but their skill requirements weren't overly demanding. They suited Vigoroth's aggressive and eager-to-learn nature perfectly.
For quick bursts of power, Chris opted for Quick Attack.
While Vigoroth and Slaking couldn't learn Agility or Extreme Speed, Quick Attack was still within reach.
Chris already had a TM for Quick Attack, so teaching it was instant. If Vigoroth used it frequently, it would build a solid foundation of proficiency early on.
Mega Punch and Body Slam were a bit trickier. He would need to visit the school's move tutor center to see if any instructors could teach these techniques.