Previously, Cain had not had much contact with Malva. Relying solely on subjective impressions and vague memories from the anime, it was impossible for him to determine what kind of person she really was.
But at the very least, her diligence and effort were indisputable.
Without greeting her, Cain returned on his own to his tent to sleep a little longer.
At times, deliberately pretending to be someone else, imitating every one of their movements, their manner of speaking, their habits, and their fighting style, was truly an exhausting task.
When he had rested enough and woke up again, Steven and the others had already left to train as usual.
Cain also released his Pokémon to carry out some basic training and maintain their optimal condition. After all, in two days he might face a rather tough battle.
That day, Cain decided to stay behind to watch over the valley and allowed Drasna, who was originally supposed to remain on guard, to go out and train.
As soon as he summoned his Pokémon, two Altaria shot impatiently into the sky.
The truth was that ever since those two youngsters received their mother's permission to follow Cain, their strength had increased tremendously. But perhaps because they had grown up under their mother's constant protection, they did not like battling very much. At first, they felt great curiosity toward battle, but after experiencing a few fights, they stopped pursuing it.
If Cain had still been weak, those two Altaria would undoubtedly have been his signature Pokémon. Even if they did not like fighting, he would have gradually corrected that attitude, not demanding that they love combat, only that they not reject it.
But the current Cain, to be honest, did not place high expectations on them. If they truly abandoned combat altogether, he would not mind keeping them well fed and allowing them to live peacefully for their entire lives.
It is said that a mother's excessive protection can ruin her children; the mother of these Altaria had truly overprotected them, causing them to miss the best period to cultivate a fondness for battle.
If nothing special happened to deeply shake their hearts, it would be difficult to correct it.
When Cain brought them out of Mythical Island, he had already noticed this problem and even proposed helping to correct their shortcomings, but at that time the Altaria mother hesitated.
Back then, Cain still needed Altaria as an immediate combat force, so he did not insist.
When the mother finally reacted, Cain no longer had either the time or the energy to address it urgently.
Thus came about the current situation.
Even so, the two youngsters lived quite comfortably. Cain always provided them with the best food and care, so even without much combat, their strength remained stable thanks to the mandatory daily training.
The two Altaria stretched their wings in the air, sang freely a few times, and then slowly descended in front of Cain. With their soft wings, they affectionately brushed against his cheeks, expressing their fondness.
Cain smiled and patted their heads, sensing their cheerful mood.
"Finish your training first, then play," he said, putting on a serious expression at the right moment.
The two Altaria did not dare talk back to a serious Cain; they stuck out their tongues and obediently went off to train.
Watching them fly away, Cain shook his head helplessly.
However, after having been refined through his special quality-enhancing potions and breeding methods, their current potential was still extremely high.
Cain did not quite know what to say about it and could only hope that they would mature mentally a bit faster.
Looking not far away at Venusaur and Lucario, who were diligently training on their own, Cain felt a great sense of calm in his heart.
The two Altaria were an exception among all his Pokémon. The vast majority enjoyed battle and were passionately devoted to increasing their strength.
Lucario was carrying a large amount of extra weight, while enormous vines, as thick as thighs, swayed through the air under Venusaur's control. Lucario moved nimbly among them, making sure not to be struck.
One should not think that those vines were merely for show: any impact, regardless of the form, would cause intense pain.
This could be clearly perceived from the loud pa! pa! sounds that echoed through the air when the vines struck.
Venusaur was not only attacking, and Lucario was not only dodging.
Every time he found an opening, Lucario condensed a pale blue sphere of energy in his hand and, without hesitation, hurled it toward Venusaur's massive body.
After being developed by Togekiss and trained for two months, Lucario's Aura Power was already showing clear results. The move Aura Sphere had become a technique he could use normally.
Facing Lucario's attacks, with Venusaur's speed and mobility it was almost impossible to dodge; all it could do was endure them head-on or use its own attacks or defenses to neutralize them.
A huge leaf, resembling a scythe, violently detached from beneath the yellow flower on Venusaur's back.
Although this time there was only a single leaf, its power was even more imposing: the size of the petal, the speed of flight, and the cold gleam of its edge made it clear that this was no ordinary attack.
It was a special version of the move Razor Leaf developed by Venusaur, focused on extreme speed, maximum size, and absolute sharpness.
An ordinary Grass-type Pokémon could increase the size of the leaf, but would never reach such speed or power.
For the leaf to be larger, faster, and sharper at the same time was extremely difficult... but for the current Venusaur, it seemed like a casual attack.
Boom!
The gigantic leaf and Lucario's aura attack collided in midair, exploding with perfect fluidity.
The explosion did not affect either Pokémon. Venusaur continued using its vines to track Lucario's movements and defensive gaps.
Lucario, on the other hand, searched for openings within that gigantic offensive net formed by the vines, while keeping the Aura Sphere condensed without firing it, waiting for the perfect moment.
That was the mandatory daily training of Lucario and Venusaur. From the clumsy initial exchanges to their current mastery, where both had memorized the trajectories and attacks of the other.
Mutually seeking out each other's weaknesses.
(End of chapter)