Venusaur had pushed the move Razor Leaf to that level because otherwise it would not have been able to counter Lucario's Aura Sphere.
And the main reason Lucario trained with additional weight was that, without it, the pressure on Venusaur would have been excessive.
But with that weight, Lucario had suffered greatly under the lashes of the vines.
The training between these two Pokémon had already become part of their daily lives.
In fact, many of Cain's Pokémon were like this: they became mutual adjustment tools and reciprocal training partners for one another.
Venusaur and Lucario had similar strength and, moreover, could perfectly complement each other.
There were also Salamence and Gardevoir, who formed another pair of Pokémon capable of pushing and training one another.
Salamence's straight-line speed was extremely fast, so fast that it could surpass some Champion-level Flying-type Pokémon. If Mega Evolution were added, it could even exceed certain Flying-type Pokémon that had already crossed the first barrier of the Champion level.
One must know that the current Salamence was only level 75, still very far from the Quasi-Champion or Champion level, and yet it possessed such straight-line speed; this was undoubtedly an innate talent of its own.
However, having high straight-line speed did not mean having high movement speed. In combat, straight-line speed is almost never valued; what is truly crucial is short-distance explosive speed.
Although Salamence's speed over short distances was not low, compared to its outstanding linear speed, there was still enormous room for improvement.
It was precisely on this aspect that the joint training of Salamence and Gardevoir focused.
Gardevoir's psychic powers could generate major interference during Salamence's flight, and to do so required extremely precise control of her psychic power.
This was a form of training they carried out daily, with content that could be freely adjusted and modified.
At present, Cain no longer required his Pokémon to complete a fixed amount of daily training or specific tasks.
Now he only provided them with a long-term training direction. As for the methods to achieve it, they had to devise them themselves. Only when they encountered a problem they could not resolve would Cain intervene.
At the beginning, when this method was implemented, many Pokémon felt uncomfortable and unable to accept it.
After all, they were accustomed to rigid and structured training, strictly completing the tasks assigned by Cain. Suddenly switching to a system where Cain only set the direction and they themselves had to train was very confusing.
Training efficiency declined repeatedly, even reaching the lowest point since they had been captured by Cain.
Every process requires contact, exploration, familiarization, and mastery. After overcoming the initial discomfort, the Pokémon gradually began to accept this method. To the point that now, when Cain pointed out a weakness in some aspect, they themselves were able to devise the appropriate training to correct it.
This was progress, and also a training method that Cain had deliberately imposed so that his Pokémon would accept and adapt to it.
The facts proved that once the initial phase was overcome, training efficiency increased day by day, the results became better and better, and the Pokémon's capacity for autonomy grew stronger.
This evolution allowed the Pokémon to become accustomed to independence. Cain believed that after some more time, they would be able to detect their own shortcomings in battle and compensate for them through special training methods.
The reason for all of this was that Cain did not want his Pokémon to end up like many others he had seen: completely lost after losing their trainer. That was something Cain would never allow.
A trainer can always be forced to stop giving orders, and at that moment, the Pokémon's capacity for autonomy becomes crucial.
Besides that, there was another important reason.
The strength of Cain's Pokémon had already reached a very high level. The most obvious deficiencies had been corrected by Cain during their growth.
At their current level, changing certain aspects was no longer something that could be achieved overnight. Following fixed routines every day could be effective, but it was not a long-term solution. Teaching them to train themselves was far more beneficial for helping them discover their own shortcomings.
In reality, all possible training methods to correct weaknesses had already been taught by Cain during their growth. All they needed to do now was choose the most suitable method.
At this stage, increases in power could no longer be achieved explosively. Each Pokémon had a different constitution, different training directions, and different methods depending on the moment.
Choosing the appropriate method according to one's own situation was no longer just training, but genuine self-observation.
Only by understanding themselves better could they accurately determine the most suitable training. This model allowed the Pokémon to understand themselves, rather than only being understood by Cain.
The true meaning of "knowing oneself and the enemy" also required the Pokémon to understand themselves.
For example, Tyranitar knew perfectly well that its body was strong enough, and it also understood that in battle it did not only need a powerful constitution and great physical attack capability, but also a certain level of special attack ability and precise control of the energy within its body.
Within it resided a powerful energy of Groudon. Completely controlling it and transforming that so-called Groudon energy into true Tyranitar energy was not merely a change in name, but a fundamental transformation in energy mastery.
Tyranitar was a Dark/Rock type, while primordial Groudon was a Ground/Fire type. After evolving, Tyranitar no longer possessed the Ground type, but the energy within its body retained those characteristics. Knowing how to make use of it and convert it into its own was the key.
In the future, Tyranitar could externally possess the Dark and Rock types, while internally concealing the Ground and Fire types. This would not only expand its offensive means, but also its defensive resistances. Combined with its diamond-like skin, it was difficult to imagine what its ultimate limit would be.
Therefore, to train energy control, Tyranitar, just as it had when it was a Larvitar, shaped ever-changing clay sculptures with energy: sometimes Cain, sometimes the serene Aggron, sometimes Blaziken in the midst of an explosive burst, and at other times Salamence spreading its wings. All of this was training in energy control.
(End of chapter)