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After half a minute in the intense Gravity environment, Lucario took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and stabilized his breathing.
Witnessing this scene, Sebastian was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Lucario to adapt to the Gravity environment so quickly. Normally, Pokémon were still struggling under Gravity at this point. Immediately, he showed a surprised expression and said:
"I almost forgot, you seem to have those special weight-bearing items. You already have a foundation in resistance training."
"Very good," Sebastian nodded with satisfaction. "Clefable, stop using Gravity. Roy, put your weight bands on Lucario too."
Roy's first reaction was to think Sebastian was being cruel, but he quickly realized it was for Lucario's benefit.
The weight-bearing bands could be used for customized training and were often strapped to Lucario's thighs and arms in the past.
The thigh bands specifically improved movement speed. The arm bands specifically increased attack speed.
Although the Gravity environment could exercise body strength in all directions, it would also negate the effects of these specialized training methods by being too balanced.
In RPG games, points earned could be manually distributed, but in reality, without targeted resistance on arms and thighs, the body wouldn't recognize which parts needed specialization. The potential wouldn't be concentrated to maximum effect but would be evenly distributed instead.
It was all in the details.
Roy placed the weight bands on Lucario. Four on the arms, four on the legs.
After putting them on, Clefable used Gravity again. This time, Lucario immediately fell to his knees, unable to even lift his arms.
Sebastian chuckled and said, "For day one, let's aim for you to stand up. That's how Rock started when he first came here."
Rock, who was also training in the Gravity environment, looked at his child calmly.
"Pay attention to my breathing rhythm," he communicated.
"This breathing method helps harmonize your Aura with your body."
After leaving Lucario to practice with his father, Roy returned to the tea room.
Elite Sebastian made him a cup of tea and said, "You won't be able to learn the Combat Style in a short while. You'll need to stay for some time."
Roy wasn't concerned; he had expected this and already requested leave from school.
"If there are other Pokémon you need to train, or training equipment you need, or specific environments, just tell me. Heh, even if you want lava, our Promise Gym can bring it here," Sebastian said quite proudly.
Roy had no doubts about that.
The reputation of the Promise Gym resonated throughout China and abroad. Every year, many foreign trainers came to challenge it. It was the private gym with the richest historical heritage in China, even respected by the country's top universities.
Roy mentioned the things he needed for his other Pokémon, such as a high-pressure Charge chamber for Elekid.
When Roy mentioned Elekid, Sebastian's expression suddenly changed. "Your Elekid, I've heard about it. It seems it was affected by some kind of strange lightning."
As one of the Elites, it was impossible for Sebastian not to know about the Illuminati incident.
After defeating this branch of the Illuminati, the only thing China recovered was an empty vessel that contained incredible power. The Pokémon League had repeatedly requested this 'empty vessel,' claiming it was evidence from an international criminal organization and should be handled by the League.
Some countries even claimed this item was stolen from them by the Illuminati and should be returned to its rightful owner.
Faced with the covetous and even shameless behavior of other countries, China responded with diplomatic evasion.
Recently, Chinese scientists had analyzed some properties of the 'empty vessel,' including its strange lightning.
According to researchers, this alien lightning was extremely powerful, likely originating from the power of a Legendary Pokémon.
Thinking about this, Sebastian probably guessed why Roy was particularly concerned about Elekid.
"For Elekid's problem, do you have a solution?"
"I do."
Roy didn't hide anything. This kind of situation would become evident in a long-term relationship, and it would be exposed when Elekid participated in future competitions. He explained in detail his breeder's concept of Elekid's "Lightning Armor."
"A Pokémon with strong vitality and willpower, who might master 'Divine Thunder'..."
Sebastian smiled with great interest and muttered to himself: "Interesting. You've encountered this level of power so early. Heh, your Elekid has the qualifications of an Elite..."
"What do you mean?" Roy didn't understand. Was there a necessary connection between the two?
Sebastian didn't answer directly but smiled and said: "Boy, are you interested in teaching your Elekid another special technique?"
"The secret technique left by the first champion."
The sudden offer made Roy a little cautious.
There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Learning Aura Boxing was a secret technique that Frances had promised privately as a reward for completing his task.
That's why Roy had accepted it without hesitation.
But Sebastian had no prior connection to him, so suddenly offering a secret technique from the first champion seemed suspicious.
"Don't overthink it," Sebastian laughed. "It's been a long time since a Pokémon could learn this first champion's secret technique. I just don't want it to be lost to history. Your Elekid just happens to meet the conditions... In the future, when Elekid becomes world-famous using this technique, it will bring great prestige to our Promise Gym."
Roy nodded. For a private gym, reputation was its lifeline. Maintaining popularity was particularly important, even for the Promise Gym.
Just like how Pepsi and Coca-Cola, despite monopolizing their industry, still spend enormous amounts on advertising every year.
Humans are forgetful creatures. If they don't see something for a long time, and if it's not something closely related to everyday life, they forget it.
Of course, Roy also understood that Sebastian was supporting him. They both studied at Capital University, and their Lucario were blood relatives. They were on the same side.
"What conditions need to be met to learn this secret technique?" Roy asked curiously.
Seeing Roy's reaction, Sebastian knew he had agreed and said with a smile: "Strong vitality and willpower, plus the ability to learn the 'Rest' move."
Rest?
Elekid could learn this move, and Roy had just redeemed it yesterday.
But wasn't 'Rest' just a recovery move?
It was fine for training, but without 'Sleep Talk' in actual battle, it seemed useless.
"This technique was created by the first champion for his Slaking."
Sebastian explained the origin of this special technique.
Slaking was perhaps the most unfortunate Pokémon.
Its potential was extremely high—its base stats were even higher than some Legendary Pokémon—but because of the "Truant" Ability, it was severely handicapped. It couldn't compete with Legendary Pokémon, and even fully evolved starters had better battle effectiveness than Slaking.
Because of this, over the past hundred years, countless trainers had tried to overcome Slaking's "Truant" Ability, attempting to turn this disadvantage into an advantage.
Without exception, all had failed.
The Truant ability seemed to be a curse set upon Slaking, more unbreakable than the limitations of species.
The first champion was no exception; he also failed to conquer the 'Truant' ability.
However, the first champion took a different approach to minimize the side effects of Truant.
"Every time Slaking exerts power, it becomes wrapped in intense fatigue and needs to rest... even in battle. This is the essence of Truant."
"It's manageable against weaker opponents that can be defeated in one hit, but against rivals of similar strength, during the effect of 'Truant,' you're completely vulnerable."
Sebastian smiled and continued: "Others tried to shorten the duration of 'Truant' to let Slaking attack again sooner. But the first champion was different. His philosophy was that instead of fighting nature, it's better to embrace it and transform 'Truant' into a strength."
"How do you weaponize laziness?"
"The answer is..."
"Rest."