Chapter 52: Dragon Breath Skill

After hearing Long Yanning’s explanation, Xia Yu immediately instructed both Pokémon to begin practicing the Dragon Breath technique.

“Woobat, Charmander, you both just observed the Dracozolt release Dragon Breath. Now, start practicing.”

Xia Yu patiently watched the two Pokémon as they began their training. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Charmander suddenly inhaled deeply, opened its mouth, and released a powerful burst of Dragon Breath.

Dragon Breath!

Although its power was quite limited, there was no doubt that it was indeed the Dragon Breath technique.

“Excellent, Charmander.”

A broad smile spread across Xia Yu’s face as he generously praised Charmander. This little Charmander, with its near-champion-level potential, had learned Dragon Breath after just one demonstration.

Charmander was visibly excited, proud to be the first to master the skill.

Thinking about it, Xia Yu found it quite normal since most Charmanders naturally grasp Dragon Breath once they reach the rare tier of strength.

Though Xia Yu’s Charmander hadn’t reached the rare tier yet, its near-champion potential made it reasonable that it could learn Dragon Breath so quickly.

In contrast to Charmander’s impressive performance, Woobat struggled to produce Dragon Breath, failing several times in a row. However, Xia Yu didn’t mind, as he wasn’t sure if Woobat could learn the skill at all. He merely wanted Woobat to try; if it couldn’t learn, at least it was good practice for controlling Dragon-type energy.

Looking at the other students’ Pokémon on the training field, aside from those who had already mastered Dragon Breath, none could learn the technique after a single viewing.

Of course, this was normal. If every Pokémon could learn a move as quickly as Charmander, devices like the Move Tutor would be unnecessary.

“No worries. Charmander learns Dragon Breath fast because it’s well-suited to the technique. Woobat, just keep trying. Don’t stress about it; think of it as training your control over Dragon energy,” Xia Yu said, reaching out to gently pat Woobat, offering encouragement.

Nearby, Charmander, hearing Xia Yu’s praise, was bursting with excitement. It glanced challengingly at Woobat before shifting its gaze toward Forest Lizard, seemingly ready to challenge the elder’s authority.

“Lizard.”

Forest Lizard met Charmander’s gaze and then moved to an open space. It inhaled deeply and exhaled Dragon Breath from its mouth, more powerful and imposing than Charmander’s display.

Forest Lizard had already learned Dragon Breath when Xia Yu first captured it.

After releasing the move, Forest Lizard approached Charmander and patted it on the shoulder, as if telling the young one, “Your path is narrowing.”

With that, Forest Lizard resumed its rigorous training, embodying the demeanor of a master who quietly achieves greatness and then moves on.

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“Roar.”

Charmander, clearly stirred by the scene, responded with a roar aimed at Forest Lizard. It then charged forward, matching Forest Lizard’s pace, diving wholeheartedly into their training.

At that moment, Xia Yu’s mood was exceptionally joyful. Charmander’s personality needed Forest Lizard’s discipline; otherwise, it would continue acting arrogantly and bullying Woobat.

“Looks like your two Pokémon have already learned Dragon Breath,” Long Yanning said as she approached Xia Yu, evidently having just witnessed Charmander and Forest Lizard’s demonstrations.

“Yes, except Woobat hasn’t learned it yet,” Xia Yu replied.

Hearing this, Long Yanning frowned. “Woobat can’t learn Dragon Breath. Only after evolving into Noivern can it learn the move. But by then, Noivern would have already mastered the stronger Dragon Pulse, so learning Dragon Breath becomes somewhat redundant.”

“I see,” Xia Yu nodded.

“Let your Pokémon keep practicing for a while. Later, I’ll explain how to use it in battle,” Long Yanning said before moving on to another student.

Long Yanning was impressively dedicated, giving detailed guidance to every student. With over twenty students, spending about five minutes per student meant nearly two hours of instruction.

After finishing with everyone, Long Yanning wasted no time and stepped to the front to address the group.

“With your current strength, Dragon Breath is still a good special attack. Coupled with the Dragon-type’s inherent skill bonuses, the damage output is quite respectable. Until your Pokémon master more powerful moves like Dragon Pulse or Draco Meteor, Dragon Breath remains a solid Dragon-type special attack.”

“During battle, you must pay attention to the timing and accuracy of Dragon Breath…”

“The move’s additional effect has a chance to paralyze the opponent, which is very useful…”

“Because Dragon Breath doesn’t require claws or feet to execute, it can be combined with moves like Dragon Claw…”

Long Yanning shared everything she knew, demonstrating with the Dracozolt as she explained the practical applications of Dragon Breath.

Time flew, and before long, the entire morning of move training was over.

Next came the weekly break. There was no training class scheduled for Saturday afternoon, so many students chose to go home after the morning session. Xia Yu was no exception.

After packing up, Xia Yu returned to the Lin family estate with his three Pokémon.

Upon hearing Xia Yu was coming back, Old Lin and Grandma Qin had instructed Aunt Li, the housekeeper, to prepare a lavish lunch.

“Grandma, Grandpa,” Xia Yu smiled as he greeted the elders. “I’m home.”

Grandma Qin looked increasingly pleased as she watched her grandson. “Good to have you back. The training must have been exhausting. Put your things down quickly.”

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Xia Yu set down his belongings and placed his three Pokémon in the backyard under supervision. Sitting at the dining table, he looked over the sumptuous meal and couldn’t help but say, “It smells amazing.”

“Since it smells good, eat more,” Grandma Qin encouraged.

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“Xiao Yu, are you getting used to the training class?” Grandma Qin asked with concern. “Are you tired?”

“It’s okay. Not tired.”

Tired? Of course he was! He had to wake at six every morning for two hours of exercise, then continue with physical training classes, and practice for hours at night. Naturally, he was exhausted. But Xia Yu couldn’t let Grandma Qin worry.

“A real man endures a little hardship,” Old Lin scolded Grandma Qin with a glare. “You’re just spoiling the child too much.”

“This is my grandson. So what if I spoil him?” Grandma Qin retorted.

Old Lin didn’t argue further and turned his attention to Xia Yu. “Your strength is weaker compared to others, so you have to work even harder. I’ve heard from Yanning that your fundamentals are lacking, but you make up for it with effort. Keep it up.”

“Don’t worry, Grandpa,” Xia Yu nodded.

“Good. But don’t pressure yourself too much. Keep a calm heart and steady mind. Don’t rush,” Old Lin advised. “This afternoon and tomorrow are days off. If you want to train, I can arrange for Yanning to give you extra lessons.”

“Grandpa, I actually want to visit your laboratory this afternoon,” Xia Yu said after some thought.

He had always been curious about Old Lin’s lab and hoped to get a better understanding. Establishing a connection would be ideal, especially for his future research and publication on Mega Evolution, Radiant Crystals, and Gigantamaxing.

Hearing this, Grandma Qin smiled. The Lin family was a renowned scientific lineage, and she was delighted by Xia Yu’s ambitions. “I heard from Xue Mei that you aspire to be a Pokémon researcher and want to attend Imperial Capital University. Good. This afternoon, I’ll ask Xue Yun to take you to tour the lab.”

Old Lin frowned slightly. Allowing outsiders into the lab violated regulations, but he owed Xia Yu and the mother-son pair of Lin Xue Mei and Xue Yun. Besides, the lab was his project. Making an exception for Xia Yong was not something anyone would object to. “I’ll take Xiao Yu this afternoon. Xue Yun is currently in the middle of critical research and unavailable.”

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