After the battle, Cain realized Drake's mastery in training Dragon-type Pokémon.
Not only had Drake trained his Shelgon to jump incredibly high, but he had also managed to control the use of the move Outrage, a feat far beyond what most Dragon-type Pokémon trainers could achieve.
After the battle concluded, Drake took Cain directly to the ship's deck, where they sat down to chat.
Although Shelgon wasn't Drake's strongest Pokémon, it was one he had trained with great dedication.
Had the battle continued, Drake wasn't certain he could defeat Cain, even with some tricks up his sleeve that he hadn't revealed. However, it wasn't necessary to resort to unconventional tactics, as there was no animosity between them.
Drake began to explain to Cain some unique traits of Dragon-type Pokémon, along with details that were unknown to most.
For instance, after Bagon evolves into Shelgon, it's commonly believed that it no longer needs to eat and simply accumulates energy for its evolution into Salamence.
However, if Shelgon doesn't participate in many battles or training, this method may work but takes an exceedingly long time.
Cain recalled that in his previous life, to speed up Shelgon's evolution, he had even resorted to injecting nutritional supplements. Although these supplements had no side effects, their results were limited and extremely expensive.
After listening to Drake's teachings, Cain realized that Shelgon could indeed eat during this phase and that the more energy it accumulated at this stage, the stronger Salamence would be upon evolution.
This is similar to the evolutionary process of Beedrill, where the amount of energy stored during Kakuna's stage determines the resulting Beedrill's strength.
Shelgon, too, is in a state of energy accumulation, and if it's allowed to eat normally and ensure it has sufficient internal energy, it can continue training without losing much time.
This instruction was vital for Cain as it would optimize both the time and energy of his Pokémon.
Drake didn't know that Cain had a Bagon, but now Cain understood that once his Bagon evolved, he would need to intensify Shelgon's training to maximize the amount of energy it could store.
According to Drake's explanations, if part of this energy is expended during training, Shelgon's total capacity to store energy would increase, thereby improving the future Salamence's power.
This was why Drake's Shelgon could jump so high during the battle—continuous training had optimized its physical performance.
In addition, Drake taught Cain an even more important lesson: how to control the move Outrage.
While this move is incredibly powerful, it also has a significant drawback: if not properly controlled, it can unleash uncontrollable energy that leaves the Pokémon in a state of rage, difficult to manage.
Drake had trained his Shelgon to release 70% of the power of Outrage, reserving the remaining 30% of energy to counteract the move's negative effects.
This careful control was achieved by fine-tuning small details during training.
If Cain wanted to further enhance the effectiveness of Outrage, he would need to work meticulously on those adjustments, as even Drake had only managed to reach 70% control.
The conversation between the two lasted quite a while. Most of the time, Drake spoke while Cain listened and took notes using his system, recording all the information in his database for future reference.
During the discussion, Cain occasionally asked questions that had been on his mind, and Drake patiently answered all of them.
As the conversation progressed, it became more balanced, with Cain actively participating and sharing his own knowledge.
Drawing on his past experience training a Salamence in his previous life, Cain was also able to contribute valuable ideas.
This surprised Drake, who hadn't expected Cain to keep up with the conversation so effortlessly. Cain not only quickly understood the concepts Drake explained but also asked questions that elevated the discussion to a higher level.
Some of Cain's questions even caused Drake to reflect more deeply on certain topics.
Initially, Drake had only intended to discuss the evolution of Bagon into Salamence and perhaps mention a bit about Flygon. But, before he realized it, Cain had drawn out nearly all of his knowledge.
Cain, on his part, felt as if he had gained a profound revelation about training Dragon-type Pokémon, particularly on how to manage his own Bagon's development.
In fact, Cain briefly considered bringing out his Bagon to show it to Drake.
He thought that doing so would make people assume that his Bagon had been obtained from Drake, thereby reinforcing his image of being backed by a powerful trainer.
This would not only benefit him in terms of prestige but also provide a plausible explanation for his Bagon's origin.
However, he decided against it. Even though he trusted that Drake wouldn't harbor any malicious intent toward his Bagon, it wasn't prudent to reveal it openly at that moment, especially with others on the ship who might have ill intentions.
Moreover, his Bagon wasn't yet in ideal condition to be displayed to outsiders, even if they were experts in training Dragon-type Pokémon.
Cain resolved that in the future, when he met Drake again, he would bring out his Bagon and use the opportunity to deepen their relationship.
He knew that would be the best way to approach the matter and ensure that his Bagon's origin remained ambiguous enough.
The conversation between them continued throughout the day, and by the time they finished, the sun was already setting.
Drake had spent almost the entire day sharing his knowledge of Dragon-type Pokémon with Cain. Although he hadn't officially taken Cain as a student, Cain felt he had learned enough to consider himself nearly a half-disciple of Drake.
After all, Drake rarely took on students, but he was doing his part to ensure the next generation of trainers had a bright future.
In the future, when Cain met Ash and faced his challenges, he would apply the same principles he had learned from Drake.
Cain was about to bid farewell and continue his journey when Drake stopped him.
Upon learning that Cain planned to head to the Safari Zone, Drake insisted on personally taking him there on his ship.
Cain had to temporarily set aside his plan to challenge the Fortree City Gym and instead accepted Drake's offer to take him directly to the coast near the Safari Zone.
(End of Chapter)