As more and more external energy flooded into his dantian, Rex no longer had the capacity to focus on anything else—he stabilized his mind and focused inward.
Unlike life energy, this incoming energy didn't settle quietly once inside. Instead, it rampaged throughout his dantian, slamming into its boundaries as if trying to escape.
But getting in was one thing—getting out was another. Without Rex's permission, the energy couldn't breach the boundary of his dantian.
As the torrent continued, his dantian began to expand like an inflating balloon.
This didn't surprise Rex. Rocky had explained this part to him in great detail.
Since the dantian was where energy would be stored, the more it expanded, the greater his capacity would be. Rex had been hoping for this very outcome.
According to Rocky's guidance, once the dantian reached its limit, Rex needed to stop absorbing energy immediately—otherwise, he risked over-expansion, which could rupture the space.
Rex kept a close eye on his inner state, ready to act the moment he sensed the limit was reached.
Technically, he had already broken through. The moment he had successfully channeled external energy into his dantian, he had surpassed the bottleneck and stepped into the realm of a Martial Artist.
Everything beyond this—drawing in more energy to expand his dantian—was simply training at the Martial Artist level.
Unlike Pokémon, who were born with elemental energy, ordinary humans only gained true extraordinary potential after becoming Martial Artists.
Establishing a dantian to hold energy was just the beginning. The real work came in converting that energy into Fighting-type energy, then using controlled flows to release it as techniques.
Just as Rex was about to stop the influx, having sensed his dantian reach its limit, he noticed something: the life energy that had been compressed into a corner by the storm of external force was beginning to move.
Waves of that gentle energy flowed toward the strained walls of his dantian, naturally repairing the tiny cracks caused by the pressure. What had been on the verge of collapse was now stabilizing.
Seeing this, Rex chose not to stop. He allowed the energy stream to continue and let the dantian expand further.
Time passed, and the life energy within the dantian continued to be consumed—until eventually, every drop was absorbed by the dantian walls. Only then did Rex halt the energy influx, completing the breakthrough.
By now, his dantian had grown more than twice its original size. Without the aid of life energy, even doubling would've been nearly impossible.
Still reveling in the success, Rex finally noticed something unusual inside the dantian.
Using his aura perception, he vaguely saw what appeared to be a small, floating branch—complete with fresh green leaves.
It radiated life.
The branch felt rooted and alive, nothing like a drifting, disconnected object.
Rex suddenly realized where his daily generation of life energy came from—it had to be this mysterious branch.
But where had it come from?
He had no idea. Maybe the version of himself native to this world had fused with it without knowing, or perhaps his soul had merged with it during his travel through the void, bringing it into this world with him.
Whatever the truth, Rex was glad to finally understand the source of his power. This branch, the wellspring of his daily life energy, had been the key to surviving since day one.
Without it, he doubted he'd have even made it out of the forest where he first arrived—he likely would've died alone on that savage beach.
"I've completed the breakthrough. Thank you all for your help."
Rex opened his eyes, stood up, and looked around at his Pokémon with gratitude.
The Cottonee floating through the air joyfully spun in circles over his head in response.
Everything looked different now. The world around him seemed more vivid, more alive.
Although he hadn't yet learned how to fully convert his dantian energy into Fighting-type energy, he could already channel small amounts to enhance his body—giving him a noticeable boost in strength and speed.
He could also now endure far more damage. As long as his energy shield wasn't fully depleted, most attacks would be significantly weakened before reaching him.
Rex, at this point, was essentially a Fighting-type Pokémon in its early developmental stage—unable to use any moves yet, but already extraordinary compared to ordinary people.
To test these changes, Rex began practicing the All Star Fitness Body Training Technique right there in the greenhouse.
He quickly completed the entire sequence, and the feeling this time was completely different from before.
He could clearly sense a flow of energy within his body that moved with each shift in posture. By the end of the set, not only had it not been drained—it had actually increased slightly.
This was different from the energy stored in his dantian. This flow came from the pineal gland deep in his brain—it was aura energy, or perhaps better called spiritual energy.
That realization thrilled Rex. He had never expected the technique to help him break into the Martial Artist realm. But now, it looked like he might make a whole new breakthrough in his aura training too.
Finished with his internal testing, Rex didn't linger. He knew that Yuli was still waiting anxiously outside the greenhouse.
—
"Rex! You're finally out!"
Yuli rushed up with relief written all over her face the moment he stepped out of the greenhouse.
"Yeah, I've successfully broken through. Sorry to keep you worried, Yuli."
Rex smiled warmly.
"Really? That's amazing! But… you don't look all that different?"
Yuli examined him curiously, clearly happy for him but puzzled.
"Heh. I haven't learned any techniques yet. Once I do, I'll be able to unleash real moves—just like Swellow and the others."
(End of Chapter)