Ninetales glanced at Roy, who was humming a tune as he walked away, then reluctantly resumed its deep Calm Mind meditation.
Fine, fine... for your sake.
The Pokémon near the geyser were progressing steadily, each following their own training regimen.
Ninetales had always been closest to Salamence in terms of friendship. Originally, Ninetales' relaxed approach to training hadn't done much to spark Salamence's competitive spirit or fighting will.
After Roy departed, Ninetales gracefully leaped onto a nearby rock formation and padded elegantly toward where it could find the mysterious being and learn the ancient techniques passed down through generations.
That's when Salamence noticed something unusual from its position in the sky. Electivire was drawing closer and closer to the geyser's opening, moving with determined purpose.
Salamence had only heard stories about Electivire's extreme training methods but had never witnessed them up close before.
So when Salamence saw Electivire apparently throwing caution to the wind, deliberately channeling that dangerous cyan-blue lightning energy directly into its own body—energy that clearly wasn't safe to handle—Salamence was stunned.
The sight left Salamence speechless.
As a Flying-type Pokémon, it was essential to understand at least the basics of thunder and lightning's nature.
This knowledge proved invaluable when flying through the sky, helping Flying-types navigate safely through storms.
At minimum, one needed to distinguish clearly whether the lightning flashing in distant clouds posed a lethal threat or not.
And the lightning that Electivire was channeling into its body...
Clearly, any Flying-type Pokémon would need to keep their distance from such power. In fact, most would turn tail and flee immediately upon encountering it.
It was simply too intense, too dangerous.
"DA..."
Clutching the Silver Wing tightly, Salamence watched as Electivire was struck down again and again, only to stand up each time with renewed determination.
So this is why Electivire has become so powerful... Could I do the same?
Roy's trusting eyes flashed through Salamence's mind, followed immediately by memories of the mocking ridicule from others who had doubted its abilities.
Salamence's claws tightened even more around the Silver Wing, and it released an unwilling, defiant growl.
"Roar!"
I can do this too!
A massive air current began gathering in the sky above the geyser, responding to Salamence's fierce determination.
Strong winds brought rolling dark clouds, within which silver-white lightning crackled and flashed continuously.
The rumbling sound instantly filled the sky over the geyser. Salamence became completely surrounded by the dark clouds, with only the tips of its blood-red wings visible through the churning mass.
Electivire had been training with the most powerful lightning for quite some time now, and its body had developed considerable resistance to ordinary electricity.
Electivire lifted its head, gazing into the roiling dark clouds above.
Now this lightning is interesting...
The originally unstable cyan-blue lightning surrounding Electivire suddenly shifted from a violent, chaotic state to a calm, controlled one.
The blue 'Armor of Thunder and Lightning' gently pressed close to Electivire's body, pulsing in perfect rhythm and frequency.
Electivire entered overclocking mode!
Then, using massive voltage, Electivire created an 'anti-gravity field' that caused its body to slowly float upward toward the sky.
With the appearance of the anti-gravity field, the dark clouds in the sky grew even denser, reaching the point where Salamence could no longer be seen at all.
Before long, traces of cyan-blue lightning began appearing within the dark clouds.
Roy narrowed his eyes, wondering exactly when these two Pokémon had started this competition.
Anyone paying attention could see that the cyan-blue lightning belonged to Electivire, who was temporarily wielding Zekrom's legendary lightning power.
Meanwhile, the silver-white lightning that had appeared first seemed to hold its ground even under pressure from the divine thunder and lightning.
In fact, compared to the cyan-blue thunderbolts, the silver-white lightning appeared more flexible and agile, since the dark clouds served as its home territory.
Electivire grew increasingly impatient with the silver-white lightning's evasive tactics, constantly dodging from side to side.
Electivire's eyes narrowed as it focused, controlling the cyan-blue lightning from within and gradually expanding the range of its electrical field.
Salamence felt extremely uncomfortable within the dark clouds. The lightning's power had caused its limbs to grow somewhat numb.
Although Salamence had summoned these dark clouds, they still fundamentally belonged to Lugia's domain of authority. Unlike Electivire, Salamence couldn't fully wield divine power.
The Silver Wing glowed brilliantly in Salamence's mouth, functioning almost as an independent entity.
Seeing the surrounding dark clouds becoming saturated with cyan-blue lightning, Salamence quickly guessed what Electivire was planning.
The silver-white lightning remained very flexible on its home turf, constantly harassing the cyan-blue lightning before retreating to safety.
The hit-and-run tactics were quite underhanded.
But they also succeeded in angering both the cyan thunder and Electivire himself.
'Since I can't catch you directly, I'll just take over your entire territory!'
Electivire's expression turned serious, though it carefully controlled the voltage level of the lightning.
Electivire never forgot that the Pokémon before it was a partner and teammate, not an enemy on a real battlefield!
Electivire gradually increased the voltage, preparing to bring this sparring match to a conclusion.
Salamence, hidden within the dark clouds, realized that avoiding the cyan-blue lightning's attack meant leaving the protective cover of the clouds.
But the moment of leaving the dark clouds would also signify the end of this exchange, declaring a victor.
No... it refused to be the loser!
Salamence bit down harder on the Silver Wing, once again feeling the roaring rush of air currents in its ears.
"Roar!"
Now!
The dark clouds and the air currents controlled through the Silver Wing shared the same origin. Through manipulation of this authority and power, the dark clouds suddenly parted, and a powerful gust of wind rushed toward Electivire with unstoppable momentum.
The sudden gust caught Electivire completely off guard, nearly knocking it off balance.
However, Electivire quickly realized this was simply Salamence's last desperate effort.
Rather than being distracted by the strong wind attack, Electivire chose to continue releasing its lightning assault.
After the powerful gust passed, the dark clouds had inadvertently split into two separate masses, creating a pincer formation that threatened Electivire from both left and right.
Roy watched the aerial battle seriously from the ground below. When he saw Electivire begin releasing its full lightning power, he had believed Salamence's defeat was already decided.
But Salamence's clever 'Gust' attack had directly broken the stalemate in the sky above.
Roy nodded with satisfaction. For Salamence to accomplish this much was already genuinely impressive.
A tenacious mentality, a clever tactical mind, and seizing the advantages available in battle—these were the decisive keys to victory.
"But that's as far as it goes."
As if confirming Roy's assessment, the cyan-blue lightning suddenly intensified its assault.
Even in broad daylight under the bright sun, one could see a faint cyan-blue pattern resembling an Electro Web spreading across the sky.
And at the center of this Electro Web lay the dark clouds where Salamence had concealed itself.
Yes, in the moment when the strong wind appeared, Salamence had hidden itself within one section of the split dark clouds at reduced speed, attempting to conceal its position.