"Woo~!"
Dragonair, wrapped in a current of swirling air, soared gracefully around Lucien.
Its eyes were full of excitement, after all, it had finally evolved into a more powerful Pokémon!
Now, it no longer had to worry about falling behind Servine and Larvesta.
After flying in circles a few times, Dragonair stopped in front of Lucien.
"Congratulations, Dragonair," Lucien said with a smile as he reached out and gently patted its head.
He opened Dragonair's status panel, only to find that it had completely transformed.
[Pokémon: Dragonair]
Type: Dragon
Gender: Female
Ability: Marvel Scale
Moves: Wrap, Leer, Twister, Thunder Wave, Dragon Tail, Agility, Slam, Dragon Pulse, Rain Dance, Aqua Tail
Friendship: 100
Pokémon Record: Omitted
"As expected, it's learned Rain Dance and Aqua Tail," Lucien murmured to himself.
He asked Dragonair to demonstrate all of its moves while he stood off to the side, observing closely.
Although Dragonair had evolved, its personality was still just as gentle and affectionate. The moment Lucien spoke, it obediently followed his command.
"Hmm… the power of Wrap has increased, the dragon energy within Twister seems denser, the strength behind Dragon Tail and Slam has improved significantly, and Dragon Pulse has grown larger in scale," Lucien thought as he silently compared its abilities before and after evolution.
Indeed, evolution could bring an overwhelming transformation to a Pokémon's strength.
Not only had its power, speed, and endurance increased, but even its control over energy had become far more refined.
Thinking of this, Lucien's gaze fell upon the now-dimmed orb beneath Dragonair's neck.
It was said that Dragonair stored immense energy within its body, channeling it into the crystal-like orbs on its neck and tail to manipulate the weather.
When the orbs glowed faintly, the surrounding weather would change accordingly.
Because of this, Dragonair was once revered by farmers as the guardian of the skies, the one who governed the weather.
And now, that ancient legend didn't seem so far-fetched.
Judging from Dragonair's recent performance, it clearly possessed the power to manipulate air currents.
"Air currents" was a broad term.
In some RPGs, it was referred to simply as "wind," but in the Pokémon world, it was known as Flying-type energy.
The most famous example was Lugia, the legendary Pokémon said to control both ocean currents and hurricanes. Because it dwelled in the sea, it was also known as "Lugia, the Sea Guardian."
"Dragonair, can you still change the weather right now?" Lucien asked.
"Woo," Dragonair shook its head, lowering its gaze toward the orb beneath its neck.
"As I thought," Lucien mused. "The dimmed light means your energy is depleted, you won't be able to influence the weather again for a while."
He wasn't worried, though.
Even if it couldn't do it now, with consistent training and growth, one day it would be able to freely control the weather within a certain range.
What surprised Lucien even more, however, was that Dragonair could now fly.
That alone greatly increased its mobility, giving it many more tactical options in battle.
At that moment, the rain stopped.
The sky cleared once more.
Lucien looked up, estimating the duration of the rainfall in his mind.
"About fifteen minutes," he murmured.
"Not bad. For just having learned Rain Dance, lasting fifteen minutes is already excellent."
"In the future, if we ever face heat or drought, we can use this method to bring rain artificially.
And if the weather turns extreme, Dragonair can use the energy stored in its orb to disperse the clouds and restore balance."
"Let's keep working hard together, Dragonair!" Lucien's eyes shone with anticipation.
Once Dragonair evolved into Dragonite, he would finally be able to ride it and soar freely across the skies!
"Woo!" Dragonair happily narrowed its eyes and gave Lucien a high-five with its tail.
Yet more than anything else, what made Lucien happiest was this, with Larvesta hatched, Snivy evolved into Servine, and Dratini now evolved into Dragonair, he finally possessed enough fighting strength to explore the lands beyond his borders.
...
At the same time, on the mountainside.
Under Geralt's command, all seventy knights of the territory had gathered at the mine, facing a group of steel-gray magical beasts known as Aron.
Geralt stood tall beside his Haxorus, the dragon's twin axes gleaming in the sunlight.
Within his order, seventy knights served under him, and so far, only two had succeeded in forming a bond by luring two particularly gluttonous Aron with food.
But that still left sixty-eight without partners.
There were only about twenty Aron in the entire area. Even if two knights shared one, the numbers were clearly not enough.
Still, completing His Highness Lucien's command came first.
Geralt's deep, steady voice carried across the clearing:
"Do you all remember the method I taught you before?"
"Yes, Sir!" the knights shouted in unison.
"Good," Geralt said firmly. "Remember this well, humans and magical beasts are not enemies. We share this world together! Do not act with fear. Treat them with respect and sincerity."
At his words, the knights' expressions varied, some looked excited, others nervous. A few glanced at the imposing Haxorus standing beside Geralt, their eyes burning with admiration and yearning.
Could they really, one day, tame such powerful creatures as their lord had?
While some hesitated, others began to move.
A young knight stepped forward toward a lone Aron. Following Geralt's instructions, he called out:
"A… Aron!"
The wild Aron looked up, its metallic head tilting slightly. It didn't attack, its small, dark eyes blinked curiously.
"Please… become my partner!" the knight said, summoning his courage. "I'll make sure you have all the iron ore you can eat, and I'll train with you every day! Together, we'll grow stronger!"
He swallowed nervously after saying that.
The Aron's eyes lit up with interest.
But instead of stepping closer, it lowered its head and took a battle stance, testing the knight, as if to say: Show me your strength. Prove that you're worthy of me.
Unfortunately, the young knight failed to understand the signal.
Seeing this, Geralt called out sharply, "Tim! Prepare for battle!"
"Ah...y-yes, sir!"
The knight named Tim hurriedly drew his weapon, an iron sword, its blade honed to a sharp, cold sheen.
But then, realizing what he was about to do, he hesitated and quickly sheathed it again.
He was here to befriend this creature, not harm it. If his sword injured Aron, it would defeat the purpose entirely.
So Tim tossed his iron sword aside, flexed his wrists, and decided to fight the Aron bare-handed.
"Come on!" he shouted.
The Aron lowered its head and charged straight at him.
Tim braced himself, trying to block it, but for such a small creature, its strength was shocking. It broke through his guard instantly and slammed its steel head into his stomach.
"Ugh!"
Tim was sent tumbling backward, landing hard on the ground with a look of disbelief.
"S-such strength!" he gasped.
But the fight wasn't over yet.
He clenched his fists and swung at the Aron, only for his punch to crash uselessly against its iron armor. Pain shot up his arm.
Tim's eyes widened, and he leapt up clutching his bruised hand, howling in pain.
"Ahhhhhh!"
And as if the humiliation weren't enough, another Aron casually trotted over to the discarded sword beside him.
It opened its jaws and-crunch, crunch-bit straight into the blade, effortlessly chewing and swallowing the metal.
Geralt: "…"
...
Bonus@300
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