"Ron, can he be saved?"
Dwight's voice trembled with concern as he watched Ron channel his Fighting Aura to treat the fallen Salamence.
Ron wasn't sure whether to be glad that Dwight was finally speaking in full sentences with him—or jealous of the kid's ridiculous luck.
When he saw the flare signal earlier, Ron had immediately asked Gardevoir if there were any hostile Pokémon near Dwight. Confirmed negative.
So Ron assumed Dwight had simply reached his limit and was calling for help.
He was already planning how to push Dwight harder in the next stage of training—how to build him into someone stronger.
But what he hadn't expected… was to arrive and find a Mid Elite Four-level Salamence unconscious at Dwight's feet.
At that moment, Ron could only think: "I get the whole 'a scholar who's been away three days must be looked at with new eyes' thing, but come on—this is like someone ripped out my retinas. How the hell did you grow this much in just two days?"
Still, he quickly pulled himself together. No need for Dwight to say more—Ron knelt and began using his Fighting Aura to heal the Salamence.
As he worked, Dwight explained how he had encountered the dragon and what had happened leading up to now.
Hearing the details, Ron realized something crucial—this Salamence must have been the same one that had been attacked by a group of Rangers some time ago.
He nodded grimly and added the first part of the story that Dwight hadn't known.
"I didn't think it would survive… that kind of ambush by so many Rangers? It's a miracle he escaped at all."
"But don't get your hopes too high. He's badly injured. The only reason he's still alive is his sheer will to survive—and the physical resilience typical of Dragon-type Pokémon."
"Even if I manage to keep him alive, he'll be a shadow of his former self. I don't know if a proud Pokémon like this Salamence can accept that."
As Ron poured his Fighting Aura into the Salamence, he spoke calmly, trying to prepare Dwight for the worst.
"It's fine," Dwight replied, eyes steady. "As long as he's alive, there's hope."
"Just like me—I had to survive to meet you, Ron. And I believe this Salamence will one day meet someone who'll help him soar again."
Ron blinked, a rare softness flickering in his expression. "You've got a point. Whether he pulls through or not… that's up to him now."
Ron found himself suddenly curious. What kind of creature would this Salamence become if he survived?
But all Ron could do was channel his aura—the rest depended entirely on Salamence's will.
One day later, near the cave...
Salamence, who had lain unmoving for a full twenty-four hours, twitched faintly. The movement was small—too subtle to draw much attention.
Emerging from the cave, Dwight gently fed him top-tier Pokéblocks, dissolved in water, to help restore some of his lost vitality.
A day earlier, Ron had indeed pulled Salamence back from the hands of death.
Unfortunately, Fighting Aura could only mend physical injuries. It couldn't restore the core energy—the life force—Salamence had burned just to stay alive.
That's why, even after Dwight had patched up his wounds, Salamence had continued deteriorating. His essence, his very foundation, had been fading.
From that perspective, Ron's Fighting Aura was already astonishingly powerful—reviving someone in Salamence's condition was nothing short of miraculous.
For many, survival itself is enough—even if it means losing their strength completely.
But Salamence… was clearly not that kind of Pokémon.
Ron didn't know if he'd be able to accept his broken state when he woke.
Still, like Dwight had said: as long as he's alive, there's hope.
This is the Pokémon world after all—who's to say there isn't someone, or something, that can help this Salamence soar again?
After Persian took the nutrient serum, Dwight began gently wiping down Salamence's body to keep it clean and well-maintained.
Seeing Dwight busily tending to the Dragon-type once more, Ron made no move to help—not because he didn't care, but because this was something Dwight had insisted on doing himself.
Ron stretched a bit, doing a few light warm-ups before settling into his breathing technique training. Thanks to ample supplies and nutrition, his mastery of the Breathing Method had progressed far beyond that of most people. Without such advancement, it would've been impossible for him to develop strength comparable to that of a Mid Elite Pokémon in such a short time.
A little farther from the cave, Machamp was busy testing out a new technique.
With a surge of focus, he unleashed Daytime Tiger. Tendrils of Armament Haki coiled around the blinding white tiger form, the technique's avatar. That aura added a sinister edge to its appearance—a hint of black creeping into its ferocious form, intensifying the killing intent it radiated.
Watching the enhanced Daytime Tiger grow even more powerful with the application of Haki, Machamp's face, however, showed no satisfaction.
At this stage, Machamp had fully mastered the Six Powers—an elite combat style from the Navy—and had even developed Gear 2 through Life Return. His use of Armament Haki had also reached the Coating Stage, where it could be wrapped around the body or attacks.
Put simply, among Pokémon of his rank, even Pseudo-Legendaries would have a hard time keeping up with him.
And yet, Machamp wasn't content.
He knew very well—once they returned to the Kanto region, it would mark the beginning of Ron's plans to challenge the Five Great Families and enact his broader scheme.
Before that, Machamp had to become even stronger.
Unfortunately, both Six Powers and Life Return had reached bottlenecks. It would take painstaking refinement to make further progress. With the path to breaking into Mid Elite Four level still out of reach, his only option for growth was through further honing his use of Armament Haki.
But even this current level of power—wasn't nearly enough!
Clenching all four fists, Machamp rapidly coated them with hardened Armament Haki.
The next Daytime Tiger gathered at his fists, but the energy refused to launch. The black Haki strands were being forcibly merged into the Finger Pistol technique—an attempt to evolve its raw power.
Even though it could explode at any moment, Machamp's mind was fixed on a single goal: make Daytime Tiger even stronger.
"RAWR!!"
The tiger's roar erupted.
The impact was cataclysmic. The ground itself shook violently as if something monstrous had stirred from below.
At such a close distance, the tremors were impossible for Ron to ignore.
"Dwight, stay here. Don't move. I'm going to check it out."
With that, Ron signaled to Gardevoir, who Teleported him and Persian away from the site. The rest—Bellossom and the others—remained behind on standby.
Meanwhile, Salamence stirred—its eyelids twitching as it felt the vibrations running through the earth.
"Machamp, was that you?"
Looking at the upheaved landscape before him—like the very earth had turned over—Ron couldn't believe his eyes.
Machamp, the culprit, looked just as bewildered.
The last Daytime Tiger had consumed nearly a third of his Armament Haki reserves—but he hadn't expected its power to reach such overwhelming levels.
"Come on, Machamp. Let's head back. You can explain what just happened along the way."
Seeing that Machamp himself was still puzzled, Ron could only sigh as he turned to leave with him.
But as they neared the cave, Ron looked up to see Salamence shooting into the sky, wings spread wide, its body aglow with energy—and he could faintly make out a familiar figure mounted on its back.
"A Dragon Knight!?"
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