"Like I said earlier, it's already remarkable that Salamence even survived. The fact that he's currently at Mid Elite strength is nothing short of a miracle."
After channeling his Fighting Aura to revitalize Salamence's body once more, Ron repeated his assessment.
Truth be told, Ron was surprised that Salamence had even managed to reach Mid Elite level. Based on his earlier evaluation of the dragon's injuries, he had expected Salamence to barely scrape by at Elite level, if at all, when he awoke.
That he now exhibited Mid Elite power was beyond expectation.
"Raaaargh!"
Before Dwight could say anything, Salamence let out a defiant roar in Ron's direction.
"Quit roaring. You know full well the state of your body. The fact that you're still alive and even have the strength of a Mid Elite should be something to be proud of," Ron said as he patted the dragon's massive head, as though ignoring the outburst.
Salamence, incensed that Ron dared to treat him so casually, instinctively prepared to retaliate—but was immediately cowed by the sharp glare from Machamp, who stood nearby.
Once a Mid Elite Four-level pseudo-legendary, Salamence wasn't used to such humiliation. But before he could act, Dwight stepped in and held him down.
"All right, all right. With your current power stuck at Mid Elite, charging forward would just mean getting thrashed again. But don't worry—I have a unique ability that might help you," Dwight said calmly.
"If you're patient, I'll help you regain your former strength. That's a promise."
With Dwight's soothing presence, Salamence's rage slowly subsided, and eventually, he lay down obediently.
Watching the scene unfold, Ron couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration. When he patted Salamence on the head, the dragon went berserk—but when Dwight did it, Salamence became docile like a house pet. For a moment, Ron wanted to throw hands with the dragon himself, just to remind him of his current place.
After all, with Salamence now estimated to be only around Level 42 or 43, he might not even be a match for Ron anymore.
"All right, Dwight. I'm leaving Salamence in your care. Just make sure to keep him inside his Poké Ball. If others find out that a pseudo-legendary with an Elite Four classification has dropped to this level, it could lead to serious trouble."
Ron's tone grew more serious. "A pseudo-legendary that once reached Elite Four tier isn't something most people can resist coveting."
Having finished giving his instructions, Ron turned his attention to analyzing the devastating Daytime Tiger strike that Machamp had just unleashed.
When it came to Armament Haki from the One Piece canon, Ron had a solid grasp.
The foundational technique, Hardening, enhanced the user's offense and defense and even allowed non-Devil Fruit users to physically strike Logia-type users.
Then there was Imbuement, which enabled Haki to coat projectiles—arrows, bullets, or in this case, martial strikes—for a period of time.
Ron was now having Machamp attempt to coat his Daytime Tiger technique with Armament Haki. In theory, it was viable. Even if the fusion wasn't perfect, it would still significantly boost the combined technique's power.
But what Ron truly aimed for was the final stage: Projection Haki, where Armament energy could be released as shockwaves or defense barriers—an essential step for combining Haki with Pokémon-style moves.
If that synergy could be achieved, Machamp's abilities would reach unprecedented heights.
What Ron hadn't anticipated was that Machamp had, through sheer instinct, managed to concentrate such a massive amount of Armament Haki around the Daytime Tiger strike that it generated immense destructive force. That made Ron reconsider his approach altogether.
After all, this was the world of Pokémon—a world where abilities and moves defy scientific logic, just like Haki does in One Piece.
If both systems were inherently supernatural, perhaps trying to fit them into rigid rules was missing the point.
"You hear that, Salamence? You better get back into your Poké Ball before someone notices. Otherwise, you're asking for trouble."
While Ron and Machamp were deep in discussion about techniques and Haki, Dwight quietly turned to Salamence and spoke in a low voice.
As Dwight gently patted its head, Salamence couldn't deny the surge of gratitude it felt. It was no exaggeration—without this boy, it would've been dead already.
Just like Dwight had said: As long as you're still alive, there's always a chance to soar again.
Still, for some reason, Salamence couldn't shake the feeling that the only reason Ron treated it so gently was because he wanted to experience what it would feel like to be "Ron"—that the affection wasn't really for it, but for a version of himself he projected onto it.
Normally, Salamence would have been too proud to accept such humiliation.
But considering Dwight had fed it top-grade Pokéblocks liquefied into nutrient fluid, had cleaned its wounds with care, Salamence let it slide—for now. If this was just a child playing house, so be it.
Seeing Salamence nod in agreement, Dwight smiled with satisfaction and pulled out a Poké Ball. With a gentle tap to Salamence's forehead, the capture was successful.
Naturally, Salamence's sudden disappearance didn't go unnoticed by Ron. However, he couldn't help but wonder—would having a formerly Mid Elite Four-level Salamence at Dwight's side help him… or become a liability?
As for Machamp's transformation into Daytime Tiger, Ron's final hypothesis was that the unusual power surge might've been caused by the unique interaction between the technique and Armament Haki. Forcing the Haki into the move likely triggered an external release, leading to a violent explosion and a significant increase in destructive force.
But if they wanted more detailed data, Machamp would need to keep using the move repeatedly—logging and analyzing it each time—until they could get the most accurate results.
Even so, Ron decided to pause this line of research for now. Forcibly infusing Haki into Daytime Tiger was far too dangerous.
This time, Machamp had been lucky. But had it failed to stabilize the fusion of technique and Haki, the resulting explosion could've dragged it into the blast zone.
That level of destructive force… even with Ron's Fighting Aura deployed in time, it was hard to say whether permanent damage—like the loss of an arm—could've been avoided.
"Remember this, Machamp," Ron said, eyes locked onto it. "Until you've broken through to the Mid Elite Four level, you're not allowed to use that move again. Once you reach that tier, I'll work with you to fully master that power."
Ron knew all too well what Machamp was feeling. But no matter how anxious or impatient it got, he would never allow his team to risk their lives in careless experiments.
Sensing Ron's unwavering stance, Machamp solemnly swore it wouldn't try using the move again behind his back.
"Good. Don't forget—as long as I have all of you by my side, I have the courage to stand against the Five Great Families. Only then can I carry out my plan."
"I understand," Machamp replied.
Only then did Ron cut the telepathic connection between them.
"All right, Dwight. Salamence is awake, and you've now caught it," he said, turning. "It's time we move on. You'd better get ready—we'll be heading to the Kanto region soon."
"If you don't want to come, I won't stop you. But if you do, take these last moments to think about any place you'd like to visit. Otherwise, it might be a long time before you get the chance again."
"A place I'd like to visit...?" Dwight murmured softly, repeating the words to himself.
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