"Rhy Rhyyy Rhy~!"
Rhydon scratched its head, looking rather speechless, indicating that its companions were truly too stupid.
"This is something that can only be achieved gradually," Aven said with a chuckle, offering reassurance. "I came here to see how your training has been going."
Upon hearing that, Rhydon immediately perked up. Flames burst from its body, blazing with excitement. Unfortunately, the ribbon that had just been tied around its horn was instantly burned to ashes.
At this point, Rhydon's control over fire had reached a remarkable level, especially in terms of handling high temperatures. The frequent tempering of Apricorns in intense heat had greatly honed its ability to command scorching flames.
As for the aspect of heavy pressure, that required it to harness the power of the earth itself — something Rhydon had been diligently practicing. Every day, it would burrow underground for specialized training, simultaneously improving its grasp of moves involving Heat Crash.
"It seems you really are reaching your limit," Aven observed.
"Next, we'll attempt to begin your evolution into a Rhyperior."
At those words, Rhydon's eyes lit up instantly. It had been eagerly awaiting this moment for a long, long time.
It could sense that once it completed this evolution, its body would undergo a profound transformation and perhaps, it could finally break through into the King tier!
"Normally, to evolve, you would need a special item known as a Protector," Aven continued.
"From what I understand about Rhyperior, the Protector's main function is to modify your body — to make it stronger, and to awaken the hidden power slumbering within you."
"Although I don't know exactly what materials or methods are used to forge the Protector, I believe that if we can make your body closely resemble that of a Rhyperior and awaken your inner power at the same time, evolution should be possible!"
Aven laid out his reasoning in detail. At this stage, Rhydon's body, having been forged by extreme heat and tremendous pressure, was already very close to Rhyperior's physique. In a way, it had achieved part of what the Protector was meant to accomplish.
"RHY!"
Rhydon nodded vigorously, clenching its fists tightly. It could feel the explosive energy coursing through its body — a power that seemed to be on the verge of erupting at any moment!
Among all the Rhydons, it believed that in terms of raw physical strength alone, it had already reached the absolute limit!
"What we need to do next," Aven said, "is to complete the remaining effects of the Protector's enhancement."
"Since the Protector is made from a special type of metal, that means your next stage of strengthening should involve borrowing the power of metal itself!"
"So, I've been thinking, perhaps you can absorb certain special iron ores to complete this next phase, treating your own body as a living forge, using yourself to craft the equivalent of a Protector and awaken its power!"
Aven explained the next step in Rhydon's evolutionary plan — to fuse with the essence of different iron ores, using its own body as the furnace to forge its evolution.
Since they didn't know the exact metals used to craft the Protector, the only way forward was experimentation — absorbing the strength of one ore after another until, hopefully, they stumbled upon the correct one.
Rhydon trusted Aven completely. Upon hearing the plan, it nodded firmly, engraving every detail into its mind. It was determined to put it into practice during its upcoming training.
And as luck would have it, Rhydon had already unearthed several veins of iron ore while training underground under extreme pressure. Those could now be used for this very purpose.
"Mhm," Aven continued, "that's one possible path toward your evolution."
"Also, remember, Onix, another Rock-type Pokémon, can evolve directly through high heat and pressure."
"Perhaps you can help train some of the Onix. If they manage to evolve successfully, that could provide valuable insight for your own evolution as well."
Rhydon's eyes gleamed with excitement upon hearing that. It turned its gaze toward the depths of the underground and immediately began cracking its knuckles in anticipation.
Helping Onix train? That was something it was especially good at! And since Onix were expert diggers, they could probably get along quite well underground.
"Rhy~!"
With that thought, Rhydon couldn't wait any longer. It used Dig and dove straight underground, heading off to find the Onix.
"Rhy?!"
Seeing their leader leave, the other Rhydons scratched their heads then followed suit, one after another diving into the tunnels.
Feeling the tremors rumbling beneath his feet, Aven rubbed his forehead helplessly. He had a bad feeling that at this rate, the entire rocky hill might collapse in the near future.
"Looks like I'll need to set some proper digging rules for the Rhydons and Onix," Aven thought to himself.
Perhaps creating a stable network of underground tunnels would be the best approach — a system where some Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon could live below the surface, conserving space on the land above.
Besides, setting up the forge underground might not be such a bad idea either. He recalled from the movies of his past life that some forges were indeed built deep underground, even using the flow of subterranean magma to aid in the smithing process.
After Rhydon left, Aven also departed from the hill. Helping the Onix evolve was not something that could be done quickly, he would need to devise a more detailed and effective training plan for them.
Moreover, there was another possible path for Onix to evolve into Steelix by using a special item called a Metal Coat. That evolution method was quite similar to Rhydon's use of the Protector, and thus provided another valuable reference point.
If that blacksmith known as Master Makin truly was researching something akin to "turning stone into metal," then perhaps Aven could invite him to collaborate. As fellow blacksmiths, he and Rhydon would no doubt have plenty of common ground.
And so, time passed swiftly.
A carriage from Ironblood Fortress slowly approached the borders of the Pokémon Domain.
In the outer village of Fruitvale, many people had gathered to welcome the incoming convoy.
Among them were numerous merchants, waiting eagerly for the goods brought from Ironblood Fortress and the settlements along the way.
But there were also many common folk, those who had come to welcome their loved ones. After starting new lives in the Pokémon Domain, they had written letters back to their families, asking the caravans to deliver them to the fortress so their relatives could come reunite with them.
Rumble—!
The ground trembled.
The crowd instantly stirred with excitement.
Their gazes turned forward, where they first caught sight of a massive Onix, towering over ten meters tall.
Following closely beside it were several Rhyhorn and Skuntank, and behind them stretched a long caravan.
"They're here — they've finally arrived!"
"I wonder if my family came with this group!"
The townsfolk could hardly contain their joy. However, the knights stationed on-site maintained order, preventing anyone from rushing forward recklessly.
"Huh? What's with all these civilians?"
A muscular man, wearing only thin clothes, sat atop the Onix and asked curiously.
Seeing this, a knight riding a Rhyhorn, Caesar leaned forward and smiled. "They're probably waiting to reunite with their families."
"Family, huh…" Master Makin nodded slightly, then gently patted the Onix beneath him. "When will we be meeting Lord Aven?"
"Once the handover here in Fruitvale Village is done, we'll head straight to Fairhaven Town. Lord Aven is already waiting for you in the castle there," Caesar replied, glancing at Makin's focused expression and feeling a bit relieved.
He couldn't help but recall their first meeting. How distant and aloof Makin had been back then, as though every extra word was a waste of his time.
But when Caesar had shown him the drawing, Makin's entire demeanor had changed. He had urgently pressed for details, asking if Caesar had truly seen the magical beast depicted in the artwork.
His reaction had been so intense that it was like a completely different person. And upon learning that the drawing came from Lord Aven, he had immediately without hesitation agreed to accompany them to the Pokémon Domain.
Now Caesar was filled with curiosity. Just what kind of power or charm did that drawing possess, to evoke such a transformation in someone like Master Makin?
The caravan rolled swiftly across the grassy plain, finally arriving at the outskirts of Fruitvale Village.
As soon as the carriages halted, countless commoners eagerly poured out of them.
The knights in charge of maintaining order quickly moved in, guiding the flow of people and leading them to the open field outside the village where they could reunite with their families.
Master Makin stood there silently, watching the touching scene before him. After a long moment, he turned his head aside and gently patted the Onix at his side. To him, this Onix was the only family he had left.
"Master Makin, please wait here for a moment," Caesar said, stepping forward. "I need to guide some of my companions' families. For certain reasons, they weren't able to come out and greet us."
"Mm. Go on," Makin nodded. "After waiting so many years, I can afford to wait a little longer."
With that, Caesar hurried off toward an open space nearby, where a small group of civilians had gathered.
They stood quietly, gazing toward the joyful reunions happening in the distance. Their faces showed envy and at the same time, a mix of hope and unease.
These were the families of the Ironblood Knights.
Though they had heard that Lord Aven had spared the knights, their hearts were still filled with uncertainty and apprehension.
"There's no need to worry," Caesar said with a reassuring smile as he approached them. "You'll soon see that I haven't lied to you. Just look at me, I even retained my title as a knight."
At his words, the tension on their faces eased somewhat, and they smiled faintly before following him toward Fruitvale Village.
(End of Chapter)