In the backyard of the castle, Aven had gathered all of his Pokémon together.
After the recent battle, the strength of his Pokémon had once again seen tremendous improvement.
Especially Lilligant—by relying on the combined forces of life energy, grass energy, solar energy, and natural energy, she had successfully evolved from Petilil to Lilligant on her own without the need for a Sun Stone!
Moreover, the form that emerged from this kind of evolution was clearly different from those that evolved through normal means—the most striking difference being the golden flower blooming atop her head.
Her strength too had ascended to the King level, and she was now even stronger than most Pokémon of the same rank.
"Lilli~ Lilli~"
In the courtyard, Lilligant gathered the blazing power of the sun atop her golden flower.
Moments later, a dazzling orb of sunlight coalesced above her, transforming into a miniature sun that illuminated a vast portion of the courtyard in warm brilliance.
Her Sunny Day move now shone with far greater intensity than even Cherrim's version—its power formidable enough to drive away all traces of the cold that had lingered in the air.
At the same time, she continuously infused the suspended sun with more energy, allowing it to remain stable and glowing even without her direct control.
"Lilli~ Lilli~"
Standing beneath the blazing sunlight, Lilligant's body emitted a faint, soft green glow.
This was her Chlorophyll ability at work—it greatly enhanced her speed and her efficiency in gathering and casting energy.
Under the glimmer of green light, her elegant figure darted through the courtyard in blinding speed, leaving behind streaks of emerald afterimages wherever she passed.
"Lilli~ Lilli~"
She looked up at the radiant orb above, the golden petals on her head shimmering with concentrated brilliance.
A vast amount of solar energy gathered toward the flower atop her head, the light becoming brighter and fiercer by the second.
Then, with a graceful yet determined cry, a blinding, milky-white beam shot forth from her flower and blasted toward a massive boulder in the yard.
BOOM!
The thunderous explosion that followed shattered the boulder into countless fragments, scattering debris across the ground.
A surge of immense energy rippled outward, drawing the attention of every Pokémon nearby.
The move she had just performed was Solar Beam also known as the "Sunlight Blaze." It was an attack that condensed and fired pure solar energy as a destructive beam.
Its power was tremendous and by the standards of Aven's previous world, it had a base power of 120 but it usually required considerable time to gather energy before it could be released.
Now, under the Sunny Day weather she had summoned, it no longer needed such long preparation. She could rapidly amass sunlight and unleash the beam almost instantly!
And because it was Lilligant herself—an expert in solar energy—who used it, the move's power was pushed to its absolute limit.
"Lilli~ Lilli~!"
Satisfied with the results, Lilligant nodded happily.
In the past, she had mostly served as a support Pokémon, rarely taking part in direct battles.
But now, with Solar Beam in her arsenal, her offensive power had grown dramatically, allowing her to showcase the true might of a King-tier Pokémon.
"Rooooar!"
In the distance, Rhydon looked on with admiration and a hint of envy.
The sunlight above felt warm and comfortable, yet the sheer energy contained within it was undeniably immense—especially the fire essence it carried.
Breathing deeply, the drill Pokémon inhaled the heated air around it, flames igniting across its body as it began its own physical training once again.
Using the high temperatures produced by the move Heat Crash and extreme pressure by being deep underground—that had been Rhydon's main training focus lately. Through it, it continuously tempered its body while digesting the various iron ores it consumed daily.
By absorbing the energy within the ores and fusing it into its body under heat and pressure, it could feel its physique becoming tougher and more resilient by the day.
It was as if its entire body were being reforged in a smelter—impurities burned away while the essence of metal merged into its flesh and bone.
Throughout this process, it frequently used Ancient Power to further strengthen its rocky hide, compacting its armor and enhancing its endurance through sheer exertion.
Unfortunately, none of the ores it had devoured so far contained the material necessary for its evolution, so it could only continue experimenting with different types of minerals in hope of success.
Seeing Lilligant's successful evolution had ignited a powerful sense of motivation within Rhydon.
If Petilil could evolve all the way to her final form through effort and perseverance, then surely it could too!
"Roooaaar!!"
Rhydon roared with determination, its horn drills spinning loudly as it psyches itself up.
Tightening the white training band around its forehead, it quickly used Dig and burrowed deep underground, seeking the intense heat and pressure below to continue its training.
"Lilli~ Lilli~"
Meanwhile, Lilligant exhaled softly, then cast Grassy Terrain.
Lush green grass sprouted beneath her feet, rapidly spreading across the entire yard, blanketing the ground in waves of vitality.
A soothing flow of life energy spread throughout the area, refreshing every Pokémon present.
Feeling their fatigue melt away, the other Pokémon all called out in gratitude before eagerly resuming their training with renewed vigor.
"Lilli~ Lilli~"
Lilligant began to dance gracefully across the grassy field.
Petals of every color swirled around her like a fragrant storm—it was the move Petal Dance.
Her steps were elegant and fluid, and it was clear she had an innate talent for dancing. Her green dress-like leaves fluttered in rhythm, each motion releasing a faint glow of grass energy.
Soon, colorful blossoms began sprouting throughout the field, filling the air with their sweet fragrance.
Aven couldn't help but smile.
"As expected of a Flower Pokémon," he murmured. "She truly possesses a natural affinity with flora and the power of blossoms."
Lilligant's control over grass energy didn't just affect ordinary plants—it also worked wonders on other flower-bearing Pokémon. Her power could help them grow faster and healthier.
For example, both Gloom and Vileplume could greatly benefit from her presence. Within the flower-filled territories, this would be of huge advantage to the Gloom army.
Aven even planned to have her attempt to mimic the energy of a Sun Stone someday. If successful, she might be able to help the Glooms evolve on her own.
Normally, Gloom evolved into Vileplume via a Leaf Stone, but with a Sun Stone, they could become Bellossom instead.
Like Lilligant, Bellossom was a pure Grass-type Pokémon that evolved through the Sun Stone, mastering both solar and grass energies.
If everything went well, Aven could one day organize a full Flower Legion—composed of Bellossoms, Vileplumes, and Glooms—with Lilligant as the core.
Perhaps then, that flowery army could even stand toe-to-toe with a legendary Pokémon!
"Lilli~ Lilli~"
Lilligant continued her elegant dance, her movements growing more fluid and refined.
Although Petal Dance was technically an attack move, it also served as a unique form of training—by dancing, she continuously drew in grass energy from the surroundings.
"The way she moves... she really does have an extraordinary gift for dancing," Aven said with a soft chuckle.
"Maybe it's time I teach her some other dance-type moves."
Dance-type moves were their own special category of Pokémon techniques—just like weather and terrain moves.
Through specific rhythmic movements, a Pokémon could attune itself to nature, achieving a kind of harmony between body and spirit—like Lilligant's current Petal Dance.
There were also other mystical dances, such as the Moonlit Dance, which—though not officially a move allowed the user to draw in the power of the moon through graceful movement.
Some dance moves, when combined with the right elemental energy, could unleash astonishing power—Petal Dance, for example, was as strong as Solar Beam.
Besides Petal Dance, Aven knew of several other dance-based moves: Swords Dance, Feather Dance, Teeter Dance, Dragon Dance, Quiver Dance, Lunar Dance, and Fiery Dance.
Most of these were exclusive to certain Pokémon species with special affinities capable of resonating with the forces they represented.
For a Pokémon like Lilligant who is naturally skilled in dancing she could potentially learn four of them: Petal Dance, Swords Dance, Teeter Dance, and Quiver Dance.
Seeing her talent, Aven intended to cultivate it fully. With practice, he believed she could master all of them.
Especially Quiver Dance—a move that enhanced Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed simultaneously. The effect it would have on her strength was enormous, and it could synergize perfectly with her Petal Dance.
"Lilli~ Lilli~"
When she finally stopped, Lilligant gazed happily at the sea of flowers now covering the courtyard.
The sight put her in an excellent mood, and Aven, seeing her joy, had no objections. After all, this was the castle's backyard garden—filled with flowers, it now looked more fitting than ever.
In the future, Aven even planned to plant various rare herbs and flowers used in potion-making here. Naturally, he would entrust the care of the garden entirely to Lilligant, confident that she would nurture it beautifully.
"Kir~ lia~"
Beside Aven, Kirlia let out a soft, envious cry.
Though she had been training hard lately, there was still a significant gap between her and both Lilligant and Froslass.
Before Lilligant's evolution, their power levels had been close. But now that she had evolved, the gap had widened drastically, leaving Kirlia a little disheartened.
Aven gently patted her head. "Don't worry, Kirlia."
"As long as you can fully absorb and digest Azelf's power, you'll soon break through to the King level too."
After all, Azelf's essence contained pure psychic energy—its seven-colored power brimmed with immense mental and spiritual force.
Since Aven himself now carried Azelf's energy within his body, Kirlia could naturally feel and absorb traces of it during their meditation together.
"Kir~ lia~!"
Kirlia nodded seriously, her eyes determined. Then, without another word, she took Aven's hand and returned to meditation, ready to continue her path toward power.
(End of Chapter)