Inside the Pokémon Breeding House.
All the Pokémon were curiously gazing at the Poké Ball in Aven's hand.
After personally witnessing how the Poké Ball was able to absorb the Mothim and then release it again, they were all visibly shocked.
Just how could such a small ball possibly contain an entire Mothim?!
At this moment, on the grassy field, all the Pokémon had surrounded Mothim and were asking it questions about what it felt like to be taken into a Poké Ball.
"Moth Moth~"
Mothim recalled the experience carefully but realized that it didn't actually feel much of anything.
The internal space inside the Poké Ball was extraordinarily large—in fact, it felt vast and expansive. Being inside actually felt pretty comfortable.
Upon hearing Mothim's words, the eyes of the other Pokémon immediately lit up. Now, they were itching to try it themselves—they all wanted a Poké Ball of their own!
"Don't worry," Aven said with a smile and a nod. "Next, I'll also find a way to make Poké Balls for all of you."
Once he had Poké Balls, it would become much more convenient to carry the Pokémon with him. In the future, when going on travels or exploring, he could bring along his entire team!
Normally, the Pokémon could also rest inside their Poké Balls. With several Pokémon kept on him at all times, Aven's safety would be significantly increased.
"RHYYY!"
Rhydon let out an excited Rhy.
Usually, Aven had already left Rhydon behind multiple times during forest explorations because of its massive size.
But now, with Poké Balls, its large frame could no longer be used as an excuse to leave it behind. It too could join in on the forest adventures!
"Meowr~ Lass~"
The other Pokémon were equally excited—this meant they could accompany their beloved Trainer more often!
"Lil?"
Only the Petilil tilted her head, showing a contemplative expression.
She looked at Aven's arms and then at the Poké Ball in his hand, and came to the conclusion that being held in his arms seemed much more comfortable.
Right now, she could already stay close to Aven most of the time. If she entered a Poké Ball, wouldn't that mean she could no longer enjoy his warm and loving hugs?
Just thinking about that made her shake her head vigorously, looking at the Poké Ball with a wary expression in her eyes—as if it were some sort of natural enemy.
"Rhydon, I'll be relying on you next."
Aven turned around and looked at the overly excited Rhydon. That statement instantly caused its enthusiastic smile to freeze.
Then, Rhydon noticed the eager and expectant looks from the other Pokémon and suddenly had a vision in its mind—of itself forging day and night inside the smithy.
"Rhy… RHYYY!"
Moments later, Rhydon let out an excited Rhy once again. Forging? That was its absolute favorite thing to do!
"Keep refining your forging skills for now," Aven said. "Once the Apricorns mature, we can continue crafting more Poké Balls."
He patted Rhydon encouragingly and added, "Also, I'll help you continue with your Fire Punch training. Besides that, you can begin learning some Fighting-type moves as well."
Based on Aven's current training plan, Rhydon had completely transitioned into a close-combat role. With its pair of powerful fists, its melee combat capabilities weren't necessarily weaker than that of a dedicated Fighting-type Pokémon.
"Rhy Rhy!
Rhydon let out a thrilled shout.
It didn't stick around to join in the commotion any longer and dashed off enthusiastically toward the smithy to continue its training.
Rhydon had always been the most diligent in training out of all of Aven's Pokémon. With it leading by example, the rest exchanged glances and started training too.
"Meow meow meowr~"
Luxio watched Rhydon leave, then turned its gaze toward Mothim, who was quietly resting on a tree branch in the distance.
It replayed its earlier battle with Mothim in its mind. If Mothim hadn't been solely focused on fleeing, winning that battle wouldn't have been easy at all.
In a direct confrontation, Luxio knew Mothim would have been more than a match—even though Mothim hadn't even been properly trained yet.
As long as Aven gave it a little bit of cultivation, Luxio could already imagine Mothim surpassing it in strength very quickly. That thought made Luxio feel a little heavy-hearted, but at the same time, it sparked a new wave of motivation for training.
"Meow meowr!"
Soon, electrical currents began to crackle and surge across Luxio's body.
The electricity grew increasingly intense, madly coursing and darting across its form.
Yet despite the wild current that rampaged over its body, Luxio remained entirely unfazed, allowing the surging electricity to lash at itself without resistance!
This was Luxio training for the move Wild Charge. After mastering Thunderbolt, the electrical energy it could generate had now reached the threshold needed to learn Wild Charge.
Now, it needed to release all the energy within its body in one explosive burst to increase both its strength and speed, and during the attack, it had to direct the full power of the electricity onto the opponent in one overwhelming surge!
"Meowrrr~"
Clenching its teeth tightly, the electricity on Luxio's body intensified further.
Soon, the air was filled with sharp crackle-pop sounds—the electric current was clearly reaching the brink of going out of control.
Just then, Luxio's figure suddenly lunged forward. Lightning sparked wildly around it, wrapping it in a cloak of thunder!
It then slammed headfirst into a large rock ahead of it, and at the exact moment of impact, the terrifying electric current finally burst forth in an uncontrollable explosion!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Thunderous explosions echoed through the field. Luxio flipped backward mid-air and landed firmly on the ground.
Moments later, the smoke and dust began to settle, revealing that the rock it had crashed into had been completely obliterated—reduced to nothing but fine powder.
"Meow meowr!"
Seeing the result, Luxio's eyes lit up with excitement.
Although waves of pain were still rippling through its body, it had, without a doubt, successfully used Wild Charge!
The immense noise immediately drew the attention of the other Pokémon nearby. When they saw the devastating power of Wild Charge, their pupils involuntarily shrank.
Even the usually dull-eyed Bibarel leader sat upright, staring in astonishment at the area devastated by the move.
"Bi~, Bi~"
It smacked its lips thoughtfully. Even with its strength as a advanced-level magical beast, if it took a direct hit from that Wild Charge, it probably wouldn't walk away unscathed!
Naturally, the other Pokémon were even more shocked. Especially those who had watched the little Shinx grow into Luxio—they could all feel it clearly: Luxio had now surpassed them in power!
"Moth~"
Mothim lay quietly on a tree branch.
Though it appeared to be basking in the sun, it was, in truth, vigilantly observing its surroundings.
Even though Aven had said he would protect it, the naturally cautious Mothim hadn't quite let its guard down yet.
It had sensed something unusual the moment Luxio began charging up electricity, and later, the sheer power of Wild Charge left it astonished.
If Luxio had used that move on it during their battle earlier, it was certain that it wouldn't have been able to block it.
Unconsciously, Mothim's body shimmered and faded slightly—it was trying its hardest to blend into the environment and become one with its surroundings.
I'm still far too weak right now. I must be even more careful with hiding myself!
"Luxio, excellent work!" Aven called out as he quickly walked over to the electric-type Pokémon.
Although Luxio had successfully unleashed Wild Charge, the injuries it had sustained were not light and would need proper treatment. Without that, continuing training would be difficult.
"Meow~"
Luxio let out a sigh of relief and then collapsed weakly onto the ground.
It had just exerted itself with all its might, and the powerful electrical surge had placed tremendous strain on its body.
After taking the healing potion Aven handed over, it let out a low, soft mewl—its spirits still running high. This was a promising start.
"Yeah, Wild Charge really does come with a heavy burden."
"Looks like your next priority will be physical conditioning."
"A stronger body will allow you to endure greater backlash. And as your body improves, so will your strength and speed."
After checking Luxio's condition, Aven began massaging its muscles with medicine while also outlining the next training goal for it.
"Nido nido~"
At that moment, Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ came trotting over.
Previously, Aven had asked the two little ones to train under Rhydon.
But after seeing that all Rhydon ever did was forge and forge some more, both of them had looked utterly confused.
Soon after, they switched their focus and began observing Luxio instead—a fellow quadruped who fought using speed and physical attacks, much like themselves.
Now that they had seen Luxio unleash such overwhelming power, the two small Pokémon were instantly inspired and wanted to seek guidance.
"That move is Wild Charge," Aven explained. "You two won't be able to learn it."
"But if you want to train alongside Luxio, you can start by working on your physical fitness together."
"Still, your bodies have only recently recovered, so you'll need an adjustment period. I'll develop a special training plan for you both."
After gently patting the heads of the two Nidoran for encouragement, Aven made a mental note.
Their bodies were still quite fragile, but some light exercise would be fine.
Maybe designing a running wheel for them would be a great idea. Besides improving physical strength, it could also enhance balance. Plus, it would work wonderfully as part of a recovery training routine.
"Nido nido~"
Both Pokémon nodded excitedly in response.
Having watched their companions undergo training during this period, they had long been itching to move and join in themselves.
(End of Chapter)