Crack!
The sharp whip-crack exploded in the air; Wille shuddered and clamped his mouth shut.
"Enough chatter! Take your pokémon and go train somewhere; I'll inspect your results later."
Clair snapped the Dragon-tamer whip again. "If I'm not satisfied—heh!"
"Don't worry, Clair, I'll make you proud—no Slack Off, I swear!"
Wille fled as if granted a pardon, his pokémon racing after him.
But before he left he shot Adrian a look that mixed pity with glee.
Next, it would be Adrian's turn to suffer.
Heh-heh!
"All right, Adrian, have your Gyarados demonstrate Dragon Dance!"
The moment Wille left, Clair switched to strict-teacher mode, whip raised. "I need to see if its proficiency meets the Secret Technique requirement."
Adrian flinched and gulped. "Miss Clair… you're not going to whip me, right?"
If that were the deal, he'd rather skip the secret altogether.
"Of course not!"
Clair hurriedly coiled the whip, cheeks reddening. "You're my honored guest; whips aren't hospitable."
Adrian glanced at the retreating figure. "And Wille?"
"He's no guest of mine."
Clair sniffed. "My foolish little brother only learns when the whip reminds him."
Adrian's eyes lit up. "So Wille's the type who needs that—"
With the threat of lashes gone, Adrian ordered Gyarados to perform Dragon Dance.
"Roooar~"
With a skyward roar, Gyarados began the strong, mystical dance in perfect rhythm.
Three seconds later the dance ended.
Light flashed across its body; muscles bulged, agility rose, and its aura skyrocketed.
"This—"
Clair watched, jaw dropped.
As a Dragon specialist and scion of the Dragon Master Family, she could tell the move's proficiency was already elite.
It surpassed even her own Gyarados, let alone Wille's.
But hadn't this Gyarados only learned Dragon Dance a few days ago?
How had its mastery shot up so fast?
Clair's eyes narrowed; she wondered if Adrian had skipped fishing to secretly grind the move.
She quickly shook her head.
Even with special training, a few days to this level was simply absurd.
Lance was hailed as the family's once-in-a-millennium genius—Kanto and Johto Champion and future World Tournament contender.
Yet even Lance's training speed paled beside Adrian's.
"Miss Clair, you told me to keep polishing Dragon Dance—never forgot."
Seeing her shock, Adrian grinned. "Besides, Gyarados here's been smart since it was a kid; picks everything up fast. You know that."
Clair nodded blankly. "R-right…"
Recalling how this Gyarados had mastered Dragon Dance, Outrage, and more in a single try, she supposed a few days of intense practice could work miracles.
Taking a steadying breath, she composed herself and began explaining the Dragon Dance Secret Technique.
The family's secret allowed a pokémon to dodge nimbly while dancing, avoiding punishment during the power-up.
This altered the rhythm, motions, and subtle energy flow within the body.
Tiny as the changes were, left to oneself they could take years—or decades—to stumble upon.
Fortunately, the Dragon Master Family's millennia of lore had refined the secret to near perfection.
All Adrian's Gyarados needed was to copy Clair's instructions on posture, tempo, and energy circulation.
With the move already at "expert" proficiency—ordinary pokémon's ceiling—its foundation was rock-solid.
Progress came easily and astoundingly fast.
The only downside: no shortcuts; Gyarados had to pile on effort and sweat.
Time flew; half a month vanished in a blink.
"Roooar Roooar"
Dragon roars shook the Dragon Sanctuary.
At the lake shore,
Gyarados crouched low, body writhing in serpentines while scales scraped the ground with crackling sparks.
Its slithering rhythm followed an intricate pattern.
Out in the water, a seahorse-like pokémon with dragon horns and twin fins stared maliciously—Kingdra.
The Water/Dragon-type locked on.
Ptoo!
From Kingdra's cannon-barrel mouth a Water Gun bullet shot across dozens of meters in an instant.
Amazingly, Gyarados seemed to expect it.
With a swift serpentine dash the jet of water missed cleanly.
Bang!
The Water Gun punched clean through the trunk of a tree behind Gyarados, still solid as a bullet.
Having dodged, Gyarados completed its Dragon Dance.
"Roooar!"
Light flashed as its aura surged.
Attack and speed both rose.
Eyes blazing, Gyarados looked ready to rampage and wreak havoc.
Clap-clap-clap!
Applause rang out.
"My Kingdra's Sniper boosts power and speed of any move fired from its cannon-mouth,"
Clair said, striding over in her cloak. "If your Gyarados can dodge that, ordinary attacks should be easy. The Dragon Dance Secret Technique is essentially mastered; the rest is diligent practice back home—