"Once you two have recovered," Aven said with a gentle look in his eyes, "I'll start your training right away."
"During this period, you two can stay by Rhydon's side. Its fighting style is very similar to the final evolved forms you'll become—Nidoking and Nidoqueen," Aven said as he gently patted the heads of the two little Pokémon.
His words instantly lit up their eyes with excitement, and they turned their gazes toward Rhydon.
At that moment, Rhydon had just finished its daily training session and was walking off into the distance. For the rest of the day, it planned to head to the temporary blacksmith workshop for some forging practice.
Through consistent training recently, Rhydon had come to deeply appreciate the benefits of blacksmithing practice. Not only did it help it train its Fire Punch move, but it also provided significant enhancements to its overall physical fitness.
Seeing Rhydon leave, Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ exchanged a glance, then quickly followed behind it, clearly intent on observing more of Rhydon's training.
"Blacksmith training, huh... Just right. That plan of mine—looks like it's time to try it out," Aven murmured thoughtfully.
His gaze shifted toward Ralts, who was meditating quietly in the training grounds. Almost as if sensing his attention, Ralts opened its eyes and looked at him with curiosity.
"Ralts, come with me. I need your help to carry out an experiment," Aven said.
Hearing his request, Ralts nodded happily. With a blink, it used Teleport and instantly appeared in Aven's arms.
Over the past few days, thanks to intense meditation training, Ralts' psychic power had been steadily growing stronger. Its mastery over Teleport had also improved significantly, becoming more and more proficient.
Holding Ralts close, Aven turned and headed toward the blacksmith's forge. Today, he intended to attempt the crafting of a Poké Ball made from Apricorns—known as a Berry Ball in their world.
Now that the Safari Zone had been fully established, the overall Trainer system was also becoming more and more complete. Naturally, the development of Berry Balls had become a pressing matter that needed to be addressed soon.
"Lil~"
Nearby, Petilil blinked open her eyes and glanced at the commotion, only to immediately close them again.
In the very next moment, a vibrant green glow shimmered around her. Grass energy from the surrounding natural world converged toward her, rapidly forming into an energy sphere.
Whoosh!
The glowing sphere shot through the air with astonishing speed, aimed precisely at a certain spot in the sky.
As the energy ball flew through the air, a sudden change occurred. An ice sphere materialized in midair, appearing out of nowhere to intercept it.
Boom!
The energy sphere and ice ball collided midair with a powerful explosion.
At the same time, a ghostly figure slowly floated into view from the sky above—it was Froslass. She hovered silently, her eyes filled with confusion as she looked toward Petilil.
That energy attack had been fired directly at the exact location where she had been hiding, which made Froslass suspect that Petilil had somehow already discovered her position before launching the attack.
"Lil~ Lil~"
Petilil's eyes sparkled brightly with clarity.
Then, without another word, she closed her eyes once again, plunging her consciousness into a world of darkness.
In this darkness, countless flickers of green light gradually began to appear. These glowing points converged together, taking form... eventually manifesting into a blurry figure—it was Froslass!
Ever since discovering that Luxio possessed the ability to sense electromagnetic waves, Petilil had been experimenting with developing a similar sensory capability herself.
And now, after refining her ability to perceive life energy over time, she had finally reached the point where she could sense the presence of others based on the life force radiating from their bodies—much like an energy radar!
Even though Froslass had entered a cloaked state while hovering in midair, the life energy she emitted remained constant and detectable—making her appear to Petilil like a flickering candle in the darkness!
"Lass~ lass~"
Froslass gave Petilil a wary glance.
These two often competed against each other during regular training sessions, so Froslass knew very well that Petilil was constantly growing stronger. That realization stirred a faint sense of danger in her heart.
Although Froslass had already reached advanced level strength long ago, she could feel the pressure mounting—if she didn't train harder, she risked falling behind.
Determined not to lose, Froslass cast one more glance in the direction where Aven had disappeared and couldn't help but recall the fiery scene of Rhydon working at the forge. She shook her head, then quietly resumed her own training with renewed focus.
…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At the temporary blacksmith workshop, Rhydon had already begun his blacksmithing training.
Flames roared from his fists as he activated Fire Punch and used the heat to ignite a stack of collected wood, burning it into charcoal.
Next, without hesitation, he grabbed the blazing charcoal with his fiery hand and tossed it into the bowl-shaped forge, instantly raising the internal temperature.
Rhydon had long since become familiar with this process. Each step in the fire-starting sequence flowed smoothly and effortlessly, demonstrating just how skilled he'd become through repeated practice.
"Rhy…"
While maintaining his Fire Punch, Rhydon stood calmly in front of the glowing forge, seemingly unfazed by the intense heat radiating from the furnace.
"Nido! Nido!"
Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ had followed Rhydon all the way to the blacksmith shop. They stood at the entrance, watching wide-eyed as Rhydon plunged his fist into the flames and let it burn.
They looked down at their own tiny bodies, then felt the scorching heat wafting toward them from the forge. Gulping nervously, they instinctively stepped back—if it were them in Rhydon's place, they'd probably have been burned to ashes on the spot!
"Rhydon is currently training his Fire Punch move," Aven explained, noticing their reactions.
"Once you evolve into Nidoking and Nidoqueen, you'll also be able to undertake this kind of training."
He gently patted the two small Pokémon who had been retreating due to fear, reassuring them with a calm voice.
Among the many features of the Nido evolutionary line, the most notable was their incredibly wide range of move compatibility. They could learn moves from almost every type—including the a boxer's signature three-punch combo, which naturally included Fire Punch.
"Nido! Nido!"
Upon hearing that, both Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ perked up instantly. Their eyes lit up again, and they no longer backed away from the forge.
"Rhydon, hold off on your training for a bit," Aven said next.
"I need you to assist me in conducting an experiment."
Hearing Aven's request, Rhydon immediately stopped what he was doing and turned to him, standing still with a calm expression.
"Don't worry, it's nothing too complicated. What I want to do is test the crafting of a Berry Ball."
"I'd like to use Ralts' telepathy ability to help you understand and try forging one yourself."
As Aven explained, he took out a prepared White Apricorn and placed it carefully on the forging table.
The moment Rhydon heard it was time to forge a Berry Ball, his eyes lit up with excitement. He still remembered clearly—Aven had once said that if he wanted to evolve further, he would need to personally forge a piece of special equipment called protector.
Because of this, Rhydon had always taken a strong interest in learning the art of forging. Now that Aven was going to teach him how to craft a Berry Ball, he immediately nodded with enthusiasm, clearly eager to begin.
"Alright, let's get started," Aven said with a smile.
"Ralts, use Hypnosis on Rhydon!"
Ralts nodded, and a soft blue light gathered in its eyes as an invisible wave of psychic energy radiated outward.
Rhydon didn't resist at all. As he locked eyes with Ralts, he felt his eyelids growing heavier... and heavier... until finally, they slowly closed.
"Next comes telepathy!"
Aven took a deep breath. He and Ralts exchanged a glance, then both entered a meditative state.
At the same time, Ralts activated its telepathy ability, establishing a mental link between Aven and Rhydon, syncing their minds together.
"Rhy~"
Rhydon muttered in a dreamlike tone, still deep in hypnosis.
Inside his mind, a flurry of vivid images began to play out like a movie. Amidst bursts of flame and sparks, he could clearly see a white apricorn being repeatedly struck on the anvil.
The sensations were incredibly real—Rhydon could feel every impact, every vibration running up his arms, just as if he himself were performing the forging process.
He had never experienced something quite like this. It was as though his body was learning through a shared memory—receiving all the tactile information as if firsthand.
It was impossible to say how much time passed, but eventually, Rhydon slowly opened his eyes, blinking in confusion as he looked around.
He seemed unsure of what had just happened.
"How do you feel, Rhydon?" Aven asked with a warm smile.
Through Ralts' telepathic link, Aven had just transferred all the knowledge and techniques for crafting a Berry Ball directly into Rhydon's mind.
"Rhy rhy rhy!"
Rhydon scratched its head, finally realizing what was going on.
Then, it closed its eyes and tried to recall the details, nodding excitedly a moment later—it felt like it was beginning to understand!
(End of Chapter)