Deino's whole body tensed, as if storing an immense surge of energy. When that strength reached its peak, it suddenly lunged forward, slamming into a Magneton and biting straight into its weak spot. A faint crackle of electricity burst out, and the Magneton crashed heavily to the floor.
"Well done, Deino. You worked hard—rest for a while now."
Logan waited calmly for a moment, making sure the Magneton truly had no fight left in it, before walking over. He crouched down and stroked the small dragon's head in encouragement.
Deino panted hard, its stamina nearly drained. Hearing Logan's praise, it let out a pleased cry before collapsing to the ground, settling to recover its strength.
Training Deino was no simple matter. Even though Logan possessed the power of Dragonforce—making the dragon less likely to defy his commands—Deino's natural biology presented challenges. Born blind, it had no way to see its targets, and its wild instincts drove it to charge and bite at anything it happened to bump into.
Without any other sense but touch, wild Deino often ended up prey instead of predator. And under a Trainer, raising one properly required more than strength—it demanded trust, patience, and deep understanding.
Training a "blind fighter" meant constant trial and error, enduring endless mistakes at the start. Logan was fortunate that his own strength was already formidable, sparing him from true danger in the wild. Deino, however, bore the brunt of those risks.
"If my first partner had been a Deino, things would've been hellishly complicated," Logan muttered, shaking his head. Gible was far easier to raise. Back when he lacked experience, a partner like Deino would have crushed him under its difficulties.
"And when it evolves into Zweilous, the next problem will be the rivalry between its two heads…"
Logan rubbed his temples. This rare dragon of Unova was nothing short of a headache. Without Dragonforce, once it became Hydreigon, its three heads' volatile natures might make it ignore a Trainer's commands altogether.
No wonder Hydreigon were so scarce. With their rarity and difficulty to raise, Trainers who could master them were almost nonexistent. Raising one to perfection required not just patience, but years of experience.
"I don't need you to keep up with Garchomp, Dragonair, or Eevee," Logan said as he ruffled the dragon's coarse mane. "All I ask is that by the time of the final battles, you'll be strong enough to stand and fight."
His gaze drifted toward the other side of the room.
Cynthia was crouched down, cradling her Togepi, gently healing its injuries. When she noticed Logan's eyes on her, she turned, offering him a soft, radiant smile.
"Once I'm done tending to Togepi, I'll check Deino's wounds too," she said warmly.
"Thank you, Cynthia. I appreciate it," Logan replied with a nod.
The Sinnoh Champion was always so tender, both with people and Pokémon. No wonder Togepi followed her so faithfully—it would only evolve into Togetic for someone gentle and kind-hearted.
"Deino must be terribly difficult to train," Cynthia mused, still stroking her Togepi. "It's one of Unova's rarest, much like Garchomp in Sinnoh. When I started my journey, raising Gible nearly broke me. I can't imagine trying with a Deino."
Her grey eyes glimmered with amusement, and she laughed lightly as though recalling embarrassing memories of her past struggles.
"Your Togepi looks like it's close to evolving," Logan noted, watching the little Pokémon chirp happily.
At his level, spotting when a Pokémon was near evolution was second nature.
"Yes, we've been together for so long," Cynthia said, smiling softly. "But I've held off on evolving it. I want it to reach its full potential first. You must feel the same about Deino, don't you?"
"Exactly. The first evolution is easy enough, but I want it to grow stronger before taking that step. Only then will it be ready to evolve."
The two sat side by side against the cold walls of the Power Plant, talking quietly.
The abandoned nuclear facility was vast, and they had been training there for several days already. Their lives—meals, rest, and training—all revolved within its rusting halls. Compared to the wilderness, it was far more comfortable.
By day, wild Electric-types prowled the grounds, feeding off the leftover currents still pulsing in the old wires. At night, Ghost-types ruled, drifting through the halls, feeding on radiation and toxins lingering in the air.
Nearby, Yellow sat cross-legged, pencil in hand, sketching intently. Beside her lay her Amaura, worn out from the day's training.
Yellow lacked the raw combat instincts of Red or Blue, but she compensated with cleverness and sheer perseverance. Time and again, she turned impossible battles around, though always at the cost of heavy injuries for both herself and her partners.
Logan never stopped her. Pain and hardship were rites of passage every Trainer had to endure. Shielding her from them would only cripple her future.
He didn't expect her to defeat the Elite Four. If someone who had only trained for months could topple them, the title would lose its weight entirely.
Still, Yellow was invaluable. Her Viridian power could heal any Pokémon's wounds, allowing them to train endlessly without the need of Pokémon Centers. She was the perfect support—able to read Pokémon's hearts and keep the team pushing forward.
At that moment, Yellow was communicating with a Gastly, sketching what it had witnessed. This Gastly was the very one Zapdos had found in the Power Plant—the eyewitness they needed. Logan had caught it temporarily and entrusted it to Yellow, who was already bonding with it. Perhaps, Logan thought, she should keep it.
After all, Yellow had little knack for catching Pokémon. If she were ever to fill a full team, Logan would have to act as her "guardian" once again.
"Big brother, I'm done drawing!" Yellow exclaimed brightly, snapping the pencil back into her book with a flourish. She jumped up, brushing dust off her clothes, and ran over with the sketchpad clutched in her arms.
"Good work, Yellow," Logan said, smiling.
"Hehe~~"
Yellow lowered her head, giggling bashfully as Logan ruffled her hair.
"Champion sir, that's the evil old woman who kidnapped Big Brother Blue!" the little boy piped up, pointing at the sketch. "Sister, your drawing looks just like her!"
"Eh… it's not that good," Yellow mumbled, embarrassed.
Cynthia's eyes narrowed as she studied the sketches. "No wonder Agatha is feared. Her battle style is nearly impossible to defend against."
Even from still images, both she and Logan could see her methods. Unlike most Trainers, Agatha targeted the Trainers themselves, leaving Pokémon as secondary. Her ghostly powers inflicted their worst harm on people directly.
"Exactly," Logan agreed grimly. "Next time we meet her, we'll need to be extremely careful. Her understanding of human weaknesses runs too deep."
He exhaled, glancing at the shadowy corridors around them. "We've stayed in this plant long enough. Professor Oak asked me to meet a man named Dr. Fuji in Lavender Town. Keeping him waiting too long would be rude. Let's head there next. You'll enjoy it, Cynthia—it's one of Kanto's most unique places."
"Lavender Town… I've heard of it," Cynthia said softly. "The largest Pokémon graveyard in Kanto. Yes, I'd like to see it."
Her lips curved into a gentle smile. "When I traveled across Sinnoh, I never had companions. This time, walking alongside you, Logan… it feels like an entirely new kind of joy."
Her laughter was light, her chest rising and falling delicately with every breath. Gentle. Beautiful. Alluring.
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