Weapon enchantment and enhancement were actually not particularly difficult. They simply required a much more refined application of the effects and energy of moves.
Making a Pokémon's weapon longer and sharper was not something that could only be accomplished through moves such as Extendable Horn or Strange Sword. Even ordinary moves such as Scratch, Fury Swipes, Horn Attack, and similar techniques could be used for this purpose.
Fearow's moves such as Peck, Drill Run, and Drill Peck likewise possessed tremendous potential for developing and training techniques that could lengthen its weapon through "enchantment enhancement."
However, reaching the level where the weapon could be extended and retracted freely, with every movement controlled at will, required long-term and persistent training. All of this demanded sweat and effort far beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
But in Ash's eyes, weapon enchantment and enhancement were more than enough to become a core battle tactic for Fearow. Therefore, when Wikstrom told him that mastering it required relentless training, Ash did not feel pressured, nor did he shrink back and give up.
If Fearow mastered weapon enchantment and enhancement, its combat power would undergo a qualitative leap. Therefore, this training was something that absolutely had to be undertaken—and Ash needed to get Fearow started on it as soon as possible.
"Fortunately, Fearow and the others can already stand on their own. According to the original plan, they don't have much heavy training left to do. So arranging weapon enchantment and enhancement training for them next won't affect anything."
"Besides, let Fearow participate in this afternoon's Knight's Trial." Ash thought to himself.
Originally, according to his initial plan, the thing Ash had looked forward to most about today's lecture event on the spirit of knighthood was Wikstrom's Way of the Knight.
After listening to Wikstrom's lecture on the Way of the Knight that morning and then fighting an exhibition match against him, Ash had personally experienced Wikstrom's knightly path at close range. In other words, he had accomplished the task and objective he had originally set for himself.
As for the Knight's Trial that followed, Ash felt that it was optional at best. He had never intended to follow the Way of the Knight like Wikstrom.
Although, according to his original plan, Ash would participate in the Knight's Trial that afternoon, he had only intended to bring Pidgeot along and go through the motions.
Who could have expected that today's lecture on the Way of the Knight would bring Ash another enormous discovery besides Wikstrom's knightly path—the technique of weapon enchantment and enhancement?
He had discovered a battle technique capable of completely changing Fearow's fighting style, so Ash immediately changed his plans. He would not merely participate in the Knight's Trial that afternoon—he would participate seriously and make the most of it.
However, the Pokémon accompanying him through the trial would no longer be Pidgeot.
It would be Fearow.
"Fearow...."
"Come take a look."
At noon, Ash and the others accepted Wikstrom's invitation to lunch. After the meal, Wikstrom hurriedly left again, heading to the Castle of Chivalry in the outskirts of Lumiose City to arrange and prepare for the afternoon's Knight's Trial.
Taking advantage of the lunch break, Ash had Clemont find the video recordings of the final two exhibition matches held at the city stadium that morning.
Whether it was Wikstrom's Escavalier using Extendable Horn or Aegislash using Sacred Sword, the weapon-enchantment fighting styles they had demonstrated were excellent references for Fearow.
Compared with aerial predators such as Braviary, Mandibuzz, Staraptor, Corviknight, Pidgeot, and the others, Fearow's body was noticeably leaner and more slender.
They all followed the path of physical attacks, but compared with Pokémon such as Staraptor and Braviary that could learn Close Combat, Fearow's greatest weapon was its long, sharp beak, which was practically a sword in its own right.
In the past, although Ash had placed great importance on Fearow's "beak techniques," he had never thought about treating Fearow's beak as a sword or weapon and training it accordingly.
Now, after seeing Wikstrom's knightly Pokémon—Escavalier and Aegislash—and the weapon-training techniques they had displayed, Ash finally gained his inspiration.
He felt that Fearow could follow the path of a "Swordsman," treating its sharp, pointed beak as a sword and training it as such.
After explaining the idea to Fearow, Fearow initially looked somewhat confused and did not seem to understand what Ash meant.
However, when it saw the battle footage Ash had found of Escavalier and Aegislash from the morning's exhibition matches, showing their weapons extended to enormous lengths, Fearow immediately understood.
It instantly grasped the concept and became filled with longing and anticipation for the "Way of the Swordsman."
When Ash told Fearow that it would accompany him in the Knight's Trial that afternoon, and that it might even have the opportunity to spar with Wikstrom's Escavalier and Aegislash, Fearow became extremely excited.
After the lunch break ended, Ash and the others took a taxi to the Castle of Chivalry on the outskirts of Lumiose City.
[Knight Battles] were a long-established form of entertainment battling in the Kalos region. Participants battled like knights, and after achieving a certain number of victories, they could obtain corresponding honorary noble titles and insignia.
From lowest to highest, the ranks were [Baronet, Viscount, Count, Marquis, Duke, and Grand Duke]. The force behind the Castle of Chivalry was Wikstrom and the knightly family behind him.
As a major metropolitan city of the Kalos region, Lumiose City's Castle of Chivalry was enormous in scale and the most luxurious of its kind.
After Ash and the others arrived by taxi, they looked at the magnificent castle surrounded by a moat before them, and were deeply shaken by the sight.
Clemont and Bonnie, however, appeared remarkably calm. As natives of Lumiose City, the two siblings obviously were not visiting this place for the first time.
"Mr. Ash~"
Just as Ash and the others were standing outside the drawbridge at the entrance of the Castle of Chivalry, gazing up in amazement at the magnificent structure, a dark-haired young man suddenly came running over from the distance, restraining an excited Pokémon beside him.
"Ash, who is this?" Clarissa and Misty had accompanied Ash to Kalos, and neither of them had expected that Ash had somehow made yet another new friend.
"It's Alain~" Seeing who had arrived, Ash greeted him with a smile.
"I was at the stadium this morning too. I watched your battle with Elite Four Wikstrom, Mr. Ash. You were truly incredible."
"The most astonishing thing was that your Pidgeot could actually Mega Evolve. It's the first discovered non-Kalos Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution."
"Right now, not only is the entire Kalos trainer community discussing you, Mr. Ash, but the entire Kalos academic community is also discussing you and your Pidgeot."
"Previously, Mega Evolution was considered a small research topic limited to the Kalos region. Everyone believed Mega Evolution only existed among Pokémon native to Kalos."
"Your Pidgeot has transformed Mega Evolution into a major worldwide research topic, causing an enormous earthquake throughout the entire Pokémon academic community...."
Alain had a relatively cold personality. When he had first met Ash two days earlier, although he had learned Ash's identity, Alain had not shown particularly intense excitement.