"Dragon Arrow!"
"Hee-yah—"
The Dreepy Siblings shrieked as they shot through the smoke, like high-speed jets screaming through the clouds.
Where the gunpowder dissipated.
The great Whiscash with Destructive Light in its mouth swung its whiskers, and the moment its gaze locked onto the two Dreepy, a terrifying energy beam of jet-black and deep violet erupted!
Boom—!!
The air visibly trembled at a frenzied frequency, as if the entire arena was shaken by this slowly sweeping beam of light.
However.
It failed to hit the Dreepy.
The two of them circled around the outermost edge of the beam, swiftly approaching Whiscash like nimble dragons, with agility that would shame their past selves from weeks ago.
"Grrrr!?"
Whiscash gaped in astonishment, instinctively trying to dive underwater.
But the Dreepy were too fast; it could only watch as they rapidly closed in, as if time slowed down, and crashed hard into its pair of bulging dead eyes!
Bam bam!
Explosions roared, sparks flew!
The two small figures spiraled out of the smoke, their excited expressions vaguely visible.
Using the air current from the explosion to speed up their retreat, they avoided being counterattacked like last time when they retreated too slowly.
Since recovering from their injuries, the Dragapult Siblings have been practicing evasion and retreat nearly every day.
Even though they were only meant to serve as tools for launching the [Dragon Arrow], from their battle with Walrein, they learned that even a tool dragon must possess some level of strength.
"Waddles!"
Dragapult swam forward, and the two Dreepy quickly returned to the launch ports.
The three pairs of eyes focused intently on the rolling smoke below, until it dispersed...
In the pool.
The defeated Whiscash floated belly-up, its eyes twirling, and its yellowish belly facing the sky.
The surrounding suddenly fell silent.
Dragapult stared dumbfounded at the unconscious Whiscash, full of disbelief on its face.
They won?
Did they really win?
After three weeks and sixteen battles with no victory, it finally defeated one of Mikoli's strong Pokémon.
"Hee-yah!"
"Mee-hee-yah!"
The Dreepy Siblings cheered loudly overhead, bouncing around, but it still felt dreamlike.
Dragapult turned around, catching sight of Baimu standing behind them.
He didn't speak, just silently smiled and gave a thumbs-up to the perplexed creature.
Ah.
They really won.
Dragapult suddenly felt like it returned to reality, a surge of unprecedented complex emotions welled up inside, causing its tail to sway gently, its mind a bit adrift.
Was victory truly such a wonderful feeling?
Why, after defeating so many opponents before, had it never had this experience?
Evidently.
Dragapult wasn't aware that something called —
[Achievement].
No matter how many battles it lost before, all the accumulated feelings of disappointment and desolation were wiped away the moment victory was achieved.
"Well done!"
Baimu clapped for the jubilant Dragapult.
The creature looked up with a sacred face, squinting its eyes, as if what shone upon it wasn't the light from the ceiling, but the brilliant and warm sun.
As they say, the more "introverted" the child, the richer their inner world.
He didn't disturb the Dragapult indulging in its own world, and turned his gaze to Mikoli on the opposite side, who was withdrawing Whiscash, "Did you plan this? To give Dragapult a victory to dispel the gloom on the last day."
"Plan? How's that possible."
Mikoli shook his head, smiled faintly, "Don't make it sound like I went easy on you. I only set one standard from start to finish. Crossing that standard was due to your and Dragapult's efforts, not much to do with me."
At most, at most, I estimated Dragapult's growth rate a little.
"By the way, the unyielding momentum earlier was awesome! Finally got the hang of it, Lord Baimu!"
Mikoli praised, "Boys really do look cooler when they're tougher, after all!"
Baimu instantly fell silent.
The many days spent together had fully exposed their true nature.
Who could have thought that the elegant, noble, and gracious Mikoli on TV shows and in public was actually quite opposed to "etiquette."
It's hard to imagine how he forged a friendship with Da Wu.
Mr. Da Wu's manners would earn anyone's thumbs-up.
However.
Mikoli's explanation for this was—
Da Wu may seem polite, but in fact, he's "impolite," you can hear and see his assertiveness, confidence, and pride in everything he says and does.
This is indeed true...
"Anyway, thank you for your care all this time! I'm extremely grateful! Mikoli-sensei!"
Baimu lowered his head, bowing slightly.
Dragapult also snapped back to reality, bowing its head towards Mikoli.
It generally wasn't comfortable facing strangers, but after repeatedly losing to Mikoli and his Pokémon, it gradually accepted their presence.
Above its head, Sister Dragapult forced Brother Dragapult to bow his head.
Having lived with Baimu for a while, they gradually understood some human etiquette, like shaking paws for friendliness, bowing for gratitude and respect, etc.
"Lord Baimu, these words make me feel so sentimental, my nose is starting to tingle..."
Mikoli said, while covering his nose, feigning a sobbing gesture.
Aside from the pretentious action, he indeed felt a strong emotion akin to a homeroom teacher sending off graduating students, similar to discovering when Liuqia entered her rebellious teenage phase.