Goodness, Tyrantrum seems to have grown quite a bit taller.
Its already robust body has become even more sturdy, and its skin is a deeper color; it seems it's had plenty of good food in Dragon Village.
"Roar!"
Seeing its trainer, Tyrantrum happily ran over, lowered its head, and gently rubbed its large head against his shoulder, making an affectionate purring sound.
Metagross hovered in mid-air, carefully scanning Tyrantrum, then its head flashed slightly white, and it charged at Tyrantrum.
Now, The Tyrantrum's jaws snapped open, its head flashing with white light.
"Boom! Bang! Bang!" Loud sounds rang out.
The Metagross and the Tyrantrum collided excitedly, the two having enjoyed this game for a long time, seemingly oblivious to the danger.
Deino, sensing this scene, was stunned.
It also liked to ram things with its head, but it never dared to do it like the Metagross.
That was steel! It knew pain.
Unexpectedly, its kin was so powerful. It turned to Larvesta beside it, its eyes, hidden by its bangs, darting around as it racked its brains.
Was there a way to get this big dragon to teach Larvesta a lesson? It always bullied it.
Larvesta seemed to read Deino's mind. It leaped up, pinning Deino beneath it, and began to torment it.
Deino immediately begged for mercy. A wise dragon doesn't fight when it's at a disadvantage.
"We'll deal with Larvesta later when it comes up with a plan."
After bumping into each other for a while, Metagross and Tyrantrum stopped, their heads touching, rubbing against each other, expressing their longing.
Milotic also hovered over, manipulating water vapor, stopping beside Tyrantrum's head, gently nuzzling it.
After they finished their affectionate interaction, Larvesta finally stepped forward.
"Squeak squeak squeak!"
Larvesta introduced its two "little daughters" behind Tyrantrum: Flame Vulpix and Ice Vulpix.
Larvesta gestured for the two little foxes to greet Tyrantrum. Flame Vulpix raised its head, staring intently at the large dragon before it, curiously poking Tyrantrum's leg with the tip of its tail, shrinking back as the hard skin pressed against it.
Ice Vulpix spat out some ice flowers, which landed on Tyrantrum, making it shiver and quickl running away to dodge, this completely ruined the imposing and majestic image of the Tyrantrum.
Finally, it was Deino, the little brother of Larvesta.
Larvesta shook its head, gesturing for Deino to properly bow to the Tyrantrum, to learn from it, and not to embarrass Dragon-type Pokémon.
The Tyrantrum looked at its kin, finding them too thin, and growled incessantly, telling Deino to follow it from now on.
It really needed to train Deino properly; how could a Dragon-type Pokémon be so weak? Look at Larvesta, that big fat bug, it's fatter than you.
Larvesta didn't like hearing this, and it and the Tyrantrum started playfully fighting again.
Lionel was too lazy to interfere, letting the two of them fool around.
After Larvesta and the Tyrantrum finished their playful fight...
Afterwards, they began whispering again.
Tyrantrum lowered its head, making gurgling sounds in its throat, as if boasting to Larvesta about its victories in the Dragon Village.
Finally, Larvesta climbed onto Tyrantrum's back first, beckoning to the Fire Vulpix, Ice Vulpix, and Deino to follow.
The three little creatures quickly imitate it, clinging tightly to the tuft of white mane on Tyrantrum's neck.
"Squeak squeak!" Receiving Larvesta's signal, Tyrantrum let out a low growl, its powerful hind legs pushing off, and it began to gallop along the lakeside.
At first it was just a slow jog, but after a few seconds it was running wild, its speed increasing rapidly, the wind it created making its mane flutter loudly.
Larvesta stood atop Tyrantrum, On its crown, it excitedly shook its head, the feeling was simply amazing.
Two Vulpixes clung to the white mane on the neck of the Tyrantrum, their little heads bobbing with the rhythm of its running, emitting joyful "whoosh" sounds!
The last one, Deino, also felt the Tyrantrum's superior position, becoming even more excited, letting out a deep dragon roar.
Seeing the Tyrantrum running more and more wildly, Metagross quickly used its telekinesis to chase after it, worried that the mindless Tyrantrum might accidentally leave behind the three still-growing little creatures: the Fire Vulpix, Ice Vulpix, and Deino.
Like a dutiful bodyguard, it remained hovering above the Tyrantrum. He stood to the side, watching the three little creatures play and frolic, keeping an eye on their safety.
Lionel stood still, listening to the joyful cries of Larvesta and the others, and couldn't help but smile. He gently stroked Milotic's head beside him, and Milotic nuzzled his palm affectionately. The two exchanged a smile, filling the air with a warm atmosphere.
Days passed quietly amidst training and play, and the Water Festival drew ever closer.
The atmosphere in Sootopolis City grew increasingly vibrant. Walking through the streets, one could hear people discussing the festival everywhere. Blue ribbons hung from the railings by the lake, and seashell wind chimes adorned the doorways of every house.
Many local residents, dressed in traditional clothing embroidered with wave patterns, gathered by the lake, a ritual dance was being rehearsed over and over again; the sounds of drums and chanting could be heard from afar.
Lionel's Pokémon were also training methodically these past few days.
With the return of the Tyrantrum, Metagross now had a battle partner. Of course, it couldn't use Mega Evolution, otherwise the Tyrantrum would be no match for it.
The two engaged in close combat, exchanging punches and claws, honing their physiques.
Milotic and Larvesta were respectively teaching the Vulpix and Deino the control of ranged energy attacks.
Although everyone usually doted on the two little foxes, they weren't lenient when it came to training.
Missing control of skills or getting distracted would result in a scolding from Larvesta, who, carrying a small twig, would scold anyone who... If it passed, it would extend its little paw to slap the palm.
The one that got slapped the most was naturally the Deino. This wasn't because the Deino was stupid, or because the two little foxes couldn't keep hitting it; they had to make the Deino set an example and suffer more.
At first, the Deino was a little annoyed, but after each training session, Larvesta would sneak into Lionel's bag and steal some treats for the Deino.
This immediately calmed the Deino down, and it even enjoyed it.
You see, Larvesta was just mischievous; it wasn't a bad person, it just liked to tease the Deino, it wouldn't intentionally bully it.
After these basic training sessions were completed, Larvesta and the Tyrantrum would practice skill coordination.
After all, the two of them hadn't worked together for a while and needed to recapture their familiar feeling.
Meanwhile, Deino went to Metagross's gravity field for physical training.
Although it was tough, Deino's growth rate was visibly rapid during this training.
It became much stronger, and a small bulge even grew next to its neck—a sign of impending evolution. Before long, it would evolve into a Two-Deino.
Deino seemed to sense its own changes and trained even harder, striving to exchange roles with Larvesta and become the leader.
Days passed quietly in training, and finally, December 12th arrived.
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