Shelgon's golden eyes snapped open.
The large Dragon-type Pokémon fixed his gaze on the glowing item his Trainer had just taken out, staring at it without blinking.
Even though he had not yet evolved into Salamence, the dormant Flying-type energy already ran deep within his bloodline, quietly waiting for the moment of evolution to awaken. Now, that energy stirred. Shelgon could feel the pull of the item the instant he saw it — not a feeling from his mind, but from somewhere far deeper. His entire body seemed to lean toward it instinctively.
"Roarrr~"
"Easy, easy. Don't rush — this was made for you," David said with a calm smile, resting a hand on Shelgon's shell.
Shelgon settled, though just barely. His golden eyes never left the item.
David carefully unclipped the Dragon Fang Shelgon had been holding and set it aside. In its place, he fastened the Breath of the Sea God.
"Roarrr!!!"
The effect was immediate.
The moment the Breath of the Sea God was secured, Shelgon's Aura flared outward in a strong surge. His thick, armored shell — already straining from weeks of internal change — crackled and groaned as if it could barely contain what was building inside.
What surprised David most was that the Flying-type energy, which would normally only awaken after Shelgon evolved into Salamence, had already begun to stir. Under the influence of the Breath of the Sea God, Flying-type energy seeped into Shelgon's bloodstream and quietly began reinforcing his muscles and inner structure.
He was not yet Salamence. But the foundation was already being laid.
Had David used the detailed scan function of his System Pokédex at that moment, he would have noticed something remarkable on Shelgon's data page. A long list of Flying-type moves had appeared — entries ranging from Wing Attack all the way up to Hurricane. However, each one flickered on and off, unstable and dim.
David guessed this was simply because Shelgon's current form couldn't support those moves yet. His shell-covered body had no wings to work with. But the moment he evolved, those moves would likely unlock all at once.
Shelgon let out a deep, satisfied cry. He could feel the changes happening inside him.
David reached out with his Aura and quietly checked on Shelgon's condition, then nodded with satisfaction. Even without relying on the System, he could sense it clearly. The Breath of the Sea God was steadily reshaping Shelgon from within, and the full effect would only show itself after evolution.
When he finally evolves, David thought, his Flying-type talent will be on a completely different level. Maybe someday, that Salamence might even master the Aeroblast.
This unexpected turn of events at the Sea God's Ruins had been more rewarding than he ever expected.
David ran Shelgon through a careful round of tests, recording the changes in his Aura output and noting the partial transformation that had already taken hold since he equipped the Breath of the Sea God. Satisfied with the results, he also put together a structured training plan. Shelgon's evolution was close, and he wanted everything ready before it happened.
Once that was done, he moved on.
He reached into his bag and pulled out the three Divine Feathers — the sacred feathers belonging to the Legendary Birds. One by one, he brought each of his Pokémon over to see whether the feathers might benefit them.
Pokémon that shared a type with the corresponding Legendary Bird would naturally gain the most. But even Pokémon of different types could still draw something useful from the feathers. The results, as it turned out, held a few pleasant surprises.
Zorua was first. As expected from a Hisuian Zorua who had spent years in the frozen landscape of the Hisui region, his Ice-type ability was already well above average. He had long since learned to use Hail with solid control. After absorbing a portion of energy from Articuno's feather, his Ice-type moves gained a clear boost in power, and even Hail, already a mastered move, became noticeably stronger.
Kirlia was next. With the help of Zapdos's feather, she picked up Thunderbolt and Charge Beam more naturally than David had expected. Like Zorua's boosted Ice-type moves, the Electric-type moves she gained through the feather's energy carried more raw power than standard Electric-type moves of the same kind.
The biggest beneficiary, however — aside from Shelgon — was Lucario.
Lucario absorbed energy from all three Divine Feathers without difficulty. His body took to each one smoothly, and when it was over, the results were plain to see. His elemental punches — Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, and Ice Punch — all hit noticeably harder. On top of that, the chance of each move triggering its secondary effect seemed to have gone up significantly.
David knew this not from the System, but from personal experience.
Feeling bold, David decided to test himself. His Aura had been growing steadily, and he felt it might now be strong enough to hold its own against a Pokémon — even a professional-level one — for short bursts. So he challenged Lucario to a quick sparring match, both of them holding back.
It did not go well for David.
They traded a handful of hits using a very restrained version of Thunder Punch — roughly ten percent of its usual power. Even so, David was paralyzed repeatedly. Twitching and thoroughly humbled, he estimated that the chance of Thunder Punch inflicting paralysis had increased by roughly forty percent.
That was a significant jump. Truly worthy of a Legendary Pokémon's feather.
As for Shelgon, David decided to skip giving him any of the three feathers for now. The Breath of the Sea God had already given him more energy than his body could comfortably process at once. It was better to let him digest what he had received first. Based on how much Shelgon loved using Flamethrower, David suspected he would have gotten a lot from Moltres's feather in particular — but that could wait.
With the enhancement session complete, David looked down at the three Divine Feathers. Their light, which had pulsed and swirled so brilliantly before, had dimmed considerably. They looked pale and faded.
David felt a small pang at the sight.
Still, the feathers were not one-time items. They had been drained, not spent. Given enough time in the right environment, they could recover on their own. The feathers were capable of passively drawing in ambient energy from the air and converting it into their corresponding types — Ice for Articuno's, Electric for Zapdos's, and Fire for Moltres's. Recovery time would depend on how much had been consumed and how energy-rich the surrounding area was.
David brought the feathers to the Soaring Dragon Gym before heading home.
As one of the higher-tier special Gyms, the Soaring Dragon Gym had dedicated type-specific training rooms built to concentrate elemental energies. David placed each feather into the training room that matched its type, giving them the best conditions to recharge.
According to the System's estimate, it would still take at least half a year for the feathers to fully recover — even in those ideal conditions.
David frowned slightly. Half a year felt long, especially since he had made sure his Pokémon only absorbed a small portion of each feather's energy. But then he reconsidered. These feathers had been sealed inside the Sea God's Ruins for what could have been centuries. They had likely been running on empty for a very long time before he even found them. And then he had drained what little reserves they had left.
Under those circumstances, half a year was probably fair.
He gathered his Pokémon and left the training room, heading home.