Aside from Bai Chen, the Nergigante was also well prepared.
Though her skills were still stuck at the Proficient stage, under Lillie's steady care, her level had already reached thirty.
She was still technically in her growth phase—
But even so, her body stretched a full thirteen meters long, shoulders two meters high, and she now radiated the faint, unmistakable majesty of an Elder Dragon.
Normally, though, she preferred using her Miniature Form skill—shrinking herself down to the size of a small dog.
"Nergigante."
Bai Chen called out toward the sky.
From the rooftop of the villa, a small white head poked out, eyes blinking curiously down at him.
Bai Chen dragged over the massive feeding bowl by the training grounds and lifted the lid.
A rich, mouthwatering aroma wafted out instantly.
It was Lillie's carefully prepared breakfast—
"Life Energy Super-Nutritious Meal."
The ingredients were simple… and viciously expensive.
Two Chansey eggs, a full bucket of Miltank milk, mountains of high-protein meat, and—because apparently that wasn't enough—two bottles of "Attack Boost Serum."
Cost-wise, this breakfast alone was about five months of James's salary.
Bai Chen honestly had no idea how much he owed Lillie by now.
Just the food expenses from the past month would probably take him three years of hard labor to repay.
"Debt's just another form of weight training," he muttered. "Once I'm strong enough, I'll pay her back eventually."
Smelling the food, Nergigante abandoned her nap and dove straight down to feast.
Bai Chen watched silently from the side until she was nearly finished.
"Since you're done eating," he said casually, "let's go take a bath. It's the day of the Island Challenge—you don't want to show up covered in dust, do you?"
The moment the word bath left his mouth—
Nergigante froze.
One second.
Two seconds.
Then—she bolted.
Bai Chen didn't even flinch.
"Move—Quick Claw!"
He lunged forward, grabbing her tail in a lightning-fast motion.
The dragon thrashed wildly, claws scraping the ground, wings flapping in desperate panic.
It looked less like she was avoiding a bath and more like she was facing her mortal enemy.
That look of terror, sorrow, and utter despair…
Bai Chen couldn't help but sigh.
"Seriously? You're not even a cat. Why are you this afraid of water? I've never heard of a Nergigante with aquaphobia. Actually—no, correction—I've only ever met you."
He yanked her closer and pinned her in his arms.
"Come on. You want to use our bond skill, right? We have to overcome our weaknesses together! That's how bonds deepen!"
"Rooaaar!!"
Her roar was pure indignation.
"That's my weakness! What's it got to do with you?!"
"I'm your knight. Your weakness is my weakness. Of course it has something to do with me."
She struggled harder.
"Old man, you're the worst!!"
Unable to break free in her small form, Nergigante suddenly swelled in size.
Her body expanded rapidly as she canceled her miniaturization skill.
Power surged back into her limbs.
Now looming over Bai Chen by nearly twenty centimeters, she growled deeply.
"Rrrr… I'll show you the might of an Elder Dragon!"
Bai Chen grabbed her pure white horns, muscles tightening—
Then slammed her straight down into the ground.
BOOM!
Nergigante's jaw hit the floor. Her head rang like a struck gong.
"What…?! I could beat him yesterday! What happened today?!"
"Same teacher, same training," Bai Chen said coolly. "But my Titan's Body is at the Expert level. Yours is only Proficient. Doesn't matter if your species value is higher—you're not beating me."
He walked to her tail, found the scale that triggered her shrinking reflex, and gave it a firm flick.
With a faint shimmer, the mighty Elder Dragon shrank back into her miniature puppy form.
Bai Chen scooped her up, ignoring her protests, and headed for the bath.
Her shrill roars echoed through the courtyard.
That sound had long since become the estate's unofficial morning alarm.
Even Lillie was used to hearing Nergigante's daily cries of misery.
Later that morning, Lillie walked into the dining hall—
and, surprisingly, found the master smith already there.
"Good morning, Master Smith."
"Yama~"
The Smith waved cheerfully, offering part of her Pokémon food to Lillie.
"For me?"
Lillie accepted it with a delighted smile and took a bite right there.
Pokémon food was perfectly edible for humans—especially since most of the smith's meals were recipes Lillie had helped refine through extensive research.
She mused quietly to herself.
"Pokémon like her are so laid-back. She never fights over food, never complains, even if Nergigante steals from her bowl…"
But then her smile softened.
"…yet if anyone dares touch her forge or her creations, she'll fight them to the death."
The smith ate quietly, tail swaying.
Lillie reached out, wanting to pat her head—
But hesitated halfway, hand hovering in the air.
Her courage failed her.
The smith looked up in confusion at the hand suspended over her head.
"Yama?"
She misunderstood completely—pushing her entire bowl of Pokémon food toward Lillie.
"Yama."
Lillie couldn't understand her words without a Bond Stone,
but the meaning was clear enough.
A misunderstanding.
Lillie smiled faintly and shook her head.
"No… I wasn't asking for your breakfast."
She withdrew her hand, apologetic.
The smith tilted her head, confused, as Lillie sat down in her seat.
With the maids serving her food, she began to eat quietly, though her mood had dimmed a little.
Moments later, a familiar roar thundered from the corridor.
The unmistakable cry of an angry dragon.
"Alright, alright, stop chewing on my head—I just washed it!"
Bai Chen pried Nergigante off his hair as the two entered the dining hall.
The little dragon immediately broke free, leapt onto the windowsill, and flew back to the rooftop with a huff.
Clearly, she wasn't planning to speak to him for the rest of the morning.
Bai Chen sighed helplessly.
"Seventeen days of training together… and still not a single bond skill. What are we missing here?"
He sat beside Lillie and started eating.
When the servants had left, she turned to him with gentle curiosity.
"Mr. Bai, are you still troubled by the bond skill?"
"Yeah. By all logic, we should've been able to use it long ago."
He'd already explained the concept to her—it wasn't exactly a secret.
Lillie thought for a moment.
"From what you described, bond skills are always triggered during battle, right? Maybe… you and Nergigante need to fight together. Once your coordination reaches a certain level, it could awaken the Bond Stone and activate the skill."
"Fight together, huh…"
Bai Chen murmured.
He had spent the past seventeen days training with her—
But they had never actually fought side by side.
He nodded slowly.
"That's worth trying."
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