Winning the bet with Tao was, to Kudo Shiba, nothing more than a tiny, insignificant interlude in a very long vacation.
The delicate Thunder Amplifier rested quietly in his palm, its metal casing reflecting a cold sheen. This item, rare enough to drive any Electric-type Trainer mad with desire, failed to stir much of a ripple in his heart.
After handing it over to his father, Kudo Kaito, for handling, Shiba's mind completely settled down.
All of his attention was focused on the dormant Poké Ball hanging at his waist.
Inside, there dwelled a soul that had awakened from ancient amber.
Aerodactyl.
As the sky-ruling overlord of primordial times, its bloodline carried the most primal, purest pride and ferocity. That kind of instinct was not something a comfortable Battle Club could ever awaken. Practice matches in a greenhouse would only dull its claws and wear away its fighting spirit.
Shiba's goal was to make it once again display the ferocity that once tore open the sky.
So, he made a decision.
Instead of choosing any fully equipped training facility, he drove straight out, taking Aerodactyl with him, and plunged into the rugged mountain range on the outskirts of Magic City, a place notorious for its treacherous terrain and wild, untamed nature.
The mountain range lay there like a colossal beast, jagged cliffs stabbing into the clouds. Gale winds howled through the valleys, echoing like wails of ghosts. This was a paradise for wild Flying-type Pokémon—and also their gladiatorial arena.
Complicated terrain. Powerful enemies. That was the perfect training ground for Aerodactyl.
On the very day they arrived in the mountains, Kudo Shiba released Aerodactyl.
"Roooooar—!"
A roar like shattering metal ripped through the forest, shaking down showers of dead leaves. In those amber vertical pupils burned an unruly, defiant flame. It scrutinized this unfamiliar sky—and scrutinized Shiba standing before it—as if questioning whether he was truly qualified to command it.
Shiba's gaze was calm as still water, without the slightest hint of retreat.
"Out here, either you conquer, or you get conquered."
That was all he said.
The entire week that followed became a baptism of blood and fire for Aerodactyl.
Shiba turned into the coldest of commanders, pushing it to its limits again and again.
He ordered it to charge the flocks of Fearow roosting on the sheer cliff faces. Dozens, even hundreds of Fearow screeched as they surged forth like a dark cloud, razor-sharp beaks carving deadly arcs through the air. Hemmed in and besieged, Aerodactyl roared, using its rock-like body to tank the attacks, then tearing open a bloody path with its claws and fangs.
He drove it to race against the most cunning Crobat in the valley. In the narrow, twisting gorges, supersonic flight whipped up shrill keening in the air; every single turn was an extreme test of bodily control. From its initial clumsiness, Aerodactyl gradually reached the point where it could rely purely on instinct to perform unbelievable maneuvers between the cliff walls.
He even had it challenge the true king of the skies that dwelled atop the highest peak—a Braviary whose strength had already reached Gym Leader level!
That was a battle wagered on pride and dignity. Braviary's Brave Bird was wrapped in the momentum to annihilate everything; every collision left deep, bone-revealing wounds across Aerodactyl's body.
The fight raged on the very edge between life and death.
Each time Aerodactyl, battered and blood-soaked, lost all strength and plummeted from the sky, its massive body smashing craters into the ground, Kudo Shiba would appear at its side at the very first instant.
There were no words of comfort.
Only the hiss of top-grade healing spray as it repaired those hideous wounds at high speed, and the most expensive Pokéblocks, packed with tremendous life energy, which Aerodactyl forced down its throat with the last of its strength.
Recover as much as possible in the shortest time—then throw itself into an even more brutal, even more frenzied battle!
Under this hell-level training, the ancient ferocity and battle instincts slumbering in Aerodactyl's bloodline were completely awakened!
Its gaze shifted from its initial wild defiance to an icy, lethal calm.
Its aura shifted from raw, explosive savagery to a heavy, restrained dominance.
A week later, when Kudo Shiba brought it back to Magic City, this ancient overlord had undergone a complete metamorphosis. On the system panel, its level had firmly locked onto LV 29—the bottleneck symbolizing the elite rank had been trampled to pieces in the most brutal way!
Elite-rank peak!
"Come on. Time to test your training results."
Shiba's tone was still flat, but there was a faint gleam of anticipation in his eyes.
He contacted Takai Yuko, and the two of them headed once more to that familiar battlefield.
This time, the opponent Shiba booked for Aerodactyl was a veteran Trainer whose strength had likewise reached the peak of the elite rank.
The other party's ace was a seasoned Golbat.
"Battle, begin!"
The referee's flag slashed down.
"Golbat, Air Slash!"
The opponent was experienced and composed. Without any probing at all, he opened with a long-range suppressive attack.
Golbat's wings beat violently, and dozens of crescent-shaped blades of compressed air instantly formed, shrieking as they sliced forward. They wove together into a dense, inescapable net of death that sealed off all of Aerodactyl's escape routes.
Yet in the face of this all-encompassing onslaught, Kudo Shiba merely uttered a single word, calm as ever.
"Charge."
The instant the command left his lips, Aerodactyl's icy vertical pupils shrank to pinpoints!
It let out a thunderous roar—not just a mindless scream, but a domineering bellow that looked down on everything!
No dodging. No retreat.
It actually turned its rock-hard body into a gray shell tearing through the sky, ramming straight into the storm of Air Slashes!
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Clanging impacts rang out in rapid succession, exploding across the battlefield!
Countless razor-sharp Air Slashes hacked into its body, only to throw off showers of bright sparks. They could not even pierce that thick, sturdy hide!
This was the terrifying defensive power of an ancient overlord!
"What?!"
The confidence and composure on the opponent's face froze in an instant, replaced by unrestrained shock.
His mouth fell open; his mind went blank.
In that brief moment of distraction, Aerodactyl had already burst through the skill's blockade. Its massive shadow loomed over Golbat's head like a specter descending.
"Rock Slide."
Kudo Shiba's cold voice, like the whisper of the Grim Reaper, pronounced the end of this battle.
Even before his words finished echoing, the air above Golbat twisted violently. Huge boulders materialized out of nowhere, wrapped in an unstoppable, crushing force as they thundered downward!
The Golbat didn't even have time to let out a full scream before its body was swallowed up by the avalanche of rocks.
"Rumble—!"
With a deep, earth-shaking crash, the battle was over.
Down below, Takai Yuko stared blankly at Aerodactyl hovering in midair, its wings slowly beating, its entire body radiating a suffocating aura of dominance. Her eyes shimmered with unending brilliance.
This was the absolute rule that belonged to the ancient sky overlord!
(End of Chapter)
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