As the morning sun had just climbed past the treetops, casting a golden sheen over the towering trees of Fortree City, the open space behind the treehouse was already lively with activity.
The sounds of repeated impacts rang out, accompanied by deep dragon roars, breaking the quiet tranquility of the forest.
This was Zweilous's extra training time.
Within the gravity field set up by Metagross, Zweilous braced all four limbs tightly as it darted back and forth. Its black wings fluttered faintly under the pressure of the field, stirring up small gusts of wind.
At the edge of the gravity field, Tyrantrum swung its thick tail, sweeping up stones from the ground one by one before fiercely whipping them toward Zweilous.
This was originally meant to be an assisted training exercise carried out by Metagross using telekinesis, but ever since Zweilous had evolved and grown wings, Tyrantrum, after learning about its extra training routine, had stubbornly taken over this "job."
Even if it meant giving up sleeping in, it insisted on waking early every day just to "supervise" Zweilous's training.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Two stones shot toward Zweilous's flank with sharp whistling sounds.
Black Char reacted instantly, twisting its body to dodge, while Blue Char opened its mouth and fired a Dark Pulse, shattering the other stone precisely.
The two heads worked in perfect harmony, one focusing on defense while the other attacked, their movements smooth and seamless.
These days of training had not been in vain.
From the beginning, when they would yelp in pain from being struck by stones, to now effortlessly handling Tyrantrum's constant harassment, Zweilous had already mastered the coordination between its two heads.
"Tyrant?"
Seeing the stones repeatedly blocked, Tyrantrum let out an unwilling growl. Its tail whipped again, sending seven or eight stones flying at once.
The angles were tricky, nearly sealing off all of Zweilous's escape routes.
Black Char's gaze sharpened as its wings suddenly exerted force, driving its body backward with a powerful flap.
At the same time, Blue Char inhaled deeply, dragon energy surging in its throat before it roared and unleashed a Dragon Pulse in a wide arc, smashing all the incoming stones into pieces.
Fragments of rock rained down, leaving small dents across the ground within the gravity field.
"Zweei!"
Black Char shook its head proudly, even turning its rear toward Tyrantrum and lifting its tail high as if to provoke, as though saying, "Is that all? Try something stronger!"
Blue Char cooperated perfectly, baring its small sharp teeth with a cheeky grin, its head swaying smugly from side to side. Even Theo watching from afar could not help but feel the urge to knock its head.
Standing not far away, Theo exchanged a glance with Metagross. Understanding immediately, the X-shaped mark on Metagross's forehead dimmed slightly as the gravity field quietly weakened.
"This stage of training is done very well. Next phase. Tyrantrum, go ahead. Haven't you been waking up early every day just for this moment? No more throwing stones. Go spar with it."
"Tyrant!"
Tyrantrum let out a sky-shaking roar, its amber eyes shining brightly like headlights. It had been waiting for these words for a long time.
It twisted its body, lifting its hind legs alternately in a quick warm-up. Moments later, it burst forward and charged straight into the gravity field.
The now-weakened gravity had no effect on it as it rushed toward Zweilous.
Before Blue Char and Black Char could even utter a taunt, Tyrantrum swung its tail fiercely, the air tearing with a sharp whistle as it lashed directly at Zweilous's rear.
The strike was both fast and ruthless, clearly fueled by pent-up frustration.
"Zwei!"
Black Char reacted swiftly, tightening its body and shooting forward like a cannonball, narrowly avoiding the blow.
At the same time, Blue Char was already prepared, blasting a Dragon Pulse straight toward Tyrantrum's face.
Tyrantrum did not dodge. Instead, a cold gleam gathered on its short claw, and with a sharp smack, it shattered the Dragon Pulse before charging forward and slamming its body into Zweilous.
It had not spent its time in the Village of Dragons idly. Its battle experience far exceeded that of the newly evolved Zweilous. Its attacks were wide and forceful, yet always precise enough to cut off its opponent's retreat.
Though Zweilous was agile, it quickly fell into a disadvantage under the gap in strength and experience.
Bang!
Seizing an opening, Tyrantrum's tail struck Zweilous's rear with a heavy blow.
"Zwei!"
Both of Zweilous's heads cried out in pain as their body stumbled forward.
Before they could regain their footing, Tyrantrum had already rushed in, pinning them down with its claws while its tail lashed repeatedly against their rear like a whip.
"Zwei! Zwei!"
Blue Char and Black Char cried out in unison, their voices filled with indignation. Blue Char even tried to twist around to bite Tyrantrum's hind leg.
But Tyrantrum's short right claw moved with lightning speed, pressing down on Blue Char's head and holding it firmly in place.
Seeing that it still dared to bite, Tyrantrum swung its tail even more vigorously.
The clearing in the forest was soon filled with the howls of the two heads, sounding almost like a terribly off-key symphony.
"That's enough, more or less."
At Theo's command, Metagross dispersed the gravity field, yet Tyrantrum's tail continued striking Zweilous's rear. Theo had no choice but to walk over and pat its hind leg to stop it.
"We still have to challenge the gym later. That's enough. If you swell its rear too much, it'll be embarrassing to bring it out."
Hearing this, Tyrantrum finally let go reluctantly and stopped its assault.
Still, it let out a roar toward Zweilous, as if saying, "I'll deal with you properly next time."
The moment Zweilous was freed, it immediately forgot the pain.
It turned around and bared its teeth at Tyrantrum, both heads growling as if declaring, "Just wait until we train more, we'll make you beg for mercy."
Theo shook his head with a smile, ignoring their rivalry as he turned and climbed back into the treehouse.
Inside the room, Ice Vulpix and Fire Vulpix were still curled up on the bed, sleeping in.
The two little ones were tightly hugging each other, their tails intertwined, with tiny drool bubbles at the corners of their mouths. From time to time, they let out soft murmurs in their sleep, so adorable that it was impossible to wake them.
Theo softened his steps and walked over, gently pinching their cheeks with his fingers.
In truth, both of them had long met the conditions for evolution. Their strength had already reached the required level.
Theo had even exchanged for high-quality Fire Stones and Ice Stones from Devon Corporation and had them prepared for the two of them.
Yet every time he took out the evolution stones, the two little ones would immediately act spoiled, burrowing into his arms and wrapping their tails around his wrist, clearly expressing that they did not want to evolve yet.
They understood that once they evolved, their bodies would grow larger, and they would no longer be able to snuggle in their trainer's arms and play like they did now.
Since then, Theo had simply let them be. After all, the team was not lacking in combat strength. Whenever they decided on their own that they wanted to evolve, that would be the time.
Gently rubbing their cheeks, Theo felt their soft paw pads push against his hand as they tried to cling to their sleep a little longer.
"Alright, alright, you two sleep a bit more. I'll go wash up first."
Not wanting to disturb their sweet dreams, Theo quietly took his clothes and walked into the washroom.
(End of Chapter)