Clap! Clap! Clap!
Seeing Master Makin finished work, Aven didn't hold back his applause.
After searching for so long, he had finally found the craftsman who could bring his vision to life. The production of Poké Balls could finally begin!
"Thank you, Lord Aven," Makin said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Whew… The forging difficulty of this iron sphere is quite high. Even for me, it's quite exhausting."
As he spoke, his gaze instinctively drifted toward Rhydon, who stood calmly without the slightest sign of fatigue.
Compared to Pokémon, humans were indeed frail. He had heard that Rhydon could hammer away like that for an entire day without pause. The difference was staggering.
However, when it came to delicate craftsmanship, human hands were still irreplaceable—something Pokémon couldn't easily replicate.
Aven smiled. "Indeed. The other blacksmiths before you all failed. It seems you possess a unique technique for controlling your strikes."
Hearing his blunt words, the blacksmith master wasn't offended; instead, he laughed heartily and said, "If Lord Aven wishes, I can teach this technique to the other blacksmiths as well."
And with that, the age of Poké Ball forging was about to dawn.
Seeing Makin agree so readily, Aven finally let out a small sigh of relief.
If Makin was willing to pass on his unique strength-control technique to others, then several more blacksmiths within the territory would soon be able to forge Poké Balls.
Only then could production truly begin to increase on a large scale.
"RHYyy!"
Hearing that there was a special technique for applying force, Rhydon immediately stomped closer, its eyes gleaming with excitement.
It knew exactly how useful such a power controlling technique could be. Not only they could useful for blacksmithing, but they could also be used in combat.
Rhydon remembered it vividly: back when it was only at advanced level, relying on its immense physique and mastery of that power technique, it had actually managed to defeat the Nidoking leader that had already reached the quasi-king rank!
Although that battle had certainly benefited from a large advantage in typing, the decisive factor had still been its refined control over its power.
That was why, whenever Rhydon encountered a new blacksmith, it couldn't resist the urge to ask for guidance, hoping to learn a different way of channeling strength.
"Very well," Makin said, his expression softening into a smile. "I'll teach you right now."
Truthfully, he was also quite curious about Rhydon's training methods.
If he could learn how Rhydon temper itself, he could then pass that knowledge on to his own Onix.
After all, Lord Aven had already told him clearly—high temperature and intense pressure could both help an Onix evolve.
Just recalling Rhydon's blazing body when it was forging earlier filled Makin's chest with excitement.
"Rhyyy~!"
Rhydon nodded happily and immediately began to demonstrate its own training method.
Its entire body was soon engulfed in roaring flames. Under the move Heat Crash, both the heat and the sheer force pressing down upon it grew so intense that one could almost see the air itself quiver.
The flames wrapped around Rhydon's armor-like hide, burning fiercely without ever harming it.
Then, with a low growl, it raised a heavy fist and began hammering at a block of iron before it.
Each blow struck with explosive force—BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! —and every time its fist fell, one could hear the sharp whistle of compressed air, created by the sheer momentum of its punches.
Its forearms trembled slightly from the tremendous power coursing through them, but the rhythm of its strikes never faltered.
"So, this is how Rhydon trains itself?" Makin murmured, raising an eyebrow in astonishment.
As he observed closely, he realized the principle behind it: the flames continuously burned away the impurities within Rhydon's own body, and the immense pressure further tempered its flesh and armor.
That was why its skin appeared so dark and dense—its entire body had been smelted like iron!
In truth, the process was very similar to forging metal.
When raw iron was heated and hammered repeatedly, the impurities would gradually be expelled, leaving behind refined, purified steel.
Rhydon's current method could almost be described as self-forging—even a form of controlled self-destruction.
And yet, Makin had a faint feeling that something was different. Rhydon didn't seem to be suffering any rebound or injury at all.
After a few more moments, Rhydon stopped its practice and looked expectantly toward Makin, its golden eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"I understand," Makin said with a nod. "Now it's my turn to teach you the special power control technique."
Picking up a heavy hammer from beside the forge, he walked toward the anvil.
Aven couldn't help but smile faintly as he watched the two of them, man and Pokémon working together at the forge, their hammering rhythms soon overlapping into one unified beat.
Then, leaving them to their work, Aven walked toward Onix, intending to conduct a closer examination.
The Onix species had a unique ability: by devouring minerals, they could absorb and refine the materials' essence to strengthen their rocky bodies.
Because this particular Onix had consumed large quantities of iron ore, its body composition had already begun to change—its rocky surface glimmered faintly with a metallic sheen.
"Ooonix!"
Seeing Aven approach, Onix shifted slightly, its long body undulating in greeting.
"Relax," Aven said gently, patting one of the massive stone segments that made up its body. "I'm just checking your condition."
As he tapped along its body, feeling for density and resonance, his hand suddenly paused when he reached its tail.
Judging from the firmness of the stone and the faint vibration marks left behind, he could immediately tell, this Onix was particularly skilled at using its tail to attack.
Closing his eyes slightly, Aven activated his psychic perception, extending his senses along the creature's body.
Almost immediately, he detected waves of familiar Steel-type energy pulsing faintly within its tail.
"So that's it," Aven murmured to himself. "It's unconsciously concentrating the energy it absorbed from the iron ore into its tail. By doing so, it's naturally strengthening it to increase its offensive power."
His expression turned thoughtful for a moment. Then he said aloud, "Onix, have you ever felt that there's a strange kind of energy gathered in your tail?"
Onix froze, surprised by the question, before nodding slowly.
It had indeed noticed that its tail carried a strange, unfamiliar force recently but since it hadn't caused any discomfort, it hadn't thought much of it.
Aven smiled faintly. "That's good. Tell me would you like to try controlling that power?"
The giant rock snake hesitated for a moment, then turned to glance at its trainer, Master Makin. After a few seconds of silent contemplation, it nodded resolutely.
Some instinct deep within told it that if it could master that mysterious energy, it would become far stronger.
"Good," Aven said, taking out a small vial filled with a shimmering silver liquid. "Then drink this."
"This is a Steel Potion, it contains condensed Steel-type energy."
As he uncorked the bottle, Onix immediately sensed the familiar energy waves radiating from it—the same kind of energy it had felt in its own tail.
Unable to resist the instinctive attraction, it lowered its massive head, allowing Aven to pour the potion into its mouth.
The moment it swallowed, Onix felt the energy surge through its body like molten metal coursing through veins of stone.
A voice or perhaps an instinct—echoed in its mind:
"Gather all this energy into your tail… and release it!"
Without hesitation, Onix obeyed. It began channeling all that new power toward its tail.
It was like dry tinder meeting a spark—the energy within its tail suddenly boiled to life, roaring like fire trapped within steel!
Sensing this, Onix tightened its focus, drawing every last wisp of energy into its tail until the entire appendage was shining with dazzling white light.
The energy burst outward in an overwhelming wave, rippling through the entire valley!
"OOONIX!"
Even Rhydon, who had been forging nearby, froze mid-swing, turning in astonishment toward Onix.
Makin, too, looked on in shock, his mouth slightly agape. He had no idea what was happening to his Pokémon.
Onix suddenly let out a thunderous roar and brought its tail crashing down with all its might!
BOOM!!
The ground shook violently. The spot where its tail struck exploded into fragments, cracks spiderwebbing in every direction as dust and smoke billowed into the air!
For nearly half a minute, the shockwave rumbled through the area before the dust finally settled.
There, standing in the crater it had just created, was Onix—its glowing tail dimming, its gaze fixed on Aven with visible bewilderment.
"Lord Aven, are you alright?" Makin ran over quickly, concern etched on his face.
He looked from Aven to his Onix, utterly confused. "What happened? Why did Onix suddenly attack with such tremendous force?"
Aven waved his hand casually. "It's fine. I just taught it a new move, that's all."
He walked over to Onix, smiling as he patted the creature's still-warm tail. "Congratulations, big guy. You've successfully learned Iron Tail."
Makin blinked, stunned, before realization dawned on him. He remembered the white light that had surrounded Onix's tail moments earlier. So that was a new move!
"Yes," Aven explained. "It's called Iron Tail, a Steel-type technique."
"In truth, the energy from all the iron ore you fed it had been accumulating in its tail all along. I simply used the Steel Potion to guide and awaken it."
He briefly described what had just taken place. The Steel Potion itself was something Aven had developed to help Rhydon better grasp Steel-type energy, it was refined from Razz Berries infused with metallic minerals.
"Thank you, Lord Aven," Makin said sincerely, bowing slightly. Then, with curiosity in his eyes, he asked, "But… what exactly is this Steel-type energy you speak of?"
"Are the traces of metal inside iron ore itself considered Steel energy?"
He recalled Aven's earlier words, and a strange excitement stirred within him. He had the faint feeling that this might be the key to his turning stone into steel research.
Aven nodded. "Indeed, iron ore contains trace amounts of Steel-type energy, but it's very weak."
"As for true Steel energy… you'll understand once Empoleon arrives."
He smiled knowingly.
Steel-type Pokémon were exceedingly rare—especially in the ancient world. History had shown him that most Steel Pokémon were not born as Steel-types, but rather evolved into them over time.
In particular, it was only after humanity entered the Industrial Age that Steel-type Pokémon began appearing in large numbers, eventually solidifying the type as a distinct attribute.
(End of Chapter)