Bagon's body began to glow with the white light of evolution.
For a long time, Bagon had been suppressing itself, obeying Cain's instructions.
And now that it finally stopped holding back, the evolution began immediately.
"Kommo-o! Bring Bagon to me, I have something that can enhance his body!" Cain shouted toward Kommo-o.
Upon hearing Cain's words, Kommo-o was momentarily stunned.
Did this unknown being know his species?
Did he know what kind of Pokémon he was?
He was about to rush over to ask, but seeing that Bagon was about to be enveloped in the light of evolution, he decided that the evolution was more important.
With both hands, he held the evolving Bagon and quickly ran toward Cain.
Then Cain, with much effort, took out from the storage space one of the quality-enhancing potions he had already prepared.
Slowking helped Bagon ingest it.
For Cain's Pokémon, the quality-enhancing potions were well-known.
They were the result of knowledge Cain had gathered from the Pokémon world, plus the system's analysis and calculation power, which allowed him to create these types of substances.
After numerous previous trials, the effects had been notably successful.
Seeing that Bagon had ingested the potion all at once, Cain felt a little more at ease.
Throughout the process, Kommo-o watched from the side.
He didn't know exactly what Cain had given Bagon, but he understood it must be something beneficial.
Only after taking the potion was Bagon fully enveloped by the light of evolution.
Cain and his Pokémon could only wait patiently for the process to end.
But Kommo-o, on the other hand, stood up.
Cain looked at him in confusion.
Without caring about the others' gazes, Kommo-o began to dance around Bagon, in a particular rhythm.
He seemed to be celebrating Bagon's evolution...
...or perhaps performing a war dance, a dance to encourage and give courage, like the ones ancient warriors did before going into battle, around a bonfire.
Zas!
Zas!
Zas!
With each step, his scales clashed against each other, producing a rough and rhythmic sound.
After listening for a while, Cain noticed that the sound generated by the friction of the scales had a particular cadence, in perfect harmony with the war dance he was performing.
Then he understood: Kommo-o had truly accepted Bagon as his Jangmo-o.
When a Jangmo-o evolved into a Hakamo-o, it had to set out on its training journey.
And it was tradition for its elders to perform a war dance at that moment, to encourage them and wish for a triumphant return to the place of their birth.
Kommo-o, not having his own Jangmo-o, had projected that desire onto Bagon.
Most likely, this Kommo-o was the last of his species in this space. And being male, even if he mated with other dragons, he wouldn't be able to sire a new Jangmo-o.
His parents were perhaps the last Kommo-o pair in this world.
And being a pseudo-legendary Dragon-type Pokémon, the possibility of leaving offspring without external intervention was extremely low. It required a large group to ensure reproduction.
Now, everything pointed to this Kommo-o, before setting out on his own training journey, being encouraged by his parents' war dance. And when he returned after evolving, he discovered they were gone.
That's why, from his birth until now, he had never seen another Jangmo-o.
Zas!
Zas!
Zas!
The war dance reached its climax. The movements and sound intensified.
Until finally!
Kommo-o opened his arms and struck his hard, massive dorsal armor with his tail, creating a muffled rumble.
"KOOMOM!"
The roar marked the end of the dance.
Cain didn't know why, but he felt Kommo-o's presence had changed again.
When scanning him with the system, he was surprised to discover that his level had increased: he had reached level 85!
Just as there's a big difference between level 64 and 65, so too is there one between 84 and 85. In fact, this gap is even more enormous.
It was as if he had fulfilled a suppressed desire and, because of that, had leveled up. His power had become even greater.
But the act Kommo-o performed next left Cain completely stunned.
He positioned himself in front of Bagon. Instead of being satisfied with his power increase, he used his left hand to push aside the heavy armor on his neck...
Revealing underneath a set of smaller scales.
The Reverse Scale!
The Dragon's Reverse Scale! Touching that scale equals death!
Unless the dragon does so willingly, touching its Reverse Scale means a fight to the death.
Kommo-o, with a firm and resolute face, used his right hand to take one of those hidden scales.
He was about to tear off a Reverse Scale!
Although there's not only one, there aren't many Reverse Scales.
For a Dragon-type Pokémon, every scale lost is one less.
And most importantly: since Kommo-o had just reached level 85, tearing off that scale could cause him to lose the newly acquired level.
All his effort would be for nothing.
Regaining that level would cost him much more than this time.
"Are you crazy!? If you tear off that scale, you might never reach this level again!" Cain shouted, unable to contain himself.
Kommo-o, upon hearing his words, gave him a deep look.
Schhkk!
The sound of a scale being torn from flesh.
A golden scale, with a faint violet glow, appeared in his hand.
That scale had a much higher quality than the one Cain had acquired at an auction some time ago.
It was the Reverse Scale of a Champion-level Kommo-o, removed by its own will, sacrificing its freshly gained level at the peak of its strength.
It's likely that even if he tears off another later, it will never reach such quality.
The Dragon-type energy within was so dense that even a human like Cain could clearly see it.
That violet halo was proof that the energy was so concentrated it had materialized.
After tearing it off, Kommo-o showed an expression of pain.
Before, during the war dance, he had looked imposing; now, he truly seemed weakened.
It wasn't a performance like before: even the data the system scanned revealed that his physical stats, after reaching a peak, were now decreasing.
But Kommo-o didn't stop to think.
Holding the scale in his hand, he inserted it directly into Bagon's white glow of evolution, and pressed it firmly against his chest.
Bagon saw everything: even though he couldn't move, he was fully aware of the act.
"KOOMOM...!"
Even in his roar, his weakness could be heard.
Come on, little one!
Cain looked at Kommo-o with a complex expression.
This guy... had truly taken Bagon as his own son.
(End of Chapter)