The next day.
The sun was shining brightly.
Baimu went to the New Water Fleet Research Institute early in the morning, only to learn from a Watercraft Team Member at the entrance that the doctor was not there.
"He went to test the Porygon drone and might be back in the afternoon. Is there something you need from him?"
"I received a Porygon from him yesterday, so I wanted to ask him some questions." He responded to the man's inquiry calmly and politely declined the man's invitation to join the New Water Fleet.
Unsure if there was a task within the team to recruit new members, that Watercraft Team Member showed extreme enthusiasm.
"Are you really not joining? The benefits are excellent! How about we have a Pokémon battle then?"
"Come on, we can work things out, handsome!"
"The mission of saving the oceans is a noble one!!"
Baimu had already walked a hundred meters away, but the man was still standing there shouting.
Seeing the other person so full of energy, he increasingly felt that he might have misunderstood the New Water Fleet. Although it's not necessarily for a criminal organization to hide when recruiting new members, being so eager to recruit every person they see...
It felt almost like a Pokémon Enthusiast Club.
Baimu walked on the road, sending a message to Dr. Akihabara, but there was no sign of a reply, so he simply returned to the Pokémon Center.
Compared to the lively scenes of yesterday,
the Pokémon Center today seemed much quieter, undoubtedly due to the departure of travelers who came specifically for the beach bonfire party.
Since the doctor wasn't available, Baimu decided to continue learning Dragon Dive and communicate smoothly with the newly joined partner Porygon, to avoid being looked down upon by him after evolution.
In fact,
Aggron and Deino could complete the learning of Dragon Dive autonomously, not really needing Baimu, the trainer, to be involved.
But recently, he stumbled upon an article published by Dr. Kukui on Poké Blogger—"On the Benefits of Trainers on Pokémon's Move Learning".
It clearly explained the progress of a Pokémon when the trainer was present to cheer or co-train, compared to when the trainer was not involved, leading to the conclusion—
Training alongside, if done correctly, not only does not affect the efficiency of a Pokémon's move learning but can significantly improve it.
In this light, when Pikachu learned Iron Tail initially, Ash Ketchum doing push-ups on the side was not ridiculous but actually beneficial to move learning, worth emulating.
"You got this, I'm rooting for you."
Baimu patted Aggron's arm and rubbed Deino's head.
Following yesterday's procedure, by enduring attacks from Dragon Attribute Energy to perceive and stimulate the body's generation of Dragon Attribute Energy, as long as the horn gleams, the move Dragon Dive would be half completed.
"Roar~"
Aggron nodded, not wanting to lose to the little brother Deino, and feeling somewhat humiliated for lagging so far behind it.
The wild Aggron watched eagerly from the side, feeling somewhat at a loss, "Roar?"
"Don't be anxious, your task will come later, for now, take a little rest, doesn't staying in the ball too long make you a bit suffocated?" Baimu raised his hand to pat its head.
Compared to the Big Monster, this one's size was a bit "mini"; Baimu could reach its face just by stretching out his hand, unlike when touching the Big Monster, where he might need to slightly stretch if it didn't lower its head.
"Roar…"
The wild Aggron shook its head, staying inside the Luxury Ball was quite comfortable, otherwise how could even Rocket Team's Meowth almost get addicted to it.
Baimu withdrew his gaze, applauding Deino as a reminder, "Alright, let's start practicing!"
"Mooo!"
Deino let out a cry, following the trainer's instructions to gather a fist-sized indigo Dragon Flame in its mouth and spew it onto the Aggron in front.
Bam!
The small fireball exploded, yet Aggron's expression barely changed, closing its eyes to silently perceive.
Baimu, watching nearby and after several seconds of careful consideration, said to Deino, "Try giving me a fireball too, with the same power as what Aggron felt."
"Mooo?"
The latter couldn't comprehend his meaning at first, and once the latter explained in detail, it showed a hesitating demeanor, "Mooo…"
The little guy had never attacked the trainer since coming here—biting hands and heads didn't count.
"It's alright, don't underestimate my endurance, okay? With such minor power."
Baimu responded with a smile, also addressing the Aggron who, unknown since when, opened its eyes with significant concern, "Anticipate the unexpected, a strong body is what I rely on to continue alongside you guys.
"Moreover, didn't I endure the aftereffects during battles on your back against those Shadow Pokémon? Wasn't there no problem at all?"
He deliberately flaunted his muscles.
On hearing the trainer's explanation, Aggron relaxed its expression, couldn't help but lift its two claws to give Baimu a big hug, "Roar~"
It absolutely didn't want to see anything happen to the trainer and hoped it could protect this person it cared about the most, just as it was once loved and sheltered.
Territory was significant, but Baimu was more crucial.
Without territory, it could still seize it; if it lost Baimu… it couldn't imagine such a day ever occurring.
"Relax, relax, you've become just like Chansey, hugging people upon an emotional surge." The latter chuckled as he hugged Aggron, gently patting its back.
Luckily, the arm span was long enough, or it would've been comical to not even reach its back.
"Mooo mooo!"
Feeling overlooked, Deino struggled to squeeze between them, while the wild Aggron observed from the side, struggling to comprehend the profound bond between the two.
However, it also felt a bit regretful, thinking if only this human could settle near its territory, yesterday's meal was so delicious~
Continued practicing.
This time, Baimu also joined in, alternately enduring the indigo flames spewed by Deino with Aggron.
At first, it was indeed very painful, like someone stabbing harshly on the body, where the mind couldn't help but think why he was tormenting himself out of idleness to seek trouble, but getting used to it made it much better.
While being sprayed, suddenly he understood why Dr. Kukui always liked personally experiencing Pokémon's attacks.
Because every time a fireball hit, as he looked at Deino's expression, he could always grasp the emotions it tried to convey.
From worry, and hesitation to trust, and determination, it's a scene hard to witness standing behind or beside a Pokémon.
What sort of expression would his own Pokémon have during battles?
Fearful? Timid? Or filled with confidence, unwavering?
"Understanding Pokémon, getting close to Pokémon, loving Pokémon, this is the essence of being a Trainer."
The famous saying of Dr. Da Mu once said on a TV program, suddenly emerged in Baimu's mind, and the Dragon Flame hitting upon his body abruptly transformed into a sparking energy, lingering before his eyes.
In a moment.
He turned to look at Aggron, who, steady as a mountain, also shifted its gaze.
"Here we go!"
"Roar!"
The two dashed towards each other, colliding without hesitation!
Baimu was sent flying by the hit, yet skillfully twisted his posture to land, and upon looking up, Aggron's sapphire eyes revealed a smile, with its sharp dual horns and the entire head covered in a touch of blue light.
"You did it."
He couldn't help but smile as well.