After plucking the Oran Berry, Asher was just about to head back out of the wilds when—
Bzzzzzz—
An ominous sound buzzed into his ears.
He looked up and saw a huge yellow wasp circling overhead!
[Rotom... scanning information]
[Target: wild Beedrill]
[Level: 16]
[Element Affinity: -]
[Relationship: tonight's dinner]
[Relationship Advice: This guy's a carnivore!]
Because of increased development and contact between the League's regions, some Pokémon had started becoming invasive species across regional borders.
This carnivorous Beedrill from Asher's home region was a perfect example.
Looking up at the Beedrill in the air, Asher screamed inwardly.
Aura, be with me!
Drawing on Aura Power, Asher shouted at the Beedrill at the top of his lungs.
"Friend! Please hear me out! I want to live with you all peacefully! What happened to your son was just an accident! Give me a chance! Take one step back and the world opens wide—"
Pssht—
Asher apologized while spraying a little Potion on the Wurmple, hoping to ease the awkwardness.
A level sixteen Pokémon was no joke!
Whenever he faced something stronger than Flare, Asher gave the strong the respect they deserved...
Rotom couldn't help chiming in.
[Rotom... they're not father and son. The one you attacked was its dinner. It just thinks you look even tastier...]
[Also, your Aura Power has only unlocked with Flare. You still can't share feelings with other Pokémon!]
"..."
Asher suddenly understood.
His Aura Power was a nerfed version. It was actually limited to one-on-one use only!
In other words, if he wanted to connect with other Pokémon, he'd have to build them up from scratch too...
And this Beedrill had probably smelled the delicious roasted scent of Wurmple and flown over looking for food...
"Oh, screw this! Flare, battle positions!"
At that very moment, having locked onto its prey, Beedrill swung its lance-like forearms and lunged straight at Asher without hesitation!
That diving speed!
That piercing force!
It was like a living fighter jet built for murder, something no human could possibly stop!
"Gaaah—"
Just then, sensing Asher was in danger, Flare bravely leaped out and let out a low, powerful dragon's roar!
This was [Innate Move: Growl]!
The sharp wave of sound struck Beedrill's sensitive senses and successfully drew its attention.
It immediately changed targets and began attacking Flare instead!
Seizing the moment, Flare started gathering thick fire-element energy in her mouth!
Fwoosh—
Following the guidance of Asher's will, a huge burst of sparks swept up toward the Beedrill charging in from the air!
Crackle! Pop!
As scorching sounds rose from Beedrill's body under the blast, it immediately climbed high into the sky to escape the wave of heat!
After taking a hit like that, would the Beedrill retreat?
No.
Absolutely not!
It only drove its savagery even higher, and after dodging the flames, it dove at Flare again at once!
At that moment, Flare had just finished venting fire and was still recovering.
Seeing that, Asher shouted, "Dodge!"
Dodge.
The instant those three words left his mouth, the app amplified them, and all the countless layers of intent hidden inside them shot through their mental connection like electricity, straight into Flare's heart.
Up, down, left, right—Flare received Asher's thoughts in perfect sync, weaving through Beedrill's attacks!
The whole scene looked like Asher was controlling Flare in a real-life action game!
Three months of housework had refined Flare's movements to an incredible level.
Each ordinary chore had secretly trained her coordination and precision.
So...
Never underestimate a housewife!
But no matter how far Asher pushed his mental power, sometimes a player's reactions still couldn't save a character whose stats just weren't high enough.
Flare's teamwork with Asher was flawless, but her physical abilities were still nowhere near those of a Beedrill that had already undergone two stages of evolution!
As Flare's stamina faltered and she was just about to be skewered by Beedrill's poisonous stinger—
Whoosh—
A fist-sized rock came whistling through the air and smashed toward Beedrill!
It was Trainer Asher's [Stone Throw]! (TN: Yup, not a translation error)
"Hah! Bastard, don't look down on us Pallet superhumans!"
But with Beedrill's dynamic vision and blistering speed, it dodged the rock with ease!
Even so, Asher's interference enraged it.
Its aggro instantly shifted, and Beedrill turned its lance-arm around and came straight for Asher!
Faced with the fierce, stinger-first dive, Asher's heart pounded violently, forcing him to focus with everything he had just to evade the attack!
[Rotom! User detected in danger! Activating battle mode!]
A powerful current surged through Asher's brain, and in an instant, he felt his mental reaction speed spike threefold—no, fourfold!
But even with superhuman reflexes, Asher didn't have a superhuman body, and he couldn't keep that up for long.
As he struggled to keep maneuvering around Beedrill, he shouted, "Flare, I don't think I can hold on! Run! Just take care of yourself!"
Boom—
At that moment, the sincerity of the past three months slammed straight into Flare's heart.
Back in his previous life, Asher hadn't had many friends at all.
He admitted that part of the reason he'd ended up with Flare in the first place was because the app had tricked him into it, but the feelings they had built up day after day were completely genuine.
After coming to this world, this was the first time he had ever truly experienced Bond.
For the reborn Asher, getting to feel something like this already made life worth it...
"Gah!"
Sensing Asher's true feelings, Flare instantly burst into tears and rubbed her belly like crazy, chasing Beedrill with blasts of fire.
Even though flames were flying everywhere...
The reach on her Ember was too short!
Being short was fatal for both men and female dragons!
Not enough!
This feeling still wasn't enough!
Flare rubbed her belly frantically, building up that boiling-hot sensation, then poured all of her endless, heartfelt emotion into it...
And fired!!!
Boom—
In an instant, the sparks from Flare's mouth surged, exploded, and blasted forth!
They shot more than ten meters through the air and blew Beedrill away on the spot!
[Secret Art: Ember Jet]!
Engulfed by the relentless blast of fire, Beedrill instantly lost its balance!
Seeing the opening, Asher spun around and threw a roundhouse kick!
"To hell with you! Eat my Pallet Superman Wind Kick!"
That kick landed flush on Beedrill's head and sent it flying on the spot!
[Rotom! A heartbeat racing between life and death is the best kind! The Bond between you has deepened! Flare has comprehended [Secret Art: Ember Jet]!]
Asher slapped his scorching-hot foot, but his mood was even hotter.
Overjoyed, he scooped Flare up into his arms!
"Flare! You actually learned a Secret Art! Remember that feeling from just now! I knew you were the best!"
A Secret Art was a move born from taking an Innate Move and remaking it through personal understanding, skill, and insight.
Talent was the raw material. A Secret Art was the finished product.
Any Pokémon capable of mastering a Secret Art was a true elite among Pokémon!
And Flare had used the utterly terrifying power of Bond to hammer a special realization into Ember itself, turning it into a Secret Art!
"Gah!"
Encouraged by Asher's praise, she nodded with a blushing face.
That feeling just now really had been exhilarating...
Suddenly, the fallen Beedrill rose into the air again!
Flare's Ember Jet had only knocked it down to critical health, and Asher's kick had probably added maybe one percent more damage!
Beedrill could still get back up!
Just then, a streak of green blade-light flashed past like lightning and delivered the finishing blow!
Asher jolted in shock.
Clap, clap, clap—
Accompanied by crisp applause, an unruly figure appeared behind him.
"Perfect teamwork! I've been watching you two for a while now. You've really got something going on!"