The *Thunderbolt* didn't deliver the result Julian had anticipated. Kingdra took the full brunt of the attack, its tough scales enduring the electric surge. Instead of showing damage, the scales seemed to shine even brighter after the assault.

  "Freeze the water with Ice Beam!"

  Seeing Kingdra plummeting back toward the pool, Julian acted quickly.

  Ier, Kingdra could not only hide but also amplify the power of its Water-type moves.

  The freezing cold of the *Ice Beam* turhe pool's surfato solid ice, the chilling air spreading outward with the mountain wind.

  Kingdra nded on the frozen surface, just as Dragonite closed the gap between them. Sparks crackled fronite's fist as it unleashed a *Thunder Punch*, the yellow glow illuminating Kingdra's face.

  Kingdra responded swiftly, puffing up its cheeks and spitting out a jet of inky bck liquid that spttered across Dragonite's face.

  Momentarily blinded, Dragonite didn't panic. It tis attack along the same trajectory, swinging its electrified fist.

  However, the moment the ink struck its face, there was a slight hesitation in its movements. That tiny pause was enough for Kingdra to evade the attack with *Agility*.

  Even on the ice, Kingdra's movements were fluid and precise, as if it were a seasoned figure skater. In a blink, it had put siderable distaween itself and Dragonite.

  *Boom!*

  Dragonite's *Thunder Punch* smashed into the ice, sending shards flying in every dire like sharp daggers.

  Julian: 'Are you seriously thinking about switg trainers?'

  Two particurly sharp ice shards shot toward Julian with arming speed. He could see them ing but couldn't react fast enough.

  Praying his body could withstand the impact, Julian raised his arms to shield his vital areas, brag himself.

  Just then, Kingdra reappeared, bsting the shards with a *Bubble Beam*, shattering them into harmless fragments.

  For a moment, Julian thought Kingdra looked incredibly cool, almost as if it were glowing.

  But his admiration was short-lived. The sed, Kingdra's tail whipped out, sending him flying backward.

  Kingdra: 'Stay back. If you die here, it'll ruin my day.'

  Julian wasn't hurt from the blow and instead felt oddly grateful, smiling at Kingdra.

  If he had known what Kingdra was truly thinking, he probably wouldn't have felt so thankful.

  Meanwhile, Dragonite regais vision just in time to see Kingdra tossing Julian aside. Its typically goofy face twisted into a furious expression.

  Dragonite: 'How dare you attack my Trainer?! I'll destroy you!!'

  Tonite, Julian wasn't just its Trainer. He was the first person it had seen upon opening its eyes, a figure it saw as both a trainer and a father.

  Now, seeing Julian suffer because of its failure, Dragonite's anger reached a boiling point.

  There was no way it would let this slide.

  In its overwhelming fury, Dragonite instinctively activated *e*, its on gaze now repced by a bllow. Crimson energy surged from its body, enveloping it like a fiery aura.

  With a powerful stomp, Dragonite shattered the frozen surface of the pool entirely, sending shards of ice flying everywhere.

  Julian noticed Dragonite had misuood the situation but chose not to expin.

  After all, he hadn't fotten the reason they were here.

  While Kingdra had helped him earlier, that didn't absolve him from pleting his mission.

  "Roar!!"

  With a deafening roar, Dragonite charged at Kingdra, closing the distan an instant. Kingdra tried to repeat its previous tactic, spitting ink, but this time Dragonite dodged it with ease.

  Dragonite's *Dragon Cw* tore through the air with unstoppable momentum. The green energy typical of a Dragon-type move was now tainted with a crimson hue, like boiling blood, its iy deeply uling.

  With a resounding ssh, Kingdra was sent hurtling through the air, crashing through multiple trees before smming into a mountainside.

  The sheer force of the impact created a massive crater over a hundred meters wide, with the epiter several dozeers deep. From Kingdra's point of impact, cracks spidered out across the mountain's surface.

  Having learned from earlier is, Julian wisely stayed far from the mountainside.

  Watg ks of rock tumble down from the impact, he gave himself a mental pat on the back for his fht.

  *"Roar!"*

  Dragonite wasn't do. R once more, it closed in on Kingdra and unleashed a relentless barrage of *Thunder Punches*, each strike nding like a hammer.

  Blue scales flew from Kingdra's body uhe relentless assault, and streaks of red blood began to drip from its battered frame. Behind it, the mountain wall caved in further with every blow, the cracks widening with ominous creaks and groans.

  Despite the overwhelming attacks, Kingdra remained silent, not letting out a single cry of pain, even as it slipped into unsciousness.

  "Dragoop!"

  Julian called out, armed. Kingdra was already out cold, and if this went on, Dragonite might kill it.

  Though *e* had heightened Dragonite's strength and made it mgressive, it hadn't pletely lost its sense of reason. Hearing Julian's and, Dragonite gradually slowed its attacks.

  With deep breaths, the blood-red energy surrounding Dragonite began to dissipate, eventually vanishing pletely.

  Dragonite flew back to Julian, its eyes filled with worry as it examined him.

  "Don't worry, I'm fine, Kingdra was just trying to protect me earlier."

  Julian reassured, patting Dragonite's belly.

  Pulling a Full Heal from his system's iory, Julian ha tonite.

  "Use this on Kingdra."

  Kingdra had shown him kindness, and Julian inteo repay it in kind.

  (T/N: this mf)

  The potion, a product of the system, worked wonders. Within minutes of using it, Kingdra stirred and slowly regained sciousness.

  The first thing it saw upon waking was Julian's wide, goofy grin.

  "You're awake. Sorry about Dragoting a bit too hard earlier," Julian said apologetically.

  Kingdra looked at Dragonite, who now had a dopey and harmless expression, a stark trast to its earlier berserk state.

  If it weren't for the familiar energy lingering around Dragonite, Kingdra might have thought it was a pletely different Pokémon.

  Seeing Kingdra remain silent, Julian pressed on. "How about joining me?"

  He extehe invitation. After all, trainers who ehe Dragon's De Realm were grahe right to capture one Pokémon.

  While Kingdra wasn't a pseudo-legendary Dragon-type, its exceptional qualities had caught Julian's eye. Taking such a beating frohout even g out spoke volumes about its resiliend willpower.

  However, Kingdra shook its head without hesitation.

  Kingdra: 'Do you think I'm sick? Why would I willingly sign up for someoo boss me around?'

  Julian: 凸-.-凸

  The reje was so decisive it left Julian speechless. Couldn't it have at least preteo sider his offer for a moment?

  This was his first time actively inviting a Pokémon to join him, and it ended in failure just like that.

  Not all Pokémon were as perceptive as Steelix, apparently.

  Kingdra had no idea what it assing up by refusing. If it had known, it might have been the one begging Julian to take it in someday.

  "Well, okay. Here, have a berry."

  Julian didn't push further. Instead, he pulled out a Sitrus Berry and ha to Kingdra. The berry would help it regain some energy.

  If Kingdra wasn't ied, so be it. Julian hadn't e here intending to capture Kingdra anyway; it was only after witnessing its remarkable qualities that he had ged his mind.

  Some things, like partnerships between Pokémon and trainers, were best left to mutual sent. It was all about being willing on both sides. Forced retionships never worked out.