Get Stronger by Pleasing Pokémon? Who Needs to Be a Trainer! Chapter 180 180: A Second Conversation with Salamence

October 8.

Thanks to the hard work of the Pokémon and the construction crew, the road repair project was now nearly three-quarters complete.

Dragonite's duties had gradually lightened, allowing him to return to the daycare from ti to ti. The once-timid Goodra had also started opening up. Under the cheerful influence of Gardevoir and the playful Alolan Vulpix, it had grown noticeably more outgoing.

During altis, it no longer hid behind wtwo or Lin Feng. Sotis it would even scoop up Vulpix or Eevee and place them beside itself, sharing food together. Their bond had grown strong, to the point where Lin Feng suspected that if his Insight Eye could asure affection between Pokémon, Goodra might be closer to them than to him.

Then there was Salance.

Lin Feng had been keeping an eye on it every day. Over ti, he noticed that the once-hostile dragon had cald down. It no longer bared its fangs at the workers below, and the crimson light that used to flicker in its eyes had faded to a faint ember.

That afternoon, Lin Feng decided it was ti for another talk.

He approached the silent dragon as it perched on a rocky ledge, its wings folded neatly. Before speaking, he called up its stats through the Insight Eye.

Pokémon: Salance

Gender: Male

Ability: Moxie

Potential: Red-tier

Level: 79

Moves: Roost, Dragon Breath, Dragon Dance, Dragon Tail, Dual Wingbeat, Hyper Beam, Flathrower, Double-Edge, Earthquake

Affection: 30 (It thinks you speak well.)

Mood: 10

Description: A powerful and proud Salance.

Lin Feng smiled slightly. The numbers told the story.

When Salance first arrived, it was injured and furious, its energy nearly depleted. Now, not only had its strength fully recovered, but its affection had also climbed to 30. It no longer scowled every ti he approached.

He patted its shoulder with a familiar grin. "Looks like your strength's finally back where it should be."

Salance turned its massive head toward him, gave him a long, almost indifferent glance, then yawned. Its tail swished lazily, scattering dust.

wtwo, who was floating nearby, tilted its head slightly. It still wasn't sure what Lin Feng had done the other day to calm Salance down. Ever since that private talk, the dragon's violent temper had faded. It wasn't exactly friendly but it had stopped being dangerous.

Did Lin Feng sohow talk it down? Just like he did with ? wtwo wondered.

"What are you thinking about?" Lin Feng asked as he rose into the air, his psychic energy shimring faintly. He landed lightly on Salance's back.

Salance grunted and flapped its wings harder, clearly displeased but not enough to throw him off.

It was always amusing to Lin Feng that Salance had to keep its wings moving constantly just to stay airborne unlike wtwo, who could float effortlessly with psychic power. This ant that even when resting midair, Salance was always working.

After a long mont, the dragon spoke, its deep growl rumbling like thunder.

(I was thinking about the human who captured .)

Lin Feng blinked. "The one who caught you? That's surprising. You were strong even in the wild. Who could possibly have captured you? What kind of Pokémon did they use? Don't tell it was wtwo?"

He glanced at wtwo teasingly.

wtwo's expression darkened. "Not ," it said flatly. "Back then, I captured a number of Pokémon but I released most of them afterward."

Its gaze grew distant as it recalled that ti.

In its early days under Team Rocket, it had obeyed orders without question. A man with a powerful Beedrill had placed a restraint armor on it and sent it to capture entire colonies of Pokémon. wtwo did so, one group after another, until the emptiness in its heart grew unbearable. It began to question why it even existed.

"Those captures…" Lin Feng prompted gently.

"Mostly groups," wtwo replied. "Whole species at once."

It fell silent, the air around it flickering with psychic tension. Lin Feng could sense the old pain behind the words. He didn't push further. Instead, he turned his attention back to Salance.

"So, not wtwo then. Was it a Beedrill that caught you?" he asked half-jokingly.

wtwo froze. Beedrill? That word cut too close. It had never ntioned that man's Beedrill to Lin Feng. How did he

Salance snorted. (Beedrill?) A flicker of disdain crossed its face. (That puny bug couldn't touch . It wasn't just one Pokémon it was many. Dozens of them. They ca with a whole group of humans and a huge flying ship.)

Lin Feng frowned. "A flying ship?"

Salance's claws dug into the rock beneath it. The ground trembled slightly. Its wings twitched as though the mory burned.

If it had been a one-on-one battle, it would never have lost. But it hadn't been a fair fight. It had been surrounded, overwheld, its strength drained bit by bit until it could no longer resist.

"That's… disgusting," Lin Feng said softly. "A bunch of people ganging up on one Pokémon like that."

Salance's eyes glimred with rage. (Exactly! They'll pay for it one day! I'll find them and crush them with my claws!)

Lin Feng nodded seriously. "I agree with you on that."

That simple agreent lit a spark in Salance's heart. The dragon's claws glead as it flexed them, roaring in satisfaction.

But a second later, it blinked and looked down at him in disbelief. (Wait you agree?)

Lin Feng chuckled. "Of course I do. I only told you not to harm innocent humans. That doesn't an you shouldn't settle a score when you're wronged."

Salance went still. For a long mont, it simply stared at him. Then, for the first ti since they t, it let out a low, genuine rumble that almost sounded like laughter.

The tension between them eased. Lin Feng could feel the shift in its mood, subtle but real.

"You know," he continued, running a hand along the dragon's scaled neck, "you're not the only one who's been wronged by humans. So of them… are cruel. But there are others who care. Those are the ones worth protecting."

Salance tilted its head slightly, processing the words.

"Your power isn't ant for revenge," Lin Feng said quietly. "It's ant to protect what matters to you. When that ti cos, I hope you'll fight for sothing better than just anger."

The dragon closed its eyes. The wind rustled through its wings. For the first ti, it didn't resist the gentle touch on its back.

wtwo watched in silence.

It rembered the day Lin Feng had spoken similar words to it the day it stopped seeing itself as a weapon and started to believe it could be more.

And now, the sa thing was happening again.

Salance wasn't tad by force. It was understood.

After a long pause, the dragon opened its eyes and rumbled softly. (You're strange, human.)

Lin Feng smiled. "I'll take that as a complint."

The dragon snorted again but didn't throw him off. That alone said enough.

As the sun dipped toward the horizon, casting gold across the half-finished road below, Lin Feng sat quietly on Salance's back. The air was warm and calm. For the first ti, the great dragon didn't seem burdened by its past.

They didn't need more words. The silence between them carried sothing deeper a fragile, growing trust.

High above, wtwo watched the two figures against the orange sky, a faint, knowing smile crossing its face.

Another soul healed. Another scar soothed.

And below them, the world kept moving forward, one small act of understanding at a ti.

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