At this moment, the Scizor's level had already reached 52. Although it hadn't learned any new moves, the level increase was still a significant boost to its combat strength.
Just as Wen Qi took out some medicine to treat the Scizor, the five Scyther in the arena staggered to their feet. The Scizor had held back earlier, not inflicting too much damage on them. It seemed that while the Scizor was somewhat annoyed by these Scyther, they were still its former companions, and they had gotten along well in the past, so it had shown mercy.
Wen Qi signaled the Gogoat to heal them. Although Gogoat's healing abilities weren't as strong as Turtwig's, it could quickly treat these minor injuries. The five Scyther didn't refuse the treatment from Gogoat. After all, in the wild, recovering as quickly as possible was common sense—maintaining combat readiness was always the priority. After the treatment, they politely expressed their gratitude to Gogoat and Wen Qi.
Just then, Gogoat suddenly rushed over to Wen Qi's side before he even understood what was happening. Why would Gogoat suddenly come to him? Meanwhile, the Scizor beside him was acting strangely, its entire body trembling, as if it were both extremely tense and unusually excited. Wen Qi had never seen the Scizor react like this before.
At that moment, the previously noisy surroundings fell into a dead silence, as if even the wind had stopped breathing. In the distant sky, a dark shadow tore through the clouds like lightning, rapidly approaching. As the shadow drew nearer, a powerful wind pressure swept in first, flattening the grass and trees on the ground.
It was the quasi-royal-level Scyther leader! Its form was agile and majestic, its wings shimmering with a metallic luster, each flap carrying the force of an avalanche. Its sharp pincers gleamed with a chilling light under the sun's rays. Its eyes burned like blazing flames, full of dominance and authority. When it landed before them, the ground seemed to tremble slightly, as if paying homage to the arrival of this king. The surrounding Scyther retreated in fear, not daring to meet its powerful aura.
The Scyther leader stood imposingly before Wen Qi and the others. Fortunately, the pressure wasn't directed at Wen Qi; Gogoat easily blocked it. But the Scizor was having a hard time. Already weaker than the Scyther leader and now injured, it was struggling under the oppressive force. Seeing this, Wen Qi felt a surge of anxiety. Today, the Scizor had gone through two battles, and its recent breakthrough had consumed a lot of energy and spirit. Now, enduring the full pressure of a quasi-royal-level Pokémon was truly tough. In fact, if the Scizor had just backed down a little, the pressure wouldn't have kept bearing down on it. But the Scizor had its pride—it wouldn't retreat from anyone's aura, not even when facing its own father, the quasi-royal-level Scyther leader. It gritted its teeth and held on, refusing to fall despite its trembling body.
The Scyther leader looked at its proud son. It had always thought this child was the most like its younger self—equally proud. Back then, the son's talent was lacking; despite its strong combat abilities, it was limited by its potential, and the leader had assumed the child would never amount to much. But unexpectedly, after leaving half a year ago and returning today, not only had it evolved, but its strength had reached the gym level in just six months, and it had just broken through again. Now, looking at this stubborn and proud child, if not for the unchanged aura, the leader would have thought this wasn't its son at all. Still, seeing its child so accomplished now filled it with joy. At the thought of this happy development, it withdrew all its aura.
When the quasi-royal-level pressure subsided, the Scizor felt its entire body suddenly relax. The tension it had been holding gave way, and its body couldn't support itself anymore, collapsing to the ground. It panted heavily, sweat pouring down like rain. Seeing this, Wen Qi quickly called Gogoat to continue treatment, using his own Tokiwa power to soothe the Scizor's body and bringing out some potions to replenish its energy. After a long while, the Scizor began to feel a bit better. Though its physical injuries were healed, mental exhaustion was the most severe issue now, and only rest could remedy that.
Wen Qi originally planned to return the Scizor to the small world to rest, but when he took out the Poké Ball, the Scizor refused. This surprised Wen Qi, and he looked at the Scizor with a questioning gaze. The Scizor roughly explained the reason, pointing at the nearby Scyther leader. It was then that Wen Qi realized he had unknowingly captured a Scyther that turned out to be a "prince." Understanding this, Wen Qi didn't insist on recalling the Scizor.
After a while, when the Scizor could stand, it slowly walked toward the Scyther leader. Although the leader had been waiting for some time, it didn't rush the Scizor. Wen Qi thought the father and son would have a lot to say to each other, but when he heard their conversation, he was utterly speechless.
"You're back. You've changed a lot." "Yes, I'm back, and I've grown stronger. But you don't seem to have changed much." "Are you planning to stay or leave?" "Leave." "When are you going?" "Leaving soon." "Alright. Remember to come back and visit when you have time."
Then came endless silence. Both were equally aloof, and this exchange didn't seem like a father-son conversation at all. Wen Qi noticed the awkward atmosphere but wasn't sure if they preferred this kind of dynamic, so he didn't interfere. However, he could secretly check the Scyther's information.
Pokémon: Scyther Level: 60 Type: Bug + Flying Ability: Technician (Boosts the power of weak moves when attacking) Talent: Light Cyan Moves: Leer (Mastered), Quick Attack (Mastered), Fury Cutter (Mastered), False Swipe (Mastered), Wing Attack (Mastered), Double Team (Mastered), Double Hit (Mastered), Slash (Mastered), Focus Energy (Mastered), Agility (Mastered), Air Slash (Mastered), X-Scissor (Mastered), Swords Dance (Mastered), Close Combat (Mastered), Substitute (Mastered), Metal Claw (Mastered), Iron Defense (Mastered), Iron Head (Mastered), Acrobatics (Mastered), Rain Dance (Mastered), Protect (Mastered), Double-Edge (Mastered), Hyper Beam (Mastered), Steel Roller (Mastered), Flash Cannon (Mastered), Giga Impact (Mastered)
The talent was light cyan, which matched Wen Qi's earlier estimate. But seeing all moves mastered was truly impressive. However, it hadn't grasped the power of its type, so it was uncertain whether it could break through to the royal level. In fact, Wen Qi could help the Scyther break through. It was already at the limit of the quasi-royal level, and with just one evolution, it might be possible to reach the royal level. Though it wasn't a 100% guarantee, there was about a 50% chance. But with the dominant Venusaur nearing its end, if the Scyther broke through now, Wen Qi worried they might fight, causing unrest around the forest. Since Wen Qi was near the forest, any disturbance would affect him too—it seemed like a troublesome situation. He decided to put this issue aside for now and deal with the two "icebergs" in front of him first.
Unable to bear the two "icebergs" staring at each other, Wen Qi spoke up.
"Hello, Scyther leader. I'm Wen Qi, the trainer of this Scizor. We came back together to visit you."
Though the Scyther leader was taciturn and aloof, it had a favorable impression of this human, knowing that its child's achievements today were undoubtedly thanks to his help.
"Wen Qi, hello. Thank you for helping the Scizor. From now on, you are a friend of our clan. Feel free to come by anytime."
Wen Qi hadn't expected the aloof Scyther leader to be so easy to talk to, appearing quite gentle. But he wondered why the father and son had so little to say. Was it like many human families, where father-son relationships were often silent and awkward?