Chapter 71: The Wrath of Dragon Rage

Seeing Cottonee take flight on its own without any external help, Maki's eyes lit up with excitement.

Although Cottonee wasn't a Flying-type Pokémon, its cottony body and two unconventional "wings" made flight not entirely unexpected. The Cottonee swarm Maki had encountered in the Viridian Forest had clearly enjoyed fluttering freely through the air.

Cottonee flapped its tiny leaf-like appendages, struggling to maintain balance. However, as this was its first attempt at flying, its movements were clumsy. Before long, it slowly drifted back down to the ground.

Maki quickly reached out to catch the little Pokémon, noticing its slightly dejected expression. He gently reassured it:

"No worries. This was just your first try! Keep practicing, and you'll get the hang of it in no time."

Meanwhile, Charmander, upon witnessing its "little sister" effortlessly lift off just by flapping its leaves, began wildly clapping its own tiny arms in an attempt to imitate her. But as soon as it noticed Maki's gaze, it immediately stopped, looking a little embarrassed.

"If you want to fly, you'll have to wait until you evolve into Charizard," Maki chuckled, amused by the little fire-type's antics. "That's still a long way off. But hey, compared to many Pokémon that will never take to the skies, you're already in a great position."

"Chaar..." Charmander nodded in understanding, but deep down, the thought of soaring through the sky fascinated it. What would it feel like to fly? It couldn't wait to evolve!

"Alright, Cottonee, let's try again! I have a feeling you'll succeed this time."

Maki encouraged Cottonee, cupping his hands to give it a stable lift-off point. The little Pokémon made several more attempts, but each time, it came tantalizingly close to taking off properly before falling just short of success.

"Hold on a sec."

After a brief moment of contemplation, Maki gently placed Cottonee on the bed, then walked over to the room's window and pushed it open.

It was early evening, and though the season made the air cooler, a gentle breeze flowed in. Maki took a deep breath of the fresh air, then turned back to Cottonee with an encouraging smile.

"Let's try again."

Cottonee's evolution, Whimsicott, was known as the Windveiled Pokémon, which led Maki to a realization: perhaps Cottonee's ability to fly wasn't solely dependent on its leaf-like wings—it was the wind itself that allowed it to soar.

The breeze coming through the window wasn't strong, but Maki figured it would be enough.

He carried Cottonee to the windowsill, making sure not to place it too close to the edge in case it accidentally drifted outside.

"Feel the wind's breath," he instructed. "Then, gently flap your leaves."

"Cotton!"

Cottonee nodded with determination. The mischievous prankster suddenly looked unusually serious and focused.

Closing its eyes, it followed Maki's guidance, sensing the wind's subtle movements. In that moment, something inside its genetic makeup seemed to awaken. Without even consciously trying, its body began to lift.

"Yes! Just like that."

A smile spread across Maki's face as he cheered for Cottonee.

Understanding the wind was an essential part of Cottonee's growth.

After all, one of the most iconic moves used by both Cottonee and Whimsicott was Tailwind—a technique that boosted the speed of the entire team.

To Maki, Tailwind was second only to Nature Power in terms of importance. In team battles, Tailwind could even be more critical, as it provided strategic speed control.

While Whimsicott could also learn Trick Room, which manipulated the speed dynamics in a different way, it wouldn't synergize well with a future Charizard-Whimsicott combo. Besides, Tailwind was much easier for Cottonee to learn compared to Trick Room.

"Cotton!"

Successfully airborne, Cottonee excitedly turned to call out to Maki—only to wobble dangerously mid-air.

Maki instinctively prepared to catch it, but at the last moment, Cottonee managed to regain its balance on its own.

After confirming that Sabrina had already returned to her room, Maki discreetly led both Cottonee and Charmander to the Gym's training area.

"Charmander, before we start training, let's work on something important—learning how to feel anger."

Maki grabbed a nearby stool and sat in front of the little fire-type.

"Char?"

Charmander scratched its head, confused by the statement.

"The move Dragon Rage doesn't require any special technique. It's purely about tapping into your emotions—specifically, your rage."

Maki had previously consulted Dragonite about how to master Dragon Rage, but the response had been simple: 'There's no technique. It's all about feelings.'

For Dragonite, Dragon Rage was a completely instinctual move, something it had never even needed to consciously train. However, this conversation had given Maki an important clue—emotion was the key to unlocking this power.

Even the move's name, Dragon Rage, hinted at its connection to intense emotions like fury and wrath.

Moreover, Charmander had the potential to learn several Dragon-type moves in the future. Mastering Dragon Rage now would make it easier to pick up other moves like Dragon Breath and Dragon Pulse later on.

To help Charmander connect with Dragon-type energy more easily, Maki handed it a specially crafted Pokéblock infused with Dragon-type energy.

"Chaar..."

Charmander ate the Pokéblock but still felt unsure about what to do next.

It closed its eyes, trying to conjure up the feeling of "anger" Maki had described, but no matter how hard it tried, nothing happened.

"Don't rush. First, try to sense the energy from the Pokéblock you just ate. Normally, any Charmander should be able to unlock Dragon Rage on its own. You just need the right guidance."

"Char?"

"Exactly. Try gathering the Dragon-type energy inside you—just like you do when using Ember. The only difference is the energy type. It's not as hard as you think."

Maki subtly nudged Charmander in the right direction. The little fire lizard nodded firmly, closed its eyes, and began imitating the preparation process for using Ember.

Meanwhile, Maki casually adjusted his position, holding Cottonee in one arm while shifting his stool slightly backward.

He wanted to give Charmander space to concentrate, but more importantly—he needed to be prepared.

If Charmander failed, it wouldn't be a big deal.

But if it actually succeeded, Maki might just end up taking a Dragon Rage blast right to the face.

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