"Here, eat this."
Ron extended a steaming hot mantou bun toward the beggar.
But the beggar didn't take it like Ron had expected. Instead, he lifted his head and looked at Ron with eyes so bright and intense, they caught Ron completely off guard.
That gaze… it carried a kind of despair that words couldn't describe.
For a moment, Ron felt his heart ache.
Unbidden, his thoughts flashed to a scene from Naruto—the moment when Zabuza met Haku. Maybe this boy was the same. Someone waiting for a sliver of light to pierce through the darkness of his life.
Any light would do, as long as it could dispel the shadows surrounding him.
"Would you come with me?" Ron asked without hesitation. "Become my subordinate, grow stronger, and help me realize my plans."
The beggar said nothing. He simply stared at Ron, his eyes silently searching—longing.
He didn't want pity. He didn't need charity. What he craved… was a reason to live. A purpose to keep breathing.
It didn't matter what that purpose was. As long as it kept him going.
"…Okay."
With a trembling body, the beggar stood up and bowed deeply to Ron.
Seeing the boy's frail frame, Ron didn't hesitate for a moment—he lifted him up gently.
"Do you have a name?"
"No."
"Then… can I call you Dwight?"
"…Yes."
Their conversation was brief, but the silence that followed was not empty—it was warm.
A few days later, by a small river.
Ron was deep in physical conditioning, focusing on breathing techniques to hone his body.
Nearby, Machamp and Persian were training together. With Machamp's guidance, Persian was gradually grasping the concept of Armament Haki. In turn, Machamp was making strides as well—his own mastery of Haki steadily improving through teaching.
Bellossom was immersed in two-part training. Ever since Ron had set her a clear goal, she split her day: practicing swordsmanship in the mornings, and exploring the technique of Life Return in the afternoons.
Nidoking was locked in intense sparring with Blaziken. Blaziken focused on maximizing its speed, launching relentless chains of attacks to overwhelm Nidoking. Meanwhile, Nidoking had the harder task: restraining the power of his skills to avoid injuring Blaziken, while maintaining the pinpoint precision required to land a hit on such a swift opponent.
Pupitar was sticking to her routine, honing her aerial maneuvers and developing new battle strategies using flight and skill combinations.
Even with Dwight around, Ron made no exceptions—he brought out Gengar and the others for full-scale training.
While Ron kept busy, Dwight rested against the trunk of a tree, quietly studying the Pokémon materials Ron had prepared for him.
Ron had made a conscious choice—if Dwight was to stay at his side, his training would need to be different.
With Ron's current strength, he didn't need Dwight for protection or support—yet. The priority now was to give Dwight a solid foundation of Pokémon knowledge.
Once Dwight mastered the fundamentals, Ron could leverage his contacts—from the Pokémon League to Team Rocket to the Hunter Guild—to help Dwight obtain almost any Pokémon he desired.
Dwight understood Ron's expectations, and he studied with astonishing intensity. Like a dry sponge thrown into water, he absorbed knowledge with a hunger born of desperation.
"Dinner time, Dwight."
At some point, the night had fallen. Smoke curled lazily into the sky as the campfire crackled. Ron called out to Dwight, who was still buried in his notes.
"Okay."
After washing up and changing into the clothes Ron had prepared for him, Dwight looked… almost like a young girl. But the strength in his eyes told a different story—one of sharp determination.
Rubbing his tired eyes, Dwight walked over to the fire and sat beside Ron, sharing the meal with Machamp and the others.
The warmth of that moment—the feeling of family—it never got old. Dwight soaked in every second of it, unable to let go.
...
"Machamp! Daytime Tiger—block him!"
The ferocious White Tiger lunged forward, slashing across Buro's head as it bypassed the defensive Manectric and exploded violently in front of them.
The shockwave from the explosion forced both Buro and Manectric to halt instinctively.
"Ron! You've gone too far!"
With no escape left, Buro turned and shouted at Ron, fury flashing in his eyes.
After all, Ron and his Machamp—especially their signature techniques—were widely known across the Hoenn region.
"Remember this: when you're pursuing an enemy, always analyze the signs in the environment around you."
Ignoring Buro's outburst, Ron turned instead to Dwight and offered advice.
"Oh, got it."
Dwight nodded, completely unbothered, jotting notes down in his book—as if to prove that a dull pencil is better than a sharp memory.
"Ron, damn you!"
"Manectric, use Giga Volt Havoc!"
Infuriated by Ron's disregard, Buro abandoned his escape and commanded Manectric to strike.
Electricity surged violently around Manectric before it formed into a roaring Thunder Beast, charging straight for Ron.
"Machamp, Armament Technique: Meteor Storm!"
A jet-black Haki-like Armament cloaked Machamp's arms as it charged in.
That faint black sheen covering its body ensured it would take no damage from the Giga Volt Havoc's assault.
With each punishing blow, the Thunder Beast was shredded into flickering sparks and quickly dispersed.
Then, Machamp leapt toward Manectric.
Armament Technique: Meteor Storm—unleashing a torrent of brutal strikes in a single second. Manectric was sent flying before it could even cry out in pain.
It crashed hard to the ground, every nerve in its body screaming with agony, like thousands of needles stabbing it all at once.
"Machamp, Evening Elephant!"
Ron didn't let up—he immediately ordered Machamp to continue the offensive.
"Come out, Shiftry! Charge in with Leaf Storm, then follow with Protect!"
Refusing to go down without a fight, Buro released his quasi-Elite Four–ranked Shiftry onto the field.
A swirling green tempest whipped forward—but was effortlessly crushed by Machamp's Evening Elephant. The green light of Protect rose up just in time, shielding both Shiftry and the injured Manectric.
At Ron's signal, Persian activated Shave—Instant Step, disappearing in a flash.
A cold wind brushed past. Buro froze, eyes wide, as a thin line of blood bloomed across his neck. His hands reached up, trembling, as if he could somehow stop the life draining from his body.
With just a quasi-Elite Four–class Shiftry, there was no way he could block Machamp's Evening Elephant. Even Protect didn't hold for more than a second.
A terrible sound of impact followed—Shiftry and Manectric were crushed beneath the force of the Elephant-style strike.
The sheer power of the blow sent dust flying in all directions. When the air finally cleared, Shiftry and Manectric lay on the ground, badly injured and unable to battle. Buro was dead, his lifeless body sprawled in the dirt.
Dwight—just ten years old—looked down at the corpse without a flicker of emotion in his eyes. To him, the body was no different from a rock by the roadside.
Ron had never asked about Dwight's past. He didn't plan to in the future, either. Now that Dwight had shown no hesitation toward death, it meant they could proceed with the next stage of his training.
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