Chapter 83: The Difficult Young Lady

Buzz!

The capture ball jolted violently, and Su Yi clenched his fist.

Bang!

The capture ball burst open. The Swift Dragon lay sprawled on the ground, panting with saliva dripping from its mouth, exuding a look of unyielding defiance.

"It's fine, let's try again..." Su Yi took out another capture ball.

A distant roar echoed faintly from the sky—the voice of the Cherryblaze Dragon.

Su Yi looked up, but the enchanting cherry-hued silhouette was nowhere to be seen in the night sky. Still, it must be circling its territory above, and there was no telling when it might come this way.

"We need to make this quick. There’s no room to be stingy now." Su Yi switched to a higher-grade capture ball and threw it at the Swift Dragon once more.

"Haa-ow!" The Swift Dragon let out a threatening cry and staggered, trying to dodge. The Grimclaw Wyvern beside it growled and rammed the Swift Dragon back into the ball's path with a hefty thud, ensuring a precise hit.

This time, its resistance seemed to have exhausted its last reserves. Confronted with the superior capture ball, the Swift Dragon struggled only briefly before it was finally subdued.

"Retreat!" Su Yi recalled his companions and immediately teleported back to the Water Curtain Cave camp.

"Phew!" He exhaled deeply, finally able to relax.

"I need to tend to the companions quickly." He released several companions, as well as the team's medic, Lucky Egg.

"Fortunately, there are no broken bones." Su Yi checked on the most severely injured Great Jaws Wyvern, whose scales and flesh had been sliced open by the Swift Dragon's tail spines.

He carefully sprayed medicine on the wounds, then fed it some recovery potion as Lucky Egg released healing waves to hasten the mending of its injuries.

Having the Great Jaws Wyvern face the Swift Dragon head-on had been a stretch. Its greatest strength lay in summoning a pack of Jaw Wyverns to besiege a target, rapidly building up paralysis and forcing monsters into a rigid state.

The Jaw Wyvern pack could severely disrupt their target. Too bad this tactic only worked in the Vale of Miasma; after all, the Coral Highlands were not its home ground.

"You did very well! Thank you!" Su Yi praised and encouraged it.

Even against a foe like the Swift Dragon, the Great Jaws Wyvern had strictly followed his commands, launched attacks, and successfully used paralysis venom to restrain the enemy—it had performed admirably.

"Wu-ow..." The Great Jaws Wyvern nodded. Even covered in wounds, it still bore the steady demeanor of a don.

"The Great Grimjack Wyvern was excellent too—fought valiantly."

Though its strength alone was no longer enough against the Swift Dragon, the bond between it and Su Yi was evident. Every command was swiftly executed, and it grasped most of Su Yi's intentions instantly.

In terms of technique proficiency, it was the most skilled among the companions. Moves like Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail, and Roar were unleashed swiftly and with maximum force.

If this were the world of Pokémon, it would certainly be the ace of an elite trainer. Yet its species' limitations were clear, and breaking through them would be difficult.

Glarebird Zizi had only been bumped once, and a little medicine made everything right. Its dazzling flash had shone brilliantly in this battle. Combined with its innate agility, it was a formidable presence on the open field.

As for the Grimclaw Wyvern, it was the team's main attacker this time. The bleeding state inflicted continuous damage on agile foes, and its Rending Claw intensified that effect. When enraged, the Grimclaw Wyvern could unleash a burst of power; at the final moment, it was a savage flurry of Rending Claws that gravely wounded the Swift Dragon.

"You've worked hard!" Su Yi patted the tough hide of the Grimclaw Wyvern.

"Roar-ow!" it responded with a low growl to his touch.

They had faced the Corpse Dragon at noon, climbed from the Vale of Miasma to the Coral Highlands in the afternoon, and fought the Swift Dragon at night—a truly grueling overtime.

Su Yi and Lucao applied medicine to each companion, bandaged their wounds, while Lucky Egg sped recovery with its healing waves.

Though battered and bruised, none were seriously harmed. Once fed and rested, they’d be lively again by morning.

"Next..." Su Yi returned the exhausted Great Jaws Wyvern to the Companion page, freeing a slot for the Swift Dragon. He then set the Grimclaw and Great Grimjack Wyverns on guard before tossing out the capture ball.

Bang!

The black, feline lizard appeared, battered and wary. It scanned its surroundings, then hissed menacingly at Su Yi and the Grimclaw Wyvern.

"Swift Dragon..."

Su Yi began to speak, intending to soothe it, but the Swift Dragon suddenly lashed its tail, sending sharp spines flying at him.

The Grimclaw Wyvern roared, swiping away the spines with a Rending Claw before they could reach Su Yi.

But the Swift Dragon was not done. Seizing the moment, it pounced at Su Yi, only for the Great Grimjack Wyvern to charge in, roaring to defend its master.

Su Yi instantly recalled the Swift Dragon to its ball.

"What a headache. It seems all these feline beasts are so unruly," Su Yi muttered, rubbing his temples. Clearly, he’d have to spend some time taming this one.

He opened the Companion page to review the Swift Dragon’s details.

[Name: Swift Dragon
Species: Swift Dragon (Female)
Type: Dragon, Dark
Ability: Shadow Step (When HP is above half, its own-type moves get +1 priority; at max speed, its exclusive move is more likely to land a critical hit)
Moves: Shadow Blade (exclusive move, power 90, Dark, physical; slashes the enemy with wing blades, raises speed one stage upon hit, +1 priority), Thousand Spines (exclusive move, power 20, Dark, physical; fires 3-5 spines, may inflict Bleed), Area Destruction, Steel Wing, Slam, Dragon Claw, Sneak Strike, Agility, etc.]

Clearly, the Swift Dragon followed a path of lightning-fast assaults, becoming a deadly assassin when its speed peaked.

"Well then, turns out she's a lady," Su Yi sighed, unsure how to communicate with this wildcat.

"Let's eat first, then get some rest."

He rubbed his stomach—he hadn't eaten since noon, and his companions were famished from the prolonged battle. The two little ones were also crying for food.

Beside the camp, Su Yi and his companions set up a grill using smooth, flat stones. As various ingredients sizzled, delicious aromas soon filled the air.

After a satisfying meal shared with his companions and Pokémon, Su Yi considered for a moment, then brought out the Swift Dragon’s capture ball again.

It was seriously wounded, refusing treatment, and if it didn’t eat soon, its injuries would worsen, perhaps even turn critical.

"Sigh, you want to kill me, yet I still have to feed you. Aren’t I just too softhearted?" Su Yi lamented, releasing the Swift Dragon.

The moment it appeared, it hissed fiercely at him.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy, easy now!" Su Yi hastily raised his hands and stepped back.

Immediately, the Grimclaw, Great Grimjack, and Great Jaws Wyverns surrounded the Swift Dragon, growling threats.

Assessing its battered state, the Swift Dragon thought twice and dared not make a move.