Spirit Refinement?

Mu Chen had been puzzled at first, but when he saw Riolu carry the forging hammer over to the forge...

They understood!

"What? It can forge?"

Mang Tian looked at Su Yu in shock, uncertain. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure!" Su Yu said firmly.

"You mean it knows how to forge!?" Mang Tian asked incredulously.

"Yes! And it's better than me!" Su Yu nodded.

"President! This..." Mang Tian turned toward Mu Chen.

"Let it try!" Mu Chen looked at Riolu, curiosity appearing on his face.

Seeing this, Su Yu brought over a stool for Riolu to stand on.

Its height was currently Riolu's greatest obstacle.

That obstacle would have to wait until Riolu evolved into Lucario before it could be resolved.

Once the metal had finished heating, Riolu pressed the button beside it, and the Sinking Silver slowly rose.

Riolu tightened its grip on the forging hammer. At the same time, its gaze changed.

Mu Chen and Mang Tian were startled when they saw the change in Riolu's eyes.

"Could it be...? Does it really know how to forge?"

They could not help thinking it.

At that moment, Riolu began forging. Tremendous power erupted from its tiny body.

For a time, the forging room echoed with a tempest of hammering.

"This?" Mu Chen furrowed his brow as he watched Riolu's forging method.

It was too hasty!

That was right, far too hasty!

It was rushing for results.

The consequence of haste was that it would be difficult to control the changes in the metal during forging. If that happened, the forging was bound to fail.

Unless one was exceedingly familiar with the metal being forged.

But ordinarily, only forging masters could achieve such an effect with certain metals.

Riolu's forging continued.

It swung its hammer without pause.

The next second, the patterns on the surface of the Sinking Silver became orderly.

Cloud patterns emerged upon it.

Hundredfold Forging was complete!

Mu Chen and Mang Tian both revealed surprised expressions. It was their first time seeing a Spirit Soul complete a forging.

Mu Xi was equally surprised, but what surprised her more was how cool Riolu looked!

Riolu's hammer-swinging movements were simply too cool!

She looked down at the Teddiursa in her arms and whispered, "Teddi, can you do it?"

"Teddi!"

Teddiursa shook its head wildly.

"It's okay. If you can't, you can learn!" Mu Xi said with a smile.

Seeing Riolu complete Hundredfold Forging, Mang Tian was just about to step forward and clap in encouragement.

Mu Chen raised a hand to stop him. "Wait!"

Riolu was still swinging its hammer repeatedly, clearly showing no intention of stopping.

"Could it be...!"

Mang Tian cried out in shock, but realizing he might disrupt Riolu's forging, he quickly covered his mouth.

Could it complete Thousand Refinement?

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The forging hammer fell again and again.

A wave of blue ripples spread outward, then passed through the Sinking Silver before Riolu, probing the changes within.

The Sinking Silver steadily shrank in size as its impurities were removed one by one.

The astonishment in Mu Chen and Mang Tian's eyes deepened.

Judging by this, the Pokémon before them was very likely capable of completing Thousand Refinement.

The longer they watched, the more convinced they became that Riolu could do it.

Riolu gave off the bearing of a forging master, especially in its eyes.

Steadfast, decisive, confident.

Despite its tiny body, it possessed such an imposing presence.

"Riolu!"

Riolu let out a long cry, and a gray-silver radiance appeared on the forging hammer in its hand.

It completely enveloped the forging hammer in Steel-type energy, then with every strike, it continuously seeped into the Sinking Silver before it.

"This is!" Mu Chen uttered in surprise. He stared at the gray-silver energy on the forging hammer and fell into thought.

Even Su Yu, who had been quietly standing nearby, was seeing Riolu forge this way for the first time.

Normally, Steel-type energy was used to probe the state of the metal, making it easier to know where the next hammer strike should land and how much force to use.

Its effect was similar to Aura, except Aura was more convenient.

Previously, the Steel type had only been attached to the forging hammer because it allowed Riolu to understand the metal's condition more clearly.

But allowing Steel-type energy to seep into the metal's interior was different. It could very likely alter the metal's internal structure, causing it to lose its properties and turn into scrap iron.

Su Yu watched for a long time. Once he confirmed that the Sinking Silver had not collapsed as he had imagined, he finally let out a long breath.

Time passed bit by bit, yet the forging continued.

"Almost?" Mang Tian watched Riolu forge with uncertainty and turned to ask Mu Chen beside him:

"What is going on?"

"I don't know either!" Mu Chen shook his head slightly.

At this point, Su Yu was also rather confused.

"Strange, Thousand Refinement should have been completed by now!"

He looked at the piece of Sinking Silver, narrowing his eyes as he muttered, "Could it be! Spirit Refinement?"

At that moment, Mu Chen and Mang Tian came to their senses as well, reaching the same conclusion as Su Yu.

However, Su Yu knew full well that Riolu had no chance of completing Spirit Refinement.

Riolu was still a baby less than a month old. The energy within its body simply could not support Spirit Refinement.

Its ability to complete Thousand Refinement was already thanks to Aura.

"Riolu is pushing itself too hard!"

"Could it be showing off because so many people are watching?"

Su Yu murmured softly.

Still, it was his Pokémon, his companion. He had to indulge it.

The next second, Su Yu summoned his Martial Soul, and a Soul Ring appeared.

He began trying to use a Pokémon move.

Just as he had planned that afternoon, he would assist Riolu in completing the forging.

Helping Hand!

Normal-type move: Helping Hand

Power: 0

Description: Helps an ally. The helped Pokémon's move power becomes greater than usual.

Su Yu awkwardly managed to use Helping Hand.

By then, Riolu's face had already twisted into a pained expression. Large beads of sweat continuously fell onto the stool beneath its feet.

The gray-silver glow on the forging hammer in its hand flickered on and off, as though it might go out at any moment.

Its stamina and energy were both running low.

Yet Riolu continued to persevere.

The next second, Riolu's pupils constricted as it felt a force enter its body.

In an instant, the gray-silver glow on its forging hammer stopped flickering and began to shine brightly.

Then, a pleasant bell rang out.

Normal-type move: Heal Bell

Power: 0

Description: Lets allies hear a soothing bell, thereby curing all members of our side of abnormal conditions.

Riolu felt the exhaustion in its body vanish.

Su Yu could only help this much. He did not have a miraculous Slate and could not use the Psychic-type move Heal Pulse.

He could only use Heal Bell to ease Riolu's abnormal condition, then use Helping Hand to assist Riolu's forging.

PS: By setting, Su Yu could use all moves.

With Su Yu's support, Riolu continued forging.

As hammer strike after hammer strike fell, the surface of the Sinking Silver began to shine with a gray-silver light.

An aura of life spread out.

"Spirit Refinement?" Su Yu narrowed his eyes.

"But Thousand Refinement hasn't even been completed yet!"

From beginning to end, there had been no sign that Thousand Refinement was complete.