Chapter 147: Approach
After a battery of tests and reassuring everyone that he would be okay, Jason, observed through the villa’s one-way windows by Lillie, Lusamine, Maeve, Nanahoshi, Ren, Runa, Jenni, Xendalah, and many others, tried to approach the sleeping Zinogre pup. It hadn’t departed the play area since it took over, so he found it resting in the shade of a large slide, lying with its chin atop its crossed paws and following his movements with its bright, electric-blue eyes.
“Hey…sorry for all the noise we’ve been causing since last night. You’re a big deal…” Jason expressed apologetically, pausing a few meters from the Zinogre pup’s position and setting down the raw Bouffalant steak he had brought as a peace offering. Then, after taking several steps back without breaking eye contact, he sat down with his ankles crossed, waiting to see what the Zinogre pup would do.
Though Jason wouldn’t be certain until after the fact if it was a positive development, the Zinogre pup didn’t hesitate to leave the shadow of its make-shift nest and approach the Bouffalant steak, sniffing at it with its elongated, canine snout. If nothing else, this showed that the Zinogre pup had no fear of him.
‘It’s a shame that I can’t see Bond Levels increasing without physical contact…’ Jason sighed, exhaling from his nose in relief and adopting a slight smile as the Zinogre pup picked up the steak with its mouth, met his gaze, and then retreated with it to the slide’s shadow.
‘Being able to accept food demonstrates at least a basic level of trust…’ Jason chose to believe, remaining where he was seated and watching as the Zinogre pup pawed and tore at its proffered steak. Those who wanted to take samples of its blood had wanted to inject the meat with a sedative specially made for Dragon Types. But with Lusamine present to back his decisions, Jason was able to dissuade them from taking action that might jeopardize the Zinogre pup’s trust…
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After waiting half an hour for the Zinogre pup to have its fill, its small body managing to put away nearly half of the ten-kilogram steak, Jason waited for it to meet his gaze before adopting a smile and asking, “How was it? I imagine you prefer to hunt your prey. But if you choose to stay here, there is plenty more where that came from.”
“…”
Unable to respond and possibly having no idea what Jason was saying, the Zinogre pup just stared at him for several seconds, its glowing blue eyes seldom blinking. It didn’t seem stressed or particularly bothered by his presence, but the longer the silence between them, the more Jason felt that it was waiting for him to leave.
“You don’t want to burn off some of that food you’ve eaten? You won’t get stronger just lying there…” Jason remarked flatly, causing the Zinogre pup to raise its head and stare at him more directly—suggesting it had at least a basic understanding of what he was saying.
“If you’re seriously about getting stronger, come with me…” Jason stated, rising to his feet and turning his back to the Zinogre pup—something that should never be done with most predators.
rstle shft sft pap
As if it had been waiting for Jason to lower his guard, the Zinogre pup bolted to its feet and rushed at him from behind, pouncing at his back with its three-clawed, black-padded paws extended.
fwip
With Jason’s abruptly disappearing in a receding clap of bluish-white light, the Zinogre pup passed through where he had been. In the very next moment, Jason reappeared, brows creased as he rushed forward and attempted to kick the Zinogre pup in its flank.
Demonstrating a capability Jason didn’t know it possessed, the Zinogre pup dug the claws of its left forepaw into the ground, allowing it to spin around with surprising finesse. Fortunately, its recent meal made it even slower, resulting in the sole of Jason’s Omnishoe connecting with its face and producing a loud, pressurized hiss.
Though it wasn’t his intention, Jason springboarded off the Zinogre pup and landed three meters away. At the same time, the Zinogre pup, having been pushed back slightly by the impact, shook its head before staring at him with the same curious look it had given him in the past.
“Are you confused or wondering how I was able to disappear…?” Jason asked, raising his hands and getting into a wrestling pose as he asserted, “The weak have their own way of fighting…”
Narrowing its eyes, the Zinogre pup appeared to interpret Jason’s words and body language as a challenge. As a result, it defaulted to its pattern of slowly circling him, its tail sweeping across the grass, producing a faint rustle as it observed him without blinking.
‘It has the confidence of an apex predator born to stand at the top of its food chain…’ Jason noted, keeping his body oriented toward the Zinogre pup. The latter wasn’t even half his size, but the way it acted, it might as well have been looking down at him from on high.
shft
Accelerating without warning, the Zinogre pup attempted to ram into Jason with its left shoulder. Hidden beneath its fluffy and spiky white mane were hard, pointed ridges that, once it was older, would be able to shatter stone. Unfortunately, while it was able to get the jump on Jason with its sudden acceleration, its attack hit empty air.
Spinning around even faster than before, the Zinogre pup caught sight of Jason’s black subspace orb, suspended approximately a meter and a half off the ground. At nearly that exact moment, Jason rematerialized around it, his brows rising in surprise when he found the Zinogre pup staring at it with an almost human expression of smugness.
‘It’s learning…!’ Jason exclaimed internally, using his Omnishoes to propel himself backward as the Zinogre pup attempted to pounce on him. It was markedly slower than him, but he couldn’t help but notice how effortlessly its white claws were able to tear through the grass and compacted soil as if it were loose desert sand.
Having noticed Jason’s panic, the Zinogre pup narrowed its eyes and began circling him a second time, now appearing even more confident. Its behavior reminded Jason of a cat playing with its food, and he couldn’t let that be how it viewed him.
Holding out his right hand, Jason willed his subspace orb to transfer to it, causing the black sphere that slumbered within him to snap to his palm as if it were a powerful magnet. Then, forcing the Zinogre pup to break out of its stride and leap into the air, he twisted his body, tucked his left knee up to his chest, and threw the subspace at nearly 140km/h—comparable to a Major League Pitcher’s fastball.
After nimbly evading Jason’s pitch, the Zinogre pup didn’t hesitate to charge at him, its body emitting a white haze as it used Tackle to speed up and amplify its power. To its surprise, Jason raised his right hand to his chest and shot out his right foot at the same time, seemingly intending to intercept it with a kick.
shnk
Surprising the Zinogre pup a second time, Jason’s subspace, having been recalled to his right hand, struck it from behind, breaking its posture mid-leap. At nearly the same time, the heel of Jason’s foot impacted its chest, causing a sharp pain to jolt up his leg and radiate through his knee as the conflicting forces briefly suspended the Zinogre pup in the air.
Demonstrating that its defense was much greater than the strength of Jason’s attacks, the Zinogre pup fell to the ground, looking no worse for wear. Instead of chasing Jason as he backed away, however, it sat like a dog and, once again, observed him with a mix of curiosity and confusion.
‘Just what could you be thinking…?’ Jason wondered, holding the Zinogre pup’s gaze while doing his best to ignore the painful pulse running up his leg with each beat of his heart. He was almost certain that the puppy-like dragon was testing him, but he didn’t know what it was hoping to achieve by doing so…
Providing Jason with some insight into its thought process, the Zinogre pup suddenly stood up and turned its back on him, ostensibly walking in the direction he had indicated they go earlier. There was technically only one path to leave the play area, but Jason was certain of his conclusion, as, after taking several steps, the Zinogre pup glanced back as if to make sure he was following.
‘So, that’s how it is. It doesn’t mind going where it’s told, but it refuses to be a follower…’ Jason determined, following in the Zinogre pup’s wake and waiting for it to look back before informing it that their destination was the center of the practice battlefield. There, an adjustable harness, a training sled, and locking plates up to ten tons had been prepared to measure the Zinogre pup’s power. Jason had to demonstrate how the equipment was worn himself, donning the harness and pulling 450kg from one side of the battlefield to the other, exacerbating his knee injury. Fortunately, once he was finished, the Zinogre pup seemed to understand what was expected of it, willfully donning the harness before completing the same circuit with comparable ease—followed by six additional circuits with ever-increasing weight, capping out at an impressive 1,050kg…
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After three hours and a host of tests designed to ascertain its limits, the Zinogre pup moved to the shade of the trees flanking the battlefield and abruptly lay down. The fact that it could approach and lie next to them without exhibiting signs of discomfort or aversion was an important data point. But as he could tell it was tired, even though it was doing its best not to appear weak, Jason set aside his scientific curiosity and followed the Zinogre pup’s example, taking a seat several meters from where it had chosen to lie down.
“It’s training like this…and an ample supply of nutritious food…that will allow you to grow to your full potential…” Jason stated, exaggerating his own fatigue with labored breathing. His body, particularly his right knee, ached. But as he had been pacing himself, contrasting the Zinogre pup’s attempts to show off, he had stamina to spare.
“…”
Though it didn’t respond or move from its position, Jason was learning that the Zinogre pup’s steady, almost unblinking gaze denoted that it was listening and, more importantly, able to understand his words. He just had to be careful not to use language or act in a way that gave the impression he was attempting to elevate himself above it…
Seeing the Zinogre pup suddenly close its eyes and turn its head away from him, Jason understood, or at least believed he understood, that he was being dismissed.
“Alright, then. Ren and I will return here tomorrow to train together. If you don’t believe it to be a waste of time, we would be honored to have you grace us with your presence…” Jason expressed, rising to his feet, and, accounting for the existence of its Stygian Prince Skill, punctuating his words by cupping his right fist and offering the Zinogre pup a slight bow.
thmp
Though it didn’t raise its head or look at him directly, the Zinogre pup thumped its heavy tail against the ground and gave Jason a look out of the corner of its eyes. This was the first meaningful response it had given to anything Jason had said, indicating that it understood he was showing obeisance and that it approved of, or at least acknowledged, his doing so.
“Then, by your leave…” Jason appended, offering the Zinogre pup another slight bow before taking two careful steps back and turning to depart. He steeled himself for a surprise attack, so when none came, he couldn’t help but smile, feeling he had made substantial progress in earning the Zinogre pup’s trust…