Chapter 1148: King Seeks King

"Roar!"

"Sha-sang!"

"Oooooh—!!"

Dragon-type Pokémon filled the mountains and plains, roaring at the top of their lungs, each trying to outdo the others.

This was the main battlefield of the Long Wang Contest.

It was the core event of the Long Zhi Xiang festival; as long as their bodies and time permitted, every dragon would participate. Whether they could stand until the end didn't matter—participation was everything!

Looking out, thousands of various Dragon-type Pokémon were already gathered in the canyon.

They had spontaneously formed distinct blocks based on their species, such as:

Hydreigon, Haxorus, Druddigon, Flygon, Altaria, and others.

In the games, the Unova region famously banned most Pokémon from previous generations, leading to a fragmented Pokédex in Black and White.

The anime wasn't quite that extreme, but many people Ash met during his travels were seeing a Pikachu for the first time.

Considering Pikachu was more common than—

In short, one could see the whole picture from a single spot.

The composition of Dragon-type Pokémon in Long Zhi Xiang was far more extreme than in Meteor Village, with native species accounting for over 80%.

Only the remaining 20% were Dragon-type Pokémon from other regions.

Among the native species, Hydreigon were the fewest, numbering only a few hundred, which couldn't compare to the thousands of others.

But considering they had three heads, perhaps one could count as three?

Hmm...

It was true they could roar three times as loud.

"If Team Rocket saw this, they'd go crazy."

All Baimu clicked his tongue.

At this moment, he was standing on a cliff with many Long Zhi Xiang Dragon Tamers.

Funnily enough, these Dragon Tamers had also split into factions based on which dragons they supported, such as:

Hydreigon, Haxorus, Druddigon, and others. All Baimu, as an outsider with a local dragon, had unexpectedly become a key figure in the Hydreigon faction, surrounded by people pinning their hopes on him.

"We can't let the Haxorus faction look down on us!"

"That's right! Being the 'eternal runner-up' is too humiliating!"

"Let the Champion see the power of a Champion!"

That sounded rather abstract.

All Baimu muttered to himself, but smiled and nodded, "Leave it to me—leave it to Hydreigon!"

It was said that by the end of the battle, it was almost always the Hydreigon and Haxorus factions deciding the outcome.

The Druddigon were purely there to make up the numbers.

Yet, for decades, Hydreigon had never won, and Haxorus had never lost.

Even the succession of the Long Wang had nothing to do with them.

Hence the title of "eternal runner-up."

Now, the Hydreigon All Baimu had brought back was the only hope for the whole village.

They were counting on it to wash away the shame and change the fate of the entire clan!

Hydreigon should be the strongest in Long Zhi Xiang!

Not far away.

Drayden smiled and whispered, "Look at that treatment; he's practically the son-in-law of Long Zhi Xiang."

"If you're envious, you could try marrying in," Drayden said, his face expressionless.

Grimsley pondered, "You know, maybe I really should consider it?"

"Of course, I'd also tell that girl about your 'good habit' of gambling," Shauntal said, twisting the knife.

Grimsley: "..."

The daily banter ended with him being hit where it hurt.

But Grimsley didn't get angry; his relationship with Shauntal was excellent—good enough that they could travel to Long Zhi Xiang together.

Even though Shauntal often used Alder to threaten Grimsley, it was because she felt a simple friendship wasn't enough to force him into line.

She truly hoped Grimsley would kick his bad habit.

Unfortunately, she hadn't seen any results yet.

On the cliff, the crowd was bustling.

The Long Wang Contest was the climax of the Long Zhi Xiang festival; originally, only core members could watch, but now, at Grandma's instruction, it was open to outsiders.

This made the mysterious Long Zhi Xiang no longer mysterious.

Drayden sat in the center of the crowd, his gaze occasionally sweeping over Zinnia with a flash of regret.

A Dragon Tamer was the most suitable successor for his gym.

But since she wasn't interested, could he force her?

A moment later.

Melodious horn blasts echoed from the horizon.

"Oooo—"

"Oooo—"

Several horns from different directions responded in succession, acting as a signal that made the Dragon Pokémon below stir.

It was starting!

The Long Wang Contest!

All Baimu turned to look at Iris, who smiled confidently and waved her fist at him, a posture of "get ready, challenger."

That's right!

They were challengers!

It was time to challenge the Long Wang for the throne!

As if by telepathy, Hydreigon, situated among its peers, cast its gaze toward All Baimu on the high cliff.

In that moment of eye contact, ripples spread through their minds, an invisible bridge connecting their hearts.

It roared suddenly.

"Sha-sang—!!"

In an instant, countless Hydreigon, Zweilous, and Deino responded in unison!

A visible, rolling wave of sound echoed through the entire canyon!

Haxorus, Druddigon, and others were startled, then roared back, each trying to suppress the others with their volume.

The people of Long Zhi Xiang looked at each other in surprise.

The horn meant the contest was about to begin, and in previous years, the Dragon Pokémon were quietest at this time, preparing for the assault.

Why this year...

Grandma chuckled, "What excellent young people."

"Indeed, having talent similar to Iris's is truly rare," Drayden agreed.

Both of them had an extraordinary understanding of Dragon Pokémon, and could see the clues just from the Hydreigon's roar.

It was this eye for talent that had allowed Drayden to spot Iris's potential.

"Look! It's starting!"

Someone shouted.

The noisy cliff fell silent, and countless people cast expectant gazes downward.

"Oooo—"

The horn sound faded.

The ready-to-strike dragons began to stir.

When the first Dragon Pokémon rushed toward its nearest opponent, and the latter met it head-on, colliding with a heavy thud—

The dragon swarm boiled over in an instant!

"Sha-sang!!"

"Roar!!"

"Oooooh—!!"

Successive dragon roars shattered the canyon's silence, as one ferocious dragon after another charged like a wave of iron cavalry!

As the vanguards touched, countless dull thuds and shrill screams echoed, and sparks flew under the scorching sun.

Bang! Clang! Thud!

Scales collided with thick hide, claws tore at flesh, and axes scraped against long tails.

A massive cloud of dust rose into the sky; from above, one could see many large brutes slamming into dragon after dragon.

Others with superior flight capabilities dragged their opponents into the sky, only to drop them from great heights.

Inside the canyon, a massive free-for-all was unfolding!

The Haxorus clan, where the Long Wang resided, had become the target of everyone's aggression.

It wasn't that they had conspired beforehand; it was just that Dragon Pokémon were accustomed to attacking the strongest, and everyone had one thought—

Defeat the Long Wang and become the Long Wang!

Seize the supreme glory of this land!

Of course, the Haxorus weren't pushovers; born with "weapons," their melee ability far surpassed their peers.

Their cold, axe-like blades swung, intimidating countless opponents!

At this moment, the Haxorus clan stood like an isolated island in a vast sea, or a strong army surrounded on all sides.

They seemed precarious, but stood like a mountain, even pushing outward!

The Hydreigon clan filled the sky, like a dark cloud hanging over the heads of the other Dragon Pokémon.

Iris's Haxorus looked up into the depths of the dark cloud, catching sight of several pairs of scarlet eyes locked onto it.

"Roar..."

Come on...

Haxorus was filled with soaring fighting spirit.

It couldn't wait to face off against Hydreigon; how could it easily give up the Long Wang throne?

In the chaotic battlefield, Dragon Pokémon of all shapes and sizes fought in close quarters; losers left, winners continued to fight, and the situation remained a fog.

With thousands of Dragon Pokémon fighting, it wouldn't be decided for a while.

The main forces of each side hadn't actually entered the fray yet.

The dragons currently fighting were either not yet fully evolved or simply couldn't control themselves.

The gap between Pokémon was huge, even within the same species.

Some Pokémon possessed immense power but lacked self-control, losing their heads the moment they fought—a trait relatively common among Dragon-types.

This was why Dragon Pokémon often attacked cities.

Among the Hydreigon, those who couldn't control themselves were numerous; perhaps this was why they never beat the Haxorus?

After all, since they had formed factions, they shouldn't just charge blindly; they had to coordinate with their peers.

On the current battlefield, a few dragons were performing exceptionally well.

"That's pretty cool."

All Baimu gazed at a black Haxorus.

It easily swiped away a pile of Vibrava, then leaped up, using its blood-red axes to slash a Flygon out of the air.

What a fierce warrior!

The Dragon Tamers nearby followed his gaze, seeing only rising dust.

Someone asked, "Who is the Champion referring to?"

"That shiny Haxorus. It's a bit small, but those grey-black scales have style, and its fighting style is fierce."

All Baimu gave his assessment.

The crowd realized, laughing, "The Champion really does like Pokémon of different colors."

"I remember your Milotic and Gengar seem to be shiny?"

"Whose was that again..."

"I know!"

The Dragon Tamers enthusiastically called over the trainer of the shiny Haxorus, a girl even younger than Iris.

She looked up timidly, "Champion..."

"Hello, your Haxorus is very cool!" All Baimu felt a bit awkward, but praised it anyway.

The girl was stunned, seemingly surprised by the contrast in the young man, then nodded excitedly.

"Yeah! My 'Hero' is the coolest! It will definitely beat Iris's Haxorus and become the Long Wang!"

Ambitious at such a young age—as expected of a Dragon Tamer!

Iris, who had walked over out of curiosity, laughed, "You're bold, Sakura!"

"Hmph! Just wait and see! 'Hero' isn't the little weakling anyone could bully anymore!"

Sakura gave All Baimu a bit of gossip in just a few words.

As everyone knew, being different meant being an outcast; the shiny Haxorus had been bullied by its peers when young, leading to a timid personality.

Sakura's personality was also soft, yet Grandma had chosen her to raise the shiny Haxorus.

The result was—negative times negative equals positive.

The shiny Haxorus "Hero" was born!

After some banter, Sakura tugged on All Baimu's sleeve, timidly saying, "Champion, if 'Hero' ever has children like itself, can I ask you to train them like you train your Hydreigon?"

The Dragon Tamers who heard this were stunned.

"Sakura! How dare you poach someone right in front of us!"

"Sakura! You're getting less and less honest!"

"Pfft!"

Sakura stuck out her tongue and walked away; there were many Dragon Tamers in Long Zhi Xiang who raised both Hydreigon and Haxorus.

These two Pokémon were never a multiple-choice question.

And the shiny Axew...

All Baimu was naturally tempted, just as he had asked for the shiny Gengar; their high aesthetic appeal attracted him.

Strength was a matter of the current version, but coolness was for a lifetime!

"Sha-sang!"

The familiar roar pulled All Baimu back to his senses, and he looked at the Hydreigon fighting below, secretly thinking it was a sin.

If Hydreigon knew he was thinking about other dragons at such a critical moment, who knew what kind of tantrum it would throw.

Fortunately, they were currently only emotionally connected, not yet at the point of sharing inner thoughts.

In the center of the battlefield.

As the number of participants continued to dwindle, the main forces officially entered the fray.

The pressure on the Haxorus clan surged; the only one who could take hits was the Long Wang, as Haxorus were essentially high-damage glass cannons.

In this situation, the Long Wang chose to enter the battle!

It leaped up, suddenly appearing at the front of the clan, like a general leading a charge, killing its way toward all opponents!

Thud!

The earth shook, and several Druddigon were sent flying on the spot!

"Roar!!"

Haxorus roared, its sharp axes swinging, easily slicing a towering rock in two!

This move instantly scared off several Dragon Pokémon, but others rushed in regardless, only to be slashed or knocked unconscious by a tail swipe.

There was no one on the battlefield who could withstand a single blow!

It was like playing a Dynasty Warriors-style game; no matter how many enemies came, it could easily defeat them.

"..."

Hydreigon watched coldly.

Having lived under All Baimu's influence since it was young, it knew the importance of intelligence.

However, the situation quickly exceeded its expectations.

Its peers rushed toward the Haxorus, and the Haxorus rushed toward it.

Everything was a tactical shift?

Hydreigon was forced to enter early; it had wanted to continue observing Haxorus to gain more intelligence, such as its habitual attack patterns, the force of each strike, and so on.

Hydreigon's battle intuition was strong, and this information was very important to it.

But since there was no chance...

Fight!

"Sha-sang!"

Hydreigon roared, not dodging the swarm of Haxorus, but actively meeting them head-on to clash!

And to the Haxorus' disbelief, they couldn't touch Hydreigon at all!

This guy was incredibly fast!

Any who leaped up were knocked away instantly, with no chance to attack.

Even when several Haxorus leaped together, they couldn't escape its pursuit.

"Oooo-roar!"

They organized a second wave of attacks, intending to swarm it.

Hydreigon sneered, its side heads biting the tails of two Haxorus, using them as weapons to smash away the incoming opponents!

"Using heads as hands? Is your Hydreigon too agile?"

A trainer specializing in Hydreigon widened his eyes and turned to ask All Baimu.

All Baimu didn't answer, just watched as the Dragon Pokémon in the canyon thinned out further.

More and more Dragon Pokémon were leaving the field, and the contest was entering its final stages!

King seeks King!