Chapter 120: The Missing Dragonite Leader

After waiting for about half an hour as the rain grew heavier, Luo Mu, who had been gazing eagerly, finally spotted the Dragonite.

Immediately following, that red figure flying down behind the Dragonite filled his heart with joy.

Success!

Although the Delibird's flight movements were slightly clumsy due to not having flown for some time, it was indeed flying toward them using its own wings; just this fact alone made him overjoyed.

The Dragonite intentionally controlled its flight speed to stay beside the Delibird, fearing its luck might still be terrible; having just barely dodged a lightning bolt through its own efforts, it would be a shame if it got struck by lightning while flying back.

Soon, the two Pokémon landed one after the other on the small island in the lake, excitedly informing Luo Mu that the Delibird had overcome its psychological trauma and had even bravely ventured into an area with sparser lightning to successfully dodge a bolt.

"De-li~"

As if seeking praise, the Delibird, paying no heed to its already somewhat soaked feathers, ran straight toward Luo Mu.

"Excellent!" Luo Mu first gave a thumbs-up; seeing the Delibird tilt its head in confusion at the gesture, he smiled and patted its head: "You are very brave. As long as you become stronger in the future, you won't need to fear these things you have already conquered."

The Delibird's eyes lit up slightly, and it flapped its small wings in excited response: "De-li!"

This heavy rain lasted until the morning of the next day; the thick dark clouds above Great Pot Lake gradually dispersed, sunlight spilled onto the earth, bringing forth brand new vitality.

After the heavy rain, crystal-clear water droplets covered the grass everywhere; walking a few steps revealed several small puddles, while the Pokémon that had hidden away cautiously explored their surroundings, for to them, the rain had washed away most scents, making the boundaries of their territories ambiguous.

The entire area around Great Pot Lake was about to become lively again.

On the small island in the lake.

Like cockroaches that simply wouldn't die, after a full day of rest and recuperation, the six Gyarados seemed to feel they were ready again; even with the Dragonite present, they selfishly began performing their mating Dragon Dance nearby.

Although the Dragonair and the others appeared calm and indifferent, the tips of their tails twitching irritably betrayed their true feelings.

The Gyarados' actions were undoubtedly a disturbance to the Dragonair and the others.

Without needing Luo Mu's reminder, the Dragonite took off on its own, quickly drove all six Gyarados away, then landed beside the Dragonair and invited them with a worried expression: "Bo-wu~ Bo-wu?" (Why don't you leave this place with me and Luo Mu to settle down at his farm?)

The Dragonair exchanged troubled glances, and the Shiny Dragonair spoke: "Wu~" (But we haven't waited for your mother yet~)

The Dragonair and the others had always been worried about where the Dragonite Leader had gone; given its personality, it was impossible for it to abandon its unhatched children and just leave like that.

They firmly believed the Dragonite Leader must have gotten lost or encountered some trouble, which was why it had not returned yet.

Before the Dragonite Leader returned, they had to protect this place well.

Since he roughly understood the cause of events, even though Luo Mu couldn't understand the communication between the Dragonite and the Dragonair, he could roughly guess that the Dragonite wanted the Dragonair and the others to leave together with it.

As for the matter the Dragonite was most worried about, it was likely that group of Gyarados.

Although the Gyarados were currently clouded by hormones, under the cold attitude of the Dragonair and the others, their simping behavior would eventually come to an end when they regained their senses.

By then, the Dragonair and the others would face a group of Gyarados enraged by humiliation; with no intention to fight and lacking any fighting spirit whatsoever, the Dragonair would most likely be unable to defeat multiple Gyarados, whose numbers might even increase.

As long as they remained here, the deterrent power of Luo Mu's Pokémon would eventually be worn down by time, and at that point, it would probably be the Dragonair and the others who would be in danger.

After pondering for a moment, Luo Mu spoke to persuade them: "The Dragonite's worry is justified; having those Gyarados eyeing us hungrily nearby is always a hidden danger."

"Passively waiting here indefinitely is not a solution; although finding a specific individual on this vast planet is extremely difficult... actively searching is still better than passively waiting."

Luo Mu admitted that agreeing with the Dragonite's proposal also involved some selfish motives on his part.

With the Dragonair, who could precisely control the weather, at the farm, they could create the best growing environment for the crops.

Moreover, rather than passively waiting for a Dragonite Leader who might never return, it was better to live with the Leader's children, while Luo Mu would do his best to help them search for traces of the Dragonite Leader.

The Dragonair looked at each other; it had to be said that the pain point Luo Mu raised hit the mark perfectly—they lacked the strength to deal with those Gyarados, and this time bomb would sooner or later explode.

Furthermore, rounding it off, since the Dragonite was the Leader's child, following it away seemed like a good choice anyway, especially since Luo Mu had already promised to search for traces of the Dragonite Leader.

After a moment of silence, the Dragonair made up their minds; represented by the pink Shiny Dragonair, they expressed to Luo Mu their decision to follow the Dragonite and leave Great Pot Lake.

Since they were going to help the Dragonair search for traces of the Dragonite Leader, they needed to gather clues that would improve search efficiency and success rates.

After leaving Great Pot Lake, while packing up the camping equipment, Luo Mu asked: "Do you know if the Dragonite Leader has any distinctive features?"

"Wu?" (What are distinctive features?)

The three Dragonair tilted their heads in a dazed and cute manner, not quite understanding what "distinctive features" meant.

Luo Mu: "."

That was true; generally, Pokémon didn't rely on appearance to recognize others, but rather used scent for identification.

Thinking about it this way, the value of Brock being able to accurately distinguish between different Nurse Joys from various cities, who looked almost exactly the same in Luo Mu's eyes, had increased even more.

Organizing his words, Luo Mu pulled the Dragonite over to use as a model and asked in terms the Dragonair could roughly understand: "For example, are there any places where you feel the Dragonite Leader differs from this Dragonite?"

Searching for a Dragonite with super mobility like a headless fly was definitely not feasible, so Luo Mu thought of utilizing some distinctive feature the Dragonite Leader might possess that differed from others of its species to find it.

For instance, the Dragonite in Luo Mu's family had the most standard and iconic appearance of the Dragonite species: big cute eyes, chubby little claws, a fatty little belly, full of moe elements.

This time the Dragonair understood; comparing the Dragonite Leader in their memories with the Dragonite, they found that, as expected of parent and child, the two Pokémon were almost carved from the same mold.

But if one had to say where they differed, there actually was something.

The Shiny Dragonair stepped forward, letting out a soft cry: "Wu~" (The Leader was once a Pokémon of a certain Trainer, so it always carried a black satchel with it, cherishing that satchel very much~)

(End of Chapter)