Chapter 317: The Mystery of the Dragon Den Trial's Swift Speed and Its Inheritor, Cynthia

"So amazing, so cool!"

Iris's eyes sparkled with dazzling brilliance; in this moment, she realized more profoundly what a battle between top-tier Trainers truly was.

Ignoring the puddles left by the heavy rain covering the ground, Cynthia crouched down, her beautiful gray eyes staring straight at Iris.

"Iris, you must firmly etch this into your heart; it will greatly aid your future."

This insight and experience would save Iris from many detours, serving as a clear goal that gave her sufficient motivation to pursue.

Holding Altaria's cotton-like wings, Drayden looked distressed: "Now they're completely soaked; they'll need to be dried."

Although Altaria's cotton-like wings could neutralize many attacks, the fact that they drooped upon contact with water was somewhat inconvenient.

After temporarily recalling Altaria to its Poké Ball, Drayden looked at the Trainers gathered in twos and threes around them, exclaiming about the feast for their eyes and discussing the battle details; approaching Cynthia and Iris, she squinted and asked with a smile: "Young Lady Cynthia, what did you think of this battle?"

Cynthia's movements paused as she looked over toward Luo Mu and Clair.

At this moment, Clair had already handed her Kingdra over to a healer from the Dragon Clan, while Luo Mu was personally treating the minor injuries on his Dragonite; judging by his Shu De Shou Fa, he clearly did not do these things infrequently.

Even so, Xia Ka's Haxorus still fell into a disadvantageous position when facing Wataru's Dragonite.

Drayden maintained that leisurely tone, yet neither Cynthia nor the short-statured Iris noticed that, at some point, Drayden's perpetually squinted eyes had opened.

At this moment, Cynthia was craving a battle with Luo Mu, but she knew now was not the time, at least not tonight, so her reason firmly suppressed this desire.

Once an ordinary Dragon-type Pokémon activates Outrage, its reason collapses, transforming it into a reckless fighting machine bent solely on defeating the enemy before it, caring not even if it gets injured itself.

This Battle Goddess of the Sinnoh region, in this moment, felt a desire directed at Luo Mu and his Dragonite filling her heart; she wanted to fight them and then achieve victory.

But according to Luo Mu's observations, that technique did not seem particularly excessive; at least at Wataru's level of strength, his Dragonite only entered that state when clashing with Outrage.

Xia Ka's strength was undoubtedly far greater than Clair's; Wataru remembered someone mentioning that even among the current batch of young Elite Four members in the Unova League, they would respectfully address Xia Ka as "Senior Xia Ka."

In Drayden's view, what burned in Cynthia's eyes was scorching fighting spirit, respect for the strong, and confidence cultivated through countless battles.

But the heart beating fervently within could not lie; Wataru touched his chest and murmured: "That proposal spearheaded by the Galar region... perhaps it can be considered."

Whether stimulated by the cooling sensation of the medicine or doing it on purpose, the Dragonite's massive body toppled directly onto the unsuspecting Luo Mu, plunging straight into a puddle.

After all, it was nearing midnight, and the guests should return to the luxury hotel arranged by the Dragon Clan to rest.

Watching this scene of harmony between human and Pokémon, a smile rose on Cynthia's exquisite profile as she said: "Beyond my imagination; a wonderful battle, Ms. Drayden."

But a loss is a loss; Wataru would not stop progressing due to a single defeat; he would only hope to surpass Luo Mu in the next match, but at least tonight there was no opportunity.

That Dragonite used some technique to maintain the state of Extreme Speed during the battle, drastically increasing its speed with this powerful priority move.

This was not respect for seniority, but respect for the strength of Xia Ka, the pillar of the Unova League.

Xia Ka's Haxorus had eyes blood-red, its entire body enveloped in an ominous red halo, having undoubtedly released the move "Outrage."

Only Dragon-type Pokémon that have mastered the move Outrage without losing their reason can be considered fully capable, and Xia Ka's Haxorus was fighting by utilizing the massive power boost from Outrage while maintaining reason and suppressing its violent state.

On the other side, after bidding farewell to Clair, Cynthia, Xia Ka, Iris, and Drayden, Luo Mu rode in a black sedan to the luxury hotel prepared by the Dragon Clan.

That was a scene from when the battle reached a white-hot stage; Wataru's Dragonite and Xia Ka's Haxorus yielded not an inch, fiercely clashing "bayonet to bayonet."

Nearby, Serperior watched coldly from the sidelines, looking as if it did not know these two fellows who liked rolling around in puddles.

Despite the side effects, Outrage indeed allowed the Haxorus to rival the Dragonite in terms of power for a period of time.

"Outrage," like "Draco Meteor," is also a move that trades certain side effects for explosive power.

This reminded Luo Mu of the World Coronation Series exhibition match, where Iris's Haxorus used Outrage to withstand Cynthia's Mega Garchomp's Draco Meteor.

Without a shred of hesitation.

As for Clair, who lost the battle, Wataru would only wish success for this trickster cousin of his.

"Is that so~"

Drayden whispered in a voice only she could hear, a flash of expectation passing through her eyes, which were not the slightest bit cloudy.

Drayden's sharp gaze swept over Cynthia, finally resting on her burning eyes as she watched Luo Mu and his Dragonite over there.

The reason was simply that, besides having enough power to clash with the Haxorus using Outrage, Wataru's Dragonite also maximized its speed and agility.

Entrusting the future of the League to the younger generation like Luo Mu, Cynthia, and Clair, she felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

As the shuttle cars drove away one after another, Wataru quietly gazed at the estate, now silent; this quietness made the earlier clamor seem like nothing more than a dream.

Feeling the chill and dampness on his back, Luo Mu put on a stern face and told the Dragonite to get off immediately, but the Dragonite hugged Luo Mu tightly like a spoiled child; no matter how Luo Mu struggled, it would not let him up, displaying a grievous expression that left Luo Mu furious yet helpless.

The first thing upon entering the room, Luo Mu ran straight to the bathroom, stripped off the clothes made dirty by the culprit Dragonite, and happily took a hot shower.

Even Drayden admired this self-control in Cynthia, whose lineage shared the same roots as her own ancestors.

Not long after the battle between Luo Mu and Clair concluded, the battle between Wataru and Xia Ka also ended smoothly.

Facing the Haxorus brandishing its axes, the Dragonite, shimmering with emerald green light, would often repel it with faster Dragon Claws, or dodge the attacks of the Haxorus—which, though maintaining reason, fought with far less precision than usual—and then deliver a finishing blow.

After humming a muffled tune, donning a bathrobe, and leaving the bathroom, Luo Mu gazed at the superb night view outside the huge floor-to-ceiling window, recalling the fleeting glimpse he caught of the adjacent battlefield while treating the Dragonite's minor injuries after the battle ended.

Although Xia Ka's strength was slightly greater than Clair's, his own battle with Xia Ka finished much earlier than the fight between Luo Mu and Clair; in a sense, Wataru felt he had indeed lost.

However...

"They are young people after all; they are just too easy to read~"

Once the Haxorus's Outrage ended, the Extreme Speed used by the Dragonite remained that incredibly fast, serious tackle.

The final result was naturally Wataru's victory, but Xia Ka's tenacity exceeded Wataru's expectations, causing him, despite starting his battle first, to finish later than Luo Mu and Clair's fight, giving him the feeling that he had lost in this indirect competition with Luo Mu.

Even if there were likely some flaws and limitations, Luo Mu believed that the enhancement brought by this special method of using Extreme Speed was sufficient to prove the value of this secret technique passed down through generations of the Dragon Clan.

Luo Mu also remembered that during the League Conference exhibition match in Pokémon Sun and Moon, Kukui's Lucario used a technique somewhat similar to this; after relying on this move to dodge the attacks of the extremely fast Ultra Beast Nihilego, it dealt very considerable damage.

But that move still had a significant gap compared to the one Luo Mu saw Wataru use; at the very least, Lucario could not use other moves while in the Extreme Speed state, whereas the Dragonite could freely use Dragon Claw, Dragon Pulse, and even Hyper Beam.

Coupled with the fact that Kukui had previously been defeated by Wataru, and considering that Kukui, as a Pokémon Professor, focused his research on Pokémon battles and moves, everything became understandable.

Relying on his research abilities, Kukui forcibly replicated the Extreme Speed technique used by Wataru's Dragonite onto his Lucario, but since it was merely imitation without true understanding, it had the form but lacked the spirit.

Although he had long mentally prepared himself for this aspect, the scene of the Dragonite failing to accelerate fully during today's battle, its speed insufficient to catch up with the Kingdra, remained deeply etched in Luo Mu's mind.

Chairman Oda was right; as long as the Dragonite mastered the Dragon Clan's Extreme Speed technique, its combat power, which had begun to swell due to Lugia, would reach a new peak.

"It seems... that so-called hidden trial must be passed."

The next day.

Today was July 1st, the start of a new month, very suitable for making new progress in terms of strength as well.

When Luo Mu finished washing up, put on his clothes that had already been dried, and opened his room door, four figures appeared in his sight as if they had been waiting for a long time.

"Good morning, Big Brother Luo Mu!"

Alice pounced over excitedly, as if she had been looking forward to today for a very long time.

"Good morning, Alice."

Luo Mu smiled and patted her head; usually, when someone patted her head, Alice would pout and mutter something about not touching her head or she wouldn't grow tall, yet surprisingly, she didn't show the slightest dissatisfaction.

This dealt a heavy blow to Xia Ka, who was already carrying the blame and, before leaving, had privately invited Wataru to wrestle only to be rejected with a strange look by the other party.

This little girl had two completely different faces for him and for Luo Mu.

After greeting Alice, Luo Mu looked up at Kikuko, Drasna, and Xia Ka, greeting each of them in turn.

"Good morning." Kikuko nodded, then invited, "Would you like to join us for breakfast? There is still ample time before the Dragon's Den trial begins."

Alice also rubbed her belly, looking as if she were barely holding back: "My stomach is a little hungry too."

Since Luo Mu had originally intended to eat breakfast anyway, he naturally had no reason to refuse Kikuko and the others' invitation; he nodded and followed them to take the elevator to the hotel restaurant to enjoy a delicious breakfast.

As for how many more forehead wrinkles Xia Ka gained due to Alice's slightly unladylike eating manner, that was not something Luo Mu cared about.

After enjoying a delicious breakfast, the group simply shared a car to head to the Blackthorn Clan's estate.

Luo Mu, Kikuko, Drasna, and Alice rode in one car, while Xia Ka, since he was not participating in the trial, chose to arrive slowly later, as there were quite a few things in Blackthorn City that interested him greatly.

Regarding Alice's safety, Xia Ka was actually very reassured; after all, with Kikuko, who was obviously extremely doting toward Alice, present, this Champion was someone Xia Ka could trust.

Not to mention that Luo Mu and Drasna were also looking after her nearby; since he was already carrying the blame anyway, Xia Ka felt he might as well take this opportunity to reward and comfort himself.

If Du Ruo were present and discovered that his usually rigid grandfather knew how to be so flexible, she might just drop her jaw in shock.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the car steadily drove into the estate located in the suburbs of Blackthorn City where the Blackthorn Clan resided; when the four of them arrived at the assembly ground, they found that quite a few people had already gathered there.

However, compared to yesterday when figures were scattered throughout the entire estate, the number of people had decreased by more than half.

If described in more concrete terms, it was roughly the feeling that most guests who had already achieved fame and success or were of advanced age had not participated, yielding the opportunity to the younger generation.

Basically, the trainers gathered here were no older than thirty, yet the arrival of Luo Mu and the others still caused quite a stir and whispers.

None of these people had expected that, Alice aside, Luo Mu and the others, who could be said to have already achieved fame and success and did not lack combat power, would actually choose to participate in this Dragon's Den trial.

Just the powerful trainer aura unconsciously emanating from Luo Mu, Kikuko, and Drasna would likely attract many Dragon-type Pokémon to recommend themselves, after all, most Dragon-type Pokémon inherently admire strength, and the intelligence innate to Pokémon also makes them clearly understand how important it is to follow a suitable trainer.

For all they knew, the Dragon-type Pokémon with outstanding talent inside might all be attracted away by these three people!

Looking at the crowd keeping their distance from her, Drasna looked somewhat troubled: "Oh my, oh my, it seems we have been isolated?"

"But these are all trivial matters, aren't they?"

Kikuko smiled; she had no plans to catch any Pokémon today, her main task being to recommend herself as Alice's guardian.

"Let's act together today, Alice."

Looking into Kikuko's gentle gray eyes and hearing her soft voice echoing in her ears, Alice's face involuntarily turned red, and she stammered, "Th-thank you for your trouble, Young Lady Kikuko."

Kikuko chuckled: "Leave it to me."

Whether it was seeing the friendly interaction beside him or the imminent entry into the Dragon's Den that could make Dragonite stronger, Luo Mu's mood was unexpectedly good at this moment.

He subtly looked left and right at the trainers who would be participating in the Dragon's Den trial with him; according to his observations, most people were likely just thinking about adding a Dragon-type or pseudo-Dragon-type Pokémon with excellent talent produced by the Dragon's Den, or perhaps a Pokémon from a dragon cluster egg.

Lady Drasna had no intention of obtaining the Extreme Speed secret technique, and Kikuko was only planning to focus on raising a child, so the number of potential competitors was pitifully small.

Figures like Drake, the Dragon-type Elite Four member from Hoenn, and the dragon-taming families from Paldea had not arrived, but... this still did not count as Luo Mu's personal show.

His gaze landed on a young girl with short black hair, wearing a tight-fitting top and hot pants, draped in a tattered gray cloak.

The name of this young girl floated up in Luo Mu's mind.

The Successor—Xiang Xiang Jiana.

He hadn't expected her to come here as well, which generated a doubt in Luo Mu's mind—

Could it be that the Blackthorn Clan's invitation letters were sent out in bulk?

In Luo Mu's impression, Xiang Xiang Jiana had only appeared in the games and the Special chapter; at the very least, the world he was in had no connection to the Special chapter, nor was there any particularly dark background; while leaning more towards the anime world, it also seemed to have slight traces of the game's plot, which had made Luo Mu, upon his initial arrival, very puzzled about what exactly the situation of this world was.

In the game, as a member of the Meteor People, Xiang Xiang Jiana traveled throughout the Hoenn region solely to awaken her "Lord Dragon," the Sky High Pokémon Rayquaza.

That being the case, she would actually accept the Blackthorn Clan's invitation; surely it wasn't for the Dragon-type Pokémon inside the Dragon's Den?

These held not the slightest attraction for Xiang Xiang Jiana, a member of the Meteor People; after all, quite a few Dragon-type Pokémon inhabited the Meteor Falls in the Hoenn region, and furthermore, Xiang Xiang Jiana herself, as a Successor, had countless intricate connections with the legendary Pokémon Rayquaza.

This gave Luo Mu reason to suspect that Xiang Xiang Jiana might have come for the Extreme Speed secret technique, in order to become a stronger Successor and gain Rayquaza's favor.

"Rayquaza, huh?"

Luo Mu withdrew his gaze and murmured to himself in a voice only he could hear.

Was the black Rayquaza he had encountered the same individual as the "Lord Dragon" worshipped by Xiang Xiang Jiana?

Or perhaps, above the ozone layer of this world, two Rayquaza existed; if so, how was their territory divided?

Did the atmosphere over half the planet on the Paldea side belong to the black Rayquaza, and the atmosphere over half the planet on the Kanto side belong to the green Rayquaza?

The various thoughts churning in Luo Mu's mind only ceased when Wataru and Ibuki brought the exceedingly aged Dragon Elder before everyone; listening to the Dragon Elder re-explain the precautions, Luo Mu stopped letting his mind wander, deciding it was better to listen clearly to the rules first, as there might be clues to the so-called hidden trial within them.

Unfortunately, everything the Dragon Elder spoke of had already been covered yesterday; once the Dragon Elder finished speaking, she smiled, pointed toward the spacious lake in the due north direction, and said aloud: "The first stage of the Dragon's Den trial is to find the entrance to the Dragon's Den located somewhere in the lake."

"After finding the entrance, demonstrate your strength!"

"Only after breaking through the whirlpool and gale at the entrance and passing through the Dragon Shrine will you be considered to have entered the Dragon's Den!"

(End of Chapter)