Chapter 680: The Dragonite Statue of Inherited Power and Kubfu's Decision

Unfortunately, the Dragonite's plans were nipped in the bud by the Dragonite Elder before they could even be implemented.

"Aowu~"

After shaking off the Dragonite, the Dragonite Elder did not press the advantage; instead, it dispersed its battle intent and let out a peaceful cry.

Compared to its earlier domineering self, it now resembled a kind old grandfather.

The air currents that had begun to subtly gather around the Dragonite stagnated briefly before being actively dispersed by it.

"Bouwu?"

It tilted its head, looking at the Dragonite Elder, puzzled as to why the other had suddenly lost its fighting spirit.

At this moment, the Dragonite Elder, unaware of what disaster it had just narrowly avoided, waved its hand in a mature manner, saying, "Aowu, aowu—"

(There is no need to continue fighting; I never had a chance of victory from the very beginning—)

As the oldest Dragonite on the island, the Dragonite Elder possessed considerable experience, further compounded by having personally experienced the battle.

The further the fight progressed, the clearer it became that there was a tremendous gap between itself and the Dragonite, evident from how easily the Dragonite could withstand its counterattacks.

Not to mention that terrifyingly fast speed that caused it to be knocked down before it could even react.

Since such a conclusion had already been reached, what necessity was there to continue fighting?

Theirs was not a life-or-death battle meant to determine a clear winner and loser.

As long as the objective was achieved and strength sufficient to convince the clansmen was demonstrated, that was enough.

And now, judging by the expressions of the wild Dragonites, Dragonairs, and Dratinis gathered around, it was clear they had fully acknowledged the Dragonite's strength.

Even the Shiny Dragonite, who had previously been quite slick, lowered its head at this moment.

—It remains unknown, however, how much of that was respect for the soon-to-be-new Elder, and how much stemmed from its thoughts saturated with heavy hormones.

Walking up to the Dragonite, the Dragonite Elder gently touched the horn on the Dragonite's head with the single horn on its own head.

This gesture symbolized the transfer of power and status; in the future, it would become an existence akin to an "Elder," while the Dragonite would become the leader of this isolated island.

The next moment.

Guided by a few Dragonites that cried out first, enduring roars echoed across the entire island.

"Bouwu—"

That sound seemed to be celebrating the inauguration of the new Elder.

Surrounded by such cries, the Dragonite wagged its tail, experiencing this novel sensation for the first time.

Luo Mu, watching this scene, also displayed a smile on his face.

Although the rules, process, and succession were somewhat sloppy, most wild Pokémon would not pursue so-called "ritualistic sense" anyway.

Focused intently on the Dragonite's figure, he happened not to notice the sparkling eyes of the Kubfu beside him.

After dusk, the black curtain representing night enveloped the sky.

Even though the Dragonite had become the clan leader of Dragonite Island, most things actually remained largely unchanged.

The attitude of the wild Dragonites remained the same; they lived leisurely by the lakeside, enjoying happy days.

It was just that when the Dragonite passed by, their gazes held a few more degrees of respect, and quite a few Dratinis surrounded the Dragonite with admiration.

How could a child like the Dragonite, who had only been born a year and a half ago, withstand such attention? Before long, it was hooked into grinning ear to ear.

Watching this scene from afar, the corners of Luo Mu's mouth involuntarily curved upward slightly.

—Stop right there.

No way, no way, no way?

Could anyone really think he would utter those classic lines of Ash's?

Things like "Dragonite has many of its own kind here and will surely live happily," or "Having taken on the Elder's duties, staying here to protect them is the right choice for Dragonite," and so on, are impossible.

If a recently caught Pokémon developed the intention to return to the wild, Luo Mu might choose to let it go.

But given the bond between him and the Dragonite, neither he nor the Dragonite would even think of it, let alone mention it.

Right now, he and the Dragonite were simply waiting for the former Dragonite Elder—now the previous Elder—to make preparations.

Upon hearing that Luo Mu and the Dragonite would depart Dragonite Island to return to the Paldea region during the day, the Dragonite Elder immediately set about preparing.

Fortunately, the "inheritance" of that miraculous power did not seem to require meeting any picky conditions such as favorable timing, location, or specific time nodes; it merely seemed to be slightly "picky about which Dragonite."

Because strictly speaking, only the giant Dragonite acting as the guardian deity and each successive Dragonite Elder knew the location of the Place of Power Inheritance.

Other members of the wild Dragonite clan, or even Pokémon that were not Dragonites at all, were refused entry.

If not for considering that Luo Mu was the Dragonite's Trainer, perhaps even he would not have been allowed inside.

Since the former Dragonite Elder had already made an exception for him once, Luo Mu had no need to push his luck and challenge the other's "limit of patience."

Luo Mu could only have Moltres and the others take Kubfu back to the camping site first, planning to regroup after matters were settled.

The former Dragonite Elder returned much faster than Luo Mu had estimated.

Taking the Dragonite and Luo Mu along, the former Dragonite Elder traveled all the way to a steep cliff.

Below, fierce waves constantly battered the cliff face, as if they could easily sweep any living creature into them, causing it to vanish forever in this vast ocean.

It was truly an excellent location for murder and hiding corpses.

Yet this scene, which should have appeared full of oppression, became overshadowed by the presence of a massive body.

—The giant Dragonite had also arrived at the scene, standing firmly amidst these waves, completely unmoved by the surging tides.

"Having a large tonnage certainly has many benefits."

Looking at the giant Dragonite's huge head protruding over the cliff, Luo Mu remarked with a sigh.

The Dragonite also nodded in agreement.

Even if it were swept up in those waves representing the power of nature, extricating itself would take considerable effort, yet the giant Dragonite treated them as mere tickles.

After sighing in admiration for a moment, Luo Mu turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

"You wouldn't happen to be saying that the place capable of inheriting miraculous power is located beneath this cliff, would you?"

Luo Mu tentatively asked the former Dragonite chieftain.

To his despair, the former Dragonite chieftain actually nodded.

"Aowu~?"

It looked at Luo Mu with a face full of confusion, as if asking how he knew.

This was a secret they had hidden for a very long time!

Luo Mu: "."

Good heavens, are they really playing out the trope of carelessly falling off a cliff and then finding a peerless martial arts manual?

Soon, Luo Mu learned what the function of the giant Dragonite was.

It placed its huge claws on the edge of the broken cliff, its massive body blocking the surging ten thousand acres of seawater, forcibly creating a vast empty area temporarily free of seawater coverage.

If one looked carefully, one could discover that within that part of the empty area, there was a small entrance.

"Aowu~"

The former Dragonite chieftain pointed there, leaped off the broken cliff first, and flew in that direction.

"Bowu."

Hearing the former Dragonite chieftain's instruction, the Dragonite also looked at Luo Mu, its voice carrying a hint of urgency.

—The former Dragonite chieftain said that the giant Dragonite blocking the seawater also had a time limit; its bodily structure determined that it could not block the seawater indefinitely, and seawater had been continuously seeping into the existing gaps, so sooner or later the entrance would be filled with seawater again.

They had to enter as quickly as possible.

"Alright, then let's set out."

Even though he did not understand the Dragonite's specific meaning, Luo Mu still knew the general emotion it wanted to convey.

Riding on the Dragonite, they soon arrived outside the entrance.

The former Dragonite chieftain was already waiting inside for Luo Mu and the Dragonite.

Once they had their feet on solid ground, it turned around and led the way.

Luo Mu glanced worriedly at the entrance outside, where water vapor was already faintly gathering.

He deeply suspected whether this place would be flooded when the seawater rushed back in later—

Luo Mu voiced his concerns to the former Dragonite chieftain, but it merely waved its hand, not forgetting to let out a leisurely cry.

"Aowu." (If we walk fast, we won't get flooded.)

However, considering Luo Mu's worry, the former Dragonite chieftain still quickened its pace slightly.

As they advanced deeper, Luo Mu also understood why the former Dragonite chieftain was so composed.

Originally, he thought it was because the Dragonite clan could all move and breathe normally in seawater, but after walking through a section of the tunnel, the structure exposed before his eyes put him somewhat at ease.

—The structure of this "secret place," if referenced against existing examples, was like a place similar to an "undersea cave."

The relatively steep slope, combined with the height of the sea surface here subtly achieving a balance with the structure inside the cave, caused the encroaching seawater to stay at a position that would not affect their subsequent actions.

Even without the giant Dragonite, if they wanted to leave, they could directly swim out.

But Luo Mu no longer had the leisure to pay attention to these things.

Gazing at a stone Dragonite statue on that rather primitive altar, he fell into deep thought.

Why would a stone statue in the shape of a Dragonite appear in such a place?

The look in the former Dragonite chieftain's eyes as it gazed at the statue was full of respect, as if this statue held some special significance.

It walked to the front of the statue and performed an action resembling prayer.

Miraculously, that statue, which should have been just an ordinary Dragonite stone statue, gradually lit up with a faint Bai Guang, constructing a "aura" that enveloped the statue.

And on the body of the former Dragonite chieftain, an even more dense and dazzling light ignited.

Luo Mu could clearly see that the light on the Dragonite chieftain's body was being stripped away, merging with the light emanating from the statue like a tired bird returning to its nest.

Before long, the light on the former Dragonite chieftain's body completely vanished, and its originally deeply hidden powerful aura disappeared along with it.

Although it did not cause it to age rapidly, the aura and physical quality that had originally made Luo Mu's eyes light up also vanished together with it.

Watching this scene, Luo Mu murmured in a low voice: ". Is this a hegemon's aura that can be stripped and replaced?"

Compared to the former Dragonite chieftain's previous characteristics, which were only manifested in physical quality and roars.

Judging from the form of the aura constructed by the light emanating from the Dragonite stone statue, it really resembled the hegemon's aura in his impression.

It was just that seemingly with the passage of time, some changes had occurred, and it was no longer like the original.

While Luo Mu was analyzing, the former Dragonite chieftain beckoned to the Dragonite, which was somehow looking a bit dazed.

"Aowu." (Come touch it; as long as you possess the qualifications, you can inherit the same power.)

The inheritance of this power was not something anyone could receive, so when the former Dragonite chieftain screened for a new clan chieftain, it would be extremely cautious.

"Bowu." (I feel a power within the statue that makes me feel very close to it.)

The Dragonite let out a low cry, its body drawn forward as if out of control.

Gazing intently at the Dragonite stone statue, the feeling of being attracted by the statue in its heart grew increasingly intense.

—It even generated an impulse to smash the Dragonite stone statue and explore what was inside.

But the Dragonite was, after all, a well-behaved baby raised by Luo Mu, and the impulse arising in its heart was properly suppressed by it.

It merely followed the hopeful gaze of the former Dragonite chieftain and touched the Little Little Dandan Bai Guang emanating from the Dragonite stone statue.

At the moment of contact, the Bai Guang spread across its body along its chubby claws.

Until dawn broke, under the giant Dragonite's action of once again shielding ten thousand acres of seawater with its body, Luo Mu, the Dragonite, and the former Dragonite chieftain finally walked out of the cave.

"Aowu."

The former Dragonite chieftain looked at the Dragonite with satisfaction; the experience of this night only made it feel that accepting the giant Dragonite's proposal was the most correct choice.

With the Dragonite's aptitude, inheriting that miraculous power was almost effortless, and none of the situations it had worried about occurred at all.

After first glancing at the former Dragonite chieftain, whose appearance had become slightly more aged, the Dragonite lowered its head to look at its right claw.

It could sense a strange power lying dormant within its body.

It would just take some more effort and time to awaken it.

At this moment, Luo Mu, who had been silently organizing the intelligence gathered the previous night, also spoke up: "Get ready; it's about time we headed home."

The former Fast Dragon clan leader did not try to detain them, for at the Fast Dragon's flying speed, it could return to this island at any time.

Just like those adult Fast Dragons, it would often leave Fast Dragon Island for a period, only to return after some time had passed.

There was not even a need for farewells.

After bidding farewell to the former Fast Dragon clan leader and the giant Fast Dragon, Luo Mu and the Fast Dragon returned directly to the camp.

By now, the camp had been mostly tidied up by Swampert and the others; seeing Luo Mu and the Fast Dragon return, they all gathered around, curiously observing the Fast Dragon, as if sizing up what new changes it had undergone.

On the outer edge of the encircling crowd, Kubfu's small face wrinkled up in conflict; looking at Luo Mu and the others, who might depart at any moment, its heart was filled with hesitation.

Should I try making a request?

Recalling the advice given by that hunchbacked old man from its memories, Kubfu gradually made up its mind.

But before it could take a step, Luo Mu, who had likewise been concerned about Kubfu's whereabouts, squeezed out from the encirclement of Swampert and the others, squatted before it, and asked earnestly, "What do you plan to do?"

"Do you need me to send you home?"

(End of Chapter)