Chapter 680

Unfortunately, the Dragonite’s idea was swiftly cut off at the sprout stage by the Dragonite Chief.

“Awooo~”

After shaking off the Dragonite, the Dragonite Chief did not press the advantage; instead, it dispersed its battle aura and let out a calm call.

Compared to its earlier commanding presence, it now resembled a kind old grandfather.

The faint air currents gathering around the Dragonite briefly stabilized, then were deliberately dissipated by the Chief.

“Bomoo?”

It tilted its head toward the Dragonite Chief, puzzled by the sudden loss of battle intent.

At this moment, the Dragonite Chief was unaware of what it had just narrowly avoided, and with a wise wave of its claw, it called, “Awooo, awooo—”

(There’s no need to fight further—I never had a chance to win from the start—)

As the eldest Dragonite on the island, the Chief possessed considerable experience, further reinforced by firsthand combat.

The longer the battle lasted, the clearer it became how vast the gap was between itself and the Dragonite—evident from how effortlessly the Dragonite had withstood its counterattacks.

Not to mention the absurdly swift speed that had struck it down before it could even react.

If this conclusion was already reached, what purpose was there in continuing the fight?

This wasn’t a mortal duel meant to settle supremacy and life-or-death.

As long as the goal was achieved—demonstrating strength sufficient to convince the tribe—it was enough.

And now, from the expressions of the wild Dragonites, Haxorus, and Dratini gathered around, it was clear they had fully accepted the Dragonite’s strength.

Even the previously smug Shiny Dragonite had lowered its head.

—Though how much of that respect was for the incoming new Chief, and how much stemmed from its hormonal impulses, remained unknown.

Walking before the Dragonite, the Dragonite Chief gently touched the Dragonite’s antennae with its own horn.

This gesture symbolized the transfer of authority and status; the Chief would now become an “Elder,” while the Dragonite would lead this isolated island.

The next moment.

Guided by the first few Dragonites to cry out, a prolonged chorus echoed across the entire island.

“Bomoo—”

The sound felt like a celebration of the new Chief’s ascension.

Surrounded by these calls, the Dragonite swished its tail, experiencing such a novel sensation for the first time.

Luo Mu, watching this scene, also smiled faintly.

Though the rules, process, and transition had been hasty, most wild Pokémon didn’t care about “ceremony” anyway.

He was too focused on the Dragonite’s figure to notice the sparkling eyes of his Bear disciple beside him.

After dusk, the black curtain of night descended over the sky.

Even after becoming the leader of the Dragonite tribe, most things remained largely unchanged.

The wild Dragonites continued their leisurely lives by the lake, enjoying their days as before.

But when the Dragonite passed by, their gazes carried more respect, and many Dratini now reverently circled around it.

A Dragonite barely a year and a half old couldn’t handle such attention—it soon became smug and puffed up.

Luo Mu watched from afar, his lips curling into a subtle smile.

—Enough of that.

No way. No way. No way.

Surely no one thinks he’d say Ash’s classic lines like, “Dragonite has many kin here—it’ll be happy,” or “Taking on the Chief’s duty, staying here to protect them is the right choice”?

Nothing like “Charizard staying here among many of its kind must mean it will live happily” or “Taking on the role of clan chief, Charizard staying here to protect them is the right choice” could possibly exist.

If a newly captured Pokémon expressed a desire to return to the wild, Luo Mu might let it go.

But given his bond with the Dragonite, neither he nor the Dragonite would even entertain the thought.

Right now, he and the Dragonite were simply waiting for the Dragonite Chief—now former Chief—to prepare.

Hearing that Luo Mu and the Dragonite would leave the Dragonite Island for the Paldea region the next day, the former Chief immediately began preparations.

Fortunately, the “inheritance” of this mysterious power didn’t require exotic conditions like auspicious timing or specific locations—it merely seemed a bit “choosy” about who could receive it.

Strictly speaking, only the colossal Dragonite guardian and each successive Dragonite Chief knew the location of the power’s inheritance site.

All other wild Dragonites, or even Pokémon that weren’t Dragonites, were barred from entering.

Had it not been for Luo Mu being the Dragonite’s Trainer, he might not have been allowed in either.

Since the former Chief had already made an exception for him once, Luo Mu had no intention to push further and test the Chief’s “limits of patience.”

Luo Mu could only have Flareon and the others bring the Bear disciple back to the campsite, reuniting once matters were settled.

The former Dragonite Chief returned far sooner than Luo Mu had expected.

Leading the Dragonite and Luo Mu, the former Chief arrived at a steep cliff.

Violent waves below pounded the cliff face, as if effortlessly swallowing any living thing and erasing it into the vast ocean.

A perfect spot to dispose of a corpse.

Yet the overwhelming scene paled in the presence of a colossal body.

—The colossal Dragonite had arrived, standing firmly amid the waves, utterly unmoved.

“Size really does have its advantages.”

Watching the colossal Dragonite’s massive head jut from the cliff, Luo Mu remarked.

The Dragonite nodded in agreement.

Even if it were caught in those waves representing nature’s fury, it would struggle to escape—but the colossal Dragonite treated them like tickles.

After his moment of awe, Luo Mu turned his attention to the matter at hand.

“You’re not seriously saying the place where the mysterious power is inherited is beneath this cliff?”

Luo Mu cautiously asked the former Chief.

To his despair, the former Dragonite Chief nodded.

“Awooo?”

It looked at Luo Mu with confusion, as if asking, How did you know?

This had been their secret for ages!

Luo Mu: “.”

Seriously? You’re really going with the “accidentally fall off cliff, find legendary manual” trope?

Soon, Luo Mu understood the colossal Dragonite’s role.

It placed its massive claws on the cliff’s edge, its huge body blocking the surging ocean waters, forcibly creating a temporary dry area.

If one looked closely, a small opening could be seen within that dry patch.

“Awooo~”

The former Chief pointed to it and leapt off the cliff, flying toward the opening.

“Bomoo.”

Hearing the former Chief’s instruction, the Dragonite turned to Luo Mu, its tone urging.

—The former Chief said the colossal Dragonite could only hold back the water for a limited time; its body structure made it impossible to sustain the barrier indefinitely, and seawater continuously seeped through the gaps, eventually filling the entrance again.

They had to enter quickly.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Though he didn’t fully grasp the Dragonite’s exact meaning, Luo Mu understood its general urgency.

Mounted on the Dragonite, they quickly reached the entrance.

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

Once their feet touched solid ground, it turned and led the way.

Luo Mu glanced worriedly at the entrance outside, where mist was already gathering.

He seriously doubted the place would be flooded when the seawater rushed back—

Luo Mu voiced his concern to the former Chief, who merely waved a claw and calmly called out.

“Awooo.” (Walk fast, and you won’t get drowned.)

Still, considering Luo Mu’s worry, the former Chief quickened its pace.

As they advanced deeper, Luo Mu understood why the former Chief was so composed.

He had assumed it was because Dragonites could normally swim and breathe underwater—but after traversing a stretch of tunnel, the structure ahead eased his fears.

—This “secret place” resembled, by existing examples, a “submarine cave.”

The steep incline, combined with the subtle balance between sea level and the cave’s internal structure, kept the incoming seawater at a level that wouldn’t impede their progress.

Even without the colossal Dragonite, they could simply dive out if they needed to leave.

But Luo Mu had no more attention to spare for such details.

Before him stood a stone statue of a Dragonite atop a primitive altar, and he fell into deep thought.

Why would a Dragonite-shaped statue exist in such a place?

The former Chief’s gaze toward the statue was filled with reverence—as if the statue held some profound meaning.

It stepped forward and assumed a posture like prayer.

Miraculously, the seemingly ordinary Dragonite statue began to glow with a faint white light, forming a luminous “aura” around it.

Simultaneously, a stronger, brighter light emanated from the former Chief’s body.

Luo Mu clearly saw the former Chief’s light peeling away, like weary birds returning home, merging with the statue’s glow.

Soon, the former Chief’s light vanished entirely, and its previously hidden, formidable aura disappeared with it.

Although it did not cause it to age rapidly, the aura and physical qualities that had initially caught Luo Mu’s eye vanished along with it.

Watching this, Luo Mu murmured softly: “So this… is a dominant aura that can be stripped and replaced?”

Unlike the former Dragonite clan chief, whose traits were only evident in physical strength and roars.

From the aura formed by the light emitted from the Dragonite statue, it truly resembled the dominant aura in his memory.

But it seemed that over the passage of time, some changes had occurred—it was no longer like the original.

As Luo Mu analyzed, the former Dragonite clan chief waved at the somewhat dazed Dragonite.

“Aowu.” (Come and touch it. If you have the qualification, you may inherit a power.)

This power could not be inherited by just anyone, so the former Dragonite clan chief was extremely cautious when selecting a new clan leader.

“Bowo.” (I feel a force inside the statue that feels deeply familiar to me…)

Dragonite let out a low cry and, as if under no control of its own will, was drawn toward it.

Gazing at the Dragonite statue, the feeling of being drawn to it grew stronger within it.

—So strong that it even sparked an impulse to smash the Dragonite statue and see what lay inside.

But Dragonite was, after all, Luo Mu’s well-trained pup, and it firmly suppressed that impulse.

It simply followed the former Dragonite clan chief’s expectant gaze and touched the faint white light emanating from the statue.

At the moment of contact, the white light spread rapidly up its chubby claws and across its body.

Until dawn broke, beneath the giant Dragonite’s once again shielding of ten thousand acres of sea, Luo Mu, Dragonite, and the former Dragonite clan chief stepped out of the cave.

“Aowu.”

The former Dragonite clan chief looked at Dragonite with satisfaction; this night’s experience confirmed that accepting the giant Dragonite’s proposal had been the wisest choice.

With Dragonite’s talent, inheriting that mysterious power was almost effortless—none of the scenarios it had feared occurred.

First glancing at the now noticeably older former Dragonite clan chief, Dragonite lowered its head to examine its right claw.

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

But awakening it would require further effort over time.

At that moment, Luo Mu, who had quietly organized the information gathered last night, spoke: “Get ready—we should depart for home soon.”

The former Dragonite clan chief did not try to keep them, for with Dragonite’s flight speed, it could return to this island anytime.

Just like adult Dragonite, it would leave Dragonite Island for stretches of time, then return periodically.

There was no need to say goodbye.

After bidding farewell to the former Dragonite clan chief and the giant Dragonite, Luo Mu and Dragonite returned directly to camp.

The camp had already been tidied by Gyarados and the others; upon seeing Luo Mu and Dragonite return, they gathered around, staring curiously at Dragonite, as if assessing what new changes it had undergone.

At the edge of the circle, the Bear Disciple’s face twisted in indecision, watching Luo Mu and the others prepare to leave, its heart filled with hesitation.

Should I try to ask?

Recalling the old man’s teachings from memory, the Bear Disciple gradually made up its mind.

But before it could take a step, Luo Mu—who had also been worrying about the Bear Disciple’s whereabouts—pushed through the crowd of Gyarados and crouched before it, asking seriously: “What are you going to do?”

“Shall I take you home?”

(End of Chapter)