Pokemon Paldea [311-312] (Patreon)

Chapter 311: The Future Unova Champion, Iris, Comes to Challenge!

Hastily finishing her dessert, Cynthia dabbed her mouth and hands with a handkerchief and called out to Drasna.

“Excuse me, Ms. Drasna, do you know that person?”

Being stopped, Drasna blinked, not quite sure what this young woman—who happened to be from the same hometown as her grandparents—was thinking.

Still, she answered Cynthia’s question.

“We met once in passing. We exchanged contact info then. I was just going to say hello.”

Drasna’s tone naturally carried a languid ease that made her seem very approachable.

But Cynthia knew all too well how much strength lay hidden beneath that unhurried exterior.

She had only just learned that Drasna’s grandparents once lived in Celestic Town in Sinnoh; it was possible they were even related.

That made Cynthia’s manner even more respectful than usual. “You must have watched that livestream earlier too, Ms. Drasna. To be honest, I’m very interested in the Three Legendary Birds’ historical background. I’d like to get in touch with him.”

That reason was more than enough to convince Drasna. She recalled that before becoming Sinnoh League Champion, Cynthia’s main profession—like her grandmother Professor Carolina—was archaeology.

But when the two of them reached the main banquet table where Lucas was sitting, someone beat them to him and had already struck up a conversation.

“I’ve long heard of your name, Mr. Lucas.”

A whitehaired elderly man, still walking with the vigor of youth, came up to Lucas as he was busy devouring a chicken leg and greeted him.

The man’s white shirt and suspenders did nothing to hide his sturdy build. His swelling muscles filled out his clothes; he was clearly someone who trained diligently.

“Ah—hello.”

Lucas paused mid–bite, blinking at the pair of pectorals in front of him that looked like they could crush his head between them.

What a robust old man, he thought. That musculature looked like it could punch straight through a heavy bag.

Seeing Lucas respond, Drayden’s lower face, completely hidden by his white beard, curved into a slightly stern smile. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Drayden from Unova, currently the Gym Leader of Opelucid Gym and the President of Opelucid Academy.”

Then Drayden introduced the expectant girl at his side.

“This is Iris, from the Village of Dragons. She’s currently studying at the Opelucid Academy.”

Drayden and Iris?

Lucas was a little surprised. He had seen their names on the guest list, but for the master and apprentice to approach him on their own—was it just to make his acquaintance?

No, he suddenly remembered something. The BB League Elite Four, Drayton—wasn’t he Drayden’s grandson?

He recalled how, before leaving Blueberry Academy, he and Dragonite had handed Drayton a clean defeat when Drayton challenged them. Surely Drayden wasn’t here to avenge his grandson?

Thankfully, that clearly wasn’t Drayden’s intent.

He was friendly to Lucas, and unless Lucas was imagining it, he thought he saw a hint of helplessness beneath Drayden’s smile.

A thousand thoughts flickered by, but that didn’t stop Lucas from greeting the future Unova Champion—who was probably around Nemona’s age.

Propping a hand on his knee, he gave Iris a gentle smile. “Hello there, Iris.”

Iris’ small face flashed with flustered delight. Usually a lively tomboy, she now seemed a little timid.

Facing Lucas’s kindness, Iris took a few deep breaths in her heart before stammering slightly, “Hhello, big brother! I’m Iris. I saw you and Dragonite on TV—you were so cool!”

Her voice shifted quickly from awkward to excited.

Halfway through meeting Lucas’s eyes, her gaze slid to Dragonite, who was ignoring the social niceties and eating like a bottomless pit.

“Drago~?”

Perhaps feeling the heat of her stare, Dragonite tilted its head and let out a puzzled cry.

Drayden gave Lucas an apologetic smile. “Sorry—this child really loves Dragontype Pokémon.”

Lucas shook his head, unconcerned. “It’s fine.”

He already knew how much Iris loved Dragon types; most likely the one she admired was Dragonite even more than himself.

The instant Iris’ eyes met Dragonite’s, a strange power spread. She felt as if she drew close to Dragonite.

As if seeing something unbelievable, Iris’ eyes widened and she murmured, “A storm…”

“A storm?”

Lucas and Drayden looked at her, puzzled.

Not far away, Cynthia and Drasna—who had just arrived—paused. They too heard Iris blurt out “storm” and showed pensive looks.

Cynthia, with her vast knowledge, touched her chin, searching her memory. Then she said, “That child… seems to be from the Village of Dragons.”

Drasna nodded. “The attire matches.”

Cynthia continued, recalling, “My grandmother once told me: some gifted people in the Village of Dragons can communicate with Dragontype Pokémon without obstruction, becoming closer to them in spirit—something like hearts as one, or telepathy.”

Drasna’s relaxed expression turned slightly astonished. “You mean the child has that ability?”

Cynthia nodded. “She probably unconsciously triggered it when she met eyes with Lucas’s Dragonite, and in that moment of spiritual closeness, she saw something.”

“But… a storm? Now that’s interesting.”

In Cynthia’s impression, storms were not ordinary things.

There were two banquet tables between them, so Lucas and Drayden didn’t hear Cynthia and Drasna’s conversation.

On Lucas’s side, Drayden explained Iris’ special ability in person. Lucas already knew, but he still listened attentively and pretended he didn’t.

In this world, it’s not only supernatural Pokémon—humans also have various special abilities:

Aura

The power to overcome

Psychic powers

Iris’ ability applies specifically to Dragon types. Since she uttered “storm” upon triggering it, perhaps during that dayandnight battle Lucas hadn’t witnessed, Lugia had bestowed even more changes upon Dragonite—changes Lucas had yet to discover.

Thanks to Iris’ ability, Lucas learned this and felt excited. Could Dragonite one day learn Lugia’s signature move—or even, like Lugia, control and stir up storms to some extent?

After properly getting acquainted with Drayden, Lucas learned why Drayden had brought Iris instead of his grandson Drayton.

When Drayden brought Iris from the Village of Dragons, he knew her talent on the trainer’s path was extraordinary.

She had spent a year learning the basics at Opelucid Academy. Rather than bringing Drayton—who had already matured and only needed to temper himself—to the banquet, it was better to bring Iris so she could broaden her horizons and meet peers.

After all, Drayden had very high expectations for her.

Listening to Drayden, Lucas couldn’t help but admire his eye.

What a find—he’d dug up the future Unova Champion.

At that moment, the future Champion Iris was hanging off sated Dragonite, looking blissful and giggling, having completely forgotten why she’d begged Grandpa Drayden to bring her to meet Lucas.

Unable to stand it, Drayden cleared his throat, pulling Iris back from Dragonite’s charm.

To Iris, Drayden was like a strict grandfather. Though they’d been together a while, she was still a bit afraid of him—like a student afraid of a teacher.

Remembering her original purpose, Iris hopped nimbly down from Dragonite’s back and, without beating around the bush, looked at Lucas with bright anticipation. “Big brother Lucas, please have a Pokémon battle with me!”

“…”

Thinking Drayden had only come to make introductions, Lucas paused midsip, calmly set the empty glass on the server’s tray, and looked at Iris.

“Do you have a Pokémon you can battle with right now?”

By his memory, Iris should be in the phase where her ace Axew couldn’t even beat wild Pokémon.

How was she going to battle him?

However, Iris confidently pulled a Poké Ball from her hair. “Come out, Excadrill!”

A flash of red.

A deepbrownbodied Pokémon with a white face, red cheek markings, and a pinktipped nose—like a mole—appeared before Lucas.

“Drill~!”

The moment it emerged, it raised its twin steel claws skyward and cried out with confidence.

Ground/Steel type—not exactly “Dragon”—this was Excadrill.

Lucas was puzzled. In the anime timeline, Excadrill should have been in a sulking funk after being oneshot by Drayden’s Pokémon. In the game timeline, Iris wouldn’t even have captured an Excadrill yet.

It was a bit confusing.

Iris’ Excadrill stared at Dragonite with fighting spirit, clacking its steel claws together with a ringing clang. If Iris hadn’t spoken, it would already have charged to challenge Dragonite.

Perhaps realizing that sending out Excadrill at a Dragontrainer banquet was a bit off, Iris said sheepishly, “My Axew is still growing. The only one I can battle with is Excadrill.”

Under her eager gaze, Lucas couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

Even if Iris didn’t challenge him, someone else would—like Clair, who was still receiving guests.

As a teacher, he might as well use the chance to give Iris some battle experience and build goodwill with the future Unova Champion. Maybe he could even poach her from Opelucid Academy to Naranja Academy.

“Alright, I accept your challenge.”

“But don’t worry—I have nonDragon Pokémon too. That way it won’t be awkward.”

Lucas smiled, took out a Poké Ball, and released the male Sandslash of his Sandslash couple.

Steel blades should meet steel claws.

As soon as Sandslash appeared, Excadrill locked onto it with blazing battle intent. The air between the two male Steel types became taut as a bowstring.

Iris pleaded, “Can’t we battle Dragonite?”

Lucas couldn’t help patting her head. “Too soon. Your Excadrill is very confident right now—that’s good. But if you challenge an opponent beyond your ability too early, bad things can happen.”

To protect his mate, the male Alolan Sandslash had naturally pushed his strength further. While still not on the level of the latebloomer Tyranitar in Mt. Silver or the precocious Duraludon in the wild, it was just right for Iris now.

The venue’s battlefield was at the back of the manor grounds, near the wilds.

Many trainers were already battling there, sending out either pure Dragon types or those loosely related to dragons, like Charmander or Gyarados.

Lucas was already a hero for saving the Orange Archipelago—a championlevel trainer with a booming reputation. Even if he wasn’t sending out a Dragon Pokémon, several trainers stopped their matches to watch.

Championlevel trainers were rare; they wanted to see how strong his Pokémon were.

Nervous, Iris stood opposite Lucas, taking deep breaths to steady her pounding heart.

Just as Drayden was about to step in as referee, an unexpected voice rang out.

“If you don’t mind, I can be the guest referee.”

They turned, and Drayden’s eyes widened slightly. He murmured, “The Sinnoh Champion…”

Lucas too was surprised that Cynthia appeared to referee. This was his first time seeing the wildly popular champion in person.

No wonder so many players called her their wife—Cynthia paired power with beauty. A shame her Garchomp’s Mega was poisoned…

Drasna, at Cynthia’s side, noticed Lucas’s glance and smiled, waving.

“The Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, and even Elite Four Drasna…”

The onlookers were stunned.

Add in Unova’s strongest Gym Leader, Opelucid’s Drayden, plus Paldea’s championclass trainer Lucas—and this small battlefield now hosted four of their idols!

“Then I’ll leave it to you, Champion Cynthia,” Drayden said, happy to focus fully on observing Iris and spotting any flaws.

Cynthia took her place with a smile. If she wasn’t battling, her face was always gentle.

She looked at Lucas and Sandslash, then Iris and Excadrill, and announced formally, “This will be a oneonone single battle. The victor is decided when the opponent’s Pokémon can no longer battle. Iris moves first.”

“Any objections?”

“No!”

“None.”

They spoke in unison, but Lucas gave Cynthia a quick, curious look.

Was it his imagination, or did Cynthia seem to be enjoying refereeing?

Her voice even sounded… cheerful.

Iris shouted excitedly, “Excadrill, Metal Claw!”

“Drill~!”

Excadrill’s steel claws gleamed silver, growing even sharper as it lunged to smash down on Sandslash.

“Block it. Hail.”

Only as Excadrill was about to close did Lucas’s calm voice land.

Sandslash had lived on the snowcapped mountains of the Terrarium’s polar zone; even a prodigy like Drayton would have trouble dealing with it there.

Even if Iris’s Excadrill was leagues stronger than a typical rookie’s starter, Sandslash crossed its arms, set its hardest hooked claws to receive the blow, and stopped the heavy, razorsharp strike.

“Shasha~!”

Sandslash howled skyward. Icetype energy surged around it, billowing as white mist that rolled up into the heavens.

In an instant—

Snow clouds blanketed the sky. Fine ice pellets fell, and the howling cold wind lashed Excadrill’s body as it failed to break Sandslash’s defense, making it frown.

This stuff was draining its stamina!

The spectators shivered. Though it was midsummer, they felt cold.

Referee Cynthia raised an eyebrow. “A weather strat, hm?”

Drasna rubbed her cheek, troubled. “Mm… using Hail at a Dragon Clan party—Mr. Lucas’s really not shy.”

Arms folded, Drayden focused on Iris. “Iris—what will you do in a hailstorm?”

Iris was about to answer, but the next move came from Sandslash.

In the blink of an eye, Sandslash—locked in a clash with Excadrill—vanished.

Next moment—

Behind the baffled Excadrill, Sandslash reappeared in a blur so fast it left afterimages.

A Karate Chop it had already charged smashed into Excadrill’s undefended back.

“Drill~!”

Excadrill yelped in pain, stumbled forward, and stared back, shocked, at Sandslash—unable to comprehend how it got behind it.

Iris was just as lost. With her current knowledge, she couldn’t understand how the sluggish Sandslash had suddenly dodged and countered.

Lucas smiled and explained, “My Sandslash is an Alolan form—Ice/Steel. Its Ability, Slush Rush, is simple.”

“Just doubles its Speed in Hail.”

Chapter 312: Cynthia Loves Ice Cream; Drayden Wants to Wrestle Lance

Just doubles its Speed!?

Even as green as she was compared to her future self, hearing Lucas’s casual line made Iris feel at a loss for words.

Adding to her frustration was the fact that her Excadrill didn’t know any weather moves—she couldn’t even trigger its likely Sand Rush or Sand Force.

Feeling guilty, Iris shot a glance at Drayden. She’d skipped the Sandstorm lesson that day to go play outside—that’s why Excadrill hadn’t learned it.

Drayden’s face, hidden behind his beard, revealed nothing, but his gaze was sharp and unwavering, like a straight sword piercing through Iris’ distraction and forcing her to refocus on the battle.

Excadrill now defended against attacks from all directions. Without a weather move, it could only try to find openings in the opponent’s terrain.

Steel clashed on steel; sparks flew bright against the thick hail.

In Hail, Slush Rush negated the Alolan Sandslash’s weightinduced clumsiness from the heavy ice spines on its back.

Sandslash had already carved several deep wounds into Excadrill with its terrifyingly sharp hooks. Excadrill, by contrast, was being pinned down and whittled by Hail.

Though flustered, talent is illogical—using keen observation, Iris noticed Sandslash often surged forward a bit after highspeed movements, unable to fully overcome its momentum.

To check that, Sandslash needed one or two seconds after appearing to suppress that momentum—creating a tiny gap between reappearing and striking.

As Sandslash blitzed behind Excadrill again, Iris didn’t hesitate: “Excadrill, Stomping Tantrum!”

Trust between them ran deep; even before spotting Sandslash, Excadrill stomped down hard.

Ground cracked outward from Excadrill, an ocher shockwave sweeping the field. Sandslash, caught in its momentumcheck window, couldn’t dodge the welltimed strike.

Boom.

The roaring ocher wave exploded beneath Sandslash’s feet, blasting it head over heels.

“Yes!”

Feeling she’d sounded the counterattack horn, Iris leapt up with a cheer.

Drasna covered her mouth, surprised. “That child’s observation is sharp.”

Refereeing, Cynthia’s lips curled. “Excellent judgment.”

The surrounding Dragontype trainers gasped and withdrew their earlier “too green” assessments.

“Not bad.”

Lucas praised Iris’ nearferal battle sense.

“But if that’s all, you’re still far from beating Sandslash. Icicle Crash!”

Grimacing, Sandslash steadied itself. The thick, sharp spines on its back exuded frost that surged into the sky, gathering over Excadrill.

With the Hail assisting, the icicles formed in a flash. Before Excadrill could react, a rain of spears fell.

“Oh right—Sandslash is Icetype too!”

Iris clapped a hand over her mouth. With Sandslash having used only Steel and Fighting moves so far, she’d almost forgotten Ice moves were even stronger in Hail.

“Don’t get hit! Drill Run!”

At the last second, Excadrill aligned its claws and head spike into one and spun at high speed, becoming a great drill.

Rather than intercept, it played to its Ground/rodent strengths and dove for the earth.

In a single breath, half its body had burrowed underground.

But then Icicle Crash hit.

Kaboom!

Ice shards sprayed. Frost instantly froze the area; white mist billowed, turning the field into a fairyland.

A very cold fairyland.

The power stunned the Dragontype onlookers. Who would’ve thought Ice moves would shine brightest at a Dragon festival?

When Excadrill drilled back up and landed on the thin ice, a brittle crack sounded. They could see the pained look on its face—its legs numbed by frostbite.

Because Garchomp is 4x weak to Ice, Cynthia had extensive experience with such interactions. She frowned slightly. “Still too late.”

Icicle Crash’s massive Ice energy had exploded, catching Excadrill before it could get fully underground and freezing its legs.

And with its legs slowed by cold, Excadrill was now a lamb for Slush Rush Sandslash. Defeat was only a matter of time.

“Excadrill!”

Iris’ worried voice rang out. Drayden sighed imperceptibly. Four words surfaced in his mind—

The die is cast.

Events unfolded as he expected. Hobbled, Excadrill couldn’t withstand Sandslash’s blend of speed and power. Even a desperate Horn Drill was meaningless against an almost errorless Sandslash under Lucas’s command.

Sandslash dodged Horn Drill, then finished with another Icicle Crash, draining Excadrill’s last drop of stamina.

In heels, Cynthia stepped onto the ice, checked Excadrill, and declared firmly, “Excadrill is unable to battle. Sandslash and Champion Lucas are the winners!”

“Drago~~”

“Shasha!”

Sandslash strode back to Lucas, highfiving Dragonite, who’d watched intently.

Sandslash felt a bit relieved.

Thank goodness Dragonite had asked it to help train cold resistance—a major weakness. In assisting, Sandslash had discovered more of its own power. Otherwise, fighting this bullheaded youngster would’ve been tough.

Iris walked over, crestfallen, and said to the barely conscious Excadrill, “I’m sorry—if only I’d been more focused…”

Excadrill gave her a helpless look—why did it have to comfort her after losing?

“Drill…”

Even so, it didn’t hesitate. In a thin voice, it comforted Iris.

In that instant, even though Excadrill wasn’t a Dragon type, Iris sensed its frustration and unyielding spirit.

Eyes widening, she smiled, reigniting her fighting will. “Mm! We’ll train when we get back to the academy—then challenge big brother Lucas again!”

Seeing her recover cheered Drayden, Cynthia, and Drasna. The League’s future would be forged by such lively youth.

Drayden was about to call the Dragon Clan’s healers when Lucas stopped him and sent out a small Comfey with a smile. “Let Comfey handle the treatment.”

“Feyfey~”

The reliable little doctor floated over Excadrill’s head. Under Iris’ curious gaze, it swayed, and a sweet floral scent with rosy light enveloped Excadrill.

Healing energy flowed—numb legs regained feeling, and stamina returned.

Iris looked up at Comfey. “It smells so good—what Pokémon is this?”

“Comfey—a Pokémon unique to Alola. Fairytype, excellent at healing,” Cynthia answered, having handed Excadrill back.

“Fairytype…”

The Dragon trainers—already wary of Ice—froze at “Fairy.” One resists Dragon, one is supereffective on Dragon, and one is immune to Dragon while also supereffective.

Was Lucas here to crash the Dragon festival?

As the crowd dispersed, Lucas and the others left the battlefield for an open space.

Cynthia smoothed her waistlength blonde hair, smiled, and offered a hand. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Cynthia—an archaeologist, currently serving as Sinnoh League Champion.”

Lucas shook lightly. “An honor, Champion Cynthia.”

He thought it was just a cordial greeting, but Cynthia suddenly said, “Just call me Cynthia. After all, this is our second meeting.”

“Huh?”

Lucas paused.

“Oh my—did you forget me?” Cynthia covered her mouth, chuckling. “The creamicecream Pokéblock. Delicious. Didn’t your Alcremie come with you this time?”

“Ms. C?”

Lucas’s eyes widened as memory flashed back—to the dessert contest in Medali, where he’d won the Alcremie evolution item and where a blonde judge wearing a Togepi mask had gone by “Ms. C.”

“So you remember…”

Before she could finish, Iris, collected again, blinked and asked, “Ms. Cynthia, what’s that creamicecream Pokéblock? It sounds so yummy!”

At that, Cynthia glanced at Lucas. He understood she was asking permission to tell the story, and nodded. He didn’t mind.

These days, his main job was farmer; trainer was the sidegig.

Even Drasna and the usuallyproper Drayden pricked up their ears, curious when Lucas and Cynthia had met.

Cynthia recounted the small tale: invited to be an anonymous dessert judge; Lucas made orangepeel honey Pokéblocks with ice cream and won. A lowstakes, charming story.

When she finished, Cynthia put a finger to her lips and smiled at Iris. “Please keep this a secret—especially from Lucian and Bertha.”

She’d dumped her work on Lucian and Bertha to attend that event, after all.

Drayden looked a bit odd. In his mind, Sinnoh’s Battle Goddess Cynthia always exuded a commanding aura on the field—no less than any man.

He hadn’t expected her to love sweets so much.

Drasna cradled her face, her eyes narrowing into crescents. “Just hearing Cynthia’s praise makes even an old lady like me crave that dessert.”

Iris nodded furiously, a drop of drool at the corner of her mouth. “Me too!”

They chatted, but their eyes drifted toward Lucas. He wasn’t dense; he knew what they were angling for.

“You’re all welcome to visit my farm sometime. It’s in Paldea—on the outskirts of Los Platos. Lucas Farm.”

Whether Cynthia, Drayden, Drasna, or Iris, all were potential future customers—maybe even bridges to other regions.

Currently, his farm byproducts sold in Los Platos and a few items were auctioned in Levincia, but it never hurt to cultivate clients.

Drasna beamed. “I’ll definitely make time to visit~”

“Teacher, teacher!” Iris’ starry eyes sparkled at Drayden. Cold outside, warm within, Drayden soon caved.

He bowed slightly to Lucas. “Then, please allow me to bring Iris to visit.”

Lucas nodded. “Please contact me then.”

Cynthia smiled too. “Might I join the fun?”

“But of course. We’ve just started keeping Miltank; I’m switching the ice cream milk base to MooMoo Milk. I’m also planning goatmilk from Skiddo—and Alcremie’s Salted Cream ice cream toppings in the Pokéblocks.”

He spoke calmly about upgrading his ingredients—but when he finished, he noticed Cynthia had gone silent.

When he looked over, she was frozen—literally slackjawed.

He suddenly recalled: canonically, Cynthia not only loved sweets—her favorite was… ice cream!?

Her vacant stare quickly turned into impatience. If not for champion duties and archaeology after the festival, she’d head straight to Paldea to visit the farm.

Pure MooMoo Milk and saltedblended goatmilk ice cream—just imagining it made her want to drop everything and go.

Sadly, reason prevailed.

Before they could talk further, night fell completely. Bright lights lit the Dragon Clan manor like day.

In the next instant, a gale dropped from the sky, precise and controlled—no harm done, yet impossible to ignore.

All eyes turned upward to see a Dragonite with its aura contained. On its back rode… Kanto Elite Four and Champion—Lance!

Cynthia’s eyes sparkled. “Perfect control of power. Interesting.”

Next moment—

Amid gasps, Lance leapt down from a hundred meters up. His redlined black cape snapped in the wind, then stilled as he landed smoothly.

Lucas’s mouth twitched. Were Kanto/Johto folks always this theatrical? That was a hundred meters.

Drayden and Drasna, however, saw the trick.

“That Dragonite… used wind to cancel most of the falling force,” Drayden said.

“And with that welltrained body—and absolute trust in Dragonite—that entrance was possible. He’s not just a Dragon specialist—he’s skilled in the domain of Flying, too,” Drasna added.

Drayden nodded slightly. Usually wrestling with Haxorus, Druddigon, and Salamence, he suddenly had the urge to wrestle Lance to see whose physique was stronger.

With Lance drawing all eyes, Clair arrived with a very elderly man.

The old man introduced himself as the Dragon Elder, guardian of the Dragon’s Den.

Smiling, he welcomed the dragon tamers gathered from around the world. Then he said, “Tonight is merely the appetizer for our Dragon Festival, in thanks for your presence.”

“After tonight’s banquet, tomorrow morning—here—we’ll hold the true event of the Dragon Festival: the Dragon’s Den Trial!”

“On behalf of the Dragon Clan, I promise: any trainer who passes the obstacles at the Den’s entrance and reaches its depths may choose a Dragontype or a Pokémon bearing dragon bloodlines from within—even our clan’s Dratini, Dragonair, and Dragonite.”

“And if you pass the hidden trial, and your Pokémon is Dragontype and can learn Extreme Speed… I will personally pass down the Dragon Clan’s secret Extreme Speed technique to you!”