Pokemon Paldea [315-316] (Patreon)

Chapter 315: Dragon's Den Trial · The Secret of Extreme Speed · Lorekeeper Zinnia

"So amazing, so cool!"

Iris's eyes sparkled brilliantly. In this moment, she grasped more deeply what battles between top-tier Trainers truly were.

Ignoring the rainwater puddles all over the ground, Cynthia crouched, her beautiful gray eyes looking straight into Iris's.

"Iris, make sure you etch this into your heart. It will help you greatly in the future."

This perspective and experience would save Iris many detours, giving her a clear goal and the drive to pursue it.

Drasna held up Altaria's cottony wings with a troubled face. "Now they're soaked through. I'll have to go dry them."

Altaria's cotton wings could neutralize a lot of attacks, but they sagged when wet—still a bit inconvenient.

After temporarily recalling Altaria, Drasna glanced around at the pairs and small groups of Trainers who were marveling at the spectacle and discussing the details of the battle. She walked over to Cynthia and Iris, squinted her eyes with a smiling look, and asked, "What do you think of that battle, Ms. Cynthia?"

Cynthia paused and looked toward Lucas and Clair.

By then, Clair had handed Kingdra over to the Dragon Clan's healer, while Lucas was personally tending to Dragonite's minor injuries. From his practiced technique, it was obvious he had done this many times.

Perhaps Dragonite was startled by the coolness of the medicine—or maybe it was on purpose—but its hulking body toppled onto the unsuspecting Lucas, splashing straight into a puddle.

Feeling the cool dampness on his back, Lucas scowled and told Dragonite to get off. But Dragonite clung to him like a spoiled child, refusing to let him up no matter how he struggled, even wearing a pitiful expression that left Lucas with nowhere to vent his frustration.

Serperior watched coldly from the side, wearing the look of, "I don't know these two who like to roll in puddles."

Seeing this harmonious scene between human and Pokémon, a smile lifted the fine lines of Cynthia's profile. "It exceeded my expectations. A wonderful battle, Ms. Drasna."

"Is that so~"

Drasna's tone was as leisurely as ever. But neither Cynthia nor short-statured Iris noticed that, at some point, Drasna's perpetually narrowed eyes had opened.

Her sharp gaze swept over Cynthia and finally settled on the blazing look with which Cynthia watched Lucas and Dragonite.

In Drasna's view, the fire in Cynthia's eyes was fighting spirit, respect for the strong, and a confidence forged through countless battles.

The Battle Goddess of Sinnoh was, at this moment, filled with the desire for Lucas and his Dragonite—to battle them and emerge victorious.

No hesitation.

Cynthia longed to battle Lucas, but she knew it wasn't the right time—not tonight, at least. So she kept that desire firmly suppressed with reason.

Even Drasna admired the self-control of this woman who shared the same lineage as her own forebears.

However—

 "In the end, still a young one. So easy to read~"

Drasna whispered to herself, a flicker of anticipation flashing in her limpid eyes.

Leaving the League's future to the younger generation—Lucas, Cynthia, and Clair—filled her with unprecedented ease of mind.

Not long after Lucas and Clair's battle ended, Lance's match against Drayden wrapped up as well.

Lance won, as expected, but Drayden proved far more troublesome than he had anticipated. Though Lance had begun earlier, his battle ended later than Lucas versus Clair, giving him the feeling he'd lost a remote contest with Lucas.

As for Clair, who had lost, Lance would only wish success for his troublesome cousin.

Drayden was undoubtedly far stronger than Clair.

It wasn't about seniority—it was respect for Drayden's strength as one of Unova's main pillars.

Though Drayden was stronger than Clair, the fact remained that Lance's match started much earlier than Lucas's—so in a sense, Lance felt he'd lost.

But a loss is a loss. Lance of the Dragon Clan wouldn't stop because of one setback; he would simply aim to surpass Lucas next time. At least, there was no chance tonight.

It was close to midnight, and the guests should return to the Dragon Clan's luxury hotel to rest.

As the cars gradually departed, Lance quietly watched the now-silent estate. The stillness made the earlier clamor feel like a dream.

But the fiery heartbeat in his chest didn't lie. Lance pressed a hand to his chest and murmured, "That plan spearheaded by Galar… Perhaps it's worth considering."

…

Elsewhere, after bidding farewell to Clair, Cynthia, Drayden, Iris, and Drasna, Lucas rode a black sedan to the luxury hotel prepared by the Dragon Clan.

First thing upon entering, he ran to the bathroom to peel off his filthy, Dragonite-caused clothes and happily took a hot shower.

Humming a tuneless song, he left the bathroom in a robe. Gazing at the superb night view through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Lucas recalled the flash of a scene from the adjacent battlefield after he'd finished treating Dragonite's minor injuries.

It was when the battle between Lance and Drayden had reached its fever pitch—their Dragonite and Haxorus locked in ferocious close-quarters combat.

Haxorus's eyes glowed blood-red, its whole body shrouded in a baleful crimson aura—Undoubtedly, it had unleashed Outrage.

Like Draco Meteor, Outrage trades a side effect for explosive power.

Ordinary Dragon-type Pokémon, once they start Outrage, lose their reason and become berserk battle machines, intent only on defeating the enemy without regard for their own injuries.

Only Dragon Pokémon who can wield Outrage without losing sanity are truly ready to stand on their own. Drayden's Haxorus maintained reason, suppressing the rampage while fighting with the massive power boost from Outrage.

Side effects aside, Outrage did let Haxorus match Dragonite in raw power for a time.

This reminded Lucas of the World Championships, when Iris's Haxorus tanked a Mega Garchomp's Draco Meteor from Cynthia with Outrage.

Even so, Drayden's Haxorus still fell behind against Lance's Dragonite.

The reason was simple: besides being able to clash with Outrage in power, Lance's Dragonite maxed out speed and agility.

It was using some technique to remain in an "Extreme Speed state" during the fight, drastically increasing its speed via that powerful priority move.

Facing the axe-wielding Haxorus, Dragonite—glimmering with green light—would often slash first with an even faster Dragon Claw to drive it back, or slip past Haxorus's less precise attacks—though still rational, they lacked normal precision—and then land another strike.

From Lucas's observation, that technique didn't seem wildly over-the-top. At Lance's level, Dragonite only entered that state when trading blows with Outrage.

Once Outrage ended, Extreme Speed returned to being a single ultra-fast shoulder check.

Even if it likely had flaws and limits, the enhancement from this special use of Extreme Speed was enough to prove its worth as a Dragon Clan secret handed down through generations.

Lucas also remembered how, in the Alola League exhibition match, Kukui's Lucario used a somewhat similar technique to dodge the blazing speed of the Ultra Beast Naganadel and deal solid damage.

But that move still differed significantly from what Lance used; at minimum, Lucario couldn't use other moves while in the Extreme Speed state, whereas Dragonite could freely use Dragon Claw, Dragon Pulse, and even Hyper Beam.

Considering that Kukui had lost to Lance before and that his research specialty as a Professor was battling and moves, it all made sense.

Using his research skills, Kukui had copied Lance's Dragonite technique onto Lucario, but by merely aping the form, it captured the shape without the spirit.

Though he had mentally prepared for this, the image of Dragonite failing to fully accelerate and being unable to catch up to Kingdra during today's battle was still seared into Lucas's mind.

Geeta's words were right: if Dragonite mastered the Dragon Clan's Extreme Speed technique, then the power it had swelled to since Lugia would reach a new peak.

"It seems… I have to clear that so-called hidden trial."

…

The next day.

July 1st—a new month, a great time to make new strides in strength.

After washing up and putting on his dried clothes, Lucas opened his door to see four figures who seemed to have been waiting for a while.

"Good morning, big brother Lucas!"

Iris leapt in, as if she had been looking forward to this day for ages.

"Morning, Iris."

Lucas patted her head. Iris—who usually pouted and mumbled "Don't pat my head, I won't grow"—showed no displeasure at all.

This greatly discouraged Drayden, who had already been wronged and then was oddly refused when he invited Lance to a private wrestling match before leaving.

This little girl treated Lucas and him like two completely different people.

After greeting Iris, Lucas looked up at Cynthia, Drasna, and Drayden and greeted them in turn.

"Morning," Cynthia nodded, then invited, "Want to have breakfast with us? There's plenty of time before the Dragon's Den trial begins."

Iris rubbed her stomach with a strained look. "I'm a little hungry too…"

Since he planned to eat breakfast anyway, Lucas naturally didn't refuse. He nodded and joined them in the elevator to the hotel restaurant for a delicious meal.

As for how Iris's slightly unladylike eating gave Drayden a few more forehead lines, that wasn't Lucas's concern.

After a fine breakfast, they simply shared a car to the Dragon Clan's estate.

Lucas, Cynthia, Drasna, and Iris rode together. Drayden, not participating in the trial, chose to take his time—there were many things in Blackthorn City that interested him.

As for Iris's safety, Drayden was at ease. With Cynthia, who clearly doted on Iris, the Champion could be trusted.

Not to mention Lucas and Drasna were also looking after her. Since he'd taken the blame anyway, Drayden figured he might as well take the chance to reward and comfort himself.

If Drayton were here to see his usually rigid grandpa being so flexible, his jaw might drop.

At 9 a.m., their car rolled steadily into the Dragon Clan's suburban estate. When the four reached the assembly area, they saw quite a few people already gathered.

But compared to yesterday's crowd spread across the grounds, the numbers had shrunk by more than half.

More concretely, most of the established or older guests hadn't joined, leaving the opportunity to the younger generation.

Most Trainers here were under thirty, but Lucas and company's arrival still stirred whispers.

No one expected that—never mind Iris—accomplished Trainers like Lucas, Cynthia, and Drasna would opt to join the Dragon's Den trial.

The strong aura they unconsciously radiated would likely attract many Dragon Pokémon to volunteer themselves. Most dragons admired strength, and their innate wisdom told them how important it was to follow the right Trainer.

Who knew—those three might attract the most gifted dragon Pokémon inside!

Seeing the crowd keep its distance, Drasna sighed. "My, my, looks like we're being isolated."

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

Cynthia smiled. She had no plans to capture any Pokémon today; her main role was to volunteer as Iris's guardian.

"Let's stick together today, Iris."

Hearing Cynthia's gentle voice and seeing her warm gray eyes, Iris blushed and stammered, "Th-thank you for the trouble, Ms. Cynthia."

Cynthia chuckled. "Leave it to me."

Whether it was watching this warm interaction or thinking ahead to the Dragon's Den that could make Dragonite stronger, Lucas felt uncommonly cheerful.

He unobtrusively sized up the Trainers who would be entering the trial alongside him. Most seemed intent on securing a dragon from the Den—either a gifted Dragon- or quasi-Dragon-type, or perhaps an egg from the dragon brood.

Drasna didn't seem to be after the Extreme Speed manual. Cynthia planned to focus on babysitting. The potential competition was minimal.

Dragon specialists like Hoenn's Drake or the Paldean dragon-tamer families weren't present—but this still wouldn't be a one-man show for Lucas.

His gaze fell on a short-haired girl in a fitted top and hot pants, a tattered gray cloak on her shoulders.

A name surfaced in his mind.

Zinnia.

He hadn't expected her to come. This raised a question—

Were the Dragon Clan's invitations mass-sent?

In Lucas's impression, Zinnia only appeared in the games and the manga. The world he was in didn't seem connected to the manga—there wasn't a particularly dark background—and it leaned more toward the anime while showing traces of the game's plot. Early on, this mix had made Lucas wonder what kind of world this really was.

In the games, as a member of the Draconid people, Zinnia traversed Hoenn to awaken the Sky High Pokémon, Rayquaza.

For someone like her to accept the Dragon Clan's invitation—surely not for the Dragon Pokémon in the Den?

 Those held no lure for a Draconid like Zinnia. The Meteor Falls of Hoenn housed plenty of Dragon Pokémon, and as the Lorekeeper, Zinnia herself was closely tied to the legendary Rayquaza.

This led Lucas to suspect Zinnia came for the Extreme Speed manual—to become a stronger Lorekeeper and win Rayquaza's favor.

"Rayquaza, huh?"

Lucas withdrew his gaze and muttered to himself.

Was the black Rayquaza he'd encountered the same being as Zinnia's Rayquaza?

Or were there two Rayquaza in the ozone layer of this world? How would they divide their territory?

The half of the planet's atmosphere over Paldea belongs to the black Rayquaza; the Kanto side belongs to the green Rayquaza?

His thoughts churned until Lance and Clair brought the aged Dragon Elder before the crowd. As the Elder re-explained the rules, Lucas stopped woolgathering to listen carefully—maybe there were clues about the hidden trial.

Unfortunately, the Elder repeated what she'd said yesterday. When she finished, she smiled, pointed to the broad lake due north, and said, "The first stage of the Dragon's Den trial—find the entrance somewhere in the lake."

"Once you find it, show your strength!"

"Break through the whirlpools and gales at the entrance, pass the Dragon Shrine, and then you'll be considered inside the Den!"

Chapter 316: The Giant Dragonite

"To enter the Den, the first condition is to pass through the strong whirlpools at the entrance or break through violent air currents. Basically, it's a test of the Trainer's strength."

Watching people set out one after another, Cynthia analyzed thoughtfully.

Drasna added in her leisurely tone, "I've heard of the Dragon Clan's Den. Most of it is caverns and water, home to the Kingdra, Dratini and Dragonair, and some Pokémon closely connected to dragons."

"But rumors say that somewhere in the Den there's a passage leading to the true core—ever-spring, where ordinary Pokémon and many Dragon-types live in harmony, like a utopia~"

"Utopia!"

By Cynthia's side, Iris's eyes shone with longing; she could barely wait to enter the Den and meet her new partner.

The speaker hadn't meant much by it, but the listener took it to heart.

What was legend to Drasna confirmed something for Lucas.

In the anime, beyond a passage deep in the Den lay a place called the Dragon Holy Land. Lucas felt it was highly likely connected to the so-called hidden trial.

Moments later.

As more people departed, they also prepared to head for the broad lake to search for the entrance.

Drasna mounted her Noivern; Cynthia had Garchomp carry Iris—Excadrill and Axew obviously couldn't ferry her across the lake.

They planned to split up. Lucas didn't try to meddle—both Cynthia and Drasna stood at the pinnacle of Trainer strength.

Before leaving, Lucas took a look at Cynthia's Garchomp. Even without flaring its aura, every motion revealed deep foundation; its smooth takeoff showcased superb control over its body.

This Garchomp was truly strong.

Lucas and Dragonite agreed with a high evaluation.

In truth, the Den's entrance wasn't hard to find.

Riding Dragonite at a steady pace, Lucas's gaze swept past the Trainers who were diving and flying at the lake's center in search of it, and he sighed slightly.

The entrance wouldn't be at the bottom—a place only aquatic Pokémon could reach—and it wouldn't have air currents to block fliers. It also wouldn't be in the open center—there was nothing there.

A cavernous Den would only be found near land, where there was plenty of soil and rock.

At Lucas's request, Dragonite circled the lake's edge once and soon found the entrance.

Staring at the oddly-shaped, unfathomably deep opening, Lucas sighed, "Looks like a gaping maw, even the teeth are lifelike."

Without being told, Dragonite drew closer to the rocky dragon's mouth. As expected, the water beneath was forming massive vortices at the entrance.

The whirlpools were powerful. In the darkness, several Trainers who had set out early and luckily found the entrance were struggling against the suction.

In Lucas's view, the environment here shouldn't be enough to form such maelstroms. Remembering Clair's ace Kingdra, whose power could generate huge whirlpools in lakes and seas, he guessed the answer.

"Drago…"

Dragonite frowned at the whirlpools below, as if sensing something unpleasant within.

Dragonite's reaction confirmed Lucas's suspicions. There was enough distance between sky and seabed that the Kingdra line and Dragonite shouldn't be clashing. Better to punch straight through the turbulent air ahead.

That turbulence was probably caused by Flying-types arranged by the Dragon Clan—after all, many fliers are closely tied to dragons.

"But… at this level, it can't even slow Dragonite down."

With that, Lucas patted Dragonite. With a few light wingbeats, Dragonite's body surged forward as if propelled by a mighty force.

Repeat. Increase wingbeat tempo. Increase speed.

In the next instant—

Trainers struggling with their fliers against the chaotic currents heard a sound.

The shriek of the wind!

Swoosh—

A torrent of air rolled in from afar. Before anyone could react, it had already filled the damp, shadowy cavern.

That orange figure, wrapped in a fearsome current, simply blew away the airflow in the tunnel. People and Pokémon alike wobbled as the orange blur pierced through the gale they'd barely halfway traversed, and fell silent.

Hidden in the dark, the Flying-types generating the winds froze, glancing at each other.

What just shot past?

 Their moment of shock caused the intensity of the air currents to drop significantly. Some opportunistic Trainers seized the chance and shot through the wind zone.

The Flying-types panicked: if they let too many through at once, dinner would be canceled back home!

 Anything but that!

 They flapped harder than before. Stronger gales swept the area, making many Trainers groan and even give up to take the water route instead.

…

At that moment, Zinnia arrived at the entrance on her Salamence. Gazing at the violent winds, she said calmly, "Salamence, just go in."

To the others' amazement, it wasn't as shocking as the blazing orange streak, but Zinnia and Salamence walked the gale like a stroll through a garden—impressive in its own right.

Without a robust body and absolute mastery over the wind, that would be impossible.

Zinnia was long used to the stares. What she didn't understand was why they looked at her with worship.

As a Lorekeeper, wasn't this natural?

She lowered her eyes, long lashes quivering. "Still not enough… To be worthy of being acknowledged by the Dragon Lord, I need more power."

"If I don't have a Pokémon that can learn Extreme Speed, I'll catch a Dratini in the Den."

"Then I'll grow stronger through the hidden trial, find Rayquaza…"

…

The Den was dark and humid, with complex corridors. Without preparation, it would be easy to get lost.

But Lucas knew how to find the entrance to the Dragon Holy Land.

In the anime, Team Rocket stole the Dragon Fang from the Blackthorn Gym, took a boat from the lakeshore, and entered the Den.

After traveling for a while, they fell into a massive waterfall—and beyond that waterfall lay the Dragon Holy Land.

So the key was the waterfall!

Keeping a steady pace, Dragonite focused most of its attention on its ears, amplifying its hearing to pick up the crash of water on stone.

It wasn't easy. The Den was even larger than Lucas expected. After an hour inside, he felt they hadn't even covered half.

He did see many wild Pokémon living in the Den, though.

Like Dratini—the big-eyed cuteness shared with Dragonite's line—and Horsea carried by Seadra. Perhaps because they weren't Kingdra yet, Dragonite felt nothing toward pure Water-types like Horsea and Seadra, aside from disliking their resemblance to Kingdra.

The biggest surprise was a small pod of Lapras near a deep-water area.

Lapras typically lived in the ocean in groups. Seeing them in an inland lake's Den near Blackthorn City made Lucas suspect there was a hidden passage to the sea in that deep water.

Unable to resist, he paused and had Dragonite descend to interact with the rare sea sprites.

This pod had six adult males and two females, and a single small Lapras watched Lucas and Dragonite curiously under the protection of the two females.

"Hey there, want a snack?"

Lucas made no effort to hide his plan to lure the baby over with food and get a pat in.

Lapras are intelligent and kind. At least this group showed little fear of humans—perhaps because they were isolated and rarely interacted with people.

When Lucas and Dragonite approached, they didn't panic or overreact—just instinctively shielded the baby.

Drawn by the berries in Lucas's hand, the baby Lapras glanced pleadingly at its guardians.

The two females were helpless. They rarely went ashore—at most resting at small islets—so they hardly ever ate berries.

And Lucas's berries were top-grade, ripened by an Applin—twice the flavor and effect. Faced with that fresh aroma, the little one couldn't hold back.

At last, the two females indulged the only youngster in the pod, letting it approach Lucas and Dragonite to happily nibble from Lucas's palm.

Lucas finally got to touch a Lapras.

Whether because it was young or due to this pod's traits, the exposed skin had a subtle moistness—smooth to the touch.

The gray shell on its back felt like a lobster's carapace right after molting—soft to the touch, yet clearly hard.

It obviously wasn't fully developed, far from being able to carry a rider like an adult Lapras.

Satisfied, Lucas cheerfully handed out berries to all of them. While their guard was down, he sampled the feel of each. In general, the females felt smoother to the touch, with well-maintained shells.

The males, perhaps due to fights with other wild Pokémon, bore occasional scars and had harder shells with more scratches.

None of the eight adults felt quite like the baby did. That made him recall Lapras's three Abilities—

Water Absorb, Shell Armor, and Hydration.

The baby's distinct feel might be due to its Hidden Ability, Hydration.

Just like his Dragonite's Multiscale yielded denser, stronger scales that also reduced air resistance while flying.

In this real world, Abilities weren't just black text effects on a stat sheet; they manifested on the Pokémon themselves.

An Intimidate Incineroar with a fiercer aura than its kin; a Zigzagoon with keen sensing for dropped items and an obsession with bringing them home…

After winning over the Lapras pod with treats, Lucas even tested their riding comfort. Though the back shell's knobs looked like prime "thousand years of pain" hazards, the back was tremendously broad, and the knobs were for gripping. Despite being a hard shell, it wasn't too uncomfortable to sit on. Not as comfy as Dragonite, but with a proper saddle it'd be great.

Before leaving, Lucas reminded the gentle sea sprites to stay vigilant when encountering humans in the future—not everyone would trade berries for pats. Many coveted Lapras's bodies—or sought to net entire pods as poachers.

In the seas near Kanto and Johto, Lapras were very rare, unlike Alola where they were abundant under strong protection.

Seeing the Lapras leader understood, Lucas smiled, said goodbye, and rode Dragonite on, heading deeper toward where the Lapras had indicated the "sound of the waterfall."

Because Lapras communicate across long distances at sea by song, their hearing is excellent. The two spiral "buns" on their heads amplify sound.

They can hear frequencies humans can't—and the thunder of a waterfall took them no effort at all.

Now, Lucas and Dragonite were proceeding along the direction of that sound.

It was a straight passage, with no forks forcing two-, three-, or multi-way choices. About half an hour later, Lucas heard water pounding against rock.

"Drago~!"

With their chance to grow stronger close at hand, even Dragonite couldn't hide its excitement. It shot past the torrent.

In an instant, bright sunlight flooded their vision. Below, lush greenery and flower fields stretched out, with non-Dragon Pokémon like Hoppip and Butterfree drifting lazily.

Farther away, young Pokémon like Swablu, Gible, and Goomy played together.

Surely these were brought in and raised by the Dragon Clan, gathered from other regions.

Lucas's gaze soon locked onto the largest, strongest figure in the Holy Land—

Another Dragonite.

It was several sizes bigger than his own. Not quite the giant Dragonite of Bill's Lighthouse, but a behemoth among Dragonite.

Let's call it the Big Dragonite.

But when Lucas's eyes moved to the blood-winged Pokémon next to it—and the somewhat familiar figure upon it—his face showed surprise.

Zinnia had arrived before him?

As Lucas and Dragonite burst through the falls, Zinnia, Salamence, and the Big Dragonite noticed them. The gentle Big Dragonite, as humble as Lucas's own, tilted its head, puzzled that another guest had come today.

Hidden beneath her gray cloak, Zinnia's hands tightened.

Him!

Lucas of Paldea—Champion-level Trainer, subduer of the Fire Lord. Even Zinnia had to acknowledge his accomplishments.

But that didn't mean she would hand over her chance to grow stronger. Before the time of prophecy arrived, she would keep growing!

After Lucas and Dragonite touched down in the flower field, Zinnia composed herself and smiled without malice. Looking at Lucas dismounting, she said, "I've long heard your name, Champion Lucas."

"Just Lucas is fine—no need for 'Champion.' I'm retired," he said, blinking. He felt a deeply hidden hostility in her smile—no, "fighting spirit" fit better. "You're… Zinnia of the Draconid people, right?"

Remembering her identity as Lorekeeper, Lucas found her fighting spirit reasonable.

"Then please allow me to call you Mr. Lucas. Are you also here for the hidden trial?" Zinnia nodded slightly. When her gaze fell on the Dragonite behind Lucas, she briefly closed her eyes, then opened them. "No, I suppose that was a pointless question."