Pokemon Paldea [313-314] (Patreon)

Chapter 313: Clair Comes to Challenge!

"Finally, one important reminder to all guests: if you wish to befriend a Pokémon from the Dragon's Den, they must choose to follow you of their own will. Whether they're moved by your character, drawn to your strength, or tempted by your food, that's all fine—but you are absolutely not allowed to forcefully take any Pokémon that shows reluctance."

"This is absolute."

As the Dragon Elder announced the true main event of the Dragon Feast—the Dragon's Den Trial—the venue immediately buzzed with a wave of commotion.

Any trainer chosen and invited by the Dragon Clan would hardly be someone who'd ignore a Pokémon's will and capture it by force out of greed.

Drasna's narrowed eyes opened slightly. "My, my—worthy of being a venerable house in Johto with a long history. How generous."

Drayden nodded slightly, his gaze still circling on Lance. "Just the dragon-type trainers invited here number at least a hundred. Not to mention those juniors in the other halls."

Cynthia slipped one hand into her pocket, absently rubbing the lipstick inside, pensive. "Even if that so-called trial filters out those lacking in strength or temperament, a large number will still remain."

"To provide so many dragon-types and pseudo-dragons in one go—no wonder that Dragon's Den stands on equal footing with places like Meteor Falls and the Village of Dragons."

Lucas looked at the trio curiously and asked, "Are you planning to take part in the Dragon's Den Trial?"

Cynthia touched her chin and spoke first. "No need for now. Once the banquet ends tonight, I'm flying back to Sinnoh early tomorrow."

"After all, I'm not planning to capture and train new powerhouses at the moment, and my Garchomp can't learn Extreme Speed."

Drayden said nothing, but shook his head to express the same.

He had no intention of participating in the trial either.

Drasna said airily in her feather-light tone, "Oh? Neither of you are going? I'm going, though. Who knows, I might meet a child that really meshes with me. After all, at home, the more little ones the better."

Iris's eyes sparkled, clearly excited at the thought of entering the Den and meeting new partners. Though she loved Excadrill and Axew, she wanted to love even more dragon-type Pokémon—after all, they were all her partners, the wings that let her soar!

But Drayden's silent refusal made Iris, who had just been about to speak up, fall quiet. If her teacher wasn't going to participate, they'd have to catch a plane back to Opelucid City in Unova tomorrow.

Although she was here nominally representing the Village of Dragons, with Drayden as her guardian leaving, Iris couldn't stay on her own to take the trial.

She didn't have money to buy Poké Balls. The Village of Dragons had only provided her current still-growing Axew; Excadrill was captured using a Poké Ball borrowed from the village elder.

If she wanted more partners, the trial was her only chance.

Perhaps because he'd been a teacher for so long, Lucas had unconsciously picked up certain professional habits. He'd been watching Iris, and didn't miss the brief flash of disappointment on her face.

With a slight lift at the corner of his mouth, he asked Iris—about the same age as Nemona and the others, still in school and quite green, "Iris, do you want to participate in the Dragon's Den Trial and make friends with a new partner?"

Iris blinked, then shouted with shining anticipation, "I do!"

"In that case," Lucas turned to Drayden with a suggestion, "Mr. Drayden, how about waiting until Iris finishes the trial before heading back to Unova?"

Cynthia and Drasna both looked to Drayden, curious to hear his answer.

Cynthia even considered that if Drayden still refused, she might just skip work for one more day, dump her duties on Bertha and Lucian, accompany Iris through the trial, and then see her back to Unova.

Cynthia's feelings toward Iris were those of a senior appreciating a junior. She felt the girl might one day become a trainer who could stand shoulder to shoulder with her. That gave Cynthia a very favorable impression.

As it happened, the villas she'd bought in Unova hadn't been used in a while. She could notify the butler and take the opportunity for a little vacation, exploring the mysteries of Unova's ancient legends.

Pressed under the weight of several gazes, Drayden couldn't understand how things had developed to this point. He'd only said he didn't plan on entering the trial himself—he hadn't said Iris couldn't.

How had he suddenly become the bad guy?

For the first time, Drayden reflected on something even his grandson Drayton had mentioned: he was so serious about everything that people often misunderstood his intentions.

In the end, Drayden could only take the blame and "take a step back," agreeing to Iris's request to stay one more day.

The Dragon Elder had only come to announce the trial. Lucas and the others clearly noticed that ever since the announcement, the mood among many attendees had risen markedly.

Even Lucas had to admit the Dragon Clan's methods were textbook: they were forging ties with dragon-type trainers and families from across the world; those who benefited would surely establish healthy, friendly relationships with the clan, potentially even sharing techniques and resources.

After temporarily bidding farewell to Cynthia and Drayden, Lucas—hungry again after a battle—dived back into the banquet with Dragonite. The dishes had just been switched out for steaming new plates, and he couldn't help marveling at his good luck.

With the rising excitement, many dragon-type trainers had already begun battling. Lucas felt that standing a little off to the side with a plate to watch dragon-type Pokémon clash made for a perfect side dish.

Dragonite, who hadn't stopped chewing, felt the same: fighting personally was great fun, but eating while watching others duke it out had its own charm.

Lucas also secretly brought some food to Sandslash—after all, it had spent a lot of energy earlier and deserved to recover.

On the other side, after seeing the Elder home to the ancestral residence and dealing with most of the guests, Lance returned to the banquet.

He glanced around and quickly spotted Lucas and Dragonite.

After last night's events in Mt. Silver, Lance had tossed and turned, his mind full of the image of Lucas's Dragonite.

Don't misunderstand—he wasn't coveting Lucas's Dragonite. It was the unique aura Dragonite gave off when it stood against his Dragon Army yesterday that ignited Lance's fighting spirit. He wanted to face it head-on.

Even Lance's own Dragonite felt the same.

Unable to hold back any longer, as soon as Lance spotted them, he planned to invite Lucas to battle. After all, the Dragon Feast combined banqueting and battles; such a request was reasonable and hard to refuse.

Just as Lance took a big step toward Lucas under his cousin Clair's resentful stare, a wall of muscle blocked his path.

Standing over 1.9 meters, Drayden looked down at Lance, voice stern yet sincere. "Elite Four Lance, would you wrest—no, that's not appropriate."

"Would you have a dragon-type Pokémon battle with me?"

Lance froze, remembering the Dragon Elder's parting words.

"Lance, you're the face of our Dragon Clan. If anyone challenges you, you must accept—do not shy away. Even if it's Champion Cynthia of Sinnoh, Elite Four Drake of Hoenn, Elite Four Drasna of Kalos, or Champion-level trainer Lucas of Paldea—show the world our clan's strength."

The corner of Lance's mouth twitched. Catching many sidelong glances, he forced a smile that hid his bleeding heart. "Of course, Gym Leader Drayden."

Right then, Clair pulled a face at her foolish cousin and skipped off toward Lucas.

This made Lance see red, but he had to maintain composure. Under the gaze of many trainers, he and Drayden moved to a battlefield and each sent out their Pokémon.

Drayden used his mainstay: Haxorus.

Lance, naturally, used his iconic Dragonite.

As much as Lance wanted to flatten Haxorus quickly and go challenge Lucas, Drayden was the eighth Gym Leader of Unova—extremely strong. His years on the path of a trainer might even exceed Lance's age.

This battle would not be easily settled.

Meanwhile, known as the strongest below the Johto Elite Four—bold enough to challenge even them, with her only known loss being to Champion Lance—Clair went straight to Lucas.

She opened with her stance clearly stated.

"Mr. Lucas, have a Pokémon battle with me!"

Because Lucas told Clair she didn't have to be overly polite with him, she relaxed and returned to her usual brisk, valiant self.

Lucas paused mid-bite on his steak, chewed and swallowed slowly, then calmly dabbed the sauce from his mouth with a napkin. "Sure."

"Huh?"

Clair had prepared for a long negotiation, even considered provoking the Dragonite by Lucas's side—still head-down, annihilating cake—to stir its fighting spirit and get what she wanted.

Lucas's breezy "sure" caught her completely off guard.

Setting down his now-empty plate, Lucas looked at Clair and smiled. "But this time I won't send out Sandslash. It'll be Dragonite. Is that okay?"

Clair blinked, battle intent flaring. "I couldn't ask for more!"

Because the on-site battling fever was so high, Lucas and Clair had to wait a while for a free field.

As soon as they took their positions, many trainers noticed that the duelists were Blackthorn's Gym Leader Clair and Paldea's champion-level trainer Lucas.

Interesting—Lucas's earlier match with Iris had been him holding back, using the not-so-strong Sandslash.

This time, the Dragonite that defeated the Fire God would be battling. Some spectators who'd been drawn to Lance vs. Drayden reconsidered and moved over.

This included Iris, who'd been watching her teacher fight Lance. Compared to yet another of Drayden's gym-style battles she'd seen countless times—and was often dragged to—she was more curious about the Dragonite that had shown her the "storm."

Iris's movement drew Cynthia and Drasna over to Lucas and Clair's battlefield as well.

Seeing the two face off, Cynthia and Drasna perked up.

As Lance's cousin, they knew exactly how strong Clair was. It looked like they'd get to witness Lucas's true strength.

The referee was arranged by the Dragon Clan.

He lifted red and green flags, moved to the side of the field, and spoke in a deep voice. "Next is a Pokémon battle between Miss Clair of the Dragon Clan, host of this Dragon Feast, and Mr. Lucas, champion-level trainer from Paldea."

"The format is one-on-one singles. The first to render the opponent's Pokémon unable to battle wins."

Lucas confirmed the rules with the referee and called, "Come on out, Dragonite."

Dragonite, who'd been at Lucas's side, flapped its wings once and floated up into midair over the field.

Clair pulled out a Lure Ball, her smile fading as a serious look settled on her face.

"I'm counting on you—Kingdra!"

Scarlet light from the Lure Ball washed over the arena, and Kingdra appeared.

Its form resembled a seahorse with dragon horns; its blue scales shimmered under the lights. Despite the battlefield being land, Kingdra freely manipulated water energy to shroud itself in a mist, floating as if swimming through water.

The instant Kingdra entered, Dragonite's usually goofy, adorable expression changed.

It locked eyes on Kingdra, releasing its aura and pressure, as if there was some old grudge.

Kingdra's red pupils glared back, the water mist around it roiling, ready to become a vast maelstrom to swallow Dragonite.

Iris was baffled. Even if this was a battle, wasn't the tension rising a bit too fast?

Cynthia patted Iris's head gently and explained. "In the wild, Kingdra and Dragonite are like natural rivals."

Drasna added, "You can compare it to Seviper and Zangoose in Hoenn, though not quite as extreme. A Kingdra and Dragonite in the same team can still get along."

"I see!"

Iris nodded, looking adorably enlightened.

While Cynthia and Drasna explained, tension between Dragonite and Kingdra peaked. If not for waiting on their trainers' orders, they would have started brawling already.

"Whirlpool!"

Clair struck first. Kingdra, impatient already, roared and summoned boundless water energy, forming a mighty whirlpool that smashed toward the airborne Dragonite.

"Cut it. Air Slash!"

"Drago~!"

At Lucas's command, Dragonite looked at the oncoming vortex with disdain. Its wings swept rapidly, sending crescent-like blades of air pelting down like rain. In seconds, the maelstrom was sliced into a storm of spray.

Breaking Whirlpool so easily made Iris frown. If they were by a river or sea, Dragonite would never have cut down Kingdra's Whirlpool so easily.

"Rain Dance!"

Kingdra raised its head and roared. In an instant, dark clouds covered the sky. The watching trainers, well-prepared, pulled umbrellas from their coats and popped them open.

If you're here to watch battles that can change the weather, how could you not be ready for at least this?

Cynthia unfurled a black umbrella and tugged the unprepared, bewildered Iris under her canopy.

Beyond the umbrella, she had sunglasses, wind goggles, sand goggles, and a folding fan—ready for wind, rain, drought, or sandstorms alike.

As most opened their umbrellas, fat raindrops poured down like a waterfall, and in a blink, the battlefield became a world of rain.

The disturbance even spread to the other field. Lance, directing Dragonite in a close fight with Haxorus, glanced at his now-soaked uniform, showing a look of fraying patience.

For some reason, neither Lucas nor Dragonite tried to stop Kingdra's Rain Dance. The result: Kingdra's body glowed with a faint blue sheen, and in the rain its speed surged until it became a blur.

Cynthia was about to explain, but Iris blurted out first, "I know this one—Kingdra's ability is Swift Swim! Its speed doubles in the rain, right?"

Drasna was a bit surprised, smiling. "Little Iris really knows her dragon-types."

In the rain, Kingdra moved so fast ordinary eyes could barely track it. Clair didn't know why Lucas hadn't contested weather, but she knew Kingdra's next strike would be gorgeous.

"Hydro Pump!"

At her command, brilliant blue light gathered in Kingdra's long snout.

The next moment—

Kingdra aimed at Dragonite's soft belly, seemingly slow to react overhead, and blasted a Hydro Pump compressed to the extreme!

Chapter 314: Dragonite's Secret Technique Learned from Lugia!

Boom!

The surging torrent shot like an arrow, piercing the rain and driving toward Dragonite's midair belly.

Even without Sniper, this hit looked more powerful than a typical Sniper Kingdra's blow.

That was the heritage of a mainline scion handed down to Clair.

But she faced a monster of an even higher tier—a "genius" who defied common sense—just like her cousin Lance.

In an instant, Dragonite flipped its body with unimaginable speed, evading what looked like a killing blow.

Emerald light gathered on Dragonite's claws, forming massive talons of dragon energy. With a howl of wind, Dragonite hammered Dragon Claw down at Kingdra!

However, in the rain Kingdra's agility was like it had turned on cheats. It vanished from its spot, and a heartbeat later was nearly ten meters away.

Dragonite's claw smashed into the ground, the stadium groaning under the impact. Debris sprayed; spectators had to brace each other to stay upright.

Cynthia pulled Iris into her arms protectively.

To her, Iris was a junior to be looked after. She didn't realize Iris had grown up in the wild, leaping between branches and swinging like Tarzan—her balance superb.

Cynthia was always like this, caring for juniors as best she could. Even random challengers who stopped her on the road—she'd accept gladly, then offer insightful advice after the battle.

Thus she was beloved by the people of the Sinnoh League.

Still shielding Iris, Cynthia murmured her observations. "Just now, Dragonite created a sudden, powerful opposing airstream in a split-second to force its bulky, unwieldy body to turn. No wonder you saw a 'storm.'"

"This Dragonite's talent in Flying-type techniques may far exceed its Dragon-type talent."

Drasna looked a bit surprised at Cynthia's analysis. As expected of the Sinnoh Champion—her keen eye surpassed Drasna's.

Dragonite flapped after the speeding Kingdra, gales filling the arena. It opened its jaws; radiant energy coalesced into a clawing dragon—Dragon Pulse soared skyward, then dove like a winged skeleton of energy to obliterate the foe.

Kingdra glimpsed the glow behind it, even had the leisure to turn and spit a low-power, taunting Hydro Pump through a gap in the Dragon Pulse, then slid away across the field, slipping the bombardment's net.

Boom!

Dragon Pulse obliterated bare ground, thundering as the blast's shockwave forced umbrellas down tight to avoid getting drenched.

Observers saw it: in sheer speed and turn capability, Kingdra toyed with Dragonite. Swift Swim in rain gave Kingdra too much of a buff.

Dragonite, steadily mastering the way of the wind, felt a bit stifled, but only a bit. It knew its strengths lay in an almost all-purpose arsenal of moves and a powerful body as a late-blooming dragon.

Even with the apparent advantage, Clair stayed solemn. "Surf!"

At Kingdra's call, water converged and rose into a towering white wave that seemed to touch the sky.

Then, the wave crashed down with unstoppable momentum, its roar deafening, as if the world itself trembled.

Dragonite was flying low. Lucas judged that rather than waste time climbing and losing hard-won ground on Kingdra, it should accelerate through with brute force.

Amid stunned looks, Lucas spoke calmly. "Punch through at once—Dragon Rush!"

"Drago~—!"

Dragonite roared, sheathing itself in surging energy. A cerulean dragon tore the Surf apart, bellowing as it chased Kingdra down.

The Surf was rent by brute force. Spray joined the rain, flooding outward. The crowd took several synchronized steps back to avoid the wash.

As Dragonite rode Dragon Rush's momentum, about to close on Kingdra, Clair snapped, "Smokescreen!"

Kingdra's eyes hardened. Though unwilling, it admitted a gap in raw power. Rather than recklessly brawl, it would suppress its instincts and heed the girl who'd grown up with it.

In a breath—

Inky smoke gushed from Kingdra's snout, blanketing the area. Even with rain dampening it, Kingdra vanished within.

Dragonite, at high speed, frowned. It couldn't whip up a gale in time to clear the smoke and plunged in, energy and momentum howling.

But the expected hit never came. The gale Dragonite kicked up blew away smoke and rain, revealing an empty crater—Kingdra had somehow slipped away.

For Dragonite, the chase had been a warm-up.

The dragon trainers around understood that too.

Lucas knew why Dragonite couldn't catch Kingdra.

Though Dragonite could circle the globe in a day, that was because it flew straight, barely needing to turn, and could wrap itself in streamflow to accelerate past Mach speeds.

But that was its straight-line, unobstructed top speed.

Move execution speed, combat agility, reaction time—those reveal Dragonite's base speed.

Bulky body, not so nimble; tremendous power, not built for skirmishing.

To close the speed gap with Kingdra, they needed buffs.

"Charge in—Dragon Dance!"

Lucas swept his right hand, giving the order.

Dragonite climbed toward Kingdra, and dragon energy wrapped it in blue-violet-red tri-color light, spinning into a brilliant tricolor halo.

Seeing the top spinning toward it, Kingdra frowned. Cold wind gathered at its snout and blasted at Dragonite.

Icy Wind!

Water and ice go hand in hand. A Water/Dragon learning Ice moves isn't unusual—Paldea even has Baxcalibur, a Dragon/Ice.

Kingdra knew Icy Wind could drop Dragonite's speed, denying Dragon Dance its payoff.

Frosted wind froze the rain in its path and descended on Dragonite.

But to Kingdra's surprise, whirling winds rose around Dragonite, like a knight's armor gifted to a princess—shielding it.

The slipstream met the chill, negating much of the impact; Dragon energy from Dragon Dance blunted ice's bane. Dragonite finished its buff—speed skyrocketing!

Buffed, Dragonite pounced like a tiger down the mountain, closing on the stationary Kingdra that had just cast Icy Wind!

Shock flashed across Clair's face. Wasn't Dragonite using Dragon Dance—where did those winds come from? Was it splitting its focus to control the free winds while executing a move?

Hand clutching her pounding heart, Clair shouted, "Then use something stronger—Ice Beam!"

Kingdra glared, and as Dragonite canceled its spin and lunged, icy blue light flared at its snout.

In a heartbeat—

Freezing beams split into three serpents, encircling Dragonite to bite. Frost filled the air; ice formed on Dragonite's lashes.

"Heat Wave!"

Lucas's voice cut like frost; the command burned hot.

"Drago~!"

Just before the beams hit, Dragonite bellowed, stubbornly pulling Fire energy under the rain's suppression.

Brilliant flame burst; motes of fire spread like endless stars, and the gale fanned them out. They blocked Ice Beam and vaporized the rain into towering white steam.

The hot blast forced the crowd back a few steps. Someone exclaimed, "Heat Wave that strong even under Rain—amazing!"

Lucas didn't miss the praise. He smiled—battles with the Fire Lord, Fire-type legends like Moltres and Victini on the ranch and Victini's blessing—Dragonite's Fire moves being overtuned was only natural.

Dragonite whipped up another gust, clearing the fog and the line of sight—Kingdra was now at point-blank, stunned that Ice Beam had done nothing.

Dragonite's wings beat as it surged in!

Finally, Dragonite was upon Kingdra.

With a hum that made the air vibrate, Dragonite swung Dragon Claw down on the slippery eel it had labored to chase!

Clair wouldn't sit and wait. "Draco Meteor!"

A bystander cried out, "Is she crazy?!"

At this range, Kingdra would be caught in it too!

Cynthia's lips parted. "No—she's right."

Drasna's expression agreed.

"Better to trade blows than let a Dragon Dance Dragonite get in your face. And Pokémon are more tolerant of energies generated within their own bodies."

"In simple terms—a layer of damage reduction."

Kingdra didn't aim Draco Meteor skyward—that would be too slow at this range.

It stared at Dragonite's emerald claws, dragon energy gathering into a massive deep-purple sphere, pulsing with dreadful power—ready to bring calamity once unleashed.

Indeed, it's a high side-effect move; dragons don't use it lightly.

But once unleashed…it can turn the tide!

And now, Draco Meteor hadn't yet split—if it landed, the full hit would connect!

Even with Multiscale, Dragonite would be blasted into a sorry state.

In Clair's mind, Lucas had two choices.

One: abort the attack or use the precious Protect. Then she'd reset distance and never let Dragonite close so easily again.

Two: slam through regardless and eat a full Draco Meteor—enough to make even a dragon of Dragonite's caliber suffer. As a scion of dragon heritage, Clair had full confidence in her partner's Draco Meteor—enough that even Lance would avoid taking it head-on!

But—

Under Clair's suddenly constricted pupils, Lucas chose a third option!

With a slightly wild grin, his voice carried a hint of mad courage.

"Dragonite—Draco Meteor!"

Dragonite executed instantly.

A deep violet glow blossomed—brighter and larger than Kingdra's—forming before Dragonite's chest. The pressure alone weighed on every trainer present.

Some looked horrified. Do these two remember this is a spar?!

If the two Meteors collided, the blast might reach beyond the battlefield!

Some ran; some called out their Pokémon to shield them. There were no protective barriers here—getting hurt at a banquet would be awful.

Thankfully, everyone present was a trainer—dragon specialists, no less.

If they couldn't protect themselves from the aftermath, they might as well retire and farm.

Lucas knew this and pressed on.

Cynthia unhesitatingly sent out Garchomp to shield herself and Iris; Drasna called out an Altaria wearing an Eviolite-like charm to protect her.

In the next instant—

The twin Meteors collided—light blazed as if the world dimmed; a deafening roar shook the grounds. Shockwaves pummeled outward; the rain flashed to steam.

A small mushroom cloud rose over the Dragon Clan's ancestral estate.

Even Lance and Drayden's battle was affected. Haxorus and Dragonite, crossing Dragon Claw and tusks, both lost footing and landed on their backsides—faces lost.

Moments later—

The light and aftershocks faded.

Everyone snapped their gaze to the field.

At Lucas's side, a Serperior's vines casually dispersed the remaining shock, not even singed.

At Clair's side, a Charizard wrapped her in its wings, unscathed.

On the field, scattered blue scales lay in a crater. Seeing Kingdra battered and flagging, the crowd fell silent.

On the other side, a nearly tangible shield of storm winds hugged Dragonite's body. Thanks to that storm shield and Multiscale, Dragonite bore only light burns and scratches.

Cynthia pursed her lips, studying Lucas—seeing no surprise on his face.

"Confident with cause…?"

As she suspected, Lucas knew Dragonite could protect itself under Draco Meteor's onslaught—and so made a seemingly mad choice.

The storm shield was a cyclone whirling tightly around Dragonite. Ordinarily, it would be nearly impossible for a Pokémon to control wind to such a degree—especially while casting a major move like Draco Meteor.

A Serperior might split focus like that—but a dopey, cuddly Dragonite?

In truth, those storm winds weren't a formal move at all. Lugia had taught Dragonite the technique it used to keep a psychic barrier up in battle, helping Dragonite achieve a similar effect using its weather-shaping affinity from its Dragonair days—without invoking a named move.

As Dragonite's understanding deepens, one day it may command the winds like its own limbs.

Looking at the battered Kingdra, Clair fell silent.

She hadn't expected such a gap between herself and Lucas. This Dragonite wasn't even his ace, yet its strength was nearing the image she chased in her mind.

Stung, but not resigned, Clair bit her lip and set her sternest face yet. "Dragon Pulse!"

…

In the end, under the crowd's complicated gazes, Clair lost.

With its storm shield revealed, Lucas and Dragonite stopped holding back. In the rain, Dragonite's wide-area Hurricane, boosted by weather, would be hard even for a fresh Kingdra to deal with—let alone one in poor shape.

The rain Kingdra summoned became Dragonite's aid.

Air Slashes that could slice the sky tore through Kingdra's scales, dealing massive damage.

Kingdra could only fall, unwilling, before the Dragonite it refused to yield to.