Chapter 145: The Secluded Land of the Dragonite Clan
Leaf looked at Will, then at Jace, and finally at the Charizard.
"Ah! So you're the one who got crushed by the Sceptile in Cherrygrove! What a coincidence!" Leaf said, finally putting the pieces together. He even smacked his right fist into his left palm, as if he were a genius for figuring it out.
Jace looked at him, opened his mouth, hesitated, and then closed it again. After all, his older cousin had told him this guy was strong.
"Alright, since we're all acquainted, there's no need for formalities. Your cousin should have told you. Just take the Sceptile and the kitten for a tour of the Dragonite homeland," Leaf said, walking over and patting Jace on the shoulder.
"I know. Just follow me. But my Charizard can't carry you, so we'll have to walk through the Dragon's Den," Jace said, lifting his chin.
Losing a battle was just losing a battle. He wasn't going to hold a grudge over it. The proud Dragonite Clan was above such things. Although Jace didn't use his family name when he was out in the world, the pride of his clan wouldn't allow him to do something so classless.
"Then let's get going," Leaf said. He walked Will and the others to the kindergarten gate and stopped. "I won't see you off any further."
"Thank you for everything on this journey," Will nodded. He then led Floragato and followed Jace.
After they had walked a dozen steps, Leaf's voice called out from behind them again. "Sceptile! If you get bullied, come find me! I'll pick a fight with them, even if they're from the Dragonite Clan!"
His voice wasn't quiet. Jace definitely heard him, but he just scoffed and lifted his chin higher. When the children of the Dragonite Clan go out into the world, the one thing they are forbidden from doing is using their family name to bully others. Their clan had been in seclusion for hundreds of years and was only now slowly fading from the world's memory. If they got entangled with the outside world over something like this, the clan member involved would probably never be allowed to leave the homeland again for the rest of their life.
It was precisely because of this that most of the clan's children never mentioned their surname when they went out. Some didn't even use Pokémon from the Dragonite line, choosing instead other Pokémon raised by the clan. This custom had continued for two or three hundred years, and would continue on. Who knows, maybe in the future, some hidden clan members named "Clair" or "Lance" might appear.
...
The Dragon's Den was a cave to the north, not far from the Sunshine Kindergarten. With Blackthorn City being so small, it only took them about half an hour to get there.
"Through the Dragon's Den is the homeland. Just follow me. The Elder is very easy to talk to," Jace said, walking into the cave without stopping, tossing a remark over his shoulder.
The Dragon's Den was different from an ordinary cave. Instead of a dirt floor, a gently flowing river ran through it. It was likely the same river that flowed through Blackthorn, passing underground here before continuing to the other side. Fortunately, there were places to step: a series of round stone platforms that were just above the water's surface. This was more than enough for them to hop across. For Will and Floragato, who were used to jumping through forests, it was a piece of cake.
The Charizard, however, was much clumsier and fell into the water several times.
"Char!"
Feeling that it had lost face, the Charizard decided to just wade through the water instead. It wasn't that deep anyway.
They continued forward. In the center of the river was a Dragon Shrine.
"The Elder is inside," Jace said, leaping over to the steps in front of the shrine. He knocked on the door. "Elder, it's Jace."
Click.
The door opened instantly. A short, white-haired old person leaning on a cane walked out. Their hair was so long it almost completely covered their face, making it impossible to tell if they were a man or a woman. At their waist was an ancient-looking Poké Ball.
"Step aside," the Elder said, pushing Jace away with their cane. The strength in their hand was not that of an old person who needed a cane.
"Hm. A rare sight. A pity he has too many worries in his heart," the Elder said, looking at Will before shaking their head and sighing. As for Floragato, they didn't even glance at her.
The Dragon Force... the one guarding this place is no ordinary person, Will thought, suppressing the restless Dragon-type energy in his own body. A Sceptile doesn't have the Dragon type, but its Mega Evolution does, and it's in the Dragon egg group. Besides, Will knew he had felt the feedback from his own dragon genes, a feeling only triggered by an awakened Dragon Force. And having guided Iris to use her own, he immediately recognized the fully activated power radiating from the Dragon Elder.
"Elder, I'm taking them inside for a look."
"Go on," the Elder said, turning back into the shrine. Before the door closed, Will saw a statue of a very fat Dragonite inside.
"Let's go. I told you the Elder was easygoing," Jace said with a wave.
They continued on and soon emerged on the other side. It was nothing special, just a vast plain surrounded by mountains, with a river running through it.
...It's almost exactly the same, Will thought, a little dazed as he stepped into the new area. It was so similar to the Dragonite Valley from his past. It was no wonder, if the Dragonite themselves had helped build this place, that they would have modeled it after their old territory.
The only difference was that this plain was dotted with small wooden houses where humans lived, each one separated by a dozen or so meters. In the distance, a middle-aged man was tilling a field, and a woman was weaving under the eaves of her house. Children were chasing and playing with Pokémon on the nearby grass.
Though it was only separated by a wall of rock, the Dragonite homeland felt like it was several centuries removed from the Blackthorn City outside.
"Not as prosperous as you imagined, right? Ugh, the older generation just loves this kind of style. It's because of this that all us young people want to run away," Jace said with a helpless sigh.
"It's very nice," Will said, a sincere praise. He didn't know if it was because his own mentality was no longer young, but he felt the outside world was too restless, the rat race growing more intense by the day. Peace and quiet had become a rare luxury. To be unconcerned with the world was perhaps a rare pursuit in itself. At least here, he felt at peace.
"By the way, what did you come here for? There's not much to see," Jace said. He had long since grown tired of this place.
"...Just to walk around," Will shook his head. Although his goal for this entire life had been to come here, now that he had arrived, he suddenly didn't know what to do.
"Alright. I'll take you for a stroll. There are only two or three places in our homeland worth visiting anyway," Jace said, giving him a strange look. He then waved at his Charizard. "Charizard, since you're back, go say hello to everyone."
"ROAR!" the Charizard roared and flew off eagerly. The last time it had been here, it was just a Charmander. This time, it had returned as a Charizard. It had to go and show off.
Along the way, Will saw many Pokémon. And they were of many different species, not just the Dragonite line. There were Charizard, Scyther, Beedrill, Gyarados, Golbat, Gliscor, Xatu... they were all Pokémon he was familiar with.
The appearance of two outsiders, Will and Floragato, attracted a lot of attention. Most of the Pokémon here had never even left the homeland. The only way for them to leave was one of two ways. One, to leave forever and never be allowed to return. Bringing an outside trainer back with them was especially forbidden. The other way was to leave with one of the young members of the Dragonite Clan on their journey. This was the choice most of them made.
After walking for a while, Will saw ten stone statues in the distance. He recognized two of them at a glance.
"Floragato," Will whispered.
"Meow?"
"You go and play with the other children for a while. I'll come and get you later," Will said, bending down to stroke her head.
"Meow," Floragato looked at him for two seconds, then obediently nodded. She could feel that his mood was very unsettled.
"Char?"
"Gli?"
A Charmander and a Gligar ran over to greet her.
"Meow," she replied absentmindedly. She watched as Will walked away alone with Jace. This was the first time she had ever been completely unable to read the look in his eyes.
On the other side, Will and Jace arrived in front of the ten statues. They were arranged in two rows. The front row had five human statues, two women and three men. The back row had five Pokémon statues, each one standing behind a human.
The statue in the very center was the tallest, and it was the only one of a queen wearing a cape. And behind her was a statue of a giant Dragonite.
"This is the greatest person in the history of our Dragonite Clan. The founding queen who unified Johto and Kanto over a thousand years ago, Lady Liz!"
"And behind her is her best partner, the 'Guardian Dragon,' Lord Lan, the strongest Dragonite in our history!"
"How about that? Majestic, right?" Jace said, turning proudly to look at Will.
And then he froze.
"...Hey, why are you crying?"