"The Dragon Archipelago?"
Silas repeated the name under his breath.
Just hearing it, he could already imagine what kind of place it must be.
No wonder there hadn't seemed to be as many Pokémon in the Dragon's Den as he had expected.
Especially high-level Pokémon.
While there were still close to a dozen Elite and Elite Four level Pokémon combined, this was the Dragon's Den.
Not to mention anything else, Lance's own team was almost as strong as the entire Dragon's Den.
"The Dragon Archipelago lies deep within the vast ocean," the Dragon Elder said proudly, pointing her cane toward the sea. "It is surrounded by perpetual storms, while the surrounding waters are filled with violent waves and hidden reefs.
"Other than Dragonite and Dragapult, even most other Dragon-type Pokémon would struggle to reach it."
That was precisely why no one had ever discovered the Dragon Archipelago.
Those unaware of the truth merely wondered why the Dragon's Den housed so many Dragon-type Pokémon, never considering the deeper reason.
After all, no ordinary person would imagine that somewhere in the distant ocean, a hidden chain of islands served as the home of countless Dragon-type Pokémon.
"I see..."
Silas nodded absentmindedly.
The revelation was genuinely shocking.
Then another question occurred to him.
"But if that's the case, how do the other Pokémon get there?"
He had immediately identified the key issue.
From the Dragon Elder's description, a great many Pokémon clearly lived on the islands.
But if only Dragonite and Dragapult could travel there easily, how was that possible?
Surely they weren't carrying every Pokémon back and forth.
Transporting hatchlings would be one thing, but massive Pokémon like the Aggron he'd encountered earlier would probably be too heavy even for Dragonite to carry over such a long distance.
The Dragon Elder simply smiled without explaining.
Silas immediately understood.
The Dragon Clan obviously had its own secret route. Naturally, they couldn't reveal it to outsiders.
Being allowed to ride Dragapult there for a chance to obtain another Dragon-type Pokémon was already an incredible privilege.
"My apologies. I got a little too excited."
He quickly apologized.
The Dragon Elder paid it no mind.
Anyone hearing such news for the first time would lose their composure.
"Then let's be on our way."
As she spoke, she casually jumped off Salamence's back.
"Holy—!"
Silas nearly had a heart attack.
"Roar!"
A familiar dragon's roar echoed through the air.
A yellow figure suddenly shot out from the rocky shoreline below, catching the Dragon Elder effortlessly.
Salamence glanced disdainfully at the astonished Silas.
Seriously.
The kid hadn't seen much of the world.
It flicked its tail, turned around, and began flying back.
Although Salamence was powerful enough to cross the storm and reach the Dragon Archipelago, there was no point.
Rather than making the trip, it would rather return to the Dragon's Den and catch up with its old "friends."
After all, it had been quite some time since it last visited.
Silas naturally noticed Salamence's expression and understood exactly what it meant.
His face darkened.
Come on.
Who would have guessed that someone as old as the Dragon Elder enjoyed pulling stunts like that?
They were several hundred meters in the air!
Even with the Power of Dragon, falling from that height should still leave you half dead!
Dragapult paid no attention to whatever the human on its back was thinking and simply floated after Dragonite at a leisurely pace.
Dragonite's speed needed no introduction.
What surprised Silas even more was Dragapult's speed.
Despite its size, it easily kept pace with Dragonite.
Of course, both Pokémon were carrying riders, so neither was flying at full speed.
Even so, Silas couldn't help but admire just how fast it was.
"Dragapult is actually very light," the Dragon Elder's voice reached his ears. "Probably because of its Ghost typing. That allows it to fly incredibly fast while remaining remarkably agile."
Silas paused before realizing this was probably another application of the Power of Dragon.
By the look of it, the Power of Dragon was no less extraordinary than Aura or psychic powers.
You really can't underestimate the older generation of Trainers, he thought to himself.
Because of the strain that full-team battles placed on both Trainers and Pokémon, older Trainers weren't necessarily stronger. In fact, most of them gradually weakened with age.
But that didn't mean they were insignificant.
Take the Dragon Elder, for example.
With the assistance of the Dragon Power, Silas believed she could still fight as a true Elite Four-level Trainer in a three-on-three battle.
Any more than that, however, and her body and stamina probably wouldn't be able to handle it.
After all, Pokémon battles weren't decided solely by the Pokémon on the field.
The Trainer played an equally vital role, especially at the highest levels of competition.
Even so, after flying across the endless ocean for nearly two hours, the two Trainers and four Pokémon finally caught their first glimpse of what lay ahead.
Dense gray storm clouds blanketed the sky.
Towering tornadoes raged across the sea.
Silas could clearly feel the overwhelming power of nature.
The fierce winds forced him to squint.
"Roooar—"
Dragonite, carrying the Dragon Elder ahead, suddenly let out a dragon's cry infused with mysterious energy.
Instantly, the turbulent airflow around Silas became much calmer.
Only the area immediately surrounding them changed, however.
"So this comes from Dratini and Dragonair's innate ability to manipulate the weather. No wonder only Dragonite can do this."
Silas quickly understood what was happening.
The Dratini evolutionary line's weather-controlling abilities weren't exactly a secret. Nearly every Trainer knew about them.
However, once they evolved into Dragonite, they rarely used those abilities during battle.
Because they simply didn't need them.
They were already overwhelmingly powerful.
But against the forces of nature, those abilities became incredibly valuable.
He even suspected that if enough Dragonite from the Dragon Clan worked together, they could completely calm the surrounding weather.
Of course, doing so would expose the islands, defeating the purpose of their concealment.
As for Dragapult.
Silas looked at the Pokémon beneath him, whose body seemed to be gradually becoming transparent.
While silently worrying whether he might suddenly fall through it, he also understood how it handled the storm.
Ghost-type Pokémon simply weren't bothered by such things.
"Dragapult is currently classified as the Stealth Pokémon," the Dragon Elder said.
This time, she spoke aloud instead of communicating through the Power of Dragon.
Silas nodded.
There were countless Pokémon with extraordinary abilities, and Ghost-types were among the most remarkable.
Among Ghost-types, Gengar could merge into shadows and even contained a separate dimensional space within its body. Mismagius could distort space to create illusions and even weave mystical runes that caused humans to hallucinate. Banette, when pierced with needles, could unleash tremendous power for a short period of time.
That was one of the main reasons why most people kept their distance from Ghost-type Pokémon.
Compared to many other Pokémon, they were undeniably eerie.
By comparison, Dragapult's unique ability seemed rather underwhelming.
From what Silas could tell, aside from making both itself and a human invisible together, it didn't appear capable of much else.
Silas swore he had absolutely no intention of using invisibility for anything suspicious.
He simply thought it would be incredibly useful for staying safe in the wild.
It would also be an excellent way to deal with poachers.
"Dragapult's invisibility is actually achieved by temporarily pulling you into what is known as the Spirit World. That's why you're unaffected by the surrounding environment.
"Of course, it's a tremendous drain on Dragapult itself, and it also requires the assistance of Dreepy.
"Furthermore, not every Dragapult is capable of mastering this ability."
As if she had seen through Silas's thoughts, the Dragon Elder patiently explained.
For some reason, Silas had the distinct feeling that she genuinely hoped he would take a Dreepy back and raise it.
After all, she had never said he could only choose from the Dreepy evolutionary line. She had said he could choose any Dragon-type Pokémon.
Naturally, Silas voiced the question that had been lingering in his mind.
Knowing the Dragon Elder's personality, he doubted she would hide something like this from him.
Hearing his question, the Dragon Elder let out a soft sigh.
"I do have that hope."
"The reason is simple they are, in the end, Ghost-type Pokémon.
"Don't you find it strange? Why isn't there a Dreepy colony living in the Dragon's Den?"
There was helplessness in her eyes.
"Although they are Dragon-type Pokémon, and their Ghost typing resembles that of the legendary Giratina, they're still rejected by the vast majority of Dragon Pokémon.
"Some Dragons even believe their existence is born from the resentment of their fallen ancestors.
"Because of that, only the deepest part of the Dragon Sanctuary only the Guardian Dragonite is willing to accept them with genuine tolerance.
"So from the moment they're born, these children have never had the chance to interact with other Dragon Pokémon.
"That's why they became so excited when they saw you."
As the Dragon Elder spoke, Silas could even feel the sadness radiating from the Dragapult beneath him.
Within the Dragon's Den family, they alone the Ghost Dragons could never truly fit in.
Anyone in their position would find that painful.
Especially since, judging from everything he had seen, this family was unusually gentle and well-behaved.
To be misunderstood like that had undoubtedly left deep emotional scars.
"I see..."
Silas fell silent.
Emotionally, he could understand how the other Dragon Pokémon felt.
Even he himself hadn't had the best impression of Ghost-types before today.
The main reason was simple, there were simply too many recorded cases of Ghost-type Pokémon harming humans, giving them a worse reputation than many of the so-called tyrants of the forests.
At least the forest bullies wouldn't attack someone for no reason.
Ghost-types, on the other hand, might play a prank that accidentally or intentionally cost someone their life.
Out in the wild, most Pokémon instinctively avoided places inhabited by Ghost-types.
But looking at it from another perspective, not every Ghost Pokémon was evil.
In fact, the vast majority weren't malicious by nature.
They simply lacked the human concepts of right and wrong.
Among Ghost-type Trainers, there were countless examples proving that Ghost Pokémon were often even more affectionate and loyal to their Trainers than many other types.
It was just that few people were willing to believe it.
"So, Elder you're hoping they can experience the kind of life ordinary Pokémon should have?"
Silas asked.
Simply living within their own colony wasn't what a normal Pokémon life was supposed to be.
Battling.
Competing for territory.
Making new friends.
Enjoying meals together.
That was what Pokémon life should be.
Perhaps, contrary to what most people believed, Ghost Pokémon only played pranks because they wanted attention, because they wanted friends.
Silas suddenly felt as though he had understood something.
The only problem was that, thanks to their abilities, their way of making friends was rather dangerous.
"If they don't mind, I'd be more than happy for one of them to become my partner."
With that realization, he spoke sincerely.
"Woo..."
For the first time since the journey began, the Dragapult beneath him made a sound.
A long crimson tongue curled upward from its body and gently licked Silas across the face.
Honestly it was a little creepy.
But Silas felt he was slowly getting used to it.
During the height of summer, Ghost-type Pokémon could cool you down just as effectively as Ice-types.
"You've all had it rough."
He crouched down and gently stroked Dragapult's head in comfort.
Perhaps because he had been an orphan in this life, he could empathize with its feelings.
The only difference was that his own loneliness had come from simply not wanting to deal with immature people.
Ever since setting out on his journey, he had made plenty of friends.
The Dragon Elder watched Silas's actions with a warm smile.
She couldn't guarantee that every Dreepy would find a wonderful life.
But helping even one of them find the right Trainer.
Wasn't that part of her responsibility as the guardian of the Dragon's Den?
She believed the young man before her wouldn't disappoint her.
Wrapped in an eerie silence, the two of them soon passed completely through the storm-filled darkness.
What appeared before Silas was a series of peaceful, tranquil islands.
No one would ever imagine that such a paradise existed within the heart of such violent storms.
"Dragonite!"
The Dragonite suddenly cried out excitedly.
"Roar!"
"Dragonite!"
"Rooar!"
"Woooo!"
Dragon cries echoed from every direction, causing Silas's ears to ring.
"Come on."
The Dragon Elder smiled as she beckoned him downward toward the island below.
"I'll show you the Pokémon that live here.
"You're the only outsider who's set foot here in many years."
As soon as they landed, a group of Dratini, Dragonair, and Dragonite immediately surrounded the Dragonite carrying the Dragon Elder.
"This is its home," the Dragon Elder explained.
..
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