Chapter 61: The Isolated Island
Time flies. Seven days had passed since Ryū and the others arrived in Cherrygrove City. Today would be their last. Liz and the army had already packed their belongings, ready to set off for the Royal Capital.
Aside from the day spent playing on the beach with Liz, Ryū had spent the rest of the week taking the two Gyarados into the sea to battle hordes of Pokémon. They fought their way from the coastline all the way to a location over a hundred meters out. Ryū had already forgotten how many Water-type Pokémon he had defeated. Now, as soon as he and the Gyarados appeared, all the surrounding Pokémon would retreat, leaving only ordinary fish to wander about.
At the entrance of the city chief's villa.
"Panel."
[Dragonair]
[Potential]: Purple
[Level]: Lv. 37
[Type]: Dragon
[Ability]: Shed Skin
[Height]: 9.5 m
[Weight]: 165 kg
[Held Item]: Mystic Water
[Moves]: Hone Claws (Inherited), Wrap, Glare, Twister, Thunder Wave, Dragon Tail, Agility, Slam, Icy Wind, Aqua Tail, Thunderbolt, Take Down, Thunder, Chilling Water
He had gained two levels in seven days, obtained the excellent Mystic Water, and even learned the move Chilling Water during the constant underwater battles.
"Coming to Cherrygrove City was absolutely the right choice."
Such a huge harvest made the entire trip worthwhile.
"Alan, I heard Elder Maeve say there's an isolated island off the coast. Shall we go take a look?" Liz's voice came from behind.
"Okay," Ryū turned and agreed.
It was their last day, so Liz probably wanted one final adventure before they left. After all, she didn't know when she would be able to visit Cherrygrove City again. As for the island, Ryū hadn't seen it himself. In the hundred-meter-plus area he and the Gyarados had explored, there was no island to be found.
"Then shall we set off now? Today I want to have a proper adventure with you, Alan!" Liz said, walking up to hug Ryū. She then remembered the others and quickly added, "And Little Flare and Little Scorpio, of course."
"Haha, let's go then," Ryū smiled, stretching out his tail to wrap around Liz and Charmander before flying toward the sea.
"Gligar, Gligar~ (Big Brother~ I'm here too~)" Gligar's anxious voice sounded from behind.
"Can't you fly? Fly yourself," Ryū called back, not wanting to wrap his tail around the Gligar's hard shell.
He first brought Liz and Charmander to the seaside and called out the two Gyarados.
"Liz, Charmander, sit on their heads and see what it's like." Ryū placed Liz and Charmander separately on the massive heads of the two Gyarados.
"Huh? Is that okay? Little Carp won't throw me off, will he?" Liz asked, looking a little worried. She was used to the complete safety of being wrapped in Ryū's tail.
"ROAR!!!" Gyarados roared, assuring her that she could trust him completely.
"Huo Ha! Huo Ha!!" Charmander, however, was already bouncing excitedly on the other Gyarados's head.
"Gligar~" Gligar lazily glided over and landed right beside Charmander, hitching a ride as well. The second Gyarados simply rolled its eyes.
"Let's go."
Seeing that they were all ready, Ryū set off to lead the way. He had to admit, he was curious what riding a Gyarados felt like. Anyone who had ever dreamed of being a Pokémon Trainer surely fantasized about traveling the ocean on the back of a powerful Water-type Pokémon.
On the vast sea, Ryū flew close to the surface, flanked by the two Gyarados.
"Another experience I've never had before... Pokémon are truly amazing, and not at all like how people used to describe them," Liz sighed, feeling the sea breeze as she looked out at the calm water.
She had always heard people say how dangerous Pokémon were. But after living with them herself, she found that what people said wasn't necessarily true.
"Humans still have so many misunderstandings about Pokémon. Perhaps, in the future, I can try to change those views?"
Liz looked at Ryū, then at the lively Charmander and Gligar, and reached down to stroke the rough scales of the Gyarados beneath her. A new idea began to form in her heart. She didn't have any grand goals like bringing peace to the world. She just wanted Ryū and the others to be able to live comfortably in human society, without having to endure so many strange looks.
While Liz was lost in thought, a lone island slowly came into view on the horizon.
"There really is one..." Ryū frowned as he looked at the island ahead. It wasn't large—about the size of the Royal Capital. He estimated it would only take him ten minutes to fly from its southernmost point to the northernmost.
"Gligar?" Gligar let out a surprised cry upon seeing the island. He thought they were just going out to play; he didn't realize they were returning to his old home.
After landing on the soft sand, many purple figures suddenly flew out from the nearby forest.
"Gligar?"
"Gligar!"
"Gligar."
"So many Gligar?!" Ryū stared in shock. At least 15 Gligar of varying sizes appeared before them.
"Gligar," Liz's Gligar said, scratching his head before waving his arms at the others.
"This is your home?" Ryū's eyes widened in surprise. This wasn't right. The Pokédex clearly stated that Gligar 'nest on steep rock walls,' but this entire colony lived on a flat, forested island.
'It seems the information in the Pokédex isn't complete. Even in the Alliance Era, humanity still has a long way to go in researching Pokémon.'
Ryū sighed inwardly, but he also found it novel. His "god's-eye view" had failed him, but instead of disappointment, he felt a spark of excitement. Discovering a Pokémon's true living habits for himself gave him a sense of accomplishment.
"Wow! So many Little Scorpios," Liz said, equally surprised.
"Huo Ha."
"Roar..."
They didn't find it strange for Gligar to live here, as they had no prior knowledge of the species.
"GLISCOR!!!"
Suddenly, a massive roar echoed from the center of the island, far more dominant and wild than the Gligars' cries. The sound alone was enough to make Ryū's scales stand on end.
"Gliscor."
Ryū didn't even need to see it to know what kind of creature had made that sound.