Chapter 62: Conditions for Obtaining the Razor Fang
Just as Ryū guessed the Pokémon's identity, a giant Gliscor emerged above the distant forest, leading a dense swarm of dozens more Gligar toward them.
"This is not good..." Ryū frowned.
Little Scorpio was around Lv. 25, similar to the two Gyarados. But the Gligar flanking this Gliscor were at least Lv. 40 or higher. That meant the Gliscor itself was likely Lv. 45 or even Lv. 50, making it an overlord comparable to the strongest Pokémon in the middle area of Mt. Silver. No wonder it could lead its clan to occupy an entire island.
But Ryū wasn't panicked. Behind them was the sea. Gliscor and Gligar move very slowly in water; they can barely even submerge without floating uncontrollably. If this Gliscor showed hostility, he could immediately take Liz and the others into a deep dive.
'There shouldn't be a need for that,' he thought, glancing at the Gligar beside him. Little Scorpio's expression was completely relaxed.
With their Gligar as a connection, they shouldn't be in any danger.
"Alan," Liz said, her face serious but not fearful. The sense of security she felt came from the Pokémon by her side.
"Gligar, Gligar~" Little Scorpio raised a hand and waved casually at the approaching Gliscor, which was a full 8 meters long.
"So you're the crown prince," Ryū thought, his eyes widening when he heard Little Scorpio's address. He was completely relieved when he realized Gligar had called the Gliscor "Old Man."
"Gligar~ (No~ Everyone calls him Old Man~)" Gligar shook his head with a nonchalant smile.
The Gliscor began its descent, landing less than ten seconds later. After it landed and raised its tail, it still stood over 4 meters tall, four times the size listed in the Pokédex.
"This guy is a [Head]," Ryū realized.
A wild Pokémon with a sizable clan and territory could obtain the [Head] designation, causing their physique to grow. Since the Dragonite line was so rare, Ryū had never seen another of his kind, let alone formed a clan. He was destined never to obtain that title.
"Gligar?" The Gliscor leader stood 10 meters away. He glanced at Ryū's group, recognized them as a bunch of kids, and then turned his attention to Little Scorpio.
"Gligar," Little Scorpio nodded and pointed a pincer at Liz, indicating that he was going to live with this human from now on.
..."Gligar." The Gliscor hesitated, looking from Liz to the other Pokémon around her, and finally nodded. It had never encountered a situation like this before. However, seeing that the other Pokémon with Liz seemed free and were growing strong, he felt he could trust this human. As a father, he never wanted to keep his children by his side forever; he just feared they would perish in the outside world.
"Hello," Ryū said, taking the initiative to step forward.
"Gligar?" The Gliscor shifted its gaze to him.
"Excuse me, do you have an item that can evolve Gligar?" Ryū asked. He believed an old creature like this would understand the concept of evolution, even if it didn't know the human name for a Razor Fang.
A Razor Fang could be obtained from three types of Pokémon. One was Gligar itself, though the probability was very low. Another was its evolution, Gliscor, which shed two fangs every year that were essentially Razor Fangs. The last was Bruxish, a Pokémon from the Alola region. Ryū never thought he would actually find a Gliscor, so this was a rare opportunity he couldn't miss.
"Gligar?"
"Yes, for him," Ryū said, gesturing to Little Scorpio.
..."Gligar, Gligar." The Gliscor bared its teeth and said something.
"..." Ryū fell silent for a moment.
The Gliscor's meaning was clear: to obtain a Razor Fang, they had to defeat him in battle. It didn't have to be Gligar; Ryū could fight as well. But right now, none of them stood a chance, even if they all attacked together.
"Gligar, Gligar. (Go back. Come challenge me when you've become strong.)" The Gliscor waved a pincer, signaling for them to leave.
The Gliscor didn't particularly like humans. If his son hadn't treated Liz as a friend, he might have attacked her to keep his island's existence a secret.
"Thank you." Ryū didn't say anything more. He turned and led Liz and the others away.
Although he didn't get the Razor Fang, he had secured a promise. In the future, when he evolved into a Dragonite, he would be strong enough to win that challenge.