Chapter 132: A Thousand-Year Gap
The petty Sprigatito sat down on the ground, sulking, and patted Lapras's shell. A light slap on the head from Ryu was enough to make her behave. With some free time, Ryu chatted with Lapras.
She explained that her family came from a warm sea area and was migrating to a cooler one to spend the summer, as the world's temperature was currently rising.
"Hmm, coming from Alola and heading to Sinnoh?" Ryu guessed. A "cool sea area" in the summer could only be the icy rivers of the north.
"How many are in your family?"
"Mimi~ (Seven or eight...)"
"Only seven or eight? Then finding them won't be easy," Ryu sighed.
Pokémon in the sea were different from those on land. The transition from the Monster Era to the Alliance Era had little impact on the ocean's inhabitants. Human trainers rarely ventured deep into the sea, so most marine Pokémon still retained their ancient, territorial instincts. They would not be soft-hearted towards intruders. This little Lapras was lucky she had only run into a small colony of Tentacool.
"Mimi..." Hearing Ryu's words, she was about to cry again.
"Achoo!" Sprigatito suddenly yawned.
The sun had almost completely set, and the air was getting cold. Ryu took out the small jacket Sora had prepared. "Sprigatito, come here and put on your clothes," he said.
"Meow!" she huffed, turning her head away, still angry. A couple of playful pats on the butt from Ryu, however, was enough to make her cooperate.
"It's almost mealtime," he said. "Lapras, just keep going. I'll feed you." He took out the bag of bread and biscuits Mabel had given him and began feeding the large, hungry baby Pokémon. After about ten minutes, Lapras was full. Ryu then sat down to eat his own share, leaving the special cat food for Sprigatito.
"Come here, time to eat," he said, opening a can.
"Meow," the little cat tilted her head up. She also wanted him to feed her.
"How can I feed you without a spoon? Hurry up and eat yourself. I'm hungry too." Hearing that, Sprigatito stopped bothering him and obediently lowered her head to eat.
Splish splash~
A series of water sounds rang out nearby. A red-eyed Gyarados, clearly enraged for some reason, had spotted them and was charging aggressively. Lapras, frightened, tried to speed away, but a Gyarados is much faster.
"Just keep going. I'll handle this," Ryu said unhurriedly. His own level had already reached 19. This Gyarados, in the shallow coastal waters, was likely only around Lv. 20-something.
[Hone Claws].
[Razor Leaf].
A sharp leaf shot out, scraping against the blue horn on the Gyarados's head and producing a small spark. The enraged Pokémon turned its attention to him and spat out a fierce [Whirlpool].
[Detect]!
A brown arc flashed in Ryu's eyes, and he instantly spotted the core of the vortex. He threw another Razor Leaf straight at the Gyarados's throat. The attack hit its mark, causing the creature to choke and disrupting the move.
By this time, Ryu had already pounced onto the Gyarados's head.
[Hone Claws].
[Mega Drain].
A faint green fluorescence appeared on both of them as Ryu absorbed the Gyarados's energy. Its eyes turned into swirls, and it collapsed backward into the sea. Ryu leaped back onto Lapras's shell, not having gotten more than a few drops of water on him.
"Meow!" Sprigatito wasn't surprised at all.
"Mimi!" Lapras, however, was different. She was in awe. Even the battle-hardened leader of her own family couldn't fight with such skill and experience.
"Keep going," Ryu said with a small smile. Modern wild Pokémon were nothing compared to those from the Monster Era. A thousand years of peace had weakened the battle memories etched into their racial inheritance. In the old days, he could at most fight an opponent five levels higher. Now, he could take on one ten levels higher, even with a type disadvantage.
[Inorin Note:
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