Chapter 137: King of the Rainforest
In the blink of an eye, another month and a half passed. Ryu and Floragato had been on the island, which he now called Scorpion Island, for almost a month. Recently, the Gligar had been hearing the songs of other Lapras from across the sea. Her family was near.
Today, Floragato, leaning against a tree, looked quite carefree. She had grown much stronger and more confident.
"Gligar!" a familiar opponent flew over, wanting a rematch.
"Meow," Floragato flicked her hand, tucking the long, flowered vine she was holding into the fur around her neck. She leaped down from the tree and landed silently, raising her head proudly.
[Hone Claws]. A brown light flashed on her extended claws.
The Gligar charged with a [Quick Attack], but Floragato was a blur of motion. She kicked off the trunks of nearby trees, imitating Ryu's fighting style, and a fierce, cold light streaked across the Gligar. It cried out in pain and fell, defeated in a single move.
"Meow (Practice for two more years)," she said coolly, quoting her master before running off towards the deepest part of the forest.
Outside of Scorpion Island, a group of eight young people in white shirts arrived. They were research students from Violet University, aspiring to become Pokémon Professors. Their guide was Officer Jenny from Cherrygrove City.
"I wonder if you've heard a rumor about Scorpion Island recently," Jenny said, trying to break the silence. "A giant Pokémon over three meters tall has appeared in the rainforest. Some travelers from the Hoenn region suspect it's a Sceptile."
"Impossible," one of the male students, a young man named Kael Elm, immediately retorted. "A lone Sceptile could never reach that size on this island. That's clearly a size from the Monster Era..."
At that moment, all the students stared wide-eyed at the forest ahead, their jaws dropping. Even Kael was speechless. Jenny turned to see what they were looking at and froze.
A giant Sceptile, well over three meters tall, leaped over their heads. Its massive body and proud eyes projected an unparalleled kingly aura, far beyond that of the island's Gliscor leader. Following closely behind was a Floragato, who, despite her own impressive presence, was completely overshadowed.
"Wait! Please wait! Sceptile!" Kael shouted, dropping his heavy backpack and chasing after them. The other students followed, abandoning Jenny, who had no choice but to ride her Arcanine and give chase.
Ahead, Ryu glanced at his panel.
[Sceptile]
[Potential]: God's Domain
[Level]: Lv. 49
[Height]: 3.2 m
[New Moves]: 11 total, including Dig, Brick Break, and Swords Dance.
He had gained sixteen levels in a month. His strength was now more than ten times what it was before.
"Lapras's family has arrived, so there's no need for us to stay," he told Floragato.
"Don't worry about the people behind us. Get on my back; you're not fast enough."
He looked back at the pursuing Jenny and her Arcanine. In a rainforest, a Sceptile was unbeatable—the undisputed King of the Rainforest. Unless the Arcanine was a much higher level, it would just be eating his dust. He had no intention of cooperating with them, nor did he feel any guilt about it. He had been living on the island for a month with almost no contact with humans; she had no reason to arrest him.
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