Chapter 135: The Descendants of an Old Friend
As Ryu and his companions followed the river channel deeper into the island, the crowds of tourists were left behind, blocked by roadblocks. The human spectators were replaced by a new audience: a colony of Gligar.
"So that's how it is..." Ryu understood. The outer half of the island was a public park, but the interior was a protected nature reserve, a sanctuary for the Gligar.
"Gligar?" the locals chattered, curiously following the strange newcomers.
"Is it fun outside?" one asked.
"Fun," Sprigatito replied.
"Scary," Lapras added.
The simple conversation made quite a few of the younger Gligar want to go out and see the world for themselves.
"We should be arriving soon," Ryu muttered, noticing the riverbank ahead beginning to slope upwards toward a lake.
The lake was still there, but it was now two or three times larger than he remembered. In the center of the lake stood a large rock with a rough carving on it. It depicted a giant Dragonite shielding a human woman and several small Pokémon: a Magikarp, a Gligar, a Charmander, and a Zubat.
"Lapras, go to the bottom of that rock," he said, his eyes fixed on the carving. He was certain it hadn't been there a thousand years ago.
'It seems my old friend returned here after all,' he guessed. After Liz's passing, Gliscor must have returned to this island, become the new leader, and carved this monument to his friends.
"Gliscor!" A wild and domineering voice sounded from the small waterfall on the other side of the lake. A giant Gliscor flew out and landed atop the rock, looking down at them.
'His descendant,' Ryu thought, looking at the female Gliscor. Her body was nearly four meters long, and the double stingers on her tail were short. A thousand years was a long time. This was likely his great-granddaughter, or even a generation beyond that.
"Gliscor? (What are you doing here?)" she asked, her tone lukewarm.
"A friend used to live here. We're just passing by to take a look and rest for a bit."
"Gliscor." She could tell from his aura that he wasn't lying. She nodded, then quickly flew back into the waterfall, a little unsettled by his strange, familiar gaze.
At the lakeshore, a group of Gligar brought them an assortment of food—not just berries, but also snacks like spicy strips left by human tourists.
"Thank you," Ryu said to the cute, pink Pokémon. Thinking that they were the descendants of his old friend, he felt an even greater fondness for them.
"Meow?" Sprigatito pounced on a packet of spicy strips, but Ryu quickly snatched them away. "You're not allowed to eat that," he said firmly. "It's not good for you."
He took out the special cat food from Orange Academy for her instead, and picked through the pile of food to find some nutritious berries for Lapras. He himself just casually nibbled on a few.
After the meal, the Gligar all found comfortable spots to take a nap. Ryu also lay down, holding a Gligar cub in his left arm and Sprigatito in his right, ready for a deep sleep.
"Mimi..." Lapras, however, couldn't rest. She missed her family.
[Inorin Note:
If you wish to support me so I can continue to survive and afford proper food, you can join my membership on Patreon [patreon.com/InorinTL]. Be sure to check out "The Founding Pillars"—a special, limited-time tier that offers all the benefits of "The Plot Uncoverer" at a discounted price! Slots are limited, so grab yours before they run out. Besides membership, you can also donate via Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/inorintl].
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]