Chapter 137: King of the Jungle
A half-month passed in the blink of an eye. Will and Floragato had been on the Gligar island for almost a month.
Recently, some of the Gligar playing outside at dusk had heard the sound of a Pokémon singing from the sea. The voice was very similar to the one Lapras used when she sang. When Lapras heard this news, she was overjoyed. Singing a sorrowful song at dusk to find its few remaining companions is a known habit of the Lapras species.
To help Lapras get information, Will had been frequently making solo trips to the outer parts of the island, hoping to hear something from the humans about a Lapras herd.
At this time, on a tree near the lake, Floragato was leaning against the trunk. In one paw, she held a fruit. In the other, a vine, at the tip of which was a small, pink flower bud. She looked effortlessly cool.
"Gligar!" A Gligar flew over from the distance, landed near her, and waved its pincers.
"Meow," Floragato said, tucking the vine into the fur around her neck. She then leaped down from the tree, several meters high, and landed lightly, without making a sound.
"Meow," she said, lifting her head proudly after landing. She then peeked around, and her face fell. There were no spectators to witness her cool performance.
"Meow!" She huffed and ran off towards the deepest part of the forest. Her speed was incredible, her feet barely making a sound on the ground.
"Gligar!" Just then, another Gligar shot out from the side, blocking her path. It was the loser she had defeated yesterday, now back for a rematch.
"Meow..." Floragato just raised her chin, not even deigning to look at it.
Shing. She tensed her paws, and sharp claws extended from her fur. She scraped them together in front of her chest. It was the Dark-type move, [Hone Claws]. A brown light flashed on her claws, making them look even sharper. The move increased her physical attack and accuracy—a move Will himself dreamed of.
"Gligar!" The Gligar was impatient. It shook its head and glided towards her, a white light trailing behind its tail. It was using [Quick Attack].
"Meow," Floragato said, wagging her tail. She extended her front paws and pressed down. The once-soft fur on her body instantly became as sharp as needles, an effect almost no less than the "Rough Skin" ability. It was just her species' trait.
Swoosh.
With a light push of her feet, Floragato shot forward with even greater speed. But she didn't head for the Gligar. Instead, she kicked off the trunk of a nearby tree, and then kicked off another, deliberately imitating the fighting style of a Grovyle.
"MEOW!" With a sharp cry, a cold light flashed across the charging Gligar's body.
"Gligar!" it shrieked and fell to the ground.
Normally, the fight wouldn't end there, but this wasn't an official battle. There was no need to completely knock the opponent out. The Gligar had been taken out by a single blow.
"Meow~ (You'll need another two years of training~)" Floragato said, flicking her claws and recalling something Will had said in the past. She then coolly turned and continued running deeper into the forest.
Only when there were no other Gligar in sight did the cold expression on her face finally melt away, replaced by a girlish delight.
"Meow~" Floragato waved her claws happily. She could finally leave this island. She was about to vomit from being stuck here for so long. If it weren't for her best friend, Lapras, she would have dragged Will away long ago.
After running for five minutes, she saw a giant tree in the distance and quickly put her cool expression back on. Under the tree, a tall figure stood quietly.
...
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Gligar island.
Seven or eight young people in white shirts had arrived. They were the first research students from Celadon University, all of whom aspired to become Pokémon Professors. These were prized prodigies that the Johto League valued greatly. You could tell how much by looking at who was leading their ecological survey of the island.
Ordinary tour groups were led by half-baked commercial guides. But the leader of these seven or eight students was Officer Jenny of Cherrygrove City.
At the moment, however, she had a headache. These students were all the quiet, introverted type, observing on their own and barely speaking.
"Has everyone heard the rumor about Gligar Island recently?" Jenny finally decided to start a topic.
The students looked up at her, waiting for her to continue.
"Ahem. Recently, a giant Pokémon, over three meters tall, has appeared in the rainforest here. A tourist from the Hoenn region said it might be a Sceptile."
"Does that Sceptile have a clan?" one of the female students asked, not particularly surprised by the data, but still curious.
"No."
"Then that's impossible."
The moment Jenny finished, a male student with glasses immediately refuted her. His name was Elm Southwind. He was one of the most outstanding students of his year, his fame at Celadon University equal to that of Oak Northstar from the battling department.
Oak Northstar's grandfather was one of the seven elders of the Johto League. And he himself, at only 25, had already become an instructor for the Pokémon League's Inspection Team—what would be known in two hundred years as the International Police.
As for Elm Southwind, his achievement was pioneering the path of the "Breeder Trainer," a path completely different from that of the "Battle Trainer," which was now becoming a trend in both Kanto and Johto.
"If it were an Alpha Sceptile with a clan, then it reaching that height wouldn't be surprising. But if it's alone, there's no way it could reach that size on this island. That's a clear sign of the Era of Primal Beasts..." Elm Southwind said, pushing up his glasses, completely firm in his conviction. The other students nodded in agreement.
However, in that moment, all the students' eyes went wide as they stared at the forest in front of them. Their jaws dropped, and their eyes bulged. One of them even had a trail of snot running from his nose.
Even Elm Southwind was rendered speechless, his mouth hanging open, only able to make some meaningless noises.
Jenny tilted her head, confused by their reaction.
"ARF!" her Arcanine barked.
Alerted by her partner, Jenny turned to look behind her and froze on the spot.
A giant Sceptile, over three meters tall, had just leaped over their heads. Its massive body and proud eyes projected an unparalleled kingly aura. Jenny had seen the Gliscor Alpha of this island before, but in terms of sheer presence, that Gliscor couldn't even compare to this Sceptile. She had even forgotten to breathe.
After the Sceptile had passed, a Floragato with a cold sweat on its brow but an equally proud expression shot out right after it. However, with the Sceptile having made such an impression, the Floragato was not nearly as eye-catching.
"Wait! Please wait! Sceptile!" Elm Southwind's voice cried out.
Having come to his senses, he dropped his heavy backpack, adjusted his glasses, and ran at full speed in the direction Will had gone. The other students, also snapping out of their daze, abandoned Jenny and ran after him. Jenny, tasked with protecting them, could only mount her Arcanine and give chase.
...
Ahead.
"Meow?"
"Yes, since Lapras's clan has arrived, there's no need for us to stay. Besides, I've trained enough here for now," Will said, nodding as he glanced at his status screen.
The change from a month ago was huge. Never mind his potential, which had now firmly entered the "Godly" domain, or his increased physique; his level alone had jumped by sixteen. A month, sixteen levels. This speed was even faster than his time as a Beedrill. And his skills had increased by eleven. Of course, of those, he had only actually learned Dig, Brick Break, and Swords Dance. The others were learned through leveling up or being recalled. But in any case, his current strength was more than ten times what it was a month ago. The types of moves he now knew covered eight different types.
He had originally planned to learn Rock Tomb from the Gligar, but although his Rock-type energy was sufficient, he still hadn't been able to master it.
"Should Lapras have already left?"
"Meow!"
"Then we'll just go and meet up with her."
"Meow?"
"Don't worry about the people behind us. Get on my back. Your speed isn't fast enough."
Will glanced at the pursuing Officer Jenny and her Arcanine. An Arcanine is certainly fast, but a Sceptile is described in the Pokédex as being "unbeatable in a rainforest." It is the undisputed king of the jungle. If they were on the plains, or if the Arcanine's level was much higher, it might be able to catch him. But otherwise, it could eat his dust.
Although he didn't know what they wanted, Will had no intention of cooperating. And he wasn't scared. He had been on this island for a month and had had almost no contact with humans. Jenny had no reason to arrest him.
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