Chapter 628: Three Dragon Cubs
Pokémon eggs hatch very slowly. In the League Era, a Pokémon egg typically requires anywhere from a week to a month to hatch. But in the Ancient Era, a month is the absolute baseline for the incubation period.
Take a Charizard egg, for example. Logically speaking, as a Fire-type Pokémon, the egg should hatch quite rapidly; in the League Era, it might pop out within a single week. Yet in the Ancient Era, it took over a full month of steady incubation before they finally broke through their shells.
Furthermore, the hatching intervals between the three eggs weren't brief at all. The oldest and the second-oldest hatched simultaneously, both being little males. The youngest broke through its shell a full four days later, turning out to be a little female.
However, this minor discrepancy in days didn't induce any physical differences in constitution. Upon birth, the little sister's height and weight weren't inferior to her two older brothers at all; in fact, her bone density was slightly superior, making her far more suited to walk the physical-combat path of a Mega Charizard X.
"Char-ha~"
The voice of a newborn Charmander hatchling is incredibly tender—the type of high-pitched squeak that even an Altaria couldn't replicate no matter how tightly she pinched her throat.
The two older brothers were exceptionally mischievous, constantly bounding up and down as they scrambled all over their mother's body. Even the flames atop their tails burned noticeably more intensely than their sister's.
As for the little sister, the newly hatched little guy was remarkably clumsy even at walking, preferring to crawl across the grass like a little lizard instead.
"Flo-ette." Floette deemed this posture improper, constantly trying to lift her onto her feet.
However, despite being newly hatched, the little sister already stood at 0.8 meters tall. She was entirely unwilling to be managed by a tiny bean sprout like Floette, who was even shorter than herself. Facing the doting Floette who kept pressing close, she stubbornly used her snout to nudge her big aunt aside.
Floette wasn't angry either; she had always been exceptionally indulgent toward children. She plucked a small black flower from the path and waved it back and forth right before the little sister's nose.
In a flash, the little sister grew immensely drowsy, yet she possessed a remarkably stubborn disposition. She forcibly propped her heavy eyelids open to resist sleep, even snapping her jaws to drag the black flower directly into her mouth, chewing it up and swallowing it down.
The very next second, she collapsed flat onto the ground.
Those black flowers packed a highly potent paralyzing effect. While completely negligible against powerful adult Pokémon, the efficacy was super effective against a newborn hatchling.
Beholding the little dragon cub sprawled out on the grass, Floette shook her head helplessly, then hoisted her niece over her shoulder to carry her back to her mother's side.
Kazuya watched this spectacle from a distance, lazily swaying his massive tail back and forth. Likely because his physical build was simply too colossal, even though his three little nephews and niece clearly desired to draw close to him, they didn't quite dare to venture over.
Of course, their mother also strictly forbade the three little Charmanders from roaming blindly. Currently, the fire dragon hatchlings hadn't transitioned out of their infancy; if they strayed even a hair's breadth away from the mother's perimeter, she would grow frantically anxious. Only after they officially bypassed this infant stage could they begin moving about slightly within the heartland, venturing out to forge friendships with the other young partners of the Dragon Clan.
A week flashed past in the blink of an eye, and the three Charmanders officially transitioned out of infancy. Their physical heights surged to a staggering 1.8 meters.
Yes, 1.8 meters. These were toddlers who had just barely bypassed their infancy, standing roughly as tall as a fully evolved Charizard from the modern League Era.
Deep within the Dragon Clan's heartland.
"You two need to settle down a bit," Kazuya rumbled, lying flat on the ground as he let out a massive yawn.
The oldest and the second-oldest were rolling all over his massive abdomen, utilizing highly unpolished Ember attacks to playfully wash each other's faces.
In just a short week's time, the three little Charmanders who previously hadn't dared to draw near him now loved nothing more than clinging tightly to his side and Floette's perimeter. It could be said they deeply adored their uncle and aunt who showered them with love.
However, if given a choice, Kazuya would honestly love to swap duties with Floette. These two boys were simply entirely too mischievous.
Their little sister, by contrast, was incredibly well-behaved, remaining serene and quiet on a daily basis; her absolute favorite activity was accompanying Floette to the farm to hunt for giant green caterpillars to munch on.
"Char-ha!" The second-oldest launched a sudden sprint, colliding right against Kazuya's chin as he shouted fiercely at his uncle.
The three little ones had previously witnessed the spectacular imagery of Kazuya thrashing the other invading Charizards. That single, majestic display of Flamethrower had left the trio thoroughly, beautifully starstruck. Now, they clamored day in and day out, demanding to be taught Flamethrower.
"Practice your Ember properly before you talk to me about anything else," Kazuya rumbled listlessly in response.
A bunch of Lv. 5 little things, trying to unlock Flamethrower?
Even though the oldest and the second-oldest had inherited his brother-kun's exceptional Fire-type talent, truth be told, they were still a fraction behind their father's baseline. Even brother-kun hadn't made contact with Flamethrower at such an early stage; how could Kazuya possibly allow these three little rascals to touch it?
It warranted extra caution. This was a grassland, after all, and he had no intention of letting these two reckless, clumsy little guys master highly destructive techniques so early—lest a single stray spark ignite a raging wildfire across the entire territory.
"Char-ha~" The oldest crawled up onto Kazuya's chest, rubbing his round, smooth head against his chin.
This was a classic display of acting coquettish. However, the oldest wasn't angling to learn Flamethrower; instead, he wanted Kazuya to carry him up into the heavens for a flight.
The oldest held an intense fascination with flight. His absolute favorite activity was meticulously studying the wings of his father, mother, and uncle. Among them, Kazuya's wings were the most gargantuan, so the oldest stared at his wings with the highest frequency.
"Alright, alright," Kazuya let out a soft sigh. These two little rascals had completely shattered his peaceful afternoon nap routine.
Whenever things reached this point, Kazuya would uncontrollably lament: If only Hestia were by my side... That partner possessed a flawless set of methods to perfectly handle these little rascals.
He slowly sat upright, scooping up a little Charmander in each claw. With a mighty flap of his wings, Kazuya soared directly into the sky.
"Char-ha!"
"Char-ha!"
Sensing the rushing gale buffeting their faces, the two Charmanders danced and gestured with wild excitement.
Despite constantly complaining about how noisy the two little cubs were, Kazuya deeply loved them in his heart. It dragged up fond memories of the days when he raised his Zubat and Meowscarada. Except, these cubs possessed entirely distinct behavioral temperaments compared to his past partners.
Zubat had been a timid, light-fearing koala, while Meowscarada was a premier actress who was exceptionally clingy and fiercely jealous. These two Charmanders weren't clingy, but they were intensely loud.
After circling a lap through the heavens, by the time they returned to the Dragon Clan's heartland, Kazuya noticed a few unfamiliar Charizards hovering within the clearing.
Today's sparring partners had arrived.
"Char-ha!"
"Ha!"
Beholding them, the two little Charmanders grew exponentially more excited than Kazuya, appearing as though they were the ones about to step onto the battlefield to wage war.
Just as Kazuya prepared to set the two dragon cubs aside and step forward to lock horns with these Charizards, the opposing squad hurriedly waved their claws in unison. They signaled that they hadn't journeyed here to initiate combat today.
"Roar." One of the Charizards extended a claw, unfurling its palm.
Three delicate dragon fangs materialized within its grasp, every single one measuring only about a dozen or so centimeters long. Kazuya reached out to accept them, furrowing his brow as he examined them meticulously for a long moment.
These were undoubtedly their dragon dad's fangs. A powerfully potent, deliberate aura surged across them. Furthermore, judging by his panel, these three teeth had officially transformed into [Dragon Fangs]—specialized held items capable of elevating the destructive power of Dragon-type moves.
But they were so small... it looked as though their dragon dad had painstakingly carved and polished them down with immense precision before sending them over. Kazuya's heart softened slightly. Judging by these three Dragon Fangs, it could already be counted as a deeply thoughtful, carefully prepared gift.
In the Pokémon world, the vast majority of creatures only directed their deepest care toward their immediate, closest generations—such as parents, mates, and direct offspring. Generational relations like grandchildren, in truth, weren't considered much closer than any ordinary member of the same broader clan.
Therefore, even though their dragon dad hadn't personally journeyed here to lay eyes on his three grandchildren, this gift was a concrete declaration of his steadfast attention. Of course, it was also highly probable that this offering was extended entirely to honor brother-kun's face.
"Take these and go find your aunt. Have her help you string them together so you can wear them around your necks—one tooth per dragon. Remember to save one for your little sister," Kazuya commanded, handing the three Dragon Fangs to the two cubs, extending a specific reminder as he watched them amble away.
The two older brothers didn't particularly enjoy playing with their sister, likely feeling their playstyles simply didn't align. Their little sister wasn't distressed either, because she similarly disdained roughhousing with her brothers, feeling their movements were entirely clumsy and lacked control.
These three Dragon Fangs didn't merely provide a simple mathematical boost to the power of Dragon-type techniques. More crucially, they radiated a subtle, protective pressure.
As the fangs of an undisputed Overlord, the aura saturated within them was naturally dense. Some powerful yet timid wild Pokémon would highly likely catch a whiff of this scent or perceive the pulsing pressure, prompting them to flee in panic rather than daring to launch an attack against the three young dragons.
In truth, the heartland of the Dragon Clan was exceptionally secure. Kazuya didn't believe any rogue Pokémon possessed the capacity to swagger past their defenses to inflict harm upon the cubs. Still, their dragon dad's sentiment deserved to be treated with serious respect.
Beholding the endearing silhouettes of the two little ones walking away, Kazuya grinned broadly. He resolved to push the timeline for their expedition into the Rocky Mountains a bit further back.
He would wait until the three young dragons secured a rudimentary level of combat proficiency and self-defense capability before he officially set off for the Rocky Mountains. Otherwise, Kazuya's heart would remain permanently weighed down by worry—a classic manifestation of an elder's psychological pattern, which he had fully developed by now.
The days that followed dissolved into the peaceful progression of accompanying the three small dragons through their growth. Kazuya and Floette's daily routine became exponentially more vibrant with the addition of their nephew and nieces.
Of course, with so many distinct species living in close proximity within a singular sanctuary, a few behavioral frictions were entirely inevitable.
For instance: The Bastiodon line complained that the Rampardos were entirely reckless and lacked control whenever they engaged in their head-butting sessions. The Kommo-o line felt the Altaria clan's singing frequency was far too high, border-lining on noisy. The Altaria clan felt the slime continuously secreted by the Goodra line was incredibly bothersome, constantly leaving them thoroughly damp and making their cotton plumage feel heavily weighed down.
In short, they were all entirely trivial, domestic squabbles. A Pokémon collective didn't harbor complex, underhanded intrigue; even their arguments resembled children bickering in Kazuya's eyes.
The avenue for mediating these frictions was remarkably simple: enforcing a healthy degree of social distance. The great tribes established their resting perimeters in distinct quadrants of the heartland. Those who desired to play and interact with other species moved to the central clearing, while those who wished to rest undisturbed remained within their designated zones. It was a problem that could be flawlessly resolved.
Trivial, domestic squabbles would always manifest, but they served as magnificent seasoning for their daily existence.
A full year slipped past.
The three small dragons had officially matured into magnificent, imposing Charizards. To this day, the Dragon Clan boasted a grand total of six Charizards!
The oldest spent his days accompanying the Altaria clan on territory patrols, grandly envisioning himself as the absolute Overlord of the grassland skies—already radiating a sliver of his grandfather's majestic style.
The second-oldest closely resembled a landlocked dragon, preferring to fly at low altitudes while utilizing both his front claws and rear legs to assist his acceleration, charging forward like a runaway locomotive; he spent every waking hour mingling with the Rampardos.
The youngest little sister evolved the latest. She had been profoundly influenced by her aunt, Floette, harboring a deep distaste for raw combat; consequently, her evolutionary progression was noticeably slower.
But this reality didn't matter at all. Even if the little sister did absolutely nothing and chose to remain completely passive every single day, the countless aunts and uncles of the Dragon Clan would fiercely shield and protect her.
And now, with the three dragon cubs finally commanding a rudimentary level of combat viability, Kazuya intended to officially mobilize his forces to launch another deep scouting expedition into the Rocky Mountain range.
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