3 days later, M.C.'s POV
Metal and I were making our way through the forest, not running into any other hostile Pokémon since escaping the bugs. Metal said that the grass clan would not attack them as long as we did not harm the forest. So we were careful not to hurt any of the trees or anything else that could be misunderstood as harming the forest. We were closing in on the area where Metal's father's clan should be, and he said that we should run into members soon. Just as I was about to take another step forward, Metal placed a hand on my shoulder, stopping me. Just when I was about to ask him why he did that, something jumped out from the trees in front of us.
A bipedal, reptilian Pokémon covered in scaly armor jumped out in front of us. Most of its body was gray with some lighter gray areas as well as yellow and red markings. It had a rounded, beak-like snout and small eyes nearly hidden under its head armor. On the tip of its snout was a patch of pale gray, and both the upper and lower jaws had a small, tooth-like spike on each side. Feeling the power coming off of it, I reached for my knife, but Metal stopped me. Shaking his head, he stepped in front of me. "I am Metal, eldest son of Chief Hunter Ikaika. This is my brother. We wish to speak to my father," Metal said. The scaly armor Pokémon nodded at Metal and then turned to look behind us at the tree line.
There was a sound of steps, and then a tall, bipedal Pokémon that resembled a coconut tree came out of the forest. Its body and legs were light brown with thin black rings, and its legs were thick with two-toed feet. There was a light yellow paw pad on each foot's underside. It had thin, green leaves sprouting from the top of its body. It had three round, light yellow heads that resembled coconuts, each with different facial expressions, but the eyes were closed on each. It was unsettling, to say the least, but if it was able to get so close to us, it did not mean to hurt us. I had learned while traveling with Metal that I could only sense Pokémon if they were hostile.
The coconut tree looked past me and Metal. Not sure how I could tell while its eyes were closed, but I felt it look past us to the scaly armor Pokémon. He nodded to it and then looked back to us. "Follow," he said and started to lead us deeper into the forest. I looked to Metal, and he nodded as he followed the other dragon. I followed them and looked back to see the tree Pokémon had done the same. We all walked in silence, the armor leading Metal and me in the center, and the tree following behind us. We walked for about an hour before we came to a large wall made from wood and scales. The lead dragon motioned for us to stop. He then walked in front of the walls and let out a loud roar. It took a second, then another roar came from the top of the wall. The gate began to rise, giving me my first sight of their home.
Nestled within the lush and fertile landscape was a village, a harmonious community designed to live in balance with the land and sea. The village itself was not a tightly packed cluster of homes but a scattered collection of thatched structures, each with a distinct purpose. Homes were constructed from natural materials: wooden frames and roofs and walls thatched with grass or coconut fronds. These buildings were open to the air, allowing cool breezes to pass through, and were oriented in relation to the sun, wind, and nearby water sources.
The gray dragon, seeing my awe of the village, let me stand there for a minute to take it in. After seeing that I was ready, he began leading us to one of the larger buildings. The building was oval-shaped with low walls, letting the smell of food waft through the air, indicating that this place was an eatery of some kind. We made our way into the building to see more gray armor dragons sitting on mats with clay bowls in front of them filled with food. Sitting at the head of the hall was a larger gray dragon. The one that had led us here was easily over 7 feet tall, but the one sitting at the head of the hall was still taller than him even while sitting. He seemed to have seen us and got up. When he did, I was able to see that a smaller gray dragon was sitting next to him. It was a small, quadrupedal Pokémon similar to a dinosaur. The lower half of its body was black, while the upper half was light gray. It had a beak-like snout with a small, tooth-like spike in each corner of its lower jaw and big, red eyes.
The larger dragon began to walk towards us with long, even strides. Each step was slow and powerful, and as he got closer, I was able to see him more clearly. His body was covered in scars and battle wounds, each telling a story. The most prominent scar ran down from the top of his left eye to his midsection. Even with his slow steps, he made it to us quickly, with the smaller dragon keeping up with him. Our guide bowed to him and went to join the other dragons with their meal. Metal then stepped forward and bowed to the larger dragon. "Father, elder sister," Metal said, raising his head from the bow and nodding to his sister, who returned it.
The elder dragon looked at Metal with an appraising gaze, not saying anything for some time. I felt my breathing slow down. I felt like that gaze was towards me, even though he was only looking at Metal. I don't know how much time passed, but he nodded in what looked to be satisfaction and then turned around. Without him needing to say anything, we followed him to another building where no other members of the clan were.
"Metal, what happened to your mother?" the eldest dragon asked when he stepped into the new building. "Mother is missing. She was fighting the fairies with the Sky Chief," he said, with sadness in his voice. I placed a hand on his shoulder to reassure him. He looked to me and nodded in thanks, then turned back to his father. The elder dragon seemed to be in thought, not showing any sadness in any way, which did not sit right with me. Metal had said that his father had many children with different dragons, but to not even show any emotion when one of your children's mothers goes missing.
I felt a cold anger building in me. What kind of father can't even reassure his child when their mother goes missing? The anger kept building in me, something that he seemed to notice because, for the first time, he locked eyes with me. Something I regretted because the second I looked into his eyes, I felt fear. More fear than I had ever felt. It was like I was standing in front of a giant that could kill me just by taking a step. My breathing began to speed up, and I thought I was going to pass out. Then the pressure just stopped, went away without warning, causing me to take in a deep breath. Metal, noticing my state, placed a hand on my shoulder and looked into his father's eyes. They seemed to be having a silent conversation, and after some time, he looked to the smaller dragon that was following us. "Braveheart, take our guests to get some food while I speak with your brother," he said. The smaller dragon nodded and then grabbed my hand to lead me out. I was about to fight back, but Metal told me to go with a look. I gave him a look to ask if he was sure, and he nodded.
I followed Braveheart out. I didn't like the idea of leaving, but I trusted Metal, and I couldn't spend any more time with his father. Following Braveheart, I gave her a good look as she passed other young dragons. Metal had told me she was small, but she might just be a midget for her species, as she was half the height of the next shortest dragon we passed. As the thought came to my mind, she stopped, and we were back in the building we first saw Metal's father in. "Go sit down. I will get food," Braveheart said as she walked away from us.
Not having another choice, I sat down on the closest mat, with the following grass type deciding to sit next to me, reminding me that she existed. I looked at her. She was bigger than Metal, and she looked well-groomed for a tree. All of her branches were cut well and were not too long. "You know that it's rude to stare," I heard a voice say in my mind. I looked around, not finding anyone else, so I looked back at the grass type. "I'm sorry," I said, not sure how to respond. "It is fine, but may I ask you something?" she said. I nodded, letting her know she could. "What kind of dragon are you?" she asked. Taken aback, I answered without thinking, "I'm not a dragon, I'm human," I all but yelled. "A human, but you feel like a dragon," she said. "Well, I'm not. Metal says I have the aura of a dragon, but I don't know why," I said.
"Oh, my grandmother told me about your kind. She said they are dragon masters," she said. That was new to me. "I'm not a dragon master or anything," I said. "But what are they?" I asked. "Not sure, but grandmother said they are the strongest trainers from where she comes from," she said. Okay, I guess that's one thing I have to ask Metal's dad after I calm down. "Human, may I ask why you're on the island?" she asked. Not sure how to answer her, I didn't want to tell her too much but needed to tell her something. "I don't know. I was brought here by the Sky Chief," I told her. She nodded. "Then are you planning on leaving the island?" she asked. I nodded, and then she jumped towards me. "Then may I join you? Rose does not like to fight, but Rose is very talented," she said. Pushing her away, I asked, "Why would you want to join me?" She went on to tell me about how she was kicked out of her clan for not being a dragon and that her grandmother told her to find a human to help her. Her grandmother had explained to her that humans like to have mind clan members (psychics) by them to protect them. She also said that she has the ability to make things heavier, and humans are always in search of Pokémon with that ability. Not really sure how to respond to her, I just told her that I would think about it.
After that, Braveheart returned with the food and sat down next to us before handing each of us a bowl. The food looked to be raw fish chopped and covered in some kind of sauce, rice, and veggies. The fish looked so fresh that it could swim if I placed it back in the water and smelled good, like a poke bowl from my old world. Having not eaten all day, I began to chow down, and I can say that it was one of the best foods I ever ate.
As I was enjoying the food, I noticed that Braveheart was looking at me, watching me swallow the food in my mouth. "Is there something you need?" I asked. "Yes, Metal called you brother. Are you also one of father's children?" she asked. "No," I said in a cold tone. The thought of being related to someone who could be so uncaring about the mother of his children did not sit right with me. Picking up on my tone, Braveheart said, "You don't like father." Not as a question, but as a statement. I thought about saying that it was not the case, but for some reason, I just couldn't bring myself to lie. "Yes," I said. "May I ask why?" she asked. I thought about it for a second, then said, "I don't like how he is so uncaring for Metal's mother." She looked at me for a second, seeming to be in thought. "You seem to misunderstand something," she said. Looking at her in confusion, I motioned for her to continue. "Father is old, older than almost every dragon on the island. He may even be the oldest Pokémon on the island. He has been through a lot," she said. I nodded, wanting to say that it was not an excuse for being uncaring, but she continued, "He has even outlived some of his children." Okay, but that still doesn't mean he can act like that, I wanted to say, but she didn't give me the chance. "These losses have caused father to hide his emotions, so don't hold it against him," she said. "I will try, but why do you care so much?" I asked. She looked at me in confusion. "I mean, you just met me and are telling me intimate things about your father," I said. "Oh," she said. "You are Metal's trainer, and you will take Metal away. I don't want to hate father and not bring Metal back," she said. That was a surprise. I was about to tell her that I'm not Metal's trainer, but then Metal made it back to us. He stood in front of me and said his father wanted to speak with me alone. He didn't give me a chance to ask why as he grabbed my arm and took me back to his father.