Dragonair—this is a serpentine Pokémon, long-bodied, covered in sapphire-blue scales, and with a bright white underbelly. It has a pair of black, shining eyes, a small white horn on its forehead, and two tiny feather-like wings on either side of its head.

It looks both mysterious and elegant, revered as a sacred Pokémon, able to manipulate weather and ride the winds into the sky!

That graceful, beautiful form makes it hard to believe that after evolution it will become Dragonite.

“Head-on Smash!”

Haxorus didn’t hold back. The instant Dragonair appeared, it struck with brutal force!

The overwhelming blow nearly knocked Dragonair unconscious on the spot. After crying out in pain, it quickly retreated!

“Hey, what kind of weird move is that? Attacking all of a sudden is too sneaky!”

Drayden’s grandson, Iris’s rival Drayden Jr., was shocked. His Dragonair hadn’t even started the battle yet and was already badly injured!

“Ugh, get in the air and use Dragon Dance!”

Drayden Jr. raised his palm toward the sky. Dragonair swiftly manipulated the airflow and ascended high into the air. From up there, it could safely power itself up without worrying about Haxorus’s attacks!

After all, Haxorus couldn’t fly! Nor did it know any moves that could strike airborne targets!

But Hikaru wasn’t going to give Dragonair a chance to set up. To Drayden Jr.’s confusion, Haxorus suddenly acted on its own—beckoning Dragonair with its claw.

Taunt!

“Ah! It moved without being commanded—that’s also the power of Dragon’s Heart?”

Drayden Jr. was flustered.

After being Taunted, Dragonair couldn’t use any status moves. Its body stiffened, panic setting in. Meanwhile, Haxorus received its next command.

Swagger!

“Wuu~!” Dragonair’s eyes spun in circles as an invisible force disrupted its mind—it became confused!

Dragonair started attacking itself!

“W-what?!” Drayden Jr. scratched his head frantically. His plan to boost Dragonair hadn’t even started, and it was already completely shut down! Could Haxorus really have this many ways to suppress Dragonair, even without being able to fly?!

“Our turn.” Hikaru snapped his fingers. “Dragon Dance.”

Haxorus’s eyes gleamed as it danced fiercely, its tail whipping back and forth, overflowing with power!

And after Dragon Dance came—”Rock Tomb!”

Although Dragonair wasn’t a Flying-type and didn’t take extra damage from Rock, Rock-type moves were the easiest way to strike down “floaters” in the air or suppress them. Maybe it was simply because the impact of heavy stones was overwhelming!

Besides, rocks could easily be hurled upward. Dragon-type moves like Dragon Pulse would be too weak for Haxorus anyway—its Special Attack just wasn’t high enough!

The massive boulders slammed into Dragonair, the violent pain forcing the sacred blue dragon downward. But as it nearly hit the ground, the intense pain snapped it out of confusion. With a twist of its body, it managed to stir up dust and avoid crashing!

Still, Haxorus was already charging in with glowing Dragon Claws!

Because of the Taunt effect, Dragonair couldn’t use status moves. Drayden Jr. made a quick decision:

“Blizzard!”

Though a Dragon-type, Dragonair unleashed a devastating Ice-type move. But that was only natural—for a Pokémon that manipulates weather, mastering multiple elemental forces was second nature!

Especially since this Dragonair was trained in Opelucid City!

The raging blizzard quickly gathered and struck Haxorus with overwhelming force!

“As long as it’s a Dragon, it can’t withstand Ice-type moves! Even Iris couldn’t block this attack of mine!”

Haxorus took the Blizzard head-on, its body coated in snow and ice, HP and stamina dropping drastically!

But when the storm stopped, Haxorus still stood. It unleashed a massive invisible force!

“Wuu!” Dragonair’s eyes went wide. Its stamina was nearly gone already, but this move cut the rest down to nothing, freezing its body!

Boom! Dragonair was blasted away, crashing to the ground, unable to battle!

Drayden Jr. stared dumbly. His Pokémon had already fallen before he could even process what had just happened. What was that move just now…?

“Reversal.”

An all-out attack—the lower the user’s HP, the stronger it hit. When HP falls below 4%, its power reaches 200!

“Hrrghhh!” Haxorus panted, shaking snow off its body. That blizzard had nearly taken it down!

This white-haired grandson of Grandpa Drayden sure had powerful moves…

Haxorus acknowledged Drayden Jr.—though the latter had lost, that Blizzard was enough to leave it a little shaken.

“No way… why wasn’t it knocked out? He didn’t even use Protect…” Drayden Jr. was confused.

“It’s Focus Sash.” Hikaru smiled. “A special item. Think of it like a permanent version of Endure.”

“At full HP, even if hit by a one-hit KO move, the holder survives with 1 HP and can counterattack.”

The white-haired boy blinked, then clapped his hands.

“Oh right! That’s one of those items listed in the Battle Company’s simulator software.”

“But wait… that item actually exists already? I heard it was still under research with the developers.”

“Yeah, well—I made it.” Hikaru spread his hands. “Though I gave the reproduction rights to Hoenn’s Devon Corporation. The Battle Company has to pay a fair price if they want to mass-produce it.”

“What?!” Drayden Jr. felt like he’d just heard something unbelievable. Then he noticed the red sash tied around Haxorus’s neck.

“Here, take this potion. Give it to Dragonair—it’ll recover quickly.” Hikaru handed over a recovery item while also healing Haxorus.

But Drayden Jr. was still dazed.

Wait! Forget the developer coincidence—wasn’t that strategy super useful?!

“Focus Sash to endure, then follow with Reversal… or Counter to reflect the damage back double…”

“That way, not only could you catch the opponent off guard, but you might even turn defeat into victory…”

“Well said!” A booming, hammer-like voice rang out as a tall man stepped out from behind the house.

The man wore suspenders, bore a strange white beard shaped like dragon jaws, and had a muscular frame. Though his hair was pure white, he showed no signs of age.

It was Opelucid City’s mayor—Drayden!

“A brilliant battle strategy! Even without special items, you could use Endure for the same effect, though that would require impeccable coordination between Trainer and Pokémon.”

“Dragon Tamer from afar, forgive my grandson for troubling you.”

“Uh—Grandpa, why are you here?” Drayden Jr. shrank his neck.

At this point, he was still polite—he hadn’t yet reached the stage of calling Drayden an ‘old geezer.’

“You walked off without a word after losing to Iris again. I thought you’d be devastated.”

“How many consecutive losses has it been now?”

Drayden’s question made his grandson clutch his head, not wanting to hear it.

“Iris is stronger than you. It’s natural for your mentality to take a hit. I heard what you said just now. Maybe I’ve paid too much attention to Iris and neglected to guide you.”

Drayden sighed.

“As you grow old, you think more about how little time you have left. The things I can do are fewer. I only seek young Trainers who can show me a bright future. But I’ve neglected my own grandson.”

“But remember, Drayden Jr. After failure comes regret—but within regret lies burning willpower.”

“That willpower is the key to turning defeat into victory. Just now, you sought out someone stronger to help you—that is the path forward.”

Drayden Jr. perked up: “If I grasp that willpower, I can beat Iris?”

Drayden: “…Nope.”

Drayden Jr.: “…”

Are you just messing with your own grandson?!

Drayden lectured him: “In that battle, you failed to properly direct Dragonair. You didn’t sense its feelings—that’s why you lost. Your observational skills still aren’t enough.”

Drayden Jr. complained: “I don’t have Dragon’s Heart! You heard us talking—you know this Dragon Tamer has Dragon’s Heart too!”

“Dragon’s Heart isn’t just an inborn gift,” Drayden explained. “Some are born sensing dragons’ feelings, yes. But even without that gift, through constant training and deep bonds, anyone can understand it.”

“…Though perhaps you truly lack that nature. Maybe my teaching has been flawed.”

Drayden Jr. was speechless. Who says that about their own grandson?!

Drayden turned to Hikaru:

“Dragon Tamer from afar—greetings. I am Opelucid’s mayor, Drayden! I heard you wish to have your dragon Pokémon learn Draco Meteor?”

“As long as you challenge the Gym and win, I will teach you the art of Draco Meteor.”

He spoke, though his face looked grim. His eyes lingered on the distant horizon, thoughts heavy.

Lately, Opelucid City had felt… off. Subtle shifts in time and space that ordinary people couldn’t perceive. But Drayden wasn’t ordinary.

“You emanate a power…” Drayden muttered, “The same kind I once saw in Champion Alder.”

“What?!” Drayden Jr. was the most shocked—his Grandpa was praising this outsider so highly? But Drayden clarified:

“That power isn’t just yours. It comes from… something you carry.”

That convinced him. Hikaru definitely carried some artifact.

Back when Alder had visited, a pendant of his emitted strange power. After Alder left, Opelucid began to feel… warped, uneasy.

Now, the same power radiated from this Dragon Tamer. Could it be related?

“Dragons are strong, and their moves devastating. Only strong Trainers can wield them. The Gym’s trial exists to prove that.”

Hikaru understood well.

After all, in both the anime and manga, Draco Meteor was shown to be extremely difficult to master. Even Cynthia was scolded by Grandma, saying she and Garchomp hadn’t trained enough, until finally mastering it in the climactic battle.

“Mr. Drayden… I’d also like to ask you about two people.”

Hikaru said: “Buck and Tamm. Do you know them?”

Drayden’s gaze sharpened: “Dr. Buck and Dr. Tamm are inventors of Opelucid, living in the east district. Much of our technology was developed by them.”

“But… Buck passed away years ago. Only Tamm remains.”

Hikaru was surprised, but then realized—since Buck and Tamm were originally father and son from different versions, when the timelines merged, one was bound to be gone.

Drayden gave detailed directions to Tamm’s house, speaking meaningfully.

“You seek them… is it curiosity as a fellow inventor?”

“I’ll message him so your visit won’t seem abrupt.”

Crossing his arms, chest bulging, Drayden added: “Actually, I know who you are. The Battle Company’s developer software lists your name. And you displayed your work at Mistralton’s art exhibition.”

“Unova’s rising star—the genius artist, the item developer… And now, a mighty Dragon Tamer too.”

Drayden Jr. blinked blankly.

Grandpa knew him? With all those titles? Why hadn’t he heard of this before?!

Drayden shook his head knowingly.

“As Opelucid Academy’s principal, I know the big names in society. The Academy needs art, and as mayor, I network with artists. And our city has inventors—of course I know colleagues in the field.”

“In short—when ready, come to Opelucid Gym. Whether marble statues, new TMs, or prototype items—we have it all.”

“Hrrghh!” Haxorus came over, recognizing Drayden.

A powerful white-bearded man!

Hikaru explained: “This Haxorus wishes to stay here with your grandson. It lost its Trainer, but Drayden Jr. said that Dragon Tamers always return home. Haxorus wants to wait here… until its master comes back.”

“I understand.” Drayden nodded. “This power isn’t from its old Trainer, but from you, who raised it briefly as a Dragon Tamer.”

Hikaru: “It really is strong. It even fought Shauntal of the Elite Four and won!”

“What?!” Drayden Jr. was stunned!

It beat an Elite Four?!

“You should’ve told me earlier! No wonder I lost! I’m nowhere near that level…” Drayden Jr. rubbed his head, gloom vanishing.

So that’s it—it had beaten an Elite Four’s Pokémon! With such a partner, even Iris might lose! At least she’d be humbled!

Drayden: “You’ve even battled the Elite Four? From how you speak… are they your clients?”

“Correct. Ms. Shauntal is a regular. She often buys ghost-related items from me.” Hikaru chuckled.

Drayden stroked his beard. “Hmm… I look forward to facing you myself! Tomorrow morning, if that suits you?”

“Today I still have Academy duties.”

Drayden Jr. laughed: “Grandpa’s the mayor, always busy.”

“No problem.” Hikaru glanced at the sky.

The sun had already set. From morning to afternoon he’d been in Lentimas Town, and it had been less than an hour since he arrived in Opelucid.

All right. Tonight, he’d visit Tamm.

After agreeing with Drayden and his grandson, Hikaru entrusted Haxorus. Before leaving, it nudged him gratefully.

Whether battle, evolution, or returning home, Hikaru had kept his promises. Haxorus liked him greatly, but since its original Trainer might return, it couldn’t abandon that bond.

“Dragons are loyal creatures,” Drayden explained. “Once they’ve chosen a Trainer, they won’t change easily—unless their Trainer abandons them first.”

When mentioning the Plasma cult-like group, Drayden’s face turned cold. They hadn’t yet reached Opelucid for speeches—but in the games, once Ghetsis appeared, many citizens were swayed. Even Drayden and Iris couldn’t stop it.

As they parted, Drayden Jr. secretly winked at Hikaru.

“Bro, after tomorrow’s battle, sell me one of those Focus Sashes.” He waved as he left with Haxorus, his grandfather calling him.

Hikaru watched them go, then left Opelucid’s classical west district. Entering the east, he was dazzled by towering blue high-tech buildings, shining even brighter at night.

Approaching the address Drayden had given, Hikaru’s Miracle Diamond pendant suddenly shone!

[Unova Link (Opelucid City · Inventor’s Residence) Established!]

[Description: The home of the mysterious inventor named Tamm. Here, powerful distortions of time and space occur. Time slows, space shifts, psychic power swells—and something unseen is watching!]

[Description: Some anomaly resonates with the Miracle Diamond! Find the source of this power!]

(End of Chapter)

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