Kazuya officially had a sister-in-law.
When he returned to the clan, he learned that the female Charizard hadn't gone back to the volcano with the squad this ti. Instead, she had chosen to stay with the Dragon Clan, becoming their third Charizard mber.
This news was certainly cause for celebration. After all, she was a highly formidable fighter with her strength sitting at Lv. 69—a level even higher than brother-kun's. Of course, more importantly, Kazuya estimated that cradling a newborn Charmander hatchling would likely beco reality within the next two years.
Aside from this, another developnt of significant weight occurred.
Milotic seed to have been triggered by brother-kun and his girlfriend. Over the past week, her emotions had beco noticeably erratic. Ultimately, after seven days of internal conflict, these shifting feelings culminated in a definitive resolution: Milotic abandoned her pursuit of Kazuya. She wanted to leave the Dragon Clan and venture into the vast ocean to look for others of her own kind.
She could no longer bring herself to remain in the sa place as Kazuya. She needed so ti and space to cool down, and she felt that if she could find her own kin, her mood would improve significantly.
Milotic directly expressed her thoughts and intentions to Kazuya. She had secretly harbored a lingering hope that Kazuya might ask her to stay.
But he didn't.
Although he felt a twinge of regret, Kazuya ultimately chose to let her go. This wasn't a choice unique to Milotic; it applied to any mber of the Dragon Clan. If they felt leaving the clan would offer them a better path for personal developnt, Kazuya would never enforce a compulsory detention. They were family, after all; parting ways on good terms was the honorable and dignified thing to do.
And so, Milotic temporarily departed. To say he harbored zero worry would be a lie. An underwater environnt like the ocean could practically be described as a continuous, unforgiving stretch of rocky mountains; the intensity of the competition down there was countless tis fiercer than on the grassland. Even if Milotic's strength at Lv. 51 wasn't considered weak, if she accidentally trespassed into the territory of an established marine clan, the probability of death remained exceptionally high.
But this was her personal choice. There was nothing to be done but to wish her smooth sailing.
The Dragon Clan returned to their usual daily routine. In the blink of an eye, another eight months slipped past.
The Dragon Clan had yet to birth a second Elite Four-level powerhouse. Conversely, Kazuya's level plowed ahead to Lv. 73, firmly establishing him as an absolute frontrunner.
Right now, the candidate with the highest probability of becoming the second Elite Four-tier fighter was undoubtedly brother-kun's girlfriend, the female Charizard. She had already been sitting at this level over half a year ago. Given her similarly exceptional latent talent, Kazuya estimated that breaking through to the Elite Four level would be a matter of the next month or two.
Behind her in line were brother-kun and an elder from the Goodra clan. But as for which one would break through first, it was hard to say. Brother-kun had just reached Lv. 69 less than a week ago, whereas that Goodra elder was an ancient dragon whose evolutionary potential was nearly exhausted. Supposedly, he had followed the lineage out from the Rocky Mountains, surviving two complete migrations. He no longer possessed any grand ambitions and rely wished to remain within the clan to protect the hatchlings.
Kazuya didn't particularly mind either way. In any case, they were all pri material destined to step into this echelon sooner or later.
The grassland remained calm and peaceful. Having personally witnessed the cutthroat competitive atmosphere of the Rocky Mountain range, Kazuya increasingly felt the grassland was just a massive retirent community. The Pokémon living here mostly possessed low aggression; unless they were actively hunting for sustenance, they rarely initiated combat.
Unlike over in the Rocky Mountains. Down there, even with absolutely nothing going on, they would fly out just to brawl with other Pokémon. He had no idea how the clans there sustained themselves through such staggering casualty rates and depletion.
And the answer to this puzzle materialized very quickly: If you can't sustain yourself, then scram.
Beholding the tapestry of "blue sky and white clouds" drifting overhead across the Dragon Clan's heartland, Kazuya's eyes lit up uncontrollably.
The Dragon Clan's aerial unit had seemingly arrived. Although they weren't a particularly high-powered dragon species, it was far better than nothing.
"But man, they look incredibly destitute," Kazuya couldn't help but comnt, taking in their thoroughly pitiful state.
The ones flying across the sky were the Altaria clan he had witnessed back in the Rocky Mountain range. Of course, this was assuming the Rocky Mountains didn't hold a second Altaria clan. This pack of birds, usually so elegant and gentle, were currently in such a wretched state that they resembled a flock of drowned chickens that had just dragged themselves out of a torrential downpour.
"Heavy casualties," Kazuya murmured, letting out a soft sigh as his gaze swept over them.
Only thirty-odd birds remained of this Altaria clan, and over half of them were tiny, juvenile Swablu. It looked as though they had co right to the brink of complete extinction.
"Al-ta..."
Accompanied by a tragic, sorrowful cry from the leading Altaria, she could finally no longer withstand the grueling tornt of her accumulated injuries, plunging directly out of the sky.
The remaining Altaria and Swablu panicked. They frantically dove beneath her to try and support her weight with their own bodies.
Below them, a sea of dragons stared up with sharp, watchful eyes. If they crashed onto the ground here, wouldn't they be instantly torn to shreds as a voluntary feast?
However, ever since the catastrophic event that nearly wiped out their entire clan, the Altaria lineage had fled toward the south without a single mont of respite. Along their grueling migration, they hadn't even dared to stop to rest for a brief second. At this very mont, every single mber was thoroughly exhausted, sitting right on the precipice of total physical collapse; how could they possibly hope to bear the weight of their leader?
They had originally thought that since they had successfully reached the grassland, they only needed to hold out just a little longer to secure rest. They never anticipated that their leader would be the very first to give out. With her fall, the remaining Altaria and Swablu instantly lost the last vestige of their willpower.
Consequently, when the Dragon Clan mbers beheld a massive buffet raining straight down from the heavens, they were all completely dumbfounded. A literal pie falling from the sky had just been tangibly personified.
The Dragon Clan mbers had no inkling that the Altaria lineage belonged to the Dragon Egg Group as well. After all, they didn't bear even a single shred of draconian physiology. How could they possibly be counted as dragons?
However, the laws of the Dragon Clan were permanently etched into everyone's hearts. Therefore, even though the Altaria clan resembled fresh at actively presenting itself onto a dining table, nobody laid a claw on them. Instead, they simply watched open-mouthed as the group of cotton candies tumbled precariously onto the grass.
Following that, the Dragon Clan mbers ford a tight periter, surrounding them completely. Technically, the Altaria clan had trespassed onto their sovereign territory, but this wasn't a major issue. They were faced with the sa historical binary choice: submit, or scram.
Thud! Thud!
Heavy footsteps echoed through the clearing. The surrounding dragons split into two columns, carving out a wide path. Kazuya stepped forward from the ranks, looking down at the group of "drowned chickens" before him.
"Al-ta..." The leading Altaria uttered a plaintive, pleading cry toward Kazuya. To safeguard her remaining clansn, the proud bird ultimately lowered her head.
"Join the Dragon Clan and beco a part of us, how about it?" Kazuya squatted down before them, extending his claws to gesture toward the surrounding environnt.
The Altaria froze for a mont, scanning her surroundings. Only now did she perceive a glaring puzzle—why were all these Pokémon of entirely different species living together in harmony? If they could do it, then perhaps her clan could do it too?
The Altaria could no longer afford to factor in complex pros and cons; her singular desire was to preserve the ager remnants of her clan. If they left this sanctuary, they would highly likely be targeted and hunted by other predatory Pokémon out there. Since that was the case, why not give it a try?
"Al-ta," the leading Altaria resolved her heart, nodding her head heavily.
"Welco to the family. Apply dicine for them," Kazuya commanded with a sweep of his arm, stepping back into the ranks.
The Altaria clan couldn't comprehend his spoken language, looking around with a lingering sense of unease. Yet, they watched the attitude of the surrounding dragons instantly transform into pure friendliness. Seeing that the Altaria were still highly high-strung, the Dragon Clan mbers didn't recklessly crowd them; instead, they turned and dispersed to resu their own tasks.
Floette led a group of Shieldon forward, applying crushed herbal poultices directly onto the Altaria's wounds. Because Floette and Shieldon appeared completely devoid of offensive threat, the Altaria didn't suffer any psychological trigger.
Sensing the genuine goodwill radiating from the Dragon Clan, the leading Altaria finally let out a profound sigh of relief. She turned her gaze to look at Kazuya, whose physique was the most colossal in the distance, understanding clearly in her heart that this dragon would be her new sovereign. She harbored a sliver of worry regarding this new leader's temperant, though from what she had observed so far, he seed quite decent. But since they belonged to different species, a few behavioral frictions were inevitable.
The Altaria line was a gentle yet courageous species. They would never proactively instigate conflict with other clans, but if provoked, they would launch ruthless counter-offensives and actively strike back. Furthermore, the Altaria lineage was fundantally far more adept at social vocalization rather than raw combat.
On the whole, in terms of temperant, they shared the closest resemblance to the Cyclizar clan, yet their operational style mirrored the proud Kommo-o line.
Pondering these traits, Kazuya harbored zero concern about whether the Altaria clan could integrate successfully. The Dragon Clan was a vast ocean; how could it fail to accommodate a single flowing river? The Altaria would inevitably find their own proper placent within the collective.
After a full day of undisturbed rest and recuperation, the Altaria clan had completely settled their nerves. Even the young Swablu regained the emotional leeway to begin observing their new surroundings. Though they still huddled tightly around the adults, the light in their eyes was noticeably sharper and more spirited than when they had first arrived, brimming with intense curiosity toward the unfamiliar things around them.
As evening approached, the Altaria clan felt the pangs of hunger. But being new arrivals who didn't comprehend the local rules, they didn't dare to make any reckless movents, choosing to remain submissively within their designated clearing.
The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a deep, golden hue across the world. The grasslands were dyed by the hazy evening twilight, appearing as enchanting as a dreamscape.
Right at this mont, a chorus of cries echoed through the air. No, more accurately, it was a sequence of rather unpolished singing voices.
"Flo-ette~"
"Al-ta?" The Altaria watched Floette beside her join in the singing, her eyes swimming with intense curiosity and pure joy.
The ergence of this emotion was inextricably linked to the Altaria line's innate biological talent—singing. The Altaria species belonged to the classification of the Humming Pokémon. They were born with flawlessly clear vocal structures and exquisite timbres, capable of effortlessly reaching operatic heights that humans could scarcely hope to replicate. To them, singing was one of the premier behaviors used to project affection and goodwill toward others.
Therefore, when they heard the entire Dragon Clan singing in unison, a wave of pure joy washed over them. They felt they were being warmly embraced and welcod, or perhaps, that this massive collective of Pokémon shared the exact sa artistic passion as themselves.
"Al-ta?" The leading Altaria inquired of Floette beside her. It was Floette who had personally applied her dicine and utilized Wish to accelerate the healing of her physical trauma, so her deepest layer of trust was anchored entirely on Floette.
"Flo-ette~" Floette explained with a warm smile.
There were indeed a few individuals within the Dragon Clan who personally loved to sing, but that was entirely different from the current spectacle. The collective was rely performing a ritual they enacted every single day—utilizing the [Ancient Dragon's Chant] passed down by Big Brother to bid a formal farewell to the fading day.
The Altaria clan nodded in rudintary understanding. Then, under Floette's warm invitation, they began to mimic the lody, humming along to the Ancient Dragon's Chant.
With the seamless integration of the Altaria line, the Dragon Clan's grand chorus beca exponentially more beautiful. In the past, the chant consisted almost entirely of deep, rumbling baritones capable of grinding down a listener's eardrums, but now, with the addition of a soaring operatic soprano to balance the scales, even Kazuya's tightly furrowed brow smoothed out completely.
This marked the official beginning of the Altaria clan's integration into the heart of the Dragon Clan.
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