novelraw Chapter 737: Stage Two! The Overlord Dragonite
Chapter 737: Stage Two! The Overlord Dragonite
Night fell. On the mountaintop, the sacred flame in the silver basin burned fiercely.
People streamed out of the arena, still buzzing about the first round of trials they had just witnessed.
Arcanine’s mane flowed, majestic and fierce;
the sight of it single-handedly dealing with multiple opponents left a deep impression.
If it hadn’t already passed the checkpoint, the audience suspected Arcanine could still take on ten more foes!
Master Ji Lie stood on the flat ground beneath the night sky, gazing up at the stars and murmuring,
“The Flame of Life… could this be why Lu Ye is vying for the championship…”
The Flame of Life, a fire technique exclusive to Ho-Oh and Entei, contains life energy powerful enough to revive the fallen.
In Donghua’s legends, there is likewise an Arcanine said to command a “Sacred Fire.”
Legend has it that in ancient times, Arcanine raced across the vast land, dispersing the long night until it died from exhaustion.
Its loyalty, bravery, and sacrifice made Arcanine beloved in Donghua;
the Pokédex even classifies it as a “legendary Pokémon”!As the sacred flame burned under the night sky, Master Ji Lie glanced toward it and said to himself,
“So there truly are trainers who can raise an Arcanine to such heights, pushing into realms above champion…”
The friendship between Ho-Oh and the people of Donghua means every regional champion gets an opportunity to meet Ho-Oh’s guardian, Marshadow.
As for Champion Shangren… he had just assumed his post and hadn’t yet had a chance to meet Ho-Oh before the Champion Road began.
Master Ji Lie’s eyes flickered;
his emotions stirred.
“If one could meet Ho-Oh and inherit the Sacred Fire—”
perhaps the spirit of that legendary Arcanine could be glimpsed in Lu Ye’s team!
After the first-round trials ended, the forums erupted with discussion threads.
Teacher Lu’s Arcanine’s strength became a hot topic.
“No way, almost everything was wiped out in one turn—this is level steamrolling, right?”
“The tournament champions are getting treated like NPCs!”
“Been a fan for years—say it straight, this is a Baby Cup stomp.”
Past champions peeked at the stream in silence, feeling complicated;
they hadn’t expected to be treated like “babies” themselves.
Then they thought again… maybe the Elite Four were being steamrolled too, and their moods brightened.
“He plays so safe—insisting on raising every team member to champion level before taking on the Champion Road!”
“Teacher Lu: Wait, you can enter Champion Road without being a champion? Have I been misunderstanding this whole time?”
Right now, Teacher Lu looked like someone who had already cleared several playthroughs and had come back to tackle the hardest stage of a first playthrough.
Low emotional intelligence would say: this is a Baby Cup champion.
High emotional intelligence would say: this champion planned ahead and proceeded with caution!
The organizing committee’s Elite Four held a meeting to decide who would judge Lu Ye’s next challenge.
In the end, Dragon-type Elite Four member Ji Shiyin was appointed examiner for the next stage and began preparing the second round.
In the second round, a trainer and one partner Pokémon must withstand attacks from wild Pokémon in the wilderness and endure ten minutes of assault from the overlord Pokémon.
The wild Pokémon along the Champion Road are formidable, rivaling those of Mt. Silver.
And the overlord Pokémon is a massive Dragonite.
Its size wasn’t as terrifying as Zheng Hui’s lighthouse creature, but it was more than twice the size of an ordinary Dragonite!
A full six meters tall, the overlord Dragonite’s body was hulking—calling it “fat” would not be an exaggeration!
This overlord Dragonite possessed champion-level skill, maintained friendly relations with Donghua’s dragon clans, and had long served as the second-round examiner.
The testing ground lay within a mist-wreathed forest on the mountain, home to powerful dragon species that control wind, clouds, and lightning.
The dragons in this forest were untamable and imposing, even capable of surrounding and attacking trainers.
Trainers would need to withstand waves of wild Pokémon on the way to the peak and then face the overlord Dragonite’s trial!
“The second-round trial tests a trainer’s field survival skills and their courage,” said President Tang. “Ordinary trainers and Pokémon, when confronted by the overlord Dragonite—or even the dragon-type pressure on the path—will be driven back!”
“You’re already on the Champion Road;
you’re not going to withdraw, right?” Lu Ye asked in surprise.
President Tang replied, “Actually, pressure and Intimidate-type effects work on the mental level. Pure willpower alone is hard to counter.”
Looking toward the mist-covered peak, Tang Hui said gravely, “Furthermore, enduring ten minutes of assault from the overlord Dragonite… I doubt anyone but an Elite Four trainer can manage it.”
“That’s also a sort of filtering… those who pass this round can challenge the Elite Four!” Tang continued.
Lu Ye said, “After this second round, the remaining challengers should be countable on one hand…”
President Tang nodded. “About ten challengers a year become one-in-ten-thousand picks for the Elite Four. Ji Shiyin’s genius is no small part of why she became Dragon-type Elite Four.”
Lu Ye nodded subtly.
The second-round assessment required facing dragon-type wild Pokémon on the mountain’s slopes.
Having a special ability would be a great advantage at this point.
For example, Alice’s Dragon Heart could even sway dragon-type Pokémon to her side;
Nassi’s psychic powers could sense and avoid dangerous paths.
My Aura and Power of Transcendence… should also have some effect.
“Do all four Elite Four members have special abilities?” Lu Ye asked.
“I hear so. Master Wang Binghe is an Aura Guardian… or rather, a qi wielder,” Tang Hui paused before saying. “But I’ve never heard of Champion Shangren demonstrating any special power.”
“Maybe… that is Champion Shangren’s hidden trump card!” Tang Hui said solemnly.
“I see,” Lu Ye realized.
Even without showing special abilities, one can become a champion… I’ll need to be extra cautious at the decisive moments!
One day remained before the second round opened.
Lu Ye took a stroll through the vendor district and returned with a tagalong in tow.
“Master! Please have a fighting match with me!” Ami mustered her courage and shouted.
Lu Ye glanced at Ami’s wheat-colored skin and the muscles bulging under her athletic shirt.
“Denied,” Lu Ye turned and kept walking.
Ami could spar with Machamp and send it retreating step by step.
Although I’m also a fighting master, an unlimited fight with her…
I’d make her cry within three minutes.
She’d be on her knees begging me not to die!
Ami lowered her head and followed behind her master, thinking, “It must be that my strength isn’t enough to spar with Master yet… I must keep training!”
“By the way, Master,” Ami said suddenly, “I saw the fighters from Master Ma’s dojo at the gym.”
“Master Ma’s dojo?” Lu Ye rubbed his chin.
Master Ma’s dojo has a renowned reputation in the fighting world, on par with Chuck’s dojo.
The former raised Champion Dan Emperor;
the latter trained Bruno and Green.
Rumor has it Master Ma’s ancestral home is in Donghua.
If he truly serves as an examiner… this year’s Champion Road is full of hidden talent.
But even if he’s invited, that would be for rounds three or four.
Back at the Budew Hotel, Lu Ye prepared his team for tomorrow’s second-round trial.
Since they’d be facing dragon-type Pokémon on the slopes, the big sister had to take the stage.
“Bu-bii! (〝▼皿▼)” Sylveon’s round eyes sharpened.
Lu Ye caught Sylveon’s look and silently said, “When we meet the overlord Dragonite, we’ll send out Sylveon.”
Having Togepi lead the way early on also avoided the risk of getting lost.
“Bu-bii! (〝▼皿▼)” Sylveon’s round eyes sharpened.
If he opened with Sylveon… the wild Pokémon along the way might all be slaughtered by Sylveon!
Teacher Lu suddenly felt a bit sorry for the wild Pokémon of Mt. Silver.
Why are Mt. Silver’s wild Pokémon so strong?
Isn’t it because Red pushed them to their limits!
Sylveon, holding the Fairy Plate, could easily endure ten minutes of assault from the overlord Dragonite.
Instead, Lu Ye worried whether the overlord Dragonite could hold out ten minutes against Sylveon…
The next day, the second stage of Champion Road officially began.
For safety, spectators were not permitted to enter from this stage onward.
But drones would accompany the contestants so viewers could choose which contestant’s perspective to watch.
Teacher Lu, whose perspective had the highest heat right at the start, appeared on the feed.
The forest soared into the clouds;
light pierced the mist, which curled through the trees.
Viewers waited ten minutes while the drone remained stubbornly focused on scenery, with Lu Ye nowhere in sight.
“Damn, director, get someone better.”
“Director, watch your timing!”
In response to viewer feedback, they switched directors and the feed showed Lu Ye preparing for the trial.
He followed the group down to the mountain’s base and stopped at the warning line.
The guide emphasized, “I’ll say it again: the dragon-type Pokémon in this forest are extremely dangerous. Choose a reasonable route, find the overlord Dragonite at the peak, and accept its trial—that is your priority.”
“If danger occurs or you choose to withdraw, press the distress beacon;
a rescue team will arrive immediately.”
“The contest is single-person action… Now please, contestant number one: Charles.”
Charles was from Kalos and sent out his Chesnaught, face cautious as he stepped into the forest’s depths.
From the misty woods came the long cries of dragons, radiating a mysterious and dangerous aura.
Charles’ silhouette slowly disappeared into the fog.
“What do we do now?” one ranger asked.
“Wait,” the guide said calmly. “Wait for him to pass the trial or withdraw, then the next contestant departs.”
“That could take forever!”
Just then—
“Ah—!!”
A scream from mid-mountain rang out, Pidgey took flight in alarm, its calls echoing through the forest!
Both contestants and viewers swallowed hard.
The ranger’s face went strange as he silently retreated.
The guide, unsurprised, glanced at the blinking dot on his tablet and spoke into the radio, “Area A7—rescue team, prepare to depart!”
Viewers in the livestream reacted with shaken expressions.
Charles’ first-person feed had shown a giant dragon emerge from the mist.
An awakened Salamence had spread its blood-red wings and roared;
Hyper Beam was launched toward Chesnaught!
Boom!
“Holy—! Wild Pokémon are this ferocious?!”
“This is the difficulty level of Champion Road…”
“They say these Pokémon are catchable, but it’s already hard to form a bond with them.”
Silence fell over the group.
Charles’ scream had cast a shadow over several challengers.
Pokémon battles aren’t the frightening part—the unknown threats lurking in the fog are!
“So he was a Kalos trainer… no wonder he lost so quickly,” Lu Ye thought idly.
The guide continued, “Second contestant: from Sinnoh, Suimài City—Yuan Yuan!”
Yuan Yuan frowned, took out his Luxio, and stepped toward the fog.
Moments later, an intense fight erupted;
thunder cracked across the forest canopy!
Crackle!
The aftershocks attracted more Pokémon.
Ten minutes later, the lightning subsided, and the tablet’s dot flashed a distress signal.
In the viewing area, Master Wang stroked his beard and said, “I relied on Aura to discern a safe path and reached the peak to take the trial.”
Ji Shiyin nodded lightly. “More or less.”
She had used Dragon Power to pacify the dragons along the path and then reached the peak.
Champion Shangren crossed his arms and remained silent.
Only my Pupitar and I, nearly at death’s door—did we fight our way here…
Damn… I envy special abilities so much!
Viewers who had witnessed the fights inhaled sharply.
“This stage is ridiculous!”
“Facing so many wild Pokémon, only allowed one partner, and still having to face the overlord Dragonite!?”
“I don’t think anyone will actually get to see the overlord Dragonite.”
“I’m not worried about Teacher Lu’s strength—I’m worried about his luck, that he’ll blunder straight into the dragons’ lair…”
Looking at the split-screen surveillance feed, President Tang said, “This stage tests a trainer’s fieldcraft. Trainers shouldn’t be a burden to their Pokémon;
they should fight side by side.”
“Very traditional philosophy,” Master Ma chuckled. “But indeed… that’s true!”
Old-school trainers believe Pokémon battles aren’t limited to formal match rules.
In this forest, trainers are their Pokémon’s eyes and backup.
Since only one partner can be sent, trainers must balance safety with combat while heading into the unknown fog!
“Third contestant…”
“Fourth contestant…”
The guide recited the list emotionlessly, occasionally raising his radio to coordinate rescue.
Approaching noon, Donghua League’s Yin Shuangchi reached the peak and caused a sensation!
“The first to reach the summit is Flying-type Master Yin!”
“This is real—air battle beat Salamence and he flew to the top.”
On the drone feed, Master Yin looked grim and did not relax for a moment.
Reaching the peak was only the first step.
The real trial was about to begin!
“Roar!!!”
A dark-red gale swept out. Eyes opened in the mist as a winged silhouette emerged.
Master Yin looked up;
his Adam’s apple bobbed.
The overlord Dragonite towered six meters tall, colossal and domineering, radiating an indescribable aura of oppression!
The chat erupted.
“No one can hold out—nobody can hold out!”
“Survive ten minutes under that thing?”
“Even an Elite Four would have trouble.”
Master Yin gritted his teeth and commanded his Braviary to battle.
Dragonite’s dragon claw flickered with a pale green afterimage and swatted Braviary away with one strike!
Then the giant Dragonite flapped its wings and landed with a thud, looking down at Master Yin and slowly forming a smile.
“Roar~”
After waiting almost a day, you’re the first to come and play with me~
Master Yin broke into a nervous sweat and forced a smile.
Suddenly.
Master Yin pressed his distress beacon!
“What the—this hulking thing is kind of cute!”
“You already pressed it?”
“Refund!!”
The guide looked back into the woods, checked the roster, and cleared his throat.
“Next… Donghua region, Mo City—Lu Ye!”
Under the contestants’ watchful eyes, Lu Ye stepped out from the crowd.
The guide’s tone softened. “Who is your partner?”
“Chajiduyi~ヾ(◍°∇°◍)ﾉﾞ”
Togepi landed on the ground and raised both hands high!
It’s my turn to go on stage~!