Chapter 507: The Fallen Phantom
The Krookodile Chieftain's spirit was a little broken. He had watched Arthur and the others fly away, unable to even eat their dust. He had run back with all his might, his tongue hanging out. And the moment he arrived, he saw them getting into another car, ready to leave again. Are you kidding me?! You can't treat a crocodile like this!
Arthur felt a bit awkward looking at its resentful gaze. The nearly ten-foot-tall desert tyrant looked like it was on the verge of tears. But he was helpless. "We confirmed some things, and it turns out the situation is as bad as it gets. We can't delay, we have to investigate further. You..."
The Krookodile Chieftain stood up straight and held up a claw, cutting him off. "Water first!"
They gave him some water. Meanwhile, Greninja, on its own initiative, explained the entire situation to the Chieftain. The Chieftain was even more dumbfounded.
"How... how long was I gone?" He had thought his running speed wouldn't be that much slower than Old Flame and Lina's. But now, hearing all this news, he felt like he had been gone for a century.
Before he left, he was just thinking about dealing with a group of reckless human poachers. Now he was hearing that the pillar of the desert, Groudon, was dying. The Krookodile Chieftain felt like the world had gone mad.
Arthur tried to explain, "You weren't gone that long. We only just confirmed all this."
"..." It took the Chieftain a full three seconds to process everything.
"Krook, krook?" — Is there any more bad news?
Arthur thought for a moment. "Emmm... yes. The Phantom of the South, Kommo-o, might have already been killed."
He had said "might," but the Chieftain was already numb. What the hell, is this desert even habitable anymore?!
"I suggest you go back to your territory and gather your tribe. There might be a tough battle ahead," Arthur said sincerely.
But this time, the Krookodile Chieftain was unusually serious, his usual shamelessness gone. He thought for a long time after drinking the water. "This time, I'm going with you!"
"?" Arthur was surprised. This honor-less crocodile had more resolve than the Nidoking?
With a sigh, the Chieftain explained. "I'm not like that Nidoking. The Nido tribe isn't native to the desert. But if we Krookodile leave the desert, we have nowhere else to go. This Ashen Desert is our only home. I'm going with you. I have to save my useless heir! It doesn't matter if he's a Seed or not, he has to come back and inherit my position! Otherwise, when I die, there will be no place for the Krookodile among the Seven Chieftains!"
When it came to the will to fight, this usually shameless crocodile was far more determined than the strong-willed Nidoking. He didn't want to go back and gather his tribe because he didn't want to see them get hurt in this fight. He was a shameless Pokémon, the most disliked Chieftain in the area. Among the Seven Chieftains, he had the worst reputation in the human world. Cunning, petty, greedy—these were the labels attached to him and his tribe.
But when it came to his own kind, this old crocodile was completely dedicated. Krookodile didn't live very long. Now, in his old age, he was starting to think about the future of his tribe. For that, he was willing to take this great risk and accompany Arthur. He could die, but the Krookodile tribe must continue to thrive in the desert.
In that moment, Arthur looked at the great crocodile with a newfound respect. He was a shameless Pokémon, but he was a Chieftain with honor.
But his next words immediately shattered the moment. "Alright, you can come. Just try to keep up."
"..." I have to run again?!! I'll kill you!!
If he wasn't thinking about his tribe, the Chieftain would have gone berserk. This is a scam!
But there was nothing he could do. He was too big for a human vehicle.
And so, the group headed south once more. This time, they drove slowly. Not to wait for the Chieftain, but to be as cautious as possible and avoid another ambush. Skarner's Gliscor, Lina, and Old Flame flew overhead, scouting ahead and ready to give a warning at any moment.
As they got closer to the territory of the Phantom of the South, Kommo-o, they felt a growing sense of unease. "We're not far now, but it's too quiet," Skarner said grimly.
Although the Kommo-o tribe was small and their territory wasn't large, it had always been a sanctuary for many other species of Pokémon, like Claydol, Thievul, and Sudowoodo. And Kommo-o were carnivorous; there should have been other Pokémon herding camels for them. These Pokémon were like vassals to the dragons, working for them in exchange for their protection. But now, they hadn't seen a single one, nor any of the camel herds.
"Has the Kommo-o tribe really been wiped out?" This was one of the Three Phantoms, a status even higher than the Seven Chieftains. Skarner still couldn't accept it.
It wasn't until they had traveled a bit further and reached the top of a dune that they saw the evidence on the rocky plains below. A vast, sprawling battlefield.
"Be careful, there are patrols below!" Old Flame, Lina, and Gliscor had already landed. To avoid being spotted, they hadn't even driven to the top of the dune, but had parked halfway up and crawled the rest of the way, lying on the hot sand to look down.
Below was a rocky plain with many exposed rocks and petrified wood. In the distance was a large pile of stone ruins, what looked like the former nest of the Kommo-o tribe. But the once-sprawling nest had been completely blown to smithereens.
However, the ruins were not the most eye-catching feature of the landscape. The moment they looked through their binoculars, Skarner pointed to a massive carcass in the distance and gasped. "What is that?!"
Arthur's expression grew even more grim. Every one of his worst fears was coming true. He had seen a carcass of that size before—it was the remains of a Dynamaxed Pokémon that had been killed while transformed. If he wasn't mistaken, that was all that was left of the Phantom of the South.
"To be able to Dynamax in the wild... no wonder it was called a Phantom. But... what a shame." A Dynamaxed Phantom had been defeated by brute force.
This forced the two of them, now hidden in the sand, to once again raise their assessment of the enemy's strength.
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