High in the sky—a round, bulky silhouette tore through the air at breakneck speed.
On its back, Jin Peng's cloak snapped and howled in the wind.
A chubby Dragonite.
Don't let those small wings fool you—when it came to flying with a rider, it didn't slack for even a second.
"The Seven Sages?"
After a little over half an hour in the air, Jin Peng finally caught sight of them.
"So it really is Huilongkou."
Jin Peng raised his communicator and shot Lin Feng a message.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
The instant he finished, several jagged stones suddenly erupted from below, ripping through the air with piercing shrieks.
Dragonite was far too conspicuous a target. The Seven Sages had already spotted him.
Without another word, they ordered their Pokémon to attack.
"Wuu!"
But—this kind of attack meant nothing to Dragonite.
With a light beat of its wings, it slid aside, dodging cleanly.
"Dragonite—[HYPER BEAM]!"
Facing accomplices who were trying to destroy the dike, Jin Peng didn't have a shred of mercy.
"ROAR!"
A terrifying orange-yellow glow gathered in Dragonite's mouth.
The next second—a beam swept across the ground.
Amid the quake and thunder of the earth, screams rose and fell in waves.
Jin Peng could serve as an active-duty Elite Four in a populous nation like Dragon Country for one reason: he was never a soft-hearted man.
For those who committed evil—he showed no lenience.
"Caw—caw!"
With a few shrill cries, a figure dove from the high sky at speed.
Looking closer—a Flying-type Fearow.
Fearow tucked its broad wings tight. The air boomed around it as it accelerated, like a fighter jet diving in.
Its long, razor beak spun at high speed.
DRILL PECK
Fearow's signature move.
And for this Fearow to charge Dragonite head-on, its strength was obviously nothing to scoff at.
[Fearow (Flying + Normal)]
[Gender]: ♂
[Level]: lv72 (Elite Four Tier)
[Ability]: Keen Eye
[Moves]: Drill Peck, Drill Run, Roost, Mimic, Aerial Ace (frequently used)
[Tutored Moves]: Fly, Steel Wing
[Egg Move]: Sky Attack
[Held Item]: Sharp Beak (Elite Four Tier)
[Potential]: Elite Four Tier
An Elite Four Tier Fearow.
Among the Seven Sages, only their leader Yang Yong and Lie Ke truly possessed Elite Four Tier strength.
But that didn't mean the others didn't have Elite Four Tier Pokémon.
The world's standard for "Elite Four" was consistent everywhere: to be called Elite Four, you needed six Elite Four Tier Pokémon.
Otherwise—you were only ever "Pseudo-Elite Four."
Of course.
Exceptions existed—like the freak named Guo Yi.
After all, for any normal person… who could possess Pokémon above Elite Four Tier—up to Champion Tier and beyond—before even having six Elite Four Tier Pokémon?
But once you had Pokémon at that level, titles stopped meaning anything.
Elite Four?
Champion?
They'd still be nothing more than opponents you crushed underfoot.
Fearow's dive looked like it was aimed at Dragonite—but those sharp eyes were locked on Jin Peng riding its back.
Outside official arenas, very few people followed the unspoken rule of "don't attack the Trainer."
In the wild, in lawless fights, the Trainer was often the easiest point to break.
Once the Trainer fell, their Pokémon would inevitably be affected.
And if the Trainer's usual methods had been harsh enough to sour the bond—then the moment he died, the Pokémon might simply scatter and flee like startled birds.
So—against a mortal enemy, if there was a chance to strike the Trainer directly, anyone with experience wouldn't let it pass.
Fearow's intent was blatant, and Jin Peng saw it instantly.
His lips curled slightly, contempt in his eyes.
Jin Peng's right hand flashed to his waist. He drew a Poké Ball and snapped it forward into Fearow's path.
"Charizard. End it."
"ROAR!"
Red light burst out—and Charizard erupted into roaring flames, surging straight at Fearow.
FLARE BLITZ
A brutal opener—one of Fire's nastiest finishers.
Charizard might only rank second among Jin Peng's Pokémon, beneath Dragonite—but it was his starter, bound to him by a bond deeper than words.
And now this feather-duster wanted to go for its Trainer?
Unforgivable.
Humm—
Charizard beat its long wings and accelerated toward Fearow.
The next second—the two Pokémon collided.
A small cloud blossomed in midair.
"Caw—caw!"
With a few shrill, miserable cries, Fearow tumbled out of the black smoke like a broken-winged bird.
Its feathers were scorched in patches—black here, yellow there.
In that clash, Fearow lost. Decisively.
Both were Elite Four Tier… but even within Elite Four Tier, there were gaps.
Fearow had only just stepped into Elite Four Tier.
Charizard, on the other hand, was already charging toward Champion Tier.
They weren't in the same league.
"No wonder you're the Dragon-type Elite Four… your strength really is something."
Fearow's Trainer, Luo De, looked grim.
Luo De—one of the Seven Sages' seven founders, a specialist in Flying types.
And that Fearow—while not his strongest Pokémon—was still easily among his top three.
Yet even so, the moment it met Jin Peng's Charizard head-on, it lost all fighting power.
He'd expected as much—but seeing it happen right in front of him still left Luo De with a crushing sense of disparity.
Even so, Fearow's failed strike didn't end the Seven Sages' assault.
Rumble—rumble—rumble!
The storm clouds overhead, which had only just begun to settle, suddenly roared again—thunder crashing without end.
Jin Peng lowered his eyes and quickly found the cause of the shift.
A Pokémon with yellow skin, a snow-white belly, and red orbs on its tail and forehead.
Its hands were paddle-flat, and it had only one toe. Yellow-and-black markings ran along its neck, ears, and part of its tail.
Ampharos.
And it was Elite Four Tier, too.
Ampharos was much like Charizard.
In its normal form, it had "dragon" in the name in spirit only—no Dragon typing at all.
But after Mega Evolution, Mega Ampharos—like Mega Charizard X—would awaken the Dragon blood in its body and gain the Dragon type.
Without question—if the secret of Mega Evolution ever became public, Ampharos's value would skyrocket.
In everyday life, Ampharos was also widely used in maritime construction for lighthouses.
The light at the tip of its tail was so bright it could be seen from absurd distances—unmistakable no matter where you were.
That was why Ampharos usually didn't let its tail glow.
Only after night fell would it light the dazzling lamp on its tail.
That brilliance could reach far out at sea, serving as a navigation beacon.
Now, faint arcs of electricity crawled over Ampharos's smooth body.
Within the clouds—lightning, condensed to its limit, came crashing down without hesitation.
THUNDER
The blinding bolt lit up the dark sky in an instant.
Fortunately, the moment Jin Peng sensed the shift overhead, he'd already moved.
"Hydreigon—[DRAGON RUSH]!"
"ROAR!"
A dragon's cry that shook the heavens rang out.
A Hydreigon—purple markings along its belly, three heads crowned with menace—shot up to intercept the lightning.
Facing Thunder at point-blank range, a savage glint flashed in its eyes.
Surging Dragon-type energy poured from its body.
In the blink of an eye, a suit of draconic energy formed over Hydreigon.
All its wings trembled at once—and Hydreigon slammed head-on into the bolt.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
Two titanic forces collided high above, triggering a violent explosion.
The shockwave tore open a ragged gap in the cloud layer.
Jin Peng frowned.
"We're too exposed up here. Get to the ground first!"
In the air, he was too easy to lock onto.
After all, attacks could come from any direction.
And if his Pokémon had to keep shielding him, even his strongest combat power—Dragonite—couldn't fully cut loose.
Without hesitation, Jin Peng ordered, "Dragonite, head down over there."
The direction he pointed was a narrow mountain pass.
If they held the chokepoint, the Seven Sages' numbers would be much harder to bring to bear.
And Jin Peng could buy time for Lin Feng to arrive.
"Hrrm!"
Dragonite nodded, flapping its small wings as it swept toward the ground.
Charizard and Hydreigon moved to either side of Jin Peng—shielding him from the Seven Sages' attacks.
When his boots finally hit the earth, Jin Peng felt an unexpected ease settle into him.
Fighting in the sky always carried a floating, ungrounded unease—like your feet never truly belonged anywhere.
But now—he could face the Seven Sages at full strength.
"Everyone—come out."
No delay. Jin Peng released the rest of his Pokémon.
In addition to Dragonite, Charizard, and Hydreigon—the remaining three were the ocean's feral tyrant Gyarados, the desert singer Flygon, and the dragon warrior Haxorus.
Even though Jin Peng had lent out two Pokémon earlier, he'd filled the empty slots with reserves to keep a full six.
Still—anyone with eyes could tell.
Haxorus and Flygon, compared to the other three, were clearly greener.
In strength and presence alike, they still had room to grow.
But at least—both had already reached Elite Four Tier. With four veterans alongside them, they could still bring formidable combat power against the Seven Sages.
---
bonus chaps
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BUT.
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