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East Sea Dragon Nest
The arrival of Chris and Vladimir caused quite a commotion throughout the area.
Lugia's brief but intense aura and Garchomp's familiar yet ferocious presence made all the Dragon-type Pokémon in the East Sea Dragon Nest turn their attention toward them.
As Chris and Vladimir walked along the path leading deeper into the Dragon Nest, Dragonite, Garchomp, and other Dragon-type Pokémon frequently flew over to observe the situation. Chris's Garchomp engaged in battles with them one after another as they made their way forward.
By the time Chris and Vladimir reached the center of the East Sea Dragon Nest, the three Dragon Kings who ruled over the area had already gathered.
Led by a powerful Garchomp, the three Dragon Kings—Dragonite, Garchomp, and Goodra—had brought various Dragon-types along with thousands of Dragon-type Pokémon. They had been waiting for Chris and his Garchomp for quite some time.
"Crack!" Chris's Garchomp roared and flew toward its mother.
The reunion was warm and affectionate.
"Crack!" The Garchomp King rubbed her cheek against her child to express intimacy and welcome.
The greeting didn't last very long. Since Chris lived on Trial Island No. 7 at Dragon University most days, Garchomp often returned to the East Sea Dragon Nest to visit its family.
Garchomp quickly returned to Chris's side and assumed a fighting posture. Before coming here, Chris had already explained what they would be doing today.
Chris stepped forward to state his intention clearly.
"Greetings, King of Garchomp. Today, I have come here to support your son in his challenge for the throne!" Chris said, getting straight to the point.
Pokémon weren't humans, so there was no need for excessive politeness, especially when it came to a battle for succession.
However, Garchomp's mother didn't display the fighting spirit that Chris had expected. She simply nodded slightly, then turned around and began walking away.
"Crack!" She roared, signaling the other Dragon-type Pokémon to clear the area.
Chris immediately followed alongside his Garchomp.
It seemed the Garchomp King was leading them to find a suitable battlefield.
The East Sea Dragon Nest wasn't just a habitat for Dragon-type Pokémon—it was also part of the Wailord's body. It truly wasn't an appropriate place for an intense battle.
However, the Garchomp King didn't appear to have any intention of taking Chris and the others outside the East Sea Dragon Nest.
Instead, she led everyone toward the highest peak within the Dragon Nest, then guided them into a hidden cave nestled in a valley.
"Is there really a place suitable for battling inside this cave?" Chris wondered aloud, but he patiently continued following the Garchomp King deeper inside.
They walked approximately two to three hundred meters into the cave.
The passage gradually began to narrow.
At the same time, Chris and Vladimir both felt a strong, oppressive force building around them.
It was the overwhelming pressure generated by the aura unique to Dragon-type Pokémon.
However, this pressure wasn't enough to stop either Chris or Vladimir from proceeding.
Chris frowned slightly. Although the aura wasn't strong enough to halt them at this moment, he realized that as they ventured closer step by step, the oppressive force would only grow stronger and stronger.
Chris estimated that the strength of the Pokémon emitting this aura might be comparable to that of a legendary Pokémon.
"Could there be a legendary Dragon-type Pokémon living here? Or perhaps an exceptionally powerful Dragon-type?" Chris mused.
However, he soon dismissed both theories.
"No... the aura feels very mixed. It's not coming from just one source, but from many!"
A minute later, the cave space suddenly opened up dramatically.
Chris and Vladimir emerged into an enormous underground chamber.
In the center of the space, a beam of light descended from somewhere above, illuminating the skeleton of a massive Dragon-type Pokémon. Resting atop the skull, a golden crown floated silently, gleaming with an otherworldly shine.
"What is this place?" Vladimir observed the surrounding scenery with curiosity and wonder.
"Gardevoir, use Flash," Chris commanded with a snap of his fingers.
Gardevoir condensed a brilliant ball of light and sent it floating into the air.
Immediately, the entire underground space was illuminated clearly.
The massive underground chamber was as large as two football fields combined. Throughout the space lay countless piles of bones—all of them skeletons belonging to Dragon-type Pokémon.
"Is this... the Dragon Clan Cemetery of the East Sea Dragon Nest?" Vladimir couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. Even though he was the president of Dragon University, this was his first time visiting such a place.
Witnessing this scene, Chris couldn't help but recall the "Onix Graveyard" he had discovered when he first arrived in this world.
"I should use the Treasure Scanner to examine the area later," Chris muttered quietly to himself.
"Crack!" The Garchomp King roared powerfully.
"Crack!" Chris's Garchomp responded in kind.
Soon, through conversation facilitated by the Soothe Bell and his own Garchomp, Chris came to understand the reason why Garchomp's mother had brought them to this sacred place.
Chris's Garchomp's mother, the current Garchomp King of the East Sea Dragon Nest, was not actually the true king of the Garchomp clan. The real king of the Garchomp clan had been Chris's Garchomp's father—the very dragon whose skeleton now lay in the center of this cemetery.
After the death of this undefeated Garchomp King, the crown symbolizing his authority as "king" had been "buried" alongside him in the Dragon Clan Cemetery within the East Sea Dragon Nest.
Over the years, many ambitious Garchomp had coveted that crown, hoping to claim it and become the new generation's Garchomp King. However, without exception, every single one of them had failed the trial.
As a result, the throne of the Garchomp clan had remained vacant for a very long time.
Upon hearing that Chris intended to help her child inherit the throne of the Garchomp clan, Garchomp's mother had brought them to this place.
If Chris's Garchomp could withstand the overwhelming pressure emanating from the countless Dragon spirits in this cemetery and successfully claim the crown that symbolized kingship, then it would become the new leader of the Garchomp clan!
This turn of events was completely unexpected.
Chris had originally assumed that Garchomp's father must have been a legendary Pokémon.
After all, Garchomp's mother possessed a massive Dragon Fang that was ten times larger than an ordinary Dragon Fang—a secret treasure-level item.
Crackling Dragon Fang: Increases the power of Dragon-type moves by 40%, has a 30% chance of reducing the opponent's Defense during physical attacks, and enhances weather-based power increases.
Based on this item's effects, Chris had once speculated that Garchomp's father might have been Rayquaza itself.
However, now it seemed clear that the father was simply a Garchomp—albeit one whose strength rivaled that of legendary Pokémon. A tremendously powerful Garchomp that had been ten times the size of an ordinary member of its species!
Yet somehow, even such a mighty creature had ultimately been reduced to nothing but bones.
"This shouldn't be too difficult," Chris thought confidently as he showed off his Z-Power Ring bracelet.
After all, it was just the pressure of legendary Pokémon. His Garchomp regularly trained against pressure of this magnitude, so it shouldn't pose much of a challenge.
However, the very next second, when Garchomp underwent Mega Evolution and Chris's consciousness linked with its own, his expression shifted to one of tension and concern.
"Why is this pressure ten times stronger when directed specifically at Garchomp?!"