Chapter 92: Objective: Razor Fang
"From the palace to Mt. Silver is about a hundred kilometers, so two hundred kilometers round trip... that means my speed is about 1200 km/h?!"
Will used a claw to scribble some calculations in the dirt. The result startled him. He hadn't expected his speed to be faster than that of a commercial airliner! It was already at the minimum threshold for a supersonic jet. No wonder his reaction time couldn't keep up while flying; the sudden acceleration was too much to adapt to.
"I'm Lv. 55 now. If I can reach Lv. 100, my speed should at least double. Factoring in my own training, it should be at least 2500 km/h... Can a Dragonite really circle the Earth in 16 hours?!"
Will was completely awestruck by the potential of his species. Of course, the reality wouldn't be so simple. First, even a Lv. 100 Dragonite might not have the stamina to use Extreme Speed continuously for 16 hours. Will had already experienced firsthand how draining the move was. But he had no idea how much stamina a Lv. 100 Dragonite possessed.
Second, you had to consider weather factors. One area might be scorching hot, the next caught in a downpour. It was impossible not to be affected. So, the Pokédex's claim was likely just an idealized conclusion based on its calculated top speed. No Dragonite could probably ever actually do it. Unless... it was that ancient Dragonite from the lighthouse in the anime. Maybe that one could give it a shot.
But even so, it was still shocking. A Dragonite's speed was no joke. It was the most fitting name the Pokémon Professors of the future could have given it after scientific calculation. It truly lived up to its name.
"Okay, first I'll take Scorp to the Gliscor, then I can start traveling back and forth to Dragonite Valley to learn moves," Will finalized his plan.
Although Scorp wanted to earn the Razor Fang from the Gliscor Alpha through his own efforts, with war imminent, there was no time to wait for him to grow strong enough to win that fight. From Will's current perspective, the Gliscor Alpha was already around Lv. 50 two years ago, a 10-level gap. For Scorp to reach Lv. 50 would take at least another two years. Right now, they needed to seize every opportunity to quickly increase their combat power.
When a Gligar evolves into a Gliscor, the massive boost in its base stats causes a qualitative change in its power. And, of course, a Gliscor's deeper movepool could not be ignored. Scorp's current combat power wasn't much stronger than Charizard's; there was almost no difference. A Gligar's low base stats were a major reason. Another was that Charizard's Fire/Flying typing was also excellent, on par with Gligar's Ground/Flying. A fight between them would likely favor Charizard's typing. With these two factors, the 3-level gap between them was almost negligible. But once Scorp evolved, that stat gap would be hugely reduced, and their strength would clearly diverge.
No sooner said than done. Will immediately went to find Scorp, who was currently getting beaten up by the Tauros herd. Without a word, he grabbed Scorp's tail and shot off towards the palace with Extreme Speed.
But before they left, he had to go see Liz. The journey to Jubilance Town was much farther than to Mt. Silver; he wouldn't be able to make it back in a single day. If he left without telling her, Liz, with her personality, wouldn't get angry or cry, but she would definitely be very sad. She was the type of woman who would never show her weakness, always keeping it hidden in her heart to deal with on her own.
He dragged the bewildered Scorp to the second-floor study window. The window had now been replaced with a massive one that took up half the wall, made especially for him.
Tap, tap.
Will gently tapped the glass with his claws. Liz, hearing the sound, looked over, then immediately stood up and came to push the huge window open.
"Lan? Why are you dragging Scorp around? Look at him," Liz asked, looking at Will strangely.
Will looked down and saw that the Gligar in his grasp had swirly eyes. It was probably because he was already in bad shape, and then the sudden, dizzying flight was too much for him, so he had fainted.
"Ugh... it's fine. He'll be alright after a moment," Will said, tilting his head and placing Scorp on the floor.
"What are you here for?" Liz asked, first coming over for her routine hug before speaking. She knew that Will was usually training and wouldn't come looking for her unless it was for something. And she also knew that he was aware of how busy she was, so he wouldn't come unless it was important.
"I need to take Scorp to Jubilance Town. You should understand," Will said, leading Liz to the map. He pointed to a spot off the coast of Jubilance Town. On the map, it was just open sea. But Liz took a closer look and understood that he was pointing to the island they had visited before. She remembered that it was full of Scorp's kin, and a particularly large leader.
"You want to take Scorp there?"
"Yes," Will nodded.
"How long will you be gone? You're not going to be gone for a long time again, are you?"
"Three days at most," Will said, holding up three fingers. Or, more accurately, three claws.
In reality, if he went by himself, it would probably only take a day. But he himself was still not used to the speed of Extreme Speed, let alone carrying Scorp. He also planned to have Scorp get some free experience from the Gliscor Alpha after he evolved.
"Three days?"
"Yes."
"Alright then. Come back soon. Oh, right, could you take a letter to Elder Barb for me?" Liz said, reluctantly agreeing after confirming he wouldn't be gone for long. She then took a letter from her desk drawer.
Will didn't have to guess to know it was related to the impending war. As the coastal city closest to the Land Kingdom's capital, Jubilance Town would inevitably be impacted by the war, whether Liz had plans to send troops by sea or not. So, she certainly had things to discuss with the town's mayor.
However, Liz probably thought Will wouldn't be able to hold a letter properly, so she found a satchel, hung it around his neck, placed the letter inside, and locked it securely.
"Got it," Will nodded, and then left, dragging the still-unconscious Scorp with him. He had to get him healed up before they could set out.
That wasn't hard to solve. In the past two years, the Dragonite Kingdom's Pokémon Research Institute had developed an ointment from medicinal herbs. Its effect wasn't as good as applying the crushed herbs directly, but it was much more material-efficient, greatly increasing the utilization rate of the herbs. For Scorp's current injuries, a direct application might require ten plants to fully heal, as much of the medicinal power would evaporate or fall off. But with the ointment, one box was enough. It was easy to apply and didn't fall off, and one box only required one plant to make.
This ointment was still not as perfect as the sprays of the future, but it was extremely good for the current era.
By the afternoon, Scorp had not only woken up but was fully recovered and full of energy.
"Let's go. I'm taking you to the Gliscor to get the Razor Fang," Will said to him.
"Gli?" Scorp tilted his head. He didn't think he could beat the Gliscor Alpha yet.
"I'll fight him," Will said, puffing out his chest. The Gliscor had said it didn't have to be Scorp who beat him; Will could do it too.
"Gligar."
"There's no time to wait. We're about to go to war with another country. Countless enemies will be coming. With your current strength, you'll only be able to watch as Liz and the others die."
"Gli?!"
Scorp had never heard this from Liz and was suddenly afraid. But the thought of Liz and the others filled him with courage, and he stopped arguing with Will.
"Let's go."
"Gligar," Scorp nodded obediently.
The travel speed of two Flying-type Pokémon was, naturally, incomparable to that of ordinary horses. A journey that would take a horse five or six days, Will and Scorp could fly in one. And that was with Scorp sometimes running out of stamina and needing to be carried. Otherwise, they might have arrived by evening.
"Let's rest here for today. We should reach Jubilance Town by morning tomorrow," Will said. They had landed on a plain near the town. Exhausted from a full day of travel, they both collapsed in a heap and fell asleep not long after.
The next morning, they woke up and continued on their way, arriving in Jubilance Town in less than an hour.
Elder Barb was an early riser. Most of the town's residents hadn't even opened their doors yet, but she was already out front, sweeping her courtyard with a broom. She wasn't too startled to see Will and Scorp fly down from the sky, mainly because she recognized Scorp. Although it was her first time seeing Will, news of what had happened in the capital had already reached the nearby Jubilance Town. So, it only took her a few seconds to deduce that this fat dragon was Lan.
"Long time no see, Lan, Scorp. You've come... does Liz have business?" Elder Barb asked, walking forward and spotting the bag around Will's neck.
"Yes," Will said, pulling off the small bag and handing it to her.
"Thank you for your trouble... looks like you haven't missed any meals these past two years, hehe. To be able to eat is a blessing. Grandma likes to see you looking chubby," Elder Barb said, taking out the letter and putting it away safely. She didn't read it right away, but instead walked over and patted Will's big belly. Old people always like to see children looking plump; they find it cute and cuddly, and Elder Barb was no exception.
"Ugh... Elder Barb, we have to go," Will said, turning as if to leave.
"Hm? Leaving already? Won't you stay for a meal?"
The moment she said that, Scorp immediately ran over and grabbed Will with both pincers.
"Gli~"
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