"It looks like our bond is still unbreakable."
Ash's eyes burned as he gazed at Lapras.
A moment ago, he only wanted to try calling out—but he hadn't expected Lapras to actually respond.
Sure enough, the bond between Ash and his Pokémon could transcend distance.
Lapras's eyes shimmered. It had been waiting for this call for far too long.
Back then, its pod had grown strong enough to live on their own. It no longer needed to shoulder the burden of being a leader.
Now, all it wanted was to return to Ash's side.
Sensing Lapras's feelings, Ash gently stroked its forehead.
The scene was so warm and intimate that Koharu almost felt jealous watching from the side.
But it didn't last long.
A while later, Ash took Koharu's hand.
"Come on—let's go!"
"…Mm."
Her voice carried seven parts excitement and three parts faint resentment.
Sitting on Lapras's back, Koharu saw a view completely different from that day on Lugia's back.
"Ash, why did you call Lapras over? Couldn't we just use a Flying-type instead?"
At last, Koharu asked the question that had been on her mind.
Ash scratched his head sheepishly.
"I didn't think of that… I was only focused on crossing the sea, and Lapras came to mind."
That answer was so Ash.
Under Koharu's puzzled gaze, Ash stood up.
He patted Lapras's neck and, facing the endless ocean, spoke with conviction.
"At the time, I just wanted to give it a try. And Lapras answered me. Maybe we're separated by thousands of miles, but our hearts will always be connected. That's the bond between me and my Pokémon."
Pidgeot, Butterfree, Greninja, and the others silently wiped away tears. The Oak corral is big enough for thirty Tauros—yet somehow, not for us?
"See the sun up there? That's one of my partners too. Solgaleo, the sun that shines across the heavens. I believe that even now, if I call for it, it'll respond to me."
Koharu: "???"
Ash, what are you even saying?!
[Cynthia: Solgaleo? What kind of Pokémon is that? I've never even heard of it.]
[Professor Kukui: It's one of the two avatars of the Radiant Deity from Alola's mythology. As Ash said, Solgaleo represents the sun.]
[Cynthia: A god that wields the power of the sun… and that's only an avatar? Just how terrifying are your Alolan myths?]
[Steven: Wait, I just noticed something! Ash didn't call it a friend. He called it a partner!]
[Leon: …Don't tell me Ash actually captured this Legendary Pokémon that rules over the sun?!]
[Professor Kukui: That shouldn't be possible. Even in Alola's history, very few people have ever seen Solgaleo.]
The livestream chat exploded with gasps.
Being friends with gods was already outrageous.
But Ash, a Trainer of authority over divine beings? That was terrifying.
On screen—
While the audience was still reeling from Ash's shocking revelations, Lapras was already slicing swiftly through the waves.
The area Professor Sakuragi had mentioned was vast—exploring all of it would take days.
But Ash didn't want to waste time.
"Lapras, head that way!"
He chose to trust his instincts.
And, as always, his instincts were spot-on.
Before long, Lapras reached a zone surrounded by fierce air currents.
This had to be Dragonite's Island!
To enter, they would have to brave the storms.
"Lapras, full speed ahead!"
Ash's face turned serious as he gripped Koharu's hand tightly, making sure she wouldn't be blown away.
Sure enough, once inside the ring-shaped barrier, ferocious winds battered Lapras and its riders.
And along with the gales came bolts of lightning crashing from the heavens.
The scene was apocalyptic. For the first time, Koharu truly felt the raw power of nature.
"Ash… we're not going to die, are we?"
At the end of the day, Koharu was still just a fourteen-year-old girl.
Showing fear in the face of such chaos was only natural.
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, I won't let you get hurt."
"Pikachu—Thunderbolt!"
Faced with the endless lightning, the only way forward was to fight back.
Ash commanded Pikachu to unleash Thunderbolt, neutralizing the strikes.
The plan worked.
After a harrowing struggle, Lapras finally broke through into the eye of the storm.
Unlike the outer rim's doomsday chaos, the center was calm and peaceful.
Not a ripple disturbed the water. And there, rising before them—
An island.
The fabled Dragonite's Island.
"It… it's real?"
"Of course! Let's go!"
Once ashore, Ash and Koharu discovered flocks of Dragonite, Dragonair, and Dratini.
The audience was stunned. Ash had actually found Dragonite's Island.
But some people were more than just surprised—
[Lance: …Wait, no way. Ash, you actually found it?]
[Alder: Didn't I tell you before, Lance? We should've relocated Dragonite's Island to Unova. You wouldn't listen. And now look—it's been exposed to the world!]
[Lance: How was I supposed to know Ash was this ridiculous? He points randomly and stumbles onto it!]
[Ash: Hehe, I'm not that amazing.]
[Gary: Nobody's praising you!]
[Lance: …I really was praising him this time.]
The barrage of chat messages left viewers increasingly uneasy.
What did that mean?
From Lance's own words, Dragonite's Island… was under his family's jurisdiction?
And Alder, the Unova Champion, was involved too?!
[Bruno: Lance! You had a huge secret like this and didn't tell me? Some brother you are!]
[Lorelei: Or maybe… you were the only one who didn't know?]
[Bruno: Impossible! With my bond with Lance, if I didn't know, there's no way you would either!]
In truth, the existence of Dragonite's Island wasn't exactly a secret among Champions and the Elite Four.
The Dragon clans of Kanto and Unova had long been known for their abundance of Dragon-types.
Like everyone else, they only knew such a place existed—but not its exact location.
Now, by some bizarre twist of fate, it had been revealed.
Fortunately, the coordinates were still vague.
If Dragonite's Island were truly exposed, swarms of poachers would descend instantly.
After all, Dragonite was a pseudo-Legendary Pokémon.
Which meant—an unimaginable fortune.
On screen—
Ash and Koharu wandered aimlessly across the island.
Koharu kept her mission in mind, snapping photos and recording everything on her phone.
Ash saw flocks of Dragonair gliding gracefully through the sky…
And even Dragonite swooping in to rescue others.
They were truly gentle-hearted Pokémon.
Thanks to Ash's innate affinity with Pokémon, he quickly blended in with the island's inhabitants.
But among them, one Dragonair stood out.
It seemed… it couldn't fly?
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