Ring ring ring—
The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed throughout the vast laboratory.
The extremely dense Ghost Type energy continuously spilled out from within the lab, all absorbed by the Doublade, which benefited greatly from it.
As the black mist gradually thinned, the scene inside slowly came into Natsuhiko's view.
The first thing he saw were two gigantic, thick iron chains that disappeared into the walls, leading who knows where.
The other end of the chains restrained a Pokémon.
It was precisely upon seeing this Pokémon that Natsuhiko lost his composure.
The triangular head, reminiscent of a stealth fighter jet, with four holes—two large, two small—and two flat, narrow yellow eyes. The small body had claws and feet, the upper half was dark blue-black, and the lower half light blue, with a gradient process in between. It also had a long, curled tail that became increasingly transparent toward the end.
Suspended in the air, the chains were bound to its neck and tail, allowing it only limited movement within a small area.
As the Pokémon's appearance became clear, its name became obvious.
Dragapult!
The Quasi-God Pokémon of the Galar Region!
With a combination of Dragon Type and Ghost Type attributes, the only other Pokémon in the Pokémon Realm other than the Netherworld Dragon Rider Latina with this combination is this Dragapult.
Therefore, as a pure Ghost Dragon, Dragapult also has a prominent nickname, "Little Kiladina," and thanks to its good resistance, Species Value distribution, and mastery of Techniques, there's even a saying about it: "Battles require only one Dragapult."
This shows how strong it is.
Natsuhiko is exceedingly familiar with Dragapult.
It consistently ranks in the top three most popular in Pokémon battle games, a Pokémon he also very much enjoyed using.
Oh, and one more thing, Dragapult can fly.
Its flying speed is not slow at all; when it flies, it's like an arrow. This is evident from its Speed Species Value of 142 points.
However.
Seeing Dragapult here didn't bring him any joy; instead, he sank deeply.
The Quasi-God Pokémon Dragapult, with the Dragon-type Pokémon lineage and the Ghost-type Pokémon abilities, has an incredibly long lifespan.
And unlike other laboratories, this one is filled with dense Ghost Energy that hasn't thinned even after so long.
This indicates that Dragapult has relied on this energy to survive from ancient times to the present!
A fully evolved Quasi-God Pokémon with such rich energy replenishment, even if its personality is as lazy as a pig's, its current strength should be terrifying enough for Natsuhiko to avoid provoking it.
The only relief.
Is that this Dragapult is restrained by chains made of unknown material.
Having been unable to leave the laboratory for so long, it's unlikely to break free anytime soon.
Still, Natsuhiko dared not get close.
After all, Dragapult also possesses long-range Techniques, and if it finds Natsuhiko annoying and attacks him, Beedrill and the others combined might not be able to withstand it.
And so.
Natsuhiko stood at the door.
The Dragapult inside narrowed its eyes, quietly observing the suddenly appearing Natsuhiko and the other Pokémon.
Both sides tacitly kept silent.
After an unknown amount of time, Dragapult spoke first.
"Baluya—"
The sound was dull and slightly hoarse.
It didn't show much hostility, only curiosity towards Natsuhiko and the Pokémon appearing here.
Sensing Dragapult's attitude, Natsuhiko's anxious heart relaxed a bit.
He was really afraid that this Dragapult would harbor great hostility towards humans due to the inhuman abuse by ancient people, and attack with "Dragon Arrow" or "Meteor Shower" at any moment.
In which case, even if he summoned Snorlax, he wouldn't know if it could withstand it.
Thinking about "Dragon Arrow," Natsuhiko looked at Dragapult's head but didn't see any Dreepy in its holes.
"Dragon Arrow" is a Dragon-type Technique, and in the entire Pokémon Realm, only Dragapult can use it. The method involves launching the two Dreepy residing in its head holes at supersonic speed, causing great destruction.
After being launched, the Dreepy go into an invisible state and return to Dragapult's head holes.
The Dreepy residing in Dragapult's head almost always wish to be launched.
Dreepy is the initial form of this Quasi-God Pokémon, Dragapult.
Therefore, to use the "Dragon Arrow" Technique, at least three Quasi-God Pokémon are required, making it very luxurious.
However, the Dragapult in front of Natsuhiko doesn't have Dreepy in its head.
This means it has endured this long time alone, and its loneliness and solitude are unimaginable.
Dragapult Pokémon are very special; they are somewhat like Kangaroo Dragon because they carry young Pokémon on them for better care.
Because during the Dreepy stage, their combat ability can be considered very weak, almost nonexistent, possibly unable to defeat even a small child—showing how fragile they are.
So Dragapult must protect them.
Like Dragapult's head holes can house two Dreepy.
And Drakloak, the evolved form of Dreepy, which is Dragapult's previous stage, also houses one Dreepy. If Drakloak doesn't have a Dreepy in its head, it becomes anxious, emotionally unstable, and might even look for other Pokémon to replace.
So, despite Dragapult being a Dragon-type and Ghost-type Pokémon, they are actually the opposite of Giratina; they are a very loving species.
Of course, this is what's generally said—Natsuhiko doesn't know the specific situation of the Dragapult in front of him, so he must be cautious.
Just.
Though he is cautious, not all Pokémon are.
Boldly walking towards Dragapult.
No need for guesses.
It's certainly the "social butterfly" Togetic.
However, seeing Togetic actively approach, Natsuhiko didn't stop it, but instead sighed in relief.
Togetic is most sensitive to feelings of humans and Pokémon. If it thinks the other party is unreliable or hostile, it would stop immediately.
Since previously it even cried due to the sorrowful atmosphere of the lab, but now actively approaches Dragapult, it indicates that it genuinely feels Dragapult isn't hostile.
Out of trust in Togetic, after hesitating slightly, Natsuhiko also stepped into the room.
And upon entering, as his gaze swept over the room, he suddenly understood the true purpose of this ancient research facility and the reason for the brutality towards so many Pokémon.
With a somewhat complex expression, he looked at the Dragapult slowly descending to the ground, resting its head and watching Togetic approach.
Sighing quietly in his heart.
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