Chapter 126: Searching for Druddigon, Pokémon Battle

"Shh, keep it down, everyone. We must have entered the territory of a Druddigon. I've encountered this particular Druddigon before; I even had my Hydreigon battle it once, and it ended in a draw. We need to be careful not to provoke it."

Cheng Cheng carefully projected his psychic powers to survey the surroundings. He extended his senses out to a radius of 200 meters but did not detect any powerful presence.

"Uncle Saito, where does the Druddigon live?"

"In that direction."

Cheng Cheng looked toward where Saito Zhi was pointing and extended his psychic reach in that direction. He was extremely cautious, worried about angering the creature. However, he probed for nearly a kilometer and still sensed nothing powerful. He then searched every spot within a one-kilometer radius, but found no sign of a formidable entity. While there were one or two stronger auras, they were far weaker than a Hydreigon, so they could not be the Druddigon he was looking for.

"Uncle Saito, there is no Druddigon within a kilometer."

"How are you sensing this?"

"I possess psychic powers that allow me to detect the energy fluctuations of all Pokémon. Within the kilometer I searched, no Pokémon has energy levels comparable to a Hydreigon. That Druddigon must not be here."

"I've heard of psychic powers; they are quite miraculous, but I never expected you to have them. Are you certain there is no Druddigon aura within a kilometer?"

"I am."

"Then let me try."

"Come out, Hydreigon! Hydreigon, can you sense the Druddigon?"

The Hydreigon tilted its heads upward, sensing the surrounding atmosphere, then shook its heads.

"Indeed, it seems the Druddigon is not here. But that shouldn't be the case; a Druddigon's territory is at most 500 meters in radius. Given its nature, it rarely leaves its lair except to forage. It’s strange that there’s no trace of it within a kilometer."

"Uncle Saito, should we go over and take a look?"

"Yes, let's go. Perhaps the disappearance of the Druddigon is related to what we are investigating."

"Alright."

Muzi and Cheng Cheng followed Saito Zhi toward the Druddigon’s lair. Before long, they arrived at a cliffside. A cave sat not far from the ground; this was where the Druddigon resided.

"It seems the Druddigon is truly gone. Let's go in and check, but stay alert."

The trio climbed the cliff and entered the cave. It wasn't very dark, as light from outside filtered in, making the interior largely visible. Saito Zhi crouched down and began searching the ground.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

"I'm looking for leftover food or droppings. We can determine the Druddigon's condition and how long it has been gone from these."

Judging by the food scraps on the ground, the Druddigon had been gone for two or three days. Even if it had gone out for some reason, it shouldn't have been away for this long. It seemed something was indeed wrong. Cheng Cheng projected his psychic powers once more but found nothing unusual.

"Alright, let's go. There's no value here anymore. We should press on toward the center of the mountain range; I have a feeling the Druddigon's disappearance is connected to the events at the heart of the mountains."

The group left the cave and continued toward the center of the Twin Dragon Mountains. The deeper they went, the more difficult the terrain became.

"Cheng Cheng, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I can manage."

Cheng Cheng knew he was physically weaker than the others, but after a year of training, he could barely keep up with their pace.

"Alright, if you're tired, let's take a break and grab something to eat. We'll be at the center soon."

"Yes, okay."

The three found a relatively flat spot and took food from their backpacks.

"You two must be careful from here on out. The deeper we go, the more dangerous it becomes. I may not be able to look after you both, so be cautious. If things get truly dire, find a way to run back toward the outside of the range."

*BOOM!*

*THUD-BOOM!*

Suddenly, a violent sound erupted not far from them, as if Pokémon were battling.

"Alright, pack up quickly and let's go. Be careful and don't stray too far from me, understood?"

"Understood."

Saito Zhi led the way, with Muzi and Cheng Cheng following cautiously. Cheng Cheng projected his psychic powers toward the source of the noise and sensed a massive surge of energy. One of the energy fluctuations felt incredibly familiar—it was the same type he had encountered during the storm at the daycare and in Viridian Forest. He hadn't expected it to appear here. Moreover, this time, the energy was more concentrated. It seemed the source of those previous accidents was about to reveal itself. At this thought, Cheng Cheng quickened his pace.

"Cheng Cheng, slow down, don't walk too fast." Muzi’s voice came from behind.

Cheng Cheng suppressed his excitement and slowed his pace to stay with her. Once they entered the central area, they understood the source of the deafening sounds. A massive crater had formed in the middle of the forest, filled with smaller pits likely created by the combat.

Surrounding the crater were many powerful Pokémon. Their levels and combat prowess were immense, qualifying them as kings in their own right. Cheng Cheng saw a Pokémon lying on the ground—it was the Druddigon they had been searching for. Nearby lay an Excadrill and a Haxorus. Additionally, an Altaria, a Hydreigon, and a Salamence were struggling against an entity, though they were heavily injured and barely able to fight.

Cheng Cheng studied their opponent: it looked like a pitch-black orb covered in numerous, terrifying tentacles. He couldn't sense any information from it, but he felt that familiar, ominous aura. This must have been the same thing from Viridian Forest.

The Hydreigon launched another attack, a powerful Hyper Beam, but the entity pulled its tentacles together, shielding itself from the blast. Then, the black creature channeled power through its tentacles to form a small black orb, striking the Hydreigon and knocking it to the ground, unable to rise.

Now, only an Altaria and a Salamence remained circling in the air, dodging attacks with their agility.

"Dad, what on earth is going on?"

"I don't know, but the message my Pokémon are sending me is that we must stop this thing."

"Cheng Cheng, Muzi, you two go check on the other Pokémon; I will hold it off."

"Go, Dragonite, Hydreigon, Salamence, Haxorus, Altaria, Flygon!"

Saito Zhi released all six of his Pokémon—all of them powerful Dragon-types. Cheng Cheng was stunned that Saito Zhi had raised so many strong Dragon-types; his strength was on par with a Champion.

Saito Zhi's six Pokémon surged toward the black entity, temporarily pinning it down. Cheng Cheng rushed to where the Hydreigon had fallen. He realized it was severely wounded and needed immediate treatment, or its life would be in danger.

"Come out, Chimecho, Gardevoir! Chimecho, use Heal Bell! Gardevoir, use Healing Wish!"

"Chime!" "Gardevoir!"

Cheng Cheng had them use their healing moves simultaneously, stabilizing the Hydreigon's condition. He then rushed to the other fallen Pokémon, finding them even weaker.

"Chimecho, Gardevoir, please!"

They healed them, but the effect was minimal. They had been down for a while, and their injuries were grave; the healing powers of his Pokémon weren't enough.

"Cheng Cheng, how are they?" Muzi asked, deeply concerned.

"They're in bad shape. They need urgent treatment, but my Pokémon's healing isn't enough."

"Wait, Cheng Cheng, use Revival Herbs!"

"Right, Revival Herbs! How did I forget those?"

Cheng Cheng had almost forgotten. As long as a Pokémon wasn't dead, a Revival Herb could save it.

"Muzi, help me."

Cheng Cheng took the herbs from his pack, crushed them, and mixed them with water and Oran Berry juice. He fed the concoction to the Pokémon and had Chimecho and Gardevoir continue their healing. Soon, their conditions stabilized, though they would need time to recover fully. Cheng Cheng monitored the Pokémon while watching the battle between Saito Zhi and the black entity.

Things were not looking good.