In the northern-central region of the Lake of Outrage, the ancient Dragapult clan had lived for generations.
Over the course of thousands of years, countless self-proclaimed "dragon tamers" had ventured here, hoping to win the favor of the clan and take a few Dreepy with them. These people would go to any lengths for it.
It was said that a hundred years ago, a prodigy from the Dragon family in Hammerlocke once came to this place, attempting to subdue one of the dragons. No one knew what exactly happened, but that Elite-level trainer returned home gravely injured and died shortly afterward.
Since then, the fierce reputation of the Lake of Outrage and the Dragapult clan spread once more throughout Galar. Even the seasoned hunting squads from Macro Cosmos avoided causing trouble near the lake's heart.
But in truth, only the Dragapult who still lived knew the real story. That so-called prodigy simply overestimated himself. In his arrogance, he had challenged the clan's strongest elder and was defeated in a single strike, both he and his Pokémon crushed.
As for the strength of that elder…
Lying lazily on the grass, basking in the sun, Dragapult recalled it better than anyone. That elder's presence had rivaled that of the cosmic dragon slumbering deep beneath Galar.
"Draa~"
Lost in thought, Dragapult rolled onto its side to let the sunlight warm its chilly back. With the tip of its tail, it scratched at an itchy spot near its rear, shifting with a soft grunt.
That ancestor had passed away more than a decade ago. What remained of its body had become a feast for the clan, allowing several young Dreepy to rapidly evolve into Drakloak within just a few short years.
Dragapult had eaten quite a bit as well. Just thinking about the meal made its mouth water. It squinted, a line of drool dripping down from the corner of its mouth.
"Dragaaa~" 'The taste of the ancestor... only those who ate it would understand…'
"Draa~ Dra!"
Half-asleep, Dragapult heard a familiar voice. It sounded just like its oldest nephew who had recently disappeared from the clan...
"Draag..." it murmured, turning over again and trying to block out the annoying noise and go back to sleep.
'The taste of my nephew…'
"Draaak!"
Before it could drift off again, Drakloak slammed down from the sky, fuming with anger. It had expected a warm welcome from its kin the moment it returned—some hugs, worried questions, and concern. It also thought they might ask about the human beside it.
Instead, it was greeted with the sight of its uncle snoring away under the sun, drooling all over itself and muttering about the taste of their ancestor. Drakloak hadn't forgotten that taste either, but now this old fool was talking about its taste too? That was going too far!
Floating in the air, Drakloak's tail lit up with blue-green Dragon-type energy. Without a word, it launched a Dragon Tail attack, swinging hard from both sides and whipping its uncle's upturned butt.
"Draa! Dra!" 'That's for thinking about my corpse! That's what you get!'
The more Drakloak thought about it, the angrier it became. It landed blow after blow, until Dragapult's eyes flew open in pain. With a strangled cry, the larger dragon twisted away and barely escaped the assault.
"Draa!" 'It hurts!'
The sharp wail even made Shiro, who was watching from nearby, look away uncomfortably. Dragon-types were strong against each other. Even if there was a power gap between them, Drakloak's attacks could still pack a serious punch.
"Owww..."
Dragapult squirmed in the grass, trying to soothe its aching backside on the cool earth.
"Draa, draa?" 'Uncle, what were you even doing?'
Drakloak hovered beside its uncle, small blue-green claws on its hips, glaring furiously at the older dragon.
Dragapult looked up at its unexpectedly returned nephew, a miserable expression on its face. This brat had disappeared without a trace, and now it popped up like nothing happened. How was it supposed to know if the kid was dead or alive? Wasn't it reasonable to prepare for a feast, just in case?
It had even sent out two clan members to search for Drakloak's body…
"Draa..." 'Nothing...'
The situation had clearly turned against it. Dragapult lowered its head, still rubbing its aching butt, and avoided meeting Drakloak's sharp gaze.
When Drakloak pressed it again, asking where the others had gone, Dragapult finally stammered and confessed everything.
At present, aside from the old dragon himself, the clan only had two other Dragapult. Due to the low reproductive rate of Dragon-types, the entire Dragapult clan numbered barely over twenty.
Three Dragapult, a few Drakloak, and a dozen or so Dreepy.
All the Dreepy typically followed either the Drakloak or Dragapult. As for their whereabouts, the rest of the clan was deep inside the territory, fast asleep.
"Draa?" Drakloak was stunned.
'Sleeping? They're all young and full of potential—how could they be napping all day instead of training and battling other Pokémon to grow stronger?'
"Draa?" Dragapult raised its head in confusion.
'But hasn't it always been like that? Just sleeping all day?'
"Draa..." Drakloak was left speechless. After spending over a month with Shiro, its daily routine had completely changed. Unconsciously, it now believed waking up at six and going to bed by seven was perfectly normal.
After all, there were delicious Pokéblocks every day. Each meal had become something to look forward to.
But here in the clan lands, resources were scarce. The dragons passed the long days simply by sleeping.
Realizing this, Drakloak fell silent. For a moment, it felt tempted to just turn around, follow Shiro, and never come back.
"Dreep!"
Perched on its head, the little Dreepy felt the same way.
The small dragon stood up with a huff, wagging its tail and loudly criticizing the lazy lifestyle of their clan. At the same time, it passionately praised Shiro.
"Dree!" 'This dump isn't worth one good meal with Shiro!'
"Draag?" Dragapult picked up something strange in that outburst.
'Human? There's a human here?'
It rose into the air and scanned the area briefly. Sure enough, it quickly spotted Shiro squatting by the edge of the island, staring into the lake. Confused, it turned to Drakloak for an explanation.
After a while, the younger dragon recounted everything that had happened.
Meanwhile, by the lakeside, Shiro silently gazed at the crystal-blue water and the brown earth beneath. He couldn't understand a word of what these dragons were saying. Like a boyfriend visiting his girlfriend's home for the first time, he had no idea what he was supposed to do.
"Draa!" 'Human!'
Suddenly, Dragapult let out a loud roar and charged straight at him.
Even Drakloak was startled and hurried to intercept.
Hearing the commotion, Shiro turned around in confusion—only to be greeted by the rapidly enlarging, metallic, arrow-shaped dragon head rushing toward him, mouth wide open like it was about to bite. His heart jumped; he nearly toppled backward into the lake.
But Dragapult managed to stop just in time, then turned around and presented its back.
"Draa~" 'Human, come take a look at my butt~'
It pointed its tail toward the dark green bruise Drakloak had left behind, wiggling its rear in a pitiful plea.
Seeing the dragon break into a bizarre dance, Shiro's brain nearly shut down. He clutched the grass at his feet to keep from falling over.
After taking a couple deep breaths to steady himself, he focused and watched Dragapult repeat the motion a few more before he finally understood what was going on.
Relieved, Shiro took off his backpack and started rummaging for medicine.
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