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In this dark, damp environment where fungi proliferate madly, Rare Candies can be stored for long periods without losing their effectiveness or spoiling. For all of this, the credit must go to the bio-enzymes within Shuckle's body.
Pokémon are miraculous creatures. It wouldn't be strange for them to produce anything that defies Li Xiang's past knowledge.
However, the fact that jam stored for a long time in tree hollows could also possess such powerful effects was surprising.
What about jam stored for a long time inside Shuckle's body?
Li Xiang really wanted to try it, but unfortunately, the Shuckle were unwilling to store this stuff inside their bodies for extended periods. They said storing it for a while was fine, but any longer felt too clogged.
No helping it.
Li Xiang had to settle for the next best thing and ask them to set aside a few special tree hollows to store tree fruit juice for him for a bit longer.
The Shuckle didn't really understand, but given Li Xiang's generosity, they agreed.
Additionally, just because Mewtwo could eat this stuff didn't mean Incineroar and the others could. To be safe, he still needed to find a way to test its internal composition.
Aside from normal food and the two types of candy, Li Xiang wouldn't let Incineroar and the others eat anything else recklessly, no matter how good the effects.
After that, they found two more forgotten tree hollows. Mewtwo also used its psychic power to scan the area, confirming there were no other overlooked hollows.
That was the end of it.
The harvest was plentiful, which was very satisfying.
With these things, Incineroar and the others would probably grow even faster, right? Thinking about it made Li Xiang much happier.
However, just as they were about to leave, a special visitor arrived on Shuckle Island.
—The Dragon Sage, a twenty-meter-scale giant Dragonite.
It seemed to have arrived together with the Pokémon guarding the captured Ursaring and Teddiursa. With every step it took, the ground trembled slightly.
"Ah—I've come to buy some juice."
Dragonite yawned, scattering a pile of Pokéblocks on the open ground. Its massive size put the Kingdra beside Li Xiang on high alert.
These two were Pokémon that competed for territory with each other. In a sense, they were natural enemies. Genetic instinct made Kingdra wary of it.
Li Xiang had to speak up to soothe Kingdra.
In contrast, Dragonite only glanced at it once before expertly picking up a tree stump and tilting it to pour tree fruit juice into its mouth. It downed several hundred kilograms of juice like drinking a yogurt drink, gulping it down in one go, not even sparing the leftover pulp inside.
"...Hmm?" It seemed to notice something, opening its sleepy eyes to look at the now-empty interior. "Something's missing? Where's the jam?"
"Shuckle!"
The Shuckle elder didn't hesitate at all, directly pointing at Li Xiang and his group who were turning to leave, and told Dragonite everything they had bought.
"Heeey..."
A knowing smile immediately appeared on Dragonite's sleepy face.
...….
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Li Xiang glanced back at Shuckle Island, realizing he wasn't the first to discover the secret of Shuckle jam. Dragonite was likely also in the know.
That made sense. Mist Island had existed for so many years; it would be strange if no one had discovered it.
The title of the Ten Sages wasn't just for show. The reason it hadn't been made public was probably also to protect the Shuckle on Shuckle Island. After all, if long-term consumption of tree fruit juice could enhance strength, Shuckle Island would become a target for everyone.
[What's wrong?] Mewtwo was curious about the contemplative Li Xiang, but unfortunately, its abilities didn't include mind reading.
Li Xiang smiled and waved his hand. "Nothing, nothing—"
"Hey~~ Over there, human kid and Pokémon, wait for me~"
A deep voice sounded.
Li Xiang recognized it as the voice of that giant Dragonite. He instinctively turned his head and saw the creature skimming across the waves, the wind pressure behind it turning into white streams of air. He had heard the claim that it could circle the Earth in sixteen hours at eighty percent speed. Seeing this Dragonite, Li Xiang basically believed that setting.
[Should I stop?] Mewtwo glanced at Dragonite, unperturbed by its massive size and terrifying momentum.
"Let's stop for a moment."
Li Xiang sighed. This was Dragonite's territory. If it wanted to talk to him, how long could he avoid it?
The human and two Pokémon floated on the lake's surface, with the giant tree stump bobbing nearby.
Dragonite caught up to them.
"Oh dear, you all run so fast."
Its face was full of laziness, as if it hadn't woken up. It looked at the tree stump. "So you already know about the jam."
Li Xiang nodded, then added, "I bought this with Pokéblocks. There was no coercion. This shouldn't violate the rules of the Wisdom City market, right?"
"Of course not. Wisdom City protects all legitimate transactions."
Dragonite smiled, which, combined with its honest-looking face, seemed quite amusing. Its tone shifted. "However, for a smart kid like you, it shouldn't be hard to understand how precious this stuff is. I hope you won't go around spreading the word. Otherwise, I'll be quite troubled."
Dragonite made a pained face.
Since Li Xiang intended to maintain a long-term cooperative relationship) with Shuckle Island, he naturally wouldn't be stubborn with Dragonite. He immediately gave his assurance that he wouldn't casually spread news about the jam.
However, to test whether that creamy jam was safe to eat, he had to tell Mo Ye. He would rely on this Elite Four member with strong connections to find a suitable testing agency.
After hearing this, Dragonite was silent for a moment before saying, "Do you really have to tell him?"
"I'm worried my Pokémon might have problems eating it."
Li Xiang shrugged. "But I can tell you for sure that Teacher Mo will keep it a secret. Look, Mist Island has been known to the outside world for decades, but no one has disturbed it."
The logic was sound. These humans from the outside world had consciously protected Mist Island. As a Dragon Sage, Dragonite naturally understood that. But it was a bit annoyed, a bit itching for a fight.
Having always maintained a neutral stance toward humans, it had always hated dealing with this kind of thing.
Besides, it really wanted to know if this Pokémon, who could bring disaster to Mist Island, was actually that strong.
Dragonite looked at Mewtwo, and an indescribable aura began to rise from its body.
[Hositlity.] Mewtwo keenly sensed the fighting desire rising in Dragonite's heart and waved its hand behind it.
Li Xiang immediately landed on the tree stump.
"Here's the deal: we'll fight. Regardless of who wins or loses, after one fight, I'll trust you."
Dragonite said this. As a Pokémon that had fought its way up since childhood and even earned its position as a Sage through combat, it could call itself a Dragon Sage on Mist Island, amidst a vast population of Kingdra, not because it could eat and sleep well. It had secured its position by punching those Kingdra into submission, one by one!
[Fine.] Mewtwo's expression didn't change as it sent Li Xiang and the tree stump to the nearest small island.
The Kingdra beside him was slightly startled, a bit inclined to go warn the others.
—"Mewtwo and a Sage of Mist Island are fighting."
That wasn't good news. But Li Xiang was right there, and its duty was to protect Li Xiang's safety. Kingdra, remembering its mission, had to abandon the idea of going to warn others and prayed in its heart that they really would just have a fight.
"Is this going to be okay?"
Li Xiang wasn't worried about Mewtwo losing, only that it might go too far and hurt this giant Dragonite too badly. That would probably cause a huge mess.
[It's fine. I know my limits.] As if knowing what he was worried about, Mewtwo's telepathic message came through.
Only then did Li Xiang breathe a sigh of relief.
In the distance, on the lake surface, ripples spread out from the two Pokémon. The wind began to blow, and clouds visibly gathered in the sky, forming dark storm clouds.
Who knew which one was responsible? Both Dragonite and Mewtwo had the power to alter the weather.
Rain began to fall. Li Xiang took out a raincoat from his bag, put it on, and looked at the two Pokémon in the distance who still hadn't moved.
Posing?
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Dragonite moved. But it wasn't an attack. It flapped its wings to create distance. Then, a two-toned Dragon's Breath surged wildly!
Instantly, it enveloped its body, making it even larger!
In that moment, the giant Dragonite transformed into a winged dragon formed of energy, its fierce aura seemingly capable of stopping the flow of air, locking onto Mewtwo with deadly intent!
Dragon Rush!
Using terrifying killing intent to intimidate the opponent, it was powerful enough to even make the opponent flinch!
There was no escape! Even from nearly a kilometer away, Li Xiang could sense that murderous aura and the hairs-standing-on-end feeling of terror. It was enough to prove the power of this Dragon Sage!
He turned his head to look at Kingdra and saw that this Elite Four's Pokémon was pressed close to him, its small wings flapping slowly in the rain, clearly ready to pull him away to escape at a moment's notice. Not necessarily because it couldn't beat the giant Dragonite, but because it was afraid of not being able to fully defend against the attack and Li Xiang getting caught in the crossfire.
In the blink of an eye, accompanied by the rumbling vibration of the air, the super-massive energy dragon roared as it dive-bombed toward Mewtwo with an unstoppable momentum!
The moment Li Xiang saw this move, he knew none of his Pokémon could withstand it, not even with a Protect shield. Just from its power, he felt it wasn't much different from the ace Pokémon of top-tier Masters or Elite Four members in the World Championships!
Thud!
Like a heavy hammer strike echoing from the depths of his heart! Dragon's Breath warped the air, transforming into an immensely massive explosive sphere, filling the center point of the collision between Dragonite and Mewtwo with flames and light.
The lake water was compressed, turning into a giant wave that spread toward the surrounding islands. The shockwave, like a tangible wall of air, uprooted small trees and sent rocks flying.
Li Xiang, hiding behind a large tree, had to close his eyes to withstand the most blinding light. But unexpectedly, he felt no worry for Mewtwo at all. Instead, he was filled with frustration at his own inability to directly observe the battle.
Human eyes were just too inferior to Pokémon eyes.
As if confirming his thoughts, the attack came quickly and faded quickly. As the light dimmed, and as the lake water rushed back in, Mewtwo, standing in place with one hand blocking the giant Dragonite's assault, was remarkably conspicuous, even though its body was utterly insignificant compared to the giant Dragonite.
[Not bad power.] Mewtwo held up a blue circular light wall with its right hand.
This was a Psychic barrier. It had learned it by observing how Metagross used it, taking about three seconds. It looked at the somewhat stunned Dragonite, its eyes glowing blue.
[My turn? Then remember to clench your teeth tightly… So it doesn't hurt.]
The next moment… the world turned upside down!