In the end,
Shiba Eighteen flew Lin Yu and Xiaoye out from Dragon Island.
Over the ocean,
now that Lin Yu wielded Dragon Master Power,
Shiba Eighteen grew fond of him just as it was close to Xiaoye.
It even offered to fly them all the way back.
But Lin Yu politely declined.
If he could, he wanted to test something —
just how fast Latias truly was now.
"Eerie~"
A clear, soft cry echoed over the waves. Lin Yu sat at the front of Latias,
with Xiaoye right behind him.
She'd used the excuse that "Dragonair hasn't evolved yet, it can't handle long flights"
to sneak onto Latias with Lin Yu.
One arm was wrapped around his waist, the other holding her soaked white canvas shoes.
The hem of her slightly damp floral dress brushed against Latias, carrying a faint coolness.
But the bright curve of her smile showed she was overjoyed.
"Wanna race for speed?"
Lin Yu challenged Ye Tian and Ye Huo, who were riding their Dragonites.
"Huh?"
"I don't know if that's fair…"
The two glanced at Latias beneath Lin Yu.
They'd heard tales of the Eon Guardian of Alto Mare,
but this Latias was only at Lord tier.
There was a clear gap in raw power.
Besides, Dragonite was famous for its flight speed and endurance.
(Note: This refers strictly to flying speed!)
"C'mon, let's just do it!"
Lin Yu wasn't worried about losing at all.
After absorbing energy from the Dragon Pool,
Latias had improved far more drastically than Charizard.
[Pokémon: Latias]
Ability: Levitate
Gender: Female
Potential: Level 3 Legendary
Level: 48 (Weakened)
Moves: Psywave, Wish, Helping Hand, Mystical Guard, Dragon Breath, Water Sport, Refresh, Psycho Shift, Dragon Pulse, Dream Swap, Heal Pulse…
Note: Guardian of Alto Mare.
Her level had jumped straight to 48!
She'd been focusing on Psychic-type energy for a while, leaving her Dragon energy lacking.
The Dragon Pool had perfectly balanced both types.
On top of that, he had [Dragon Rider], [Rhythm of the Wind], and [Blessing of the Ocean].
[Blessing of the Ocean]: Speed +15% over sea areas.
He also removed the restraining effect of the [Gravity Orb].
As for Dragon Master Power —
he wouldn't count that.
The other two had it too, after all.
But it should be more than enough.
He wanted to see Latias' true limit.
"You ready, Latias?"
Lin Yu patted her head.
Latias narrowed her eyes and nuzzled him affectionately. "Eerie~" (Yes, Lin Yu!)
"Go Latias!! I'm rooting for you~"
Xiaoye cheered from behind, all too eager to watch the race.
"Alright then…"
The two exchanged looks, planning to hold back a little if Latias fell too far behind.
They lined up evenly.
At Xiaoye's shout of "GO!",
Latias shot forward like a fired arrow, carving a long streak across the ocean surface.
She broke the sound barrier in an instant.
"Whoa, that fast?!"
Even the Dragonites beneath them were stunned.
Their trainers had told them to take it easy —
but that was impossible now.
"What are you waiting for? Use Extreme Speed, Dragonite!"
The two urged their Pokémon urgently.
The Dragonites finally kicked into high gear and chased after.
Up ahead,
"Woohoo!"
Lin Yu cheered as the ocean scenery blurred past.
Flying through the sky like this felt incredible.
The Dragonites using Extreme Speed only just caught up from behind.
In the end, Lin Yu won the race by a clear margin.
Latias was inherently built for speed, and with all the boost Entries,
she outpaced the Dragonites behind them.
Ye Tian and Ye Huo could only smile bitterly.
They'd planned to go easy, but it turned out their Dragonites had to push themselves to the limit just to keep up.
...
At the Ye Clan Residence.
After returning home, Ye Tian and Ye Huo were about to rest
when they ran straight into Lance.
They told him everything that had happened on Dragon Island.
"Are you sure you're telling the truth?"
Lance stared at them in disbelief after hearing their account.
"Yes, Uncle Du. I… even spoke out of turn to him earlier," Ye Tian said, embarrassed.
"Little sister was with us, and Lin Yu seemed to gain Dragon Master Power from the Dragon Pool," Ye Huo added.
He felt a quiet envy.
From Ye Tian, he'd learned why his cousin's attitude toward Lin Yu had flipped completely.
At such a young age,
not only was he the National High School Tournament champion — he was also an Expert-class Breeder!
It was almost unbelievable.
"Excellent, excellent, excellent!"
Lance immediately summoned his Dragonite. He already believed them about eighty percent,
but this matter was far too important to take on faith alone.
He had to verify it with his own eyes.
At the same time,
another Dragonite took to the skies from another part of the Ye estate.
On its back was Xiaoye's father.
Lance glanced over. "Let's go?"
"Let's go."
The two Dragonites streaked toward the ocean like golden flashes.
Ten minutes later…
Outside Dragon Island.
The two men hovered on their Dragonites.
Lance suddenly burst into loud laughter.
They'd argued right here not long ago over whether Lin Yu should be allowed onto Dragon Island.
Now, seeing the giant Dragonite fully restored,
Lance could only laugh.
"Hahaha! Now you can't stand in their way anymore!"
Xiaoye's father stared at Dragon Island hidden within the storm, his expression complicated.
They both knew just how powerful the giant Dragonite was.
Even some Legendary Pokémon might not match it.
And it had once belonged to an ancestor of the Ye clan —
it was one of the clan's ultimate pillars.
They'd scoured the country and even the entire world for life-infused treasures to heal it,
never imagining
a teenage boy would be the one to save it.
Worst of all, he'd doubted the boy at first.
But Lin Yu had kept exceeding his expectations.
For a moment, Xiaoye's father didn't know whether to feel joy or worry.
In the end, he sighed.
"Sigh… fine. Let the kids figure things out on their own."
"Hahaha!"
Lance laughed triumphantly at his compromise,
irritating Xiaoye's father greatly.
He ordered his Dragonite at once. "Dragonite, Ice Beam!"
A sharp Ice Beam zoomed toward Lance, who dodged easily.
It was just a playful jab.
"Hey, what was that for?!" Lance exclaimed in surprise.
"Fight me."
"Wait, clear the area first!"
By "clear the area", he meant chasing off all the Pokémon in the surrounding waters…