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The cold mountain wind howled through the air.
At this moment, in the northern reaches of Blackthorn City, three Charizards soared through the skies in a straight line formation above the mountains.
As the clouds parted, sunlight streamed down and illuminated the faces of the Trainers riding on their backs.
Unmistakably, this was the group that had set out from Blackthorn Gym, Kai, Lance, and Clair.
Leading the way was Lance, riding his Charizard at the front. Clair followed closely behind, while Kai and Sabrina shared his Charizard at the rear of the formation.
As expert Dragon-type Trainers, Lance and Clair's Charizard were impressively strong. The three Charizards together looked imposing, ferocious, and majestic, exuding an overwhelming presence.
Their destination: the Dragon's Den, hidden deep within this mountain range. By passing through the Den, they would reach the Dragon Tamers' sacred territory the Dragon's Sanctuary.
During the flight, Lance took the opportunity to explain the situation to Kai.
It turned out the person wielding the Dark Ball was none other than the Iron Masked Marauder, one of Team Rocket's top executives.
For reasons unknown, this infamous Pokémon hunter had set his sights on the Pokémon within the Dragon's Sanctuary. The moment Lance received the intel, he dropped everything and rushed back to Johto, joining Clair to deal with this formidable enemy.
Executive… Marauder… Pokémon hunter…
Kai thought back carefully. The name did ring a bell. He remembered Marauder appearing in the fourth Pokémon movie the main antagonist, the one who dragged Ash into a conflict that spanned over forty years!
From what Kai remembered, though Marauder held a high rank in Team Rocket and commanded significant authority, he was extremely ambitious. Unwilling to remain under Giovanni's thumb, Marauder had long plotted to usurp him and seize control of Team Rocket for himself.
You could say Marauder embodied all the worst traits of a villain: ruthless, deceitful, egocentric. He hurt others and Pokémon alike, seizing anything he desired a true scoundrel through and through.
But… wasn't Marauder supposed to be chasing Celebi right now? What was he doing here?
At that moment, Clair turned and glanced at Kai. Seeing that he'd kept pace the entire flight without falling behind, she nodded with approval.
"Not bad. You actually kept up with us. Looks like you raised your Charizard really well."
Kai replied without a hint of modesty, "Training is only part of it. My Pokémon talent isn't too shabby either."
"Can I ask you a question?" Kai asked with a hint of nervousness.
"Yeah! Ask anything" Clair said with confidence.
"Do you guys consider Gyarados & Charizard Dragon Type Pokemon?" Kai asked with confusion, as Lance had previously referred him as a dragon-type trainer.
"Yeah! It's natural to consider them dragons as they have characteristics & Strength of dragon-type Pokemon; only idiots will not consider them dragons," Clair Said with a hint of pride in her voice.
"Ohh.."
From their brief interaction, Kai found that Clair was rather direct and confident. Though bold in speech and action, she had an approachable side to her as well.
After another ten or so minutes of flight, they finally descended beside a lake.
Although not large, the lake had a rapid current. Kai looked toward its source there, on the side of the mountain, was a pitch-black water cave from which the gushing stream originated.
From afar, the rock around the cave mouth looked like a gaping maw, with two fang-like stones on both the upper and lower edges, giving it an eerily ominous appearance.
As Charizard folded its wings, Kai leapt down.
The moment they landed, a short elderly man with silver hair suddenly emerged from behind a rock, rushing up to meet them.
"Miss Clair! Master Lance! You're finally here!"
Lance skipped pleasantries and went straight to the point. "Cab, what's the situation? Where's Marauder?"
The old man Cab, clearly having waited a long time wiped the sweat from his brow. "I've been tracking him. I saw him enter the Dragon's Den with my own eyes!"
"He's already inside?!"
"Damn it!" Clair turned to face the cave, clenching her fist. "How did he move so fast? And how did he even find the entrance to the Den?!"
Noticing Cab eyeing Kai and Sabrina, Clair gave a quick introduction.
"This is Cab, our clan's steward. He's served the Dragon Tamers for decades and also works as the referee at Blackthorn Gym. Cab, these two are our reinforcements this is Kai, Champion of the Indigo League, and this is Sabrina, Gym Leader of Saffron City."
Cab quickly offered his greetings.
From Kai's estimate, Cab had to be well into his seventies. Yet he was impeccably dressed, his face surprisingly smooth and full of vitality. His sharp, bright eyes exuded sharp awareness.
"So you're Mr. Kai!" Cab exclaimed with delight. "I've heard of your name and accomplishments! With your help, we'll surely have a better chance of catching that Pokémon hunter!"
Just then, Lance recalled his Charizard and took out another Poké Ball, cutting the conversation short.
"Alright, no time to waste. We're going into the Dragon's Den. We must stop Marauder before he reaches the Sanctuary and enslaves the Pokémon there!"
He turned to Kai. "From here on, it's a water route. The currents are tricky stay sharp."
"Understood."
Lance and Clair each sent out their Gyarados, then leapt onto their backs with practised ease.
As expected of Dragon Tamers, both their Charizard and Gyarados reflected their powerful, specialized team builds.
Speaking of overlap…
As they looked over, Kai opened a Poké Ball and released his own Gyarados.
Splash!
The massive sea serpent plunged into the water, sending waves crashing in every direction.
It let out a deafening roar, then fixed its fierce eyes on the two other Gyarados. Even though they were the same species, Lance and Clair's Gyarados instinctively retreated a step, cowed by the sheer pressure radiating from Kai's partner.
It was clear who the dominant one was.
"It's shiny?"
Noticing something unusual, Clair gave Kai a curious glance. "When Lance said you also trained Dragon-types, I didn't think much of it. But I didn't expect you to have both a Charizard and a Gyarados. If someone didn't know the full story, they'd assume you were from our clan too."
Kai chuckled and shrugged. "Can't help it. I've always loved Charizard and Gyarados. No way I'd pass them up."
That response seemed to win Clair's favour. She nodded with approval but then shifted her gaze to Kai's Gyarados its body covered in scars.
Wounds large and small ran all across its scales.
They say scars are marks of glory Clair didn't need to ask to know this Gyarados had been through countless fierce battles, forging its current brutal nature.
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