Chapter 294: Dragonair's Evolution
The Dragon-Type Plate began to emit a faint resonance.
Around Sakura, rich streams of Dragon Mastery energy slowly flowed into her body, thread by thread.
As time passed and the dragon energy reached saturation, Sakura opened her eyes and felt the surge of Dragon Mastery within her.
She paused for a moment—then cheered aloud,
"Yes! My Dragon Mastery just leveled up again!"
Without warning, she threw herself straight into Hikaru's arms—right in front of her father, Hayashi Dou.
The smile that had been forming at the corners of Hayashi Dou's mouth froze on the spot, and his expression instantly darkened.
"Big bro... you're amazing~ Thank you~"
The affectionate words and closeness stunned the surrounding Hayashi family juniors.
They all knew who Hikaru was—but more importantly, they knew exactly who Sakura was.
She was the most treasured daughter of the current head of the Hayashi family...
And yet here they were, so openly affectionate...
No wonder—
This place, deemed by the elders as the most important location to the family, had been opened to someone from outside the bloodline.
Looks like he's the future brother-in-law, huh?
"Ahem!"
Seeing Hayashi Dou's expression darkening further, Lance gave a deliberate cough.
He was reminding Hikaru—
Don't push your luck too far.
Especially not in front of Sakura's father.
Hikaru got the message instantly.
He gently pulled away from Sakura,
"Alright, alright. There are still a few people left."
Sakura nodded obediently,
"Okay~"
She stepped back, and although Hayashi Dou's expression eased slightly, his tone turned more serious.
"Next!"
Only two kids remained. With Hikaru's help, their Dragon Mastery also improved noticeably compared to before.
Both expressed their gratitude to him.
Once everyone was done absorbing energy,
The two current heads of the Hayashi family wasted no time.
Everyone was instructed to put on their blindfolds again and prepare to leave.
As they prepared to go, Hikaru couldn't help but glance back at the stone slab in the center.
A thought crossed his mind:
If the Hayashi family's Dragon Mastery came from the Dragon-Type Plate...
Then could the Mukami family's psychic abilities come from a Psychic-Type Plate?
No one could answer this for now.
But...
When the time came, he'd have to visit the Mukami family and find out.
For now—
The blindfold was placed back over his eyes, and he retracted his Aura.
After several turns and transitions,
When they reopened their eyes, they were back in the outskirts of Kyoto.
The parents of the children were already waiting there.
As soon as the kids got off the Dragonite, their parents swarmed them with questions about their experience.
Upon sensing the enhanced Dragon Mastery in their children, everyone was thrilled.
But that joy quickly turned into confusion.
Why was the improvement in Dragon Mastery so significant this time?
Was something unusual going on with this ritual?
"You all can head back. Those aged fifteen and above, stay behind."
With that one sentence from Hayashi Dou, no one dared ask more questions.
The younger children left with their parents.
But the four teens who met the age requirement stayed behind, brimming with excitement!
They knew—
Today was the day they'd receive their first Pokémon, and also the day they'd officially begin their journey as trainers!
Hikaru stood among them, a little awkwardly.
Until Hayashi Dou spoke,
"On Dragon Island, you may try to capture a Pokémon—or you can visit the Dragonite habitat and see if you can get a Dratini egg."
"But remember: stick to the designated paths. Don't wander."
"Got it!" (×4)
Joyful voices rang out as the parents beside them summoned Dragonite.
Each teen rode off into the sky.
While these quasi-legendary Pokémon were rare for outsiders, in the Hayashi family, they were practically standard issue.
Once they were arranged, Hayashi Dou turned to Hikaru.
"You know the way, right?"
Having been once before, Hikaru nodded.
"Then go ahead and head there yourself. Latias can take you."
With that, Hayashi Dou's stern face suddenly melted into a doting smile as he turned to Sakura.
"Sakura, come let Daddy take a look at your Dragon Mastery!"
Lance snorted under his breath.
This daughter really is his soft spot...
Sakura tilted her head. She was also curious about her current Dragon Mastery level.
After some thought, she pulled out Dragonair's Poké Ball and tapped it.
With a flash, the elegant and graceful Dragonair appeared.
It floated beside Sakura, rubbing up against her affectionately before quietly staying by her side.
"Dragonair, let's give it a try."
Sakura didn't hesitate.
She channeled the newly enhanced Dragon Mastery energy in her body and poured it into Dragonair.
Already at Level 49, Dragonair's strength surged rapidly.
In mere moments,
It surpassed the Elite stage, reaching the Master-level.
Only then did the growth begin to slow down.
But that wasn't the end.
White light began to flicker around Dragonair's body—
And then enveloped it completely.
In the middle of this power surge,
Dragonair was evolving!
Inside the light, its long, slender body compressed and restructured, shifting from vertical growth to horizontal expansion.
When the light faded—
A dragon with a pale yellow body, creamy white belly, and small winglets on its back appeared.
Dragonite.
"Wuu?"
Unlike Takashi's ferocious Dragonite, Sakura's newly evolved one had a much gentler demeanor.
It let out a soft cry and immediately hugged Sakura.
"Wuu~!" (I evolved!)
"Mhm~"
Sakura gently patted its head, equally overjoyed.
Her Dragonite was now a bona fide Master-level Pokémon.
Combined with her own Dragon Mastery boost—
It had instantly risen to Level 54!
Watching this, even Hikaru had to admit—this was insane.
As for Hayashi Dou?
He couldn't stop smiling.
"Excellent, excellent! A sixteen-year-old Master-level Trainer—probably the first in all of Huaguo!"
But then—
"Nope!"
Sakura playfully chimed in,
"Big bro reached Master-level before I did!"
"Cough..."
Hikaru scratched his head, a little embarrassed by the praise.
"Oh?"
Lance looked curiously at Hikaru.
"You've reached Master-level too?"
Hikaru nodded.
"Yes. My Latias is... a bit special."
He released Latias.
With the eyes of two Champion-level Trainers, it took only one glance to see—
This Latias was indeed Master-level.
The two men exchanged looks—
And both saw the shock in each other's eyes.
Because...
Unlike Sakura's Dragonite, which had only just evolved—
This Latias...
Had clearly been at the Master level for quite some time.
It was already in the mid-Master tier!
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