Chapter Fifty-Five: The Radiance of Doom, the Blade of Fury Emerges!

After the lively banquet, Su Yi took out his spare sleeping bag and, together with Dewgrass, slept on the open ground of the tribe’s square.

At dawn the next day, Dewgrass happily ran up to Su Yi, who was preparing food for the Pokémon, and declared with pride, “Su Yi! I’ve learned to play the Plateau Performers’ instrument!”

“That fast?” Su Yi exclaimed in surprise. In the game, it was understandable for a Palico to learn immediately—just a game mechanic. But could it really happen so quickly in reality?

I remember it took me quite some time to learn how to whistle back then. Perhaps you can’t judge a human and a cat by the same standard?

Dewgrass let out a meow, pulled out the round horn shaped like a conch, and began to play. At first, the sound was a bit chaotic, but soon, a sonorous and ancient melody resonated, filling the air. Instantly, Su Yi felt a surge of energy; the remnants of sleepiness vanished, replaced by vigor and alertness. His body felt recharged and brimming with strength.

“Grrulu!”

“Chee!”

Both the Burning Bug and the Bear Cub perked up at the music, letting out spirited cries as faint musical notes shimmered in the air around them.

“Wait, is this… a move?” Noticing the unusual effects, Su Yi quickly opened the “Hunting Guide” to check Dewgrass’s move list. Sure enough, there was a new entry.

[Inspiring Performance: By playing different tunes, grants various effects to self and allies. ① Offensive Melody: Raises critical hit rate and physical or special attack by one stage (depending on the recipient’s specialty). ② Defensive Melody: Raises defense or special defense by two stages (depending on the recipient’s specialty). ③ Healing Melody: Restores a certain amount of health. ④ Purifying Melody: Removes abnormal statuses and grants temporary immunity to them.]

“What a powerful support move!” Su Yi couldn’t help but marvel.

The key point was that this move could be used on both Dewgrass and allies simultaneously. The only downside was that it required playing music, meaning the move took time to cast and could be interrupted.

In the fast-paced world of Pokémon battles, Dewgrass might not get much chance to pull this off, but during hunts it would be perfect. The cat could play background music from behind, buffing the support beasts, who would then charge in with renewed power—just the way it should be.

“How was it, Su Yi?” Dewgrass asked expectantly.

“Not bad! Sounded great! But as good as the tune is, we’d better switch to a hunter’s song,” Su Yi nodded, then patiently began teaching Dewgrass the “Proof of a Hero.”

……

Mornings on the Coral Plateau came with gentle breezes carrying pink snowflakes.

Leaving the Plateau Performers’ secluded paradise, Shanhu volunteered to lead Su Yi and Dewgrass to the Hypnotic Bird’s nest.

“I know its nest like the back of my paw!” Shanhu said confidently, patting her chest as she rode atop her cat-lizard mount.

Su Yi and Dewgrass, meanwhile, rode on the back of their Kulu bird, following Shanhu through the ocean of coral on the plateau. Seeing how familiar Shanhu was with the route, Su Yi began to suspect that the Performers had long been planning to deal with the Hypnotic Bird.

Buzz!

Before they reached the area where they last encountered the bird, the guiding insects floated ahead and settled on a scratch mark.

“Hold on!” Su Yi dismounted and moved closer. The scratch was long, showing no fewer than six claw marks.

“This one is a bit odd,” Su Yi frowned, sensing that something was off.

A little farther ahead, several footprints dyed a vivid green by the guiding insects became visible. The prints had four clawed toes, with round impressions from the paw pads and digits.

“Aren’t these the paw marks of the Dreadclaw Wyvern?” Su Yi muttered in surprise.

“Has another Dreadclaw Wyvern come to the Coral Plateau?”

Waa! Waa!

From above, piercing cries of the Hypnotic Bird echoed down.

“Let’s go!” Su Yi mounted the Kulu bird and rushed toward the sound, the guiding insects now darting ahead as if they’d found their target.

“Got you now, little Hypnotic Bird.” Su Yi urged his mount up the vines and across the coral cliffs, finally reaching a vast, open platform.

But the sight before him put Su Yi instantly on guard. The Hypnotic Bird was covered in grievous wounds, crying out in terror as it frantically scanned its surroundings, clearly fearing something dreadful.

“Something’s wrong, there’s a powerful monster nearby! Shanhu! Aibo! Be careful!” Su Yi warned in a low voice, rapidly scanning the area.

Tap!

Blood-red talons latched onto the cliff’s edge. The Hypnotic Bird looked up in terror, and following its gaze, Su Yi saw a high platform above.

There, a jet-black demon glared down with crimson eyes, black smoke curling from its maw, while dark red dragon energy crackled like lightning within the haze.

“It’s not a Dreadclaw Wyvern—it’s its subspecies, the Savageclaw Wyvern!” Su Yi tensed immediately. Even the Kulu bird beneath him shrank back in fear at the sight of such a monstrous beast.

“T-that’s the one!” Shanhu stammered.

A chilling, thunderous roar erupted from the Savageclaw Wyvern as dragon energy billowed from its mouth, making it seem like a hellish specter risen from the abyss.

Then, it leapt from its perch. The Hypnotic Bird turned to flee toward the edge, but the Savageclaw Wyvern exploded into motion like a panther, overtaking its prey in a flash. With a savage pounce, it pinned the bird down and sank its fangs into its neck—Su Yi could hear the snap of bone.

The poor Hypnotic Bird’s neck twisted at an unnatural angle. Shock and terror glazed its eyes as the light faded from them.

“There goes my mobile flashbang,” Su Yi lamented inwardly.

With a flick, the Savageclaw Wyvern hurled the Hypnotic Bird’s corpse off the plateau like discarding trash, as if it had finally dealt with an annoying insect.

The body tumbled into the miasma below, destined to become food for the creatures of the Veiled Valley.

“How ruthless. Not even leaving materials for me,” Su Yi muttered grimly.

Rumble…

Only then did the Savageclaw Wyvern turn to them, growling low as its crimson gaze fixed on Su Yi with predatory intensity.

With a metallic click, its blood-red talons fully extended, forming ten hooked claws. Its silver-black hide was flecked with crimson; its tail, studded with amethyst-like gems, radiated menace.

“Well, well, looks like I’ve caught this monster’s eye,” Su Yi thought tensely, hurriedly loading his launcher.

Just as he was searching for an escape route, the capture ball at his waist burst open. The Dreadclaw Wyvern roared forth, landing on the platform.

In that instant, the Savageclaw Wyvern’s predatory expression shifted. Its body crackled with dragon energy as it let out a bloodcurdling roar, red eyes blazing with murderous intent at its kin.

The Dreadclaw Wyvern immediately went berserk—scales and muscles along its neck and back glowed molten red, steam billowing from its jaws.

No sooner had they met than original and subspecies were locked in a battle to the death.

“Dreadclaw Wyvern, is this one your sworn enemy?” Su Yi wondered. Or were the Dreadclaw and Savageclaw simply born rivals?