Chapter Seventy-Six: A Chance Encounter Amidst the Miasma—Was This a Mistake?

When Su Yi rode his Wretched Claw Dragon back to the lower-mid level, the miasma around him had grown thick and oppressive.

"Cough, cough, cough! This is just like a biohazard outbreak!" Su Yi coughed a few times in the poisonous mist, immediately feeling his body grow weary and powerless, a haze settling over his mind.

"I need to hurry back to the camp!" Su Yi understood that these symptoms would eventually be fatal.

The appearance of the Corpse Shroud Dragon had rendered the already eerie Valley of Miasma utterly silent. Every now and then, the faint rustling noises made one's skin crawl, as if the scene had shifted from Monster Hunter to a survival horror.

"How about you play some cheerful music, Rotom?" Su Yi suggested.

"Uh... that might not be a good idea, Rotom. What if it attracts something lurking in the miasma, Rotom?" The Rotom Phone poked out a small segment from the side pouch of his backpack, whispering nervously.

"You're a Ghost-type Pokémon, aren’t you? Are you really that scared?" Su Yi asked, surprised.

"Do you have some misunderstanding about Ghost-types? Sure, we like to scare people, but being scared ourselves isn't mutually exclusive." Rotom retorted, annoyed.

"There's nothing for it, then. Burn Bug, I'll need your help now." Su Yi carefully released the Burn Bug into his arms.

"Chirp?! Ooloo!" At first, Burn Bug was delighted to be summoned, but upon seeing the yellowish miasma and the grim skeletons scattered across the ground, it was startled and burrowed desperately into Su Yi's embrace.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..." Su Yi patted Burn Bug’s back, soothing it like a child.

After finally calming Burn Bug, Su Yi held it close and spoke to the miasma outside, "Use Spark."

With a bang, scattered sparks carved a gap through the miasma, and with the five red antennae around Burn Bug’s neck igniting like tiny candles, the miasma around Su Yi dispersed significantly, and its corrosive effects vanished instantly.

"Thank you, Burn Bug!" Su Yi exclaimed with admiration. From a hand-warmer to an egg incubator, and now a miasma-clearing talisman, Burn Bug was small but had played many roles, helping him time and again.

"Ooloo~" Burn Bug snuggled contentedly in Su Yi's arms, wriggling with delight.

Hiss, hiss, hiss...

Low, fragmented growls echoed from the miasma.

"Wretched Claw Dragon!" Su Yi’s mount snarled, muscles taut, its six claws unfolded into ten blades of misery. In the yellow mist, one after another, Fierce Jaw Dragons emerged, enshrouded in fog, their pupils gray and dull, groaning hoarsely like zombies.

"Finish them off!" Su Yi commanded.

The Wretched Claw Dragon rushed forward with a low snarl, its claws sweeping fiercely, swatting aside the Fierce Jaw Dragons that had been deeply corrupted by the miasma.

"There’s a lot of them! Great Fierce Jaw Dragon, come out and take charge!" Seeing the endless wave of Fierce Jaw Dragons, Su Yi immediately thought to release their leader to command them.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss!" The Great Fierce Jaw Dragon was wary of some presence within the miasma, but its newly awakened intelligence resisted the dominating pressure. It vibrated its gill-like organs on either side, sending out commanding signals to the other Fierce Jaw Dragons.

Those corrupted by the miasma initially wanted to retreat, but another force compelled them to attack any living creature before them. Now, they crawled about restlessly, unwilling to advance yet hesitant to withdraw.

"The Corpse Shroud Dragon uses the miasma to exert some control over the Fierce Jaw Dragons, but that control isn’t absolute—it must be nearby to do so!" Su Yi’s nerves tensed as he warily observed his surroundings.

Just then...

Oooo—howl!

From the depths of the miasma came a mournful wail that chilled the soul, followed by a terrifying, savage roar. The sounds of fierce battle echoed from far within the fog.

Crackle! Crackle!

Pinpricks of red light flickered in the yellow haze.

"The Corpse Shroud Dragon is fighting something!" Su Yi exclaimed in surprise.

A vaguely familiar howl pierced through the miasma.

Oooo—howl!

Suddenly, the yellow mist surged toward a central point, its powerful pull whipping up a howling wind.

"Ugh!" Su Yi hugged Burn Bug tight, ducking his head to withstand the swirling miasma.

"Su Yi, meow!" The Leafeon, who had been recalled into its Poké Ball from the start, suddenly burst out.

"Why didn’t I return, meow?! What’s going on, meow?" Leafeon had thought that once Su Yi recalled it, it would immediately return to the Pokémon world.

"Aibo, looks like we’re lucky—we get to witness another Elder Dragon." Su Yi laughed bitterly in the midst of danger.

"Meow?!" Leafeon clung to Su Yi’s back, peering ahead.

Before them stood a classic Elder Dragon, four-legged and winged, its entire body shrouded in rotting flesh. The Dragon of the Underworld faced away from them, its corpse-laden wings spread like the curtains of death. Miasma gathered around its body, wrapping it in a grayish-white armor of poisonous fog.

"The Corpse Shroud Dragon, ruler of the Underworld!" Su Yi muttered under his breath.

Oooo—howl!

The Corpse Shroud Dragon roared, sending waves of miasma surging around it. In front of it, a jet-black figure darted through the fog like a leopard, leaping high to launch a ferocious attack. Its gaping maw, wreathed in crimson dragon energy, snapped fiercely at the Corpse Shroud Dragon.

"Feral Claw Dragon?!" Su Yi cried out in astonishment.

"Snort!" The Wretched Claw Dragon exhaled sharply, baring its teeth and growling low.

Oooo—howl!

The Feral Claw Dragon swiftly vaulted onto the back of the Corpse Shroud Dragon, using its blood-red claws to tear viciously at the corpse armor.

In an instant, dark red flesh flew everywhere, a scene both bloody and tragic—though it was merely the armor of the Corpse Shroud Dragon.

The Corpse Shroud Dragon howled fiercely, miasma wrapping around the Feral Claw Dragon. The thick fog began to gnaw at its vitality, and then the Corpse Shroud Dragon abruptly reared up, shaking its attacker loose. Another assault of miasma forced the Feral Claw Dragon to release its grip and tumble off the dragon’s back.

The Corpse Shroud Dragon turned, its twisted claws slashing viciously at the Feral Claw Dragon, driving it aside.

Oooo—howl!

The Feral Claw Dragon quickly rolled upright, undaunted, snarling and flexing its claws, ready for another attack.

"Are all dragons of the Wretched Claw line this brave?" Su Yi stared in disbelief.

Oooo—howl?!

The Feral Claw Dragon sniffed the air, suddenly turning its head to look at the Wretched Claw Dragon. It roared, shifting its target.

"???" Su Yi was stunned, then noticed the terrible wounds covering the Feral Claw Dragon, as well as the hatred in its gaze toward him and the Wretched Claw Dragon.

"You’re the one that fell from the Coral Plateau into the Valley of Miasma?! You survived?!" Su Yi exclaimed in shock.

"Was it the tall rock pillars above the Valley of Miasma that saved you?"

Su Yi could only surmise that the Feral Claw Dragon hadn’t fallen straight to the valley floor, but landed first on a pillar close to the Coral Plateau. The impact was softened, landing on the high platforms among the pillars, and then it descended in search of food to the lower reaches of the Valley of Miasma.