svetikya Page 422
Page 422
Some things are far more valuable than business contracts.
Just like the enlightenment flowing on Garchomp's fin blade at this moment, it is a breakthrough opportunity that cannot be obtained even with the entire Sinnoh business district.
Li Chen simply stood quietly at the other end of the ruins, and Dragonite tacitly withdrew its oppressive aura.
In the world of trainers, some gifts don't need words at all.
Garchomp's feet slammed into the frozen ground, and it charged forward with its last bit of strength.
Its blood-stained fin blades slashed through the sky, and dragon energy condensed into a tangible blue light at the tip of the blades, tearing out ear-piercing sonic booms with every inch of its advance.
Dragonite lowered its waist and stood on its hind legs, its claws crossed in front of its chest.
When Garchomp's slash came, it neither dodged nor evaded. Its right claw gripped the opponent's wrist like an iron clamp, while its left fist slammed upwards towards the opponent's jaw!
"boom!"
The solid, heavy impact of flesh echoed through the ruins.
Garchomp's head snapped back, but it withstood the impact, and its left fin swept across the Dragonite's waist and abdomen.
Dragonite groaned in pain, its tail instinctively whipping out and colliding with the steel-hard fin blades with a dull thud that made your teeth ache.
The two dragons engaged in a primal battle at extremely close range.
Garchomp headbutted Dragonite on the nose, and Dragonite retaliated with three hooks to the opponent's ribs.
They tear and bite with their claws and teeth, scales and flesh flying everywhere, each collision of limbs creating a visible shockwave.
When Dragonite finally delivered a judo throw, slamming Garchomp into the frozen ground, both Pokémon were already badly injured.
Garchomp lay panting heavily in the cracked ice pit, while Dragonite's hands, supporting its knees, trembled slightly.
The crimson energy around Garchomp receded like a tide, and the light of its Mega Evolution gradually faded.
Its heavy body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of ice crystals and dust. Its ever-sharp eyes finally closed slowly, and the rise and fall of its chest became weak and steady.
Li Chen's system panel automatically unfolded, displaying the latest data on a pale blue screen:
Garchomp
[Level: 90 (Peak Champion Level → Breakthrough Critical Point · Early Master Level)]
[Status: Exhausted and unconscious (Potential being activated)]
[Note: Through intense battles, I have reached the threshold of Master level.]
Zhu Lan quickly stepped forward and knelt beside her partner, her fingertips gently tracing its newly formed wounds.
The edges of those wounds faintly glowed with a deep blue aura similar to that of Dragonite—this was proof that they had reached a higher realm.
She looked up at Li Chen, her golden eyes swirling with complex emotions, which finally culminated in a barely audible "...Thank you."
"Don't thank me, show me something tangible."
A faint smile played on Li Chen's lips: "It seems this 2%..."
He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, his gaze sweeping over the wounds on the unconscious Garchomp's body, which shimmered with a deep blue aura.
Those marks are not wounds, but signposts on the road to mastery.
Cynthia recalled Garchomp into its Poké Ball, her fingertips tracing the newly formed energy patterns on its surface, her eyes filled with genuine emotion: "The Sinnoh League will provide full support."
"Pleasant to work with."
Chapter 627 Meteorite?
Cynthia gently pressed the Garchomp's Poké Ball to her forehead, then suddenly looked up and said, "Speaking of which, the trainer who has made contracts with so many legendary Pokémon, you must be the one they're talking about, right?"
"Hmm? Why is Miss Zhulan suddenly asking about this? If I remember correctly, Mr. Dandi should have mentioned it."
Li Chen's gaze swept across the darkening horizon in the distance, where the faint trail of rainbow-colored flames could be seen.
He twirled the seemingly ordinary silver ring on his ring finger, the inside of the ring face flashing with the faint light of a crimson jewel: "However, I do have some connections with certain legendary Pokémon."
"Wuhu~"
Dragonite suddenly tilted its head back and spewed out a small cloud of fire, in which the intertwined phantoms of Groudon and Kyogre were reflected.
Li Chen involuntarily released his super-resistance power.
Zhu Lan's champion shawl fluttered without wind, and she finally understood why this man dared to face the crisis of world integration alone.
He himself is a walking legend.
Connections between continents have always been weak, and messages are transmitted slowly.
Although Cynthia is the Sinnoh champion, she has only vaguely heard about the recent turmoil in other regions.
Only Dan Di mentioned Li Chen to her once.
But what shocked her even more was...
Li Chen is a man of great hidden strength; his power far exceeds expectations.
Most incredibly, he seems to have countless connections with many legendary beings...
"Mr. Li Chen..."
Cynthia tapped the Poké Ball lightly with her fingertips, her eyes narrowed slightly, and a faint smile played on her lips.
The sunlight reflected off her profile, making her probing gaze appear even sharper.
"This question may be a bit presumptuous, but..."
She leaned slightly forward, her voice as soft as bamboo leaves brushing past in a courtyard, "Just how many legends... are you connected to?"
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
This usually composed champion showed a rare hint of interest at this moment.
The story of the man before her was probably far more profound than she had imagined.
Li Chen gently stroked the edge of the Poké Ball with his fingertips, a playful smile curving his lips.
"Guess it?"
His voice carried a hint of languor, but his gaze passed over the bamboo orchid and looked towards the falling snowflakes outside the window, as if a secret unknown to anyone was hidden there.
Kamishiro brought over two cups of tea, the steam rising between them, blurring the fleeting golden light in his eyes.
Zhu Lan unconsciously tapped the wall of the battle pyramid with her fingertips, her pupils slightly contracting.
The power of overcoming obstacles.
This idea lingered in her mind.
She had witnessed traces of this power firsthand; those ancient murals always depicted prophets conversing with legendary Pokémon.
The aroma of tea lingered on her lips and teeth, yet it couldn't dispel the questions in her heart. The Twin Dragons of Time and Space? The Lord of Reversal? Or something even more ancient...?
The snow suddenly started falling heavily, and a snowflake stuck to the glass, like an unsolved mystery.
Zhu Lan gently exhaled a breath of white air, her fingertips tracing an invisible path along the rim of the teacup.
"Since they possess the power to overcome all obstacles..."
When she looked up, a cool, snow-like gleam shone in her eyes. "It should at least be related to creation myths, right?"
A subtle ripple suddenly appeared on Li Chen's teacup.
Suddenly, the cedar trees rustled, and a few flakes of snow fell softly.
Zhu Lan's hair swayed in the wind, as if an invisible force was passing between them.
"This answer..."
Li Chen chuckled: "I'm afraid this will change your understanding of the word 'legend'."
Cynthia's Poké Ball vibrated gently at her waist, and Garchomp's low growl came through the ball.
It was a vibrato she had never heard before, one that filled her with awe.
Cynthia lowered her eyes and stared at the Poké Ball in her palm.
Even while unconscious, Garchomp trembled slightly, a reaction she had never seen before.
As her partner of many years, she knew better than anyone how fearless this proud dragon was.
"It can instill instinctive fear in Garchomp..."
Zhu Lan raised her eyes and looked directly at Li Chen. "I'm really curious, just how many legendary beings have you made contracts with?"
Dragonite suddenly scratched several marks on the ground with its claws: first, Latias's flight path, then Groudon's lava patterns, and finally Palkia's spatial rift.
It stopped halfway through drawing and turned to look at the trainer with a questioning gaze.
Li Chen simply shook his head slightly, but the Poké Balls at his waist began to glow faintly one after another.
Crimson and indigo halos intertwined in the twilight, with faint shadows of blue tail flames and black lightning streaking by.
Zhu Lan's pupils contracted. She sensed that it was not an ordinary energy resonance, but a deeper connection, almost at the level of rules.
The energy field surrounding Li Chen caused Zhu Lan to unconsciously take a half step back.
That wasn't the pressure from a single legendary Pokémon, but a chaotic vortex woven from dozens of supreme rules.
Crimson lava patterns and indigo tidal markings flashed alternately on the back of his hand, while iridescent dragon flames swirled in his hair, and occasionally nebula-like spatial rifts swept across his eyes.
These forces, which should have been mutually exclusive, have now strangely reached a balance, as if forcibly unified by some higher entity.
Dragonite suddenly blocked Cynthia's view with its wings, and a rare warning appeared in its usually good-natured eyes.
Because it has known for a long time that these appearances are just the tip of the iceberg, having followed its trainer for so long.
Back then, I wasn't Li Chen's Pokémon.
But it knew that Li Chen was very strong.
Zhu Lan gently pressed her temples, letting out a helpless chuckle: "Now I finally understand why someone as proud and arrogant as Cattleya would..."
She slowly stood up, and the ice shards on her champion's cape fell down with her movements.
Her gaze drifted towards the darkening sky, and Zhu Lan's voice carried the inquisitiveness characteristic of a scholar: "But more than that, I'm interested in..."
"Your encounters with those legendary Pokémon."
After saying that, Zhu Lan turned to look directly at Li Chen, "If possible, I would like to hear about your experiences."
Li Chen looked at the marks that Dragonite had just drawn on the snow and smiled slightly: "You're welcome to exchange ideas anytime."
His voice was calm, but Cynthia keenly noticed that as he spoke, several special Poké Balls at his waist simultaneously emitted a faint glow.
The energy fluctuations contained within those rays of light are something that ordinary Pokémon cannot handle...
Zhu Lan has left.
The Gods walked through the snow, their metal shells gleaming with a bronze luster in the setting sun.
His calloused hands rested on the Poké Ball at his waist, his eyes filled with complex emotions:
"Even Cyndaquil's Garchomp failed. The last time I saw a battle like this was a long time ago."
He suddenly pulled a bottle of fine vintage wine from the inside pocket of his adventure suit; the amber liquid swirled within the glass. "Want to chat over a drink? About those two divine pillars..."
The searchlights on the pyramid suddenly turned on, casting the shadows of the two people onto the snow.
Dragonite curiously approached the bottle, sniffed it, and sneezed, releasing a few sparks.
However, Shindai's gaze remained fixed on the Poké Ball containing Regigigas at Li Chen's waist.
Li Chen's gaze swept over the Poké Ball in Shindai's hand, and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "I appreciate the kindness."
His fingertips brushed across his waist, causing several specially made Poké Balls to tremble slightly, emitting a chilling aura: "Ordinary legends no longer interest me, but what can interest me now..."
Suddenly, an unnatural aurora appeared on Tianguan Mountain in the distance, and the faint shadow of a golden wheel flashed through the clouds.
Dragonite looked up alertly, spitting out two red sparks from its nostrils.
"At the very least, they have to be someone who can shake the rules."
The bottle of sake in the world of the gods trembled slightly in his palm. He suddenly realized that the young man in front of him was not talking about subjugation, but about some kind of higher-level "contract".
The setting sun's afterglow, reflected by the metal shell of the battle pyramid, cast dappled light between the two, and silence spread as if it were a tangible reality.
Kamishiro rubbed the bottle in his hand, his rough fingertips feeling the cool touch of the glass.