Chapter 69: The Fallen Alpha
Winter passed, and spring arrived.
Will had no idea how long he had been away from the capital. Judging by his current level, it didn't seem like it had been that long. He felt like he was living the life of a wild man, his days a monotonous cycle of battle, eating, and sleeping. There was nothing else. He had even forgotten the passage of time.
[Dragonair]
Potential: Purple
Level: 41
Type: Dragon
Ability: Shed Skin
Height: 10m
Weight: 55kg
Held Item: Mystic Water
Moves: Focus Energy (Inherited), Wrap, Leer, Twister, Thunder Wave, Dragon Tail, Agility, Slam, Icy Wind, Aqua Tail, Thunderbolt, Take Down, Water Pulse, Thunder, Brine, Dragon Rush
"Leveling up is getting harder and harder..."
Will sighed in his cave, his eyes a little unfocused. He had once deliberately tried to count the days. After seven consecutive days without a single level up, he had given up. Now, he just fought in a daze, day after day.
His height and weight had increased a little, with the latter increasing more significantly. Although a ten-meter-long body weighing only 55 kilograms might sound absurd, a Dragonair's body structure was unique, so its appearance was not strange. In fact, according to the proportions in the Pokédex, Will was now a little fatty among Dragonair. If he were to evolve into a Dragonite, he would probably be a bit chubbier than the average one.
"If this goes on, I might really start to lose my human side. I need to change my lifestyle a bit."
Will shook his head vigorously. It had been too long since he had leveled up, and his status screen hadn't changed. As a result, he no longer felt any sense of accomplishment from his victories. Without that positive feedback, his motivation was declining, and his life was starting to feel mechanical. He had to change his current situation.
Will flew out of the cave, deciding to take a look around the area. He hoped to find something that would make his life a little different.
Swoosh.
The moment he poked his head out of the cave, a purple figure shot towards him. It was an Arbok. Will glanced at it, casually halting his advance to dodge its Wrap, then fired off a Thunderbolt, one-shotting the reckless snake.
The middle ring was far more dangerous than the outer ring. Dangers lurked everywhere. In the surrounding forest, you never knew which bush might be hiding a Pokémon, waiting to launch a sneak attack. Over time, Will had gradually developed a kind of danger sense. It was an instinct that didn't appear on his status screen. When danger approached, the scales on his body would spontaneously stand on end to warn him.
He glanced at the Arbok on the ground, black smoke rising from its body, then turned and flew away. Fainting in the middle ring was a very dangerous thing. If this Arbok was lucky, it might live. If not, it would probably be eaten by a passing Pokémon.
Floating through the massive, lush forest, Will would occasionally look around. He had indeed explored the surrounding area before, but he later found it was useless. The Alpha leader of a nearby territory would change every three to five days. One day it might be a Pinsir, the next it could be an Ursaring. So, he had stopped trying to keep track. He didn't even know whose territory he was in right now.
"SCY-THER!!!"
Suddenly, a piercing cry came from not far away. Will paused, then immediately changed direction and headed towards the sound. He was out looking for some fun today; it would be a shame not to check out such a commotion.
As he got closer, he began to hear the sounds of fighting. He slowed down, moved silently, and carefully approached through the interconnected canopy of the trees. The scene gradually came into view.
It was a swarm of Scyther. About twenty or thirty of them had formed a circle, enclosing two exceptionally large Scyther in the center. The surrounding trees were either chopped in half, leaving only short stumps, or their trunks were covered in countless slash marks.
"A battle for leadership," Will thought, immediately understanding the situation.
Adding his two lives together, he had spent nearly half a year in the wild. He was now quite knowledgeable about the ways of wild Pokémon; some Pokémon Professors from the Era of Leagues might not even know as much as he did.
A Scyther's Pokédex height is 1.5 meters. In this era, they should be between 2.25 and 3 meters. But the two fighting Scyther were both of an exaggerated size.
One was the old leader, who seemed a bit aged. Probably because of its "Alpha" status, it was very large, standing a full 4 meters tall. The other was a challenger in its prime, standing 3 meters tall. If it won this battle and obtained the "Alpha" designation, its height would surpass that of the old leader.
"The new generation replaces the old," Will thought. He only needed a glance to know the outcome of this battle was already decided.
The old leader's eye had been slashed and looked to be permanently blind. Although its level was slightly higher than the challenger's, and its ability seemed to be the excellent Technician, its reaction time couldn't keep up with the younger Scyther.
It's probably because it hasn't fought in a long time, Will thought. He didn't think it was an issue of age. The old leader only seemed "old" in comparison to the challenger; in reality, it only showed slight signs of aging. In human terms, it might have a few wrinkles or thinning hair, maybe around forty or fifty years old. A Pokémon's nervous system was very active and didn't decline significantly every few years like a human's. Their reaction time would only start to drop sharply in the last ten or twenty years of their lifespan. This old Scyther's slow reactions were likely due to having not fought for a long time, which had dulled its combat skills and instincts.
"Scyther."
The outcome was as he expected. The old Scyther was defeated, and it had permanently lost an eye. Under the gaze of all the other Scyther, it had to leave the swarm in disgrace. This was the rule of wild Pokémon swarms; the new leader would not allow the old one to remain. The fact that the new Scyther didn't hunt it down and finish it off was already a sign of mercy. If it had been humans, the old leader would absolutely not have been able to walk off this battlefield today.
"This area must be ruled by the Scyther clan," Will noted, glancing in the direction the old Scyther had left before turning his gaze to the new leader.
Under the watch of all the other Scyther, its height began to climb, finally stopping at a staggering 4.2 meters. Judging by the power fluctuations during the battle, Will estimated the new leader's level to be around 45. Among the many leaders in the middle ring, this was a mid-to-low tier level. But since this area was still on the very edge of the middle ring, this level was enough for it to rule uncontested here.
"I should go find that one," Will decided after watching for a moment longer. He quietly slipped away, following the direction the old, defeated Scyther had taken.
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