After Su Feng left, Garchomp frowned as he looked at his son Gabite who seemed to have lost his soul. In his memory, his son had always been rebellious and arrogant. Nothing had ever made Gabite look so defeated before. Was losing one battle really such a big deal?
"Roar? (Son, what's wrong?)" Garchomp poked Gabite's belly.
"Groan... (It's nothing, dad. Battling just feels... meaningless suddenly...)" Gabite responded weakly, only his mouth moving.
"Roar? (What exactly happened?)" Garchomp's brow furrowed deeper. He'd been too far away on the high platform to hear the conversation between that human and his son.
Had that human poisoned his son's mind? If so, he'd make that human pay!
Before Dragonite could take the three humans too far, Garchomp urgently pressed Gabite for details. Gabite truthfully recounted everything.
"...Groan. (That's basically it. That Blaziken is only eight years old. Eight!)"
"Roar!? (If this human's so amazing, why didn't you go with him!?)" Garchomp exclaimed in shock. If this human could raise a Blaziken to such levels in under a year, how could they let him leave so easily? Frankly, after hearing this description, if he wasn't bound by duty to lead their Garchomp clan, even he would want to follow this human!
"Groan. (But dad, I was waiting to evolve into Garchomp to help manage the clan and inherit your position.)"
Without hesitation, Garchomp kicked Gabite's butt with his foot. "Roar! (I'm still young! No need for inheritance!)"
"Roar! (Go find that human right now! Don't come back until you're stronger than me!)" Garchomp roared, delivering another kick.
Rubbing his sore butt, Gabite noticed the faint blood on his father's foot: "Groan? (Dad... does your foot hurt?)" His Rough Skin trait came from his mother. He remembered his father had Sand Veil.
Garchomp: "..."
As Garchomp raised his foot threateningly, Gabite scrambled homeward while clutching his sore rear. Before following Su Feng, he needed to properly bid farewell to his family. Who knew when he'd return after this journey...
"Is this Dragon Clan Canyon really this far?" Su Feng complained after nearly fifty minutes of walking, still not seeing the secret realm's exit.
Dragonite scratched his head: "Drah. (It is quite distant, but we're almost there.)"
"Alright." Su Feng shook his head. He could handle the walk, but Xiaodie who'd never traveled this far was clearly exhausted. "If only Growlithe had evolved into Arcanine already," he mused.
"Speaking of which, how do forest dwellers find this exit when they want to leave?" Su Feng suddenly asked.
"Drah? (Forest dwellers? Oh, those guys?)" Dragonite replied casually, "Drah. (They never actually reach the exit. We detect them the moment they enter dragon territory. I always send escorts to see them out.)"
This answer surprised Su Feng, though it made sense upon reflection. The relationship between dragons and forest dwellers was... complicated.
"Do you still go to war with the forest dwellers?" Su Feng asked seriously.
Dragonite paused before answering truthfully: "Drah. (Not full wars. Just occasional skirmishes that escalate until higher-level intervention is needed.)"
"Drah. (Though rarely needing direct involvement from me or Gardevoir. Usually resolved through small-scale battles with limited participants.)"
Nodding, Su Feng tentatively asked: "Have you considered peaceful coexistence and mutual progress with the forest dwellers?"
Dragonite's face showed disdain: "Drah. (Unnecessary. We dragons are content in Dragon Valley.)"
"Truly?" Su Feng pressed. "No lingering attachments to the forest?"
Dragonite fell silent. How could there be no attachments? Secretly, he longed for his daughter to play in the forest's natural lakes rather than their artificial ponds. As leader, though, he couldn't easily lower his pride to seek peace.
Recognizing potential, Su Feng didn't push further. The group soon arrived at a glowing multicolored rift in the canyon depths, guarded by a Dragapult with two Dreepy companions.
"Drah. (This is the exit. You may return to your world now,)" Dragonite announced.
Xiaodie looked concerned: "Brother Feng, aren't you coming with us?"
Su Feng smiled, patting her head: "You two go ahead first. The rescue team and others must be waiting. I... have unfinished business here."