Chapter 51: The Three-Headed Evil Dragon

Chapter 51: The Three-Headed Dread Dragon

A golden figure, wreathed in a howling tempest, rampaged through the cavern. The Sonic Dragon hadn't even grasped what was happening before a flash of yellow light burst before its eyes, and a searing pain exploded from its belly. The immense force, brimming with savage electric energy, ravaged its insides.

With a guttural gasp, the Sonic Dragon doubled over, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

It wasn't over yet!

The gale abruptly shifted. A sense of overwhelming danger surged from behind.

Crackling electricity sizzled and flashed in the pitch-dark cave. With a sudden roar, a thunderbolt struck down.

"Thunder Shock!"

The Sonic Dragon knew that, given its current battered state, taking another hit might cost it the fight right then and there. Gritting its teeth against the agony in its abdomen, it summoned its energy with a thought.

"Protect!"

A pale shield shimmered around its body.

Energy collided with energy, producing a shrill, grating screech like fingernails scraping a blackboard.

The high-voltage current pounded the shield relentlessly, as if energy were limitless. Fine cracks began to spiderweb across the once-smooth barrier.

Beneath the shield, the Sonic Dragon bared its fangs at Lu Yun hovering above, gathering searing flames in its maw.

"Flamethrower!"

A column of nearly white-hot fire burst from its jaws, shattering the shield from within and surging straight toward Lu Yun.

The burning heat spread through the air. Up above, Lu Yun arched an eyebrow. With a thought, the plasma enveloping his body in the magnetic field pulsed sharply. He darted aside at lightning speed.

Boom—

The brilliant white flames crashed against the cavern ceiling, melting the stone into viscous magma that dripped down in glowing rivulets.

The Sonic Dragon tilted its head, only to find the woolly sheep had vanished from sight again.

A high-frequency pulse, disrupted by the magnetic field, rebounded around the Sonic Dragon’s body—like radar, it relayed every anomaly in the surroundings back to its ears.

Suddenly, a dazzling golden radiance flared at the edge of its vision. The speed was so blinding, it barely managed to cross its sturdy wings over its chest in reflex.

Heat and numbness surged through it; a thunderous force sent the Sonic Dragon hurtling through the air, slamming it into the cavern wall and scattering shards of rock.

Lu Yun, moving like a ghost, appeared where the Sonic Dragon had just been. If one looked closely, the once-dense, gleaming armor of electricity around him was now visibly fraying.

It had been forced.

The powerful technique he’d devised back in his Mareep days—even now, as a Flaaffy, he still couldn’t wield it flawlessly. True, his control over current had advanced greatly since then, and the quality and quantity of electricity stored in his body had also increased. Yet his current mastery was still far from enough to use the Electric Armor perfectly, without dire consequences.

His body trembled violently from the torment of pushing the current beyond its limits. Every muscle quivered with agony.

He lifted his head slightly, locking eyes with the Sonic Dragon as it struggled to rise in the distance. Gritting his teeth, Lu Yun braced himself.

“I have to end this quickly.”

Clenching his right fist, his thigh bent, powerful currents spurring his cells to their utmost. His muscles swelled as he prepared to launch himself at the Sonic Dragon.

Bang!

At last, his overtaxed muscles failed. A burst of blood erupted from his calf like an exploding rose.

It was as if a delicate machine had suddenly lost a crucial gear; the chain reaction of side effects ravaged Lu Yun’s body.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Arms, chest, back—each erupted in a crimson mist, mingled with golden plasma that splattered his skin. The scene, set against the pitch-dark cave, was hauntingly beautiful.

His vision dimmed. His consciousness began to slip away, as if pale hands were rising from the ground, grasping him, dragging him toward an endless abyss.

Blood ran across the cracked cavern floor in rivulets.

His charred body, momentum spent, tumbled to the ground.

A manic, shrill laughter, edged with relief, suddenly filled the cavern.

As if releasing all the pent-up tension of moments before, Noel pranced and capered, looking almost comical.

“That nearly scared me to death!”

“I can't believe this woolly sheep could actually go toe to toe with my Sonic Dragon.”

“I almost lost everything in some filthy gutter…”

His laughter cut off abruptly. Noel's wild expression twisted into something vicious.

He spun, glaring at the pair cowering in the corner.

“Where’s the Poké Ball? Where is this Flaaffy’s Poké Ball? Hand it over! It’s about to die! If you ruin my business, none of you will live to regret it!”

Noel had long since forgotten about his client’s commission. Now, his mind was filled only with this monstrous Flaaffy’s terrifying potential.

Zhe hung his head in silence, heart torn between despair and indignation.

Beside him, Xiao Zhu seemed to have lost all strength, slumped against the stone wall, his gaze empty and lifeless.

With trembling hands, Zhe raised the black-and-yellow Poké Ball, pressing the button to recall the gravely wounded Lu Yun, preserving his flickering life for now.

In this moment, surrendering Flaaffy’s Poké Ball was the only rational choice.

They had lost their last trump card. The best they could hope for now was a swift death at Noel’s hands.

And as for Lu Yun, the Flaaffy who had left such a mark on their journey, the only thing they could do was hand him over. Whether he ended up with the Pokémon Hunter organization or some unknown buyer, at least he might survive.

“Yes, give me the ball…”

The command in Noel’s harsh, sinister voice was unmistakable as he strode closer, hissing.

Zhe’s hand shook as he extended the Poké Ball.

In that hair’s breadth of an instant—

A thunderous roar, ancient and wild, echoed from the cave’s mouth.

The wave of rage it carried shook the cavern like an earthquake, the ground trembling beneath their feet.

The beating of powerful wings resounded, and a sudden drop in air pressure blanketed the chamber.

In the blink of an eye, a massive figure burst into the trio’s sight, exuding a savage, overwhelming aura.

Coarse blue scales lay densely over its body, while a mane of thick black fur circled its neck. Three ferocious dragon heads roared within the cave, eyes blood-red, fangs bared. From its back, like a demon risen from hell, three pairs of inky black wings unfurled, wild gales swirling about them.

It was the Dread Dragon—Hydreigon, the pseudo-legendary Dragon-type from Unova!