Kudo Shiba returned to the family estate located in the very center of Magic City, Dratini at his side.
The eaves of the estate were like the spine of a black dragon, reflecting a cold gleam under the moonlight. The arrangement of the buildings subtly followed the flow of a dragon vein, silently proclaiming the overwhelming power of the master who owned this land.
Inside the living room, the air was so oppressive it felt hard to breathe.
His father, Kudo Kaito, was seated upright in the main seat on a rosewood chair. In his hand, he was absently rubbing a priceless Jianyang tea cup, yet had not taken a single sip. The aura of authority radiating from him made the spacious room feel suffocatingly cramped.
"Utter nonsense!"
Kudo Kaito's voice was not loud, but every word carried a pressure that brooked no argument, each syllable crashing down onto Kudo Shiba's heart.
"The family prepared a Bagon with the purest bloodline for you, a direct descendant from Dragon's Valley, with limitless potential. Yet you insisted on going to the academy to take some unknown Pokémon. You—"
His tirade abruptly stopped.
A flash of red light swept across the room as Kudo Shiba released Dratini from its Poké Ball.
Under the luxurious crystal chandelier, the little one's sky-blue body looked especially pure. It blinked its flawless violet eyes curiously, looking at the imposing man before it.
Every word of blame Kudo Kaito had prepared jammed in his throat.
"This is… Dratini?"
A flicker of undisguisable astonishment flashed through Kudo Kaito's eyes, but he forcibly pushed that emotion down. His tightly furrowed brows did not relax; instead, they drew even tighter.
"Even if it's a Dratini, its potential may not necessarily surpass the Bagon the family prepared for you."
His tone was still hard. It was the dignity of the head of the household, and also a stubborn obsession, etched into his bloodline, with rearing the strongest dragon scion.
The corner of Kudo Shiba's lips curved into a faint, calm smile.
He understood his father's personality very well. Without irrefutable facts, any words would be meaningless.
He stirred his mental power.
[Eye of True Insight]—activated.
Without any wasted explanation, Kudo Shiba projected the data panel only he could see directly onto Kudo Kaito's retinas using a special spiritual resonance.
It was an information transfer outsiders could not perceive, something shared solely between father and son.
In Kudo Kaito's field of vision, two blazing golden lines of text appeared out of thin air, branding themselves deep into his consciousness.
[Potential: Champion-tier]
[Move: Extreme Speed (inherited)]
Each of these entries alone was enough to drive any dragon-tamer clan mad with desire.
Appearing together on a single Dratini, the meaning they carried went far beyond mere strength.
This was a miracle.
On Kudo Kaito's face, usually stern and awe-inspiring, all displeasure, severity, and doubt collapsed in an instant.
Ice melted; a volcano erupted.
In their place surged a nearly frenzied, incredulous ecstasy.
"Champion-tier potential! And it's inherited Extreme Speed!"
He shot up from his seat so abruptly that he knocked over the side table. The priceless Jianyang cup crashed to the floor and shattered into several pieces, but he didn't notice at all.
"H–How is this possible!"
His voice turned hoarse and trembling from sheer excitement. In two long strides he rushed in front of Dratini. His tall figure even bent down slightly as he carefully studied the little one, an unprecedented, blazing light burning in his gaze.
He reached out a hand, wanting to touch it, but stopped halfway, as if afraid that everything before him was just an illusion.
"Good!"
"Good!"
"Good!"
He said "good" three times in a row, each louder than the last, his chest heaving violently. In the end, all his emotions condensed into a single heartfelt exclamation of pride:
"As expected of my son!"
That very night, this earth-shattering news pierced through all barriers and reached the true anchor of the Kudo family: Kudo Shiba's grandfather, the champion-level Trainer—Kudo Kazuma.
Deepest part of the manor, in the study.
There were no modern decorations here—only shelves upon shelves of ancient books and a faint sandalwood fragrance.
Kudo Kazuma, an elderly man with snow-white hair but few wrinkles on his face, sat cross-legged on a cushion. He exuded no oppressive aura typical of powerful Trainers; instead, his presence was calm and distant, blending seamlessly with the old-fashioned study.
He was looking at his eldest grandson with gentle eyes.
"Shiba, let your Dratini out. Let Ojiisan have a look."
His voice was mild and even, lacking the agitation Kudo Kaito had shown.
"Yes, Ojiisan."
Kudo Shiba obeyed.
Dratini appeared once more. It seemed to sense the kindly Dragon-type origin aura on the old man. There was no fear at all; instead, it moved closer to him affectionately.
Kudo Kazuma did not lose his composure like Kudo Kaito had. He simply watched Dratini quietly.
His eyes seemed capable of seeing through the very essence of all things, having weathered countless storms and settled into an unfathomable depth of wisdom.
A long time passed.
Only then did he slowly nod. On that calm, unreadable face, a genuine smile of relief finally appeared.
"Not bad. The bloodline is very pure, and its spirit and vigor are excellent. It truly bears the makings of a Champion."
"Being able to encounter such a stroke of fortune in the academy's breeding room is both your luck and your ability."
This evaluation carried more weight than a hundred of Kudo Kaito's praises.
After speaking, Kudo Kazuma carefully took out a box from his inner garments.
The box was carved from a single piece of top-grade warm jade. Its surface was smooth and gentle to the touch, and just holding it filled one with a calming warmth that steadied the mind.
The box opened.
A single scale lay quietly on the red silk within.
The scale was a pale gold, faint, mysterious patterns flowing across its surface. A pure, extreme energy pulsed within it, thickening the very air of the study.
Kudo Shiba's pupils constricted sharply.
He felt a tremor rising from the depths of his blood.
"This is… Ojiisan, is this…?"
"This is the only origin scale my old partner, that Dragonite, shed when it broke through to Champion-tier."
A trace of nostalgia for his glorious youth flickered in Kudo Kazuma's eyes.
"I originally intended to make this the Kudo family's heirloom. I was going to give it to you when you attempted to break through to the Elite tier someday, to lend you strength."
"But now, it seems this 'Dragon Scale' belongs with this little one. That's where it will find its best home."
Kudo Kazuma gently pushed the jade box toward Kudo Shiba.
His movement was unhurried, yet carried a solemnity that allowed no refusal.
"This Dragon Scale contains the purest Dragonite origin power of my old partner. It can greatly accelerate the growth of Dragon-type Pokémon and awaken their deepest potential. Take it. This is something you've earned."
A warm current surged up from the deepest part of Kudo Shiba's heart, flooding through his entire body in an instant.
The value of this Dragon Scale could not be measured in money.
It was the condensed life essence of a Champion-tier Dragonite, a key to even higher realms. It was something that would make any Elite-level powerhouse in the outside world green with envy, willing to do anything—even kill—to seize it.
This was a gift from a Champion Ojiisan.
This was the greatest recognition his family had ever given him, an expectation that surpassed all words.
"Thank you, Ojiisan."
Kudo Shiba received the weighty jade box with both hands and bowed deeply.
When he raised his head again, there was no longer the slightest trace of confusion in his eyes—only boundless confidence in the future and a fighting spirit burning higher than ever before.
(End of Chapter)
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