"Who are you?” The tribeswoman demanded more than asked. Despite her fierce nature and the low growl of the Drakloak beside her, I was unmoved. Hassel doesn’t act as aggro as this usually, but he can be far scarier when he tries to be, and I won’t let him stop me either.

  “Hail and well met,” I called out evenly over the plain, giving her and the two other similarly dressed Dragon Tamers I spotted respectful but not submissive nods. By my side, Miles moved up subtly, not quite interposing themself between me and the other Pokemon, but clearly able to intercept them if need be.

  Something that wasn’t missed by the lead woman, her nostrils flaring slightly as she snorted. “You say we are well met, yet you have taken no steps to introduce yourself as you trod on our sacred land.”

  I met the challenge with a mild scoff. “I’m fairly certain that the Dragon Tamers would claim all of Paldea as their own if they could.” They are more common in the North, but the only land officially granted to them by the League is the large plateau in the Northeast, not here in the Northwest.

  “I’ve also been staking out this place for almost a month now, and I didn’t see any sign of you till today.” That got them to bristle, and I saw a few more members leave their tents. Not a huge party, less than a dozen, but still, I should probably avoid picking a fight. At least not with all of them at once.

  “I suppose I should introduce myself, however. I am Nemona Glitterati, daughter of Billy and O’Nare Glitterati, student of Hassel of the Elite Four.” My words brought an interesting cocktail of emotions to her face. Faint interest and approval clashing with disdain and an undercurrent of anger. The smirk I gave her back let her know that I understood why my words affected her so and that it was exactly why I had chosen them so. They’re still butt-hurt over Hassel choosing the Elite Four and more modern traditions than staying with the clan, but given what they try to pull six or seven years from now, I don’t feel much sympathy for them. At least not on that front.

  The idea that their old ways, the oral histories and methods they had cultivated over the ages, were being slowly whittled away by the modern League was sad. But each person was entitled to make their own decisions, so they shouldn’t have pinned all of their hopes and responsibilities on Hassel, no matter how talented he was.

  “I didn’t think Hassel would stoop so low as to reveal us to an outsider,” the woman seethed. Ah. Looks like there was a bit more anger there than I realized. My Aura sight had shown some, but visualizing the exact amount of emotion someone was feeling was still difficult.

  “He didn’t tell me anything. And not to toot my own horn, but I’m a sharp student. I picked up on things. Plus, there are hints here and there in history books, if you know where to look.” More than just hints, but outright recognition of their tribe at least. There are hints of many tribes and ancient civilizations within the history books if you know where to look, though more about them than any other. Likely a product of the age we live in. While the Dragon Tamer clan might be a shadow of the Dragon Nation that once ruled two-thirds of Paldea well before the Paldean Empire, they’re one of the largest ‘native’ groups still left. Of course, many people are Paldean natives; they just follow modern society and League rules rather than-

  “Ha!” One of the men barked, bringing me out of my thoughts. “Look at how she gets lost in her own skull, Mera; she really is Hassel’s student.”

  Mera, the woman who had seemed to be on the verge of attacking me, was calmer now, though she looked like she had bitten into a lemon. “Fine, she can stay. But on your head be it if she proves treacherous,” she spat out. Turning on her heel, her cape swooshing dramatically behind her as she marched back into her tent. Such a terrible personality for such a fine body.

  The man from earlier snorted, and my cheeks were dusted in crimson as I realized I spoke aloud. “Aye, that’s just how it is, lass.”

  “You can call me Nemona,” I said to him, walking closer to pass that invisible barrier between the rest of the outside world and their camp. Offering my hand to him, he shook it.

  “Then you can call me Clayton.” He had long blonde hair, like Hassel’s but wilder. He also had a scraggy, unkempt beard. Hmm, I wonder if he’s Hassel’s cousin.

  The others, seeing me accepted, lowered their guards, and I was introduced to the group. Many of them still eyed me with disdain, but none were hostile anymore, and a few were willing to talk around the fire. Apparently they had been here for a few days but had landed on the tip of the almost peninsula (there was a chunk of land at the end separated by a small canal that ran between it and the rest of the inlet).

  As night fell, we were all sitting by the fire (even Mera), their stew being passed around. I managed not to cough as I took my first sip, but something must have shown on my face, as Mera called me out.

  “Is it not to your taste? I’m sure we have something your delicate taste buds could handle better,” she offered, faux-sweetly. A couple of the others guffawed at my expense.

  With a forced grin, I slurped up a third of my bowl, pushing aside the unpleasant taste. “Just an interesting flavor. Traveling offers many unique experiences.”

  “It does at that,” Clayton offered. “Why, when I was a young lad, I once barely saved my arm from a Salamence’s jaw.” There was a small round of groaning before he hushed them up. “Sure, you lot may have heard it a hundred times afore, but Nemona hasn’t!”

  Clearing his throat, he launched into his tale. “It was a dark and stormy night. The winds were howling something fierce, I tell ya, and Cyclizar and I had to take shelter in a cave. Something had him right spooked, and his favorite Dragon Fang tumbled down in the dark.”

  I smiled, seeing where this story was going already. Taking another sip of the stew on instinct wiped that smile away. Gah. I know I have very plain tastes compared to most people, but this is, ugh.

  Clayton didn’t notice, too engrossed in his own tale. “I scrambled down in the gloom, scouring for the fang when I noticed a flash of something bright, white, and sharp down there.”

  “How did you see it if it was so dark?” One of his clansmen heckled.

  “Probably moonlight shining through the entrance or somethin’, now quit yer complaining. Ahem, where was I? Oh right, so I reached for it. Only when I grasped onta it and pulled, it felt stuck. So I yanked harder, until… I saw the rest of the teeth in that maw. His hateful eyes opened, and we knew we were cooked! Letting go, I swear, I’dda been a split second later, I’d have been a goner.”

  “And what happened next?” I couldn’t help but ask.

  “Why we high-tailed it outta there - literally! Ol’ Cyclizar lost a tail speeding away.” Clayton patted the Pokemon in question beside him, who was happily chowing down on the food in front of them… and also clearly had a tail. Well, I think they have both a Move and a Hidden Ability that would let them deal with that, so that part isn’t too crazy. The rest, though, seems a bit much. Especially with how the others are reacting.

  Despite that, one of the younger Dragon Tamers piped up as soon as Clayton was finished. “Oh, that’s nothing. Back a few moons ago, I found a den led by an alpha Dragonite…” It went on like that for a bit, each of the tribe trying to outdo each other with grander and more epic stories. No one is quite invoking Legendaries, but still.

  Eventually Clayton turned and asked me, “What stories do you have?”

  “Huh?”

  “This is a rather quiet corner of Paldea. A rather dangerous one too, for the unprepared. If you’ve come this far, then surely you must have some stories to share.”

  “Uhh, yeah, I guess,” I said, wracking my mind for a good story to tell. Athena’s mentor? No, I’d rather not give away hints as to his location, and they’d appreciate a story around Dragon Types more. Maybe how I got Bahamut and- oh! I got it.

  “Ok, so I was traveling to Alfornada. I didn’t use the main pathway but the smaller one that takes you down by the beach. When I got there, though, I ran pretty much smack into a wild Terastalized Dragonair! She was an Electric Type and fought my starter Dun in the water. It was pretty tough to fight like that, but he was strong enough to win even still. Oh, and a few days later I ambushed some poachers that had captured the Dragonair and her den and turned them in to the police.”

  There was a long moment of silence before Mera said, “That was terrible.”

  “Wh-what? But it was all true!”

  “I don’t doubt that, despite how crazy a story it is. A proper fib would have had more…”

  “Embellishment,” Clayton finished for her. “You gotta draw the story out, girl. Make it entertainin’!”

  “You put me on the spot,” I muttered, crossing my arms. “I’m better when I have time to write this stuff down.” That only earned a few laughs at my expense from the older Trainers.

  “Was that the toughest battle you fought?” Mera inquired, and it took me a moment to realize what she was talking about.

  “Oh no, the battle against Dragonair wasn’t even in the top ten, honestly.”

  “True. If you’re Hassel’s student, then you’ve faced tougher,” one of them said. “That Baxcalliber of his is stupidly strong.” Then the woman whose name I had already forgotten frowned as she looked at me. “How’d a pipsqueak like you get Hassel to teach you?”

  I’m not a pipsqueak. I’m actually fairly tall for my age! “Well, technically he was my music teacher.” Another round of groans echoed out, and I hastily added, “But I still learned a lot from him about Dragons and Pokemon Training! I’d pepper him with questions about that stuff at the end of every music lesson. Plus, I fought him before I went on my journey.”

  “And how did you fare?” Mera asked again, measuring me up.

  “I lost,” I admitted easily enough. “But that was over half a year ago. I’m gonna win our rematch.”

  “Maybe in a few years. Or decades,” she laughed, and I bristled. I know the others have laughed at me, but with them it feels good-natured and fun. There’s just a bit more of a cutting edge to her laughter.

  “Try next month. I’ll get my last two badges soon and be on my way to take on the Elite Four. I’ve already fought the El Primero and tied against his Salamance,” I boasted.

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  “No way!” One of the younger men, really just a teenager, shouted. “I’ve seen that beast online; it’s a stronger Dragon than any of us, than even Hassel’s father, have!”

  I bit my tongue from responding that I didn’t think it was likely that Hassel’s father was stronger than him (for a lot of reasons). Instead I just added the caveat, “Well, he didn’t use his Mega Evolution, and I did Terastalize Dun.”

  “Terastalization… that’s that new thing the League has developed?” Mera asked more than stated.

  One of the girls muttered, “Still can’t believe they managed to mimic the power of Paldea’s greatest protectors.”

  “Professor Turo made the Tera Orbs, but yes, the League has proliferated them,” I said, pulling out my Tera Orb to show them. “It’s not quite on the scale of what wild Tera Pokemon can do, though; it wears off in time. Like Mega Evolution, it can persist through being switched out but won’t really last longer than a battle in most cases. And whenever this orb gets used, I have to go back to a Pokemon Center to recharge it.”

  “And this Tera Orb is what makes you strong? We don’t need such tricks to be powerful,” Mera sniffed.

  “It helps, like any tool. But my team is strong because I’ve trained them hard and on their own merit.” A tension settled around the camp as I faced her implications without blinking. There was a moment of hesitation until:

  “We shall see. It is late, but in the morning, I would test your mettle.” I sighed but nodded easily. She’s been prickly as a porcupine, and it only got worse since mentioning Hassel. She’s not the only one either. I don’t think it’s enough that they’d hurt me or do anything underhanded, but there’s clearly bad blood from his departure from the clan that’s left them quite angry.

  Even if I felt foul play was unlikely, I still let Notch out when I pulled out my tent and set them to guard me while I slept. That choice had everyone backing off, but hardly earned me any friends, with even Clayton acting standoffish towards me (though he may have just been tired because he didn’t talk much to anyone else either and looked a little groggy).

  After a quick breakfast (some plain bread and fruit this time, thankfully), we set up in an empty patch of grass nearby. Notch floated nearby, creating a barrier around us to keep me, Mera, and the Dragon Tamers gathered nearby safe from any stray shots.

  “I see that you’re a generalist,” Mera said across from me, spitting out the last word like a slur. “Do you even have a Dragon on your team?”

  “Wait and see,” I said with a grin, drawing Bahamut’s Pokeball. “I only see two Pokeballs on your belt, so a two v. two, I take it?” With my enhanced hearing, I heard her grit her teeth and nod, drawing her own Pokeball in response.

  We released our Pokemon, her sending out a Noivern while I released Bahamut. The large black and purple bat-like Dragon roared at the sight of my Pokemon, who let off a roar of his right back. It didn’t have nearly the volume that Noivern had, obviously, but sound wasn’t his specialty, unlike his opponent. This one is probably incapable of Boomburst but likely still pretty strong in general.

  Clayton counted us in. “Three, two, one, begin!”

  “Dragon Dance!” I shouted immediately. She shouted a command, and her Noivern swiftly ascended, swooping down and striking my Fraxure with her wing. Bahamut tottered and stumbled but managed to recover, weaving the motion into his dance and completing his buff.

  “Air Slash,” Mera called, and this time Bahamut nearly dodged the attack, the blades of wind clipping his shoulder.

  “Aerial Ace, get in close, then Dragon Claw!” With great speed, Bahamut leapt up, soaring through the air, flipping over his tail to kick down at the Flying Type.

  “Hurricane!” Mera’s order came too late to avoid Bahamut landing the Aerial Ace, but he was blown away by the high-power winds she kicked up. She’s not going to let me get away with a buff like the beginning of the fight, but Bahamut still needs more speed to keep up with her. Or to slow her down.

  Wrapping one hand around a fist, I swung my arms down and called, “Scary Face!”

  “Close your eyes!” Mera snapped, and Noivern did so before Bahamut could perform the Move. Which was why she was caught off guard when my Pokemon summoned a Draco Meteor above her head and began pulling the rocks down. Getting those hidden commands and signals learned and timed well between us is a lot of work, but so well worth it to pull surprises like this.

  A fully evolved Dragon had highly honed instincts that made them tough to catch off guard, and even moreso for Noivern with her echolocation. So despite the surprise attack, she was able to weave around it. That still gave Bahamut a little breathing room, and without even waiting for a command on my part, he began dancing around, wiggling his body.

  Noivern spotted that, and after she was finished escaping the Draco Meteor, let out an unholy screech and dove towards Bahamut. “Dragon Claw!” Almost before the words were out of my mouth, Bahamut leapt up, rocketing towards Noivern faster than she could react. A swift slice had Noivern reeling backward.

  The big bat recovered fast, though, and raced back quick enough to catch Bahamut mid-air, knocking him aside as he had no way to maneuver there.

  Dragon Pulse to shoot himself through the air? No, we’ve never practiced that; he’d just hurt himself. As much as it sucked, I remained silent, watching as Bahamut crashed to the ground. Mera smirked nastily.

  “Too much, little girl?” I opened my mouth to fire back a retort, but she interrupted me. “Too bad! Noivern, Dragon Pulse, blast this punk out of the way and show them what it means to be a true Dragon!”

  The enemy reared her head back, energy gathering in front of her maw. “Hold,” I told Bahamut, my voice tense but even. The attack is too telegraphed, and I can see her looking down on Bahamut, tracking him. She’s trying to bait us into moving and then will adjust.

  It was a second at most, but she got bored of playing chicken, and the energy condensed as her head started to lower. “Now!” I cried, sweeping my arm out to the side. Bahamut followed it, sprinting forward in that direction, avoiding the Dragon Pulse.

  He raced ahead, insanely fast with the boosts he had, but still barely outracing the beam of destruction, its path altered only by a shift of Noivern’s neck. At least until Bahamut stepped underneath her, forcing her to twist around. Jumping up once more, he cut into her back with his Dragon Claw, spinning through the air as he went.

  She fell, as did he a moment afterwards due to gravity. Where he landed on his feet with a heavy ‘thud,’ the Noivern crashed into the ground, insensate. “Alright, one down!” I crowed.

  “Beginner's luck. Besides, you hardly faced my true might. Go, Drakloak!” The ghostly Dragon appeared on the field a moment after she recalled her first Pokemon. This one looks a bit stronger than Amethio’s, though it has been a while since I’ve fought him. I should do that again after- focus.

  As quickly as a wink, they disappeared; luckily, I was faster, spotting the Distorted space they slipped through. “They’re using Phantom Force! You know what to do,” I told Bahamut, who readied himself. Drakloak shot out like a rocket, striking into Bahamut’s back, but he spun with the blow, managing to slice the other Dragon with a tusk before they could slip away to the Distortion World again.

  Bahamut was ready the next time they reappeared, but the Drakloak didn’t re-engage him, popping back on Mera’s side of the field. “Get in close, then Dragon Tail,” she ordered. In a blur of light, the Drakloak zipped forward, faster than Bahamut could react. Smacking him into the air with their ghostly tail, Bahamut gave out a sharp cry. Quick Attack into Dragon Tail, simple but effective.

  Mera wasn’t done there, however. “Keep at it! Use Dragon Tail and don’t let him down!” I hissed at that, watching as the Drakloak knocked him about again. Shit, she capitalized on that weakness fast. Guess she has some skill too.

  As they moved to try that combo a third time, I drew my Tera Orb, tossing it above Bahamut. The sudden formation of giant crystal formations around my Pokemon had Drakloak pulling back, confused. As Bahamut burst free, a Tera Dragon ‘hat’ above his head, he landed on the barrier’s corner.

  “Dragon Claw, drive them down!” Pushing off the side of the psychic wall, he charged through the air at Drakloak, hitting them with a powerful claw, the force pushing them both to the ground below in a heavy crash. “Don’t let up, Outrage!”

  The off-balance Ghost tried to escape, but the brutal onslaught Bahamut laid upon them gave them no quarter, not even the chance to slip into the Distortion World. As they fell, I shouted, “Stop!”

  Bahamut paused, breathing heavily. His eyes darted around as if looking for threats from every angle. I was sure that if anyone was still able to attack him or he had to attack anyone else, he’d be confused and act erratically, but for the moment he had stopped, pulling back his rampage.

  And there wasn’t anyone left to fight, the Drakloak utterly defeated before him. Mera returned her Pokemon and as Bahamut’s gaze refocused, I called out, “You did great!”

  “Fra!” He cried tiredly, but very happily. The Terastalization wore off, and he jumped into my arms, bowling me over. He was quite battered, but nothing that a few Potions or a trip to a Pokemon Center wouldn’t fix.

  Mera stalked over angrily. “Terastalization is just a cheap tactic to make weak Dragons stronger!” She snarled. Bahamut leapt up (and his foot digging into my gut drove the breath from me for a second), angrily growling back and interposing himself between her and me. I noticed the tension ratchet up again as the other Dragon Tamers moved their hands to their Pokeballs or began signaling the Dragons they had out.

  “Any tool or advantage or trick could be seen as such. But honestly, if you’re going to lose to the weakest Pokemon I have on my team, you don’t have much room to talk.” Though really, the two Dragon Dances you let me get off were worse than the Terastalization. As I talked, I waved Bahamut down, and he marched back to my side, still glaring at Mera as he did so.

  “What? How can the Dragon be the weakest Pokemon you have?” She questioned. Her face looks so scandalized it’s hilarious. Like if a Karen asked to speak to the manager and it turned out they were the one she had been talking to the whole time.

  “Because he’s the latest Pokemon to join my team, duh. Not that he isn’t getting strong fast.” Even with Terastalization, the fact that he beat two Dragons raised by a Dragon Tamer… he’s sooo close to becoming a Haxorus; I can feel it.

  “Anyhow, this has been fun,” I said, dusting myself off. “But I’ve got to be on my way. Gym Badges to win and all that jazz. Later!” I quickly strode off before she could blow up again. And before I end up saying something to piss her off further.

  I found a quiet spot decently far away from the group before calling a Flying Taxi. We’d gotten a lot of good training done here, but I didn’t need to linger longer, especially not when that might mean pissing off a camp of Dragon Tamers.

  Before the taxi could arrive, I saw someone approaching. Scoping it out carefully, I saw just Clayton nearing me, none of his other clanspeople with him, and I relaxed a hair (though not enough to recall Notch). “What’s up?” I asked, and he chuckled.

  “So on guard,” he said, his eyes flickering down to where my feet had subtly shifted to a defensive stance. “I take it that poacher story was true, and maybe missing a few details?”

  “Covered the basics well enough. It wasn’t pleasant, though, if I gave that impression,” I said flatly before sighing. “So why come all this way over here? Looking to defend the honor of your clan?”

  “Bah! Our clan’s honor is fine. Mera’s pride may have taken a beating, but that happens to all Dragons as they grow strong. It’s how they rise again that they prove themselves. Just wanted ta make sure you didn’t come off of that with any bad feelings.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. I’d hate to see Hassel’s student get hurt over a good match. And it was good indeed! Tha’ new-fangled Terastalization stuff is interesting’. Might not like everything the League does, but that…” His voice trailed off wistfully, the man clearly imagining what it’d be like to empower his Dragons with a Tera Orb. Battle junkies, the lot of them. Though I suppose I don’t have any room to throw stones there.

  “You know, you could probably ask Hassel for one.”

  Clayton shook his head sadly. “He left the clan.” His voice was somber, as if the man had died.

  “Your clan isn’t quite so insular as to reject all aspects of civ- the League,” I corrected myself, and he flashed a sharp grin. “You have phones and watch Champion matches, et cetera. You could go and ask him for a Tera Orb,” I pointed out. “Or even just talk with him. Whatever bad blood is between you, I’m sure he’d be happy to talk from time to time.”

  Sure, there would be a hint of bitterness in his tone at times whenever we discussed things infringing on his clan, but that was mostly about anything involving his departure from them, the early days as a music teacher, before he got stabilized in League society. There was plenty of wistfulness when talking about his adventures as a youth, even if he didn’t mention the clan directly.

  A flash of guilt appeared on Clayton’s face before he turned back to a stoic mien. “We cannot. By order of our clan’s chieftain, we are not to communicate with him in any form. Not until he returns to us.”

  The wind whipped around us violently, and Clayton flinched before I calmed down. “Apologies,” I mumbled out, trying to squash the frustration that rose in me. How could he do that to his own son- No, I know how. Knowing what he’ll try later, he’d definitely be that much of a dick to Hassel to try and get him to come back. Guess he must change that order when he tries to sell the story about being unwell to Hassel.

  We stood there silently for some time until the Flying Taxi arrived and began to descend towards me. “Those rules only apply as long as Hassel’s dad is the chieftain, right?” Clayton nodded slowly. “So if someone were to oust him from that spot…” I continued leading, and the older man frowned.

  “That would be difficult. The clan generally agrees with him and his leadership. To say nothing of his strength; only Hassel was stronger among us.” And as a clan of Dragon Tamers, individual strength is highly prized.

  “You don’t look like a slouch yourself.” While he hadn’t shown any feats at camp, the way the others aside from Mera would defer to him made me think he was stronger than most. “It might take a while, but, well, it’s something worth thinking about, right?” I said as the taxi touched down.

  I got inside the taxi, and while he didn’t say anything as I left, there was a thoughtful look on his face. Maybe I didn’t change anything there, but it didn’t hurt to try.

  A bit more training and we got to see the Dragon Tamers. While we do see a few of them in the games as static encounters and at the end of Hassel's storyline, there's not a lot about them. Dragon Tamer tribes have been a staple since the early games and appear in several generations, so I had fun playing around with how this group would be, especially given Paldea's rich history and abundance of Dragon Types.

  If you liked the update, please leave a comment here or join the the to talk about it. Thank you, and I hope you have a great day.

  Nemona's Current Team:

  - Tera Type: Normal

  - Held Item: Expert Belt

  - Abilities: Run Away, Serene Grace

  - Moves known:

  - 'Miles' (Rotom, Genderless, Electric/Form dependent Type)

  - Tera Type: Electric

  - Held Item: Life Orb

  - Ability: Levitate

  - Moves Known:

  - 'Nightwing' (Gliscor, Female, Flying/Ground Type)

  - Tera Type: Water

  - Held Item: Toxic Orb

  - Ability: Hyper Cutter, Poison Heal

  - Moves Known:

  - 'Notch' (Carbink, Genderless, Rock/Fairy Type)

  - Tera Type: Fighting

  - Held Item: Light Clay

  - Ability: Clear Body

  - Moves Known:

  - 'Phantasm' (Hisuian Zoroark, Female, Normal/Ghost)

  - Tera Type: Ghost

  - Held Item: Lax Incense

  - Ability: Illusion

  - Moves Known:

  - 'Athena' (Lucario, Mega-Evolveable, Female, Fighting/Steel)

  - Tera Type: Fighting

  - Held Item: Clear Amulet

  - Ability: Steadfast

  - Moves Known:

  -'Bahamut' (Fraxure, Male, Dragon)

  - Tera Type: Dragon

  - Held Item: Dragon Fang

  - Ability: Mold Breaker

  - Moves Known: