(Leo POV)
The moment Leo stepped farther into the Dragon Fall Mountain Range, another roar echoed through the valley. It was deeper than the cries they had heard from the Jangmo-o colony.
Leo stopped and studied the towering mountains surrounding them. The enormous peaks blocked most of the sky, leaving only narrow strips of daylight between their jagged tops.
The rocky paths winding between them seemed almost deliberately designed to prevent anyone from seeing very far ahead. Every turn appeared capable of hiding an entirely new threat.
"Please tell me that was just another Jangmo-o," Claire said. Nobody answered her question.
A shadow suddenly crossed the mountain wall. Leo looked up just in time to see a large blue-and-orange shape glide between two peaks before disappearing behind the rock.
Cynthia's expression hardened immediately. "That wasn't a Jangmo-o."
Another roar followed, and this one came from behind them. Leo immediately turned around and saw two Dragonair emerging from a narrow passage.
Their long bodies floated several feet above the ground. Their eyes remained locked onto the group.
"They're blocking the path," Claire said. "Of course they are," Leo muttered.
A sharp cry suddenly came from above. Three Noibat clung to the side of a cliff, their wings folded tightly against their bodies.
One of them suddenly released its grip and flew into a narrow opening in the mountain. Leo barely paid attention because there were far more immediate problems.
The Dragonair suddenly lunged toward them. "Move!"
Leo jumped sideways as a blast of Dragon-type energy tore through the ground where he had been standing. The others scattered, and Cynthia immediately sent one of her Pokémon forward.
The battle began almost instantly. Another roar sounded from deeper within the mountains, followed by another from somewhere nearby.
Leo's expression changed as he looked around. "This is becoming a problem."
"What gave you that idea?" Claire asked while narrowly avoiding another attack. Leo ignored her sarcasm and focused on the battlefield.
The first colony had been bad enough, but they had only been dealing with one family of Dragon types. Now that they were moving farther through the range, other Pokémon were beginning to challenge them.
And judging from the sounds echoing through the mountains, there were plenty more where these came from. A Dragonair swept through the air and struck toward Leo with its tail.
Leo ducked beneath the attack, caught the creature's momentum, and redirected it toward the ground. The Dragonair recovered before it could crash into the rocks.
"Cynthia!"
"I know!"
One of Cynthia's Pokémon intercepted the creature before it could attack again. The impact sent dust rolling across the path, forcing Leo and Claire to retreat several steps.
Claire moved beside him and watched another Dragon type emerge from the rocks. "We can't keep doing this."
"I know."
"We fight our way through one group, and another one shows up." Claire glanced toward the surrounding mountains before continuing.
"I noticed," Leo replied. "And we're supposed to get out of the Dragon Domain like this?"
Leo glanced toward the massive mountain range. "No."
Claire frowned at his answer. "No?"
Leo shook his head. "We're not going to escape by fighting every Dragon type that lives here."
The problem was figuring out what other way they could use. Dragon Fall wasn't simply a collection of mountains.
It was a natural fortress separating the Dragon Domain from the lands beyond it. Every safe passage through the range was controlled by one of the Dragon tribes living within the mountains.
Anyone trying to cross the border normally had to deal with the Pokémon guarding those passages. Unfortunately, Leo's group couldn't afford to fight their way through every tribe.
They had already made enough noise to attract attention. The longer they continued fighting, the more difficult it would become to escape without being noticed by one of the larger tribes.
Leo looked toward the mountain peaks. "If the tribes realize we're outsiders trying to leave, they'll stop treating this like a normal challenge."
Claire's face became serious. "They'll report us."
"Exactly."
Cynthia glanced toward him. "And then?"
Leo didn't answer immediately because he didn't need to. Everyone understood what would happen if the larger Dragon tribes discovered a group of outsiders attempting to flee through their territory.
The Dragonite, the Garchomp, and the Dragapult were not small local families. They were some of the major powers controlling the region.
After everything that had happened with the Supreme Elder, Leo wasn't interested in finding out how they would react to a group of strangers trying to slip out of their territory. He especially didn't want another major conflict while they were already trying to escape.
"We need to disappear," Leo finally said. A sudden roar came from the opposite side of the valley.
The Dragonair turned toward it. For a brief moment, the creature hesitated.
Leo took advantage of the opening. "Now!"
The group pushed forward while Cynthia's Pokémon forced the Dragonair away from the path. Claire stayed close to Leo as they rushed through the narrow passage.
The sounds of battle followed behind them. They didn't stop until the passage opened into a wider section of the mountain.
Leo slowed down and looked back. The Dragonair had not followed.
"That was strange," Claire said. "Don't question it."
"I'm definitely questioning it."
Leo continued forward as the path widened into a large circular valley. Enormous cliffs surrounded the area, giving them more room to breathe than before.
Leo stopped near the center and examined the surrounding routes. Several paths led away from the valley.
Unlike the narrow passages they had traveled through before, these routes were large enough for entire groups of Pokémon to move through. "That one is probably a major route," Cynthia said.
Leo nodded. "And that's exactly what we don't want."
Claire looked at the surrounding mountains. "Then which way?"
"I don't know."
That answer made everyone pause. Leo rarely admitted uncertainty, but this wasn't a situation where confidence alone would solve the problem.
He had no map, they didn't know which tribe controlled each passage, and they had no idea which path would take them safely toward the outer edge of the Domain. Worse, they couldn't remain in one place.
The longer they stayed in the valley, the more likely it became that someone would discover them. Leo slowly looked upward as something moved between the clouds.
A Dragonite was flying far above them. It circled once before disappearing behind one of the peaks.
Leo's eyes narrowed. "That's bad."
Cynthia followed his gaze. "Dragonite?"
"Yeah."
Claire sighed. "Wonderful."
Leo looked at the paths again. "We need to move."
They chose the smallest path. It immediately proved to be the wrong choice.
The passage narrowed until only two people could walk through it at a time. Sharp rocks covered the ground, and the walls were marked with deep claw scratches.
Leo ran his fingers over one of the marks. "Recent."
Cynthia looked around. "Then we shouldn't stay."
A low growl came from behind them. Everyone turned toward the entrance.
A Garchomp stood there, blocking their retreat. Leo's eyes widened.
"Run."
Nobody argued with him. They immediately sprinted through the narrow passage.
The Garchomp charged after them, its footsteps shaking the ground. Leo glanced over his shoulder and saw the creature gaining ground.
"Faster!"
Claire didn't need to be told twice. The passage suddenly split into two separate routes.
Leo skidded to a stop. "Left or right?"
"Left!"
They turned sharply. The Garchomp followed without hesitation.
Then another roar came from ahead. Leo's stomach dropped.
"That's not good."
A second Dragon type emerged from the darkness. Then a third appeared behind it.
The group stopped. For a moment, nobody moved.
They were surrounded again. Leo slowly clenched his fists.
"Looks like we're fighting."
The Pokémon advanced toward them. Then a distant roar echoed through the mountains.
Every Dragon type froze. The Garchomp turned its head toward the sound.
The others followed its gaze. Another roar came, and this one was much closer.
The Pokémon surrounding Leo and his group suddenly became restless. One backed away, followed by another.
Within seconds, the creatures began retreating into the surrounding passages. Leo stared after them in confusion.
"What just happened?"
Nobody answered. The Pokémon disappeared into the mountain tunnels.
Leo remained still for several seconds before looking toward the direction of the roar. Whatever had caused that reaction was something even these Dragon types didn't want to encounter.
"We need to go," Cynthia said.
Leo nodded. They moved quickly through the next passage.
As they passed through a narrow section, Leo noticed a small cluster of pale flowers growing from a crack in the stone. Their petals trembled despite the absence of wind.
He slowed for half a second. Then the flowers became completely still.
Leo continued walking without giving them another thought. The passage eventually opened into another valley.
This one was much quieter than the last. No Pokémon appeared along the cliffs, and no roars echoed through the mountains.
That silence made Leo more uncomfortable than the fighting had. "Everyone stay close," he said.
Claire looked around. "Why?"
"I don't know."
That was the problem. There was no obvious danger, but Leo couldn't shake the feeling that they were running out of time.
He studied the surrounding cliffs. Nothing moved anywhere around them.
"Let's keep going."
They continued through the valley until the path ended at a solid wall of stone. Leo stared at it in disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Claire walked over and examined the wall. "Maybe there's another path."
Leo examined the rock face. "Maybe."
He placed his hand against the mountain. A faint vibration moved beneath the stone.
His expression changed. "Wait."
"What?"
Leo closed his eyes and focused on the sensation beneath his hand. There was something behind the wall.
Not a Pokémon.
A hollow space.
He stepped back. "There might be a tunnel here."
Cynthia approached the wall. "Can you open it?"
"Maybe."
Before Leo could try, a small voice came from behind them.
"Jang..."
Everyone froze.
Leo slowly turned and saw a familiar Pokémon standing several feet away. It was the small, battered Jangmo-o from their previous battle.
Its scales were scratched, and several pieces of its armor were chipped. Leo recognized it immediately.
"You."
The Jangmo-o lowered its head slightly. It didn't look hostile.
Instead, it took a few cautious steps toward them. Claire immediately became defensive.
"Leo, don't."
The Jangmo-o stopped. It looked at Leo, then toward the mountain wall.
Afterward, it turned and pointed toward a narrow gap between two rocks. Leo frowned.
"You know a way out?"
The Jangmo-o nodded. Everyone exchanged uncertain looks.
Leo slowly approached the Pokémon. The Jangmo-o didn't attack.
Instead, it turned and began walking toward the gap. After a few steps, it stopped and looked back.
Leo understood what it wanted. "You're offering to help us?"
The Jangmo-o nodded again. Leo glanced toward the others.
Nobody seemed particularly comfortable with the idea. Honestly, neither was he.
But they were running out of options. The larger Dragon tribes were somewhere nearby, and every battle increased the chances of their location becoming known.
Leo looked back at the Jangmo-o. "Fine."
The Pokémon's eyes brightened. Leo pointed toward the passage before continuing.
"But if you're leading us into another trap..." Leo paused briefly. "I'm blaming you."
Claire stared at him. "You're seriously trusting it?"
"No."
Leo stepped toward the narrow opening. "I'm trusting that it has a better idea than we do."
The Jangmo-o smiled. Then it disappeared into the darkness.
Leo followed. The others came behind him.
The mountain passage was narrow at first, forcing them to move sideways through the opening. However, the space widened after a short distance.
A sloping tunnel descended beneath the rocks. Leo glanced back toward the valley before following the Jangmo-o farther inside.
For just a moment, he thought he saw something move near the pale flowers. When he looked again, there was nothing there.
He turned away and continued following their unexpected guide. Behind them, the Dragon Fall Mountain Range continued to rumble.
Somewhere beyond the stone, distant wings beat against the air. The larger tribes were beginning to move.
Leo's group had no idea whether the tunnel would actually lead them outside the Dragon Domain. It could just as easily trap them even deeper within it.