"Feng Che is... the child of Yuan Jia and me?!"
Having just been brought back by Kommo-o, Feng Lu felt his mind go entirely blank upon hearing the news. His very first impression of Feng Che was the youth breaking into the Johto region's Blackthorn Prison to rescue him. At the time, he hadn't felt any mystical bond of blood—likely because the sheer terror and adrenaline of the escape had overridden everything else.
"Damn it... My own flesh and blood, and I didn't even recognize him."
Feng Lu hung his head, utterly overcome with shame.
"Alright, now that the boy is found, we just need to get your wife back and your family will be whole again," Vio barked. Now that he had his grandson back, his only son seemed entirely disposable. In fact, he looked upon Feng Lu with deep annoyance. "Wipe away those tears. Your son is currently fighting for the very destiny of our clan. Do not dare drag him down."
He then fixed a stern, unyielding glare on Feng Lu. "The single most correct thing you have ever done in your life was fathering such an incredible son. But remember this: you have not raised him for a single day. Do not put on fatherly airs in front of him—you don't deserve to."
Feng Lu's face flushed a deep crimson under Vio's harsh scolding, caught in a tempest of emotion and acute humiliation.
On the battlefield, the massive Fire Blast completely swallowed Vanilluxe. With a deafening roar, the kanji-shaped inferno detonated, scattering countless blazing fireballs across the sky. Yet, as the smoke cleared, Vanilluxe materialized once more—its physical volume having inexplicably doubled.
"Look at the sky! The number of Vanilluxe is growing. It's cloning itself!"
"You're right, it's multiplying!"
"The temperature in the air is plummeting!"
The crowd watched in awe as the bubbling, flowing magma beneath Incineroar's feet began to rapidly harden and solidify. A dense blizzard blanketed the terrain, accumulating into a thick layer of snow within seconds.
The tide of battle had abruptly turned.
"Hahaha! My Vanilluxe has the cellular tissue of Kyurem integrated into its very being!" the Second Elder cackled gleefully. "This is the ultimate Ice-type Pokémon engineered by my laboratory! Obliterate them, Vanilluxe!"
An immense deluge of absolute-zero frost billowed from Vanilluxe's bodies, the freezing front so severe it nearly locked Incineroar flat against the ground.
"Hahaha! Surrender, Feng Che! My Vanilluxe carries the legacy of a Legendary Pokémon!" The Second Elder's eyes gleamed with pure malice.
"To think the Second Elder's lab went as far as experimenting on Kyurem's cells..."
"How many Pokémon did he have to torture and sacrifice to successfully splice Kyurem's DNA into a Vanilluxe?"
"The old man always kept such a low profile, yet he was hiding a trump card like this."
The clan members murmured anxiously among themselves. With the power of a Legendary Pokémon backing Vanilluxe, they feared Feng Che's Incineroar stood no chance.
"Haha! It just so happens my Incineroar has the legacy of a Legendary Pokémon too," Feng Che countered smoothly. "Incineroar, Primal Reversion!"
A torrent of stark white fire erupted from the ice encasing Incineroar. The boundless heat instantly reawakened the frozen landscape, shattering the frost as massive geysers of molten lava burst from the earth, roaring toward Vanilluxe.
Incineroar had transformed into a colossal magma titan, the glowing Omega symbol ($\Omega$) burning vividly across its form.
"Incineroar, use Precipice Blades!"
Incineroar slammed its foot heavily against the ground. The sea of magma surged violently, and from the molten depths, countless massive lances of solidified earth and fire erupted like tracking missiles, piercing the sky toward the sky full of Vanilluxe.
Caught completely off guard, numerous Vanilluxe clones were impaled by the fiery spires. They thrashed wildly before dissolving into puddles of melted snow, which instantly vaporized into thick plumes of steam. The horde of clones in the sky thinned out drastically.
"Curse it... That Incineroar has a Legendary legacy as well?!"
The Second Elder gripped his cane with white-knuckled intensity, the veins bulging on his hands betraying his sudden panic.
"Vanilluxe, use Sheer Cold!"
Driven to a corner, the Second Elder threw all caution to the wind, intending to force a complete turnaround with a one-hit-KO move, completely ignoring the severe, permanent damage the strain of Sheer Cold would inflict on Vanilluxe's modified body.
Hearing the frantic command, Vanilluxe knew its Trainer had lost his composure. Gritting its teeth, it dissolved its physical form entirely, transforming into a sweeping vortex of absolute-zero mist.
The freezing mist expanded rapidly across the valley. The moment it brushed against the churning magma, the molten rock instantly crystallized into dark, brittle obsidian. Even the ascending spires of Precipice Blades were frozen solid in midair, before shattering into fine, glittering dust under the extreme thermal shock.
"Incineroar, don't touch the mist directly! Channel the core energy of the magma to push it back!"
In its Primal-like state, Incineroar could endlessly draw upon the ambient heat of the earth to replenish its vitality, granting it practically limitless stamina.
The Heel Pokémon roared, opening its maw wide as rivers of liquid fire coalesced within its throat. A titanic orb of solar energy condensed, radiating the blinding brilliance of a miniature sun.
A golden-white beam of concentrated plasma tore through the air, cleanly cleaving the absolute-zero mist in two. A succession of thunderous explosions echoed through the canyon. Under the overwhelming might of the blast, the remaining ice clones shattered into countless glittering shards before vanishing entirely.
The real Vanilluxe took the brunt of the golden beam head-on. Hairline fractures Webbed rapidly across its icy body. Trembling, it turned its fading gaze toward the Second Elder, only to find nothing but cold disgust and disappointment in its Trainer's eyes.
My Trainer... looks at me as if I am an repulsive piece of trash.
Living is far too exhausting... I just want to sleep forever.
At that moment, Vanilluxe's heart completely sealed itself off. It abandoned all will to struggle. The fractures across its frame shattered completely, and it dissolved into a cloud of sparkling frost, returning to the elements.
A translucent, palm-sized crystal sphere fell gently into Feng Che's hand—a Snow Essence Bead left behind by the vanishing Pokémon. Concurrently, the Poké Ball on the Second Elder's belt snapped in half with a sharp crack, falling uselessly to the dirt.
"You are indeed capable, Feng Che. You actually destroyed a tool I spent so much effort perfecting," the Second Elder laughed maniacally, showing a complete lack of grief or remorse for Vanilluxe's demise. To him, a Pokémon was merely an instrument. Its only value lay in its utility. Nothing more.
"Let me reiterate this once more," Feng Che's voice rang out across the valley, commanding the attention of every soul present. "Pokémon and humans are companions meant to coexist and grow alongside each other!"
"They are not tools. A human must treat their Pokémon with absolute sincerity. To support and elevate one another—that is the true essence of the bond between Trainer and Pokémon!"
Feng Che looked upon the gathered crowd, his voice hardening. "If I am chosen as the next clan leader, I will make it an absolute law that no one is permitted to abandon their Pokémon. If a Pokémon lacks talent, the clan will provide resources. If it falls ill or suffers injuries, the clan will provide medical care."
"Any member of the Dragon Clan who dares look down upon or cast aside their own Pokémon can prepare themselves to be stripped of their name and exiled from this clan."
"That is my absolute condition before I ever take the throne. If any of you object to it, feel free to try and overthrow me."
Feng Che's icy, piercing gaze swept over the crowd. Beneath the suffocating weight of his presence, the members of the Dragon Clan lowered their heads one by one, utterly silent, none daring to meet his eyes.