Chapter Thirty: Savage Fangs and Chaotic Crimson Threads!

Exploring the forest once again with Dewleaf, Su Yi discovered traces of many old friends: the Brutejaw Dragon, the Thunderjaw Dragon, the Dire Fang Dragon, and even the Rathian. Clearly, the brief arrival of the Steel Dragon had not disrupted their lives, though subtle changes were quietly unfolding.

Entering the dense woods, towering and lush trees blotted out the sky, providing cool shade for creatures to rest. Agile Archeopteryx glided playfully between the trunks. Su Yi and his party also took refuge here to escape the impending midday heat.

However, this place had already received other visitors.

“What a massive creature, meow! What kind of monster is that, meow?!”

The thick undergrowth blocked their view, and it wasn’t until they got closer that Dewleaf realized a gigantic beast was not far from them.

Resting in the shadows of the forest, the beast stood upright on two legs, its feet shaped like hooves, forelimbs small, its body covered in thick white fur, and a pair of antlers resembling moose antlers jutting out like shovels.

“It’s the Bovine! The Bullfang Dragon!” Su Yi whispered.

Though called a bull, the Bullfang Dragon’s head actually resembled a deer more.

As a herbivore, the Bullfang Dragon wouldn’t attack hunters unprovoked, but anyone who irritated it would find the beast transforming into a living bulldozer, turning everything nearby into chaos with its massive antlers.

Because the Bullfang Dragon was widespread, and in its rage would turn everything around it into a battlefield, hunters had dubbed it the “New Lawman of the Tundra.”

Yet Su Yi couldn’t help but wonder: why did a thick-furred creature, clearly suited for snowy tundra, appear all over the New World—sometimes even in the molten, geothermal regions of the Elder’s Recess?

At this moment, the Bullfang Dragon was cooling off in the shade, drinking from a small puddle where cool water trickled down from the ancient forest above.

Moo-oom!

Having drunk its fill, the Bullfang Dragon turned around, its colossal frame trembling the earth with each step.

“It’s looking at us, meow!” Dewleaf whispered nervously.

“Relax, aibo, don’t be tense,” Su Yi soothed Dewleaf, gently reaching into his backpack and pulling out a can of Pokémon food.

“Moo-oom?” The Bullfang Dragon eyed these strange, diminutive creatures before it, curiosity softening its vigilance.

Su Yi scattered some Pokémon food on the ground, then, under the watchful eyes of the Bullfang Dragon, picked up a piece and ate it noisily, chewing and swallowing.

“Moo-oom?” The Bullfang Dragon seemed to understand. It bent its head, extended its tongue, and licked up a few morsels, cautiously chewing.

The Pokémon food was actually meant for Chansey and Fennekin, with a mild, plant-based flavor, but most importantly, it was filling.

After sampling a bit, the Bullfang Dragon decided it tasted quite good and, sensing no danger, finished off the rest.

Su Yi watched from the side, not daring to reach out and touch the beast—after all, one could never be sure what might provoke a bull. Observing from a distance was wise enough.

But just as Su Yi was feeding the Bovine, uninvited guests arrived.

A ferocious roar shook the forest, and the Bullfang Dragon abruptly lifted its head, shifting from a leisurely meal to a state of tense agitation.

“That obnoxious roar again,” Su Yi muttered, quickly pulling Dewleaf into the underbrush.

Striding into the dense woods came the forest’s black-furred marauder. The two giant beasts instantly spotted one another, exchanging threatening growls.

“Oh boy, the Brutejaw’s bad temper is about to meet the Bullfang’s stubbornness,” Su Yi shrank further into the bushes, preparing to enjoy the show.

But things didn’t unfold as he hoped.

As the tension between the two monsters sizzled, another roar echoed from the opposite direction.

Surprisingly, it was the Brutejaw Dragon, not the Bullfang, that reacted most strongly.

It glared toward the source of the sound. Amid the thunderous roar came the crackling of electricity. From the shadows of the trees, flashes of lightning flickered, revealing the newcomer.

This beast was identical in form to the Brutejaw Dragon, yet its head and neck bore orange stripes like a tiger, while its chest and belly were white with black stripes, resembling a white tiger. Its fur shimmered with sparks of electricity.

“It’s the Brutejaw’s subspecies, the Thunderjaw Dragon! Wonderful, both the forest’s brute and the tundra’s terror have gathered here,” Su Yi marveled. The ancient forest was about to become livelier than ever.

Roars filled the air as the two rivals confronted each other. Unlike the Bullfang, the Brutejaw and Thunderjaw Dragons were fierce competitors for territory and resources, regarding each other as a greater threat than the Bullfang.

“Fight! Fight!” Su Yi whispered excitedly from his hiding spot.

“Su Yi, meow, maybe we should just leave, meow,” Dewleaf urged nervously, fearing they’d be caught in the crossfire.

In the woods, both monsters assumed their full battle stances. The Brutejaw and Thunderjaw Dragons raised their nasal crests and spread their heat membranes, making themselves appear even more formidable. The Brutejaw’s throat glowed with fire, flames flickering between its fangs.

The Thunderjaw Dragon’s display was even more spectacular: lightning danced beneath its fur, its heat membranes lit up with jagged patterns, and both its gaping jaws and erect nasal crest glowed with dazzling electricity—especially striking beneath the shadowy canopy.

The two savage beasts, defending their claim to the forest, charged at each other with thunderous steps. With a resounding crash, the impact rattled eardrums and made hearts race. They locked necks and heads in a brutal contest of strength, thick legs trampling the ground, and their lashing tails splintered trees with every swing.

The Bullfang Dragon was left dumbfounded. Seeing the two monsters locked in such a fierce struggle and ignoring it entirely, the well-fed Bullfang lost all interest in fighting and quickly left the woods.

The battle escalated rapidly. Amid bursts of fire and lightning, the Brutejaw and Thunderjaw Dragons tore into each other with savage bites. Blood and roars filled the air.

“It’s time to go,” Su Yi said decisively, seeing that the battle was intensifying and the combatants were starting to destroy everything around them.

Su Yi and Dewleaf quickly slipped away from the uproarious woods, battered by the rampaging monsters.

But they hadn’t gone far when another dreadful roar echoed above.

“What now?” Su Yi looked up, seeing through the thick canopy a crimson figure streaking across the sky, followed by a green one; in the distance, a cerulean shape flickered through the trees.

An angry roar resounded through the ancient forest.

“The Rathian couple, fighting the Azure Rathalos?” Su Yi hurried out of the forest, arriving at the coastal plain beyond.

Clear of the trees, he could see it plainly: the Rathian pair were joining forces to besiege the Azure Rathalos, a subspecies of the Rathalos.

“This is the true disaster brought by Elder Dragons!” Watching the proliferation of subspecies and the chaotic forest, Su Yi couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

If such monsters appeared near human settlements, life would have become unbearable for the people there. This lively forest, for all its excitement, was certainly not the right place for a leisurely exploration.