A future... Hydreigon?
Beneath the shimmering glow of a massive crystal pillar, a mechanical dragon slowly approached.
Its three necks radiated an eerie, flowerlike starlight, and two long pinkish-purple stripes marked its belly.
"Rrr-roar!"
The blend of electronic sound and beastly roar sounded a little strange.
Nemona exclaimed, "It looks so much like one! If it didn't make noise or glow—"
Not even close.
To Baimu, who knew Hydreigon well, the differences from the real thing were obvious, especially the heads on either side.
They were even detached from its body, floating alongside it.
Baimu opened the Violet Book and tossed a Poké Ball forward.
Pop!
"Zhraaar~"
Hydreigon appeared. It froze briefly at the sight of the approaching "creature," then gave an angry growl.
The sheer audacity of the imitation infuriated it.
But the other Pokémon seemed provoked too. It beat its mechanical, blade-like wings and closed the considerable distance between them in an instant!
"Zhraaar!"
Hydreigon flew forward without backing down.
At the same time,
Baimu found its name in the Violet Book. "Iron Jugulis... Sounds like it belongs at the same table as Iron Head Shell."
The Ancient Pokémon's names might not be particularly good, but at least they sounded fairly normal.
Scream Tail, Brute Bonnet, Sandy Shocks...
Why did every Future Pokémon have to be called Iron something?
Oh, right.
There was also Iron Serpent.
He turned to look at Miraidon. It was craning its neck to watch the scene ahead, and confusion flickered across its high-definition electronic eyes when it noticed his gaze.
"Gah?"
"Nothing."
Baimu turned back as Penny and Arven cried out beside him.
"Huh?"
"Why is it—"
Iron Jugulis had approached Hydreigon without attacking. Instead, it circled Hydreigon, fluttering up and down like a butterfly.
"Rrr-roar~ Rrr-roar~"
"Zhra..."
The Dragon Flame rising from