Dragon Village Of The Heartless

Despite their limited intelligence, the Magikarp possessed a primal instinct for danger. They recognized that the rapidly descending figure would perish if it struck the water's surface.

"Karp…"

The Magikarp leaped higher than before, though not as high as it had hoped. As it plummeted back towards the water, the Magikarp knew the falling figures' chances of survival were slim. Yet, with a burst of speed, it dove to the bottom of the stream, only to swiftly rocket back up, its body slicing through the surface as it practically flew. This time, the Magikarp reached even higher, its form beginning to elongate in a flash of light.

…

The boy's blurry eyes could not discern what was happening around him, even as he fell. Though he knew he was plummeting, he could not bring himself to scream, his body seemingly shutting down. As he descended, the boy's thoughts turned to the Rite of Passage and the older man Calix's words, which now held new meaning. He understood why so many had failed to return from this trial.

Death.

The Rite of Passage challenged Nanuq's strategic thinking and ability to survive in the Pokemon world, fraught with internal and external dangers. Calix's words echoed incessantly in Nanuq's mind, causing him to bitterly curse his impulsiveness as well as the hardships of his short life, largely stemming from the tumultuous relationship between his village and the other dragon clans.

As Nanuq plummeted, he closed his eyes and accepted his inevitable fate. In his final moments, his mind did not replay his life's events but instead focused on the cherished memories of his grandparents–the only ones who had ever shown him love and comfort. With a small, bittersweet smile, Nanuq embraced the peace of his approaching death.

The boy's eyes shot open at the reverberant howl of a mighty beast. To his surprise, he found himself lying atop a magnificent creature. As his emerald gaze swept across its body, he marveled at the beautiful, overlapping white scales. The sight of this obvious Pokémon immediately banished the boy's previous sense of sickness.

Nanuq and the Pokémon soared upward, but then Nanuq jumped off, landing on the grass below. As Nanuq looked up, he caught his breath. He recognized this Pokémon from his studies in the village library–it was a Gyarados, an extremely formidable creature known for its destructive tendencies. However, what surprised Nanuq was that this Gyarados was not the traditional blue color but rather a striking white with cream-colored spots and a single white barbel on each side of its face.

"A white Gyarados?" Nanuq couldn't help but marvel at this beauty before him. His thoughts about the Deino are a mere fleeting dream. "You saved me…"

The Gyarados, as if understanding the teen's words, nodded its massive head. This particular Gyarados was an imposing sight, standing nearly 25 feet tall with a remarkably prominent head crest that seemed to radiate a captivating, crystal-like yellow glow–a feature far more pronounced than that of its peers. The sheer scale and majestic presence of this towering, serpentine Pokémon was truly awe-inspiring, normally reaching heights of around 6.5 meters or 21 feet.

"I see…" Nanuq was at a loss for words before he released a shaky breath. "You…you're not like the other Gyarados, that much is certain. Are you shiny, I heard stories about some Pokemon appearing with a different set of colors than the norm…but you feel extremely different than that."

The Gyarados remained silent, almost docile in the face of Nanuq, who was expecting it to suddenly enter a fit of rage. Nanuq clenched his hands, remembering his close call with death. He owed his life to this Gyarados. 

"Listen, Gyarados, you saved my life, as such, I'm indebted to you. I know this may be a selfish request, but what if you become my partner? I think that if we team up, we can show our strength to everyone else!"

Gyarados raised a non-existent brow, feeling the intensity in the teenager's words, it slightly resonated with it. The Gyarados nodded its head and lowered its head for Nanuq to jump on, the teenager hesitated for a moment before he jumped on it. 

"Head to the nearby village, that's my home!"

The Gyarados grunted, complying with the command.

…

In the village, Calix sat cross-legged at the front gate, an apple in hand. He raised it to his lips, savoring the juicy crunch as he took a bite. Calix expected the youths to complete their Rite of Passage within the usual few days.

"Ha, those brats will probably bite off more than they can chew, it usually happens," Calix said with a snort, his indifference on whether the teenagers survived or not was not his concern. 

The village of Anguis only allowed the strong to make decisions, just like dragon Pokemon, they were quite prideful and didn't take kindly to disrespect and any weakness. As such, the children were indoctrinated with the mindset that strength is superior. The Rite of Passage played into more of this, letting the teenagers experience their hubris, and only by surviving such a trial will their arrogance be justifiable. 

Callix was one of the few clansmen to pass the Rite Of Passage at the age of 11, while most didn't until they were about 15 or even 18 at the latest. It showed that everyone wasn't equal, just like the system in play in the village. Callix's tattoo was a bloody red, the marking of high status within the clan. His voice and actions played a crucial part in the council's decisions. 

He couldn't help but snicker to himself, thinking about how only ten teenagers would return. Now, you may be asking, what do the parents think of this? Well, they didn't fare much better. If their child failed, it just meant they were weak and needed to be reeducated. The parents would send their child back to the training camp until they passed the Rite Of Passage, some even go as far as to disown their child, not wanting to be around failures.

This is one of the many reasons the Village Of Anguis was notorious for its cruel and heartless individuals, being regarded as the "Dragon Village Of The Heartless."

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