"You doubt the word of dragons?! You doubt the word of the Alpha Moon-Dragon, Lucarios?!"
The skies shook and thunder clashed, causing hairline fractures to ripple across the ground and reveal the millions of slumbering earth serpents below.
Guo-Li stood tall, "No. I doubt the word of man."
All of the dragons suddenly turned and faced him.
"What are you saying, Elf?" Lucarios questioned as his wings settled against his scaled back.
"I'm saying, I don't see any of this as a curse. I come here requesting to be made like you. Not purely for power, but so I may form stronger bonds with my future tamed beasts. Our world functions on strength, but it does just as much on unity. Something we once had." Guo-Li explained.
"You think being made to a monster is a gift? Man will shun you, fool." Lucarios snorted white fire.
"I think man has shunned me the moment I was born here anyway. I'm an Elf. I'm weak. All I have is my sword and my flute. No claws, no venomous fangs. No towering height. I'm just me. And even then."
Lucarios seemed to consider his words, "Even then…. Hmmm…"
"Together, we can remind the rest of the worlds what they lost when they abandoned you!" Guo-Li preached, "I scowered the many ancient libraries of my home villages and cities. I know your strength. I know you were hard to tame because you wanted us to progress. An endless challenge births endless ascent. I follow the doctrine of the dragon. It's what brought me here. To you. Let me share with the rest of the worlds. Let us be reborn!"
Lucarios was silent. He crouched low so he could come face to face— sort of, with Guo-Li. His breath smelled like fire and midnight winds. Rich and smoldering and breathtaking like the rest of him. Each scale glimmered with starlight like the night sky above, making him near invisible in flight.
But now, he was grounded and in thought.
He rose up and looked back at his family dragons.
They nodded and took their seats.
Lucarios turned back to Guo-Li, "Ok, elf. Make this…. curse, your gift. The first willing dracomancer in five hundred years. This should be interesting."
"It'll be amazing." Guo-Li thought to himself.
"But be warned. It has been long since Psionic Bonds have been formed with Dragons. You'll struggle. But if your words were true, then it'll be worth it. If not, then you'll know this gift as the worst curse ever made. Understand."
Guo-Li bowed to the Dragons, "I am ready, Master Lucarios."
"And so am I. Sedimon, step forward!"
The field of dragons split, giving way to a much smaller and meeker looking dragon. Not even a Lunar-Dragon. He was round and covered in stony blemished scales with brown reptillian eyes and moss on his claws.
"A stone-dragon? The weakest variant!?" Guo-Li thought, "Wait? Are you not going to share your power with me, Master Lucarios?"
The dragon shook his head, "I am wild incarnate. The moon speaks through me. You're not ready. It's like I said. A struggle. To prepare your PsyQi for Alpha Draconic Bonding, you have to start simple."
Sedimon barked from a crunchy throat. He was the same size as a horse. He didn't even have wings. Most likely his genes were predominantly belonging to Drakes.
"I can't get first place in the entrance games as a stone variant Weredragon!" Guo-Li panicked.
"You said you were ready. Do you change your mind?" Lucarios questioned, seemingly enjoying the shock on Guo-Li's face.
He was a fool to not consider that even when on their side, the dragons would poke and lash out at him for humanities abandoning them.
"I'll withstand it. Even with a mere stone-dragon, Sedimon is still a dragon." Guo-Li approached the stone drake and held out a hand as he bowed. Proper procedure with the Royal reptiles.
Sedimon took heavy steps forward and scented his hand. When he exhaled, tiny stones fell into Guo-Li's palm.
He stood and faced the dragon, "I think you for choosing me."
"Grumble….crunch-grumble." Sedimon said.
"I know you didn't specifically choose me, but that's not the point." Guo-Li said as his cheeks reddened and the other dragons laughed.
"Very well. Prepare for power, elf." Lucarios said.
Guo-Li stood tall.
"Sedimon, take to the skies!"
The stone dragon sprouted wings made of pure lunar-magic and flew straight upward. Once he was directly under the moon, he spun and his stone scales began to glow until he was a spinning ball of essence.
The clouds collected above him.
Lightning flashed like a cattle prod, pinning Sedimon in his energetic form and slamming him into Guo-Li.
He braced himself.
The pain was like no other.
He could only hope for something remotely similar for the power.
Lucarios' voice echoed in his mind for a time after.
"Through you, we will be reborn. And through us, you will be the strongest!"