Taking over the Flygon's territory, Julian pulled out his lunch from the system space and quickly took a few bites, while Dragonite was happily munching on energy cubes.
There was no need to worry about attacks from other Dragon-type Pokémon.
Adult Dragon Pokémon all had their own territories. If a stranger intruded, the territory's owner would see it as a provocation.
The midday sun shone down, but Julian didn't feel hot. In fact, the temperature in the Dragon's Den Secret Realm stayed around 20°C year-round.
There were no distinct seasons of extre heat or cold, making it an ideal environnt for most Dragon-types.
"Let's go—ti to climb Dragon Mountain"
Julian said, mounting Dragonite and pointing toward the massive peak ahead. The mountain's summit was so tall that nearly two-thirds of it disappeared into the clouds.
This towering mountain stood at the center of the Dragon's Den Secret Realm. While the number of Dragon-type Pokémon living there was relatively low, their strength was unparalleled.
Anyone who entered the Dragon's Den Secret Realm would eventually make their way to Dragon Mountain.
Because at its summit lay the most prized treasure of the entire secret realm—the Dragon Pool.
The Dragon Pool was the core treasure of this secret realm.
Any Dragon-type Pokémon that bathed in its waters would undergo a profound transformation, as if reborn.
However, reaching the Dragon Pool was no easy task. The difficulty was nothing short of hellish.
Even getting close to Dragon Mountain was a challenge.
Mid-flight, a Salance appeared, blocking Dragonite's path.
Julian and Dragonite were still about 100 kiloters away from Dragon Mountain. This Salance was the third Pokémon to challenge them.
The previous two challengers had been an Altaria and a Noivern. All three were at the early Elite level, including this Salance.
In less than a day, along with the gatekeeper Tyrantrum, Julian had encountered four Elite-level Pokémon.
Elite-level Pokémon were rare sights in the outside world, yet the Dragon's Den Secret Realm made Julian feel like they were as common as weeds.
In reality, the Dragon's Den Secret Realm had the highest number of Elite-level Pokémon among the 18 advanced special secret realms of Drakoria.
This was largely because most pseudo-legendary Pokémon were Dragon-types, and Dragon Pokémon generally lived much longer than most other types.
Many Dragon Pokémon could easily live for several hundred years, and it wasn't uncommon to find those over a thousand years old.
This long lifespan was leagues beyond short-lived types like Bug Pokémon.
With such long lifespans, Dragon Pokémon naturally grew powerful.
Anything tied to ti would improve as the years passed. Even the weakest Pokémon could beco exceptional with enough ti.
Salance: 'I just want either to beat you or get beaten by you.'
Dragonite: 'Hold on.'
As Dragonite landed, Julian climbed off its back. Staying on during battle would not only hinder Dragonite's performance but also put Julian's safety at serious risk.
The mont Julian's feet touched the ground, Salance opened its mouth and unleashed a Hydro Pump, targeting both Dragonite and Julian.
"Extre Speed, now!"
Dragonite vanished in an instant, leaving the spot just as the Hydro Pump blasted through it. However, while Dragonite was gone, Julian was still standing right where the attack was aid.
Although the Hydro Pump didn't hit him directly, even its shockwave could be fatal for a human.
A flicker of hesitation crossed Salance's eyes—it hadn't intended to kill the human.
At that mont, Dragonite suddenly reappeared on Salance's left side, its fist crackling with electricity.
With a loud "boom", Dragonite's Thunder Punch landed squarely on Salance's face, sending its body flying over a hundred ters.
The trajectory of Salance's Hydro Pump shifted as it was knocked away, cutting down dozens of trees and leaving a trench several ters wide and tens of ters deep in the ground.
Julian looked at the trench, less than half a ter from where he stood, and felt a cold sweat trickle down his face.
"Damn, that was too close," he muttered.
Without the protection of a Pokémon by his side, even with his ga Pallet Town physique, he wouldn't survive such an attack.
And he wasn't about to test that theory—trying it out would an dying.
"ROAR!"
Salance shook its head, the aftermath of Dragonite's Thunder Punch leaving its jaw numb. Flapping its wings, it darted toward Dragonite, its claws glowing a vibrant green.
Dragon Claw tore through the air, producing a sharp, whistling sound.
Dragonite, unwilling to back down, t Salance's Dragon Claw with one of its own.
The two Pokémon clashed mid-air, their claws colliding in a series of explosive strikes. The overwhelming Dragon energy radiating from their battle created shockwaves that bent the trees below them.
Salance was different from the Tyrantrum, Altaria, and Noivern Julian had encountered earlier. Although it was also an early Elite-level Pokémon, Salance was a pseudo-legendary.
Among Dragon-types, pseudo-legendaries had the purest bloodlines, allowing them to unleash strength far beyond that of other non-pseudo Dragon Pokémon.
With a loud "boom", their Dragon Claws collided in a final explosive clash. Neither side seed to gain the upper hand.
As the explosion rippled outward, Salance quickly retreated, avoiding the explosion and debris. But Dragonite pressed forward instead of pulling back.
With a powerful flap of its wings, Dragonite executed Dragon Rush, its form becoming a blur as it surged through the explosion toward Salance.
The fiery aftermath of their earlier clash was scattered by Dragonite's Dragon Rush.
Salance's vision was obscured by the lingering smoke and flas, and it hadn't anticipated that Dragonite would choose to attack rather than retreat.
'Doesn't it realize that such an aggressive move risks injury as well?'
Dragon Rush couldn't completely shield Dragonite from the damage caused by the explosion, but it didn't care.
In the blink of an eye, Dragon Rush struck Salance head-on. The imnse impact and the overwhelming Dragon energy forced a pained scream from Salance.
It felt as if its bones had shattered under the blow.
The intense pain robbed it of control over its body, sending it plumting from hundreds of ters in the air.
But Dragonite wasn't finished yet.
Its body bore dark scorch marks, remnants of damage from the explosion it had just powered through.
Despite its seemingly bulky fra, its speed was jaw-dropping.
In a single breath, Dragonite positioned itself above Salance, raising its shimring silver tail before slamming it down.
Though Salance's body was immobilized, it could still move its mouth.
With a desperate effort, it fired a Dragon Pulse, aiming to intercept Dragonite's Iron Tail.
But Dragonite's Iron Tail sliced through the Dragon Pulse like a sharp scalpel, splitting the energy attack in half under Salance's horrified gaze.
Without losing montum, the Iron Tail struck Salance squarely on the head.
"Boom!"
Salance's body plumted to the ground, the impact causing a massive crater several hundred ters wide.
The surrounding earth fractured and crumbled, and at the center of the crater was a depression dozens of ters deep.
Even after enduring such a devastating blow, Salance had not lost its will to fight. Slowly, it began to rise from the pit.
But its fate was already sealed.
What awaited Salance wasn't the dawn of victory but Dragonite's chilling Ice Beam.
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