Even the system store didn't have any items to change a Pokémon's ability, and if such an item existed, it would likely be ridiculously expensive, something you could only look at without affording.
As Dragonite landed, it immediately caught the attention of the Vigoroth. The Slakoth and Slaking noticed as well but didn't make any moves.
Although there were nearly ten thousand Slakoth, the Vigoroth were much fewer, probably only around three or four hundred.
Both Metagross and Dragonite exuded the aura of pseudo-Elite-level, making the Vigoroth hesitate to approach.
The three rare candies Julian previously obtained could only be used by Pokémon below pseudo-Elite level, so he had Dragonite consume them all. Its level rose from 58 to 61, making it Julian's third pseudo-Elite Pokémon.
Julian then released Aron and Growlithe.
Aron was currently level 28, and Growlithe was at level 29.
Julian then took a bunch of Nanab Berries out from the system storage. From what he knew, these berries weren't available in this advanced secret realm.
"Send two of your Pokémon over to battle mine. Whether they win or lose, they'll receive a bunch of Nanab Berries," Julian said to the group of Vigoroth before him.
The Vigoroth looked agitated, scratching their heads uncomfortably. They wanted to rush over and just grab the berries, but they held back, intimidated by the aura of Metagross and Dragonite.
Slaking, the group leaders, wouldn't move unless there was a real threat.
After some discussion, two Vigoroth stepped forward. Both were level 29, making them perfect opponents for Growlithe and Aron.
"Let's begin," Julian said.
Growlithe and Aron charged at their respective opponents without waiting for any commands from Julian, relying entirely on their own abilities.
After all, the main purpose of coming here was for training and leveling up, so there was no need for commands. It was best to let them perform freely.
Inside Growlithe's body, the Fire Crystal, a precious fire-type resource, was still being absorbed. However, for Growlithe to fully absorb the crystal, it would likely have to reach pseudo-Elite level first.
The Fire Crystal was continuously absorbed, gradually turning Growlithe's fur red. When it ran, sparks flickered from its fur.
As a top-tier fire-type treasure, the Fire Crystal could enhance the essence of fire, making even a basic Flamethrower potentially cause a burn status on the targeted Pokémon.
Combined with resources Julian had purchased from the system, Growlithe's base stats in all six areas were steadily rising.
In terms of potential, the Growlithe with the Fire Crystal was second only to Metagross and Meltan.
Another of Julian's Pokémon, Aron, had the soul of Totem, making it a Totem Pokémon. Normally, an Aron would be only about 0.4 meters tall.
Julian's Aron was already 1.4 meters tall, the same height as the Vigoroth in front of it.
It regularly consumed rough diamond ores, making its armor frighteningly hard.
When a Vigoroth clawed at it, it couldn't leave a single scratch; instead, it ended up breaking its own claw.
Even if Aron stood still, the Vigoroth couldn't harm it.
The imposing steel barrier of an Aggron was already apparent in this Aron.
In less than a minute, the two Vigoroth were defeated.
Julian kept his word and rewarded them with two hands of Nanab Berries.
(T/N: a cluster of banana is called a hand, a single banana is called a finger)
Instead of keeping the berries for themselves, they shared them with their companions nearby.
Tasting the Nanab Berry for the first time, which perfectly suited their taste buds, the Vigoroth who got to eat it were thrilled.
They almost started fighting each other for the next two spots.
"Defeat them, and you'll get two hands," Julian announced.
To fuel the Vigoroth's enthusiasm, Julian deliberately increased the reward.
The battles continued from morning until five in the afternoon, with Julian losing count of how many matches Growlithe and Aron had fought.
Both of their levels increased: Growlithe went from level 29 to level 32, while Aron rose from level 28 to level 31.
Aron was now just one level away from evolving.
Compared to Growlithe, whose stamina was running low, Aron's strong defenses meant it still had plenty of energy.
"Growlithe, come back"
Julian called, seeing that it had just defeated yet another Vigoroth.
If Growlithe kept spouting flames, it might end up straining its vocal cords.
Growlithe's battles were nowhere near as effortless as Aron's. Aron's size and weight made each blow overpowering, with no Vigoroth able to withstand a single hit.
"Here, eat this to restore some stamina."
Julian placed energy cubes and water in front of Growlithe. Since morning, they had been battling continuously without any breaks.
Though tired, the benefits were obvious. Along with its level increase, Growlithe was also absorbing the Fire Crystal in its body at a slightly faster rate.
However, as Growlithe regained some stamina, its absorption rate of the Fire Crystal would gradually return to normal.
"Let's have ten of you go at once."
Sending them one by one didn't seem to help Aron break past its level cap, so Julian decided to up the challenge.
After spending most of the day together, the Vigoroth, who had initially fought just for the berries, were now fighting for their pride.
Vigoroth: Enough is enough! After beating so many of us, don't we deserve some dignity too?
Soon, ten Vigoroth surrounded Aron. Since Julian gave them the option to not fight fair, they saw no reason to hold back either.
Headbutts, Karate Chops, Fury Swipes, Arm Hammers and other attacks kept raining down on Aron, which stood there like an immovable sandbag, taking each hit head-on.
Quantitative change eventually lead to qualitative change. With Aron having fought for a long time already, and now facing ten Vigoroth at once, marks and scratches started to appear on Aron's tough shell.
"Aron!"
Aron felt the pain, but it only fueled its ferocity.
With an Iron Head, it countered a Vigoroth's Karate Chop, sending it flying in the next instant.
Metal Claw sent three more Vigoroth soaring.
Rock Smash took down two additional Vigoroth.
However, one Vigoroth managed to land a Brick Break on Aron's back armor, creating a crack through which flesh and blood could be seen.
Blood trickled from the crack.
The remaining four Vigoroth, their eyes bloodshot, felt humiliated—ten against one, and six of them were already down. No matter what, they were determined to bring Aron to its knees.
"Aron!"
The searing pain in its back stung deeply. Aron had never suffered such a severe injury since it was born.
But Aron didn't look to Julian for help. Its gaze remained fixed on the four remaining Vigoroth, and it felt a new surge of energy building inside, though something was blocking it.
This frustrated Aron. It was going to break through that thing, it was going to fight, it was going to knock down the four Vigoroth standing before it.
As the last Vigoroth fell, Aron let out a cry, and in the next moment, a bright white light enveloped it.
"It's evolving."
Seeing this, Julian clenched his fist lightly and murmured to himself, feeling that the day had not been wasted.
He had spent over 3,000 points just on those bananas, but Aron's evolution made it all worthwhile.
When the light faded, there stood Lairon, now towering even taller than an average Aggron.
Standing before it, Julian felt like an ordinary person next to Shaquille O'Neal.
If it evolved into an Aggron next, its size would probably be beyond massive—a true prehistoric beast.
"Meltan!~"
Meltan was ecstatic, even more thrilled than Julian. It shot forward in a flash, aiming for Aron's shed armor.
For Meltan, who loved eating metal, Aron's old armor was the ultimate delicacy, and now it was finally his to savor.
But before it could take a bite, Lairon nudged Meltan away and began eating its own shed armor bit by bit.
"Meltan!~"
Bast***d! No way!
Meltan looked outraged and tried to lunge back at the armor, only to be picked up by Julian as it struggled.
"Here."
Julian handed a piece of rare metal from the system shop to Meltan.
"Eat this. the armor is for Lairon."
With its trainer's instruction, Meltan reluctantly accepted, though it looked disappointed.
Aron's armor contained concentrated metal nutrients it had consumed in its previous form. Eating it now would allow Lairon to reabsorb those nutrients.
Giving it to Meltan would have been wasteful.
After finishing its armor, Lairon stomped heavily to Julian's side.
"Well done."
Julian used to be able to pat Aron on the head, but now he could only pat Lairon on the side.
"Lairon~"
After evolving, Lairon's personality had become much more composed, no longer as lively as when it was an Aron.
Pokémon often experience personality changes after evolution, and in extreme cases, it can feel like they have a completely new character.
Pokémon: Lairon (Steel/Rock)
Level: 32
Potential: Blue
Ability: Heavy Metal
Item: Metal Coat
Gender: Male
Moves: Roar, Tackle, Harden, Headbutt, Protect, Rock Tomb, Metal Claw, Earth Power, Iron Head
Disc Moves: Earthquake, Sandstorm, Dig, Shock Wave, Rock Slide, Rock Smash, Water Pulse
Genetic Moves: Stomp, Heavy Slam, Endeavor, Dragon Rush
--
With Lairon's evolution complete, Julian's attention shifted to Meltan, who was happily munching on metal. Not long ago, it had been picky about the metal, but now it was eating it with obvious enjoyment.
Sensing Julian's gaze, Meltan paused, looking at him curiously.
"Meltan, do you want to evolve?" Julian asked.
He had already collected the 400 Meltan candies needed for its evolution.
The reason he hadn't evolved Meltan yet was partly because Melmetal's presence would be too conspicuous. Melmetal was a Steel-type mythical Pokémon exclusive to secret realm of Wyvernia, and having it appear in Drakoria could cause international issues.
The other reason was that little Meltan's size was just too cute.
"Meltan!~"
Meltan nodded eagerly.
It had long wanted to evolve! It had watched as Beldum evolved into Metagross, Riolu into Lucario, Dratini into Dragonite, and now even Aron had evolved into Lairon.
Evolution was so exciting—how could it not want to join in?
But then Meltan looked at Julian, puzzled. It seemed unsure of how to evolve.
It couldn't evolve like Aron did with a sudden burst of light; it seemed to need something specific.
"I have a way."
Julian gently poked Meltan's soft cheek with his finger, then took out 400 Meltan candies from his system space, surrounding it with the candies.
Before Meltan could react, the familiar bright light enveloped it, even brighter than Lairon's evolution moments ago.
The other Pokémon instinctively shut their eyes from the intense glow.
Deep in a lake within the secret realm, a sleeping Elite-level Gyarados suddenly opened its eyes, sensing the surge.
In other areas, several Elite-tier Pokémon felt a powerful life force ascending to a higher level.
The white light lasted a full three minutes before finally fading.
When it cleared, a towering Melmetal stood before Julian and his Pokémon.
Melmetal's body was adorned with nine dark gray hexagonal bolts embedded or attached across its form. Golden hexagonal bolts circled its neck, with a smaller bolt serving as its head.
"Melmetal~"
Melmetal looked down, fascinated by its evolved form, and casually swung a fist, stirring up a gust of wind.
Pokémon: Melmetal (Steel)
Level: 61
Potential: Purple
Ability: Iron Fist
Held Item: None
Gender: Genderless
Moves: Harden, Thunder Shock, Headbutt, Charge Beam, Giga Impact, Thunder Punch, Acid Armor, Flash Cannon, Thunder Wave, Dynamic Punch, Protect
Disc Moves: None
Genetic Moves: None
--
Melmetal was Julian's third Pokémon, raised alongside Riolu from the time they were both still in eggs.
Although it had never been shown publicly, its spot on the team has never fallen.
When it came to resources, Metagross had the most invested in it, with Meltan coming in a close second.
As a mythical Pokémon, Julian was dedicated to training it well.
During its time as Meltan, it had a high level but couldn't learn many moves. Because of this, Julian hadn't prioritized TM moves for it.
Now, with its evolution into Melmetal, it not only knew a variety of moves, but also had the potential to learn TMs.
With its 'Iron Fist' ability, Melmetal could increase the power of its punch-based moves by 20%.
Looking at its massive fists, Julian figured that even a Blastoise's shell might crack under one of its strikes.
Melmetal sized itself up beside Lairon, holding out a fist to compare heights—though Lairon was still slightly taller, standing at 2.7 meters to Melmetal's 2.4 meters.
Of course, both were dwarfed by Steelix, the true giant of the team, with even Dragonite's nearly 3-meter height, they were unable to take even second place.
Julian pocketed his phone after recording Melmetal's evolution. He had a feeling this footage would come in handy in the future.
Melmetal kept admiring its new, bulked-up body, striking a few bodybuilding poses as it squinted its eyes with satisfaction.
Melmetal: "With this grown-up body, I'll be able to eat a lot more!"
Nearby, a group of curious Vigoroth watched Melmetal. They scratched their heads, eager to get closer, but held back, wary of the new presence.
As a mythical Pokémon, Melmetal didn't need to reach the Elite level to be considered powerful—its life force was naturally at Elite, even higher than an Articuno's.
It was almost six o'clock, and Julian decided to set up camp for the night.
He released all his Pokémon.
As Steelix, Lucario, and Slowking appeared, Melmetal eagerly ran up to them, proudly showing off its evolved form.
The three Pokémon quickly realized that their new teammate was none other than the evolved Meltan.
Upon evolution, Melmetal had shot up to pseudo-Elite directly, now surpassing even Lucario in levels.
Lucario watched Melmetal, who was playfully comparing heights with it, and thought it might just be able to shove an Aura Sphere into the hex nut on Melmetal's belly.
"Alright, that's enough. Lucario, help me set up the tent. Melmetal, you go gather some firewood" Julian called out.
Collecting firewood had always been a task for the others, but now that Meltan had evolved, it was its turn.
Melmetal patted its chest and walked over to a nearby berry tree, giving it a strong punch and knocking it down.
The nearby Vigoroth were instantly enraged, screeching at the sight of their food source being destroyed.
The commotion even roused a few Slaking from their naps, who lazily looked at Melmetal with half-open eyes.
"Melmetal, get back here! Dragonite, go and gather some firewood" Julian called, recalling Melmetal before it caused more trouble.
Melmetal came back, still carrying the fallen berry tree.
"I'll plant new berry trees for you all, including ones that bear bananas," Julian promised the agitated Vigoroth.
Since they were camping on Vigoroth territory for the night, a little goodwill gesture was only fair, especially after Melmetal had taken down one of their berry trees.
Hearing Julian's words, the Vigoroth calmed down, remembering the delicious bananas they'd just tasted.
The Slaking, reassured, also resumed their lazy slumber.
As night fell, the campfire crackled to life.
Slowking was busy preparing dinner for Julian. Although Julian had plenty of pre-made meals stored in his system space, he was more than happy to enjoy a freshly cooked meal from Slowking.
With Slowking's remarkable intelligence, its culinary skills even surpassed those of a five-star hotel chef.
Fortunately, Julian's Mega Pallet Town's physique prevented him from gaining weight easily. Otherwise, with Slowking's meals, he would have likely gained ten extra pounds by now.
Julian also prepared food for his Pokémon.
Lairon, who had used up a lot of energy today and just evolved, was especially hungry. It devoured a massive chunk of rough diamonds, almost as tall as itself, which quickly disappeared with each bite.
Since their adventure in the intermediate secret realm, where Julian had excavated several hundred tons of rough diamonds, Lairon had already eaten through about a third of it.
After evolving, Lairon's appetite had nearly increased eightfold compared to its previous form.
Julian did some quick math and realized that the remaining rough diamonds might not be enough to last until Lairon evolved into an Aggron.
Raising a Totem Pokémon was no easy task—the appetite alone was staggering.
If an ordinary Trainer tried to raise an Aggron, they'd probably have no resources left to train another Pokémon. One Aggron alone could easily eat them into bankruptcy.
The Pokémon all slept outside the tent. Even Growlithe was kicked out by Julian—its warm body was like a mini furnace, and with the current warm weather, Julian didn't want it sleeping right next to him.
The Vigoroths didn't try to disturb Julian either. After all, none of the Pokémon around the tent looked like they were too easy to mess with.
The only Pokémon that looked remotely harmless was the big bellied, yellow one with a goofy expression.
Dragonite: So... the 'harmless one' turned out to be me?
With so many Pokémon on watch, Julian drifted into a peaceful sleep.
The next morning, after completing his daily tasks and a wrestling match with Melmetal, Julian kept his promise from the previous night. He planted new berry trees for the Vigoroth, including a few nanab berry trees, before leaving their territory.
This Vigoroth tribe wasn't unfamiliar with humans. They were one of the largest groups in this advanced-level secret realm.
Many Normal-type Trainers would visit this area, hoping to find a worthwhile Slakoth, Vigoroth, or even Slaking to catch.
"Finally, something good!"
Julian's eyes lit up as he noticed a large red dot on his Dowsing Machine, standing out among the other dots around it.
"Dragonite, hold this and fly straight toward the biggest red dot"
Dragonite took the scanner, confirmed the direction, and then flapped its wings, picking up speed.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the location of the red dot.
In front of them was a mountain nearly a thousand meters high. The treasure must be somewhere inside.
"Metagross, check around the mountain to see if there are any caves" Julian said.
This mountain was home to many wild Pokémon. Destroying it would have been easy, but Julian didn't want to ruin their habitat.
It didn't take long for Metagross to return, confirming that, as expected, the mountain had many caves.
Pokémon with Ground or Rock types tended to enjoy burrowing into mountains, while others, who preferred shaded environments, also lived there.
The most common group in the caves were Zubat.
Julian chose the cave nearest to the large red dot. It was spacious, standing over three meters tall and nearly two meters wide.
As soon as they entered, a swarm of over a hundred Zubat flew out from the depths of the cave.
Dragonite swiftly unleashed a Thunderbolt, knocking down every single Zubat.
Julian scanned them with his Probing Eyes but found none with Cyan qualification, so he decided not to focus on them further.
The cave ran deep, and many more Pokémon inhabited it, including;
Geodude, Dugtrio, Sandshrew, Marowak, etc.. most at advanced level, though not in large numbers.
After all, these Pokemon didn't usually form massive groups like Zubat.
With Metagross and Dragonite leading the way, they dealt with each Pokémon effortlessly.
"Nidoking and Nidoqueen"
The deeper they ventured, the higher the levels of the Pokémon became.
The two Nidoking and Nidoqueen standing before them were already at the peak of advanced level.
Nidoking and Nidoqueen were known as a classic couple in the Pokémon world, symbolizing love and loyalty. A Nidoking would only ever love one Nidoqueen in its lifetime, and the reverse was true as well.
If one partner dies or gets captured, the other would choose to live alone for the rest of its life.
Because of this, jewelry pieces representing love often featured Nidoking and Nidoqueen, and they tended to sell better than other items.
The Nidoking and Nidoqueen roared loudly, with a Nidoran hiding behind them—it was clearly their child.
Nidoqueen was also unique among Pokémon in that its offspring didn't always follow the mother's species.
While most Pokémon inherited their mother's species and gained certain moves from the father, a Nidoqueen's offspring could be either Nidoran♀ or Nidoran♂.
This exception might be due to the fact that Nidoqueen' were 100% female, and Nidoking' 100% male.
(T/N: This is a true fact, that all other female Pokémon except Pokémon with single genders in their species, give births to the same kind no matter who the father Pokémon is)
Seeing its parents knocked out by that big-bellied Pokémon, the little Nidoran froze in shock, looking unexpectedly cute with its wide-eyed, stunned expression.
Julian walked up to it and gently poked it. Its eyes widened in surprise, and then, tilting its head, it fainted from fright.
"Do I really look that scary?"
Julian asked Metagross and Dragonite beside him.
The two Pokémon shook their heads in unison.
To them, their trainer was the most handsome in the world.
"Sure enough, it was you two made it faint" Julian remarked.
After walking another dozen meters, they reached a dead end, with the Dowsing Machine showing that the red dot was still about three hundred meters ahead.
"Lairon," Julian called.
"use Dig, forward"
Julian sent out Lairon, as the cave was too cramped for Steelix's large size.
The mountain was mostly composed of granite, which wasn't very hard; under Lairon's sharp claws, the rock crumbled like tofu.
Lairon was a digging pro, and Julian knew a thing or two about mining as well.
"Alright, Lairon, that should be enough"
They were just ten centimeters away from the red dot on the scanner.
Not wanting to risk Lairon accidentally damaging the treasure with its claws, Julian decided to dig manually.
He took out a pickaxe and struck the rock, causing a large chunk to break away.
With his superhuman strength, he could easily lift objects weighing a ton without breaking a sweat.
After all, it was confirmed that Ash picked up a Cosmoem for real.
After a few strikes, Julian saw the treasure. Carefully, he used a small chisel to free it from the surrounding rock.
The treasure was about the size of an apple, entirely yellow, with an unremarkable exterior. It looked so ordinary that if it were lying on the side of the road, no one would likely pick it up.
However, in his hand, it felt unusually heavy—this small object weighed over fifty pounds.
This item was a Hollow Stone, a rare treasure for Rock-type Pokémon. Despite its hollow interior, it was filled with concentrated Rock-type energy.
(T/N: I didn't find it, should be AU)
When consumed, it could enhance a Rock-type Pokémon's core energy and boost the power of its Rock-type moves.
Since it didn't emit any energy, Lairon showed no particular interest in it.
"Here, eat this," Julian offered.
Lairon was the only Rock-type Pokémon he had, so it was the natural choice.
Lairon swallowed the Hollow Stone obediently in one gulp, without even chewing. Given Lairon's size, the apple-sized stone was indeed too small.
With Lairon's strong digestive abilities, Julian wasn't worried about the unchewed Hollow Stone causing any trouble.
"Lairon!~"
Lairon soon looked content and comfortable, leveling up from 32 to 33.
The energy from the Hollow Stone would likely raise Lairon to around level 36 over the course of a week.
So Julian recalled it into its Poké Ball to let it digest at its own pace.
If the Hollow Stone had been three times larger, it would have provided enough energy for Lairon to evolve into its final form, Aggron, while resting.
With the treasure in hand, Julian started heading back.
On his way out, the previously fainted Nidoking and Nidoqueen had woken up but didn't attack this time.
They weren't foolish—they knew they couldn't match Julian's Dragonite, and since Julian hadn't harmed them, a second fight would only mean another defeat.
The little Nidoran had also just woken up, but when Julian turned back and smiled at it, it fainted again.
Julian: ┓( - )r
"Am I really that scary?"
Dragonite gave a goofy grin, while Metagross, though expressionless, radiated a kind of happy Aura.
Julian felt a bit angry. He was tempted to pick up Nidoran and show it his face up close—he might not be overwhelmingly handsome, but he certainly thought he had a refined look!
Once outside the cave, Julian pulled out his map. He noticed a large blue area on it—a lake that took up nearly a quarter of the map.
With such a large area, the number of Water-type Pokémon living in the lake was bound to be massive.
According to the data, an Elite Gyarados and an Elite Dewgong were both known to inhabit this lake.
The Dewgong was gentle and wouldn't attack unless provoked.
But the Gyarados was different—it would launch an attack immediately if anyone entered its territory, and it was mid-level Elite tier too.
Elite-level Pokémon within advanced secret realms served as the backbone of those realms. And the Drakorian Trainer Association also monitored the population of Elite Pokémon in these realms.
Once they exceeded a certain number, capture slots would be sold, and Elite-level Trainers would compete for them.
If a Trainer caught an Elite Pokémon without a slot, thus disrupting the ecosystem, they would face penalties, and the Pokémon would be released back into the same place.
This lake gave birth to two Elite Pokémon indicating its immense size—and also hinted at the presence of many treasures.
Otherwise, without abundant resources, even a wild Pokémon with Cyan qualification would struggle to reach the Elite tier on its own.
Perhaps, the true treasure of this advanced secret realm was somewhere within the depths of this vast lake.
On the way to the lake, Julian checked the Dowsing Machine from time to time. All ten red dots were displayed, each one small, likely similar in size to the one marking the Evolution Stone.
Dragonite flew at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour. Considering Julian was riding on its back, this wasn't too fast, yet Julian still couldn't keep his eyes open and felt much better after putting on his goggles.
The skies had no shortage of flying Pokémon; Pidgey, Pidgeotto, and even a few Taillow were common sights.
Pidgey, found worldwide, was the most numerous bird Pokémon; you could see quite a few wild Pidgey even in city squares.
Although they were wild Pokémon, Pidgey had low aggression from living in cities and wouldn't foolishly attack the humans who fed them.
Pidgeot, the final evolution of Pidgey, was fairly powerful, and its evolution wasn't particularly difficult. Pidgeot was also among the few flying Pokémon that could be ridden and had impressive speed.
For this reason, many trainers without a flying Pokémon of their own rented one from leasing companies, often opting for Pidgeot as a convenient travel or escape companion.
However, rented Pokémon were restricted to transport use only and weren't permitted to engage in battles.
If forced into combat, a trained Pidgeot would report the incident to the local investigation bureau.
The journey to the lake was smooth, with no wild Pokémon daring to interfere. After about an hour, Julian reached the lake.
The lake stretched endlessly; if he didn't know better, he might've mistaken it for the ocean.
This lake held countless Water-type Pokémon and abundant resources, making it a dream spot for any fishing enthusiast.
Naturally, wherever there was a body of water—lake, river, or ocean—Magikarp were the most common Water-type Pokémon, followed by Feebas.
This lake was no exception; Magikarp numbers had to be high, which explained the presence of an Elite-level Gyarados in it.
When a Magikarp population reaches a certain size, it often leads to the emergence of Gyarados.
Given that an Elite Gyarados inhabited this lake, there were likely other Gyarados of varying levels as well, not just one.
"Sure enough, this place really has plenty of treasures"
Julian said, looking at the red dot on the Dowsing Machine. The size matched that of the previous Hollow Stone, suggesting it might be another elemental treasure.
Riding on Dragonite, Julian flew toward the treasure's location. The Dowsing Machine could only show treasures within 50 kilometers, with a maximum of ten markers at a time.
After about five or six minutes, he arrived above the red dot's position, hovering over the deep, seemingly bottomless lake.
"Slowking, take the Dowsing Machine and check down below," Julian said.
His only Water-type Pokémon was Slowking. Back when Dragonair hadn't yet evolved into Dragonite, it used to love water.
Now, with its bulky form and round belly, sinking might be more appropriate.
Slowking was currently level 30—not too high. After all, Julian hadn't trained it for battle; instead, it served as his butler and chef, taking care of him and the other Pokémon.
Since Slowking handled these tasks so well, Julian had cut back on its training. It wasn't fair to expect it to manage everything and still keep up with daily training.
"If you run into any danger, come right back," Julian reminded.
Slowking nodded, then took the Dowsing Machine and submerged into the lake.
The lake was deep. Although the water was clear, it was pitch dark below, with sunlight unable to reach the bottom.
On the other hand, a few meters down, Julian could see some Goldeen and several Magikarp swimming in schools. The Magikarp seemed to have noticed Dragonite and Julian above.
One by one, they floated to the surface, their blank expressions mirroring Slowpoke's exactly.
But Magikarp were truly simple-minded, while Slowpoke was clever in its own way.
Being stared at, by these blank gazes, Julian couldn't help but feel amused. Why had they suddenly come to the surface, staring and blowing bubbles?
Dragonite found it entertaining too and lowered itself slightly, reaching down to gently poke one of the Magikarp on the head.
The startled Magikarp jumped up, splashing its tail—right in the direction of Julian's face.
"No, you don't!"
Julian quickly leapt from his saddle and, with a swift kick, sent the Magikarp flying before landing back in his saddle with style.
(T/N: ah shit, here we go)
"Meta!~"
Metagross applauded, thoroughly impressed with its trainer's smooth move.
With a splash, the Magikarp fell back into the water. Its tough scales and bones could handle the kick without much harm.
However, its pride was another matter. Embarrassed by Julian's kick, it was now the center of attention among its peers, including one it secretly admired.
For a moment, something other than blankness filled its eyes, a fire of determination sparking deep inside.
Seeing the Magikarp still glaring at him, bubbles now larger and more intense, Julian taunted, "What's wrong? Not satisfied? Come on, let's settle it one-on-one!"
"A mere Magikarp can't intimidate me—I can face a hundred"
"Crack!"
The chains of restraint shattered as the Magikarp's rage transformed into the energy of evolution, shining with a brilliant white light.
"What the—?"
Julian was stunned, instinctively glancing at his right foot—the very one that had just kicked the Magikarp.
'The Evolution Foot!'
The phrase flashed through his mind as he watched, wide-eyed.
By the time he came to his senses, the transformation had completed. A fierce Gyarados now glared at him, brimming with newfound power.
Gyarados: Little brat, say that again, if you've got the guts.
In an instant, this once low-leveled Magikarp had evolved into a formidable level-50 Gyarados. The increase in level was downright ridiculous.
If anyone ever managed to unravel the precise process behind a Magikarp evolving into a Gyarados, they'd practically have the Arceus Award in the bag.
Unfortunately, this Gyarados was only of green-tier aptitude, meaning it didn't qualify for capture.
Just as Gyarados prepared to teach Julian a lesson, Metagross calmly floated over. Before Gyarados could even react, Metagross delivered a swift, sliver fist straight to its head.
The fainted Gyarados didn't sink but instead floated atop the water.
The nearby Pokémon, terrified by the display, scattered in all directions—including the remaining Magikarp.