"Inside the Tyranitar's mountain?" Julian was a bit speechless.
Sure, the core area had the highest probability of spawning the Glossy Ganoderma—but did it have to be this coincidental? The Hara Desert's core area wasn't small.
'Couldn't it have appeared somewhere else? Why did it have to be inside the lair of a late-stage Champion Tyranitar? Hell, why not just grow right where it sleeps while you're at it?'
"Take me there first," Julian said.
Although Metagross had detected the red dot marking an Ultimate treasure—it still wasn't confirmed whether it was the Glossy Ganoderma.
A few moments later, Metagross Teleported Julian to the core area of the Hara Desert. In front of them stood a massive mountain—the dwelling of the late-stage Champion Tyranitar.
The red dot on the Dowsing Machine was huge, undoubtedly marking an Ultimate treasure. Right now, Julian was still about five kilometers away from it.
"Metagross."
Julian sent out his grandfather's Metagross.
"Metagross, lure that Tyranitar away."
Metagross nodded and immediately began releasing its aura without restraint.
Metagross was currently level 94.
BOOM—BOOM—
It didn't take long. Sensing the intruding presence, the mountain trembled as an equally overpowering aura erupted from within.
"TYRA—!!"
A furious roar shook the desert, laced with primal rage.
This was the core of Tyranitar's territory. The sudden appearance of another Champion-level Pokémon triggered its territorial instincts—both furious and wary, it couldn't fathom where this powerful stranger had come from.
Meanwhile, Julian had already hidden himself.
"TAR!"
From the cave within the mountain, a green-scaled behemoth emerged—
---
Pokémon: Tyranitar (Rock/Dark)
Level: 96
Potential: Purple
Ability: Sand Stream
Held Item: None
Gender: Female
Moves: Iron Defense, Dark Pulse, Thunder Fang, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Tackle, Payback, Leer, Bite, Rock Throw, Scary Face, Rock Slide, Stomping Tantrum, Screech, Smack Down, Rock Tomb, Crunch, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Thrash, Sandstorm, Hyper Beam, Giga Impact
TMs: None
Egg Moves: Ancient Power, Dragon Dance, Focus Energy, Outrage, Iron Head
---
A Level 96, late-stage Champion Tyranitar—though higher-leveled than Metagross, that didn't necessarily mean it was the deciding factor. But given this was the desert, Tyranitar had the home-field advantage.
Still, Tyranitar didn't attack Metagross immediately. At its level, it was already smarter than most humans.
Tyranitar: "I don't care what you're here for. Leave."
Clearly, it wanted to avoid conflict if possible.
But Metagross clearly didn't think that way—it was determined to lure Tyranitar away.
Metagross: "What's all the yelling about, little girl?"
Julian: 'Seriously? For a Champion-level Pokémon, that's some low-tier trash talk.'
Still, the insult worked. Tyranitar exploded with rage.
'You had your chance to leave. Now don't blame me for what comes next.'
Tyranitar began stomping toward Metagross, and Metagross started retreating, all while continuing its relentless trash talk to provoke it further.
Metagross: "Walk any slower and you'll miss out on fresh crap to eat."
Metagross: "Big and strong, huh? Bet you don't even have a mate."
"TYRA—!!"
Tyranitar was already a naturally short-tempered Pokémon. The relentless trash talk pushed it over the edge—its body practically steaming with fury as it launched an Ancient Power straight at Metagross—partly in fury, but also to test its opponent's strength.
Meanwhile, Julian was already sprinting toward the red dot, Dowsing Machine in hand.
BOOM—BOOM—
The ground trembled beneath his feet—impressive, considering it was loose desert sand. Glancing back, he saw a massive sandstorm swirling dozens of kilometers away.
Clearly, Tyranitar and Metagross had officially begun fighting.
Both sides were deliberately holding back, though. If they unleashed everything, this whole area would be reduced to ruins.
Tyranitar restrained itself because it didn't want to destroy its own home, while Metagross's goal was just to buy time. No need to escalate unnecessarily.
With Metagross keeping Tyranitar occupied, Julian wasn't worried about the beast returning anytime soon.
He arrived at the location marked by the red dot—a large cave and inside it was a massive, smooth-surfaced rock.
"You've got to be kidding me—it really was inside its damn house?"
Julian was speechless. He had jinxed himself.
"Steelix, Dig."
He released Steelix and pointed directly under Tyranitar's "bed." According to the Dowsing Machine, the treasure was buried right beneath it.
As Steelix's massive form crashed through the bed and dove underground, Julian couldn't help but think that Tyranitar was going to be pissed when it came back.
While Steelix dug, Julian looked around the cave. Surprisingly, there weren't any other valuable treasures in sight.
About ten minutes later, Steelix emerged from the ground.
"Did you find it?!" Julian asked quickly.
Steelix opened its mouth—and something glossy, meat-like, shaped like a mushroom, tumbled out onto the sand.
The Glossy Ganoderma.
The treasure marked by the red dot really was the Glossy Ganoderma.
Julian's face lit up. He quickly picked it up and immediately stored it in the system space—now it was truly secure.
Just as Julian was about to leave, Steelix stopped him.
Steelix: "There's a light gate down there."
"…A light gate?"
Julian was slightly taken aback, not immediately understanding what Steelix meant.
Steelix: "It looks similar to a secret realm gate, but… different."
Steelix had seen secret realm gates before, but this "light gate" was slightly different.
"Could it be a ruin gate?!" Julian suddenly exclaimed.
The so-called "light gates" only came in two types: Secret Realm gates and Ancient Ruin gates.
"Does the gate have any patterns?" Julian asked.
Steelix nodded.
'So it really is a ruin gate.'
Secret Realm gates were plain, while Ancient Ruin gates bore intricate markings. That was the only known difference between the two.
Julian knew the locations of all the Ancient Ruins discovered in Drakoria so far, and none of them were here.
Which meant—this Ancient Ruin had not been discovered yet.
It had remained hidden underground, right beneath a Champion-level Tyranitar's lair.
The instruments used to detect Secret Realms and Ancient Ruins relied on scanning special energy signatures, but Tyranitar's daily energy emissions had masked the ruin's presence.
Thus, no one had ever detected it—until Steelix stumbled upon it by sheer luck.
Under normal circumstances, Julian would've dived in immediately, but right now, his grandmother's life was at stake. He needed to deliver the Glossy Ganoderma and get rid of the poison in her body first. Only then could he return to explore this ruin.
"Metagross, let's go."
Julian recalled Steelix and turned to Metagross.
Metagross teleported them away instantly.
Meanwhile, his grandfather's Metagross and Tyranitar were on the verge of an all-out brawl, their battle escalating.
"Found it! Metagross, we're leaving!"
Julian's voice entered Metagross's mind.
Metagross: "Later, little girl. Try not to miss me."
With that, it soared beyond Tyranitar's reach, vanishing into the sky as the furious roars of the desert tyrant echoed behind them.
*****
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