"You've done pretty well for yourself, kid."
The Dragon Elder looked at the Garchomp standing beside Silas and spoke in her frail, trembling voice. As someone who knew practically every Dragon type living in the Dragon's Den, she immediately recognized that this Garchomp hadn't originally belonged there.
After witnessing everything that had just happened, however, Silas no longer saw her as an ordinary old woman.
What kind of elderly woman could calm a Tier-3 Legendary-level Dragonite that had gone into an Outrage frenzy?
Silas glanced at the now docile, chubby Dragonite nearby.
Without the Outrage enhancement, its strength had returned to a stable Champion level.
That alone made him breathe a sigh of relief.
At least it proved that Dragonite's true strength was still within the realm of normal Pokémon.
That said, even among Champion-level Pokémon, it undoubtedly stood at the very top.
Otherwise, no matter how much Outrage amplified its power, it would never have crossed into the Tier-3 Legendary realm without an extraordinary foundation.
Sensing Silas' gaze, Dragonite tilted its head before smiling warmly and waving one claw in greeting.
Now that it had calmed down, it could smell the unique floral fragrance of the Dragon Shrine lingering on him.
Combined with the Garchomp at his side, the guardian Dragonite quickly remembered the human trainer that the Garchomp leader had mentioned not long ago.
To Dragonite, the Dragon Elder herself was still just a child it had watched grow up.
After all, it had been raised personally by the Dragon Elder's father.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that when Dragonite was born, the Dragon Elder hadn't even entered the world yet.
"Elder, how did you calm Dragonite down just now?"
Unable to suppress his curiosity any longer, Silas finally asked.
He knew the Dragon Clan possessed unique techniques known only to them. That was one of the reasons why so many Dragon Tamers gathered in Blackthorn City.
Back when he had trained with Nobuhiko in Saffron City, the latter had briefly explained how Dragon Clan trainers developed their abilities.
Unlike the Cianwood Gym lineage, which focused on strengthening the body, the Dragon Clan emphasized understanding and resonating with energy.
Especially Dragon-type energy.
Combined with the existence of the Dragon's Den, nearly every Dragon Clan trainer underwent years of training from childhood. By adulthood, they could naturally resonate with Dragon Pokémon.
Those with lesser talent usually partnered with Pokémon that lacked the Dragon type but possessed Dragon bloodlines, such as Charizard or Gyarados.
The more gifted earned the companionship of true Dragon-type Pokémon, including even pseudo-Legendaries.
As for the most talented of their generation, such as Clair and Lance, they were acknowledged by the finest specimens among the pseudo-Legendaries themselves.
Strictly speaking, however, Lance wasn't a typical case.
In the beginning, the only Pokémon that acknowledged him was a single Charmander, making him one of the least naturally gifted members of the Dragon Clan.
Of course, "least gifted" was only relative.
An ordinary rookie Trainer could never earn the recognition of a Charmander carrying Dragon blood.
Although Charmander was the gentlest member of its evolutionary family and naturally loyal to its Trainer, that trace of Dragon blood amplified Charmeleon's stubborn temper and Charizard's fiercely independent personality even while it was still a Charmander.
As a result, what should have been one of the standard starter Pokémon often became a nightmare for inexperienced Trainers.
After all, nobody wanted to wake up one morning to find their tent and sleeping bag burned to ashes.
Yet against everyone's expectations, Lance relied on that Charmander, and later Charizard, to become the leading figure of his generation within the Dragon Clan.
Even pseudo-Legendaries eventually had no choice but to acknowledge the strength of that Trainer and his partner.
Only afterward did Lance add a Dragonite to his main team and earn the title of the Dragon Master.
In many ways, every Champion-level Trainer was the protagonist of their own life story.
Facing Silas' question, the Dragon Elder showed no intention of hiding anything.
"It was simply the use of Dragon Power. But in the entire Dragon Clan today, only three people, including myself, can actually use it."
Her tone remained calm.
"Dragon Power..."
Silas murmured to himself.
He could easily guess the identities of the other two.
They had to be Clair and Lance.
This ability had little to do with age. It depended almost entirely on talent.
Who could possibly be more gifted than those two?
The Dragon Elder sighed helplessly.
"It's merely Dragon Power. The so-called 'Dragon Force' is nothing more than a name outsiders gave it."
"The reason Dragon Tamers can form bonds with Dragon-type Pokémon isn't because of Dragon Power."
"It's because our hearts resonate with theirs. Dragon Power simply allows us to reach the proud hearts of Dragon Pokémon."
"It does nothing to earn their acknowledgment."
Silas neither agreed nor disagreed.
In his opinion, being able to touch a Pokémon's heart was already an enormous advantage, especially when dealing with Dragon Pokémon, which were universally recognized as difficult to approach.
Then again, most Dragon Pokémon hatchlings were constantly protected by incredibly powerful parents.
Otherwise, almost every baby Pokémon was adorable when it first hatched.
At least personality-wise.
As for Pokémon like Grimer or Garbodor.
Silas silently apologized.
No offense intended.
He simply couldn't appreciate that particular aesthetic.
Still, he didn't dwell on the subject for long.
Instead, he looked toward the waterfall leading into the Dragon Shrine.
"What exactly happened inside?"
"Why was Dragonite so furious?"
The Dragon Elder gently stroked Dragonite's body as she explained,
"It was pretty much what you guessed."
"The three poachers caused tremendous damage while stealing the sacred flame. But the most important thing was what the one left behind did."
"He destroyed a stone that Dragonite treasured more than anything."
"A stone?"
Silas blinked.
So it wasn't because the cave had been flooded?
Just a stone?
The Dragon Elder noticed his confusion and sighed.
"My father left that stone inside the Dragon Shrine."
"Whenever he entered, he would sit on it and chat with Dragonite."
"After he passed away, Dragonite remained nearby ever since, protecting both the Dragon Den and all the Dragon Pokémon living within it."
"Rooo..."
Beside her, Dragonite let out a soft, mournful cry. To it, that stone had been the only remaining trace of its beloved Trainer.
"The Garchomp leader is still inside trying to repair everything," the Dragon Elder added.
"I just don't know whether it can be restored."
Realization dawned on Silas.
No wonder he had felt like he was forgetting something.
The Garchomp leader hadn't appeared because it was still inside repairing the damage.
A Champion-level pseudo-Legendary working as a construction worker...
That was certainly not something you saw every day.
"Then let me go in and help."
"I might actually be useful."
Looking at Dragonite's lowered head, Silas spoke almost instinctively.
The Dragon Elder blinked in surprise before chuckling warmly.
"Of course."
"If I remember correctly, you have a Rock-type Pokémon."
"Gigalith, wasn't it?"
"It's already at the peak of the Pseudo-Elite level."
"It really could be a great help."
The moment the words left his mouth, Silas regretted saying them.
After all, outsiders weren't allowed into the Dragon Shrine.
Sneaking in without causing trouble was one thing. If the owners chose to overlook it, that was their decision.
But openly asking for permission now felt... rather awkward.
To his surprise, the Dragon Elder agreed without the slightest hesitation.
Seeing the confusion on Silas' face, she offered no explanation.
Dragon Power wasn't limited to sensing the hearts of Dragon Pokémon.
It could also perceive the emotions of humans.
When Silas had made that request, his desire to help had been completely genuine.
That sincerity alone was enough for the Dragon Elder to trust him.
Besides she was honestly worried that even the Garchomp leader might not be able to restore everything.
After all destroying something was always far easier than repairing it.
Even though Garchomp, a Ground/Dragon-type rather than a Rock/Dragon-type, possessed Champion-level strength, no one knew how much it could actually accomplish.
After all, delicate restoration work simply wasn't its specialty.
Among Pokémon, the only Rock/Dragon-type species were Tyrunt and its evolution, Tyrantrum.
After Silph Co. successfully developed fossil restoration technology, those Pokémon had been transferred to the Dragon's Den as soon as they were revived.
However, on one hand, they had only recently been brought back to life and were still inexperienced at controlling their own energy.
On the other hand, their habitat was quite far from this location.
Traveling back and forth would waste far too much time.
The same was true for other dragon-like Pokémon that lacked the Dragon type.
The Aggron Silas had encountered earlier would have been an excellent candidate for repairing damaged rock formations, but it lived dozens of kilometers away.
Even with Dragonite's incredible speed, making a round trip would still take at least seven or eight minutes.
And that was assuming Aggron was recalled into a Poké Ball during the journey.
Under these circumstances, Silas' Gigalith had unexpectedly become the best possible choice.
"Come on, let's head inside together. Garchomp, I'll leave these two to you. Make sure they don't escape."
The Dragon Elder leaned on her cane once more and slowly made her way toward the waterfall.
Naturally, Garchomp had no intention of disobeying her.
With a cheerful expression, it trotted over to the huge block of ice imprisoning the two poachers and sat down beside it.
Inside the ice, the conscious Hunters R and K were practically in despair.
They had heard every word of the Dragon Elder's explanation.
Who could have guessed that an ordinary rock sitting in a canyon had such an important history?
Had they known, they would have chosen a different escape route.
Unfortunately, that rock had happened to sit directly along the safest route out of the Dragon Sanctuary.
Otherwise, they would never have bothered destroying a random stone.
The Dragon Elder reached down beside the riverbank and activated some hidden mechanism.
Instantly, the waterfall stopped flowing, revealing the concealed entrance behind it.
At the same time, rows of stone pillars rose from beneath the water, forming a path across the river.
The Dragon Elder casually leaped onto the first pillar.
Despite relying on a cane, she moved across them with the agility of someone in her twenties.
Silas wasted no time.
Recalling Blaziken and Gallade, he quickly followed behind her.
Dragonite and Salamence leisurely drifted after them.
Once they reached the entrance, a narrow canyon stretching into the distance came into view.
Beside it sat two strange machines resembling enormous hot-air balloons.
The Dragon Elder climbed aboard one of them and beckoned to Silas.
Dragonite and Salamence, meanwhile, expertly fastened towing harnesses onto themselves.
Silas' jaw nearly dropped.
Seriously using two Champion-level pseudo-Legendaries as towing power?
Who else could possibly do something like this?
Judging from how practiced they looked, this was obviously far from the first time.
With Dragonite and Salamence pulling them, the balloon's speed was astonishing.
Barely two minutes later, they emerged from the canyon.
The view beyond immediately opened into a vast landscape that looked no different from the outside world.
Towering mountains.
Winding rivers.
Dense forests.
Endless plains.
Compared to the Dragon's Den, this place felt even more beautiful.
"It took Dragonite many years to create all this," the Dragon Elder said with heartfelt admiration.
"It certainly wasn't this beautiful in the past."
The title of "Guardian" suited Dragonite perfectly.
There was only one strange thing.
The place felt almost lifeless.
Not even any Dragon Pokémon could be seen.
Silas had assumed the Dragon Sanctuary would be filled with even stronger Dragon Pokémon.
"They don't actually live here."
"It's too small."
The Dragon Elder spoke without further explanation.
Silas scratched his head awkwardly, inwardly surprised.
So there really were many more Dragon Pokémon elsewhere.
The Pokémon world was unimaginably vast.
Finding a suitable sanctuary for Dragon Pokémon was effortless for the League.
There wasn't even any need to worry about their safety.
"Rooo!"
As Silas was thinking this, Dragonite and Salamence suddenly descended toward the ground while pulling the balloon behind them.
After landing, Silas couldn't help laughing at what he saw.
Not far away, the Garchomp leader was painstakingly picking up tiny fragments of stone using its claws.
It truly looked like a burly warrior trying to do delicate embroidery.
Sweat had even begun forming on Garchomp's forehead.
This kind of work was simply exhausting.
It was so focused that it hadn't even noticed Silas arriving.
Nearby lay an unconscious human alongside several unconscious Pokémon.
"Gigalith."
"Come out and see whether you can repair it."
Silas immediately released Gigalith.
Instead of speaking, Gigalith carefully examined the damaged stone.
"Gigalith!"
Seeing Gigalith nod confidently, Dragonite's eyes lit up with excitement.
"It doesn't seem difficult," Silas concluded.
"Garchomp just isn't suited for this kind of work."
Both he and the Dragon Elder finally relaxed.
"Cha."
The bewildered Garchomp leader was quickly dragged aside by the guardian Dragonite.
Earth-colored Rock-type energy soon spread throughout the area.
Only then did Garchomp notice Silas and the Dragon Elder.
This is embarrassing, that was its very first thought.
It could only be said that the young prince's personality clearly ran in the family.
None of them were particularly dignified.
Just then, another faint dragon's roar echoed through the Dragon Sanctuary.
"Who is it this time?!"
Looking toward the direction of the sound, the Dragon Elder's face darkened for the first time.
Silas had no idea what had happened.
But judging by her reaction, whoever had just arrived had done something even more reckless than the poachers.
..
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