Victor Stone was completely stunned.
A few days ago, while chatting with his wife, he had learned that Ethan had officially bonded with the Metagross that had lived quietly in their backyard for years.
But what Victor never expected—
was that after not seeing that Metagross for barely two or three months…
its strength had reached this level.
This wasn't some Gym-tier Pokémon.
This wasn't even an Elite or Champion candidate.
This was a full-fledged Champion-class Metagross.
And judging from the pressure it radiated, it wasn't an ordinary Champion Pokémon either—it was at least late Champion rank, possibly even approaching the peak.
That realization left Victor momentarily speechless.
After all, the strongest Pokémon on his own team had only just reached late Champion level—
his Aegislash, which had accompanied him for over twenty years.
Yet now, even his longtime ace seemed inferior to his son's Pokémon.
For a brief moment, Victor felt his worldview wobble.
Still, Victor was a man who had seen countless storms.
After taking a few steady breaths, he forced himself to calm down.
Seeing his father's expression, Ethan quickly explained.
"Dad, I just finished my entrance evaluation today."
"My results were good, so Grandpa Gao rewarded me with a Steel-type treasure—Metal Coat."
"That Metal Coat seems to be extremely compatible with Metagross."
"After applying it, its strength increased dramatically."
A Metal Coat—a rare Steel-type treasure.
Even for Victor, acquiring one wasn't easy.
Victor didn't doubt his son's honesty.
However, he also knew very well that a Metal Coat alone shouldn't be enough to push Metagross directly into the Champion tier.
Something didn't quite add up.
But when Victor saw the deep bond between Ethan and Metagross, he chose not to question it further.
In the end, the conclusion was simple—
the stronger Metagross was, the safer Ethan would be.
Even if Ethan couldn't yet fully command such power in battle, in moments of real danger, Metagross would protect him without hesitation.
From Victor's perspective, that alone made everything worthwhile.
"Alright," Victor said at last.
"I won't pry into Metagross."
"My break isn't long."
"Let's head to the Dragon Den first."
With that, Victor climbed onto Charizard's back.
Seeing this, Ethan nodded, and Metagross immediately understood.
With a surge of psychic power, Ethan floated smoothly onto Metagross's broad back.
"Metagross says it's ready," Ethan said with a grin.
Victor chuckled and patted Charizard's neck.
"Then let's go, Charizard."
Charizard's massive wings spread wide.
With a thunderous boom, its body shot into the sky like a cannonball.
Metagross didn't lag behind.
Electromagnetic Levitation activated.
Its steel body rose steadily into the air, keeping pace with Charizard with ease.
Charizard was fast—very fast.
Victor's Charizard had always specialized in speed, its build leaner and more streamlined than most, lacking the usual bulky frame.
But no matter how fast Charizard flew—
Metagross followed effortlessly.
Charizard, prideful as ever, refused to lose.
It pushed harder, accelerating again and again, determined to outperform Metagross in at least one aspect.
Reality, however, was merciless.
No matter how Charizard increased its speed, Metagross matched it perfectly.
Eventually, Charizard began to breathe heavily.
Metagross, meanwhile, showed no sign of strain at all.
At that point, Charizard finally conceded, settling into a steady cruising pace to conserve energy.
Watching from Charizard's back, Victor was once again shaken.
"Not only is Metagross overwhelmingly strong…"
"Its control and stability are incredible."
"Has Ethan been training it for years?"
But the thought quickly faded.
Ethan was only eighteen.
Victor had never personally taught him Pokémon training.
The pieces simply didn't align.
After roughly half an hour of flight, they arrived above an open mountain valley.
The moment Charizard and Metagross descended—
roars echoed throughout the valley.
Powerful Pokémon within sensed the arrival of two dominant presences and responded instinctively.
These roars were warnings.
Territorial declarations.
"Dad," Ethan asked, listening to the overlapping dragon cries,
"this is the Dragon Den?"
Victor nodded.
"Yes."
"This is Cloudpeak Dragon Valley."
"One of the world's three great Dragon Dens."
Of the three—
Cloudpeak Dragon Valley and Deathscale Abyss were under official League supervision.
Cloudpeak lay within the Donghuang League.
Deathscale Abyss belonged to the Sky Eagle League.
The third, Azure Dragon Isle, was said to drift somewhere across the open sea—a forbidden land only accessible to those chosen by fate.
Ethan gazed at the magnificent valley below.
Dragon-type Pokémon of all kinds moved through the cliffs and skies, mingling with other powerful species.
The scenery was breathtaking.
At that moment, a system notification rang in his mind.
[Ding! Host has entered Cloudpeak Dragon Valley.]
[A Red Fortune and a Gold Fortune have been detected within this area.]
[Please obtain them as soon as possible.]
Ethan blinked in surprise.
"Two fortunes?"
"And one of them is red-tier?"
"Looks like we'll need to explore this place thoroughly."
Just as Ethan made up his mind—
a streak of orange lightning suddenly burst from the valley below.
"Metagross!"
Metagross reacted instantly, Champion-class psychic power flaring outward in preparation.
Victor laughed calmly.
"It's fine."
"That one's a friend."
As his voice fell, the orange blur stopped in front of them.
A massive Dragonite, over three meters tall, appeared.
Its expression was gentle, almost kindly.
Ethan's eyes widened as he noticed its level.
Lv. 87.
A Totem-class Dragonite.
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