At ten o'clock the next morning, Julian, accompanied by Wade, arrived at the entrance to the Dragon's Den secret realm.
"The dangers—Dylan already explained them to you yesterday. I've also taken care of your leave from school. Here, take this. If you encounter a Pokémon you can't handle, use it."
Wade handed Julian a tooth, about the length of a palm. The tooth was pure white, gleaming like jade.
It appeared to be a dragon fang, though it was hard to tell which Dragon-type Pokémon it came from. Its size, however, was unusually large.
Julian carefully placed the fang into his backpack.
Under Wade's watchful gaze, Julian stepped into the Dragon's Den secret realm.
Wade stood at the entrance for a while before turning and leaving.
As Julian's surroundings darkened, he found himself in what looked like a tunnel. This was no ordinary tunnel—it was massive, with a diameter of roughly a hundred meters.
The walls were embedded with countless glowing stones, providing a faint light that illuminated the path ahead.
The soft glow was just enough for Julian to make out the road before him.
At his waist, Dragonite's Poké Ball trembled excitedly.
Even through the Poké Ball, Julian could feel Dragonite's excited aura through its bond.
The dense Dragon-type energy within the Dragon's Den had clearly been detected by Dragonite.
With a "pop," the Poké Ball opened, and Dragonite's plump figure materialized in front of Julian.
Julian decided to release only Dragonite, not even calling out Metagross.
This was the Dragon's Den, a realm inhabited solely by Dragon-type Pokémon. Pokémon of other types were not suited for this environment.
Moreover, deploying non-Dragon-type Pokémon here would undoubtedly provoke an onslaught of attacks from the resident Dragon-types—a relentless and potentially fatal assault.
This principle applied to other special advanced secret realms as well.
The tunnel was eerily quiet—so quiet that Julian could only hear the sound of his and Dragonite's footsteps.
After walking for about twenty minutes, Julian halted. In the faint glow of the stones, a blurry figure appeared ahead.
The figure was slowly approaching them.
Dragonite immediately stepped in front of Julian, its usually gentle expression now tinged with wariness.
The sound of footsteps echoed—thud, thud, thud.
Before long, a dinosaur-like Pokémon emerged into view, standing before Julian and Dragonite.
Pokémon: Tyrantrum (Rock/Dragon)
Moves: Tackle, Roar, Ancient Power, Bite, Dragon Tail, Stomp, Rock Slide, Crunch, Dragon Claw, Thrash, Earthquake, Horn Drill, Giga Impact, Head Smash
Egg Moves: Rock Throw, Rock Polish, Dragon Dance, Stone Edge
Standing before Julian was a Tyrantrum, an Elite-level Pokémon in its early stages.
"A Gatekeeper Dragon, huh?"
Julian muttered under his breath.
According to Dylan's description, anyone entering the Dragon's Den secret realm would first face this Elite-level Tyrantrum.
If they couldn't defeat it, there was no point in venturing further into the lair.
This was why Tyrantrum was referred to as the "Gatekeeper Dragon."
Of course, once you defeated it, the Tyrantrum wouldn't appear again on subsequent visits to the Den.
It only showed up for trainers entering the Dragon's Den for the first time.
This opponent was naturally Dragonite's to handle.
Pokémon: Dragonite (Dragon/Flying)
Moves: Hurricane, Wing Attack, Roost, Wrap, Leer, Dragon Tail, Twister, Thunder Wave, Aqua Tail, Dragon Rush, Safeguard, Slam, Rain Dance, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Agility
TMs: Protect, Thunderbolt, Hyper Beam, Icy Wind, Hydro Pump, Flamethrower, Substitute, Iron Tail, Breaking Swipe, Ice Punch, Wide Guard, Dragon Claw, Ice Beam, Draco Meteor, Mega Punch, Dragon Pulse, Superpower, Giga Impact, Outrage, Focus Punch
Egg Moves: Extreme Speed, Draco Breath, Dragon Dance, Outrage
Recently, Julian had received two elemental cores as a reward for saving Haitian City: one Steel-type and one Dragon-type. The Steel core had been given to Metagross, while the Dragon core had gone to Dragonite.
Dragonite's level had increased from 61 to its current level of 65, and the energy from the Dragon core hadn't been fully depleted yet.
It would likely last until Dragonite reached level 66.
Tyrantrum glanced at Dragonite with a disdainful look. Although it sensed that Dragonite wasn't ordinary, it was clear that Dragonite hadn't reached the Elite tier.
Since its opponent wasn't even Elite-level, Tyrantrum didn't see it as a serious threat, no matter how special it might be.
"Dragonite, Ice Punch!"
Julian initiated the attack.
The tunnel's width and length were more than sufficient for both Dragonite and Tyrantrum to fight without restrictions.
As Dragonite's small wings flapped, its speed surged to an astonishing level. Even Julian, standing behind it, almost got swept away by the powerful gusts it created.
As the Gatekeeper Dragon, Tyrantrum was no stranger to battle. Although Dragonite had moved first, gaining the initial advantage, Tyrantrum reacted swiftly.
The timing was so close that Julian almost thought Tyrantrum had preemptively read his strategy.
Tyrantrum's short forelimbs gathered a vivid green Dragon-type energy. A pair of Dragon Claws formed and met Dragonite's Ice Punch head-on.
At the moment of collision, the icy chill of the Ice Punch spread wildly, while the Dragon Claws released bursts of energy that scattered in all directions.
A stray energy blast struck a boulder on the tunnel's ceiling. With a loud 'thud', the rock broke loose and crashed to the ground.
The boulder landed about seven or eight meters in front of Julian.
"Don't lose focus—Dragon Tail!"
Seeing Dragonite glance back at him, Julian quickly called out.
With Dragonite as his only Dragon-type Pokémon, there were no other Pokémon nearby to shield him.
Of course, if the aftermath of the battle reached a dangerously uncontrollable level—something even his resilient Pallet Town physique couldn't endure—Julian would definitely send out Metagross to protect himself.
Dragonite swiftly turned back, its sturdy tail imbued with Dragon energy whipping against Tyrantrum. Even with Tyrantrum's formidable physique, the blow sent it flying.
It crashed heavily into the tunnel wall, embedding its massive body into the stone.
The searing pain coursing through its body only provoked Tyrantrum's ferocity. Its jaws parted to reveal sharp, bone-white teeth, strings of saliva stretching between them.
Given the unstable environment, Julian decided against having Dragonite engage in prolonged melee combat.
After all, if a falling rock struck the wrong spot, it might just end up hitting his own head.
A chilling, icy-blue beam erupted from Dragonite's mouth.
Tyrantrum responded by stomping forcefully on the ground. Jagged rocks jutted up from the floor, forming a makeshift shield to block the Ice Beam.
However, as Dragonite took to the air, the Ice Beam's trajectory shifted, while the direction of the rock blades remained fixed.
Tyrantrum's eyes were suddenly enveloped by a blue-white glow.
The next moment, it was encased in ice, frozen solid.
Dragonite landed softly, observing the defeated Tyrantrum. Its previously fierce and determined expression faded, replaced by its usual endearing, goofy demeanor.