The thunderous bellow echoed across the Ranch, sending weaker Pokemon scurrying for cover. Startled creatures throughout the property looked skyward, desperate to identify which apex predator had announced its dominance so forcefully.
A massive crimson silhouette streaked across the blue expanse above them.
Their trembling only intensified.
"Come back down!" John called to his Salamence.
The mighty dragon executed a graceful aerial loop before descending toward the designated "helipad" atop the ranch villa's roof. It landed with surprising gentleness despite its enormous bulk, the impact barely registering on the reinforced landing zone.
Both Garchomp and Aerodactyl watched the newcomer with measured curiosity, sizing up the latest addition to their aerial squadron.
John slid from the dragon's back, patting its scaled hide appreciatively before jumping to the ground. He turned to admire his Totem Salamence with an almost childlike grin stretching across his face.
"Incredible! Flying on dragonback feels even better than I imagined!" he exclaimed, stretching his back after the exhilarating ride.
From the artificial pond nearby, his Shiny Gyarados poked his massive head through the surface, eyeing John with what could only be described as draconic indignation. Though the serpentine creature couldn't speak, the thought bubble above his head might as well have read: "Boss, it's not like I haven't taken you flying before."
Had John possessed telepathic abilities to detect the water dragon's jealousy, he would have quickly explained the difference. Compared to Gyarados, Salamence's flying speed was significantly faster, and its broad, flat back provided a stable platform that made John feel like he was commanding a living aircraft.
Until he captured a legendary Pokemon, Salamence would be his preferred aerial transport!
John couldn't help but marvel at the creature before him. So massive! So majestic!
An ordinary Salamence typically measured about fifteen meters long and stood roughly two and a half meters tall. But his Totem variant? This beast stretched thirty-five meters from snout to tail-tip and towered five meters high, calling it a giant would be an understatement. Most of that impressive length came from its powerful tail, of course.
Among John's collection, only Steelix surpassed Salamence in sheer size. Even his Totem Tyranitar, while impressively tall, couldn't match Salamence's overall dimensions.
John opened his Gameboy to check Salamence's stats:
[Salamence (Dragon, Flying) (Totem)]
[Ability: Intimidate]
[IV's: HP (31), Attack (31), Special Attack (24), Defense (31), Special Defense (23), Speed (31)]
[Moves: Roost, Dragon Breath, Dragon Tail, Dual Wingbeat, Crunch, Protect, Dragon Claw, Scary Face, Zen Headbutt, Flamethrower, Focus Energy, Draco Meteor]
Four perfect IVs, including the crucial Attack stat. More than acceptable.
Its Totem status more than compensated for the minor imperfections in Special Attack and Special Defense, stats that wouldn't matter much for his physical attacker build anyway.
In terms of market value, this dragon was undoubtedly the crown jewel of his lineup. Even his shiny Gardevoir with perfect IVs couldn't compare. While the shiny coloration was certainly impressive, it provided no tactical advantage beyond aesthetics. Totem status, however, conveyed tangible benefits with its enhanced physical attributes.
Best of all, it came at level 70 straight out of the Pokeball! The time saved on training alone was worth its weight in gold.
The only minor inconvenience was that John couldn't bond with it from infancy, which meant building rapport would take longer. Still, without a Mega Stone for Salamence in his possession yet, establishing that deep connection wasn't an immediate priority.
"Emerald, when does the Gym start accepting challengers?" John asked, suddenly eager to unleash his Totem monster against other trainers. He could already picture their expressions when confronted with this crimson behemoth.
Would they run away screaming? Faint from shock? Either outcome seemed delightfully possible.
John caught himself feeling like a kid with a new toy, desperate to show it off to his friends. After a moment's reflection, he reconsidered his approach. A Totem Salamence represented too powerful an asset to reveal carelessly. Better to keep it as his ace in the hole rather than exposing it against minor opponents.
Emerald checked her tablet, still stealing glances at the imposing dragon. She clearly wondered where her boss had acquired such a formidable creature.
"Boss, your Gym Leader protection period ends in three days," she reported. "Twelve trainers have already registered challenges, that's about one every three days."
"So I'll be conducting Gym battles continuously for over a month," John mused.
"Exactly," Emerald confirmed.
"I understand. Just make sure to schedule the Gym battles so they don't conflict with our Pokemon auctions," John nodded.
He wasn't concerned about a month of back-to-back battles. According to League regulations, he only needed to accept three challenges per month and could defer the rest to the following month. Nevertheless, John decided to face all twelve challengers without delay.
Dodging battles wasn't his style. Rather than stretching these twelve challengers across four months, better to crush them quickly and thoroughly. That would discourage future challengers from wasting his time.
If not for the risk of injuring his Pokemon through consecutive battles, John would have preferred knocking out all twelve challengers in a single day.
He recalled Salamence to its Pokeball and was heading inside for dinner when he paused mid-step. "Did you send someone to deliver that Pokeball to 'The Dog King' at the military base like I asked?"
"It was delivered to the Military Base this morning," Emerald replied. "Caine should have received it by now."
Military Base – Pokemon Handler Division
On the open training grounds, a cluster of uniformed personnel stood gaping at an enormous Arcanine.
Standard Growlithe were comparable in size to regular Earth dogs, but their evolved form, Arcanine, typically grew large enough to serve as mounts, similar to horses in stature.
The specimen before them, however, defied conventional description. It wasn't merely dog-sized or horse-sized.
If a normal Arcanine resembled a large dog, this Totem variant looked more like a mythical lion from ancient legends.
The visual impact left the gathered soldiers speechless.
"This was sent by John's messenger?" Caine AKA the Dog King, stared at the Arcanine in disbelief. John hadn't mentioned anything about this gift in their previous communications.
"Yes, sir," an officer confirmed.
"Now that's what I call a surprise." Caine circled the Totem Arcanine, nodding appreciatively. "Magnificent specimen. Its power level must approach Gym-caliber, wouldn't you say?"
He pulled out his phone, already dialing. "I've got to ask how he found this beast. I've searched worldwide without seeing anything close to this specimen, yet he acquired it effortlessly."