This went on for about five minutes.
Five minutes later, most Bulbasaur had evolved into Ivysaur, and the Ivysaur had also evolved into Venusaur.
A small number of Bulbasaur were unable to evolve due to their low levels, and they watched enviously as their companions around them evolved.
Evolution was a law of natural growth for Pokémon; almost all Pokémon were born expecting to evolve.
An exception like Ash's Bulbasaur, which disliked evolution and even suppressed it, was a rare outlier among outliers. In fact long-term suppression of evolution without holding an Everstone could cause irreversible damage to a Pokémon's body.
"Slow~"
"That Bulbasaur's color is noticeably darker."
Slowking pointed to a Bulbasaur that hadn't evolved in a certain spot.
"Hmm, it is indeed darker. It's probably a Shiny."
Julian noticed and nodded without any change in expression.
A normal Bulbasaur was green, but this one was dark green. Because it was nighttime, Julian hadn't noticed it at first.
Although Shiny Pokémon were extremely rare, Julian had no desire to catch this one. Besides, Pokémon like Bulbasaur weren't really his type anyway.
If it had been a Shiny Charmander though, that might have been worth capturing.
"Saur!"
After the evolution ended, the lead Venusaur suddenly roared again.
Julian thought it was a signal to disperse, but then he noticed that whether it was Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, or the other Venusaur, many of their expressions became somewhat tense.
Then Julian witnessed a large-scale confession scene. Many Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, and Venusaur began confessing to their counterparts.
Quite a few succeeded right away.
Of course, there were also those who failed and stood aside, dejected and heartbroken.
In some cases, two or three Pokémon confessed to the same one, leading to a fight. The victor, upon turning around, would find that the one they confessed to had already paired up with someone else, instantly bursting into tears.
After the collective evolution came the confessions—all to prepare for the next generation of the species.
Julian even saw a Venusaur confessing to a Bulbasaur.
With that size difference—
Could the Bulbasaur even handle it?
Cross-species breeding among Pokémon wasn't actually rare, but most Pokémon still preferred finding partners of the same species that looked like them.
Right now, it was a massive public display of affection.
"Arf~"
Arcanine: "If you're angry, I'll burn them all to ashes right now. How dare they flaunt their love like this!"
Arcanine bared its teeth at the lovey-dovey Pokémon, clearly irritated. Its anger wasn't because it was a single dog, but because its trainer was.
As soon as it finished speaking, its head was smacked by Julian.
"Stop talking nonsense."
Julian said, annoyed.
Sure, he was single, but that was by choice—not because he couldn't find a girlfriend.
'No, wait, I do have a girlfriend.'
"Nicole is my girlfriend. Did you forget?"
Julian suddenly recalled that he actually did have a girlfriend working at Imperial University. But it had been over a year since they last met, and they rarely contacted each other. If Arcanine hadn't brought it up, he might have truly forgotten.
"Saur!"
Just then, the leader Venusaur suddenly walked up to Julian.
It had noticed Julian following them earlier, but since it sensed no hostility from him, it hadn't stopped him.
However, it had clearly felt the hostility from Arcanine just now, and the aura emanating from Arcanine was extremely strong—far beyond its own capabilities.
But as the tribe leader, it had to step forward at a time like this.
Seeing the Venusaur staring at it with vigilance and hostility, Arcanine let out a low growl, "Looking for a fight?"
Its body was already crouching slightly. If Julian weren't still on its back, it probably would have charged over and bitten the Venusaur.
"Enough. It was you who scared them earlier."
Julian dismounted from Arcanine's back. When Arcanine got angry earlier, it had frightened the surrounding Bulbasaur and Ivysaur.
Wild Pokémon were always highly sensitive to danger.
"Venusaur, we mean no harm."
Julian released a wave of friendly aura, soothing Venusaur's tense emotions.
"Saur~"
The hostility in Venusaur's eyes lessened significantly.
It nodded, then turned around and slowly led its tribe away.
Arcanine muttered unhappily, "We don't need to be afraid of it. I could take down their entire group all by myself. And if I can't, there's always Big Bro!"
Julian said irritably, "We're reasonable people, okay? Don't use your strength to bully others."
"No, I was relying on my trainer's strength to bully others."
Arcanine shook its head with great seriousness.
Julian covered his face in helplessness, feeling a headache coming on.
Should he be pleased or annoyed that this dog said that?
"Let's go, we're heading back too."
The excitement was over, and a faint glow of dawn now appeared on the distant horizon. It was already past five in the morning.
Julian didn't feel sleepy. His mental strength could easily sustain him without sleep for a month. The reason he slept at night was simply out of habit.
And besides, if he didn't sleep, Slowking definitely wouldn't allow it.
By the time they returned to the campsite, the sun had fully risen. Under the crimson morning light, the entire Horseshoe Plains seemed to radiate an incredibly uplifting energy.
Nebby, nestled in Julian's arms, had fallen back asleep at some point without him noticing.
Julian carefully placed Nebby back inside the tent, where Celebi and Jirachi were still sound asleep, completely unaware that he had ever left.
With vigilance this low, they wouldn't even know if a Pokémon decided to make a snack out of them.
But then again, it was his fault—he had raised these perfectly good Pokémon into such carefree slackers.
Julian allowed himself a fleeting moment of self-reproach—lasting maybe a thousandth of a second—before gently pinching Celebi's and Jirachi's cheeks.
As they frowned in their sleep, clearly bothered, he quietly slipped out of the tent.
Outside, Slowking and its little apprentice, Magearna, were already preparing breakfast.
Curious, Julian walked over. Usually, Slowking would finish cooking before waking him up, so it was rare to see the breakfast preparation in action.
Magearna was currently kneading dough, skillfully working the lump under its hands, stretching and folding it repeatedly.
"Are we having noodles today?" Julian asked.
"Mage~"
Magearna nodded.
Meanwhile, Slowking was simmering a broth for the noodles. Pawniard, the meticulous little helper, was diligently chopping meat bones into small, uniform pieces.
"Slowking, is it just noodles for breakfast?"
"Slow~"
Slowking: "What else did you have in mind?"
"How about some fried dough sticks? I think they'd go perfectly with the noodle soup."
The broth already looked incredibly flavorful. Dipping the fried dough sticks into it would surely create a delicious combination.
After a moment of thought, Slowking nodded in agreement. It instructed Magearna to knead some extra dough specifically for making the dough sticks.
"Magearna, tell me, within what range should the kneading force be controlled?"
Faced with Slowking's sudden quiz, Magearna remained completely calm and answered steadily and correctly.
"Excellent."
Seeing Slowking's satisfied expression, Julian gave Magearna a big thumbs-up. Earning approval from Slowking-sensei was a true testament to its skill.
"The island below is a rose island. If this place was outside, it'd be a top-tier social media hotspot," Julian remarked while riding on Dragonite's back, looking down at the island blanketed in roses.
It was currently the peak blooming season for roses, so the entire island was covered in a vibrant tapestry of blossoms in full bloom. Even from high up in the sky, Julian could catch the faint, sweet fragrance of roses carried on the breeze.
A riot of colors stretched across the hills and fields as far as the eye could see. Aside from roses, there were almost no other plants in sight, which was why this place was full of Roselia, with many of these "roses" being actually Roselia in disguise.
The ruler of the island was a Roserade at the Pseudo-Champion level. Julian wasn't sure of its exact level—this information had come from a Sandslash he'd defeated on the nearby Sandgem Flats, when he had passed through the area.
"Julian, there are a lot of Combee down there."
Celebi, perched on his head, pointed out, watching the many Combee flitting between the roses, their tiny wings beating busily as they collected nectar.
Given that the island was dominated by roses, it made sense that the most common Pokémon here would be Combee and Roselia.
Combee loved gathering nectar, and rose nectar was one of their favorites, so it was perfectly normal to find so many of them here.
Honey produced by Combee had long been known for its health-boosting and vitality-enhancing properties when consumed regularly, making it a highly prized tonic. Its price varied greatly depending on the level of the Combee that produced it.
Especially honey from Elite-level Combee—its price could reach tens of thousands per gram, even more expensive than gold, though its effects were exceptionally potent.
Beyond boosting health and vitality, it also offered life-extending benefits.
Anything linked to increasing lifespan was bound to come with a hefty price tag.
Even though the lifespan increase from Elite-level Combee honey was modest—at most seven or eight years—compared to other longevity-enhancing treasures, it was still remarkably rare.
Honey from Elite-level Combee was essentially the only lifespan-extending treasure that could be bought with money—though at an exorbitant price, of course.
Due to its scarcity, it took at least three years of careful production to yield honey with life-extending effects.
This created intense demand from wealthy families eager to purchase it for their elders. But with only a limited supply available each year, not everyone could get their hands on it.
If your family background was strong enough, and your own strength was formidable, then you stood a chance to obtain it.
Moreover, such things rarely ever circulated on the open market.
Even the Combee honey that was available for purchase in regular markets was very expensive for the average person.
"Julian, with so many Combee down there, there must be plenty of Combee honey. Let's go get some!" Celebi said, its mouth watering at the thought.
Even the most ordinary Combee honey was incredibly delicious. Adding just a little to desserts or using it as a sweetener in certain dishes could elevate their flavor by a whole grade.
That was why this ingredient was highly prized by chefs.
Similarly, Pokémon with a sweet tooth absolutely adored Combee honey, especially Heracross. Its resistance to this honey was almost zero; to get a taste, it could unleash unimaginable fighting spirit.
As a fellow foodie, Celebi naturally wanted to get its paws on some of that honey.
At Julian's waist, the Poké Ball containing Slowking was also gently shaking.
Slowking, being a chef, was also extremely eager to get its hands on some top-quality Combee honey.
While the Walker family had the means to acquire premium Combee honey, the supply was ultimately limited.
Since even Slowking wanted some, Julian naturally had no reason to refuse.
He didn't have Dragonite land immediately. Instead, he instructed it to follow a Combee that had just finished collecting rose nectar. By trailing it, they could find out where its hive was located.
The number of Combee on this island was enormous. At a glance, the island below seemed to consist of nothing but roses and Combee. Their population seemed no smaller than the swarm of Beedrill Julian had encountered when he first entered this secret realm.
The happy Combee, having just finished gathering nector, was completely unaware that it was being followed.
On this island, aside from the ruling Roselia, the second most powerful group was the Combee swarm. Furthermore, the Combee and Roselia populations had a cooperative relationship.
The beautiful roses that blossomed on Roselia's arms weren't just for show—they also produced large amounts of nectar that the Roselia themselves couldn't use.
This was where the Combee came in.
Combee would collect the nectar from the flowers on Roselia's arms and later share a portion of the fermented honey with Roselia.
Thus, a symbiotic partnership was formed.
This cooperative relationship was quite solid, which explained why the entire island was dominated by just two major groups—Roselia and Combee—along with a few smaller populations.
After following this Combee for about half an hour, Julian finally saw its hive.
It was a giant honeycomb structure, nearly a hundred meters tall. Countless Combee were flying in and out of it, and a large number of guards were stationed around its perimeter.
The Combee species had a unique characteristic: as long as a single Vespiquen existed within the hive, other Combee would be unable to evolve, even if they reached the required level—unless they chose to leave the colony.
So despite this massive Combee population, there was only one Vespiquen among them.
Julian hadn't seen the Vespiquen yet; it was probably inside the hive.
"The security here is pretty tight," Julian observed.
He counted over a dozen Elite-level Combee and three Combee at the early-stage Pseudo-Champion level. Below the hive, there was also a large number of Roselia.
Trying to get a taste of Combee honey? Just these defensive forces alone would be enough to stop most Pokémon in their tracks—and keep them there permanently, as nutrients for the soil.
"It smells so good! Jirachi, can you smell it?" Celebi sniffed the air, its face wearing a look of bliss.
Jirachi nodded. "Yeah, I can smell it. It really is wonderful. Julian, let's hurry up and take back what's ours!"
Having spent so much time with Celebi, Jirachi was no longer the simple, innocent Pokémon that had just awakened from its meteor.
Now, it knew how to be sarcastic, how to lie, how to insult others, and it had developed a thick skin. In short, it had gained all sorts of "qualities"—both good and bad.
The way it so naturally claimed the Combee honey as "theirs" left Julian a bit speechless.
But it really did smell incredible.
The quality of the honey here must be exceptionally high; otherwise, such a rich, sweet aroma wouldn't have carried all the way up into the sky without being scattered by the wind.
Meanwhile, Slowking's Poké Ball was shaking even more vigorously now.
It was rare to see the usually calm Slowking become so excited.
Patting Slowking's Poké Ball, Julian said calmly, "No rush, no rush."
Looking at so many Combee below, Julian was struggling to decide which of his generals to send into battle. If he wanted an easier option, he could simply dispatch his four top—Metagross, Moltres, Gengar, and Aggron.
If they were to appear, these Combee would surely be too terrified to move, but that would make things rather meaningless.
Better not send the four generals, then.
"Duraludon, Tyranitar."
After some thought, Julian sent out Duraludon and Tyranitar.
---
Pokémon: Duraludon (Steel/Dragon)
Level: 79
Potential: Purple
Ability: Light Metal
Held Item: Dragon Fang
Gender: Male
Moves: Metal Claw, Leer, Rock Smash, Hone Claws, Metal Sound, Breaking Swipe, Dragon Tail, Iron Defense, Focus Energy, Dragon Claw, Flash Cannon, Metal Burst, Hyper Beam
TMs: Hyper Beam, Giga Impact, Protect, Solar Beam, Thunder Wave, Brick Break, Rock Tomb, Outrage, Thunder, Stone Edge, Draco Meteor, Steel Beam, Iron Head
Egg Moves: Slash, Night Slash, Mirror Coat, Dragon Pulse
---
Pokémon: Tyranitar (Rock/Dark)
Level: 81
Potential: Purple
Ability: Sand Stream
Held Item: Hard Stone
Gender: Male
Moves: Iron Defense, Tackle, Payback, Leer, Bite, Rock Throw, Scary Face, Rock Slide, Stomping Tantrum, Screech, Smack Down, Crunch, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Thrash, Sandstorm, Hyper Beam, Giga Impact, Dark Pulse, Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, Fire Fang
TMs: Protect, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Snarl, Rock Tomb, Dragon Tail, Swords Dance, Rock Blast, Ice Punch, Facade, Bulldoze, Brick Break, Substitute, Flamethrower, Ice Beam, Dragon Pulse
Egg Moves: Iron Head, Ancient Power, Focus Energy, Assurance
Note: After consuming the Diamond Core, the power of Rock and Ground-type moves is increased by 20%.
Note: Used Stone Marrow, accelerated growth, energy absorption efficiency is six times the normal.
Note: Used Gold Berry—base Defense increased by 20%.
---
The two Pokémon appeared abruptly near the Combee hive, descending from the sky.
The ground shook several times upon their landing.
The surrounding Combee were bewildered by this sudden turn of events.
Though invaders often entered their territory, it was rare for anyone to appear so suddenly right at their hive.
Most Combee were responsible for gathering nectar and were inherently weak in combat. The strength of the Combee tasked with producing honey directly determined the quality of the Combee honey produced.
It could be said that the Combee hive not only housed the most powerful Vespiquen and its guard unit but also the strongest honey-producing Combee.
After the brief initial shock caused by the appearance of Duraludon and Tyranitar, the Combee's reaction swiftly turned to intense hostility.
Sensing the invaders' immense power, they released pheromones, urging the surrounding Combee to retreat.
Immediately afterward, over a dozen Elite-level Combee charged toward Duraludon and Tyranitar, while the three early-stage Pseudo-Champion Combee remained behind to guard the hive.
Although Duraludon's defense couldn't match that of Aggron, at this level, few Pokémon of the same tier could break through its defenses.
For these dozen or so Elite-level Combee—who were not known for their offensive prowess—to hope to breach Duraludon's defense was nothing short of wishful thinking.
Moreover, since the battle was taking place right next to the hive, these Combee feared that the aftershocks of the fight would damage it. The hive contained not only honey but also numerous Combee eggs and larval-stage Combee.
If the hive were damaged, casualties among the eggs and larvae would be inevitable.
Thus, they fought with restrained caution.
On Julian's side, he refrained from ordering Duraludon to attack. After all, his goal was the honey—smashing the hive would only cause the precious honey to spill out.
So he simply had Duraludon stand its ground, taunting the dozen Elite-level Combee to attack it without fighting back.
Duraludon: "No strength, huh? Feels like you're tickling me!"
"That's right, right there~"
"Don't like me? Then hit me harder if you can!"
Faced with Duraludon's relentless taunts, the dozen Combee grew furious, relentlessly bombarding it with moves—yet they couldn't inflict even a scratch.
With Duraludon drawing all the aggro, Tyranitar had already begun advancing toward the hive.
However, it was soon intercepted by the three Pseudo-Champion Combee.
"Metagross, shield the hive," Julian said.
In the next instant, several barriers of light encased the hive, protecting it from all sides.
"Tyranitar—Mega Evolve!" Julian called out.
With the hive shielded by Metagross's Light Screen, Julian had no more worries. These three Pseudo-Champion Combee could serve as decent opponents for Tyranitar.
As the multicolored light of Mega Evolution faded, Mega Tyranitar emerged.
Originally a Totem-class Pokémon standing over seven meters tall, its height increased even further upon Mega Evolving.
Compared to the Combee, which were only as large as its foot, the sheer difference in size was staggering.
An aura of ferocity radiated from Mega Tyranitar as it glared menacingly at the three tiny opponents before it.
The three Combee suddenly froze in place, seemingly intimidated by Mega Tyranitar's presence, but Mega Tyranitar did not care whether they could move or not.
A fist wreathed in blazing flames, carrying scorching heat, suddenly struck the Combee positioned in the center.
With a loud bang, the latter was sent crashing heavily into the Light Screen protecting the hive.
"…So weak."
Mega Tyranitar felt a slight disappointment upon seeing the Combee knocked out in a single move.
Within a few seconds, the other two Combee were also swiftly defeated by Mega Tyranitar.
Thud!
Hearing the commotion outside, the Vespiquen inside the hive couldn't help but fly out—only to crash headfirst into the Light Screen.
"Ouch, that ought to hurt!"
Hearing the sound, even Julian winced in sympathy for the Vespiquen.
"Look where you're flying—what are your eyes even for?" Julian muttered, rather unsympathetically.
If the Vespiquen had heard Julian's words, it definitely would have exploded in anger.
Who would have thought its home would be encased in a transparent Light Screen? It had rushed out in a hurry and ended up smashing straight into it.
And yes, it really did hurt.
The durability of the Light Screen exceeded Vespiquen's expectations. Despite being at the mid-stage Pseudo-Champion level, even after over a dozen attacks, the barrier remained unbroken—not even a single crack appeared.
Metagross: 'With your strength, you'd probably need a full year to break this Light Screen.'
Seeing that it couldn't shatter the barrier, and witnessing its three Pseudo-Champion guards already defeated—while the dozen or so Elite-level guards were being swatted down like flies by Duraludon, one slap each—Vespiquen suddenly let out a piercing screech from behind the Light Screen.
Vespiquen's piercing screech wasn't a sonic attack—it was a cry for help. Who was it calling for?
Its sister, Roserade.
Why did Julian know this? Because he could sense Vespiquen's inner thoughts.
Vespiquen understood that it currently couldn't break through the Light Screenbefore it. Once the enemy dealt with its guards, it would be next.
And since it couldn't even break the barrier created by the opponent, then the enemy's strength must surely surpass its own.
"Sister, save me!"
That was what Vespiquen had cried out.
By now, Duraludon had already taken down the dozen or so Elite-level Combee and stood alongside Mega Tyranitar, awaiting Julian's command.
With the Light Screen barrier in place, neither of them could break through it either.
Vespiquen's plea for help continuously traveled through the Light Screen, spreading into the distance.
In truth, it didn't even need to call for help—the commotion caused by Duraludon and Mega Tyranitar had already been sensed by Roserade.
From the moment the battle began, it had already been rushing over.
"Julian, it's raining rose petals!"
Celebi pointed ahead, about a kilometer away, gazing in astonishment at the scene.
In the sky ahead, a rain of crimson rose petals suddenly began to fall out of thin air. Thanks to Celebi's keen eyesight, it could clearly make out that they were rose petals.
If it had been a human instead, they might only see a blur of red and even mistake it for a rain of blood.
But Julian could also clearly see that they were rose petals.
The rain of rose petals continued to approach Julian's location. After about a minute, it came to a halt less than a hundred meters away from him, though the petals continued to fall.
A delicate floral fragrance drifted along with the rose petal rain.
'Hmm... it's poisonous.'
As the falling speed of the rose petals gradually slowed, a Pokémon danced gracefully amid the petal rain, leaping and weaving, descending to the ground together with the petals.
Clap, clap, clap.
Watching Roserade make its entrance accompanied by the petal rain, Julian applauded.
"Not a bad way to make an entrance," he commented, offering clear approval.
With an entrance like that, if it were participating in a Pokémon Contest, it would definitely score highly.
Pokémon Contests were a new type of competition that had gained popularity in recent years, focusing on showcasing a Pokémon's beauty rather than placing high demands on its battling strength.
This novel competition format quickly gained immense popularity. Since it focused on showcasing the beauty of Pokémon, many of the participating trainers were attractive men and women, and numerous celebrities and social media influencers were also taking part.
This in turn attracted a massive audience of appearance-focused fans, making Pokémon Contests extremely popular in countries worldwide.
The rewards for winning—both monetary and in rare items—were also exceptionally generous. Additionally, the Contests didn't place high demands on a Pokémon's battling strength.
This event had now become the second-largest competition, right after official Trainer battles.
As for who the genius was that came up with Pokémon Contests—
Julian pointed at himself.
Who else could it be but a transmigrator like him?
The introduction of Pokémon Contests also opened up a new revenue stream for the Walker Group.
Hearing Julian's sincere praise, Roserade's hostility toward him lessened somewhat. It glanced at the fallen Combee—all merely unconscious—and its hostility diminished even more.
Vespiquen: "Hurry up and get me out of here! Stop showing off!"
Trapped behind the Light Screen, Vespiquen was about to explode. 'I'm in this state, and you're still putting on an entrance performance? You're not the least bit worried!'
Roserade glanced calmly at its little sister. "You're just jealous."
Vespiquen was going crazy, but it still had to rely on Roserade for rescue.
"Can you let it go?" Roserade asked.
"I can, but I want Royal Combee Honey."
Royal Combee Honey was a special honey Vespiquen brewed exclusively for itself.
It was even more precious than Elite-grade Combee Honey.
Given that this Vespiquen was at the mid-stage Pseudo-Champion level, the Royal Combee Honey it produced should be beyond comparison.
"Don't even think about it!"
Before Roserade could respond, Vespiquen refused outright.
Brewing Royal Combee Honey was extremely difficult, and each batch took at least ten years to complete. Only by consuming Royal Combee Honey could it lay high-quality Combee eggs, which had a certain chance of producing Pokémon with Cyan- or even Blue-grade potential.
So it refused without a second thought.
Julian shrugged. "See? It's not cooperating."
"Sister, stop talking to him! Just beat him up for me! Give him a good thrashing!" Vespiquen shouted from behind the barrier.
Just then, a Poké Ball on Julian's waist suddenly opened on its own.
"Milo~"
Milotic appeared.
Simultaneously, an astonishing charm radiated from its body.
The previously furious Vespiquen stared blankly. "So... beautiful..."
As a female, Vespiquen wasn't swayed by Milotic's charm into losing its rationality—the praise came from genuinely finding Milotic breathtakingly beautiful.
Under the influence of the Fragrant Mud,Milotic—already renowned as the most beautiful Pokémon—now possessed charm that soared beyond limits.
Forget the opposite gender—even members of the same gender could potentially be captivated by it.
A flicker of awe also passed through Roserade's eyes.
It wasn't that Roserade had never seen a Milotic before, but this Milotic was even more beautiful than any it had ever encountered.
If the Milotic it had seen before could be described as a delicate beauty, then the one before it now was like a noble princess from a royal family.
Not only was its charm astonishing, but it also carried an innate air of elegance.
"Sister, my trainer only wants a little Royal Combee Honey. Could you spare some?" Milotic said, looking at Vespiquen with pleading eyes.
Duraludon and Mega Tyranitar didn't dare to look directly at Milotic, afraid they might embarrass themselves and later face punishment from Julian—the incident from before was still fresh in their minds.
At this moment, Vespiquen felt nothing but its own sinful stinginess, moved by "genuine" appeal, it hurriedly nodded. "Yes, yes, of course! Taking a little is fine."
"My sister is so beautiful—I agree."
'It agreed!'
Julian was somewhat surprised. Originally, he had planned to subdue Roserade and Vespiquen through battle.
He never expected Milotic to make an appearance, call Vespiquen "sister," and effortlessly win it over.
Sure enough, once charm reached a certain level, it could captivate both men and women alike.
As Metagross retracted the Light Screen,Vespiquen flew out from the hive.
Hundreds of Combee followed behind it, each holding golden Royal Combee Honey. Combined, they amounted to roughly a hundred pounds.
"Here, sister, do you think this is enough?" Vespiquen said with a smile.
Milotic glanced at Julian, who subtly shook his head.
It wasn't that Julian thought it wasn't enough—it was the Poké Ball containing Slowking that was shaking, signaling it wasn't satisfied.
"Sister, could you spare a little more? I want to enjoy the Royal Honey in the future and remember you while doing so. The more honey I have, the longer I'll be able to think of you."
"Sister makes a good point. It was my mistake."
So another hundred pounds or so of Royal Combee Honey was brought out.
"Sister, I've heard Elite-grade Combee Honey is excellent for skincare. Could I have some of that too?"
"Of course, of course!" Vespiquen nodded.
Thus, five hundred pounds of Elite-grade Combee Honey was provided.
Julian: 'Milotic, you truly understand the art of persuasion…'
On Julian's side, he watched in utter astonishment, while on Roserade's side, it was so angry that it began to tremble slightly, watching its own sister being deceived by a manipulative b*tch and handing over two hundred pounds of Royal Combee Honey.
Usually, it had to bargain for ages just to get a few pounds from Vespiquen, but now, without a second thought, it had given Milotic two hundred pounds. The difference was just too stark.
"Sister, do you need anything else?" Vespiquen asked with a smile.
"You might as well give the entire hive to it at this point—she'd definitely want it anyway," Roserade said sarcastically.
Perhaps due to their respective strengths, or maybe because it naturally possessed enough charm, Roserade remained unaffected by Milotic's influence.
"Sister Roserade, how can you say that about me? It seems you have quite a big misunderstanding about me," Milotic said softly, looking aggrieved.
Seeing this, Roserade grew even angrier: "I'm already being polite by even speaking to you like this. If I weren't, I'd have already attacked."
Hearing this, Milotic put on a frightened look and said tremblingly, "Sister Roserade is so scary, not at all as kind as Sister Vespiquen."
Julian: 'Manipulation Jutsu, Btch-talk!'*
He had no idea when Milotic had developed such skills. Ever since he had captured it, hadn't it just been staying in the backyard as a pet?
Could this "Jutsu" be an innate ability it was born with?
"Roserade, rein in your temper. You're scaring Sister Milotic," Vespiquen said coldly to Roserade. Then, its expression shifted as it turned to Milotic with a smile. "Sister Milotic, don't worry. As long as I'm here, Roserade won't lay a hand on you."
"Mm, I knew Sister Vespiquen is the best to me," Milotic nodded, looking at the Vespiquen with eyes full of admiration.
Crack, crack.
Roserade was so angry its teeth were almost grinding to pieces, and the ground beneath it began to fracture under the pressure of its aura.
Roserade was Level 87, while Milotic was Level 90.
And yet, Milotic still wore a frightened expression.
Vespiquen stepped in front of Roserade, blocking its path. "What are you doing? Can't you see you are scaring Sister Milotic?"
"I want to slap it," Roserade said through clenched teeth.
"Sister Vespiquen, I'm so scared," Milotic hid behind Vespiquen, its soft, tender voice making Vespiquen's protective instincts surge even more.
"Move aside, or I'll hit you too," Roserade threatened.
Roserade was really about to explode from anger at Milotic, and it was equally furious at Vespiquen's foolishness for being so utterly bewitched by someone of the same gender. It felt like being driven to the brink of madness.
"Sister Roserade, if I've done something wrong, then just hit me. Please don't be angry with Sister Vespiquen and hurt the bond between you two."
"Roserade, don't go too far. What has Milotic done wrong for you to target it like this?" Vespiquen shouted angrily, unleashing its aura.
Though weaker than Roserade, this clearly showed its stance.
A fight was about to break out. Things were really heating up.
Julian felt inexplicably excited and pulled out a bag of melon seeds from his system space.
"Sister Vespiquen, don't be angry with Sister Roserade. It must be something I did that upset her. I'll just apologize."
As Milotic spoke, it looked extremely aggrieved, tears almost welling up in its eyes.
"B*tch!"
Roserade snapped and directly attacked using Magical Leaf.
Since Magical Leaf had homing capabilities, even with Vespiquen shielding Milotic, the attack was still able to strike its target.
BOOM!
The Magical Leaf hit Milotic, who didn't even attempt to defend itself, and was sent flying dozens of meters away.
"Oww..."
Milotic lay on the ground, wearing a pained expression.
"Roserade, what are you doing?!"
Vespiquen was stunned, never expecting Roserade to actually attack.
It immediately flew over to Milotic, who lay on the ground. Seeing the injuries left by the Magical Leaf on Milotic's beautiful form—like a flaw in a perfect piece of jade—Vespiquen's heart ached. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt, not at all. Sister Vespiquen, don't blame Sister Roserade. she surely didn't mean it."
Even now, Milotic was still defending Roserade. Vespiquen felt deeply moved, but the more Milotic acted this way, the more it believed Roserade had gone too far.
'Too much, this is too much.'
Julian also thought this was going too far—though for him, it was Milotic who had gone too far. It was practically inciting a fight between the two sisters.
"Roserade, look at what you've done. Apologize to Milotic right now!"
Vespiquen flew up to Roserade, its face filled with anger. If not for their sisterly bond, it would have already taken a swing at Roserade to vent Milotic's grievances.
"Can't you see it's faking it? My attack didn't even do much damage to it—its strength far surpasses mine!"
Roserade was so furious that it was trembling with cold fury. Was Vespiquen's vision impaired or something?
Its full-power Magical Leaf had only managed to scrape a bit of Milotic's skin. Forget strength—even just that level of defense was already impressive.
"If it's stronger than you, how could it end up hurt like this? Roserade, you've really disappointed me. Sister Milotic is so understanding, and yet you treat her this way."
Vespiquen looked at Roserade, its expression filled with disappointment at its "unrepentant" behavior.
"Go apologize to Sister Milotic right now."
"Apologize to that b*tch? Don't even think about it!"
Roserade outright refused. An apology was out of the question—the fact that it hadn't launched a second attack was already being generous.
"Sister Vespiquen, I'm fine. If Sister Roserade still needs to vent, she can keep hitting me. I can endure it."
"You see how thoughtful Sister Milotic is—"
"Shut up!"
Before Vespiquen could finish, Roserade charged toward Milotic, surrounded by a swirling mass of sharp leaves.
It was Razor Leaf.
But this time, the Razor Leaf was intercepted by Vespiquen.
"Roserade, you've gone too far!"
"That b*tch is going down today, even if I have to defeat you first to get to it!"
Roserade felt Vespiquen was beyond saving. If it was so determined to protect Milotic, then it'd just have to take Vespiquen down first before settling the score with Milotic.
"As long as I'm here, you won't lay a hand on Sister Milotic a second time!"
Though weaker than Roserade, Vespiquen's determination to protect Milotic unexpectedly unleased strength far beyond its usual level.
A classic case of "powering up through sheer will."
Watching the two Pokémon actually start fighting because of Milotic's masterful manipulation, Julian's melon-eating speed noticeably increased.
"Stop fighting! Please, don't fight!"
Milotic cried out anxiously from the sidelines.
"Sister Vespiquen, Sister Roserade, this is all my fault. Please stop fighting!"
To Roserade, Milotic's words were like adding fuel to the fire. But to Vespiquen, they were an endless source of motivation to protect it.
The intensity of the battle immediately escalated even further.
"Alright, stop talking. If you kept this up, one of them would probably end up dead," Julian said as he came to Milotic's side.
"How could that be? I just don't want them to hurt each other. Is that wrong?"
Julian stored the Royal Combee Honey and the Elite-grade Combee Honey that Milotic had obtained from Vespiquen through its "Manipulation-Jutsu" into his system space.
Not to mention the 200 pounds of Royal Combee Honey—even the nearly 500 pounds of Elite-grade Combee Honey alone had Slowking's Poké Ball shaking incessantly—clearly overjoyed.
Slowking: 'Not bad, Milotic. Not bad.'
Milotic had no idea that its little performance had earned the approval of the team's big boss. From now on, as long as it didn't stir up trouble, with Slowking backing it up, it could practically walk sideways within the team.
While Roserade and Vespiquen were fighting tooth and nail, Julian had already recalled Milotic into its Poké Ball and then ridden off on Dragonite, leaving the conflict far behind.
Three days later, Julian had left the island and arrived at the Grandtree Arena.
"So this is where Kleavor is."
Flying over the Grandtree Arena, he looked down at the towering giant trees below.
True to its name, the Grandtree Arena was a region made up of massive trees, each so large that it would take five or six people to encircle it, and standing over a hundred meters tall.
These trees were arranged in perfectly straight rows and columns, looking even more orderly than a man-made forest.
"Another Ultimate treasure."
Julian looked at the red dot on his Dowsing Machine.
Starting from Horseshoe Plains, it had taken Julian two months to reach this Grandtree Arena, passing through eight other regions along the way, each no smaller than the Horseshoe Plains.
Every area had its own Ultimate treasure, and that was not even mentioning the other valuable finds.
Only the previous island didn't seem to have an Ultimate treasure, but the Royal Combee Honey was essentially equivalent to one.
Having just arrived at the Grandtree Arena, Julian was surprised to discover another Ultimate treasure so soon.
He directed Dragonite to fly toward the Ultimate treasure's location, but halfway there, another red dot appeared on the Dowsing Machine—this one even larger than the Ultimate treasure dot.
"This size—a World-class treasure!"
Looking at the red dot that was 1.5 times larger than the Ultimate treasure dot, Julian's breath halted for a few seconds, his pupils dilating slightly.
Then his breathing resumed, becoming faster as he stared intently at the red dot.
After triple-checking, this red dot was indeed a World-class treasure.
Even with his Dowsing Machine, Julian had never found a single World-class treasure before.
Sure he had already used three World-class treasures on his Pokémon, but none of those had been found by treasure hunting.
The first was the Heart of Arceus, a World-class treasure Julian had obtained after killing Alex, who was suspected to be a "chosen one," and it was given to Metagross.
The second was the Blood of the Gods, a World-class treasure given to him by Mew, which he also gave to Metagross.
The third was a fragment of Yveltal's Death Essence, which he gave to Gengar. Only this World-class treasure was something Julian had personally obtained himself.
Julian had found quite a few Ultimate treasures, but as for World-class treasures, his Dowsing Machine had indeed never located one before.
The rarity of this thing was comparable to that of a First-class Legendary—otherwise, they wouldn't be called World-class treasures.
But now that Julian had discovered one in the Grandtree Arena, he immediately had Dragonite change direction.
Since a World-class treasure had been discovered, of course he would go dig it out first. As for the Ultimate treasure, it could wait.
"Strange... there's not a single Pokémon in this entire Grandtree Arena."
On the way to the World-class treasure, Julian was surprised to find that he hadn't seen a single Pokémon in the area—not even Flying-type ones in the sky.
It was truly bizarre.
For such a vast area like the Grandtree Arena to have not a single Pokémon—this eerie sight made Julian pay extra attention.
Moreover, this was the territory of Kleavor, revered as the "King" by the rulers of each region. And at the same time, traces of a World-class treasure had been found here.
All of these factors combined proved that this place was anything but simple.
After flying for about half an hour, Julian arrived above the location of the World-class treasure, encountering no unexpected incidents along the way.
At the same time, he saw the World-class treasure itself.
It was surprisingly out in the open—so obvious that anyone who came here would spot it immediately.
[Dragon Soul: Possesses Dragon Essence. When used, a Dragon-type Pokémon's Dragon Origin is tripled, Dragon-type moves' power is increased by 50%, and depending on the difference in strength, it suppresses the power of same-type Pokémon by 10%–90%.]
[Note: If used by a non-Dragon-type Pokémon, their primary typing becomes Dragon, and the above effects are halved.]
Below, he saw a three-to-four-meter-long figure resembling an ancient dragon. It was gray overall, ethereal like mist, flickering in and out of existence mid-air.
This was the World-class treasure—Dragon Soul.
Julian had originally thought that he would have to dig for it, as most treasures were buried underground. He never expected this World-class treasure to appear so abruptly right in front of him—a truly pleasant surprise.
However—
Looking at Dragonite beneath him, who showed an unusually calm reaction—this guy didn't seem to have even the slightest reaction to the Dragon Soul.
This was a World-class treasure, and a Dragon-type one at that. How could Dragonite, a Dragon-type pseudo-Legendary, be so indifferent?
"It doesn't attract you?" Julian pointed at the Dragon Soul below.
"What?"
Dragonite looked at Julian in confusion.
The spot its trainer was pointing at had nothing at all. What attraction was he talking about?
"You can't see it?"
Julian's voice involuntarily rose a few notches.
He instinctively rubbed his eyes and confirmed that the Dragon Soul phantom was still there.
But Dragonite shook its head again.
So Julian asked Metagross and Celebi, "Can you guys see it?"
Metagross indicated it couldn't see anything.
"I told you to stop playing on your phone so much. Now look at you—you're hallucinating. If you keep this up, you'll go blind!"
Celebi immediately started lecturing Julian.
At this moment, Julian fell silent. Could it be that he really was hallucinating?
No, that couldn't be.
"Are you seriously telling me you can't see that huge Dragon Soul?!"
He even spread his arms wide to demonstrate the size.
But all the Pokémon shook their heads in unison.
"Then your eyes must be the problem. Mine are perfectly fine."
Julian was absolutely certain because he knew his Probing Eyes wouldn't lie to him. In other words, only he could see this Dragon Soul—they couldn't.
No wonder Dragonite was so indifferent to this Dragon-type World-class treasure. It wasn't that it lacked appeal, but rather that Dragonite simply couldn't see it.
But why was he the only one who could see it?
Julian activated his Probing Eyes again.
Looking more closely this time, he realized the reason. He hadn't finished reading earlier—there was an extra note at the very bottom.
[Note: The Dragon Soul is currently in a concealed state and cannot be detected by Pokémon. Defeat Kleavor, the King, and the Dragon Soul will manifest.]
So that was it. No wonder Metagross, Dragonite, and Celebi couldn't see it.
Apparently, as long as it was a Pokémon, they couldn't see it.
The Probing Eyes said that the Dragon Soulwould only reveal itself after defeating Kleavor's King Form. Was the Kleavor it referred to the same one mentioned by Rillaboom and Gyarados when he entered the secret realm?
But what exactly did "King Form" mean?
With a trace of confusion, Julian had already had Dragonite descend to the ground.
However, it did not take long for Julian to understand what Kleavor's King Form meant.
Not long after he landed, Metagross beside him suddenly stood in front of him as if facing a formidable enemy, and Dragonite immediately let out a low growl in warning.
Following the direction of the two Pokémon's gazes, Julian looked over.
He saw a streak of golden light rapidly darting through the giant trees, like a bolt of lightning.
In a few seconds, the golden light came to a stop about twenty meters away from Julian, allowing him to finally see its appearance clearly.
It was a Kleavor whose entire body was golden, as if cast from pure gold.
"A shiny Kleavor?" Julian muttered softly.
A normal Kleavor was brown, whereas this one was golden all over. Just in terms of appearance, the one in front of him looked far more imposing.
Kleavor was essentially a regional variant of Scizor. Under the influence of a rare mineral, Black Augurite, Scyther could evolve into Kleavor.
This evolutionary form of Scyther had only been discovered in this Primal Secret Realm.
Scyther's other evolution, Scizor, was much more widely known, with its red armor and equally cool appearance.
---
Pokémon: Kleavor (Bug/Rock) [King Form]
Level: 99
Potential: Purple
Ability: Swarm
Held Item: None
Gender: Male
Moves: Stone Axe, Leer, Quick Attack, Fury Cutter, False Swipe, Smack Down, Double Team, Double Hit, Slash, Focus Energy, Agility, Rock Slide, X-Scissor, Swords Dance
TMs: None
Egg Moves: Counter, Feint, Night Slash, Defog
Note: Blessed by Arceus, it has obtained the King Form.
Note: King Form—In this form, it cannot be captured. The power of Bug-type and Rock-type moves is increased by 100%, damage taken is reduced by 50%, and it is immune to all negative status conditions.
Note: Used XXX, increased XXX.
Note: Used XXX, increased XXX.
Note: .....
---
The King Form had been deciphered.
Looking at this description, Julian's eyes turned red. Damn, Bug-type and Rock-type moves were directly boosted by 100%. This wasn't just one or two moves being enhanced, but all of them.
One had to know that the Fire-type Ultimate treasure, the Blaze Stone, could only double the power of Flamethrower, whereas this one boosted the power of moves from two entire Typings.
There was simply no comparison.
With this kind of buff, even a simple Slashfrom Kleavor would pack more power than big moves like Hyper Beam or Giga Impact.
And on top of that, there was that 50% damage reduction.
Then there was the ability to be immune to all negative status conditions.
This meant that it could not be paralyzed, put to sleep, poisoned, confused, or affected by any series of states that impacted its combat ability.
With this ability, even if Milotic tried to charm it with all its might, Kleavor would probably just slice it in two without a second thought—truly embodying "with no distractions, the blade strikes true."
In Julian's opinion, immunity to all negative status conditions was even better than the damage reduction.
After all, if used well, negative status effects could turn the tide of battle, allowing the weak to overcome the strong and change the course of a fight.
The most classic example was Poison-type moves. How many powerful Pokémon had fallen to poisoned status condition in competitive battles?
On the market, treasures that boosted poison resistance were far more valuable than those that protected against paralysis or confusion.
Conditions like paralysis, confusion, and sleep would fade over time, but poison was different. If a Pokémon's body couldn't withstand the toxins, the most likely outcome was a slow, debilitating death.
Even if the poison was cured afterward, any lingering toxins left in the body acted like a ticking time bomb, ready to cause trouble at any moment.
And then there was the number of treasures this guy had used. Did this guy have a Dowsing Machine too? The sheer quantity was absurd.
Its level was also 99, infinitely close to the Champion peak.
And what was this Arceus business? Why had this thing received Arceus's blessing, gaining such a thing as a King Form?
Without this King Form, it would have just been a somewhat stronger-than-average Kleavor.
That golden coloration—could it be caused by the activation of the King Form?
No wonder Rillaboom and Gyarados had all referred to Kleavor as "King." Julian had originally thought it was just showing off, having its subordinates call it that.
But now it seems that wasn't the case.
A Kleavor possessing the King Form being called "King" by its subordinates actually seemed perfectly reasonable.
Julian could clearly feel that this guy was going to be extremely troublesome. Being tied to the Creator God, who knew what this guy had done to earn such a blessing.
"Meta~"
Metagross stared straight at Kleavor. A formidable enemy—without a doubt, a formidable enemy. The aura it had been concealing involuntarily erupted due to the presence of Kleavor.
---
[Main Quest Issued]
[Quest Objective: Defeat five Pokémon in the King Form]
[Quest Rewards: Designate one Pokémon to possess the King Form. Rare Candies ×5 (usable below Champion tier)]
---
The system's voice echoed in Julian's mind, directly issuing a main quest.
This was the first time a second main quest had been issued before the previous one was completed.
Looking at the system's rewards, Julian felt a surge of excitement. Designating one Pokémon to possess the King Form? Without a doubt, it would be Metagross.
If Metagross were to possess the King Form, its power would undoubtedly double.
But first, he had to defeat five Pokémon in the King Form to complete the quest.
Kleavor was at level 99, so the other four Pokémon likely wouldn't be far off in level—they might even be stronger.
Metagross's fighting spirit burned fiercely. Even without having fought yet, as a powerful Pokémon, it could sense that this opponent was undoubtedly the strongest it had ever encountered since its debut.
Compared to past opponents who couldn't withstand more than a few moves, this one promised to be a truly exhilarating battle.
"Meta~"
Its voice was low, yet its intense fighting spirit spread like a hurricane in all directions. Its gaze remained fixed intently on the Kleavor across from it.
Due to the King Form, Kleavor stood in the sunlight like a golden statue.
Julian even wondered whether its flesh and blood were golden as well.
His own Metagross was silver. If it were to acquire the King Form in the future, would it also turn gold?
A gold Metagross?
He imagined the appearance of a golden Metagross in his mind.
Hmm… somehow, he felt the silver version looked better.
Without even having started the battle, Julian was already picturing what Metagross would look like with the King Form—as if he had already defeated this Kleavor and its four companions in the King Form.
Pokémon: Metagross (Steel/Psychic)
Level: 95
Potential: Gold
Ability: Light Metal
Held Item: Metal Coat
Gender: Genderless
Moves: Tackle, Steel Beam, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Flash Cannon, Magnet Rise, Psychic, Scary Face, Hammer Arm, Meteor Mash, Take Down, Agility, Hyper Beam
TMs: Iron Head, Zen Headbutt, Iron Defense, Reflect, Protect, Light Screen, Psycho Cut, Shadow Ball, Gyro Ball, Psyshock, Trailblaze, Bulldoze, Mud-Slap, Aerial Ace, Icy Wind, Rock Tomb, Brick Break, Thunder Punch, Rest, Teleport, Psychic Fangs, Hard Press, Giga Impact, Future Sight, Focus Punch, Earthquake, Heavy Slam, Body Slam, Ice Beam Rock Slide, Grass Knot, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Recover
Egg Moves: None
Note: Enhanced by the Heart of Arceus—all stats boosted, potential increased.
Note: After absorbing the Blacklight Core, the Pokémon continuously absorbs sunlight to restore its stamina (limited to Steel- and Rock-types)
Note: After using the Steel Crystal, Steel-type moves' power increased by 30%.
Note: Enhanced by the Blood of the Gods—potential transformed.
Note: Gold potential—path to godhood unlocked, overall strength increased by 50%.
Note: Gold Potential; possesses a trace of divinity. Within a ten-kilometer radius, Pokémon with potential lower than Gold have their strength suppressed by 10% (Purple potential), 20% (Blue), 30% (Cyan), 50% (below Cyan).
Note: Used Bloodstone—HP increased, healing speed of injuries increased.
---
The King Form of Kleavor was in no way inferior to a World-class treasure—in fact, it might even be better.
Since Metagross' debut, the resources from the system and the Walker family had been poured into it continuously. How strong it truly was, even Julian himself wasn't entirely sure—because until now, Metagross had never encountered an opponent that pushed it to its limits.
Metagross's Gold potential originally allowed it to suppress opponents with lower potential, but Kleavor's King Form granted it immunity to negative status effects, so the suppression effect didn't activate.
At level 95, Metagross was at the mid-stage Champion-level. Compared to Kleavor, which was close to the peak of Champion-level, there was indeed a noticeable gap in levels.
Among Champions, even a one-level difference often translated to a significant disparity in strength—let alone the four-level gap between Metagross and Kleavor.
Level was tied to strength, but it didn't tell the whole story.
"Go, Metagross!"
Without any unnecessary words, Julian gave the command.
"Meta~"
Metagross: "Let me test your strength."
In the blink of an eye, Metagross teleported right in front of Kleavor. Its right claw rose and slammed down with a thunderous impact, compressing, gathering, and condensing the air around it.
Even before the Meteor Mash could land, the terrifying pressure it generated had already caused the ground beneath Kleavor to cave in.
"Kle!"
Kleavor raised the stone axe on its right arm. A sharp aura flowed along the blade of the axe, slicing through the pressure formed by Meteor Mash.
The next second, Slash collided with Meteor Mash.
Clang!
A sound like clashing steel reverberated throughout the Grandtree Arena. The shockwaves from the collision swept through the surroundings, shattering one giant tree after another.
When the shockwaves subsided, the first exchange between Metagross and Kleavor ended in a draw.
Yet neither of them knew just how much strength the other had truly used.
A cold glint flashed in Kleavor's eyes. It pushed off the ground with explosive force, sending Metagross flying backward while swiftly giving chase.
Its twin axes transformed into streams of golden light, relentlessly slashing toward Metagross.
Fury Cutter!
Metagross's eyes glowed with blue light as psychic energy surged forth, weaving into threads that attempted to entangle Kleavor. However, before the threads could even get close, they were severed by Fury Cutter.
Metagross's internal supercomputer analyzed the chain reactions in Kleavor's arms, body, ankles, and other parts to predict the trajectory of its axe strikes.
As if foreseeing the future, Metagross dodged each strike with precision—even as Kleavor's Fury Cutter grew faster and faster, every slash only grazed past Metagross's body.
One after another, axe marks tore through the ground below, each stretching several kilometers long.
At first glance, the destructive power might seem underwhelming—almost unworthy of Kleavor's level. After all, even an Elite-level Pokémon using Fury Cutter could leave deep gouges in the ground.
But Kleavor was a level 99, late-stage Champion Pokémon. How could its Fury Cutter be so... modest?
If you really thought that, then death was almost guaranteed.
The limited range of Fury Cutter wasn't due to weak power—it was because the power was concentrated in the initial segment of the strike.
If you looked closely, you'd notice that the marks left by these Fury Cutter slashes grew shallower and wider the further they extended.
At the very beginning, the mark was only as wide as a pinky finger.
As for the depth—if you measured it with specialized equipment, you'd find it reached nearly a kilometer down.
The power of Fury Cutter was concentrated at the start and diminished from there.
To put it bluntly, a single Fury Cutter strike was more than enough to instantly defeat an early-stage Champion Pokémon.
Having swung over a hundred times, the entire ground had turned into a spiderweb of cracks, fissures spreading everywhere.
Yet not a single strike had managed to hit Metagross. Even so, there was no sign of Kleavor stopping.
"Its stamina is really terrifying," Julian muttered with a serious expression.
Fury Cutter was a move that relied on high-speed successive strikes, which heavily drained a Pokémon's stamina and endurance.
It was like sprinting 200 meters versus jogging 1,000 meters—the sprint left you far more exhausted.
Right now, Kleavor was essentially sprinting at 200-meter pace for a full kilometer. Yet, despite this extreme exertion, its condition showed no signs of deteriorating.
"Kle!"
Kleavor brought its axe down again, but Metagross remained expressionless. It had already dodged over a hundred such attacks.
The moment the axe was raised, it had already calculated where it would land.
Its body shifted slightly to the left—the axe would just graze past it.
"Kle—"
Reality did match Metagross's prediction—but midway through the swing, Kleavor's axe suddenly twisted.
The downward slash suddenly veered to the left halfway through.
Such a mid-attack adjustment required not just impeccable timing but also immense physical control.
If your body wasn't strong enough, forcing a change in motion like this would not only fail but also easily injure you.
BOOM!
Metagross was sent flying like a meteor, crashing through one giant tree after another. In an instant, a path had been carved out by Metagross's trajectory.
"Forcibly changing moves like that—isn't it afraid of throwing its back out? Its body must be incredibly sturdy," Julian remarked with amazement.
He didn't seem worried at all about Metagross being hit.
"This guy's got brains too. Over a hundred Fury Cutters, then suddenly changing mid-swing."
Normally, if you had the ability to alter your attack mid-swing, you'd likely do so after a dozen or so misses.
But Kleavor waited until after over a hundred missed strikes before suddenly switching things up.
Was it intentionally lulling Metagross into a false sense of security? Or was it just stubbornly insisting on hitting Metagross with a conventional Fury Cutter, only resorting to a change when it absolutely couldn't land a hit?
If it was the former, then this opponent was even more troublesome.
If it was the latter, and this guy was just plain stubborn... well, that made things a bit easier to deal with.