Time quickly moved to evening. The Elder carried a small cloth pouch and arrived at the Dragon's Den.
However, upon arrival, she saw a field of collapsed Dragon-type Pokémon.
Ace, meanwhile, leaned against the cave wall, panting heavily.
Beside him, Chansey, Crobat, Vulpix, and Blastoise were also somewhat exhausted. It was clear they had just been through an intense battle.
"Your strength is impressive, to have defeated all the Dragon-type Pokémon in the outer area." The Elder walked past the fallen Dragon-type Pokémon and approached Ace. "But I must warn you, the Pokémon inside the Dragon's Den are much stronger, and more wild. Entering without sufficient strength can easily lead to injury."
As she spoke, the Elder handed the cloth pouch to Ace.
"What's this?" Ace took the pouch, opened it, and found some dried meat strips.
"Rations," the Elder said succinctly. "Enough for you for one day. I'll come back at this time tomorrow to bring you more food."
With that, the Elder left again without looking back.
Ace felt a warmth towards this somewhat peculiar Elder. Beneath her cold exterior, she was quite considerate.
Ace pulled out a finger-sized piece of jerky, put it directly into his mouth, and began chewing heartily.
The jerky was moderately tough. After chewing it a dozen times, Ace swallowed the masticated meat.
"Growth Quest (Dragon Hunter) activated. Completed: (2/50). Physical Strength: +1."
As he was savoring the jerky, the system's sudden notification surprised Ace. He then said to the system in disbelief, "Scan this jerky."
"Scanning..."
"Scan complete. Determined to be 70% Salamence meat, 30% Hydreigon meat."
Ace's eyes lit up. He then understood why the Elder had been reluctant to say more about it.
Ace pulled out a piece of Hydreigon jerky and a piece of Salamence jerky, putting both into his mouth to chew simultaneously.
After chewing, he swallowed.
"Growth Quest (Dragon Hunter) activated. Completed: (3/50). Physical Strength: +1."
Another notification sounded, and Ace's physical strength increased again.
"Coming to Draconid Village really was the right decision." Ace shook the cloth pouch, smiling. "This is truly a pleasant surprise."
However, since the Elder was unwilling to say more, Ace naturally wouldn't expose her.
Putting the cloth pouch away, Ace began preparing dinner for his Pokémon.
Meanwhile, the Elder did not return to her residence but walked out of Draconid Village to the Meteor Falls outside.
Standing on the wooden suspension bridge, the Elder gazed at the starry sky. Even though it was night, through the atmospheric currents and the unique cloud lines that only Rayquaza could leave, the Elder knew that their Dragon God had returned to Hoenn.
"The Successor, Zinnia..."
The Elder murmured, "Zinnia, you are not the true Successor. The death of the Successor was an indelible blow to everyone. They have lost the will to resist, and you continuing like this won't change anything. Not for everyone, nor for the Dragon God..."
Sighing softly, the Elder's mind suddenly conjured Ace's image.
"This young man also possesses a special power. With a bit more training, he might achieve some of what the true Successor did."
The Elder mused, "But should I place my bet on this young man? We cannot afford another blow..."
After a moment of contemplation, the Elder finally made her decision.
"If he can make it to the deepest part of the Dragon's Den, then I will take this gamble."
The Elder turned and left the suspension bridge, then returned to Draconid Village.
On the outskirts of the Dragon's Den, Ace, who was chewing on jerky, was suddenly bewildered by a new system notification.
"Side Quest (Origin of Mega Evolution) completed. Quest Rating: S. Quest Reward: 10,000 gold coins, 50 quest points."
"Gift package has been stored for you, can be claimed at any time."
"Attention: Your gift package storage has reached its limit. Would you like to open all of them now? If you acquire another new gift package, these five will all open automatically!"
"???" Ace was utterly confused. He hadn't done anything, so how had this side quest suddenly been completed?
And what was with this S-rank rating?
Had he done anything to deserve it? Why an S-rank rating?
However, Ace didn't have time to ponder, because a new set of side quests arrived.
"Side Quest (Deep within the Dragon's Den): You have gained the Elder's approval. You need to travel to the deepest part of the Dragon's Den. Quest Reward: 30,000 gold coins, plus quest points based on completion rating."
Ace found the notifications disjointed and couldn't immediately figure out what he was supposed to do in the deepest part of the Dragon's Den.
But since the quest stated it, he would proceed. Ace was definitely going to challenge the Dragon's Den and try to go as deep as possible in the coming days.
Temporarily setting this quest aside, Ace continued chewing his jerky while retrieving the five gift packages.
The system could store a maximum of five gift packages for him, and these five packages represented five S-rank ratings Ace had already earned!
"Open them all. Let's see if I can get some good stuff."
As Ace finished speaking, the five gift packages instantly opened.
"All gift packages opened. You received: Physical Strength +2, Healing Aura Advancement (Combat State), Neural Reaction Speed +10%, Proof of Strength."
"Healing Aura Advancement (Combat State): When affiliated Pokémon are in battle, they recover 1 HP per second (overwrites original Healing Aura)."
"Proof of Strength: Holding this proof activates a unique Strongest Quest. Completing this quest grants massive gold coin and quest point rewards, and earns the title [The Strongest]."
"The Strongest: Wearing this title grants: Physical Strength +15, Neural Reaction Speed +80%, Dynamic Vision +50%."
"Attention: This quest is not recommended for trainers below Level 60."
"Activate Proof of Strength? If activated, the quest must be completed within 48 hours, otherwise the quest will disappear, and the host cannot receive the Strongest Quest again."
"No."
Ace immediately refused to use the Proof of Strength, while his heart swelled with joy. Opening these five gift packages had been an immense gain!
Leaving aside everything else, just the advancement of his Healing Aura significantly boosted Ace's sustained combat ability.
With this, Ace felt even more confident about entering the Dragon's Den!