The Charizard glanced at her fallen mate, then at her own battered state. Slowly, her fury ebbed away and calm returned.
Seeing that neither of them had the strength to continue fighting, Dax Jonas produced a recovery spray from his coat and treated the unconscious Charizard.
A short while later, the downed dragon stirred and regained consciousness.
His mate let out a delighted cry and rushed to embrace him.
Dax descended to the ground as well and released several more of his Pokémon.
Metagross, Magnezone, and newly sent out Aggron, Aegislash, and Ferrothorn emerged one after another.
Standing tall on the back of his Corviknight, Dax commanded his six Pokémon to encircle the pair of exhausted Charizards.
"Alright then," he said, his voice calm but firm. "Time to talk. My mission here is to deal with the Secret Realm's guardians. Which means… you two."
He gestured toward them.
"So. Will you choose to be captured by me, leave this place behind, and live somewhere else?"
The two Charizards shook their heads immediately. They had no intention of leaving their home for some unknown land.
"Fine," Dax nodded. "Then the second option: you avoid interfering with the Trainers who come here. Unless someone provokes you directly, you stay quiet and keep to yourselves. Can you manage that?"
The pair exchanged glances. After a moment, both nodded.
A grin spread across Dax's face. His mission was complete.
"Good. Then let me explain the rules for a Secret Realm guardian. Just follow them and you'll be fine. Rule number one…"
Elsewhere, two familiar figures were grumbling at each other.
Ashen Vale frowned. "Why'd I have to run into you first?"
Jace's father snorted. "Because you're lucky, maybe."
"Lucky? If I were lucky, I'd have already found my son!"
"Hmph. I haven't found mine either."
"So what do we do now?"
"Use your Aura to search."
Ashen hesitated. "…If I use it, my son will sense me right away."
"And? You can't even find him as it is—what's the difference?"
"…Fair point."
He closed his eyes, right hand clenched over his chest.
"Aura… dwell within me."
Ashen focused, unleashing his full Aura. Waves of energy rippled outward.
After a while, he shook his head. "I can't sense either boy's Aura. They may have already left."
Jace's father sighed. "Alright then. Let's head out too."
Back with Dax Jonas—
"There. That's all. Understood?"
The two Charizards nodded repeatedly, looking rather dazed from his lengthy lecture.
"Good. Then I'll be off. Take care, you two."
"Roar!"
With that, Dax recalled his team. His Corviknight lifted him skyward, carrying him toward the exit.
The female Charizard foraged for berries and fed them to her mate. Once the two had recovered some of their strength, they too took wing, heading back home.
It had to be said: only in the Dragon Nation would guardians of a Secret Realm be treated with such respect.
In some other country, if an Elite had captured the guardian, Trainers could rest easy knowing the danger was gone. If not? Well, too bad. If you went in and got beaten, that was your problem. Nothing to do with them.
At the exit of the Secret Realm—
"Well, if it isn't Professor Vale and Professor Rowan. What brings you two here?"
Dax spotted Ashen and Jace's father just as they were preparing to leave. He couldn't resist teasing them with a grin.
Jace's father's face darkened instantly. "What's it to you?"
Dax strolled up and slung an arm around his shoulder.
"Come on, don't be like that. It's been years, but we're classmates after all."
Jace's father shoved him off, scowling harder.
"Get lost. You're insufferable."
Years ago, the three had all been classmates. Two had gone on to become professor and doctor. Only Dax had remained on the path of battle.
Their friendship was strong, but Jace's father had never liked Dax much. To him, Dax was reckless to the point of stupidity, and he feared the man's carelessness might rub off.
Dax, of course, found endless amusement in needling him.
Still bickering, the three men passed together through the Secret Realm's exit.
"Come, come! Time to split the loot!"
Outside, Jace Rowan was hollering at the others.
"Serena, over here!"
He had noticed that everyone had gathered except Serena Elm, who still stood off to the side. He waved her over.
She blinked, snapping out of her daydreams.
"Eh? What is it?"
"Loot division, what else?"
Grinning, Jace began emptying his backpack, spreading items across the ground.
Of course, what he laid out were only the things he'd grabbed from the nest and one of the caves. The other cave had contained dazzling Mega Stones. Those were to be handed secretly to Auron, who could then "gift" them to Serena. If he dumped them here now, who would she think gave them—him, or Auron? His role as indispensable wingman would be ruined.
On the ground lay a pile of Pokémon items, held equipment, and berries.
Auron's eyes gleamed.
"Not bad at all."
Jace puffed up proudly. Pride.jpg
"Of course. Who do you think I am?"
"I've got some too. Let's split it all together."
Auron tipped his own backpack, adding more items and berries to the pile. Of course, the Starf Berries and Mega Stones he'd kept back—only he could use those right now.
Tim Wynn's sharp eyes immediately spotted a Dragon Fang gleaming among the loot. She snatched it up and asked,
"Mind if I take this one?"
"Go ahead, go ahead," Jace said without even looking up.
Beaming, Tim pocketed it and quickly pulled out her phone. A few taps later, she smiled.
"Done. I transferred you the Dracocoins—market price. Check your balance."
That made Jace finally raise his head. He scowled.
"Why'd you send money? Just take it!"
Tim slung an arm around his shoulder with a laugh.
"Hey now, new friends settle accounts clearly. Besides, even at market value I think you got the short end. These days, items like this are priceless."
Jace slapped her arm away.
"No, no, no! If you pay, how's that loot-sharing?!"
Tim could only shake her head, half exasperated, half amused.
"Take it. Otherwise, I'll feel guilty keeping it. And next time you find something like this, think of me first."
Jace groaned.
"Fine, fine. But when exams are over in a few days, I'm covering all the expenses if we go out. No arguments."
"Deal, Boss Jace. Generous as always."
The group responded in chorus.
Jace folded his hands in mock humility.
"Ah, a small matter, a small matter."
They continued rummaging through the pile, each taking what they needed. One by one, they transferred Dracocoins to the two boys.
Finally, a merchant who had been watching from the sidelines stepped forward.
"Hey, young men. Now that they've picked what they want, could I buy the rest? Name your price."
Auron and Jace exchanged glances. Then Auron shrugged.
"Sure, no problem. Which ones?"
He didn't care. None of the essentials were here—these were all surplus he had planned to sell anyway.
The merchant's eyes sparkled.
"All of it. I'll take the lot."
That sparked outrage among the other merchants nearby. Swallow everything by himself? Not a chance. Did he think the rest of them didn't exist?
The pile of goods instantly became the center of a fierce bidding war. Dozens of merchants, and even some onlookers who spotted things they needed, swarmed in.
In no time, everything was sold out.
No surprise—the two boys had been the first to emerge, the first to bring items out. All the gathered merchants flocked straight to them.
As the last items changed hands, Jace stared at the number glowing on his phone screen. His eyes lit up.
"…How about we go back in for another run?"
(End of Chapter)