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Ash had also shared all the information about MEGA Evolution with Lance and the others without reservation. As for how to find the mega stone and key stone, that was Lance and their own business.
Even the clairvoyant Ash had Dr. Oak collect them for a good while before finally acquiring some from Steven.
In a strict sense, this couldn't even be called collecting; it was more like directly demanding them!
The mega stones and key stones Steven had were found after an unknown amount of time and effort. To find them out of thin air in a short period was almost impossible; even Ash only found them with the guidance of MEGA Evolution.
Therefore, for Lance and the other Elite Four to find mega stones, they still had a long way to go. Whoever could find the mega stone and key stone first would gain an advantage on the path of the Elite Four.
Although Lorelei and Bruno's main Pokémon couldn't undergo MEGA Evolution, reaching the God Domain Level was still far off. The short-term effect of MEGA Evolution was to provide a temporary power boost to Pokémon.
Lorelei's Slowbro and Bruno's Steelix could both undergo MEGA Evolution. These two Pokémon were not at the bottom of their teams, and if they were to obtain mega stones, their strength would increase significantly.
Now, it all depended on who could obtain their exclusive mega stone before the Indigo Plateau Conference. Whoever could get one would have a much higher chance of becoming the Champion in the Champion battle after the Indigo Plateau Conference!
"Thanks, Ash. You went out of your way to come here for the MEGA Evolution matter. This is a small token of my gratitude; please accept it," Lance said, handing Ash an ancient-looking fanged tooth.
This tooth was even larger than Lance's palm, appearing to be from some colossal creature, similar in size to an elephant tusk.
Ash didn't take the tooth from Lance but looked at him with a puzzled expression: "Mr. Lance, this is..."
"Didn't I say it's a small token of gratitude? Although for you, it was just telling us about MEGA Evolution, for us, this matter is of great significance. If you hadn't given us the specific information and we had to figure it out ourselves, we wouldn't know how much time it would take to uncover the information you provided in half an hour."
Lance's words were full of gratitude. After the initial excitement, he hadn't forgotten his roots. He knew who had given him the hope of ascending to God Domain Level by providing information about MEGA Evolution. He had long prepared a gift for the other party, which was the Dragon Fang in his hand!
"This tooth is a Dragon Fang, but unlike the Dragon Fangs found outside, it has been tempered by the Dragon Tamer Clan's Dragon Tamer Power. Not only can it increase Dragon-type damage by twenty-five percent, but it also has an amplifying effect on the training of Dragon-type Pokémon. However, it also has a drawback: its effect is not very significant for Dragon-type Pokémon above the Elite level."
The Dragon Fang, like the Talisman of Curses Ash had, was an item that amplified damage for a specific type, though this amplification item was more powerful than ordinary ones.
The Millennial Talisman of Curses that Ash had, after a thousand years of nurturing by Gengar, had the effect of amplifying Ghost-type damage by thirty-five percent. While Lance's wasn't as extreme, it was still stronger than ordinary amplification items.
The upper limit for ordinary items was twenty percent, but the Dragon Fang Lance gave him could reach twenty-five percent, and it also had an additional training amplification effect for Dragon-type Pokémon, showing its preciousness.
But here's the problem... Ash didn't have any Dragon-type Pokémon, so this item would be useless to him!
A Pokémon can usually only carry one held item. Pokémon like Mewtwo, who directly integrated two mega stones into its body, were simply anomalies.
So Ash couldn't give the Dragon Fang to Charizard to use. After all, Charizard already had the Rainbow Wing. Unless Charizard could completely make the Rainbow Wing its own, its body couldn't temporarily use other held items.
And besides Charizard, he didn't have any Pokémon whose main attacks were Dragon-type moves.
Don't let Aerodactyl's name fool you with the 'Dragon' in it; in reality, he wasn't very proficient or accustomed to using Dragon-type moves. He still preferred to use Rock-type and Flying-type moves.
So Ash indeed had no Pokémon that could carry the Dragon Fang.
"What's wrong, Ash? Do you think the gift is too small?" Lance asked with a smile, seeing Ash hesitate to take it.
Ash quickly waved his hands and said, "No, no, it's mainly that this Dragon Fang is so precious, and Mr. Lance, you're giving it to me just because I said a few words. Plus, I don't have any Pokémon that can use the Dragon Fang, so giving it to me would really be a waste."
Hearing this, Lance directly tucked the Dragon Fang into Ash's arms and then continued, "What waste? Just take it. Not being able to use it now doesn't mean you won't be able to use it in the future. Don't you know what the Champion's reward for this Indigo Plateau Conference is?"
"Uh... what is it? Isn't the Indigo Plateau Conference Champion just a Champion?" Ash asked, holding the large Dragon Fang, a confused expression on his face.
"Haha, you should know that this Indigo Plateau Conference is unusually intense, with many Trainers with nearly two years of experience participating. The difficulty is simply not on the same level as previous Indigo Plateau Conferences." After handing Ash the Dragon Fang, Lance's smile became even brighter.
He slowly began to explain to Ash why this Indigo Plateau Conference was so intense: "Because the Champion's reward for this Indigo Plateau Conference is quite good—you get to choose any Pokémon on Dragon Island."
"Choose any Pokémon on Dragon Island?" Ash tilted his head, a thoughtful look in his eyes, but after thinking for a while, he couldn't figure out what Dragon Island was.
"Dragon Island is an island inhabited by Dragon Pokémon. The entire island is filled with Pokémon related to dragons, whether their names contain 'dragon,' their type is 'dragon,' or they are simply associated with dragons. You can find them all on the island. Dragon Island can be said to be the largest habitat for Dragon Pokémon in the world," Lorelei softly explained to Ash.
Besides Ash, Brock, Misty, and Gary were also completely unaware of Dragon Island's existence. It was only after Lorelei's explanation that they realized such an island existed in the world.
"Going to Dragon Island to choose a Pokémon... this reward is indeed very generous. Since that island is the largest habitat for Dragon Pokémon in the world, it means there should be God Domain Level Dragon Pokémon there. No wonder the competition for this Indigo Plateau Conference is so fierce." Brock stroked his stubbled chin, making a thoughtful conclusion.
The rarity of God Domain Level Dragon-type Pokémon in the world goes without saying. Although there are many God Domain Level Pokémon, Dragon-type Pokémon are definitely among the more popular ones because the power of dragons is universally acknowledged.
Among the same tier, dragons generally have stronger overall abilities, and not many types counter them. If it weren't for an unprecedented earthquake that erupted on Earth in recent years, which caused many Pokémon to awaken a completely new type, the Fairy type, then Dragon-type Pokémon would practically have no rivals.
Originally, only Ice-type and Dragon-type Pokémon could deal super effective damage to Dragon-type, and Dragon-type Pokémon's resistances were unparalleled, basically allowing them to ignore these two weaknesses.
But with the emergence of the Fairy type, it's different. This type not only counters Dragon-type but also completely nullifies Dragon-type attacks, making it a devastating blow to Dragon-type Pokémon.
The appearance of the Fairy type, to some extent, affected the dominant position of Dragon-type Pokémon, preventing them from being far ahead of other types. But this only created a certain balance. If given a choice, Dragon-type Pokémon would still be the preferred choice.
After all, their overall stats are there. As long as they don't encounter their natural enemy, the Fairy type, Dragon-type remains an extremely powerful type.
Therefore, God Domain Level Dragon-type Pokémon are still very attractive and revered.
Many Trainers who have traveled for ten or even twenty years might not even have a single God Domain Level Dragon-type Pokémon, as the rarity of such Pokémon is almost second only to Legendary Pokémon.
Now, a mere Indigo Plateau Conference Champion can go to Dragon Island to choose a Pokémon. Although it's not guaranteed to pick a God Domain Level one, at least the chances are much higher than randomly encountering one outside.
"Brock is right. There are indeed God Domain Level Pokémon on Dragon Island, and quite a few of them. More importantly, Dragon Island is the territory of our Dragon Tamer Clan. Dragon Tamer Power constantly covers Dragon Island, so the Dragon-type Pokémon on the island, as well as those with latent Dragon-type potential, all benefit from the amplification of Dragon Tamer Power."
"Over time, the Pokémon on Dragon Island and their offspring have increasingly stronger talents. Even if you don't encounter a God Domain Level Pokémon there, simply catching an ordinary Dragon-type would definitely be worth it."
Lance revealed another benefit of Dragon Island, which was the Pokémon's potential.
Besides having God Domain Level Pokémon, the potential of Pokémon on Dragon Island is generally much stronger than outside due to the Dragon Tamer Power. This alone is enough to make a trip to Dragon Island worthwhile.
With such immense benefits, it's no wonder this Indigo Plateau Conference attracted so many experienced Trainers to participate.
"How come I don't know anything about this! Gary, did you know and not tell me?!" Ash shouted towards Gary, who was peeking from the doorway.
Gary poked his head out irritably and said, "What the hell do I know? If I knew, I would have told you already. Why would I hide something that you'd find out eventually? I was just wondering why so many experienced Trainers came to participate in this rookie tournament. So it's because of Dragon Island."
Gary had only just learned about Dragon Island as an Indigo Plateau Conference reward. In fact, like Ash, he didn't even know what Dragon Island was, let alone the Champion's reward.
"Can only the Champion go to Dragon Island?" Gary asked, twisting his head, his brows slightly furrowed.
If only the Champion could go to Dragon Island, then this had nothing to do with him. No matter how blindly confident he was in himself, he didn't think he could defeat Ash.
After the New Island incident, Gary had a clearer understanding of the gap between them. At least for now, the two of them were not on the same level. Defeating Ash was not much more probable than defeating the Elite Four.
Unless Ash used his B-team, there might be some hope. But for such an important competition, unless the entire B-team consisted of Gym Elites, he wouldn't be so overconfident as to use only his B-team. At least half of his main team would be needed.
And with his current strength, just one of Ash's main Pokémon could directly wipe out his entire team!
That Charizard alone would be enough.
So no matter how much Gary encouraged and hypnotized himself, he had to face reality: he definitely wouldn't be able to snatch the Indigo Plateau Conference Champion title.
But what if it wasn't just the Champion who could go to Dragon Island?
"Not just the Champion; the top three all qualify to go to Dragon Island. However, the first-place winner will receive a special map provided by our Dragon Tamer Clan, which can more accurately pinpoint the locations of God Domain Level and high-potential Pokémon on the island. For second place, the search area is slightly reduced, and for third place, it's entirely up to them."
Lance's words finally brought a sigh of relief from Gary. The top three could all go to Dragon Island!
Although he couldn't get the Champion title, he could still try to secure second or third place!
As long as he didn't encounter Ash before the semifinals, everything would be fine.
If he met Ash in the semifinals, he could still play a loser's bracket match against the other semifinalist who lost. But if he met Ash before the semifinals, he would truly have no chance at all.
In summary, going to Dragon Island also depended on the luck of the draw.
"So, Ash, even though you don't have a Dragon-type Pokémon now, as long as you go to Dragon Island, you can definitely catch a Dragon-type Pokémon that satisfies you. As for whether you can get into the top three of the Indigo Plateau Conference... I'm actually quite confident in you. What about yourself?" Lance said, looking at Ash with an appreciative expression.
He rarely praised a junior like this, but Ash was truly different. His strength and talent made even him exclaim—a genius!
This was a genius in the eyes of a genius from the Dragon Tamer Clan, not on the same level as the geniuses outside. The Trainers he considered geniuses could be counted on two hands, and the Trainers who made him genuinely exclaim about their monstrous talent, so far, only Ash.
He even felt that Leon couldn't compare to Ash.
"Of course I'm confident! Not just the top three, I'm going to win this Indigo Plateau Conference Champion title!" Ash replied decisively. As his first major competition since his debut, he absolutely had to achieve an impressive record!
He then looked at the Dragon Fang in his hand, and a flicker of determination crossed his eyes. He then bowed to Lance: "Thank you, Mr. Lance. I'll accept this Dragon Fang."