Chapter 266: Rules

The Elite-tier Salamence was frozen into an ice sculpture. Dragonite hovered before it, its face sporting a goofy, cheerful grin.

Inside the icy prison, Salamence still retained a sliver of consciousness.

However, under the weight of Dragonite's silly smile, Salamence's last shred of will evaporated, and it promptly lost consciousness.

Julian approached the frozen Salamence, delivering a solid kick to the ice sculpture.

"Boom!"

The ice sculpture was sent flying.

"Take that for blasting me with Hydro Pump!"

Julian had never been one to let grudges simmer overnight.

"Let's go"

He said, climbing onto Dragonite. They were still about 100 kilometers away from Dragon Mountain. As they flew closer, the mountain's majestic figure gradually came into view.

The peak towered 10,000 meters high, making everything around it seem insignificant in comparison.

Two-thirds of the mountain's height was shrouded in clouds, giving it a mysterious and almost ethereal appearance.

At Dragonite's speed, the remaining 100 kilometers passed quickly. Along the way, the Dowsing Machine lit up with several red dots, each signaling the presence of significant treasures.

However, Julian made no move to investigate. The true treasure of the Dragon's Den lay atop Dragon Mountain, and the Dragon Pool at the summit was the ultimate prize.

Arriving at the base of Dragon Mountain, the Dowsing Machine displayed an enormous red dot, covering two-thirds of the screen.

The glow of the dot reflected on Julian's face, making him appear slightly flushed.

This massive red dot undoubtedly represented the Dragon Pool.

"We'll rest here for the night and start climbing tomorrow"

Julian said, looking up at the colossal mountain. Standing at its base, he couldn't even see the summit—only endless clouds and mist above.

Dragonite had fought five battles today. While it hadn't sustained any major injuries, its stamina and energy were undoubtedly depleted.

The climb up Dragon Mountain would be a critical challenge, and there was no need to rush. Julian decided to wait until the next day to tackle it.

"Dra~"

Dragonite nodded lightly, then pointed to its stomach, wearing an embarrassed smile.

"Alright, let's eat"

Julian said, pulling out a box of top-tier Dragon-Type Pokéblocks. Each box cost 1,000 points—a rare indulgence for him, as he usually only bought high-grade blocks.

The sight of the top-tier blocks made Dragonite's eyes sparkle with excitement. This was a rare treat it only got to enjoy on special occasions, and even then, it was usually just two or three pieces.

Now, Julian handed over an entire box.

This sudden generosity left Dragonite feeling a bit uneasy.

Dragonite: 'Is this my last meal?'

"Hurry up and eat"

Julian said, noticing Dragonite's suspicious look. It annoyed him slightly.

That silly creature was definitely thinking something ridiculous again.

The Dragon energy around Dragon Mountain was noticeably more concentrated compared to other places.

As a human, Julian couldn't sense it, but Dragonite could. Here, it felt as though every pore in its body was wide open, continuously absorbing the dense Dragon-Type energy surrounding it.

Paired with the top-tier Dragon-Type Pokéblocks…

Pop!

With a surge of energy, Dragonite's level rose from 65 to 66. At the same time, the Dragon-Type Essence Orb within its body was completely absorbed.

Gaining a level naturally enhanced Dragonite's strength—a timely boost given the upcoming challenge of Dragon Mountain.

Julian watched his Dragonite happily devouring its food, estimating that it hadn't even realized it had leveled up.

"Well, that 1,000 points didn't go to waste," he muttered with satisfaction.

---

The next day, at 8 a.m.

"Ding!"

"Daily Task: By 5 p.m. today, reach 5,000 meters on Dragon Mountain."

"Reward: 5,000 points"

Julian glanced at the task. Climbing to 5,000 meters meant reaching roughly halfway up the mountain.

Tightening the straps on his climbing boots, he looked up at the mountain bathed in the golden rays of the rising sun.

"Let's go. Dragon Mountain awaits."

"Roar!"

Dragonite followed closely behind him. Its usual goofy demeanor was still there, but the light in its eyes was different today.

For Julian, this was a personal challenge and for Dragonite, it was just as significant. The treasures at the summit were particularly important to it.

Dragon Mountain's rocks were composed of metamorphic stone, but they were unlike any ordinary metamorphic rocks. These were far harder, likely due to the dense Dragon-Type energy saturating the area.

Climbing was an exhausting task, draining both stamina and energy. Dragon Mountain was particularly treacherous, with many parts lacking any semblance of a proper path. Julian had to climb those sections manually.

He couldn't ride Dragonite to the summit.

The challenge of Dragon Mountain wasn't just for Dragonite—it was for him too.

After over an hour, Julian had climbed to about 500 meters.

At that moment, a Flygon appeared in the sky.

It was an early Elite-tier Pokémon, and its power didn't seem particularly overwhelming.

However, Flygon was a native of Dragon Mountain, and any Dragon-Type Pokémon that claimed territory here was not to be judged by its level alone.

The rules of the mountain's challenge were clear: as the trainer climbed, their Pokémon would face off against the Dragon-Types residing on the mountain. Trainers were not allowed to switch out their Pokémon mid-challenge.

The climb would continue until either the trainer failed to ascend further or their Pokémon was defeated by the mountain's Dragon-Types.

Even if they failed, they could still enter the Dragon Pool. However, the time allowed for soaking in the pool would depend on their combined performance.

There was one strict prerequisite: the trainer had to climb at least 3,000 meters, and their Pokémon had to defeat at least three Dragon-Type Pokémon from the mountain.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be permitted to enter the Dragon Pool, even in failure.

Dylan's Salamence had reached the Elite tier largely due to soaking in the Dragon Pool. However, the process of earning that opportunity had been a near-death experience.

During the climb up Dragon Mountain, Dylan had nearly fallen to his death several times.

According to Dylan, in the history of his family, only two people had ever successfully reached the summit. After their Pokémon soaked in the Dragon Pool, they gained unimaginable benefits.

Those two individuals were also the only Champion-level trainers in the Drake family's history.

This highlighted just how difficult it was to conquer Dragon Mountain.

Ten minutes later, the Elite-tier Flygon was defeated by Dragonite. Despite its victory, Dragonite bore three claw marks on its back, left by Flygon's Dragon Claw attack.

Dragonite had been injured in its very first battle, and they were still only at 500 meters.

As the climb continued, the strength of the Dragon-Type Pokémon on Dragon Mountain would only increase.

Rumor had it that near the summit, there was a pseudo-Champion-tier Dragon-Type Pokémon. If a challenger managed to defeat it, their Pokémon would be allowed to soak in the Dragon Pool for an entire day.

Champion-tier Pokémon were known to exist on Dragon Mountain as well. It was said that the rules of the challenge had been jointly established by one of these Champion-tier Pokémon and humans.

It was their presence that ensured the rules were upheld.

Even the Drake family forbade anyone from entering the Dragon Den without abiding by these regulations.

Of course, if someone had the strength to break the rules, that was a different matter entirely.

As Julian and Dragonite continued their ascent, far above them at the mountain's summit, a pair of eyes observed their progress.

Most of the attention, however, was focused on Dragonite.