Chapter 533: The Dog Is Smart

After arriving at the pond, Julian released all of his Pokémon and took the opportunity to let Moltres meet everyone.

After a round of introductions, aside from Dragonite and Arcanine—who were both clearly unhappy about Moltres joining—the rest of the Pokémon warmly welcomed it.

With Moltres joining, it became the highest-level Pokémon in Julian's team, though in terms of actual combat strength, it ranked second—Metagross was still number one.

In this secret realm, Julian had already captured a Elite-tier Kartana and a pseudo-Champion Moltres. Together with Metagross, Dragonite, and Arcanine, that made a total of five Elite-tier or higher Pokémon in total.

With this lineup, Julian was now fully capable of challenging national-level Gyms. He wasn't afraid of a 6v6 full battle now.

He hadn't forgotten that he still had a long-term main quest to complete.

And the rewards for completing that quest were extremely generous.

To celebrate the new partner's arrival, Slowking prepared a special hot meal for the Pokémon tonight.

Slowking wasn't just skilled in human cuisine.

It was also an expert in Pokémon dishes, though it rarely cooked them—because no matter how good the food was, it couldn't compare in nutrition to the Pokéblocks produced by the system.

The dishes were only superior in taste.

Julian pulled out a variety of Berries and Pokémon-edible meats from his system space.

The meat came from Pokémon with limb-regeneration abilities—like Slowpoke tails, Clauncher claws, and Salandit tails.

Salandit tails were toxic if not properly cleaned, so eating them carelessly could easily lead to poisoning.

As Slowking began preparing the meal for the night, Kartana and Lucario assisted—one chopping ingredients, the other preparing seasonings.

The three Pokémon worked together seamlessly.

Meanwhile, Arcanine approached Metagross with a sneaky look.

Metagross (glancing up): "What do you want?"

Arcanine (flattering): "Big Boss, you're so wise~"

Metagross (unimpressed): "Get to the point."

Arcanine (whispering): "That newbie's got no manners—didn't even come greet you. And our trainer too, tsk tsk, why catch something with a higher level than you?"

Metagross (Indifferently): "Scram."

Arcanine (cheerfully): "Aye aye, sir!"

Who said this dog was dumb? It was smart, it knew exactly how to stir the pot.

As for Moltres, it still seemed unaccustomed to suddenly having so many companions. After all, it had always lived alone, and as a Legendary Pokémon, it had always held itself above others, and naturally didn't bother making friends with "ordinary" Pokémon.

But now things were different—it had been captured. That pride had to be set aside.

And besides, it wasn't even the strongest one here.

Moltres glanced at Metagross, who was resting with its eyes closed. Though it had lost to Metagross while injured, the fiery bird knew deep down—even at full strength, it wouldn't have won.

"Mel…"

Melmetal walked over to Moltres.

It sensed that the new member seemed a bit shy. As one of the older members of the team, it felt responsible for helping the newcomer settle into this big family.

When Moltres sensed the same kind of 'Rule-based Power' from Melmetal as it had itself, it was a bit stunned.

It was a Legendary Pokémon, while Melmetal was a Mythical Pokémon—but in essence, there wasn't much difference between the two.

Both were extremely rare beings wielding Rule Power.

As for First-class Legendaries, they were simply a subset of these two categories. It's just that First-class Legendaries were so overwhelmingly powerful that they were often referred to directly as "gods."

"Slow~"

Slowking: "We're running low on firewood. Someone go get more."

Gabite volunteered and headed into the forest.

Chopping firewood was a delicate task. It was usually done by either Gabite or Lucario. You couldn't exactly expect something as massive as Aggron or Steelix to do it.

Since Lucario was currently helping Slowking with cooking, the job fell to Gabite.

Meanwhile, Julian leaned against Steelix's massive body, engrossed in his handheld console. The huge steel serpent was also watching the screen curiously, its massive head looming over Julian's shoulder.

'Sigh. Arcanine's such a hypocrite.' It had agreed to him catching Moltres, yet now it was jealous—refusing to let him snuggle against its fluffy fur.

That's why he was stuck leaning on this cold, hard metal snake instead.

"Ghehe~"

Gengar floated over, licking its lips mischievously.

Julian was at a critical moment in his game, almost at the final boss. Without even looking up, he muttered, "Don't lick me now—wait until I clear this stage."

But then—ZZZZT!

A jolt shot through his body—he shivered involuntarily, and his console slipped from his hands and hit the ground.

Moltres immediately panicked, its wings flaring, thinking Gengar had gone too far.

Just as it prepared to intervene, Melmetal stopped it with a calm:

"Mel~"

Melmetal: "It's fine. Just watch."

'Fine?!'

Moltres looked at Julian, who was practically twitching like a glitched-out sprite, yet Melmetal acted like this was normal?!

Then, to Moltres' astonishment, Julian pulled a Cheri Berry from his pocket and ate it, instantly curing his paralysis.

'Wait—why the hell do you have a Cheri Berry in your pocket?!'

After munching on the berry, the paralysis wore off. Julian hurried to pick up the console—only to see his character had already died.

Furious, he grabbed Gengar's cheeks and stretched its face over a meter wide.

"I finally made it through that boss with one life! I was even recording the whole thing to post a walkthrough!" he seethed.

"G-Geeheehee…"

Gengar's giggle came out distorted, its mouth stretched so wide it could barely speak.

Steelix, watching the scene, grinned—revealing its missing front teeth.

Julian proceeded to stretch, squish, and twist Gengar into various shapes until his rage subsided.

Aggron lumbered over to Julian and pointed at its back, indicating that it felt itchy—right at a spot it couldn't reach.

Julian pulled out a specialized steel brush from his system space—a monstrous tool weighing over 300 pounds. Without his superhuman physique, lifting it would've been impossible.

He went at Aggron's back with the brush, scrubbing hard—sparks actually flew from the friction.

Aggron lay down comfortably on the ground, occasionally letting out blissful grunts.

By the time Gabite returned, carrying a bundle of firewood taller than a person, night had fully fallen.

While eating the food Slowking had prepared, Moltres realized for the first time in its centuries-long life—food could 'glow', and food could 'taste so good it made you cry'.

'Hundreds of years alive… and this was its first real meal?' The realization hit like a Flamethrower to the soul—had it even been living before this?!

Of course, these dishes were just appetizers. The main course was still Pokéblocks—packed with the nutrients his team needed.

Preparing enough food for all these bottomless-stomach Pokémon meant Slowking had no time to cook for Julian.

So Julian settled for a self-heating hotpot, generously loaded with extra beef and lamb rolls he'd packed himself. Not bad at all.

The full moon hung high, stars twinkled across the sky, and the nearby waterfall roared as it poured down into the lake, mist drifting gently over the surface.

By the lakeside, Julian and his Pokémon feasted together.

The atmosphere was warm, lively, and just chaotic enough to feel like home.

Moltres watched all this, and for the first time in a long while, felt an unfamiliar comfort settling in its chest.

Then—

"Metal!"

Melmetal: "Drink!"

Without warning, Melmetal grabbed a giant jug of juice and started pouring it straight into Moltres' beak—almost drowning the poor bird.

Moltres (coughing): "Great vibe… just a tad aggressive."

*****

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