Slowking: "How's the taste?"
After watching Oranguru drink the juice it had made, Slowking noticed a flicker of shock in its eyes despite its otherwise calm expression, and the corners of its mouth curled up slightly.
Oranguru set the glass down on the counter and said lightly: "It's not bad, I guess."
'Not bad, huh?'
This was a provocation.
Oranguru: "Compared to mine, it's still a bit lacking."
'Admitting yours tastes better than mine? Impossible.'
'This guy is clearly here to pick a fight. Damn it, good thing all the customers had already left—otherwise, where would I put my pride?'
Oranguru glared at Slowking.
"Slow~"
Slowking: "Not bad?"
"Guru~"
Oranguru: "Not bad."
"Slow~"
Slowking: "Really just "not bad"?" (emphasizing)
"Guru~"
Oranguru: "Yeah, not bad."
The two stared at each other, and when Julian walked into the small tavern, it was as if he could almost see sparks flying between them.
"Slow~"
"Guru~"
The two Pokémon noticed Julian's arrival and immediately turned their sharp gazes toward him.
"Uh… Good evening."
Julian forced a dry greeting and instinctively took a step back, regretting his decision to come in.
Thinking of this, Julian wanted to leave.
"Slow~"
Slowking: "Stop."
'I didn't hear that… I definitely didn't hear that.'
Julian tried to keep walking but suddenly found that he couldn't move his body.
Worse, he was now floating uncontrollably toward the counter.
'It's using Psychic?! Oh no, Slowking is really pissed this time…'
Slowking set Julian down and made him sit obediently at the counter, then slid over a glass of its specially made fruit juice.
"Slow~"
Slowking: "Try it."
Julian sat upright, looking very well-behaved.
He took a small sip, and before Slowking could say anything, Julian loudly declared: "Slowking, your juice tastes amazing! Way better than Oranguru's!"
Julian: 'I'm not close with Oranguru anyway, so of course I'm gonna praise Slowking's drink.'
Survival first.
"Slow~"
Slowking: "You lose."
Slowking was obviously quite satisfied with Julian's words, and looked at Oranguru with a hint of pride.
"Guru~"
Oranguru: "This guy's a bootlicker. You actually believe his words?"
'Oranguru's insulting me now? Fine, I'll pretend I didn't hear that.'
"Guru~"
Oranguru: "If you have the guts, let's compete (provocative look)"
"Slow~"
Slowking: "Compete how?"
"Guru~"
Oranguru: "Tomorrow, right here in this tavern, let's compete to see who can sell the most juice. From sunrise to sunset, how about it?"
"Slow~"
Slowking: "Fine."
The challenge was on.
Julian muttered under his breath: "A whole day... so many treasures could be found, and now it's wasted."
"Slow~"
Slowking: "What did you just say?"
Julian shook his head and said earnestly: "I said, Slowking, you're definitely going to win tomorrow!"
'Forget it, forget it, I can't afford to mess with this guy. Better keep playing the invisible man.'
---
Under the treehouse, Julian's other Pokémon were curiously looking at the tree. Arcanine, with its sharp hearing, had its ears perked up intently.
Everyone has a gossiping heart, and Pokémon were no exception.
Steelix, taking full advantage of its height, even leaned its head against the entrance of the tavern.
As soon as Julian opened the door, good grief, a huge iron head was right in front of him.
Steelix peeked inside the tavern.
'No fight? Disappointing.'
Julian gave it a light smack, and the giant serpent retracted its head. Julian then took the chance to jump onto Steelix's head and rode it down to the ground.
"Alright, disperse, disperse."
He waved his hand, telling everyone not to crowd around anymore.
Slowking soon followed him down.
---
Back at the lakeside camp, the rest of the team also found out that Slowking would be competing against Oranguru tomorrow to see whose juice was more popular.
They all expressed that Slowking would definitely win; Oranguru was basically throwing eggs at a rock.
But Oranguru was a strong opponent, and to ensure absolute victory, Slowking, for the first time ever, skipped cleaning up after dinner-even the prized hotpot leftovers!-saying it needed to preserve its energy, and directly went into its Pokéball to rest.
Which meant Julian had to handle cleanup duty.
With the help of his other Pokémon, the job was done quickly.
After locking Slowking's Pokéball so it couldn't hear the outside world, Julian gathered his team in a tight circle, sitting solemnly in the center.
Including Julian himself, all their expressions were grave.
"A crisis has appeared. To get through this crisis, we must give it our all," Julian looked around, his voice a little passionate.
"Meta~"
"Luca~"
"Mel~"
"Arf~"
The Pokémon all nodded in agreement.
Julian slightly pressed down with both hands, and the noise immediately stopped, then he continued: "Although I believe Slowking has a good chance of winning tomorrow..."
"But don't forget, Oranguru is local.The tavern's regulars are its loyal customers. We have no home-field advantage here."
"Even if Pokémon think Slowking's juice tastes better, they might still vote for Oranguru out of loyalty."
The advantage of being a local, outsiders like them couldn't compare.
Even just the network of connections was beyond them.
"You all should know, if Slowking loses, what our end will be."
He pointed at himself. "My food, clothing, shelter—Slowking handles it all. If it loses and decides to stop taking care of me… I'm doomed."
"And the same goes for all of you."
Slowking wasn't just any team member—it was the 'de facto' steward of Julian's little family. Sometimes, its word carried more weight than even Julian's or Metagross's, the team's official leader.
"So we need a plan. We can't let Oranguru win just because it's got home-field advantage and plays dirty!"
Steelix: "What's the plan, boss?!"
Julian gave Steelix an approving look—'good job playing along.'
"Everyone gather around."
All the Pokémon huddled in closer.
Julian: "First, we do this... then this... and finally, we do that—"
"Everyone got it?"
The team nodded in unison.
"This plan can't fail. We've got eight hours until sunrise. Lucario, Dragonite—you two are on night shift. Go round up some wild Pokémon."
"Kartana, you go with them too. If any of them refuse to cooperate, show them the blade."
Diplomacy first, but if that didn't work. Well, force it was.
The three Pokémon set off, and Julian reminded them not to go too far, just in case they ran into trouble.
Thanks to his Aura bond with Lucario. If they really encountered something they couldn't handle, Julian would know right away.
Meanwhile, Gabite stood there, utterly confused.
He just went to the tavern to grab a drink, how did it turn into such a big deal?
Julian admitted it was his fault for not keeping his mouth shut and saying what he shouldn't have.
Seriously, why were his Pokémon all so jealous and petty?
Within a 50-kilometer radius around the lake, every Pokémon group was visited by the three Pokémon that night.
The Three Enforcers: "Tomorrow, go to the tavern, and vote for the one wearing the hat, or else we'll wipe out your whole family. Understood?"
Terrified Wild Pokémon: "UNDERSTOOD!!"
The next day, the first Akala Island Berry Juice-Making Competition officially began.
Contestants:
- Red Team Representative: Slowking
- Blue Team Representative: Oranguru
Rules:
- Ingredients: 10 types of berries (unlimited quantity).
- Winning Condition: The competitor with the most votes from customers by sunset wins.
---
The customers at Oranguru's tavern were usually the local Pokémon nearby.
Most wild Pokémon had their own fixed activity territories, and unless necessary, they rarely left their own turf.
So the Pokémon who came to the tavern were all familiar with Oranguru. If Oranguru tried to win this competition just by relying on its regulars…
Then Julian wouldn't be polite either.
The preparations they made last night could be put to use directly.
Because of the competition, news had spread, and there were many more Pokémon at the tavern than usual, even forming a long line outside.
Julian had to ask Lucario to maintain order.
At the same time, he let Metagross scout the surroundings. After all, there were still quite a few human trainers in this secret realm.
If they discovered this place, the competition might not be able to proceed properly.
So they had to intercept them early, or simply eliminate them.
Inside the tavern, the customer Incineroar sipped Slowking's juice, nodded in satisfaction, and cast its vote for the red team.
Lycanroc Midnight Form also voted for Slowking.
Salazzle, however, preferred Oranguru's brew.
One by one, the customers tasted the juices made by Slowking and Oranguru, and voted for the one they thought tasted better.
In terms of votes, Slowking was leading, and Oranguru was trailing, though not by much.
After all, Oranguru could open a tavern, so it definitely had some skills.
"Gen~"
Gengar materialized in front of Julian.
"How is it? Who has more votes now?" Julian quickly asked.
He had Gengar go invisible to check the votes for both sides. Under Gengar's perfect invisibility, Slowking wouldn't notice, let alone the weakling Oranguru.
Gengar: "Slowking's winning."
Julian sighed in relief, steady advantage secured.
Looks like these Pokémon customers were actually playing fair—no shady favoritism here.
Pokémon customers: 'Maybe you're just the one with a dirty mind.'
At this rate, the preparations he had made might not even be necessary.
Meanwhile, twenty kilometers away from the tavern, hundreds of wild Pokémon were trembling as they stared at the mountain-sized Pokémon in front of them.
Aggron gave them a small smile.
As a result, dozens of Pokémon fainted directly from fright, they were convinced that Aggron was about to eat them.
In front was Aggron, and behind was Steelix, blocking any escape.
These Pokémon didn't dare move a muscle. Several of their groups had been forcibly gathered here today.
From sunrise to almost sunset now.
But to their surprise, the wild Pokémon found themselves being fed—something they hadn't expected.
Julian had given them what he considered low-tier Pokéblocks, basically junk food to him. But to these wild Pokémon? It was gourmet compared to plain berries.
This temporary loss of freedom didn't seem so hard to accept.
If they could eat this kind of food every day, even if they had to stay like this daily, they would gladly cooperate.
---
At sunset, the tavern closed.
"Slow~"
Slowking: "I won" (proud).
Final Vote Count:
- Red Team (Slowking): 300 votes
- Blue Team (Oranguru): 215 votes
"Guru..."
Oranguru: "I lost" (dejected).
It wasn't the type to be a sore loser. A loss was a loss.
Slowking looked at Oranguru appreciatively and said: "Do you want to join us?"
"I refuse," Julian cut in immediately.
Damn, was this trying to kill him?
Slowking already managed him tightly enough. If another Oranguru with a similar level of intelligence joined, wouldn't he even have his phone usage time limited in the future?
"Slowking, you're all I need," Julian said earnestly.
At this moment, Slowking was moved. At the same time, it thought again: 'if Oranguru joins, it might threaten my position as the steward.'
One head steward was enough, no need for two, and certainly no need for a deputy steward.
In fact, Oranguru didn't agree either.
Oranguru: "How about YOU join ME instead? You can run the tavern, and I'll assist you. Why follow such a foolish human?"
Julian: (╬ಠ益ಠ)
'THIS BASTARD'S TRYING TO POACH MY POKÉMON?!'
"Slow~"
Slowking shook its head, then took out a piece of paper: "This is a juice recipe I developed. Seeing your natural talent, I'll give it to you."
Leaving Julian? Impossible.
Without it, Julian would starve, live in filth, and probably die in a week.
In Slowking's eyes, Julian was a trainer without any self-care ability.
Julian: 'My lack of self-care ability is because of you!'
—
After the competition ended, Slowking followed Julian away from the tavern. Since the sun had set, they chose to camp again by the same lake for the night.
They would start their treasure-hunting journey again tomorrow.
However, as they approached the water, Arcanine's nose twitched a few times and it then barked.
"Arf~"
Arcanine: "Someone was here."
The smell of a Pokémon and that of a human were different. And the scent it caught now was clearly that of a human, not a passing Pokémon.
"Can you track them?" Julian asked.
Metagross immediately unleashed its Psychic waves, scanning the area for the intruder.
However, the human was already out of its detection range, so Metagross shook its head.
Arcanine: "I can track them."
The scent was still there, and it could easily follow the trail to find the person.
The fact that the stranger hadn't lingered nearby-despite Julian's tent being left out in the open, because he was too lazy to pack it—suggested one of two things:
Either they weren't confident in their strength to ambush Julian's team.
Or they wanted to avoid trouble entirely, opting to "lay low and play it safe."
Arcanine only detected one person's scent, meaning this was likely a trainer from a small country, the kind with only one entry slot into the secret realm.
And for trainers from small nations, playing it safe was the smartest choice.
"Meta~"
Metagross: "Should we pursue?"
Since Arcanine could track the scent, they could easily catch up with their speed.
Julian shook his head: "No, it's already dark."
Why waste time? The stranger hadn't set a trap, so hunting them down was pointless.
Spending time searching for them would be better spent sleeping.
As for killing them for loot, Julian could find treasures with his Dowsing Machine in an hour that others might need months for.
The time spent chasing this guy could be better used unearthing several more treasures.
Today he was already pretty tired because of Slowking's situation — mostly from the stress of Slowking's near-meltdown. Thankfully, Slowking had won.
After Julian crawled into the tent, Steelix formed a circle to protect the tent inside it.
Gengar melted into Julian's shadow, and Metagross rested nearby.
The rest of the team slept outside, scattered around the campsite.
The night was not silent; many Pokémon liked to move around and forage during the night.
In the forest, a troop composed of nearly a thousand Morelull was slowly moving toward the pond, the spores on their heads glowing like little nightlights, illuminating the surroundings.
Because there were so many of them, when viewed from above, they formed a long, bright, dragon-like trail of lights.
"Meta~"
Julian, who had been fast asleep, was nudged awake by Metagross.
"What's wrong?"
Yawning, Julian looked through a small window in the tent and found that it was still nighttime.
"Is there something going on?"
Metagross: "A large group of Morelull is approaching."
"Morelull?"
Julian only knew that they were nocturnal creatures and that the mushrooms on their heads were very delicious, loved by many Pokémon.
Even if the mushrooms on their heads were eaten, they would regrow overnight, so it did not cause much harm to the Morelull.
However, the taste wasn't particularly appealing to humans.
Stepping out of the tent, he noticed that the surrounding Pokémon were already awake.
"Whoa, that's a lot of them."
Although he couldn't see the Morelull directly, the nearby forest was lit up, and with this brightness, it was definitely not just two or three hundred Morelull.
Judging by the movement of the light, it really did seem like they were heading straight toward his location.
Uncertain of the reason, Julian recalled his Pokémon into their Poké Balls and took to the skies on his Dragonite.
Before long, nearly a thousand Morelull arrived at the pond.
At first, Julian thought they had come to drink water, but then realized that might not be right.
Because many Grass-type Pokémon could absorb water and nutrients from the ground by rooting.
Then, he watched as the Morelull began climbing up the cliff beside the pond, where the huge waterfall flowed down from.
Julian had already pulled out his phone, sensing that something interesting was about to happen, and decided to record it.
The Morelull rooted themselves vertically onto the cliff face, and the light from nearly a thousand Morelull made the entire cliff very bright.
From time to time, Flying-type Pokémon would pass by and eat the mushrooms atop the Morelull's heads.
Even the Bruxish in the pond below would leap out of the water to nibble on the mushrooms.
But then, as the thousand Morelull emitted a collective sound, all the Pokémon feeding on their mushrooms stopped their actions.
In the next second, countless glowing spores were released from the tops of the Morelull and floated slowly into the air.
Uncertain of what these glowing spores were, Metagross used its psychic powers to block the spores drifting toward them.
At the same time, Julian, who was still in the air, noticed that glowing spores weren't just appearing here—they were emerging in other places as well.
Because it was nighttime, the fluorescence was clearly visible even from a distance.
As the spores drifted down, merging into the earth, the grass, and the trees, something remarkable happened.
Some of the shorter trees actually began to grow, and the most noticeable changes were in the flowers and grass — flowers bloomed at night, and the grass became more lusher and greener.
"This is their way of giving back to nature," Julian murmured to himself.
Pokémon and nature shared a symbiotic relationship. Many Pokémon instinctively protected the environment they lived in.
Some Pokémon even existed solely to safeguard nature.
For example, Diglett, whose presence enriched the fertility of the soil where it lived.
Celebi, who protected forests, and Shellder, which could purify water.
After more than half an hour, the glowing spores faded, only to be replaced by the bright white light of evolution.
However, not all the Morelull evolved — only about a dozen Morelull evolved into Shiinotic.
As for the remaining Morelull, they might have to wait until the next time they "gave back to nature" before they could evolve, and this time could be half a year or even a year later.
Once the evolution was complete, the Morelull and Shiinotic slowly descended from the cliff face. They needed to find a dark place to sleep before dawn.
Julian returned to his tent, only to find it already occupied.
A dozen or so Morelull were curled up inside, fast asleep.
Staring at his tent, Julian was a bit puzzled — did his tent really meet their criteria for darkness?
Or maybe they were just too exhausted to find a proper shady spot, so they settled for his tent.
"Ah, forget it—I'm not sleeping anymore anyway."
Checking the time, he saw that dawn was only an hour or so away. Since he wasn't sleepy anymore, he decided to just stay up.
He left the tent to the Morelull.
Pulling out a scent-eliminating spray, he thoroughly sprayed the tent and the surrounding area to erase his own scent.
He didn't want anyone tracking him by smell—not because he was afraid, but because he disliked unnecessary trouble. Treasure hunting was his main goal, after all.
If Pierce and the others managed to defeat Tapu Fini and came to Akala Island, then he wouldn't be able to use his Dowsing Machine freely anymore.
But by the time they arrived, Julian figured he would have already left this island and headed for the next one.
The Morelull's spectacle had stirred up quite a commotion, waking many trainers—including Julian—who decided to start their day early.
Now airborne on Dragonite's back, Julian spotted another trainer a few hundred meters ahead, riding a Braviary.
With such a vast sky, the two of them still managed to run into each other — What were the odds?
The opponent's Braviary exuded the aura of an early-stage Elite.
Braviary, just like its name suggested, was a brave and fearless Pokémon, full of courage and extremely loyal to its trainer.
This was a Pokémon unique to the country of Pampas in the West, where it was even considered a national symbol, rarely seen in other countries.
So the nationality of the trainer in front of him was basically confirmed.
The opposing Trainer, spotting Julian riding a pseudo-legendary Dragonite, immediately tensed up—though she relaxed slightly upon realizing that Julian was alone.
No matter where it was, a pseudo-legendary Pokémon was a symbol of status.
Under the cover of darkness, the other trainer couldn't clearly make out Julian's face.
But thanks to his sharp eyesight (a perk of his enhanced physique), he could see hers just fine.
A blonde, blue-eyed woman—classic Western beauty standards in full effect.
Since they had encountered each other, he decided to see if she had found anything good.
Julian took out his Dowsing Machine, and soon ten red dots appeared on it, seven of which were right in front of Julian—clearly, they marked the treasures currently in the woman's possession.
But looking at the size of those red dots…
"...I genuinely have zero interest in robbing her," Julian muttered under his breath.
He seriously suspected that this woman had been robbed before. It had been more than a month, and yet all she had managed to find were trash items — it was even hard to look at.
"Dragonite, let's go."
No point in bothering her. She looked pitiful enough as it was.
Julian immediately changed direction and flew off.
Annis, the blonde Trainer, breathed a sigh of relief when she saw this. She really didn't want to get into a conflict with trainers from other countries.
"That accent just now sounded like someone from Drakoria. But weren't there supposed to be five of them? Why is there only one here? Could it be they split up?" Annis muttered, watching the distant figure disappear into the night.
"Found a Dragon Orb, not bad at all."
Steelix looked at Julian with an expectant expression, clearly seeking praise—after all, it had dug this thing up from a thousand meters underground.
For a tunneling expert like Steelix, that depth was child's play.
Ignoring Steelix's eager face, Julian examined the pale purple Dragon Orb in his hand. Like the Water Orb he had previously found in the pond, this was a unique treasure exclusive to this secret realm—at least, no other known secret realms had such orbs.
And its function was similar to the Water Orb as well, just with a different elemental affinity.
[Dragon Orb: Can raise a Dragon-type Pokémon's potential from Cyan to Blue (100% success rate). Useless on Pokémon with Blue potential or higher.]
Aside from Kartana, which he had recently caught and whose potential was still at Cyan, all of Julian's other Pokémon were at Blue or above.
So, for now, this Dragon Orb was useless to him.
Dragonite had purple potential, and Garchomp had blue potential.
If he could find a Grass Orb or Steel Orb, though, he could use it on Kartana.
Both the Water Orb and now the Dragon Orb had been extremely well-hidden. Without the Dowsing Machine, there was no way he would've found them.
Especially this Dragon Orb — buried a full kilometer underground.
And only the size of a thumb. No normal person would ever stumble upon it.
Seeing Steelix still staring eagerly at him, hoping for praise, Julian sighed helplessly said, "Good job."
In terms of temperament, this guy was a lot like Arcanine — both had childish, immature personalities.
Of course, that didn't mean Julian disliked that; it's just that Steelix's massive size gave a feeling that it should act more mature.
It was like seeing a loli face on a bodybuilder's frame — the contrast was just too much.
Steelix: "I also found something else."
"What is it?" Julian asked.
At the same time, he glanced at the Dowsing Machine and, sure enough, another red dot appeared where the Dragon Orb had been. This red dot was smaller than the Dragon Orb's, but not by much.
Earlier, it had been hidden under the Dragon Orb's signal, which was why Julian hadn't noticed it.
At the time, he had wondered why there were only nine red dots within fifty kilometers. He had thought that the number of treasures had dropped, but it was just overlapping signals.
Steelix: "Rocks."
"Dig some up and let me see," Julian said.
As soon as he heard "rocks," his interest was piqued — they could serve as Aggron's food, and even its main diet.
Steelix drilled back into the ground and soon returned, gently placing a rock in front of Julian with its mouth.
As someone quite knowledgeable about stones, Julian didn't immediately use his Probing Eyes to check its info — instead, he picked it up and started inspecting it manually first.
The stone was covered in black crystalline formations, but it wasn't something as common as obsidian.
Julian, ever the professional, pulled out a magnifying glass and began inspecting it closely, muttering to himself with thoughtful hums—"hmm—oh—ah—so that's how it is" as he examined it.
Steelix: 'Looks so professional.'
Five minutes later, Julian put down the magnifying glass.
And activated his Probing Eyes.
'Dammit, I've never seen this kind of rock before. I have to see what kind of strange thing you are — hurry up and reveal your true form!'
Under the Probing Eyes, the information about this stone appeared clearly.
[Blacklight Ore: Formed over millions of years from fallen fragments of Necrozma's darkened crystals.]
Seeing this description, Julian's eyes widened in shock and delight — he hadn't expected this rock to have such a big origin; no wonder he hadn't recognized it earlier.
Necrozma—a legendary Pokémon shrouded in mystery even in the anime, let alone in reality.
In this world, there were no official records of its existence.
Even with Julian's two lifetimes' worth of knowledge, he knew very little about it.
"How much of this stuff is there?"
Steelix: "A lot."
"Dig it all out for me," Julian said.
Originally he had thought there wouldn't be much, so hearing Steelix say there was a lot surprised him.
To speed up the digging, Julian even sent out Aggron.
With these two mining experts working together, the efficiency skyrocketed.
In just half an hour, the two Pokémon had dug up over twenty tons of Blacklight Ore—partly because Aggron couldn't resist munching on it as it worked.
The taste seemed to suit Aggron just fine, making it dig even faster.
They kept digging for over five hours, creating a pit over a kilometer wide and over a hundred meters deep — basically, they had dug out a small lake.
In the process, they even found three pure black crystals, each about the size of a basketball.
These crystals were so dark they seemed to absorb sunlight itself.
No—they actually were absorbing it.
Julian watched in awe as the light around the crystals warped and bent, visibly being sucked into them.
[Blacklight Core: Fragments shed from Ultra Necrozma's body.]
[Effect: When used, the Pokémon continuously absorbs sunlight to restore its stamina (Restricted to Steel- and Rock-types).]
Ultra Necrozma—a Pokémon so powerful that, in terms of base stats alone, it surpassed even the "alpaca" (Arceus).
However, Arceus had its eighteen plates, and with them, it was practically invincible.
Arceus: "With my Plates, I own the world."
But constant sunlight absorption for stamina recovery? That was insanely useful.
Sure, many Pokémon had recovery moves, but those required the Pokémon to have enough energy to use them in the first place.
Stamina and energy were two different systems.
Reading a book mainly consumes mental energy, while moving bricks primarily drains physical stamina.
However, in Pokémon battles, using moves consumes both stamina and energy simultaneously.
And recovery moves often consume more energy than regular moves.
But now, with the Blacklight Core, things change—it passively absorbs sunlight to restore stamina without consuming any energy.
"You three, each take one," Julian said.
Metagross, Steelix, and Aggron all three met the Steel/Rock-type usage condition.
And there happened to be exactly three cores.
Aggron wasted no time—it swallowed the core whole, and Steelix followed suit, gulping it down in one bite.
Only Metagross ate more gracefully.
After eating, none of the three showed any signs of discomfort.
Julian trusted his Probing Eyes—if it didn't mention any side effects, then there were definitely none.
In fact, the Blacklight Core helped Aggron the most — as a Totem Pokémon, it already boasted monstrous stamina reserves.
Now, after eating the Blacklight Core, it was like adding wings to a tiger.
With the Blacklight Core's sunlight absorption, it was practically unstoppable in prolonged battles.
With unbreakable defense and continuous stamina regeneration, unless an opponent overpowered it completely, Aggron could outlast anything.
However, if it encountered a cloudy day with insufficient sunlight, then the stamina recovery would definitely drop a lot.
And at night, it probably wouldn't recover stamina at all.
Julian stored the remaining Blacklight Ore into the system space — this much Blacklight Ore would be enough for Aggron to eat for quite a long time.
The rain was pouring down heavily, accompanied by strong winds.
Since arriving in this secret realm, it had been over a month—nearly two—and the weather had always been clear and sunny. So today's sudden wind and rain caught Julian a bit off guard.
If it were in the outside world, encountering this kind of weather, most people would just stay indoors unless they absolutely had to go out.
The same went for Pokémon.
In weather like this, except for some Water-types and a few Pokémon that liked the rain, most would find a place to take shelter.
Julian had Metagross create a transparent house using Light Screen, since the wind was too strong and would blow the tent away.
The house was fairly large, around 200 square meters. Julian even set up a bed, a sofa, and a coffee table.
He had bought multiple sets of furniture like this and stored them in his system space.
After all, Arcanine frequently wrecked the house, and when furniture got damaged, Julian would replace it immediately. So every time he went to the furniture store, it was like restocking inventory—he'd buy a whole bunch in one go.
Most people buy beds one at a time. Julian bought them in stacks.
Anyone who didn't know better would think Julian was stocking up for a furniture store.
The Light Screen was completely airtight and had excellent soundproofing, though Julian had left a small opening in the house to avoid suffocation.
Slowking was brewing coffee for Julian.
Lying on the sofa, playing on his handheld console, with hot coffee on the way...
Despite this being a dangerous Top-tier secret realm, Julian had somehow turned it into a casual vacation.
In such terrible weather, even he didn't feel like going out to hunt for treasures.
Kartana stared at the Light Screen in front of it and gently tapped it with its left arm, feeling its solid resistance.
Kartana: "I wonder if I could slice through it with one strike."
Julian said slowly, "Your left arm would break."
Then he waved at Kartana, who flew over to him.
Julian pointed at a watermelon on the coffee table. "Cut this, please."
A flash of blade light later, the watermelon had been sliced into ten perfectly even pieces.
By now, Kartana had grown used to using its blades to chop vegetables, meat, and fruit.
"Kekeke!"
Gengar took a slice of watermelon and happily took a bite.
This watermelon was actually a human-modified version of a Berry, so both humans and Pokémon could eat it—and it tasted great.
"Slow~"
Slowking brought the steaming coffee to Julian.
Then Julian pulled out another handheld console. "Slowking, let's play together."
This game had a two-player mode.
There was no signal in the secret realm, otherwise Julian would have been playing Pokémon Glory long ago.
'It's been over a month since I last played—the new season must have updated by now.'
'Celebi must've been gaming nonstop. Wonder what rank it's at now?'
Back home in Lake City, Celebi angrily threw its phone onto the sofa. The match results showed a mid-laner with a pitiful 0-9-7 KDA, and it was getting roasted by all four teammates who were insulting its entire family.
Those four were definitely going to report it, which meant it'd have to grind its credibility points back up again.
It was bad enough that Julian went to the secret realm without taking it—but did he really have to take Slowking too?
Celebi: 'Day 70 without Slowking… I miss it.'
In the kitchen, Indeedee was teaching Magearna how to make pastries. Magearna listened intently, eager for Julian to taste its creations when he returned.
Out in the backyard, Doublade was sparring with Jake's Magneton, determined to shock Julian with its progress when he came back.
Little did it know that Julian, the scumbag, had already found himself a new sword—one he wielded with terrifying ease.
Meanwhile, Bagon was doing basic training under the guidance of Salamence, who then rewarded it by flying it around.
---
The rain was unusually long-lasting. It had been pouring for three days straight. The wind had died down, but the rain showed no signs of stopping.
Julian had originally thought it would stop in a day or two—but now it had been three days, and judging by the looks of it, it might keep going tomorrow too.
There was no weather forecast here, so Julian had no way of knowing when it would end.
He could use weather-altering moves, but their range was limited, so they weren't very useful.
Unless you were at the Champion-level, capable of shifting an entire region's climate.
And if you were a First-Class Legendary, you could influence the weather of an entire nation.
Groudon would dry the land for miles wherever it walked, and Kyogre would bring storms and rainfall. These two were well-known weather-makers.
On the fourth day, the rain was still falling, with no signs of easing up.
After breakfast, Julian decided to resume treasure hunting. He couldn't afford to waste more time.
He packed up everything inside the Light Screen house, then had Metagross dissolve the barrier.
If he left it up, who knew how many Flying-type Pokémon would end up crashing into it?
And given Metagross's strength, its Light Screen could last for a very long time.
Mounting Dragonite, Julian wrapped himself in a psychic shield and Metagross followed close behind, the constant sound of the rain pounding in his ears made it hard to hear anything else.
He could use psychic to block out the sound, but Julian chose not to.
Doing that would cut off not just the sound of rain, but also other important noises—like those that signaled danger.
"To the volcano," Julian said.
Akala Island's most prominent landmark was its massive volcano, which covered a quarter of the island.
Normally, the entire island carried a strong sulfur smell, but because of the rain, that scent had noticeably faded.
...
Originally, Julian had planned to explore other parts of the island first, leaving the volcano for last, since it was the most dangerous area—and also the place most likely to attract other Trainers.
After all, places like snowy mountains, volcanoes, and swamps—harsh environments—tended to be where treasures were most likely to appear.
And since this volcano was located inside a Top-tier secret realm. Many Trainers who entered would make it their first destination.
But Julian had chosen to go now precisely because of the rain.
The rain helped lower the surface temperature of the volcano, and most Fire-type Pokémon would likely hide during this time.
He was treasure hunting, not looking for a fight—the fewer complications, the better.
A volcano this massive—if it erupted, the entire Akala Island would surely be destroyed. But a hundred years later, the island would be reborn, maybe even more prosperous than before.
"There really is an Ultimate treasure here."
As he neared the volcano, his Dowsing Machine showed a massive red dot.
Its size definitely meant it was an Ultimate treasure—possibly even more valuable than the Fire Crystal he'd previously found.
In fact, it was comparable in size to the Poison Pearl, the Poison-type Ultimate treasure he'd found before.
Seeing that red dot on the Dowsing Machine, Julian couldn't help but feel a bit excited—after all, this was an Ultimate treasure.
Every Trainer who reached the Champion level had at least one or two Ultimate treasures in their possession—these items were often key to their rise.
Besides the Ultimate treasure's red dot, there were nine other red dots nearby, none of them small either.
But right now, Julian only had eyes for the Ultimate treasure—the rest would have to wait.
"I knew it would be like this."
Julian looked helplessly at the volcano crater, several hundred meters wide. Below, the magma churned like boiling water, and the stinging sulfuric smell kept assaulting his nose.
The Dowsing Machine showed that the Ultimate treasure was located inside the magma.
When Julian first learned about the treasure near the volcano, he'd already suspected it might be hidden in the lava inside the crater.
After all, when he had found the Fire Crystal before, it had been retrieved from lava deep within a volcano too.
And the Ice Core had been located at the bottom of a freezing cold pool.
So now this treasure being inside volcanic magma? No surprise there.
The real problem was: how was Julian going to retrieve it?
Unlike last time, he didn't see any Magmar group around here.
Due to their body structures, even among Fire-type Pokémon, only a few could withstand the extreme heat of magma.
Magmortar were one of them. Last time, Julian had "persuaded" a wild Magmortar to retrieve the Fire Crystal for him.
But now, with no Magmortar in sight, all he could see around the crater were some Fire-type Pokémon.
Because of the extreme heat at the crater, any rain that tried to fall here was instantly vaporized.
There were, however, four Fire-type Pokémon at the crater: Magcargo, Typhlosion, Centiskorch, and Incineroar. All of them were at the Elite-level.
These four had claimed the crater as their territory—it was the most concentrated Fire-type energy zone on the entire volcano.
But none of them could enter magma—their bodies simply weren't built for it.
Arcanine's Pokéball began to shake.
It was saying: "I can do it."
Julian's face darkened. "You'd go in as a dog and come out as roast meat."
Sure, Arcanine was a Fire-type and could temporarily withstand the surface heat of magma. But the deeper you go, the hotter it gets—and it wouldn't even be able to breathe down there.
It might go in alive, but it would come out well-done.
The four Fire-type Pokémon noticed an intruder near the crater. As if on cue, they launched an attack against Julian.
Normally, they were rivals, but when an outsider appeared, they would work together.
They had driven away plenty of humans like Julian before.
Four boosted Flamethrowers, amplified by the volcano's energy, roared toward him like a tidal wave of fire.
Dragonite immediately pulled Julian back, while Metagross flew in to intercept.
With a flash of Teleport, it appeared right in front of Centiskorch. The centipede Pokémon barely had time to widen its eyes before a Meteor Mashsmashed into its head.
Though all four Pokémon were at the early Elite stage, Centiskorch was the weakest—so naturally it was dealt with first.
Under the force of the Meteor Mash, Centiskorch was instantly knocked out.
"ROAR!"
Incineroar brought its Darkest Lariatdown on Metagross with overwhelming force.
Incineroar: "This one's in the bag."
Metagross: "What did you just say?"
Incineroar stared at the completely unharmed Metagross, thinking maybe the volcanic sulfur was making him hallucinate.
But the whistling sound of an incoming Bullet Punch and the instinctive sense of danger jolted Incineroar back to reality—it wasn't a hallucination.
Unfortunately, it was already too late to dodge.
All it could do was cross its arms in front of itself to block Metagross's Bullet Punch.
At the same time, Magcargo and Typhlosion launched their attacks. The former unleashed Fire Spin, and the latter fired Flamethrower—one from the left, one from the right, both targeting Metagross.
If Metagross continued attacking Incineroar, it would take both fire attacks head-on.
Under normal circumstances, it would be wiser to give up on the attack, especially since this was a one-against-three situation—and the opponent had a clear type advantage.
Even trainers like Ember or Pierce would likely choose to disengage and dodge in this scenario.
But—
"Meta!"
Metagross let out a disdainful snort. It allowed the two fire attacks to hit it directly, while at the same time landing a Bullet Punch squarely on Incineroar's face.
BOOM!
Incineroar's body was slammed into the crater wall, though it wasn't completely knocked out yet.
In the very next second, a Psycho Cutsliced across its body, sending it to join Centiskorch in defeat.
"Meta~"
Metagross turned to look at Magcargo and Typhlosion-the two that had ambushed it.
Both Fire-types instinctively took a step back. Even the usually aggressive Typhlosion now showed signs of hesitation.
Four-on-one, and yet two of their teammates had already been taken down—brutally.
Now it was just two-on-one, and Metagross hadn't even taken real damage yet. What were their chances?
Two minutes later, Magcargo and Typhlosion were also down.
Julian tossed out four Pokéballs and captured all of them. Once he left the secret realm, he could exchange them for resources—or give them to Ember if she needed them.
Four Elite-level Pokémon—especially Fire-types, which were in high demand—would be a waste not to catch and convert into value.
---
With the guards taken care of, it was time to think about how to retrieve the treasure from beneath the magma.
After pondering for a while, Julian muttered, "Guess I'll have to go with the dumb method."
Without a Pokémon like Magmortar that could swim in lava, how could he get the treasure out of the magma?
The dumb method was simple—just 'drain' the magma entirely.
"Kartana, carve an opening here."
Julian sent out Kartana and pointed to the eastern side of the crater. That side faced the ocean, so if the magma was drained into the sea, the damage to the island would be minimized.
Kartana sliced open a gap over ten meters wide, and then Metagross began using its psychic powers to lift magma—dozens of tons at a time—and throw it out through the opening.
Lava flowed down the newly opened channel and poured into the sea.
Julian could only hope that the treasure wasn't too deep—if it was hidden at the very bottom of the magma, even Metagross wouldn't be able to scoop it all out.
Volcanoes were structured like inverted cones-narrower at the top and wider at the bottom.
This crater alone was several hundred meters wide, meaning the bottom was likely over ten thousand meters in size. The amount of magma inside was unimaginable.
That's why this method was the "dumb way"-not only inefficient, but the chances of success were also low.
After hours of labor, the magma level had only dropped about ten meters, and Julian's face had gone from hopeful to downright gloomy.
In ancient times, there was a man trying to move mountains. Now there's Julian scooping magma.
Some called the man persistent. Others called him a fool who didn't know how to adapt. But Julian? His case was pure, unfiltered stupidity.
Metagross: 'A lifetime of glory… ruined in a single day.'
"Alright, Metagross, let's—"
Just as Julian was about to call it quits, a pillar of magma suddenly erupted into the air—followed by a cry that echoed across the skies.
As the magma splashed down, it revealed a crimson figure rising in its place.
With every flap of its wings, flames burst into the air. It looked like the incarnation of fire itself.
Moltres: "WHO DARES DISTURB MY SLUMBER?!"
Moltres was livid. It had been sleeping peacefully when faint, annoying noises (the battle) crept into its dreams.
Just as things quieted down, it started to feel its "blanket" growing thinner and thinner-the magma being scooped away.
When it finally woke up, it found some absolute lunatic draining its magma bed—and even 'cutting a hole in its home!'
"Damn, it's Moltres!"
Julian's mouth hung open in shock. He had never imagined there'd be a Moltres sleeping beneath all that magma.
Judging by its drowsy eyes, it had probably been asleep.
Now he'd woken it up—and it looked like it had a 'serious' case of morning rage.
"Metagross, pin it down for me! Don't let it get away!"
Julian was thrilled. If this Moltres could sleep inside magma, then wouldn't it make the perfect tool-bird?
Moltres were most commonly spotted near volcanoes—and not just small ones. They preferred massive, active volcanoes.
The Moltres stared at the aggressive Metagross with a confused expression.
'This isn't right… Shouldn't it be running away in fear at the sight of me? Why isn't it fleeing? And why is it looking at me like that?'
Pokémon: Moltres (Fire/Flying)
Level: 81 (83)
Potential: Blue
Ability: Pressure
Held Item: None
Gender: Genderless
Moves: Gust, Leer, Ember, Safeguard, Wing Attack, Flamethrower, Agility, Ancient Power, Incinerate, Air Slash, Roost, Heat Wave, Sunny Day, Hurricane, Endure, Overheat, Sky Attack
TMs: None
Egg Moves: None
Note: Injured Contest Condition
---
'Injured?'
Julian considered the possibility. Besides sleeping in volcanoes, Moltres was also known to enter lava when injured—to ignite its whole body and heal its wounds through intense heat.
When it appeared earlier, it had indeed looked like a massive ball of flames. Maybe it had been healing while taking a nap.
Originally Level 83, but due to the injuries, it had temporarily dropped to 81. Still, it was a pseudo-Champion-level Pokémon.
He couldn't help but wonder—what on this island could've injured it? Was it the island's guardian? Or maybe another human Trainer?
Moltres hovering in the air suddenly realized its four underlings guarding the entrance were missing.
'Could this guy have taken them out?'
'Humans really are the worst.'
Its injuries had been caused by humans in the first place.
And now Julian had interrupted both its healing and its sleep. The fury in its heart burned even hotter.
The flames on its body flared hotter and brighter. Julian had to signal Dragonite to back off—the smell of his own singed hair was already in the air.
And somehow, after days of rain, the storm suddenly stopped.
The clouds parted, and sunlight poured onto the land once more, making Moltres's figure appear even more majestic and mysterious.
Metagross: 'I've beaten birds like you before.'
Metagross was referring to Articuno—but that was way back when Julian had just started his first year of university. And back then, Metagross had only been at the peak of Advanced level.
"Metagross, Mega Evolve!"
To end the battle quickly, Julian triggered Metagross's Mega Evolution.
Its level rose temporarily from 78 to 80, just a step away from pseudo-Champion tier.
The aura it released made the Moltres no longer dare to underestimate this opponent.
Even if Moltres had been at full strength, it doubted it could match the overwhelming presence of Mega Metagross.
"Psychic!"
A massive wave of psychic energy instantly ensnared Moltres.
The fiery bird felt as though it was trapped in quicksand—completely immobilized, its flames flickering weakly under the suppression.
As Mega Metagross's Meteor Mashapproached, Moltres let out a sharp cry.
"Screeee—!"
With a piercing cry, the flames on its body suddenly erupted, breaking through the Psychic hold.
But it was already too late—
BAM!
Mega Metagross's Meteor Mashsmashed straight into its face.
Moltres's body slammed into the side of the volcano's crater wall, sending chunks of rock tumbling into the magma below. The molten lava that splashed onto Moltres was absorbed by it.
Julian and Mega Metagross both noticed this—but neither cared.
The difference in power was obvious. Even if Moltres fully submerged itself in magma, it still wouldn't stand a chance.
Embedded in the rocky wall of the volcano, Moltres spat a stream of scorching fire toward Mega Metagross.
The steel titan sidestepped effortlessly, while Moltres took the chance to pull itself out of the rock wall and putting some distance between them.
It then unleashed a rapid barrage of Flamethrowers, the attacks nearly seamless.
However, Mega Metagross had already teleported away. The flames scorched nothing but empty air.
Moltres frantically scanned its surroundings, finding no trace of its foe. It realized that Metagross was using Teleport to flicker through space.
The moment it showed an opening, it would be hit with a devastating strike.
So it activated Agility, zigzagging erratically to confuse Mega Metagross with speed.
Mega Metagross: 'Not entirely stupid, I see.'
Moltres: I'm plenty smart!
Unfortunately, it was not smart enough.
A transparent Light Screen had somehow been set up in Moltres's path during its high-speed movement, and it didn't notice at all.
THUD!
Moltres slammed face-first into the barrier.
Julian winced — just hearing that sound made his teeth ache.
The Light Screen cracked but didn't shatter, but Moltres was completely dazed. Its wings flapped out of rhythm in the air, like it had just chugged a bottle of bad liquor.
It looked like a drunkard seconds away from face-planting into the magma.
Then—
WHAM!
Another Meteor Mash to the skull, and the legendary bird blacked out completely, plummeting to the ground.
Mega Metagross swiftly extended its claw, catching the falling Moltres before it could hit the ground. It gently placed the unconscious bird on the ground, then reverted to its normal form with a flash of light.
Metagross: 'This one went down too easy.'
It was disappointed—it hadn't even warmed up, and the opponent was already down.
Honestly, this Moltres felt even weaker than the Articuno it had fought before. At least Articuno had put up a decent fight. But this? Too easy.
And it was true—the biggest difference came from Metagross's rapid growth.
Back when it fought Articuno, it had only been one year old, and at the peak Advanced level.
Now, at two years old, it had reached late-stage Elite-tier. That kind of progress was downright terrifying.
Metagross: 'Wait, I'm already two years old?'
With its ever-deepening power and combat experience, crushing opponents had become almost routine.
Julian walked over to the unconscious Moltres but didn't dare get too close. Even while knocked out, the heat radiating from its body was intense.
If he reached out and touched it, he'd basically be barbecuing his own hand.
So he stopped about four meters away. But even at this distance, the air was already 40+ degrees Celsius. Any closer, and his skin might start to burn.
And the volcanic environment didn't help either.
He did have a protective suit that could block out the heat—but it was a hassle to put on, and just as annoying to take off. So he couldn't be bothered.
Now that he was closer, Julian noticed a wound on Moltres's back, it clearly wasn't from Metagross. This was an old injury, likely the main reason Moltres couldn't fight at full strength.
If it hadn't been injured, Metagross would've needed at least a few more rounds to take it down.
Among legendary Pokémon, the most numerous were undoubtedly the Legendary Birds—Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. Because of this, some trainers have successfully earned their favor and managed to capture them.
The hardest part wasn't defeating them—it was earning their recognition. That was the real challenge.
Defeating them, in fact, wasn't all that difficult.
But why is it that, for all legendary and mythical Pokémon, even if a trainer defeats them, they can't be captured unless they acknowledge the trainer?
The main reason lies in a rule-bound power inherent to them—the very thing that sets them apart from ordinary Pokémon.
Otherwise, just looking at base stats, pseudo-legendaries actually surpass the Legendary Birds. Yet, pseudo-legendaries are still classified as ordinary Pokémon, while the Birds are not.
This "rule-bound power" can be considered a gift from nature or the world itself, and with it comes certain responsibilities.
If a legendary doesn't acknowledge you, even if you capture them, the rule power they carry will destroy the Poké Ball. With the sole exception of a Master Ball, any other ball will eventually break.
That said, a higher-quality ball can delay the destruction. But if you try to catch one with a standard red-and-white Poké Ball?
It'll be shattered within a day or two.
Julian pulled out a Luxury Ball—the highest-end Poké Ball currently available on the market, costing a million each.
By comparison, a standard red-and-white Poké Ball went for just 10,000.
After all, this was a pseudo-Champion-tier legendary Pokémon. Capturing it meant he could trade it for massive resources outside.
As for using it himself—Julian had no interest. To him, Moltres was basically useless.
Its Fire/Flying typing didn't align with his primary (Steel) or secondary (Dragon) specialties. The only things worth praising were its strength and status.
But Julian didn't care about that.
He already had legendaries and mythicals of his own.
So, once caught, Moltres was just trade fodder.
Moltres: 'Do I not get any dignity here?!'
Just as Julian was about to toss the Luxury Ball, a pink Pokémon suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Lele~"
Tapu Lele: "You cannot capture it."
Seeing Akala Island's guardian deity show up—for Moltres, no less—Julian raised an eyebrow in surprise.
He had expected Tapu Lele to only show up when he was about to leave the island. He didn't expect it to appear now.
"Reason?" Julian asked calmly.
If it didn't give him a good enough explanation, then even being the island's guardian wouldn't mean a thing.
"Meta~"
Metagross stared straight at it, clearly still unsatisfied with its earlier fight. It hoped the other would act a little cockier—that way, its trainer would have a good reason to beat it up.
Tapu Lele already knew from Tapu Fini that Julian had defeated it—and at the time, it had mercilessly laughed at its fellow guardian for the loss.
Now, after watching Julian effortlessly crush four Elite-tier Pokémon and then take down a pseudo-Champion Moltres, Tapu Lele wasn't about to make the same mistake.
The ease with which he did it made it feel like no effort was even needed.
Tapu Lele: "This volcano needs Moltres. Without it constantly absorbing the volcanic energy, the eruption would destroy Akala Island."
So it turned out Moltres was basically a glorified pressure valve.
But that actually made a lot of sense.
Back when he first arrived at Akala Island, Julian had seen the massive volcano belching thick black smoke—clearly an active volcano.
At the time, he had even wondered if a future eruption would destroy the island, only for it to be reborn from the ashes a hundred years later.
After all, volcanic eruptions expand landmass when lava cools and solidifies. A century later, plants would regrow, and Pokémon would naturally migrate back, bringing the island back to life.
What he hadn't expected was that the volcano never erupted at all—because Moltres had been continually absorbing the lava's energy. No wonder it hadn't exploded.
Akala Volcano: 'I'm always just one step away from erupting...'
Julian: 'I suspect you're being suggestive, but I have no proof.'
Still, he didn't doubt Tapu Lele's words.
"Fine, I won't catch it. But what's in it for me?" Julian said flatly.
If there were no benefits, he clearly wouldn't agree. As for the argument that the volcano would erupt and kill many Pokémon if Moltres was taken—
Well, what did that have to do with him? Clearly, that was Tapu Lele's job as the island guardian.
If it couldn't handle its duties, that was its own failure.
Tapu Lele pointed at the volcano and said, "I assume you're here for the treasure inside the volcano, right?"
Julian raised an eyebrow, and then nodded. "One of the reasons I wanted to capture Moltres was to send it down there to fetch the treasure for me."
"How did you know there was treasure inside the volcano?"
Tapu Lele proudly declared, "There's nothing on this island that I, its guardian deity, don't know."
'Oh, now you're getting cocky.'
'So what if you're a guardian deity? You still need to beg me.'
Tapu Lele continued, "That treasure is at the bottom of the volcano. With Moltres' current abilities, it can't reach it. Otherwise, it would've eaten it long ago."
"The lava down there is 'that' hot?" Julian was genuinely surprised.
He'd assumed the treasure remained untouched because its energy was too well-concealed for Moltres to sense.
It turned out that wasn't the case—Moltres had sensed the treasure, but simply didn't have the strength to reach the bottom of the magma. That's the only reason the treasure had remained untouched all this time.
Julian realized he had underestimated the Akala Volcano. No wonder it took up a full quarter of the island—it made sense now. The magma at its bottom was so hot that even Moltres couldn't endure it.
"So if I let Moltres go, you'll retrieve that treasure for me?" Julian asked, testing the waters.
Tapu Lele nodded. "If you agree, I will."
The treasure was something born from the Akala Volcano itself. Trading it for Moltres was roughly equal in value—but Julian felt like he was getting the better end of the deal.
After all, his plan had always been to trade Moltres for resources—so it didn't matter who the deal was with.
Now that he could trade it directly with Tapu Lele in exchange for the treasure he truly wanted, this was obviously the best possible outcome.
"Deal," Julian agreed.
Tapu Lele: "Wait here. I'll go retrieve it for you."
With that, it dove straight into the magma—and then something bizarre happened. The lava seemed to come alive, parting on its own.
This allowed Tapu Lele to descend without being burned, making it clear that retrieving the treasure at the volcano's base was effortless for it.
Clearly, the island guardian had far more control over its territory than Julian had expected.
It could even command the flow of magma directly.
Metagross could theoretically use its psychic powers to do something similar, but the deeper it went, the greater the pressure, and even then there was no guarantee it could reach the bottom. Certainly not like Tapu Lele, who moved through it with ease.