Silas strolled leisurely through the brightly lit passageway, which was illuminated as though it were above ground.
A Luxury Ball bounced idly up and down in his hand.
"Well, looks like the Three Dragon Trial isn't all that difficult."
He casually muttered to himself.
Fortunately for him, the other Trainers currently getting utterly overwhelmed by Seadra and the occasional Kingdra while fighting on their home turf couldn't hear him. Otherwise, they'd definitely have a few choice words for him.
You call this easy?
Seadra and Kingdra with the Sniper Ability were notoriously difficult opponents.
The only saving grace was that Seadra, before evolving, was still weak to the common Grass- and Electric-type Pokémon. Otherwise, the challengers would have had an even harder time.
None of the Dragon Tamers serving as gatekeepers for the Three Dragon Trial were ordinary Trainers.
Their Seadra were far stronger than those raised by typical Trainers.
Against opponents of the same level, only exceptional Pokémon like Ampharos could probably defeat them with almost no damage.
More importantly, Silas found the combination attacks they used particularly fascinating.
This was likely one of the Dragon Clan's treasured techniques.
Even if other Trainers owned Water-type Pokémon, they probably couldn't replicate those combinations.
Even Silas's own partners, before reaching the Elite Four level, could barely chain two moves together.
Adding just one more move to a combo represented countless hours of training, repeated failures, and exponentially greater difficulty.
Otherwise, combinations like Ash's famous Ice Aqua Jet would have become commonplace long ago.
It wasn't that Trainers in the Pokémon world lacked imagination.
It was simply that combining Pokémon moves wasn't nearly as easy as it looked.
Besides move compatibility, the Pokémon itself was the most important factor.
Looking at the seemingly endless tunnel ahead, Silas sighed softly.
"The next stage should be the Dragon of Earth..."
Judging by the incline beneath his feet, he could clearly tell he was steadily climbing upward.
However, he hadn't yet reached the top of the canyon.
Based on his deductions, the Three Dragon Trial likely progressed from low elevation to high elevation.
The reverse order of the prayer.
At the moment, he should be roughly halfway up the canyon, making it the perfect location for the so-called trial of the Dragon of Earth.
Still...
He couldn't help but wonder.
"If it's the Dragon of Earth could it be Garchomp?"
Silas smiled with interest.
Even the wealthy Dragon Clan probably wouldn't assign a pseudo-legendary Pokémon as the second gatekeeper.
But if it were Flygon well, Flygon already had its own title, the Spirit of the Desert.
Calling it the Dragon of Earth wasn't entirely unreasonable, considering its Ground typing, though it felt a bit less impressive.
And honestly a Pokémon representing the Dragon of Earth having the Levitate Ability, which literally kept it off the ground, was more than a little ironic.
Though perhaps one particular Pokémon would be jealous of that.
Lost in such idle thoughts, Silas never slowed his pace.
After walking for another fifteen minutes or so, he rounded another bend.
The narrow tunnel suddenly opened into a vast cavern.
Standing in the center was another middle-aged Dragon Tamer, dressed exactly like the previous gatekeeper.
"So, young man, are you my challenger?"
Silas resisted the urge to complain.
Well, unless I'm your master instead?
He was beginning to think every Dragon Tamer had maxed out their dramatic tendencies.
Silas simply nodded before shifting his attention to the green Pokémon standing beside the man.
Emerald-green body.
Crimson eyes.
Flying despite being a Ground type.
It was unmistakably a Flygon.
To be honest, he was a little disappointed.
He had been hoping to face a Garchomp. Since he couldn't beat Cynthia's Garchomp, bullying a weaker member of the species would've been nice.
Apparently, the Dragon Clan wasn't going to indulge him.
"Then my battle partner will be Flygon. Send out your Pokémon!"
The second gatekeeper took his position on the opposite side of the cavern and formally issued his challenge.
Silas responded without hesitation, tossing the Luxury Ball in his hand.
"The Dragon of Earth or perhaps the Spirit of the Desert."
"Let's see which one is stronger."
"Right, Gigalith?"
Boom!
"Gigalith!"
With a heavy crash, the massive Gigalith landed on the battlefield.
Although its rocky face showed no expression, it let out a deep, powerful roar.
"A Rock-type Gigalith?"
"That's not a wise choice."
The second gatekeeper flicked his standard-issue cape behind him, a cold gleam flashing across his eyes.
"If I win, it'll be the right choice."
Silas replied calmly.
"Gigalith kick up a Sandstorm!"
"Gigalith!"
The crimson crystals embedded throughout Gigalith's body flashed with energy.
Within moments, countless grains of sand erupted into a raging Sandstorm, sweeping across the entire cavern.
"Hide yourself in the storm, then show our opponent what it feels like to have his own strategy turned against him!"
"Use Sand Tomb!"
The second gatekeeper's expression didn't change in the slightest.
For Flygon, a Ground-type Pokémon, Sandstorm wasn't a hindrance at all.
If anything, it strengthened it.
Flygon hadn't earned the title Spirit of the Desert for nothing.
Its greatest hunting instinct was concealing itself within sandstorms before launching deadly ambushes.
While it wasn't as absolute as the Sand Veil Ability, it was still an exceptional technique.
Type-wise, Flygon completely ignored Ground-type attacks and resisted Rock-type moves, while Gigalith suffered from a Ground weakness.
The matchup clearly favored Flygon.
No wonder the second gatekeeper looked less than pleased.
He didn't believe anyone capable of clearing the first trial would make a rookie mistake like ignoring type matchups.
That meant only one thing.
The young challenger believed he could defeat him despite the disadvantage.
To a proud Dragon-type Trainer...
That wasn't confidence.
It was an insult.
Very well.
I'll teach this youngster what respecting his elders means.
He silently sneered.
Trying to use Sandstorm against me?
I'll gladly take control of it.
"As expected."
"You're planning to seize control of the sandstorm."
Confidence filled Silas's eyes.
He trusted Gigalith completely.
Unlike Pidgeot and Ampharos, Gigalith had never received a legendary Pokémon's blessing to surpass the limits of its species.
Unlike Blaziken, it didn't possess overwhelming natural talent.
But throughout every battle gigalith had always been the partner Silas trusted the most.
"A Flygon, that's all. A Dragon type, that's all. What does that really amount to?"
"Rock Slide, Rock Tomb, and Rock Blast!"
Watching Flygon disappear into the raging sandstorm, Silas rapidly called out three moves in succession.
Coincidentally, Gigalith was the exception among all of his partners.
Just like the Kingdra from the previous trial, Gigalith was capable of chaining multiple moves together while still only at the pseudo-Elite level.
The earthen-yellow energy was difficult to notice amidst the sandstorm.
Yet Gigalith's momentum continued to rise without pause.
Countless grains of sand gathered before it, condensing into one enormous boulder after another.
The next instant, the massive rocks shot toward what appeared to be empty air.
Thud! Thud!
Under the guardian's watchful gaze, the flying rocks suddenly seemed to sink into quicksand halfway through their flight, slowing dramatically.
He knew exactly why.
Forced into a corner, Flygon had transformed the Sand Tomb it intended to use offensively into a partially defensive technique.
The sandstorm had effectively turned the entire battlefield into terrain resembling solid ground.
Otherwise, Sand Tomb could never have formed in midair.
"So that's why using a sandstorm against Flygon is simply overconfidence."
The guardian smiled confidently.
"So what if you can chain moves together? Your first step has already been stopped. How are you supposed to continue the combo now?"
"Fly..."
Suddenly, Flygon let out a panicked cry.
To the guardian's utter disbelief, it abruptly materialized among the countless rocks.
The endless barrage of boulders formed a gigantic web, trapping Flygon squarely in the center.
"Sorry about that," Silas said with a grin. "Gigalith's combo isn't just three moves."
"It's four."
"Now experience the pull of Gravity."
As his words fell, the surrounding boulders rushed in from every direction, enclosing Flygon completely.
An enormous solid sphere of rock formed in midair.
"Oh no."
The guardian's face immediately turned pale.
BOOM!!
The massive stone sphere erupted in a blinding explosion.
"Flyyyy!!"
Flygon's agonized scream echoed throughout the cavern.
It was true that Flygon resisted Rock-type moves.
But Gigalith possessed its Hidden Ability, Sand Force.
Combined with the Same-Type Attack Bonus (STAB), Gigalith's Rock-type attacks in a sandstorm lost very little of their destructive power against Flygon.
The devastating chain of attacks consumed well over half of Flygon's stamina.
The green dragon Pokémon tumbled helplessly from the sky.
"Hang in there, Flygon! Use Dig the moment you land!"
Knowing his Pokémon was already in poor condition, the guardian hurriedly issued a command, hoping to buy Flygon a chance to recover.
But Silas and Gigalith had no intention of allowing that.
"Heavy Slam!"
The massive blue-and-red figure launched itself into the air with unstoppable momentum, hurtling straight toward the falling Flygon.
"Damn it! Gravity again? No wonder there was barely any movement!"
Gigalith's speed far exceeded the guardian's expectations, but he immediately realized the reason.
This was the first time he had ever seen someone use Gravity to such an extent.
Bang!
Before he could finish thinking, Flygon was sent flying into the cavern wall near him.
"Prepare Flash Cannon—"
Silas calmly issued his next command.
"Wait! Wait! We surrender! We surrender! Stop attacking!"
The guardian hurriedly called for the battle to end.
Good grief. Are all young Trainers this aggressive nowadays? They don't even leave room for a counterattack.
Come to think of it, why didn't that guy from the first trial warn me?
That bastard did it on purpose!
The second trial guardian silently cursed his colleague.
As an examiner, he saw no reason to continue.
With strength like this, Silas unquestionably deserved to enter the Dragon Den.
Silas blinked.
"Huh? You're surrendering already? Gigalith hasn't even gone all out yet."
The energy flowing around Gigalith gradually faded.
Guided by the sandstorm, it could still sense that Flygon remained capable of fighting.
However, since the opposing Trainer had surrendered, the ever-steady Gigalith naturally ceased its attack.
Of course, that only applied because there was no hostile intent.
Otherwise, not only was Flash Cannon ready, Gigalith had already prepared an entire follow-up barrage.
"Here's your proof of clearing the second trial. The final trial is still waiting for you. Go on."
Without another word, the guardian tossed Silas a yellow trial emblem.
He then hurried over and carefully fed Flygon a handful of Soft Sand.
Silas twitched at the sight.
If I'm not mistaken that's Soft Sand, right?
While it did have some restorative effect on Ground-type Pokémon in this world's setting, no Trainer actually used a power-enhancing held item like that.
What a spendthrift.
It was only a few battle injuries.
Was that really necessary?
The guardian looked up and noticed Silas was still standing there.
"Hm? Is there something else?"
"No, no."
Silas waved his hands, recalled Gigalith, and headed toward the next exit.
The guardian continued fussing over his injured Flygon.
People often assumed Dragon Tamers filled all six slots with Dragon-type Pokémon.
In reality, possessing even a single Dragon-type Pokémon qualified someone as a Dragon Tamer.
That was also why Lance confidently called himself a Dragon Master.
Dragon-type Pokémon were simply that rare.
To the guardian, Flygon getting hurt was even more painful than being injured himself.
"That bastard just wait until we get back."
He muttered curses under his breath.
The target was clearly the colleague who had failed to share any information.
Yet, for reasons known only to himself, he also chose not to warn the Dragon Tamer overseeing the final Sky Dragon trial.
If I'm going to embarrass myself, I'm not letting myself be the only one.
At the summit of the canyon.
A dozen Dragon Tamers lounged lazily against the surrounding rocks.
"It's already been half an hour. Think anyone's cleared the first trial yet?"
"Nah, this year's participants are pretty strong. I bet someone's already reached the second trial."
"Yeah, though there are still a few weaker youngsters."
"This is boring. Want to make a bet?"
"Don't. Claire will get mad again."
The Dragon Tamers responsible for the final trial chatted casually.
None of them believed anyone could clear two trials in such a short amount of time.
"Um excuse me."
An unfamiliar voice suddenly interrupted them.
"Which one of you is my opponent for the third trial?"
"Or..."
"Do I fight all of you at once?"
"Huh?"
The Dragon Tamers turned toward the cave entrance in surprise.
A handsome young man with a somewhat shy smile stood there.
Unfortunately, the words coming out of his mouth made everyone want to punch him.
"Kid, you need trial emblems to clear the Three Dragon Trial. You can't just—"
One Dragon Tamer started to lecture him.
He had seen plenty of Trainers like this before, people who sneaked past the trials without battling.
But that trick never worked.
Before he could finish speaking...
Silas silently pulled out two trial emblems, instantly shutting him up.
...
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