"Ba–woo!"
The Dragonite let out a warm, friendly call the moment it saw Victor.
After that, its gaze shifted toward Ethan, curiosity clear in its gentle eyes.
It was obviously asking Victor about the young man's identity.
"Dragon Lord, let me introduce him," Victor said calmly.
"This is my son, Ethan."
Then he turned to Ethan.
"Ethan, this is Dragonite."
"The current ruler of Cloudpeak Dragon Valley."
The title Dragon Lord was no exaggeration.
In a place where Apex-class Pokémon were common and Champion-level beings were everywhere, this Dragonite stood at the absolute peak.
The unquestioned ruler of the valley.
Hearing that Ethan was Victor's son, Dragonite's expression instantly changed to one of realization.
Then it broke into a broad, gentle smile.
"Ba–woo~"
It was clearly expressing goodwill.
Faced with such a massive yet kindly Dragonite, Ethan smiled sincerely.
"Hello, Dragon Lord. It's an honor to meet you."
Then he gestured to his side.
"This is my partner—Metagross."
Metagross was still wary.
The pressure radiating from Dragonite was immense.
But after sensing that Dragonite bore no hostility—and seeing that Victor trusted it—Metagross lowered its guard and released a deep, restrained rumble.
"Meta~"
A sign of respect.
Dragonite had initially been cautious as well.
Metagross was extremely powerful—dangerously so.
And among top-tier Pokémon, the strongest weren't afraid of battle itself.
They feared the consequences.
A single clash at their level could devastate entire ecosystems.
Cloudpeak Dragon Valley was Dragonite's home.
It had no intention of letting it be damaged.
Now that it was clear Metagross was not an enemy, Dragonite relaxed completely.
With Dragonite leading the way, Charizard and Metagross descended into the valley.
Cloudpeak Dragon Valley was vast beyond imagination.
Even from the sky, its edges were nowhere in sight.
Up close, however, what surprised Ethan most was the environment.
This wasn't a barren, scorched wasteland like he'd imagined a Dragon Den to be.
Instead—
There were rolling grasslands.
Flower-filled meadows.
Even a massive river flowing straight through the valley.
Pokémon were everywhere.
Not just Dragon-types like Axew, Noibat, and Tatsugiri—
but also Pokémon with draconic bloodlines such as Charmander, Horsea, Duraludon, Salandit, Trapinch, and Skrelp.
These Pokémon weren't all Dragon-type—
but every single one of them carried pure dragon blood.
In simple terms:
Even the weakest Magikarp raised here could one day become the ruler of a Gyarados clan.
And the levels were terrifying.
Ethan spotted multiple Apex-level Pokémon.
Even Champion-class Pokémon appeared casually among them.
"Dad…" Ethan muttered in awe.
"The Pokémon here are unbelievable."
Victor laughed.
"Of course they are."
"Only the best of each species can live in Cloudpeak Dragon Valley."
"That's why it's recognized as one of the world's three great Dragon Dens."
Ethan nodded slowly.
As he was taking in the overwhelming scene, Victor turned to Dragonite.
"Dragon Lord," he said seriously.
"This time, I brought my son here so he can choose a partner."
Dragonite looked at Victor.
Then at Ethan.
This matter… it already knew.
And to be honest, it had been troubled by it for days.
Back then, when Dragonite made the promise, it had been because it believed in Victor's potential.
It had hoped Victor would help nurture a future successor for the valley.
But Victor never used the privilege.
Instead, he passed it to his son.
That created a dilemma.
If Dragonite offered a top-tier offspring, and Ethan failed as a Trainer—
that would be wasting a priceless successor.
But offering an inferior choice would mean breaking its word.
Dragonite had been torn.
Until now.
Because the moment it saw Metagross—
everything became clear.
Dragonite was over a hundred years old.
Its perception was sharp.
It could tell instantly that Metagross was young.
Extremely young.
Far younger than most Apex Pokémon in the valley.
And yet—
it possessed late Champion-level strength.
That alone was absurd.
Even in Cloudpeak Dragon Valley, Pokémon reaching that level were usually eighty years old at minimum.
More importantly—
Metagross was clearly bonded to Ethan, not Victor.
That meant one thing:
No matter how the bond formed—
Metagross had acknowledged Ethan.
And a human recognized by such a Pokémon…
would never be ordinary.
With that realization, Dragonite's doubts vanished.
It raised one claw and made a very human-like "OK" gesture.
"Ba–woo~~"
At its call, two powerful presences emerged from the depths of the valley.
A Garchomp and a Hydreigon flew forward—
each accompanied by a young child Pokémon.
At the same moment, Ethan's system reacted.
[Ding! Red Fortune detected: Gible.]
[Please acquire immediately.]
[Ding! Gold Fortune detected: Deino.]
[Please acquire immediately.]
Ethan's heart skipped a beat.
Two destinies.
Two dragons.
And both… were waiting for him.
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