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Ash stared blankly at the mega stone resting in his palm, still a bit stunned.
This—just like that, he obtained Dragonite's mega stone? That didn't seem right. Even if Dragonite really wanted to give him a mega stone, shouldn't there be various tests and hardships? Only after overcoming countless difficulties and earning Dragonite's recognition should he finally receive the mega stone.
Why did he get it so directly? It gave Ash an unrealistic feeling.
"Why did you just give it to me? To you, Alistair, this thing is also very important, isn't it? Even if it only lasts for five minutes, it can cause a qualitative change in your strength!" If it were anyone else, and Alistair gave them the Stone, they would have silently accepted it and definitely wouldn't have said another word.
What if Alistair regretted it because they talked too much?
But Ash's personality was straightforward; he had to ask about things he didn't understand. Even if such a mysterious gift were given to him, he would always harbor doubts in his heart.
If talking too much caused Alistair to take the mega stone back, then he would rather have it taken back.
"There are many reasons, but the two most important ones are: first, you have the potential to become a top-tier Trainer, and I believe you can lead that child to the peak. The other reason is—I find you quite pleasing to the eye, so I gave it to you. Are these two reasons enough?" Alistair said with a squinted smile.
Finding him pleasing to the eye—this reason truly highlighted the "I'm strong, so I do what I want" vibe!
Encountering such a good-tempered and incredibly wealthy Dragonite was one of his best strokes of luck on Dragon Island. The other, of course, was meeting the Dragonair he now held.
"Since you've put it that way, Alistair, then I'll be res—res—anyway, thanks!" Ash put the mega
stone away into his spatial backpack. He had wanted to use a polite language with Alistair, but after stammering for a while, he simply originally couldn't remember how to say it.
Although his knowledge of Pokémon had undergone a qualitative change compared to when he first started his journey, his academic subjects were still very weak. He had barely studied social etiquette or respectful language.
This was also why Ash could always face everyone in such a boisterous and casual manner.
"Speaking of which, does Mr. Lance know that you have a mega stone, Alistair?"
"That little fellow—of course he doesn't. It's already been several years since I last met him. His performance on Dragon Island was indeed excellent, but I didn't find him pleasing enough to the eye, so I only showed up to give him and his Dratini some guidance," Alistair said leisurely, recalling the time he met Lance.
Speaking of Lance, his performance in the Dragon Island trials was quite outstanding. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the most excellent trialist on Dragon Island in the last hundred years. When he returned to Dragon Island a year or two ago, he seemed to have already become an excellent Trainer.
Returning to Dragon Island two days ago, his strength was enough to make even Alistair take a second look. However—compared to Ash, Lance was still a bit lacking.
Alistair could sense the power of all the Pokémon on Ash's person. Except for that one Pokémon with strength equal to his own, Ash's other Pokémon were inferior to Lance's in all aspects, and the gap was even quite significant.
But even if all of Lance's Pokémon were added together, they might not be able to defeat the being of the same level as him on Ash's person.
Alistair didn't know why there was such a large level gap between Ash's Pokémon, but that didn't stop him from thinking that Ash was the most potential-filled young man he had ever seen.
In fact, "potential" wasn't even the right word anymore. Because Ash, possessing that Pokémon of the same level as him, was already the strongest Trainer in this region—provided Ash used that Pokémon in battle.
After actually meeting him, Alistair discovered that the one with the deepest bond with Ash wasn't that strongest Pokémon, but the little yellow mouse currently standing on Ash's shoulder.
That yellow mouse also gave him an unfathomable feeling. He even sensed a slight threat from Pikachu—this made Alistair wonder for a moment if something was wrong with his perception.
A little guy who wasn't even at the Elite Four Class, although he should be considered the top of his Clan, shouldn't even last a single breath in front of him.
To put it bluntly, a single sneeze from him would likely cause Pikachu to lose its ability to battle. The gap between the two was that exaggerated. Why on earth would he sense a threat from the other party?
Yet, the fact remained—
This was one of the reasons why Alistair found Ash so miraculous. Not only did he possess God Domain Level strength himself, but he also carried a God Domain Level Pokémon, along with an inscrutable Pikachu. All these wonders combined were why Alistair decided to hand the mega stone to Ash.
He was making an investment. This investment might allow Dragon Island to go a step further in the future.
"Anyway, thanks! Once I've trained Dragonair to be successful, I'll bring her back to see you!" Ash said with a chuckle, the joy on his face completely uncontrollable.
Coming to Dragon Island, he not only caught a pseudo-legendary that suited his heart but also somehow got a free mega stone—and it was a Dragonite mega stone!
Mr. Lance would probably be moved to tears of envy if he knew.
Ash had chatted with Lance on the way here. Lance indeed had some gains from his trip to the Kalos region. Among the Elite Four, he was the only one who obtained a mega stone.
Unfortunately, that mega stone was for Altaria, not for his ace, Dragonite.
However, this achievement was much better than the other Elite Four members. Lance was quite satisfied with it.
After this trip to Dragon Island, Lance planned to continue his journey to the Kalos region to keep searching for a Dragonite Stone. Only by finding Dragonite's mega stone could he truly become an existence on par with Leon and ascend to the position of Champion of the Kanto League.
The Dragon Tamer Clan and Dragon Island were mutually beneficial existences, and the relationship between the two was very close. However, Lance had no idea that there was actually a mega stone on Dragon Island, and the one in control of it was the absolute leader of Dragon Island.
If Lance knew that Dragonite's mega stone was right beside him all along, his face would probably turn green—
Thinking of this, Ash silently decided it was better not to let Lance know about him obtaining the mega stone on Dragon Island.
"Release Dragonair. I have some things to tell her, and then I'll send you to the entrance of Dragon Island." Alistair gestured for Ash to release Dragonair.
Ash didn't doubt him and immediately released Dragonair. At first, Dragonair was a bit confused, but when she saw Alistair, she quickly lowered her head in a very respectful manner.
There weren't that many etiquettes within the Dragonite Clan. For seniors and such, there was no need for troublesome things like bowing. But it was different when facing the Dragonite Ancestor.
That's right, this Dragonite was called the Ancestor by the Dragonite Family because he had lived longer and was stronger than all the current Dragonite. Calling him Ancestor was definitely not an exaggeration.
There was no etiquette in the Dragonite Family, except for the Ancestor.
"No need to be so respectful. You are already Ash's Pokémon now; we should communicate as equals. I asked Ash to release you to teach you our—or rather, my—training method. Actually, you have always been the junior I've been most optimistic about. If anyone in the Dragonite Family can reach my level in the future, I believe only you can do it."
Ash showed a look of surprise. He didn't expect Alistair's expectations for Dragonair to be so high. But Alistair's expectations weren't actually wrong. In the entire Dragonite Family, and even on the entire Dragon Island, the most talented one was the Dragonair he had caught.
Talent doesn't represent everything. After all, Pokémon with great talent that cannot be tapped into are everywhere.
But besides having powerful talent, Dragonair's character and will were both top-notch. Ash believed that even if he hadn't caught or taught Dragonair, she would eventually stand out on her own through her hard work.
Plus, Dragonair had long entered Alistair's sight. If she truly encountered any insurmountable difficulties, Alistair would surely have stepped in.
And now, Alistair was giving Dragonair his final guidance. Ash also watched curiously from the side. What was the difference between the training method of the Dragonite Ancestor and that of humans?
As it turned out, Ash really learned a lot. Calm Mind tempering, physical exercise—while there were differences, they were essentially the same. What Alistair truly taught Dragonair was—breathing.
Whether it's Calm Mind or physical exercise, or even just walking normally on the road or living in the world, breathing is required.
If one could keep their body in a state of training at every moment, then saying the speed of progress was comparable to a rocket might not even be enough to describe it.
However, wanting to train at every moment was clearly unrealistic.
Even a body made of iron would get tired after training for a long time. Physical fatigue, mental fatigue—these cannot be completely overcome no matter how hard one works. Rest is definitely necessary.
This is the so-called combination of work and rest. But—what if breathing were converted into a training technique?
If every breath was training the body, to the point where training was as simple as breathing, wouldn't that mean the body could be in a state of training at every moment?
But turning breathing into a training method—this idea was also fantastical. How could breathing train the body? You've got to be joking!
If Alistair hadn't demonstrated the breathing training method, Ash would have thought the other party was just talking nonsense.
Under Alistair's demonstration, Ash's eyes were truly opened. It turned out breathing really could be used for training!
As long as one paid attention to the rhythm and intensity of breathing, using the inhaled air to vibrate the body at a mysterious frequency, one could achieve training through breathing. Once fully mastered, turning this breathing method into an instinct would allow for training at every moment.
Theoretically, there are many types of breathing methods. There's breathing that can train muscles and strengthen power, breathing that can temper the energy within the body and increase the speed of moves, and also breathing that increases movement speed, increases defense...
As long as one could find the corresponding breathing method, they could train in the desired direction at every moment. However, even for Alistair, over his long life, he had only figured out one breathing method: tempering the Dragon Power within the body through breathing, making the power of Dragon-type Pokémon grow faster than before.
This breathing method was also named "Dragon Breath" by Alistair.
Dragon Breath is a breathing method that only dragons can use. Even if other Pokémon without the Dragon type used it, the effect would be poor, or rather, there would be no effect at all.
At most, it would have a slight effect on those Pokémon that knew Dragon-type moves, and that was it.
But Alistair's training method gave Ash an idea. If he could create breathing methods for his Pokémon that could temper their body's six-dimensional stats at every moment, wouldn't his Pokémon leveling up be as simple as eating and drinking?
The idea was beautiful. As for whether it could be realized, that would have to be proven over time.
After Alistair taught everything he knew to Dragonair without reservation, it was already noon on the third day. Lance and the others would be waiting to receive them at the entrance at exactly 3 PM, so Ash and Dragonair also had to prepare to say goodbye to Alistair.
"I'll send you to the entrance. Remember to come back and visit home when you have time." Alistair said the latter part to Dragonair. Dragonair nodded her little blue head, her face full of gratitude.
The Dragonite Ancestor not only taught her a precious training method but also said things like "come back and visit home when you have time." How could the sensitive Dragonair not be moved?
Now, Alistair's status in Dragonair's heart had become second only to Ash's.
When Alistair sent Ash and Dragonair to the island's entrance, Paul and Gary were already waiting there. They didn't have the privilege of being able to move freely within Dragon Island like Alistair did. If they dared to fly out on Flying-type Pokémon, they would probably be knocked down halfway by a dragon appearing out of nowhere.
So, to be safe, they had both started traveling to the island's entrance several hours in advance. Unlike Ash, who arrived almost exactly on time.
Gary looked at the Dragonite Ash was riding with some surprise and said somewhat sourly, "You really have a way, Ash. No matter where you go, you can get along with Pokémon. You even have a special Dragonite to send you out. This couldn't be the same Dragonite that sent you here at the beginning, could it? Did you guys agree on this beforehand?"
Ash had the ability to communicate with Pokémon. If he had arranged with the Dragonite that brought him here to send him out at the end, it wasn't impossible.
"No, this Dragonite is—"
"Ancestor Alistair?! Why did you come out!!!" Lance's figure descended from the sky, his voice arriving before he did.
This shocked "Ancestor Alistair" immediately left Gary and Paul confused. What did he mean by "Ancestor"?
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