As a Ground/Flying-type legendary, Landorus interested Oliver for more than just that trace of Ground-origin energy. What he truly valued was Landorus's unique ability to absorb wind and lightning and convert them into the power of the earth, thereby strengthening itself.
Wind was the flow of air.
Lightning was the brilliance of the heavens.
The Pokémon most adept at controlling these two forces were Flying-type and Electric-type Pokémon.
Yet the relationship between Electric, Flying, and Ground types was extraordinarily subtle. Ground-type energy could, to a degree, negate Electric-type attacks, while Flying-types could similarly avoid Ground-type energy. Perhaps it was precisely because of this delicate balance that Landorus could absorb and transform both forces.
If Garchomp could grasp even a fraction of this ability, the boost would be nothing short of terrifying.
Without hesitation, Garchomp opened its mouth and swallowed the drop of blood.
Oliver stared at it expectantly.
The last time Milotic absorbed the Primordial Water, it had triggered a torrential downpour that covered all of the capital.
So… what kind of phenomenon would this cause?
Seconds passed.
Minutes passed.
Nothing happened.
Man and Pokémon stared at each other awkwardly.
Garchomp, unnerved by Oliver's intense gaze, flicked its tail restlessly.
Oliver finally couldn't help asking,
"You don't feel anything at all?"
Garchomp paused, sensed its body carefully… then shook its head in confusion.
"…How is that possible?" Oliver frowned.
"Didn't you absorb its power after swallowing it?"
"Roar… roar-roar!"
Garchomp explained that the moment it swallowed the blood, it had intended to absorb the energy immediately. But just as it tried to do so, the power seemed to vanish—completely untraceable.
It was certain the energy still existed inside its body, but without being able to locate it, absorption was impossible.
Oliver was stunned.
Something like this could happen?
Unwilling to believe it, he even used his Aura power to probe Garchomp's body—yet found nothing, as if that drop of Landorus's blood had truly vanished into thin air.
At that point, Oliver stopped guessing and directly opened Garchomp's system panel.
Fancy explanations meant nothing before the system.
Pokémon: Garchomp
Level: Veteran – Initial Stage
Potential: Champion Tier
Ability: Sand Veil
Held Item: Dragon Fang
Moves: Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail, Stomping Tantrum, Dual Chop, Bite, Substitute, Slash, Dig, Sand Tomb…
Evaluation: Possesses extremely high potential. Has absorbed the now-inactive blood of the legendary Pokémon Landorus. If this power can be activated, it will bring immense benefits.
The evaluation confirmed that the blood hadn't disappeared—it was still inside Garchomp. It had even silently helped Garchomp step into the Veteran tier.
"But why is there no reaction at all…?"
Oliver's eyes caught on one particular phrase in the evaluation:
"Now-inactive blood of the legendary Landorus."
"Inactive…"
Thinking it through, it made sense. Landorus had bestowed this drop of blood upon the ancient humans countless ages ago. Even if it once contained divine power, it was only natural for its activity to fade under the erosion of time.
But after finally obtaining a legendary-grade resource perfectly suited to Garchomp, was he really supposed to just accept this outcome?
Oliver clenched his fist.
Legendary resources were unimaginably precious—that alone was evident from the Alliance's attitude toward them. This time, it was pure luck that he'd found one in a secret corner of a decade-old, fully explored Secret Realm.
An opportunity like this might never come again.
The system said the power could be activated—but how?
Oliver sank into deep thought in the underground training room.
Meanwhile, Garchomp—ever the training maniac—had already set its sights on the nearby equipment and thrown itself into intense training as if nothing were wrong.
Up in the villa's dining area, Mu Xue finished her noodles and wiped her mouth contentedly.
She had to admit—Oliver's cooking was genuinely good. Even something as simple as egg noodles left a lingering aftertaste.
She was just about to head to the training room to see what Oliver was doing when her phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, Mu Xue hesitated briefly, then answered while walking upstairs.
"Are you still in Luo City?"
A familiar female voice came through the phone—cold and emotionless.
It was the same mysterious woman who had previously instructed Mu Xue to stay in Rong City a few extra days to protect Oliver. She was also the one who had provided Oliver's forum information, indirectly leading Mu Xue to notice him back when he was still insignificant.
In a sense, she'd helped Oliver secure a nearly invincible protector during his most vulnerable early days. Without that, it was unclear whether he would've survived several of the Creation Society's assassination attempts.
"Rare for you to contact me," Mu Xue said lazily as she flopped onto the bed.
"And you jump straight to work? Is our relationship really that fragile?"
There was a brief pause on the other end.
"…Have you eaten?" the woman asked stiffly.
Mu Xue laughed.
"That's more like it. Such an awkward greeting—classic you."
The cold voice wavered for a fraction of a second, then steadied.
"Enough. Business. The higher-ups are paying close attention to the Secret Realm ruins this time. I need to verify a few things with you."
Mu Xue sighed inwardly. As expected…
She replied calmly,
"Go ahead. I'll tell you everything I can."
"Did you and Oliver enter the ruins solely to search for the research material he mentioned?"
"Yes."
"At the time, were only you, Oliver, and those Pokémon hunters inside? Did Fan Wenxin not enter deeply?"
"Correct. We encountered the Pokémon hunters on the third level. Fan Wenxin entered briefly when the ruins first appeared, but his strength was insufficient—he didn't go far."
"Did you see the murals?"
"Yes."
"What exactly was the research material Oliver was looking for?"
"I don't know."
"How many stones of that type did you find?"
"Three."
"And the statue fragments on the fourth level—what happened there?"
The woman fired off a string of seemingly unrelated questions, all of which Mu Xue answered without hesitation.
Then came that question.
The truly critical one.
The line went silent.
On both ends.
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