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Facts have proven that such coincidences do happen.
Pokémon capable of reaching Elite level represent the highest-tier combat power in any country, second only to Champions. Even ordinary citizens are familiar with these legendary creatures, and their information is readily available online.
In times of peace, starting wars becomes difficult. The stronger the military power a nation displays to the world, the greater its deterrent force and international influence.
The Global Championship, held every four years, serves as a worldwide arms race in many ways.
For a trainer like Roy, memorizing the Elite lineups of various countries should be second nature.
As a pseudo-legendary Pokémon with exceptional potential, Salamence remains the dream choice for countless trainers. Naturally, more than one has achieved Elite status.
However, the only Elite-level Salamence to emerge in the past decade belongs to a Russian Elite trainer.
Roy recalled his experience riding that very Salamence. The trainer had struck him as quite masterful—composed, cold, and never prone to anger.
"The contrast is rather striking..." Roy mused.
Scarface had mentioned that their group's current activities consisted mainly of eating, resting, and beating up Shelgon.
"Are you absolutely certain you want to capture this 'worthless' creature?" Scarface asked with obvious disdain. "Why not consider its son instead? That Bagon shows real promise. A trainer of your caliber, someone favored by legendary Pokémon, deserves a far better choice!"
Roy remained speechless.
In this day and age, do Pokémon really pull strings for each other?
"Next time, I promise," Roy replied diplomatically.
While speaking, Scarface suddenly halted at a cave entrance and bellowed twice into the darkness with obvious irritation.
This was the den of the Shelgon that couldn't evolve.
Soon, accompanied by ground tremors, Roy heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.
A Pokémon encased in thick white armor, with only its eyes and limbs visible, slowly paced out of the cave.
As it drew closer, Roy could sense its extraordinary size—far beyond normal specifications.
During the Shelgon stage, the heavy shell severely reduces movement speed compared to the agile Bagon period. However, this same shell provides incredibly powerful defensive capabilities.
In the games, Salamence's base Defense stat is actually inferior to Shelgon's impressive defensive power.
The Shelgon before him, due to its massive size, possessed a shell that far surpassed its peers in both weight and durability.
That's probably why it survives daily beatings so well.
Unfortunately, this wasn't necessarily beneficial.
The Shelgon form serves as a transitional period, similar to a chrysalis stage.
If the chrysalis becomes too strong, how can the butterfly inside break free?
Shelgon noticed Roy—a rare human visitor—and after a brief glance, turned its attention to the scarred patriarch with complete disinterest. Half-closing its eyes, it growled: "Shelll!"
It was essentially saying: "If you're going to hit me, get on with it. I want to rest afterward."
Seeing this attitude, Roy's mouth twitched slightly.
This Shelgon is utterly broken.
Its eyes were dull, lacking any fighting spirit, simply going through the motions of existence.
However, Roy tried to view the situation from Shelgon's perspective and found it understandable.
Shelgon's circumstances bore similarities to Elekid's past—both had been prodigies who became worthless overnight.
It wasn't difficult to understand why stories of "useless protagonists" often paralleled tales of broken engagements.
But their subsequent paths had diverged completely.
Elekid possessed motivation for revenge against those who destroyed its clan. Its willpower and vitality had been continuously forged through the torture inflicted by the Illuminati. Shelgon, however, after becoming worthless, faced rejection from all its clanmates. Even its childhood friend had gradually grown distant and dismissive. Everyone had essentially abandoned it.
Sometimes, it's not enemies like the Illuminati that cause the deepest wounds, but those closest to you—the ones you trust most.
A soft blade cuts invisibly but strikes more viciously than steel, leaving deeper scars.
Witnessing Shelgon's pitiful display, the scarred Salamence turned to Roy with a mocking laugh: "Ho ho ho! Look at this creature you want to capture—it doesn't possess the heart of a warrior at all! You'd be better off considering my son instead."
"What?!"
Shelgon's eyes widened as it stared at Roy in complete disbelief.
Someone actually wants to capture me?
It studied Roy intently, feeling an unexpected flutter in its chest.
This person must be mentally ill.
Indeed, even Shelgon had given up on itself.
Ten years of fruitless effort, unable to evolve despite every attempt, had thoroughly crushed its confidence and optimism. Its motivation and desire to grow stronger had withered alongside repeated betrayals.
The heart that once yearned to soar through the skies had long since died.
It had chosen to accept reality, prepared to live out its remaining days in this pathetic form.
Finding Scarface's chatter irritating, Roy said firmly: "Leave us alone. I need to speak with Shelgon privately."
Glastrier proved quite supportive, suddenly releasing a powerful burst of frigid air from its nostrils as a clear warning.
Seeing this display, the scarred Salamence flew away resentfully.
Roy then asked: "May I examine your body?"
Shelgon responded through action, simply lying down on the spot, indicating Roy could do whatever he pleased—it didn't matter anymore.
Roy reached out and touched its shell, channeling his aura power to probe Shelgon's internal condition.
Through his aura vision, Roy could see that the cells within Shelgon's body had already formed the basic framework of a Salamence, curled up inside like an unborn infant.
This future Salamence's height already exceeded average measurements. When fully grown, it would stand at least two meters tall—no inferior to the scarred leader. However, compared to Shelgon's massive current form, it occupied only one-third of the available space, far from the threshold needed to "break out of its shell."
More concerning still, since most energy was devoted to body development, this Salamence's wings remained pitifully small.
They looked more like Dragonite's wings than those of a proper Salamence.
Even if the body reached proper proportions, Salamence would still need sufficient power to break through its shell.
At this rate, even if Shelgon lived its entire natural lifespan, it might never fully develop its Salamence form.
"Such incredible vitality..." Roy observed.
His perception had grown considerably sharper, and he quickly identified this Shelgon's unique characteristics.
In the harsh wilderness, resources remained extremely scarce.
Given this Shelgon's lowly status within the group, it probably received minimal food. Under such circumstances, to still develop its internal body to this extent... Any other Shelgon would likely have exhausted its life force long ago and died.
If this Shelgon received adequate resources, it could definitely complete its internal development within ten years.
Roy had only felt such robust and abundant vitality in Electivire.
Closing his eyes in contemplation, Roy formulated several potential solutions within minutes.
According to his plans, combined with Shelgon's special circumstances, the eventual Salamence would possess enormous size and extraordinary potential—perfectly meeting his expectations for a Flying-type partner.
The real challenge lies in addressing its psychological problems.
Roy looked into Shelgon's cloudy, lifeless eyes.
If it couldn't even reach out for help, it wouldn't be worth saving.
After careful consideration, Roy decided to test the waters: "Shelgon, I've met your childhood friend."
"???"
Shelgon looked up suddenly, staring at Roy in bewilderment.
Did you encounter her too?
Seeing he had successfully captured Shelgon's attention, Roy nodded and continued: "You know she's now an Elite-level Pokémon admired by everyone, right?"
Of course Shelgon knew this. What it didn't understand was why Roy would bring this up.
Is he bragging about encountering an Elite Pokémon?
"But do you know..." Roy sighed quietly, "she's about to find a mate?"
Shelgon sat up abruptly from its deathly stupor, standing upright as it stared at Roy.
"It's true—I'm not making this up."
Roy pulled out his phone and opened a webpage.
The fully integrated Crown Tundra wasn't a separate dimension but wilderness connected to the mainland, with numerous signal towers installed nearby.
Except for areas where wild Pokémon had destroyed the infrastructure, most locations maintained internet connectivity.
Roy opened a website called "Breeding Home," accessible only to registered trainers.
Breeding Houses serve as matchmaking services where trainers arrange dates for their Pokémon.
In reality, not every trainer's Pokémon belongs to compatible egg groups for reproduction.
Moreover, even within the same egg group, trainers must consider personality compatibility, aesthetic preferences, genetic advantages and disadvantages, economic circumstances, and how to divide any resulting Pokémon eggs.
The complications rival those of humans buying cars or houses before marriage.
Many trainers, like parents pressuring their children to marry, find their Pokémon's "marriage prospects" equally troublesome.
This is especially true for trainers with Muk, Gloom, Feebas, or Garbodor...
In the Pokémon breeding market, certain species always rank at the top.
These are powerful and rare Pokémon.
Among them, Elite-level Pokémon enjoy unique advantages—like celebrities in the dating world.
Lucario's father, Rock, once offered over one billion Pokédollars as a breeding fee online, yet still found no takers.
The genetic material of Elite Pokémon carries strategic significance.
Fortunately, Sebastien wasn't short on money, and Rock showed no interest in dating. After producing a few litters, it focused entirely on martial arts training.
Lucario was one of the eggs allocated to the father's side.
Today's "Breeding Home" was once again stirring with excitement due to an Elite-level Pokémon's appearance.
—Salamence belonging to Russia's Dragon Elite seeks outside mates.
—Currently, a beautiful Milotic is attempting to court Salamence, and progress appears promising.
Roy activated the "voice reading" function, worried that Shelgon might not understand.
"Shellllll!!"
Shelgon's eyes widened as it shook its head frantically, wearing an expression of complete denial before collapsing to the ground in despair.
Roy waited patiently.
After a long while, Shelgon suddenly stood up. In its dim eyes, for the first time in years... anger blazed!