In the end, Jace Rowan made up his mind. He would not wander anywhere else—this volcano would be his hunting ground.
He would search thoroughly, and whether he found anything or not, he would retreat afterward.
Abandoning the thought of leaving just yet, he began probing the area for possible Pokémon nests.
Leaving Jace aside for now, let us turn back to Dax Jonas.
Since being separated from the others upon entering the Secret Realm, he had acted much like most Trainers—using his Flying-type Pokémon to scout from above for any useful map information.
But unlike them, he had confidence in his own strength. After scanning the landscape, he did not waste time walking the ground. Instead, he soared directly through the skies, searching for two things: the Secret Realm's Guardian and the Realm's exit.
As for Auron Vale and his father, Dax wasn't worried. With Ashen's Lucario and Gengar by Auron's side, the boy was in little real danger. Thus, Dax's priorities lay firmly with the Guardian and the exit.
Surveying the terrain, Dax quickly noticed the Secret Realm was dominated by dense forests scattered with volcanoes. From his wealth of experience exploring such places, he immediately formed a judgment:
The Guardian was most likely a Fire-type Pokémon—and almost certainly resided within a volcano.
Riding on the back of his Corviknight, he muttered idly, half amused and half resigned:
"Hopefully this Realm's Guardian isn't too strong. Otherwise, I'll be in trouble—my Steel-type team hates facing Fire-types."
With that, he steered Corviknight downward, plunging straight into the mouth of the nearest volcano.
Inside this crater lived a family of Magmar.
The patriarch, a towering Magmar, saw the sudden intrusion of a Corviknight swooping down from above and instantly bristled with rage.
Leaping from the molten lava, it opened its maw and unleashed a blazing Flamethrower.
Dax only smiled.
"Well, well. Saves me the trouble of searching—you've come out yourself."
He flicked a Poké Ball into the air.
"Aegislash—King's Shield!"
In a flash of light, Aegislash materialized, immediately conjuring its shimmering shield. The wall of spectral steel absorbed the Flamethrower completely.
"Now—Shadow Sneak!"
Aegislash's body shifted with the power of its Stance Change Ability, transforming into Blade Forme. Its massive sword arm carved through the air, slicing straight at the Magmar.
The Fire-type did not back down. It spat another Flamethrower to counter.
"Cut it down!" Dax commanded.
The sword swung vertically this time, cleaving the flames in two. The blazing torrent split and guttered harmlessly to either side as the steel blade pressed on, striking Magmar's body with a resounding blow.
With a pained cry, the Fire-type was knocked back into the lava pool below.
Dax remained seated calmly on Corviknight's back, speaking almost to himself.
"Doesn't seem to be the one. Let's go, Corvi—next volcano."
He ignored the Magmar, who now peeked out nervously from the lava, its eyes gleaming with both pain and caution. With a casual motion, Dax recalled Aegislash and directed Corviknight onward.
Identifying a Realm Guardian followed clear rules.
First, the Guardian's territory would never host other Pokémon species—it would be the sole ruler, or at most, share the domain with its immediate family.
Second, the Guardian would be the most powerful creature in the entire Realm. Proud and unyielding, it would never retreat after being struck down. Unless defeated outright, it would fight on without surrender.
By contrast, the Magmar had immediately hidden after a single blow, and Dax had even glimpsed Slugma lingering in the lava alongside it.
That alone confirmed the Magmar was no Guardian.
So, Dax continued, moving from volcano to volcano in search of both the Guardian and the exit.
The duties of an Elite Four member entering a Secret Realm were twofold:
Defeat or capture the Guardian.
Locate the exit in the case of a randomized entrance and mark it.
The first task was obvious. If the Guardian remained undefeated, it would relentlessly attack any human who entered, defending what was essentially its private domain. To claim the Realm, the Guardian had to be subdued—defeated or captured.
Once the Guardian was bested, the Realm would be considered cleared, its territory secured.
Capturing was preferable. If the Guardian was only defeated, then others could still challenge and attempt to capture it later. But such attempts would be far more difficult—the Guardian, after suffering one loss, would resist fiercely in the future. Even beaten to the brink of collapse, it might refuse to obey or even flee its captor.
Thus, the very first battle against the Guardian always offered the best chance of successful capture.
The second duty, finding the exit, was a minor formality.
Elites always carried both red and blue signal flares. A red flare meant the Guardian had been defeated or captured. A blue flare fired at the exit's location signaled the way out.
These, then, were the chief responsibilities of a nation's Elite Four when dispatched to Secret Realms.
Now, let us return to Auron Vale.
He was still crouched quietly in a thicket, spying on a wild Aipom.
Pokémon: Aipom
Gender: Male
Type: Normal
Ability: Pickup (In battle: if not holding an item, at the end of a turn it may obtain an item used or discarded nearby. Outside battle: may occasionally pick up items.)
Potential: Blue grade
Known Moves: Scratch, Tail Whip, Sand Attack, Astonish, Baton Pass, Tickle, Fury Swipes, Swift, Screech, Agility, Double Hit, Fling
Egg Moves: Double Slap, Fake Out, Bounce, Counter
Another one with the Pickup Ability!
Auron had been lying in wait for some time, watching. He was waiting for Aipom to finish gathering berries and return home, so he could track it back to its nest and strike.
At last, the Aipom seemed satisfied, arms and prehensile tail bundled full of fruit. Grinning happily, it began its return journey.
The Pokémon's tail functioned almost like a third hand, flexible and dexterous. In fact, it relied on it more than its arms. Most of its attacks came from that strange, hand-like appendage.
Using its tail to swing from branch to branch, the monkey Pokémon quickly returned to its treetop nest.
Auron stealthily climbed after it, inching his way up the trunk.
Peeking his head cautiously into the hollow, he tried to assess the situation—only to find his view blocked.
He slowly raised his gaze.
Standing right there, arms akimbo, glaring furiously down at him… was the Aipom itself.
Its two tails twitched restlessly behind it, ready to lash out.
Auron froze, forcing himself to remain perfectly still. Then, very carefully, he said:
"Wait—listen to me, let me explain."
As he spoke, his Gengar moved with uncanny intuition, silently positioning itself closer to Aipom.
If the Pokémon so much as twitched, Hypnosis would be unleashed faster than it could react.
But instead of attacking, Aipom tilted its head curiously at Auron's words.
Noticing the way its tails began to relax, Auron pressed his advantage.
"Look, why don't you let me come up properly? Talking like this won't work."
Aipom blinked, then stepped aside just slightly, leaving him room.
Auron climbed into the nest, settling down cross-legged opposite the wild Pokémon.
"Here's the thing," he said with a straight face. "I'm actually… a merchant."
Aipom looked puzzled. The word meant nothing to it.
Auron smacked his forehead.
"Right—what would a Pokémon know about merchants?"
Reaching into his backpack, he drew out a box of Pokéblocks, all the while eyeing the nest.
As expected—just like the Zigzagoon's den he'd raided earlier, there was a pile of miscellaneous treasures stacked neatly inside.
He pulled out a Pokéblock and held it out to Aipom.
"Here. I'll give you this… in exchange for some of that stuff over there. Deal?"
One hand extended the treat, the other pointed at the glittering heap of items.
Aipom glanced from Auron to the Pokéblock, then to its own hoard. Confusion clouded its eyes. It clearly didn't understand.
(End of Chapter