Hearing that, David felt his face go a little red.
Of course. He hadn't even considered that. Given just how massive the Ten Thousand Dragons Nest was, if the young Pokémon weren't brought together in one place beforehand, the Trainers coming for the Dragon Festival would probably spend an entire year wandering around and still not find what they were looking for — let alone take part in any festival.
After that, the two of them climbed onto Tropius and set off toward their destination: the Dragon Tomb.
The Dragon Tomb sat at roughly the center of the Secret Realm. The Pokémon living here divided up their territories based on their own strength, and the closer one got to the Dragon Tomb, the richer the elemental energy in the air became. Only the strongest Pokémon families occupied the inner regions.
Along the way, Dragon-type Pokémon passed by them in the sky from time to time. David spotted Noivern, Flygon, and Charizard, and at one point, a Dragonite flashed past in the distance. Yet none of them showed any sign of hostility toward David or Uncle Zayn.
In fact, David noticed more than one Dragon-type Pokémon approach to greet Uncle Zayn and Tropius directly. It was clear that while David was a newcomer visiting the Nest for the first time, Uncle Zayn and his partner were anything but strangers here.
"Uncle Zayn, do you and Tropius come into the Secret Realm often?" David asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"We do! Since I was young, I used to come here with the Master regularly. It's been nearly forty years now." Uncle Zayn smiled warmly. "I know many of the Dragon-type Pokémon here quite well. A number of my partners were caught in this very place, and Tropius was the first of them — isn't that right?"
"Roar~"
Tropius let out a proud cry in response.
Back when it was small, Tropius had lived alone in the Ten Thousand Dragons Nest. Because of how large the Secret Realm was, no other Pokémon of its kind had wanted to spend time with it. Its days had mostly been spent eating and sleeping, which caused it to grow bigger and bigger — and the bigger it got, the fewer companions seemed interested in it.
That changed when Uncle Zayn came to the Secret Realm for the first time as a young man, looking to choose his starter Pokémon. The moment the two of them saw each other, something just clicked.
Uncle Zayn had been qualified to attempt catching a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, or at least try his luck with a Haxorus, Charizard, or Noivern. He gave all of that up without hesitation and chose Tropius instead.
From that day on, Tropius had its first true companion. Decades had passed since, but the memory of that first meeting was still as vivid as ever.
Now, watching David come here to make his own choice, the man and his Pokémon exchanged a quiet glance — a look that needed no words. Perhaps Tropius was no longer Uncle Zayn's strongest Pokémon, but the bond between them from that very first day had never faded.
Because of his Aura, David's perception ran far deeper than that of an ordinary person, and he caught the small, unspoken moment between the two of them without meaning to. Something stirred in his chest.
He would find his own Pokémon here too. And maybe, someday, he would return to this place with that Pokémon beside him and feel exactly the same way.
"By the way, Young Master, do you have a particular Pokémon in mind for today?" Uncle Zayn asked.
It was a fair question. The Ten Thousand Dragons Nest was home to quite a variety of Dragon-type pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
The three most numerous and powerful families were Dragonite, Salamence, and Garchomp. Beyond those three, species like Hydreigon, Dragapult, Kommo-o, Goodra, and Baxcalibur were also present, though in far smaller numbers — some with only a handful of families to their name.
These were not native to the Nest. They had been introduced over many generations by the Moore family's ancestors, who put in considerable effort to gather different Dragon-type Pokémon from across the world and establish them here.
As for Archaludon — technically a pseudo-legendary, depending on who you asked — there was no sign of it anywhere in the Secret Realm. Whether that was because none had ever made their way here, or simply because the special metal required for Duraludon's evolution hadn't been researched yet in this region, no one could say for certain. There were a few Duraludon present, but they were a small group, and they served more as a curiosity than anything else. Duraludon's native habitat was elsewhere in the world, and even outside the Secret Realm, sightings of the species were uncommon. The few here had been brought back by David's elders through no small amount of effort.
"A specific target?" David turned the question over in his mind.
What he wanted most, if he were being straightforward about it, was a Dragon-type Pokémon capable of carrying him in flight. Among the pseudo-legendaries, Dragonite, Salamence, Hydreigon, and Garchomp all fit that description. The first three were natural fliers without question, and while Garchomp had earned its reputation as a land-based powerhouse, it was more than capable of reaching supersonic speeds in the air as well.
That said, if he happened to come across a Pokémon that caught his eye for other reasons, he wasn't going to ignore it. For a Trainer, chemistry with a Pokémon mattered just as much as anything else. A strong bond between Trainer and Pokémon had a way of bringing out results that raw strength alone couldn't.
David explained his thinking to Uncle Zayn. After listening, Uncle Zayn gave a nod, pointed in a direction, and guided Tropius to fly that way.
Before long, the shape of a vast valley came into view ahead — a sprawling landform that looked almost like a great dragon lying across the earth. That was the Dragon Tomb. If everything went as planned, the Dragon Festival would be held there tomorrow.
Uncle Zayn did not bring Tropius down at the Dragon Tomb itself, however. Instead, he continued on, steering toward the tall peak that rose to the east.
"The Dragon Tomb is the resting place of all Dragon-type Pokémon who have passed on within this Secret Realm," he explained. "Outside of the Dragon Festival, only the Guardian Deity sleeps within it. Out of respect, the Pokémon that gather early for the festival set up in the area around it rather than entering directly."
"Behind this mountain range is the sea. The Pokémon you'll be looking at are mostly here on this peak."
He smiled at David's puzzled look and continued. "The cliffs facing the sea and the nearby offshore islands are perfect territory for a Dragonite family. The high mountain peaks are where Salamence prefer to nest. And Hydreigon tend to linger in the area as well — they have a habit of picking fights with Dragonite for no particular reason."
David nodded, understanding settling in.
When they finally reached the foot of the mountain, Uncle Zayn recalled Tropius into its Poké Ball and led David forward on foot.
Note: No timeline changes were made. Names updated per the character list: Butler Fu → Uncle Zayn, Chu Family → Moore Family. "Cloudspire" was referenced in the list as the translation for "Donghuang," used here as the regional name for the area's habitat context. Pokémon names and mechanics (Aura, pseudo-legendary classifications, move references) kept to official Pokémon canon terminology.