Bro ya'll are going crazy with the collection its been 3 days since we hit 100 but we already almost there to 200 which is insane, never thought this can go this far so fast, but until we hit 1000 collections, every 50 collections we get
example: 150,200,250 etc etc
there will be 5 chapters dropping!! I know some must not like the math talk a lot and writing it and editing it gets tiring so if you haven't noticed that calculating talk is starting to lessen and lessen each chapter, this is proof of growth I would hope!! but anyways happy reading!!!
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The entrance to the B-Tier Gate didn't look like a doorway; it looked like a wound in reality. High above the Saffron North District, the sky had peeled back to reveal a swirling vortex of violet and bruised gold. Debris from the surrounding office buildings—shattered glass, steel beams, and office furniture—was being sucked upward into the gravitational well of the rift.
"Form a perimeter! Don't let the overflow reach the residential blocks!" a League Inspector screamed, his Arcanine (Lvl 42) unleashing a Flamethrower to incinerate a swarm of Venomoth (Lvl 28-30) that had begun pouring out of the Gate's mouth.
Zeth stood at the edge of the "Deputized" zone, his eyes fixed on the rift. Beside him, Sabrina's Alakazam maintained a telepathic shield that hummed with a frequency so high it made Zeth's teeth ache.
"The B-Tier interior is a stabilized pocket dimension," Sabrina said, her voice appearing directly in Zeth's mind, bypassing the roar of the wind. "It isn't just a cave. It's a reflection of the 'Overlord' residing within. This one... it smells of iron and old blood."
Zeth didn't respond with words. He reached for the Pokéball at his belt—the one that felt heavier, denser than the others.
"Houndoom. Deployment."
The flash of light wasn't the usual red; it was a jagged, dark violet that seemed to momentarily fight the sunlight. When it cleared, the Deep-Purple Potential Houndoom stood at his side. The League Inspectors nearby recoiled, their own Pokémon growling in instinctive territorial defense. This wasn't a standard evolution. The height, the serrated horns, and the sheer pressure of its Level 34 presence felt 'wrong' to their seasoned eyes.
"That's... that's a Houndoom?" the Captain stammered, his Arcanine lowering its head in a wary stance. "What the hell did you feed that thing?"
"Ambition," Zeth said, his eyes narrowing as the Gate pulse doubled in intensity. "Move aside, Captain. You're blocking the path."
Stepping through the Gate was like being plunged into a pressurized tank of oil. For a second, Zeth's lungs seized as the atmospheric pressure of the B-Tier dimension adjusted to his biology.
When his vision cleared, he wasn't in Saffron. He was in a sprawling, subterranean labyrinth of rusted iron and glowing magma veins. The "Iron Labyrinth" was a classic B-Tier formation—a high-density resource zone where the Pokémon were as hard as the walls they inhabited.
[GATE ANALYSIS: TIER B]
Environmental Hazard: Thermal Exhaustion / Metallic Dust.
Dominant Types: Steel, Rock, Fire.
Average Level Range: 28–38.
"Stay sharp," Zeth commanded. Houndoom didn't bark; it let out a low, vibrating chuff, its white, ghostly eyes scanning the rusted rafters above.
Suddenly, the ceiling groaned. Three Lairon (Lvl 32) dropped from the shadows, their heavy steel carapaces sparking as they slid down the iron pillars. They didn't pause; they launched into a synchronized Take Down, three tons of reinforced metal hurtling toward Zeth.
"Houndoom, Flamethrower—sweep the floor!"
The Houndoom didn't just breathe fire; it unleashed a torrent of white-hot plasma. Because of the Grand-Mastered Fire Stone and the Charmander Essence, the heat was concentrated. The fire didn't just burn the Lairon; it superheated the iron floor beneath them, turning the metal into a sticky, molten trap.
The Lairon screeched as their feet sank into the liquid floor.
"Crunch."
The Houndoom blurred. With its Level 34 speed, it was a black streak. It caught the lead Lairon by the throat, its teeth—reinforced by the Cain nutrients—shattering the Steel-type's armor like glass.
[Exp Gained: High] [Resources Scavenged: 2x Iron Shards (High Purity)]
Zeth moved with a clinical efficiency, picking up the glowing shards of metal the Lairon dropped. These weren't standard items; they were Gate-ores, the raw materials needed for high-tier evolution stabilizers.
As they pushed deeper into the Labyrinth, the air grew thinner, and the heat became oppressive. Sabrina, walking ten paces behind Zeth, watched the way he moved. He wasn't just a trainer; he was a scavenger, a predator who knew exactly how much energy to expend for the maximum reward.
But it was the Silver Thread that concerned her.
Whenever the Houndoom struck, Zeth's Aura flared. It was no longer a sliver; it was a rhythmic pulse that synchronized with the Houndoom's heartbeat. He was subconsciously feeding his own vitality into the Pokémon, a feat usually reserved for Master-rank Aura Guardians.
'He is a black hole,' Sabrina thought. 'He absorbs the energy of the Gate and channels it into the monster. He doesn't even know he's doing it.'
Suddenly, the Labyrinth opened into a massive central chamber. In the center, sitting atop a mountain of rusted scrap metal, was the Overlord of the Gate.
[The Overlord: Steelix (The Rusted King)]
Level: 40 (Peak B-Tier).
Potential: Purple (Solid).
Trait: Obsidian Skin (Reduces Fire damage by 20%).
The Steelix let out a roar that caused the iron walls to vibrate. It was nearly thirty feet of reinforced, rusted segments, its eyes glowing with a malevolent, orange light. This was the source of the Gate's stability. If it fell, the Gate would collapse.
"This is yours," Sabrina said, stepping back into the shadows of the corridor. "The League Inspectors are busy with the overflow outside. If you want the 'Heart' of this Gate, you have to take it from him."
Zeth looked at the Steelix, then at his Houndoom. The level gap was still there—Lvl 34 vs Lvl 40—and the Steelix had the type-advantage-negating Obsidian Skin.
"Houndoom," Zeth whispered, his voice echoing in the metallic chamber. "He's bigger than us. He's stronger than us. But he hasn't been through the forge."
Zeth closed his eyes, for the first time deliberately reaching for that Silver Thread he felt humming in his chest. He didn't know how to "use" Aura, but he knew how to project his will. He projected the image of the Iron Tusk mercs he'd scrubbed, the pain of the Mid-Light infusion, and the cold vacuum of his own ambition.
The Houndoom's eyes flared. A silver mist began to rise from its matte-black fur.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Aura Synchronization detected (Unstable). Houndoom Stats: Attack +15%, Speed +15%. Warning: User Vitality is being consumed.
"Nasty Plot—focus the fire," Zeth commanded.
The Houndoom stood its ground as the Steelix lunged, the massive snake-like body performing a Dig that shattered the iron floor.
"Jump—Flamethrower into the tunnel!"
As the Steelix erupted from the ground, the Houndoom leaped into the air, spinning and unleashing a concentrated beam of white fire directly into the Steelix's open maw—the only place where the Obsidian Skin didn't protect it.
The Overlord thrashed, a sound like grinding tectonic plates filling the chamber.
"Now," Zeth hissed, his face pale as the Aura drain intensified. "Crunch the hinge!"
The Houndoom landed on the Steelix's head, its jaws locking onto the rotating joint behind the Overlord's skull. The Deep-Purple potential clashed with the Purple-tier armor. For a moment, it was a stalemate of raw power.
Then, the Silver Thread in Zeth's chest snapped tight.
CRACK.
The Steelix's head was wrenched sideways, its massive body falling to the scrap heap with a deafening crash. The orange light in its eyes faded, replaced by the dull grey of cooling metal.
As the Steelix died, its body began to dissolve into pure dimensional energy. In its place remained a single, pulsing crystal—the Core of the Labyrinth.
Zeth stumbled forward, his breath ragged. He picked up the crystal. It was a Grand-Tier Steel Essence.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
Gate Stability: 5%. Evacuation Recommended.
Sabrina stepped forward, her eyes fixed on Zeth's trembling hands. "You pushed your limit, Unit 4-Beta. The Aura... it is a dangerous tool for one so unrefined. But the result speaks for itself."
She looked at the collapsing Gate. "Keep the Core. I will tell the League the Steelix self-destructed upon the Gate's closure. Consider it my 'backing' for your next move."
Zeth pocketed the essence, his eyes meeting Sabrina's. "Where is the next move?"
"Vermilion," Sabrina said, her image starting to flicker as she prepared to teleport them out. "Lt. Surge is expecting a report on the Silph heist. He isn't as 'patient' as I am. And he won't care about your Aura... only your results."
The world turned white as the Gate collapsed.