Elf: Starts with small diamonds, then mutates into Diancie.

It's better to be like Bai Du, who usually does serious work but sometimes bullies newbies and kids.

However, when Long Ningyan saw Long Tianxing's expression, she was surprised to see something other than arrogance and mockery on his face.

Some disbelief and... blankness?

Before Long Ningyan could figure it out, the twenty-odd members of the Yulong clan who happened to be gathered outside the oasis camp left the camp and released their Pokémon to head to the desert to intercept the Flygon clan.

Meanwhile, reinforcements from inside the dragon's lair were also on their way.

Suddenly, a series of exclamations erupted from ahead.

Long Ningyan could barely make out a few words mixed in with the exclamation, the gist of which was—

There's someone on the back of the Desert Dragonfly leader!

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Attached images show Garchomp and Gardevoir.

Chapter 524 Sky Tower

"Is there...someone?"

Long Ningyan was also dumbfounded. How could a person be sitting on the leader of the wild desert dragonfly clan?

Immediately, Long Ningyan realized that Su Hao should be the only person who came to the Dragon's Lair for the trial today. Although it wasn't impossible for it to be someone else, the chances were extremely slim.

When other guardians of the Dragon Clan intend to attack intruders riding non-Dragon Nest Pokémon as per regulations, they command their Pokémon to use moves to stop the intruders first, and then interrogate them.

"Tsk, all of you stop!" Long Tianxing, his face full of displeasure, suddenly reached out to stop them, then looked over there with his deep gaze. "The one who completed the first trial has arrived. Write it down: Trial participant Su Hao, time... two hours and fifty minutes."

".......yes!"

The person in charge of registering the trial participants didn't understand why the trial was completed before the participants even registered.

He chose to listen to Long Tianxing's words and wrote it down in the notebook with a shocked expression.

On October 23, 2023, Su Hao, the 145th trial participant of the year, completed the first stage of the qualification trial, taking... two hours and fifty minutes.

However, looking up from the bottom of the record book, no one had taken less than a day to complete the trial, and most barely made it within the half-month time limit.

...........

"Hey, Senior Long!" Su Hao flipped off the back of the now incredibly docile Desert Dragonfly leader, greeted Long Ningyan first, then glanced at the group of people with wary eyes at the oasis base and asked in confusion, "Why is everyone so murderous?"

Long Ningyan gave a helpless smile. She had experienced shock from this junior countless times before. She said, "Everyone thought it was a wild Pokémon clan member, so they were a little nervous."

"Oh~?" Su Hao nodded in sudden realization, then smiled and said, "They seem to regard me as their leader, and they are not aggressive at all now."

As if to increase credibility, Su Hao even called over the leader of the Desert Dragonfly and spun him around from top to bottom several times.

The leader of the Desert Dragonfly could only submit to the tyranny of Su Hao in his luxurious sphere, and tearfully endure Su Hao's torment.

For a moment, the Dragon Clan fell silent. How exactly did Su Hao manage to make the Dragon Overlord of Area B2 so obedient to him?

It's so outrageous.

.............

Long Ningyan looked at the two silent people beside her in surprise. She thought that Su Hao would roll up his sleeves and beat up Long Tianxing when he came back.

Although Su Hao's strength as a trainer is currently inferior to Long Tianxing's, his physical strength is at a level that even she, who grew up in the environment of the Dragon Tamer Clan, finds terrifying.

Furthermore, given that Su Hao is a special ability user, Long Tianxing will probably be captured in just a few rounds.

However, the two did not have any conflict, nor did they even show any signs of arguing.

She was at a loss for what to do.

After a while, Long Tianxing, who had led the two to the entrance of the dragon's lair, crossed his arms and said calmly, "I have to admit that your performance and strength far exceeded my expectations. If I had invited you instead of Bai Du, I might have made things much easier for you."

"But I will not apologize for any of my actions. If you are dissatisfied, feel free to retaliate. I will accept it."

"The premise is... that you can get past your father and then snipe me on the road to the championship."

Su Hao's expression was strange. If he wanted to, and disregarded martial ethics, he would have already knocked the champion out of the league and taken the title himself.

However, his pride as a trainer led him to make a decision.

Su Hao pointed at Long Tianxing, his eyes brimming with confidence: "That day won't be far off. When it comes, I will defeat you head-on with strength far beyond your reach, making you regret what you did today."

Long Tianxing paused in his tracks, a half-smile playing on his lips. He turned back and said, "Then I'll wait and see. If you can really do it, I might as well bow down and apologize to you."

After Long Tianxing left, Su Hao and Long Ningyan exchanged glances.

He glanced at her and noticed that she was staring at him intently. He asked curiously, "Senior Long, why are you staring at me?"

"..." Long Ningyan was silent for a moment because of Su Hao's strange emotional intelligence. She sighed and said, "I just envy your confidence. If it were me, I would never have the confidence to say these words."

Su Hao was somewhat confused and even felt that Long Ningyan was overthinking things.

He was extremely confident!

The two chatted for a while longer until Long Ningyan stopped in front of a passage that resembled a mountain tunnel and said to Su Hao, "We've arrived. This is the secret passage called 'Dragon's Lair'."

Su Hao looked around and, despite the seemingly ordinary passage, his waveguide detected at least five unfamiliar and powerful auras.

It looks relaxed, but it's actually heavily guarded.

"What's wrong?" Long Ningyan paused as she was about to enter the passage, turning her head to look at Su Hao, who had suddenly stopped in place.

"It's nothing." Su Hao shook his head and followed Long Ningyan, who continued to walk forward.

The next moment, a familiar sense of spatial dislocation and displacement washed over him. For an ordinary person, this would probably be more uncomfortable than riding a roller coaster, but Su Hao had already adapted.

After all, he had already experienced countless teleportations.

The noisy sounds reached his ears, and Su Hao slowly opened his eyes, only to be shocked by the bizarre scene before him.

After passing through the passage, they found themselves on a viewing platform with a fantastic view. Behind them lay an ancient town that seemed to have traveled through time, where people dressed in various colorful clothes lived peacefully.

Looking out from the observation deck, mountains, plains, and lakes come into view, creating a scene that resembles a self-sufficient little world.

Even the sun, clouds, and the outside world were indistinguishable.

"Are you surprised? Many people who come to Dragon's Lair for the first time have the exact same reaction as you~?" Long Ningyan took a deep breath of the air, which was full of nostalgia for her. This was the place where she grew up, and she always felt particularly relaxed here.

Su Hao exclaimed, "Yes, it is indeed quite surprising."

He thought the dragon's lair would be a huge cave, but he never expected it to be such a magnificent sight.

However, what surprised him the most was—

In the distance, there is a magnificent tower that seems to connect heaven and earth, soaring into the clouds.

The upper part of the tower is covered by spiraling clouds that resemble a tornado, a sight so awe-inspiring that it evokes a deep sigh.

That's roughly the feeling.

Su Hao asked, "What is the name of this tower?"

"The Sky Tower is quite a spectacle of the Dragon's Lair," Long Ningyan explained to Su Hao.

Then, as if remembering something, she reminded him, "Perfect timing, I'll tell you about this in advance."

"The Sky Tower is a spectacular building in the Dragon's Lair. Its height seems to reach straight into the sky, and even when we ride flying Pokémon, we cannot break through its fixed height."

"However, one thing is certain: that area has reached the edge of the secret realm, and there is nothing there."

"Remember, the area around the tower is a restricted zone."

"Passing through the sky is fine, but you must not touch the ground. Once you overstep the bounds, you will be mercilessly driven out of the dragon's lair."

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The attached image is from Leighton.

Chapter 525 Apology

"Gah~"

As Su Hao was immersed in the magnificent view of the Sky Tower, a sound of running and the call of a Pokémon came from behind him. Long Ningyan looked back and exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle Wen!"

Pulled from his thoughts by Long Ningyan's voice, Su Hao looked at the newcomer and found that he was a middle-aged man who was a full twelve years older than both Long Tianxing and Bai Du.

The man was riding a four-legged Pokémon with distinctive features.

Su Hao thought to himself in surprise, "Holy crap, it's Leighton!"

Just kidding, this is the Motolizard, which is known as the Mount Pokémon.

Motolizard looks more like a lizard than a dragon, yet it is a genuine Dragon+Normal type.

Charizard, Gyarados, and Aerodactyl have issued a statement condemning the attack.

Alolan Exeggutor: "Hello."

Desert dragonfly: "Hello."

Getting back to the main point, the Motor Lizard's body is entirely green, and it reflects sunlight slightly under the sun.

Their necks have the most distinctive feature of this race—a tire-like structure.

These Pokémon usually walk upright, only bending down when running. When they coil up their strong, dark green tails with white tips, they form a "tire" at the base of their tails.