After Yuga arrived at the Blackthorn Gym, he learned that the people of the Dragon Tamer Clan did not live near the Gym. Only Clair and her butler resided there. The Dragon Tamer Clan actually lived in a small town on the other side of Blackthorn City, similar to the Celestic Town from the Temple Clan.
The Trainer Exchange Conference that they were hosting was being held in the town where the main Dragon Tamer Clan resided.
Not long after Yuga arrived at the Gym, Lance came over, as Clair had informed him by phone. He was the one who had invited Yuga, so naturally, he wanted to meet him in person now that he had arrived.
However, Lance was very busy. He was the main organizer of this event, so after a brief meeting with Yuga, he handed over the task of hosting him to his cousin, Clair.
Clair also informed her cousin about the situation with the Old Ancestor, so when Lance left, he took the Old Ancestor with him.
Initially, Lance had asked Clair to look after the Old Ancestor for a few days because he was too busy. However, as soon as the Old Ancestor was separated from Lance, it began to cause trouble, and Clair couldn't manage it at all.
The reason Yuga had seen Clair chasing the Old Ancestor earlier was that the Old Ancestor had tried to sneak out again today, but Clair had caught on to its intentions.
On the second day, Clair led Yuga on a pleasant tour of Blackthorn City. The next day, the Trainer Exchange Conference officially began, and Yuga and Clair traveled to Celestial Dragon Town, where the event was held.
Yuga was not a guest, judge, or participant in the exchange, just an ordinary tourist.
According to Clair, the Dragon Tamer Clan held this exchange event because their Dragon's Den released a batch of Dragon-type Pokémon every few years.
The Dragon's Den had existed for many years, housing a large number of Dragon-type Pokémon. As these Pokémon reproduced, the number of Dragon-type Pokémon in the Dragon's Den increased. However, the Dragon's Den was not infinite.
So every five to ten years, the Dragon Tamer Clan would hold a Trainer Exchange Conference to select some trainers to enter the Dragon's Den and capture Dragon-type Pokémon.
The Dragon Tamer Clan did not run a Pokémon Day Care, so they did not sell these Dragon-type Pokémon. Thus, their exchange event had become a blessing for many trainers.
Of course, not all the Pokémon released by the Dragon Tamer Clan were high potential Pokémon. In fact, only a few high potential Pokémon were included, and they were used to draw attention. As for what Pokémon the trainers could capture in the Dragon's Den, it depended on their luck.
Dragon-type Pokémon were rare in the outside world, so despite the fact that most of the Pokémon released by the Dragon Tamer Clan were not of high potential Pokémon, the number of participants in the event was still overwhelming.
Moreover, some trainers had managed to capture high potential Dragon-type Pokémon. Every exchange event, there were usually three to five lucky trainers, and it was said that someone had even captured a Dratini in a past event.
Because of the large number of participants, Celestial Dragon Town was bustling with activity. In addition to the competitors, many businesspeople set up stalls on the streets, selling all sorts of things.
To maintain order during the exchange, the Dragon Tamer Clan sent many members of their clan to patrol the town, ensuring the security of Celestial Dragon Town.
Celestial Dragon Town was a residential area for the Dragon Tamer Clan, and normally very few outsiders came. Therefore, maintaining order during the exchange was not an easy task.
Due to the overwhelming number of participants, the exchange lasted for five days, and nearly three hundred people were selected to enter the Dragon's Den and capture Pokémon.
During these five days, Yuga was accompanied by Clair, eating, drinking, and watching the competition, enjoying a very pleasant time.
As a visitor with a special status, Yuga was treated as an honored guest by the Dragon Tamer Clan. They even allowed him to visit the Dragon's Den along with the participants.
Yuga's purpose in coming to Blackthorn City was to see the Dragon Tamer Clan's Dragon's Den, and now that goal had been accomplished.
The day before the Dragon's Den opened, Yuga finally got to meet the Dragon Tamer Clan's master-level trainer.
During his stay in Celestial Dragon Town, Yuga had been living in the Dragon Tamer Clan's ancestral home, a place where many of the Dragon Tamer Clan members resided. There, he was treated to the highest level of hospitality by the Dragon Tamer Clan.
Originally, Clair had told Yuga that their Clan's Old Patriarch was away on business and would not be in Celestial Dragon Town during the exchange event.
One of Yuga's goals for coming to visit the Dragon Tamer Clan was not only to witness the Dragon's Den but also to meet this Master level Old Patriarch. Upon hearing that the Old Patriarch was absent, Yuga thought that part of his plan had fallen through.
However, to his surprise, on the final day of the competition, after it had ended and Yuga returned to the Dragon Tamer Clan's ancestral home, Lance came to inform him that the Old Patriarch had returned and wanted to meet him.
The Dragon Tamer Clan's ancestral home was a large and very ancient-looking complex. The area Yuga was staying in was just a small section, and most parts of the residence were not open to outsiders.
Even though Yuga was an honored guest of the Dragon Tamer Clan, he was not allowed to roam freely, and the Old Patriarch resided in the deepest part of this ancestral home.
Under Lance's guidance, Yuga entered a reception room where an elderly man was sitting on the floor—this was the Dragon Tamer Clan's Old Patriarch.
Yuga was greatly surprised when he saw the Old Patriarch because he looked nothing like Yuga had imagined.
The people of the Dragon Tamer Clan were generally tall and strong, and even Clair had a more heroic, imposing appearance than other girls. But this Old Patriarch was very thin and hunched over, with a tired, frail appearance.
When the Old Patriarch saw Yuga and Lance enter, he looked up at Yuga and smiled, asking, "So, this is Mr. Kuni'o's disciple? Welcome to the Dragon Tamer Clan! Come, come, sit down!" He waved his hand to gesture for Yuga to sit.
The Old Patriarch was bald, but he had an exceptionally long, snow-white beard. When he smiled, his face wrinkled, and he was even missing a tooth.
Even though Mr. Kuni'o was over twenty years older than the Old Patriarch, the Old Patriarch still looked the elder of the two.
This was also why Yuga wasn't planning to get a partner anytime soon—just thinking about it, you might look young, but your spouse might already have a face full of wrinkles. That would be so difficult to bear.
"Thank you, Old Patriarch," Yuga said, bowing respectfully to the old man, then sat down opposite him with Lance.
"Truly, every generation brings forth new talent," the Old Patriarch remarked with a sigh. "In the blink of an eye, the old man has a disciple now. It's been a few years since I last saw him. I wonder how he is doing now?"
People like the Old Patriarch, who were "treasures of the district," would rarely leave their own League, so it was completely normal that he had not seen Mr. Kuni'o for such a long time.
Hearing the Old Patriarch refer to his master as "the old man," Yuga felt a strong sense of incongruity. Although it was true, looking at the Old Patriarch's face full of wrinkles, Yuga couldn't help but feel that the Old Patriarch was the one who truly looked like an elderly man.
Although his master also had white hair and a beard, his skin was in excellent condition, with very few age spots.
"My master is doing well. He spends his days drinking tea, tending to his flowers, and living leisurely," Yuga replied with a smile.
"He's truly at ease, unlike me—just a poor soul burdened with work," the Old Patriarch sighed.
Recently, Team Rocket, which had been quiet for a long time, had started becoming active again. The Old Patriarch had gone out to deal with some matters related to Team Rocket.
Although the Old Patriarch was aging, he still held a position in the League. This was unlike Mr. Kuni'o, who, although the guardian of the Hoenn region, had long since resigned from his official duties, now only enjoying his retirement and rarely leaving unless there was something major.
However, in recent years, the Old Patriarch's position had become more ceremonial, and the times when he was needed to appear had become fewer. In a couple of years, he would likely retire as well.
Yuga didn't stay with the Old Patriarch for long. About half an hour later, he left. The Old Patriarch had only wanted to meet Yuga, and there wasn't much else to discuss. Most of their conversation revolved around Mr. Kuni'o.
The next day, the more than two hundred selected participants of the exchange event were taken into the Dragon's Den. On this day, they were allowed to move freely within the cave and capture a Dragon-type Pokémon of their choice, but each participant was only allowed to capture one.
During this time, the participants could only carry one of their own Pokémon.
Under Clair's guidance, Yuga visited the Dragon Tamer Clan's Dragon's Den. As a distinguished guest of the Dragon Tamer Clan, Yuga wasn't restricted by the number of Pokémon he could carry, unlike the participants.
Although it was called the Dragon's Den, the Dragon Tamer Clan's Dragon's Den had nothing to do with caves or tunnels. It was actually a vast valley, and thus, it was also referred to as the Dragon Valley.
According to Clair, the area opened to the participants was only the outermost part of the Dragon's Den, while deeper inside was the sacred site of the Dragon Tamer Clan's Dragon Shrine.
"If Gym Leader Shimizu sees a Pokémon he likes, he may also capture it," Clair said as Yuga looked up at a group of Swablu lazily flying through the air.
"I'll pass," Yuga replied, shaking his head in refusal. He didn't need another Dragon-type Pokémon and didn't want to compete with the participants for one. He had come here purely to witness the famous Dragon's Den of the Dragon Tamer Clan.
As they walked through the valley, Yuga saw many Dragon-type Pokémon. In addition to the Swablu, there were Flygon, Kingdra, and many others. This place had everything.
The environment and climate of the Dragon's Den were special, like a secluded paradise, which explained why it was such a haven for Dragon-type Pokémon.
"Let's go check out other places," Clair suggested.
"Alright," Yuga nodded.
The Dragon's Den was vast, and after the more than two hundred participants were scattered, it wasn't easy to meet anyone. As they walked, they encountered very few people.
Just as they were about to head to another location, a sudden explosion sound startled both of them.
"What happened?" Yuga asked, puzzled. But as soon as he spoke, more explosion sounds came from all directions, followed by plumes of black smoke rising from various spots.
"This is bad, something's happened!"
Clair let out a loud cry, immediately realizing something was wrong, and then she started running. Seeing this, Yuga had no choice but to quickly follow her.
They hadn't run for long when they saw someone actively attacking the Dragon-type Pokémon. Around him were numerous deep craters, not made by any Pokémon, but created by explosives. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.
Clearly, someone had brought explosives into the Dragon's Den.
The person in front of them was familiar to both Yuga and Clair. He was one of the participants who had entered the Dragon's Den this time.
However, all the participants had gone through strict checks before entering—how did he manage to bring explosives inside?
Listening to the sounds coming from all directions, it seemed that there were more than one person with explosives. This was obviously a premeditated gang action! But who could be so bold to come to the Dragon Tamer Clan's Dragon's Den and cause trouble?
When the person saw Yuga and Clair, he didn't look scared at all. Instead, he threw a bomb at them with a look of excitement on his face.
A flash of light appeared on Yuga's body, and Nana instantly appeared beside him. Using her psychic powers, she redirected the bomb, throwing it far into the distance.
Boom~
A loud explosion echoed, and a deep pit was blasted into the ground far away. The Dragon-type Pokémon were startled and immediately fled in all directions.
The man tried to throw more bombs, but Nana was faster. With a Hypnosis, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
At this moment, the Dragon Tamer Clan members stationed in Dragon's Den began to take action. However, the incident had occurred so suddenly, and the explosions were spread out over such a large area, that everyone was temporarily held up.
Then Clair seemed to have thought of something. She suddenly said, "Not good, their target might be the Dragon Shrine!" After saying that, she released her Dragonite and flew toward the deeper parts of the Dragon's Den.
Seeing this, Yuga also released his Charizard and followed Clair into the air.
From a distance, Clair saw explosions happening in the Dragon Shrine as well. Soon after, around ten strangers on flying Pokémon soared across the sky.
Inside the shrine, Lance was fighting another person. After the Ancestor Dragonite knocked one person down with a punch, he quickly flew up, choosing someone to chase.
The people fleeing from the Dragon Shrine headed in different directions, clearly intending to cover for one of their group members to escape. The Ancestor Dragonite wasn't sure who to pursue first.
Seeing this, Clair quickly intervened and stopped one person, and Yuga did the same with another.
The person Yuga stopped was relatively weak. With a blast of flame from Charizard, the person fell off their flying mount and dropped to the ground.
Yuga looked at the more than ten people scattering in all directions, thought for a moment, and then released Florges.
"Florges, stop those people!"
"Florges~"
Florges sent out a green aura, and all the trees in the Dragon Shrine that were touched by the green aura began to grow wildly.
The Dragon Shrine wasn't small, but now, every plant was under the control of Florges, growing like a divine miracle.
Yuga guessed that this group of people must have stolen something from the Dragon Tamer Clan's shrine, but only one person was actually carrying the stolen item, while the others were just distractions.
The dozen or so fleeing people suddenly realized that the trees beneath them were growing uncontrollably and seemed to be reaching out toward them as if they had eyes.
At that moment, Yuga suddenly felt something wasn't quite right. Why were they all using flying Pokémon to escape from the air? Wouldn't that make them more noticeable?