It also radiated a bone-chilling cold.
It was Ice Fang.
"Evade it. Ascend. Don't engage—just leave," Nathan commanded decisively, riding atop the Flygon without the slightest hesitation.
He had no intention of fighting. The aura of that Steelix was far too terrifying. No doubt, it had to be at Champion level. With that massive body, even if it just stood there like a target, it would still be a nightmare to deal with.
Not to mention anything else—just its defense alone would likely take Pangoro several minutes of pounding without even leaving a scratch.
If they angered that Steelix, one Earthquake could probably make the entire mountain range tremble.
Trying to capture it would be tantamount to suicide.
Better to flee now while they could.
"Flyy~"
Flygon cried out, then suddenly accelerated, swiftly dodging Steelix's attack and flying off without stopping.
With Flygon's speed, it didn't take long to leave Steelix far behind.
After seeing Flygon leave, the massive Steelix didn't pursue. It seemed to calm down again, lying back down. However, its eyes remained alert, watching the sky as if it were guarding something—preventing anyone from approaching.
"Phew…"
Nathan exhaled deeply and glanced back toward where the Steelix lay. His eyes still held a trace of shock.
"That violent presence… could it be related to Dynamaxing? It certainly lives up to the word 'violent.'"
"But if there's a Dynamax Pokémon here, that must mean one thing—there's a Wishing Star nearby. Either near the Steelix… or inside it."
"Tsk, I have to admit, I'm tempted."
Dynamaxing in Pokémon relies on the power of the Wishing Star.
If a wild Dynamax Pokémon exists here, then there must also be a Wishing Star.
Not a fragment, but a complete Wishing Star.
However, the Steelix clearly appeared to be guarding the Wishing Star. It wasn't aggressive—just patrolling the area, never leaving.
Getting that Wishing Star would be extremely difficult.
"Are you interested in that Pokémon?" Calyrex's voice rang out in Nathan's mind.
"Of course I am," Nathan replied without hiding his thoughts. "I'm not only interested in that Steelix, but also in the Wishing Star near it."
"Go find Palkia. If you find Palkia, I can help you capture it."
"Really?"
Upon hearing that, Nathan's eyes widened with delight.
"Yes. But whether it's willing to fight for you—that's your problem." Calyrex's tone was calm, without a hint of emotion.
"Well… that's true."
Nathan stroked his chin thoughtfully.
With Calyrex's help, capturing Steelix might not be an issue. But if the Steelix wouldn't fight for him afterward, that'd be a major problem.
With a Pokémon that strong, it could easily break out of a Poké Ball on its own. And if its temperament were even a bit unstable, imagine carrying it into a city and it just bursts out—that'd be total chaos.
Besides, capturing a Pokémon doesn't automatically mean it'll obey you.
Only Pokémon you personally defeat—and who don't mind being caught—will listen to a Trainer's commands.
A Pokémon caught with someone else's help would still be unruly and difficult to control.
If Calyrex helped him capture Steelix, it'd probably end up just like Ash's Charizard after evolving—strong, but disobedient.
"…Forget it. Let's find Palkia first. Everything else can wait."
After pondering for a bit, Nathan shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
The most urgent task was still finding Palkia.
"Flygon, head this way first," Nathan pointed in a direction and gave instructions as he carefully observed the landscape below.
He wanted to see if there were any other Dynamax Pokémon around.
But clearly, Dynamax Pokémon weren't just roaming around like common Rattata. You couldn't just expect to bump into one.
In this area, the Steelix might very well be the only Dynamax Pokémon.
It likely came into contact with a Wishing Star by chance, and over a long period, absorbed its energy and entered Dynamax form.
"Human, to the right. I've sensed a spatial fluctuation," Calyrex's voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
Upon hearing that, Nathan didn't hesitate for a second.
He immediately directed Flygon to change course and fly toward the right.
"This way?"
"Yes. Keep going. The fluctuations are becoming more and more distinct."
Soon…
Buzz.
As Flygon flew forward, a wave-like ripple suddenly shimmered ahead of them.
Calyrex's figure appeared mid-air in front of Nathan, floating in the sky.
Without a doubt, it had just teleported.
Calyrex gazed down at the mountain range below.
"There, beneath us. Human, move away for a bit. You'll be in danger otherwise. Leave the rest to me."
"Okay."
Nathan nodded and patted Flygon on the head. Flygon turned and flew away, pulling some distance from the area.
A god-tier Pokémon.
Aside from Calyrex, the only other divine Pokémon Nathan had seen was a mirage of Ho-oh.
And now… he was about to see Palkia in the flesh.
Nathan couldn't help but grow excited. His eyes were fixed intently on Calyrex.
"Awaken, Palkia," Calyrex said softly, his eyes glowing.
He raised a hand and pointed into the void.
Ripples spread outward, one after another…
ROAR!
A sudden, thunderous roar echoed across the sky.
Before Calyrex, a crack slowly appeared in the fabric of space.
The crack expanded like a spider web, forming what looked like a gate to another dimension.
And from within that portal… a massive figure began to emerge, opening its eyes.
An overwhelming aura erupted forth.
Even though this figure wasn't even a third the size of the Dynamax Steelix, the pressure it exuded was far more intense—terrifying, even.
Under this immense aura, even the Flygon beneath Nathan let out a fearful whimper.
There was no mistaking it.
This was Palkia.
Its entire body was a pale lavender with purple-black stripes, and gray on the inside of its arms.
Its shoulders bore disc-like structures marked with purple patterns, each embedded with a pearl, surrounded by gray rings.
Its arms had elongated, metallic glove-like structures, each wrist adorned with a purple band.
As the deity of space, Palkia was immensely powerful—an apex-tier being.
Only other god-tier Pokémon might be able to contend with it.
Palkia's type was Water/Dragon.
In fact, most divine or pseudo-legendary Pokémon had the Dragon type.
As a deity, Palkia possessed overwhelming spatial abilities: warping space, tearing it, traversing it at will…
Whether these were divine abilities or racial traits, no one could say.
But its power was undeniable.
ROAR!
Palkia roared again, and its violent aura surged outward.
Even in the distance, the cries of other Pokémon echoed—filled with fear.
Palkia's gaze landed on Calyrex, then glanced at Nathan.
Its eyes flickered briefly with a hint of surprise—perhaps it had sensed something unusual in Nathan.
But soon, its gaze returned to Calyrex, and it let out another roar.
Nathan activated the power of Viridian, which allowed him to understand Pokémon speech.
So naturally, he could now comprehend what Palkia was saying.
"Calyrex, why have you brought a human to see me?"
"Because I asked him to help me find you. I've only just awoken from my slumber and need time to recover my strength. I had no choice but to seek help from a human."
"This human… he has a familiar scent."
"That's the mark. Besides me, there are two others."
"Hmph. You've roused me from my slumber—what for? Have you found Dialga? If so, tell me where it is. That bastard keeps trespassing into my domain. I'll make him pay!"
Palkia's tone was savage. As a Dragon-type god, its personality naturally carried a wild edge.
However, that wildness was mostly directed at Dialga, not other Pokémon or humans.
Ordinary people would likely never witness Palkia's wrath.
"No, Palkia. I need your help. The arrival of mystic realms in this world is going wrong. Only you and I together can solve this problem."
"…"
"Very well."
"…"
"…"
Nathan listened for a while before quietly deactivating the Viridian power.
Honestly, the earlier conversation was fine—he could follow it.
But now they were clearly getting into deeper, more complex topics he couldn't understand.
So instead, Nathan fell into thought.
He had to admit—Calyrex was quite a generous Pokémon.
Back when Nathan agreed to help, Calyrex had already promised to modify Metagross's Metal Coating into a Psychic Coating, which would definitely boost its strength.
And now, it might even help him capture the Dynamax Steelix.
That Steelix…
"Maybe I should reconsider," Nathan murmured, stroking his chin.
Steelix looked terrifying, but its temperament didn't seem all that violent.
If possible, he really did want to capture that Dynamax Steelix.
Even if it didn't fight for him now, as long as it could help him in critical moments, that'd already be incredible.
Just imagine—bringing a monster like that on exploration missions.
Forget hunters—if he ran into a whole hunter squad, Nathan wouldn't even be worried.
One Earthquake and boom—everyone's toast.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
As his thoughts wandered, Calyrex and Palkia seemed to finish their discussion.
Palkia looked at Nathan again, then down at the Flygon beneath him.
It let out a roar, and suddenly—a single scale appeared in front of Nathan, floating down into his hand.
Then, with another roar, Palkia vanished.