Along the way, they didn't encounter many Pokémon; most were Geodude and Slugma that had adapted to the high-temperature environment, and there was no sign of Vulpix or Magmar.
Lionel took out the tent and, with the assistance of Beldum's Confusion, quickly finished setting it up.
Then, Lionel took out Milotic and Tyrantrum's Poké Balls and released them to let them stretch their bodies.
As soon as Milotic landed, it habitually flicked its tail fin, manipulating the sparse water vapor in the air to re-condense a layer of water film around its body to insulate itself from the dry air.
Tyrantrum shook its heavy head and looked around vigilantly, a low growl escaping its throat.
Its amber eyes reflected the faint light in the night, firmly Locking-On to any movement around them, assuming a posture of dutiful vigilance.
"Alright, let's eat first."
Lionel shook his head with a smile and took out a camping stove and sealed ingredient bags from his backpack: "We'll rest here tonight to recharge our energy and continue heading up tomorrow."
Lionel set up the small camping stove and poured in an appropriate amount of purified water. Blue flames licked the bottom of the pot, and wisps of steam soon rose.
He added compressed jerky, dehydrated vegetables, and some grain kernels into the pot one by one, simmering a pot of fragrant stew.
The rich aroma spread through the silent mountains.
Lionel served four portions of steaming food, keeping one for himself, while the other three were paired with Pokémon food tailored to the tastes of Milotic, Tyrantrum, and Beldum.
Milotic sipped the soup in small mouthfuls, its movements elegant.
Tyrantrum, on the other hand, had no such reservations; it opened its massive mouth and swallowed the food in a few gulps, letting out a satisfied burp.
After tasting a few sips of the soup, Beldum flew over to the backpack, used Confusion to lift a piece of ore with a metallic luster from inside, and began to consume it.
The volcano was exceptionally quiet in the night.
Aside from the occasional "glug" from a distant magma pit, there was only the low sound of the mountain wind brushing against the rock walls and the heavy, rhythmic breathing of Tyrantrum.
After moving around for a while, Milotic was recalled by Lionel into its Dive Ball; for Milotic, staying inside a Poké Ball was more comfortable.
Tyrantrum consciously lay down outside the tent, its massive body like a solid fortress, protecting the tent by its side.
It closed its eyes but remained highly alert, ready to wake instantly at any unusual movement nearby.
Beldum drifted into the tent and snuggled next to Lionel's sleeping bag. Its red eyes gradually closed, and its metallic body emitted a faint hum with its breathing, as if humming a lullaby.
Lying in his sleeping bag, Lionel listened to Tyrantrum's steady breathing outside the tent and the faint sound of magma flowing in the distance, his heart filled with peace.
While the wild environment certainly harbored unknown dangers, with these partners by his side, he never felt uneasy.
Curiosity about Mt. Chimney, like a seed, quietly underwent Growth in his heart; with this yearning, Lionel's consciousness gradually blurred as he drifted into sleep.
The next morning, the darkness of Mt. Chimney was torn open by the first ray of dawn. Orange-red sunlight pierced through the thin volcanic dust and spilled onto the dark red rock walls.
When Lionel woke up from his sleeping bag, the low breathing of Tyrantrum and the faint humming of Beldum could already be heard outside the tent; the night had passed safely. Lionel unzipped the tent, and fresh air tinged with the scent of sulfur rushed in, instantly dispelling his lingering sleepiness.
Hearing the movement, Tyrantrum lifted its head, shook it at him, and let out an affectionate low growl.
Beldum was hovering in the air, its red crystalline eyes exceptionally bright in the morning light. Seeing Lionel come out, it immediately flew over happily and rubbed its cold metallic body against his arm.
"Awake?"
Lionel smiled and rubbed Beldum's head, then began preparing breakfast.
He turned to prepare breakfast, setting up the camping stove on a rock and simmering another pot of steaming stew to eat with compressed biscuits.
At the same time, he took out the specialized food for the three Pokémon from his backpack.
After a night of rest, both he and the Pokémon needed plenty of energy to tackle the steeper mountain paths ahead.
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Lionel released Milotic from its Dive Ball. As soon as its blue figure appeared, it immediately felt the warmth of the morning sun. With a light flick of its tail fin, the water film around its body shimmered with a soft glow.
The three little Pokémon gathered around the food, eating with great relish.
Beldum tasted the soup again, then used Confusion to lift some rare metals from the backpack. While sipping the soup and eating its food, it took small bites of the ore and metal, emitting satisfied hums from time to time.
Lionel sat on a flat rock, sipping his hot soup while opening his phone to pull up a detailed map of Mt. Chimney from the Devon Corporation database.
On the screen, the winding mountain path looked like a thin thread wrapped around the dark red mountain. The summit was marked as an irregular orange-red area.
That was the Lava lake at the top of the peak.
Lionel's finger slid across the screen, his gaze sweeping over several locations marked on the map: these were cave entrances with winding paths inside, which were the places Lionel wanted to explore today.
Most Pokémon in the mountains prefer to inhabit caves, especially those with internal connections to magma fissures, which are the favorites of Fire-type Pokémon.
Lionel calculated his route and tapped a marker on the map: he planned to head in this direction first to check out this cave entrance.
Just as Lionel was planning his route, an unusual sound suddenly came from beside him.
The sound came from Beldum.
The originally steady "ding-ding" humming suddenly became rapid, like guitar strings being plucked quickly, followed by a strong surge of energy radiating from its body.
Lionel turned his head sharply to see Beldum suspended in mid-air. Its small metallic body suddenly erupted with a brilliant white light, so intense it was almost blinding.
Enveloped in white light, a blurry phantom seemed to appear beside its body, flashing back and forth with the original.
Strands of energy flowed out of its body like water, forming a faint halo around it, and even the air was warmed by this energy.
"Is this... about to evolve?!"
Lionel's heart skipped a beat, and a look of pleasant surprise instantly broke across his face.
He had originally thought that Beldum would need to consume all the ore in the backpack to gather enough energy for its fission evolution, but he hadn't expected the evolution to come so suddenly.
Lionel stared intently at the back-and-forth shifting between Beldum and the phantom, and immediately took out a High-grade Pokémon Energy Cluster from his System space.
Lionel held the Energy Cluster in front of Beldum and whispered, "Beldum, absorb this, keep going!"
Beldum seemed to sense the temptation of the Energy Cluster; its body, shrouded in white light, leaned forward slightly and swallowed the Energy Cluster in one gulp.
In an instant, the white light around it surged violently. Within the light, the blurry phantom solidified rapidly, revealing itself to be another identical Beldum!