The scorching magma bubbles gurgled and expanded in the lava lake.
The moment they burst, countless sparks flew, falling back into the scorching lava lake, creating ripples.
Dozens of stone pillars of varying thicknesses stood abruptly in the lava lake, their surfaces a blazing crimson red, as if directly cast from magma.
Most chillingly, the lava lake radiated an immense heat.
Even standing on the edge of the platform dozens of meters away, the scorching heat, as if it were igniting the air, remained undiminished. His exposed skin stung, and even his breath felt burning.
Lionel could clearly see his exhaled breath instantly distorted into a blurry white mist upon contact with the scorching air, then vanished without a trace.
The rocks at the edge of the platform beneath his feet were riddled with honeycomb-like holes, from which white, hot steam continuously hissed.
"This is—the lava lake at the summit of Mt. Chimney?"
Lionel murmured to himself, deeply awestruck by the power of nature. Composing himself, Lionel began to carefully observe and explore his surroundings along the edge of the platform.
The rocks beneath his feet were scorching hot, each step feeling like walking on a red-hot iron plate.
Lionel's gaze meticulously swept over every corner of the lava lake below the platform.
By evening, Lionel had almost circled the entire platform around the lava lake.
Aside from the Slugmas and Magcargos, accustomed to the high temperatures, crawling along the edge of the platform towards the lava lake's rock walls, feeling the splashes of lava, there were no other Pokémon to be seen.
As the sun set, the orange-red afterglow spilled onto the lava lake, adding even more splendor to the already dark red lava.
Lionel sat behind a relatively cool rock, unscrewed his water bottle, and took a sip. The icy liquid slid down his throat, temporarily suppressing his burning thirst.
Metang hovered beside him, its red eyes still vigilantly scanning its surroundings, not daring to relax its guard.
Just then, footsteps came from the other side of the platform.
Lionel looked up and saw a group of people in white protective suits walking towards the central area.
They carried heavy instruments on their backs and various testing devices in their hands, their steps steady.
Several Fire-type
Pokémon followed on either side of the group: a nimble Blaziken led the way, its eyes scanning back and forth, the flames on its wrists flickering.
Nine-tailed Pokémon followed beside him, their fluffy tails swaying gently, drawing the intense heat to themselves.
Several Sunny Day-shaped floating bubbles followed and guarded the rear of the group.
The group noticed Lionel; the leader was a middle-aged man with brown hair and thick glasses.
He paused for a moment when he saw Lionel, then quickly stepped forward, smiling warmly: "Hello, we're from the Weather Research Institute. My name is Allen, and I'm the leader for this trip. Judging from your gear, are you a trainer here to take photos while hiking?"
"Hello, my name is Lionel,"
Lionel immediately stood up and replied politely.
Allen adjusted his glasses, looked Lionel closely, and when the light fell on the Metang, a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes: "Judging from your appearance, are you a trainer from Devon Corporation?"
"Most people just take a picture and leave this mountaintop; very few stay this long. The environment here isn't very friendly. Are you lost? Is there anything I can help you with?"
"No, I just wanted to try my luck and find a Magmar, but after searching for ages, I haven't even seen a shadow of it. "
Lionel didn't hide anything.
"A Magmar, ah—"
Allen sighed, turning to signal his team members to set up the equipment first, while he stayed behind to talk to Lionel: "It's indeed very rare to see one these days."
"We're here to measure the volcanic surface temperature and, incidentally, to predict when it might erupt next.
We come here for such surveys every now and then, each time staying on the mountaintop for two or three days."
He pointed to an instrument being adjusted beside him: "According to our data, the temperature of the magma has decreased considerably since the eruption of Mt. Chimney 15 years ago.
Although it's still scorching hot for us, it might not be ideal for Magmar."
"Have they migrated?"
Lionel recalled Fujino's earlier words.
"No, Magmar are extremely sensitive to temperature. To find them now, you either need to try your luck deep in the mountain caves, or keep an eye out for the red pillars in the lava lake where you might occasionally spot them. But it all depends on luck,"
Allen explained to Lionel.
Lionel suddenly understood.
No wonder he had searched for so long without finding any trace; Magmar's habitat had already moved deep inside the volcano.
He glanced at the still-churning lava lake in the distance and made a plan: "Thank you for informing me."
Allen smiled: "You're welcome. Our research institute has a cooperative relationship with Devon Corporation. Good luck."
After saying goodbye to Allen and his group, Lionel began to think about what had happened before.
When Beldum evolved, the mysterious spectator at the bottom of the crater next to its base might have been a Magmar.
It was one of his Pokémon's misperceptions.
Lionel didn't believe that Metang and Milotic would both misperceive him; there must have been something watching him from the bottom of that lava crater.
For the next two days, Lionel didn't rush to leave. Instead, he searched the caves near the mountaintop, trying to find traces of the Magmar.
At night, he set up camp in a lava pit, cooking a pot of steaming food and letting the aroma waft through the air.
He also placed several pieces of Rare ore nearby, secretly wondering if these things had attracted the watcher from before.
The Metang was particularly nervous about this.
Each time, it stared intently at its precious ore, its red eyes wide open, fearing it would be stolen, remaining extremely vigilant at all times.
Unfortunately, two consecutive nights of exploration yielded nothing.
Deep in the caves, only Magcargos and Torkoals were visible, and around the camp, apart from a few small Slugmas attracted by the smell of food, nothing else was unusual.
The mysterious watcher that had evolved from the Beldum seemed to have never existed. On the fifth day of climbing the volcano, at noon, Lionel descended to the halfway point on the eastern side of Chimney Mountain, where supplies were running low.
At this rate, he could reach Furnace Town that night.
It seemed that Magmar was out of the question, so Lionel decided to head to the foot of the mountain to find a Vulpix with the Drought ability.
Lionel found a sheltered spot behind a rock and had a simple lunch with Metang, Milotic, and Tyrantrum.
After lunch, Lionel took out three high-level Pokémon energy orbs from his system space.
The crystalline energy orbs shimmered in the sunlight, their pure energy causing subtle ripples in the air.
Normally, to allow Milotic and the others to adapt to the increased energy, Lionel would distribute one orb to each of Metang, Milotic, and Tyrantrum every four or five days.
However, Tyrantrum had absorbed most of the energy orbs on its own for its evolution, so its distribution cycle had now been extended to about ten days.
Today was the day when Metang, Milotic, and Tyrantrum would use an energy orb together.
Lionel took out the high-level energy orb from his system space and placed it in his palm.
Milotic, Metang, and Tyrantrum immediately surrounded him, staring expectantly.
Just then, a magma pit beside him suddenly began to gurgle and bubble.
Fine bubbles rose from the magma at the bottom, like a sign of water about to boil, as if something was awakening beneath it.
Before Lionel could react, a thin red thread shot out from the pit, as fast as an arrow, heading straight for the energy ball in his hand!
The instant the thread shot out, Milotic and Metang reacted swiftly.
Milotic swiftly stepped in front of Lionel, its tail fin swishing, conjuring a wave of water that precisely met the red thread.
Metang unleashed its psychic power.
An invisible force, like a giant hand, yanked Lionel backward, instantly pushing him several meters away, safely away from the magma pit.
"Roar—!"
Tyrantrum also reacted.
Seeing someone trying to steal its precious energy ball, it immediately let out a deafening roar at the magma pit, its amber pupils fixed on the entrance, filled with rage.
The Pokémon in the lava crater, though hindered by Water Pulse, showed no sign of discouragement. Instead, it unleashed even more red threads, forming a dense net that attacked the energy ball in Lionel's hand.
Milotic swung its tail fin, continuously releasing Water Pulse to deflect the threads one by one.
Tyranitar also charged forward, letting out a threatening growl at the lava crater, but was blocked by the lava.
"Metang, get that thing out of there!"
Lionel commanded immediately after regaining his footing.
Metang's eyes flashed red, and its psychic power surged into the small lava crater like a tidal wave.
A sharp, soft cry rang out, and a small figure was pulled out of the crater by psychic power, hovering in mid-air.
Lionel stared intently, instantly stunned.
Although he was a little confused by the silken attack, he had always assumed that the creature following him was a Magmar. However, the information that popped up on the system panel caught him completely off guard:
[Pokémon: Larvesta]
[Type: Bug/Fire]
[Category: Torch Pokémon]
[Ability: Flame Body (Has a chance to inflict burn on any opponent that comes into contact with it.)]
[Moves: Whirlwind, Ember (Mastered), String Shot (Mastered), Flame Charge (Mastered), Bug Resistance (Mastered), Flame Wheel (Mastered), Drain (Mastered), Bug Buzz (Mastered), Sunny Day (Mastered), Dawn (Mastered)]
It was Larvesta! And judging from its move list, it was a fairly powerful Larvesta.
Lionel was stunned.
He had indeed imagined that Larvesta might exist in Mt. Chimney, but when he asked Allen and other researchers at the summit, they all said they had never seen one. They also told Lionel about Moore from Lavaridge city, who had frequently come to the summit to search for the two mysterious Pokémon from the videos they had seen, and they often encountered them, but Mura had never succeeded.
Lionel had already given up on the idea of using Larvesta, intending to catch a Vulpix or Magmar with the Drought Ability.
He never expected to suddenly encounter a Larvesta!
What surprised him even more was that this Larvesta carried a small stone on its back.
The stone was dark red, with an ancient symbol "Ω" engraved on it, which Lionel recognized immediately.
It was Groudon's signature symbol!
"No wonder—"
Lionel suddenly realized.
No one had ever found a Larvesta before at Mt. Chimney, not even Moore, one of the former Elite Four, could find one. It must be this stone with Groudon's mark that was at work.
It seems the rumors that Mt. Chimney was Groudon's former home are indeed true.
As for why Larvesta appeared before him,
Lionel instantly understood the key:
this Larvesta was attracted by his Energy Ball. For Larvesta, evolution requires a huge amount of energy, and the process is extremely difficult.
If we use the game's terminology from his previous life, his Great Energy Balls is essentially equivalent to a Rare Candy.
Lionel couldn't help but chuckle.
Trying to lure it with food and ore these past few days was a complete waste of time; Larvesta didn't even look at those things. If he had taken out the Energy Balls earlier, he probably would have encountered this Larvesta much sooner.
Just as Lionel was pondering this, Larvesta, which was suspended in the air by Metang's psychic power, suddenly glowed red.
The small stone on its back turned into a stream of light and instantly merged into its body, clearly displaying Groudon's symbol "Ω" on its forehead.
"Buzz—!"
Larvesta emitted intense flames, and its original 1.5-meter body exploded to about 2 meters.
The intense heat emanating from its body sent ripples of heat spreading outwards, directly shattering Metang's psychic control!
It hovered in mid-air, staring at Lionel and the others with overwhelming force, its blue eyes fixed on the high-level Pokémon energy ball in Lionel's hand, its desire undisguised.
Seeing this, Lionel immediately raised his hand, signaling Milotic, Metang, and Tyranitar to stop.
He took a half-step forward, raising the high-level Pokémon energy ball and gesturing with his chin towards the Larvesta: "Is this what you want?"
Larvesta's eyes remained fixed on the energy ball, clearly acknowledging its acceptance.
Lionel's lips curled slightly, and he continued, "Then are you interested in—becoming my Pokémon? With me, you'll have plenty of energy balls like this in the future."
Larvesta snorted, and pale red flames suddenly erupted from the five antennae surrounding its head, as if expressing disdain.
It arrogantly raised its head, as if saying: Why should I?
In Larvesta's mind, Mt. Chimney was already its territory.
Aside from a few powerful Magmar and a massive Torkoal, no other Pokémon dared to challenge it.
Its long history of living alone and relying on plunder had made it accustomed to doing as it pleased; how could it possibly submit to a human?
Lionel understood the unspoken message from its expression. Since that was the case, Lionel didn't waste any words. With a flick of his wrist, the high-level Pokémon energy ball in his hand vanished instantly, returning to his system space.
"Buzz!"
The Larvesta's anger ignited instantly, its flames surging violently. Its blue eyes locked onto Lionel, filled with undisguised hostility.
"Tch!"
It clearly hadn't expected this human to be so "stingy," not even giving it a chance to glance at its treasure.
Milotic, Metang, and Tyranitar immediately stepped forward, confronting the Larvesta.
Milotic was enveloped in mist, ready to attack at any moment. Metang hovered in the air, its red eyes flashing, its psychic power ready to be unleashed.
Tyrantrum let out a low growl, its limbs tense, and its amber pupils blazing with fighting spirit.
Lionel then spoke slowly, his tone calm yet undeniably confident: "How about we make a bet?
If you can withstand one attack from one of my Pokémon, this thing is yours.
If you can't, you lose, and you'll obediently become my Pokémon, how about it?"
Lionel paused, flicked his wrist, and a high-level Pokémon energy ball reappeared in his palm, then disappeared again, repeating this twice, as if provoking and tempting: "If you try to snatch it by force, I won't give it to you, and you won't get it anyway."
The Larvesta's gaze followed the appearance and disappearance of the energy ball, a hint of hesitation flashing in its eyes, but more so, defiance and arrogance.
How dare it underestimate it, talking about withstanding one attack?
The Larvesta carefully examined the three Pokémon beside Lionel. In its sense, that metallic lump was nothing to fear; its energy intensity was far less than its own.
The beautiful water-type Pokémon and the giant dragon-shaped Pokémon possessed decent energy levels, but they were only slightly stronger than his own.
To say they could defeat him in a single move?
That was utterly absurd!
Larvesta had been fraught with danger in Smoke Cane for so long, and with the mysterious little stones protecting it, no Pokémon dared to provoke it.
How could it possibly be defeated in one strike?
Thinking this, Larvesta nodded vigorously at Lionel, its blue eyes filled with confident arrogance.
It accepted the bet!
"Alright!"
Lionel revealed a meaningful, smug smile: "Larvesta, you can't go back on your word~"