Chapter 194: Hello, Volcano

Dark clouds gathered, and thunder roared deafeningly atop the island's highest peak, where a yellow divine bird, radiating violent electric currents, opened its eyes.

If its perception wasn't wrong, that idiot with a temper even more explosive than its own, who spent all day spewing fire everywhere, seemed to have returned?

A glint of interest and fighting spirit flashed through the Lightning Bird's eyes.

Perfect; it had slept for a long time too, and since that fellow was back, it would be quite willing to accompany it in a fight, just to loosen up its rusted body after such a long slumber.

Of course, if the Fire Bird was unwilling to fight, it wouldn't mind summoning thunder to strike the magma sea within the volcano, making a complete mess of the Fire Bird's dwelling.

After all, these were things the Fire Bird had done itself.

The Lightning Bird's gaze fell upon a spot not far from the peak where it roosted; the rocks there were scorched black, a place that had once been the Lightning Bird's favorite sleeping spot, until the Fire Bird ruined it.

On the other side, on the island filled with cold currents, its master had not returned; the low-temperature world seemed as if dead, without a single stir.

Luo Mu had originally thought the three islands mentioned by the Fire Bird would be the ones he imagined.

But when he actually witnessed them, he realized it was not as he thought; there were indeed three islands at sea, but the environment of their location was clearly not the southern climate of the Orange Islands, and the weather was even somewhat cold.

Come to think of it, the Orange Islands were located south of the Kanto region, and the distance from Kanto to the Paldea region could be said to span more than half the planet.

Even at Dragonite's flying speed, traveling at full tilt would take about half a day to arrive.

Let alone the Fire Bird, whose strength and flying speed were inferior to Dragonite's; having flown for only about seven hours, it was impossible for it to have crossed half a planet's distance directly.

This was a trio of islands on an unknown sea that Luo Mu did not know.

The island on the left had an extremely high elevation, with towering peaks piercing the clouds, surrounded by dark crimson clouds, snow falling continuously, making one feel incredibly cold just by looking.

The island on the right was filled with rugged rock strata and peaks, dark clouds blocking the sun, heavy rain never ceasing for a moment, with lightning strikes falling occasionally.

The central island appeared ordinary, with only bare peaks and rocks, yet dense vegetation grew near the foot of the mountain; in reality, the peaks contained unimaginable energy, with fiery red magma flowing calmly inside, and the surroundings were filled with rich energies of fire, rock, and earth.

That three different climates and geological phenomena could exist in the same sea area was truly rare.

The three islands were very similar to the Fire Island, Thunder Island, and Ice Island in Luo Mu's impression, yet they were not those three islands.

The Fire Bird landed near the crater; the temperature here was not too high, and the rocks serving as a foothold were not scalding hot. Luo Mu flipped off its back, the Poké Ball at his waist automatically opening, and the eager Growlithe jumped out on its own, excitedly observing everything around.

Was this the place where it would soon evolve?

The Fire Bird directly pecked at the Growlithe's fur and placed it on its own back; although the volcano was calm, it would be bad if the Growlithe, getting too excited, accidentally slipped and fell into the magma.

Even though the Growlithe was a Fire-type Pokémon, the high temperature inside the magma was still heat it could not withstand, and the slightest carelessness would result in it ending up heavily injured.

Although the Growlithe still wanted to run a few laps nearby, constrained by the Fire Bird's warning gaze, it finally sat dejectedly on the Fire Bird's back, no longer moving recklessly, the whole little dog looking dispirited.

Luo Mu smiled; the Fire Bird was truly a strict mother, but thanks to the Growlithe's presence, the once-arrogant Fire Bird had become filled with human warmth.

So did this count as a fall from grace for a mother?

Luo Mu shook his head, as if trying to fling some unreliable, messy thoughts out of his mind.

A moment later, Luo Mu's gaze turned toward the magma sea flowing within the volcano, clicking his tongue in wonder.

In his impression, very few Pokémon could move within this stuff; aside from the Fire Bird, Heatran, Groudon, and some legendary Fire-type Pokémon, the only ordinary Pokémon Luo Mu could recall was Blaine's Magmar, though perhaps stronger Fire-type Pokémon could manage it too.

In any case, the magma sea was definitely one of the most extreme environments; after all, only Fire-type, Rock-type, and Ground-type Pokémon could thrive and multiply in such a harsh setting, since the concentration of these three types of energy nearby was terrifyingly dense.

The Fire Bird did nothing superfluous, after all, this time it had come solely to help the Growlithe evolve.

The Fire Bird merely glanced with some emotion at the magma sea where it was born, or rather, the first thing it saw after gaining consciousness. Facing Luo Mu, after transmitting a thought to him, the Fire Bird directly plunged into the magma sea, taking the Growlithe with it, which let out a sharp shriek due to the sudden movement.

"Uh."

The corners of Luo Mu's mouth twitched incessantly; the Fire Bird was truly decisive and swift, unwilling to waste even a moment.

The Growlithe alone certainly could not enter the magma sea, but with the Fire Bird carrying it, there shouldn't be any danger, though the Growlithe would probably inevitably suffer a bit; amidst his worry, Luo Mu still felt a tiny bit of schadenfreude.

The magma sea did not become agitated due to the entry of the Fire Bird and the Growlithe; after splashing up "water," it returned to calm once more, as if nothing had happened at all.

Luo Mu digested the telepathic information transmitted by the Fire Bird, raised an eyebrow, and felt that everything made perfect sense: "So there might be two idiots coming to cause trouble? I understand."

In his mind, the images of a yellow divine bird and an ice-blue divine bird immediately surfaced.

"Since there are already three islands, the other two islands should indeed harbor the other two divine birds; while you are cultivating, I will go and shut them up!"

As Luo Mu finished speaking, he picked up two Poké Balls, his brows and eyes filled with confidence.

The advantage is mine!

"I quit, I quit... I regret this!"

Luo Mu sat down on the ground like a brat throwing a tantrum, his entire person radiating an aura of decadence and laziness.

Actually, just a moment ago, he had planned to go pay them a visit to challenge them, suppress both the Lightning Bird and the Ice Bird, and even take them as retainers.

In reality, he had suffered a crushing defeat before even setting foot on those two islands.

Just a moment ago, while on the Fire Bird's back, he hadn't felt anything, but only after actually descending the mountain did he realize how large this island was; if he didn't climb this volcano for half a day, he probably wouldn't even see the foot of the mountain, and Luo Mu had already begun to regret why he hadn't brought Dragonite with him.

At this rate, let alone going to find the Lightning Bird and Ice Bird for a royal PK, by the time he descended the mountain, the Growlithe might have already completed its evolution, and then he would still be foolishly planning to ride his Swampert to the neighboring island.

(End of Chapter)