Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

"Alright, stop fooling around. You really don't know the approximate location of Tornado Cloud and the others?"

"I don't know, but if I'm nearby, I can sense it, and he can sense me too."

Xia Shen breathed a sigh of relief. That was good. With a short-range divine beast radar sensor, he wouldn't be running around like a headless fly.

"However, I suggest you look for Thundercloud first. It's most likely to be active this season."

As if remembering something, Yu Kexi added another sentence.

As Xia Shen had guessed, these four cloud gods were indeed related to the seasons.

That's good. This makes my goals even clearer.

In the game, the lightning cloud appears on the sea surface off the coast of the Azure Coast.

So, destination confirmed, let's go, Qunqing Coast.

…………

Two hours later, Xia Shen returned to the vicinity of Red Lotus Wetland aboard Garchomp.

"That's strange, Garchomp, don't you notice that the temperature gets higher the further we fly this way?"

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Xia Shen asked the Garchomp beneath him.

"Ow..."

The Garchomp, in flight, nodded, its calls sounding weak and feeble.

It seems this wasn't just my imagination; logically, the temperature difference shouldn't be this significant.

Xia Shen paused for a moment, lost in thought.

He suddenly recalled that the temperature near the foot of Tianguan Mountain, in the pure white permafrost, seemed no different from that of any other time of year.

The further east they flew, the more they could feel the rapid rise of heat.

Even the wind blowing from the Qunqing coast is turning into a hot wind.

Previously, when I was in the territory of the Nymphal Dragon, I didn't feel it very deeply because I was on the ground.

But flying in the sky, Xia Shen was certain that the source of the strange phenomenon must be on the Qunqing Coast.

Could it be related to tornadoes that may reside at sea?

Or perhaps, it's about Heatran, who lives on Fire Island in the game, and that fireball stone tablet?

Xia Shen has traveled to most parts of Xicui Land, and of course, he has also been to Chuihuo Island.

But that was about a year ago. He was fishing for wild bass on the coast of Qunqing when he stopped by Blowfire Island.

Apart from some common Pokémon like Golem and Magmar, there was no Heatran on the island.

The temperature is indeed a little higher than in other places, but not by much.

Xia Shen initially thought this was another difference between the secret realm and the game.

Looking back now, perhaps the timing wasn't right?

So now, shall we go and take a look at Fire Island first?

…………

Xia Shen was hesitating whether to go to Tranquil Bay to find Tornado Cloud first, or to go to Fire Island to check the situation, when the Garchomp beneath him suddenly cried out.

"What's wrong? Are you too tired? Let's go down and rest for a while."

Xia Shen glanced at the coastline not far away and made a suggestion.

"Ow—"

Garchomp shook its head, but still responded with a sound, then accelerated and swooped down toward the ground.

Xia Shen was somewhat surprised. Judging from Garchomp's reaction, had it discovered something on the ground?

As the flight altitude decreased, objects on the ground became increasingly larger in Xia Shen's eyes.

Xia Shen was right; a small, commonplace conflict was taking place beside a small pond on the ground.

Two groups of elves are locked in a standoff over this freshwater resource, which is especially precious in this environment.

War is imminent.

Among the group of Pokémon guarding the pond, a golden figure drew Xia Shen's gaze.

Because this is a rare spirit that Xia Shen really likes, but has never been able to meet.

A mixed-color, washed green Growlithe!

…………

I don't know if Xia Shen was just unlucky, or if the Catherine Hound is just too rare.

In short, even after nearly two years in the Green Lavender Secret Realm and two rounds of collecting Pokédex entries, Xia Shen has never encountered a Growlithe.

Although Growlithe's Fire and Rock dual-type is a bit weak, it is not only four times weak to Water and Ground, two of the most popular types.

There isn't yet a Coalossal character with the same Fire/Rock type ability as it, [Steam Engine]—

When hit by a Water or Fire type move, Speed ​​increases by 6 levels!

Judging solely by its attributes, Arcanine is arguably inferior to its counterparts such as Ursaring, Goodra, and Zoroark.

However, Xia Shen actually thinks that the Fire-type exclusive move [Great Rage], which is shared by Arcanine and Infernape, is quite good.

In the game, this is a fire-type physical attack with a power of up to 90.

The additional effect is that after use, you enter a state of enthusiasm for one turn.

While in a state of fervor, the damage dealt by Great Indignation is increased by 50%.

The trade-off is that Arcanine's damage will increase to 50% of its original value.

Without a doubt, this is a double-edged sword.

In turn-based games, this somewhat rigid move might not be that powerful.

However, in reality, the ever-changing tactics and applications give this move endless possibilities.

Xia Shen always believed that even the most dangerous double-edged sword was far better than one that had no distinguishing features.

…………

In terms of appearance, Xia Shen felt that the Washed Jade Arcanine was in no way inferior to its original form.

Even by his own standards of aesthetics, he preferred some of the jadeite-washed forms.

The body, resembling a stone lion, looks even more majestic than its original form, and its flowing gray-black mane is even more awe-inspiring.

The fur around his neck spreads out like flower petals, while the tail and the cloud-like fur on his feet make him look more like a mythical beast that brings good fortune.

The shimmering Jade Goblins, with their golden bodies, are simply too appealing to Xia Shen's aesthetic sense.

Back then, in order to farm a unique boss, Arcanine, in the game, Xia Shen worked so hard that he was listless at work for several days in a row.

And today, I finally met a Growlithe, and it was even a mixed color!

Xia Shen made her decision the moment she saw him.

I'll do anything to get him by my side!

## Chapter 227 This lightning cloud is lame! (6.1k)

Upon seeing Growlithe, Xia Shen quickly pulled back Garchomp, which was diving towards the ground.

Instead of letting him land first, he hovered in mid-air a short distance away to observe the situation between the two sides.

The conflict occurred in a relatively open area of ​​the windward forest, in the center of which was a pond of moderate size.

It was originally a small lake, but the recent high temperatures have caused its area to shrink.

This is still in the forest, a place with relatively low transpiration, which shows how hot the weather is.

There were quite a few Pokémon facing off, and they were of various kinds, mostly common Pokémon found in the Azure Coast.

Standing next to Growlithe are Biblio, Eevee, Stunninghammer, and Pikachu.

On the other side are Pokémon like Vulpix, Tentacruel, Beautifly, and Aipom, which don't usually live in Windward Forest.

The two sides are facing each other across this pond, which has shrunk considerably. Clearly, this is a battle for precious freshwater resources.

Although the Azure Coast is located by the sea and theoretically has no shortage of water, it is all seawater, which is inedible for non-sea creatures.

There used to be a lot of rushing water flowing into the ocean near the coast, but much of it has evaporated in recent days.

The remaining limited water resources were also divided and occupied by the more powerful elven race.

These lower-ranking elves were forced to search for places with fresh water to live.

This is where the two groups of "weak elves united" are fighting for habitat.

…………

While it was said to be a competition, Xia Shen observed for a while before realizing that these elves basically only talked and didn't actually fight.

Several hot-tempered Pokémon wanted to fight, but the golden Growlithe, by suppressing the enemy and comforting its companions, managed to stop what should have been a bloody conflict.

Xia Shen looked at Growlithe with even more admiration. Compared to Yan Yu's husky-like Arcanine, this Growlithe was obviously much smarter.

Under the current conditions, if a real conflict were to occur, both sides' elves would only die even faster.

Whether there will be a fisherman in the midst of the struggle between the snipe and the clam is another matter.

Even if one side wins, it will be a Pyrrhic victory.

The energy and stamina consumed during battle, how to treat injuries after battle, and how to recover from battle damage are all major issues.

It seems this dog is just like me, brave and resourceful.

Xia Shen could clearly see that Growlithe was not afraid of battle.

It was evident from his fierce glare at the group of foreign elves, and the intimidating aura he released from time to time, causing them to hesitate and dare not approach.

This Growlithe is exceptionally strong among all the Pokémon.

The small group that Growlithe belongs to also seems to have a lot of faith in this leader.