Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

Despite being persuaded and calmed down by Growlithe, they are now only glaring angrily at the invaders, without actually throwing any attacks.

Without a sure chance of victory, the group of outsiders dared not make a move, and the situation reached a stalemate for a time.

Having thoroughly assessed both sides' situations, Xia Shen felt the time was right and sent Garchomp into battle.

…………

The appearance of Garchomp startled both Pokémon.

They stared in fear at the enormous, terrifying-looking elf.

Clearly, they couldn't understand why a spirit whose strength far surpassed their own would come to this place.

A max-level player slaughtering newbies in the starting village?

Just as all the Pokémon were trembling under Garchomp's intimidating presence, a loud bark startled them awake.

As if they had found their backbone, the two opposing Pokémon suddenly surrounded Growlithe, the brave one who spoke up for all Pokémon.

At this moment, they no longer distinguished between friend and foe. Faced with the ferocious shark that swam into the fishpond, the instinct for survival made the spirits abandon their past grievances and unite to fight against the external enemy.

The leader was none other than the fearless Growlithe.

Xia Shen jumped off Garchomp's back, looking at the suddenly changing situation, somewhat bewildered.

I was still thinking about how to calm down the hostility between the two elves, but it was resolved right away.

However, there is a slight discrepancy... Why are both sides directing all their hostility at themselves?

Shaking his head helplessly, Xia Shen said gently, "I didn't mean to disturb your dispute. I just came to ask for directions. Do you know of any unusual places around here?"

It allows you to interact with Growlithe and also gather information about possible Thundurus and Heatran.

Kill two birds with one stone.

The Pokémon behind Growlithe looked at each other in surprise. No one expected that this strange-looking Pokémon would ask such a question.

However, the tense atmosphere eased considerably.

Growlithe was no longer as wary as before. He knew that with the aura emanating from the giant elf in front of him, even if all the rotten fish and shrimp behind him attacked together, they would not be a match for him, a single shark.

Since Garchomp and that strange Pokémon haven't shown any hostility, they're probably just asking for directions, just as he said.

An unusual place... the area around that island, with its unbearable heat, I wonder if that counts.

…………

Xia Shen noticed the hesitant look on Growlithe's face and a thought struck him.

He seems to know something.

[Yukishiki, get to work!]

Xia Shen hurriedly called out to Yukshi, who should be frantically watching anime on Arceus's phone at the moment.

When it comes to translation machines, the YUKXI brand is the most comfortable to use; you can ask a question and use it immediately.

Zoroark would have to summon her, which is far less convenient than Yukshi, who can communicate with Xia Shen at any time.

[Ugh, Yukshi isn't your translator!]

That's settled. Whenever Keshi says that, she'll eventually help.

With everything ready, Xia Shen looked directly at Growlithe and asked seriously, "If you know anything, please tell me. This might be related to the unusually hot weather."

"After all, you wouldn't want to see them suffer from this awful weather, would you?"

Looking at his companions looking listless under the scorching sun, Growlithe knew that if things continued like this, even without external enemies, they would have a hard time surviving this unbearably hot and dry season.

Turning around, Growlithe spoke.

"Wang-"

[He said he came from near the island to the north, where the temperature had been rising steadily for the past ten days or so, becoming unbearably hot, which is why he came here to play. He didn't expect the heatwave to gradually spread to this area.]

That island to the north... is it really Fire Island?

Xia Shen nodded knowingly and thanked the Growlithe.

"Thank you very much. This news is very important. If there are no surprises, the source of this unusual heat wave is on that island."

He looked gently at Growlithe and the Pokémon behind him, and said firmly, "Hold on a little longer, I will definitely resolve this matter and restore peace to this land!"

"Woof..."

Growlithe looked at Xia Shen, who seemed to be sparkling in the sunlight, with a strange light in its eyes.

"Wang-"

[...He said he wanted to go with you too. Xia Shen, you're so mean! You've seduced that innocent little fairy again!]

[How can you talk like that? Every word I said came from the heart. I've been working tirelessly on this, don't I have the right to say such things? Also, why add the word "again"? Are you implying something about yourself?]

[Pah! I only came to keep you company because I saw you were all alone. Don't be ungrateful!]

Stop arguing with Yuuki, Xia Shen squatted down and looked seriously into Growlithe's eyes... Well, Growlithe's fur was too long to see its eyes.

He asked seriously, "This could be very dangerous. Are you sure you want to come with me?"

"Woof!" Growlithe nodded firmly.

For Growlithe, who is bursting with a sense of justice, is there any cooler mission than saving the world?

Even if it's deadly poison, he'd drink it to quench his thirst.

Thus, Xia Shen took a solid first step in her plan to abduct her "dream dog".

------

Xia Shen left the sprites by the pond with enough fresh water and food for a few days, then took Growlithe and continued on their way.

Garchomp now has a new passenger: Growlithe.

During this crucial period for developing feelings, Xia Shen naturally wouldn't trap him in the ball, wasting such a great opportunity for close contact.

That said, this Growlithe is quite daring. Although Garchomp didn't fly very high, it was still quite high for a Pokémon that rarely flies more than three meters off the ground.

This Growlito wasn't worried about falling at all; instead, it peered down, enjoying the rare view.

"Woof woof~"

Growlithe felt the wind blowing in its face, squinted its eyes comfortably, and stuck out its tongue.

It was still hot in the air, but the wind was quite strong at high speeds, although... it was hot wind.

However, as a Fire-type Pokémon, Growlithe doesn't resist the warm breeze.

In short, it's much more comfortable than being on the ground where you could practically bake an elf egg.

Looking at the fluffy fur in front of him, Xia Shen suddenly had a strange thought: This dog's head... it must feel really good to pet, right?

Having suppressed this impolite thought, Xia Shen secretly vowed that once he subdued her, he would definitely give her a good patting!

…………

With the sea level in sight, it was time for Xia Shen to make a choice once again.

Head north to Fire Island to find the likely locations of Heatran and the Fireball Tablet.

Head south to Tranquil Bay to look for possible thunderclouds.

this is a problem.

[Yukishi, what do you think?]

When in doubt, consult the god of knowledge.

[Well, let's go find Thundurus first. Otherwise, even if you see Heatran, what can you do to him? Not every legendary Pokémon is as gentle, cute, and understanding as I am...]

[Stop, stop, stop, I understand. I'll go find the thunderclouds now. Remember to let me know if you sense them.]

[oh...]

After making the decision together with Yukish, Xia Shen told Garchomp to turn around and fly south first.

"Wang-"

Growlithe looked up at Xia Shen, reminding him that he was going the wrong way.

"We didn't go to the wrong place. We need to go and get some help first, otherwise we won't be able to handle the situation on the island on our own."

"Woof..."

Growlithe nodded as if it understood, then looked down at the Garchomp beneath it.

Even such a powerful spirit can't solve this...?

The outside world is indeed very dangerous...

But it's also quite interesting!

……

Tranquil Bay has not been peaceful these days.

As atmospheric temperatures rise, so does seawater temperature, which has increased by several degrees.

Don't underestimate these few degrees. Although it's not scalding hot, it's incredibly uncomfortable for the elves who have adapted to their environment for so long.

One by one, the sea creatures leaped out of the water, just to escape the seawater for a moment.

Compared to common fish like the Savage Bass and the Iron Retriever, the advantages of the Small Ball Flying Fish and the Giant Flying Fish become apparent at this point.

Those of them, who can glide on the sea surface, feel the sea breeze, which is not exactly uncomfortable but is a million times better than staying in the water. They look down at those flightless creatures with disdain.

You can't even fly, what a piece of trash!

Xia Shen gazed at this stretch of sea, quite moved. Anyone who didn't know better would think someone was using explosives to fish...

However, only creatures with this kind of power would be at least at the level of Zapdos or Regiereki, right?

Pulling himself back to reality, Xia Shen instructed Garchomp to carefully bypass the poor Pokémon while he searched for Gyarados's trail.

In the game, Thundurus is surrounded by a group of Gyarados guards.

Although there may not be lightning clouds in the secret realm, this is currently the only potentially useful clue.

Gyarados is considered a very large Pokémon in this sea area, so it's not hard to find.