Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

## Chapter 230 Saving Private Seadrane! (5.1k views)

Time is tight.

Aside from the fact that the duration of the "Legendary Pokémon Trial Card" for Garchomp and Goodra is still unknown, it remains to be seen.

Xia Shen also didn't forget another point: Heatran, controlled by the fireball tablet, might completely go berserk and enter a third form—

The size of this "magma version of Heatran" has expanded several times over.

Although there are no signs of that yet, he dares not gamble.

If that happens, it will probably be too late to turn the tide.

With immense time pressure from both internal and external sources, Xia Shen hurriedly directed his three Pokémon to launch a fierce attack on the lava armor protecting the Fireball Slab.

Since Heatran is currently trapped in a deep pit, even though Goodra can't fly, it can still focus fire from a high vantage point.

The three legendary Pokémon charged up their most powerful moves and then unleashed them at the spot Xia Shen had marked.

Goodra and Thundurus's Focus Blast, and Mega Garchomp's Meteor Shower.

Three powerful ranged attacks exploded on the back of Lava Heatran almost simultaneously.

Before the smoke cleared, Xia Shen rode Togekiss and swooped down toward the spot where the three Pokémon had blasted a hole.

At the same time, he also kept in mind to command the three elves on the ground or in the air.

"Garuda, fly over and take me inside! Goodra and Thundurus, keep attacking, don't let him have the energy to repair that hole!"

With Togekiss's strength, it was impossible for him to pass through the layers of lava to reach the location of the fireball slab.

Xia Shen can still rely on those three elves.

Xia Shen caught a glimpse of the dark blue figure rapidly approaching from the corner of his eye, and leaped into the air.

Before he could even experience the feeling of weightlessness for long, he was caught by Garchomp's broad back, just as he had anticipated.

Xia Shen turned back to retrieve Togekiss and gripped Garchomp's body tightly.

"Charge in! Target the fireball slab and Heatran!"

"Ow—"

Beneath them, a transparent barrier formed around Garchomp, enveloping his and Xia Shen's bodies.

Then, he accelerated again and swooped down toward the hole in Sidora's back.

…………

Beneath the sturdy outer lava armor of Lava Oshlord, gurgles and flows of scalding magma.

However, Xia Shen was unharmed thanks to Garchomp's protective barrier.

Looking at the transparent barrier that separated him from the lava, he thought that this must be a variant of Protect that Garchomp had comprehended after gaining the power of the stone tablet and greatly increasing its strength.

As far as Xia Shen could remember, he had seen many mythical creatures in animated films use this technique.

The lava didn't slow down Garchomp's progress much; in just a few blinks of an eye, they arrived at their destination.

Before them stood the still, seemingly asleep, true form of Seadra, and a fireball stone slab beating rhythmically like a heart.

I tried to use the space on my Arceus phone to include the Fireball Slab, but to no avail.

Xia Shen said helplessly, "Garuda, can you drag Heatran into this too? Let's take him and charge out."

With time running out, Xia Shen didn't have time to think of any other solutions, and he dared not touch the fireball stone slab overflowing with frenzied energy.

The only way I could think of at the moment was the simplest and most direct one: to separate Heatran from the Fireball Slab.

"Ow!"

Mega Garchomp nodded, and with a thought, its protective barrier extended, encompassing the unconscious Heatran as well.

Now only one step remains: to evacuate with Sidson.

Theoretically speaking, this shouldn't be a problem for the Mega Garchomp, whose strength has increased dramatically.

Even if Sidora is heavy, it's only about half a ton.

If a Mega Garchomp, with its solid level of a second-tier legendary power, can't hold on, then he might as well restart the game.

Swimming beneath Heatran, Garchomp braced its head against Heatran's body, ready to pull him away.

…………

At first, the plan went very smoothly. Just as Xia Shen had thought, Garchomp easily lifted the heavy Heatran and carried him toward the exit.

But after swimming for a short while, something strange happened. As if it had suddenly encountered resistance, Garchomp tried its best, but it could no longer move Heatran even a little bit.

It seems... he's trapped in a certain realm.

Xia Shen looked back into the depths of the magma and saw that the fireball slab he had previously ignored was now emitting a dazzling light.

The light was pointing to the location of Seadra.

Between the two, there seemed to be an invisible and intangible rope that tightly bound them together.

Xia Shen frowned, pondered for a moment, then took out a high-grade ball from his spatial storage and threw it toward Sidson's position.

Unsurprisingly, the unconscious Sidson had no chance to struggle and was easily caught by Xia Shen into the ball.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, Xia Shen immediately placed the advanced ball into the Arceus space.

Completely sever the connection between Seadrane and the Fireball Slab.

But at that moment, something unexpected happened.

Behind him, the fireball stone slab, which could not sense its "host," suddenly burst into flames.

The raging fire energy continued to erupt in all directions, completely igniting the already scorching hot magma.

In the beginning, the energy emanating from the fireball slab flowed slowly, like drops of water.

Now, the energy of the riot is like the water in the giant water tank that was shattered by the leader of the Nume Dragon that day, suddenly bursting forth!

Not far from the Fireball Slab, Garchomp was the first to be hit, suffering the first and most frenzied energy shock.

Countless bursts of fire-type energy from all directions rushed towards Garchomp and Xia Shen like a meteor shower.

Like raindrops hitting the surface of water, the energy droplets leave delicate ripples on the invisible protective barrier.

And something even worse happened: the Garchomp's aura beneath them had begun to weaken.

The trial card for the mythical beast is about to expire!

…………

Xia Shen sighed softly; the situation had now developed beyond his control.

It was already quite an achievement to rescue Heatran; as for the Fireball Slab... let's worry about that first, saving our own lives and the elves' lives.

"Let's go, Garchomp, let's meet up with Goodra and Thundurus first."

Beneath him, the Garchomp, which always obeyed commands, suddenly ignored them and instead turned and charged toward the Fireball Slab.

Xia Shen's heart skipped a beat. Was this a sudden onset of his rebellious phase?

"Garuda, forget about the Fireball Slab, let's go!"

This is no joke. Garchomp's strength has already declined to the Champion level, and it shows no signs of stopping.

If we don't leave this energy-turbulent central area now, we won't be able to leave later.

Garchomp showed no intention of changing direction and resolutely charged toward the Fireball Slab.

Meanwhile, the protective barrier surrounding Garchomp is slowly breaking down!

Finally, with a full sprint, Garchomp brought Xia Shen to the Fireball Slab just before the protective barrier broke.

"Ow—"

Garchomp turned around and anxiously said something to Xia Shen, its eyes flashing with an inexplicable look.

Xia Shen couldn't understand Elvish, but luckily Yukshi was on the phone.

[What he said... was the same as what I said back then.]

Garchomp's haste made its meaning unclear, and this was also reflected in the translation by Kish.

A thought flashed through Xia Shen's mind, and he guessed, "You mean, let Growlithe contain the Fireball Slab like you did back then?"

"Awooo!" Garchomp nodded vigorously.

Did he get the hint from the activated Dragon Slab?

Didn't we have this opportunity before we put Heatran into the Poké Ball?

Or is it an energy surge that is the trigger?

Several questions suddenly arose in Xia Shen's mind.

But after almost a millisecond of thought, Xia Shen did not hesitate at all and chose to trust his closest partner, releasing Growlithe.

…………

"Woof woof—"

Caught off guard, the Growlithe was startled by the apocalyptic surroundings and instinctively burrowed into Xia Shen's arms, a far cry from his previous bravery.

But that's normal. Anyone would be just as flustered if they were in this environment without any preparation.

There was no time to comfort him. Xia Shen picked up the Growlithe and said seriously, "Do you remember what I told you back then? This is the most dangerous moment. If we can't resolve it, the entire Azure Coast may become barren."

"And now, you are our last hope, so are you willing to come with me to save this land?"

Xia Shen knew that such a nonsensical string of words was neither persuasive nor convincing.

But there's no time for sentimentality now; he can only hope that Growlithe will believe him and do this seemingly idiotic thing with him.

The magma outside kept pounding against the shattering protective shield, and beneath him, Garchomp's aura was almost fading back to its original professional level 5.

Xia Shen stared at the Growlithe, who seemed stunned by his presence, and waited for his reply.

There's no use in panicking; it's too late to escape now.

If Growlithe ultimately refuses, Xia Shen will have no choice but to recall them both back into their Poké Balls and use his own body to withstand the energy surge from the Fireball Slab.