Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

Anyway, you won't die; at most, you'll be tortured in the lava for a while.

Even if the Thundurus can't save him, with the arrival of Emrido and Azelf, the three level-two gods will surely be able to pull him out.

"Woof!"

While he was still thinking about his last resort, Growlithe's determined bark suddenly startled him awake.

Xia Shen smiled slightly, without needing Ke Xi to translate or make eye contact.

He knew that Growlithe had given him the answer he wanted.

"Let's go, let's save the world!"

…………

Garchomp used the last of its power from the Slate before disappearing to create a final protective barrier for Xia Shen and Growlithe.

Then, Xia Shen took it back into the ball.

Garchomp has done everything it could to the best of its ability; now, it's all up to Growlithe.

Thinking this, Xia Shen hugged the Growlithe dog in his arms and led it to the stone slab.

The closer you get to the stone slab, the greater the impact of the overflowing, frenzied energy.

The last protection Garchomp left behind exploded the instant Growlithe dripped its blood onto the stone slab.

The surging magma, mixed with the frenzied energy overflowing from the stone slabs, instantly engulfed Growlithe and Xia Shen.

Suffocation, burning, scorching...

Xia Shen's body was instantly enveloped by these painful sensations. Surrounded by lava, he couldn't even cry out to alleviate the pain.

But he knew that his Growlithe, whose physical abilities and defenses were inferior to his own, would only suffer more.

Blessed by the power of Arceus, she is immortal in the green, but Growlithe only has one life.

Thinking of this, Xia Shen endured the pain and tightly wrapped the Growlithe dog in her arms in a curled-up position, shielding it from harm from all directions.

At this moment, Xia Shen had only one thought in his mind.

I dragged him into this catastrophe that he shouldn't have had to bear. I'll do anything to make sure he survives!

Even as he fainted from the pain, his hands, which were gripping the Growlithe, did not let go.

Shortly after he lost consciousness, the message he had been waiting for finally came to his mind.

[Summer is in full swing, and Imrido and the others have finally arrived!]

------

On Fire Island.

Above a desolate, scorched wasteland, long-awaited dark clouds gathered, with lightning flashing among them.

If you look closely, you can vaguely see a dragon-like figure appearing amidst the lightning and thunder.

After a catastrophe several times worse than a volcanic eruption, the surviving elves joyfully awaited the arrival of the rain.

Although it has only been a short ten days without rain, these ten days have been much more difficult to endure than any dry season in previous years.

Not only Chuihuo Island, but also Ningjing Bay, Yingfeng Forest, the entire Qunqing Coast, and even the more distant Honglian Wetland.

The perceptive elves noticed immediately that the climate had finally returned to normal.

Just as all the elves were cheering and jumping for joy, in a deep pit on Firebloom Island...

Several elves circled around a man who was completely naked, like a newborn baby, waiting for him to awaken.

"Woof..."

A handsome elf, entirely golden with black, petal-shaped fur around its neck and a tail like auspicious clouds, lowered its head and whimpered, its eyes revealing sorrow.

She would occasionally stick out her tongue and lick the man's baby-like, tender cheeks.

Finally, as the rain fell from the sky, the man awoke.

Raindrops strung together and pattered on Xia Shen's body, also awakening his consciousness.

has it ended?

The scorching lava and violent energy around them had disappeared, replaced by a comfortable breeze and cool rain.

If this isn't a hallucination, it should be over...

Xia Shen tried to move his body, and surprisingly, he easily performed the actions he had been given in his mind, seemingly without any major problems.

You should know that he was seriously injured last time in the steel and stone slab field.

This time, the even more violent energy surge of the fireball stone slab didn't cause any damage at all?

He quickly realized something was wrong.

Why does my body feel so cold?

…………

Xia Shen slowly opened his eyes and saw four elf heads, red, blue, purple, and black, surrounding him.

Her worried eyes seemed to say, "You're awake. The surgery was a success. You're already..."

He hurriedly sat up and took a look. After confirming that it was correct, Xia Shen breathed a sigh of relief and lay back down.

Only then did he have time to examine the four elves surrounding him.

The two, one red and one blue, are naturally the long-awaited Emredo and Arknom.

The purple one is the sticky dragon that didn't have time to catch the ball before it entered Dorran's body.

And the last black one... Xia Shen stared intently, and it was a Gale in its green form!

Has Growlithe evolved?

But I didn't use the Fire Stone myself.

So, is it because of the Fireball Stone Slab?

This is easy to explain. If the Fireball Stone Tablet, as a primordial fragment of the universe, couldn't even replace the function of the Fire Stone, then it might as well be sent away.

"Woof!"

When the Growlithe saw that Xia Shen had finally woken up, it excitedly stuck out its tongue and licked him again.

"Growlithe, stop messing around, it tickles..."

A couple of licks were fine, but the Gyrocopter showed no sign of stopping, which Xia Shen found unbearable.

Helpless, he could only call for help from Nymph, "Nymph, quickly pull Arcanine away..."

"sticky!"

Nian Meilong has long been annoyed by this sycophant who has been fawning over her since the beginning.

Two thick, long tentacles extended from her head, wrapped around Arcanine's body, and pulled him away.

To her surprise, the seemingly lightweight Growlithe was as heavy as the densest metal.

It's important to know that the tentacles on its head are the most powerful parts of the Nectarine's body.

With Nianmeilong's current strength, even without using energy, lifting something weighing several hundred kilograms would be a piece of cake.

And now they can't even pull this Gyrocopter back?

…………

As Nianmeilong was wondering, Fengshanggou, having recovered from the excitement and joy of Xia Shen's awakening, stopped its sycophantic behavior and obediently let Nianmeilong pull it aside.

Feeling the cool rain washing over his body, Xia Shen realized that he was completely naked.

He quickly took out spare clothes from his storage space and put them on, although the clothes were soon soaked by the rain.

[What's there to cover up? It's just a little bit of stuff.]

Emredo's disdainful voice reached Xia Shen's mind.

Xia Shen pursed her lips and didn't respond. What was the point of talking to this mushroom who didn't even have Ou Jinjin?

He turned to Arcanine and asked to confirm, "Did you contain the Fireball Slate?"

Even though he already had the answer in his heart, he still wanted to get it from Arcanine in person.

Arcanine proudly raised its head, "Woof!"

[This time, we really owe a debt to you and Arcanine; otherwise, most of the Azure Coast would probably have been burned to the ground by the Fireball Slab.]

After finishing his lingering sigh, Amrito pulled the blue mushroom, who had been listening quietly the whole time, to his side.

[By the way, let me introduce you. This is Arknom. He likes to stay home and doesn't go out much, which is why you didn't see him last time.]

Xia Shen greeted him politely, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Arknom."

Arknom, who looked similar to Emredo but differed greatly in color and temperament, nodded and transmitted his voice.

[Hello, Xia Shen, your and Arcanine's willpower... is extremely strong.]

Xia Shen was taken aback, then realized that Azelf was probably referring to how he and Arcanine had withstood the energy surge and contained the Fireball Slab.

He readily accepted Arknom's praise, saying, "Thank you for your compliment. I am also very proud of Arcanine."

Xia Shen smiled and rubbed the Growlithe's head, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Ah, that feels great! I finally got to touch that round dog head.

Seeing the heartwarming scene of the bond between man and dog, Emrido smiled slightly.

[That's settled then, Arknom and I will head back now.]

Xia Shen was about to nod when he suddenly felt as if he had forgotten something.

He examined the space again, still feeling uneasy, and finally found the source of his unease.

That Poké Ball containing Heatran!

Chapter 231: Xidorlan's Parting Gift!

[Sidland]