I caught a Pokémon

"This must be the legendary Onix metal."

"Onix Metal?" Xia You was taken aback. "What's that?"

"So there are things you don't know!"

Kona rolled her eyes at him, seemingly excited by Xia You's humiliation, but quickly corrected herself after seeing Naz's expression.

"Ahem, the so-called Onix Metal is a rare mineral. Some people make it into a metal film and attach it to Onix's body to change its body structure and make it evolve into Steelix! So for those trainers who own Onix, it is a rare treasure!"

Chapter 178 Searching for the Firebird

Mount Tsubo, located in the northern part of Ichinoshima, is the highest peak in the Seven Islands.

Hundreds of years ago, this was an active volcano, but it gradually went dormant and eventually became the extinct volcano it is today.

However, even after so many years of ravages, it has maintained its complete form and its appearance has not changed much due to the storms.

After resting for another night at Kona's house, Xia You and Naz once again set foot on Ichi no Shima under her guidance.

According to the local elders, the firebird inhabits a mountain peak here.

Its flame-like radiance is like a bright lamp, clearly visible even in the darkness of night, which is why it is called the Lamp Mountain.

After hiking for a long time, when they arrived at the foot of the mountain, Xia You looked up at the summit.

The lower half of the mountain was still lush and green with shrubs, but the higher you went, the sparser the vegetation became. Once you reached the waistline, it turned into a bare rocky area!

The thick smoke that occasionally wafted out from the cracks in the rocks made Xia You even more suspicious.

No matter how you look at it, this place doesn't seem to have anything to do with 'death', does it?

Especially after they followed a path called 'Fire Illumination Mountain Path' and climbed to the latter half of Light Mountain, the forest scent disappeared, replaced by a faint smell of sulfur in the air.

Even the rocks underfoot, despite being blocked by shoes and socks, still radiate heat.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Xia You turned to look at Kona.

"I said... are you sure this is really just an extinct volcano?"

“This…” Kona looked around, also somewhat doubting her eyes. “I haven’t been up the mountain in a long time, and I didn’t expect it to have changed so much. Compared to last time, it is indeed… maybe… probably… um… a bit hotter here.”

In fact, Xia You herself understood that there was no clear boundary between active volcanoes, dormant volcanoes, and extinct volcanoes.

Active volcanoes can go dormant, dormant volcanoes can erupt, and extinct volcanoes can naturally revive again; they are not static.

Otherwise, why would a mollusk, which loves the heat, choose to roost here?

At this moment, he turned around and looked behind him, and saw that Naz was more than ten meters away. She was panting and soaked in sweat. It was obvious that climbing such a high mountain had made her hot and tired.

In fact, due to a lack of exercise, this kind of exercise was really too much for the body of this superpowered girl.

Despite this, she remained silent and did not use her superpowers or borrow strength to move forward, but instead tried her best to keep up with Xia You's pace.

With a slight smile, Xia You originally wanted to take a few steps to greet her, but unintentionally, his gaze fell on Na Zi again.

Because her clothes were soaked with sweat, they perfectly outlined her beautiful figure, and even her bra size was clearly visible!

However, perhaps his gaze was too unrestrained, because Naz seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up.

Fortunately, in the blink of an eye, Xia You demonstrated the formidable strength of the Quartz Tournament champion, quickly averting her gaze and responding with a big smile.

They can even export it, and proactively express their concern.

"Are you tired? How about you take a break?"

As expected, Naz didn't notice Xia You's thoughts and gently shook her head.

"No need, let's keep going up."

Seeing her pushing herself so hard, Xia You couldn't help but remind her, "I think you should rest for a while. Someone like you who doesn't exercise much and suddenly goes hiking should really know your limits. Otherwise, your legs will definitely give out by tomorrow!"

Seeing that Naz was somewhat interested, Kona said, "If you want to rest, there's a hot spring with lights not far ahead. It's very helpful for recovering from fatigue. The island's residents, especially the elderly, often go there to soak for a while when they have time, just to relax!"

Hearing them say that, Nazi hesitated for a moment, but after thinking about it, she finally nodded in agreement.

The main road disappears here, leaving only a winding mountain path.

They continued along the way, but when they arrived at Deng Huo Hot Spring, they couldn't help but fall silent as they looked at the steaming, boiling hot spring water.

The three stood side by side, looking at the hot spring. After a long time, Xia You finally couldn't help but turn to look at Kona.

"This water is almost 100 degrees Celsius, isn't it? Are you sure those residents of the seven islands really came here to soak in the hot springs, and not to make soup or boil things?"

Kona: ...

She rolled her eyes at Xia You, wanting to say something, but unable to find the words.

"This shouldn't be happening... how did it suddenly turn out like this?"

"Is the volcano about to erupt?" Naz asked.

Kona shook her head firmly: "The volcano definitely won't erupt! I guess it's probably the earthquake that happened in the sea a while ago that caused this change here!"

The heat was scorching; it was clearly hotter here than anywhere else.

Unable to rest, they had no choice but to continue deeper into the Denghuoshan Volcano.

After walking for a while, even the path underfoot disappeared.

Kona led them through the loose rocks, turning left and right, until they finally arrived at a cave blocked by a giant rock.

Looking at this deeply hidden cave, she said smugly, "Don't be fooled by the fact that people come up the mountain every year. This is a secret that only I know. If the firebird really exists, I believe it must be on the mountain peak on the other side of the cave!"

Xia You followed her gaze and saw that the rock at the entrance of the cave was very large, almost blocking the entrance, leaving only a narrow gap. It seemed that it was only wide enough for a child to pass through sideways.

Xia You wanted Gardevoir to make the move, but Sabrina stepped forward and walked to the boulder first.

She stretched out her hands, and instantly unleashed her superpowers, slowly moving the boulder to the side.

However, it is clear that even she struggled a bit when facing such a huge rock that was nearly three meters tall and weighed several thousand kilograms.

Fortunately, Natsume didn't need to move the boulder completely; she only needed to widen the opening so that they could pass through.

Boom!

The cave entrance was half-open, and before they could even enter, a cool mountain breeze blew in from inside.

This feeling is like being under an air conditioner, it's incredibly comfortable.

After the three entered the cave one by one, Xia You turned around and looked around, only to find that it seemed to be naturally formed, without any trace of artificial carving.

The cave was not only cool, but also a bit slippery, and because it was dark and damp, a lot of green moss grew on both sides!

They climbed and traversed upwards for several dozen meters inside the cave before reaching the other side.

A strong sea breeze blew in, ruffling the hair of the group.

With a cliff right beneath their feet, they could look down on the entire Ichi-no-Shima from this position, and even catch a glimpse of Ni-no-Shima and San-no-Shima in the distance!

Chapter 179 The Three Fools Reunite

Beside the cliff is a steep, straight natural path formed by the compression of two mountain crevices.

When they came to a secluded valley through the path, Xia You stood at the corner, peeked inside, and immediately withdrew.

"How is it?" Kona asked.

Xia You breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "You're right, it's right there!"

Upon hearing this, Lorelei and Sabrina cautiously peered into the valley and indeed saw a large bird Pokémon lying on a flat rock, dozing with its eyes closed!

Upon closer inspection, this Pokémon resembles a heron, with a majestic appearance. Its entire body is covered in yellow feathers, and its long beak is straight and sharp. Red flames are burning prominently on its crest and wings!

Is this the legendary Moltres?!

It is said that when it is injured, it will enter the lava in the crater and burn its whole body to heal its wounds. When it flaps its fiercely burning wings, it can even light up the night sky.

Even in snowy lands where it has appeared, spring arrives first, and it illuminates mountain paths with its beautiful, burning wings to rescue those in danger.

So as not to wake it, Natsume and Knausa quietly retreated.

"Looks like my tour guide duties are now successfully completed." Kona adjusted her glasses and then asked, "So what are your plans next? Do you need my help?"

"No need, I can handle it." As Xia You spoke, she took out two Super Balls from her left waistband.

Lorelei's gaze lingered on the Great Ball for a moment, as if wondering what Pokémon might be inside.

Will it be his championship lineup?

No, if it's just a regular Pokémon, why would you put it in a Great Ball?

It must be some other rare Pokémon...

However, there are just too many types of Pokémon in the world, and she couldn't imagine what other tricks this newly crowned Indigo League champion might be up his sleeve.

Bringing her thoughts back, Lorelei chuckled, "I'm curious, don't you want to ask why I didn't let you ride a Pokémon and fly directly up from the foot of the mountain, but instead wasted your energy taking this mountain path?"

Seeing her looking like she wanted to show off but was also pretending to be mysterious, Xia You played along, saying, "Oh? Then we'll have to ask Miss Jiao Ke Na. Why won't you let us do that?"

Kona clearly appreciated his humble tone: "Hmph, of course it's to avoid alerting the mollusk! Besides, the location here is very well hidden, making it difficult to find from the air. Most importantly, don't you think hiking adds a bit of the fun of exploration? Especially after climbing for so long, haven't we seen some rare sights?"

As she spoke, she winked at Xia You, her eyes constantly glancing at Na Zi's chest, clearly implying something in two ways!

Oh ho~

So this is the scenery she was talking about!

It seems that what happened just now couldn't escape the eyes of this outsider!

But at this moment, facing Kona's teasing, although Xia You agreed in her heart, her expression remained very serious, and she did not change her expression at all!

He waved his hand dismissively and said, "So that's how it is. But the scenery doesn't matter. I just love climbing mountains. Besides, I originally thought you were too embarrassed to ask us to fly up here because you don't have a flying Pokémon."

Kona: ...

Using my lack of Flying-type Pokémon as an excuse!

Damn it, I should have chosen the longest route and exhausted this annoying guy!

Of the three involved, it seems that only Sabrina hasn't grasped the unspoken meaning in Korna's words, nor has she realized that the scenery the other two were talking about was fundamentally different from what she understood!

At that moment, perhaps having heard the sounds from here, the sound of wings flapping came from within the valley, clearly indicating that the flaming bird had awakened!

Knowing that the opportunity might be fleeting, Xia You naturally wouldn't delay and quickly got to the point.

He glanced at Sabrina, their eyes met, and Sabrina nodded knowingly before turning her head to Krona.

"Miss Kona, I'm not feeling well. Could you take me down the mountain?"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Kona almost spat out a mouthful of blood!

After going through so much trouble to finally find the Moltres, are you now saying you want to go down the mountain?

This is to get me out of here!

They don't forget the well-digger when they drink the water! We've barely arrived, I haven't even caught my breath, and they're already thinking of kicking me aside! They didn't even give me a chance to observe!

She maintained a friendly smile, trying her best to make her tone sound less venomous.

"Alright, then I'll escort you down the mountain."

Kona kept turning back, clearly quite dissatisfied.

Once they were far enough away and she was sure she wouldn't suddenly return, Xia You opened the Mega Ball and released Zapdos and Articuno.

His secrecy and guard against outsiders were not out of pettiness; after all, secrets don't stay hidden forever, and this matter would eventually be known by others.

However, as the foundation of one's livelihood, the later others find out, the more secure one's safety will be.

Take the last bridge attack as an example. Luckily, he caught Articuno before Team Rocket, so when Articuno appeared, they were caught off guard, allowing him to calmly defeat those enemies!

The strange occurrence caused by the appearance of the two Pokémon quickly caught the attention of Moltres.

It let out an angry roar, as if questioning who had trespassed into its territory!

As two of the three silly birds, Zapdos and Articuno were not to be outdone. Without Xia You's command, they flapped their wings and soared into the valley.

Chirp! ~~~

Upon seeing the uninvited guests arrive, the mollusk hurriedly came to greet them. However, to its utter surprise, the ones who had invaded its territory were two other sacred birds!

But with its bird-like head, it just couldn't understand why Articuno and Zapdos would come looking for it together!