Warning! Warning!

Warning! Warning! Jing He's expression tightened at the mention of a "big guy."

That "big guy" could mean many things.

Especially inside Mt. Chimney, Jing He had almost instinctively thought of Groudon, that terrifying being slumbering within the mountain.

But on second thought, that seemed unlikely.

If it really were Groudon, then with its power, Mt. Chimney would probably have erupted already. How could there be only such a tiny crack?

No more clues?

Jing He looked at Gastly again.

After today, he decided that as soon as he got back, he would start teaching Gastly to recognize other Pokémon.

At the very least,

it needed to be able to identify which Pokémon it was seeing. Otherwise, who knew how many more vague investigations like this would happen in the future.

"Koujie—"

Gastly seemed to realize that its explanation had not been clear enough. It narrowed its eyes, its mind racing as the black mist around its body churned.

"Koujie!"

Suddenly, as if it had thought of something, its mist stretched out into four limbs. It dropped to the ground, opened its mouth wide, and exhaled a cloud of black smoke.

Four limbs?

"Camerupt?" Steven Stone guessed.

But while Camerupt was certainly not small, did it count as a big guy?

Jing He thought of another possibility.

Could it be... the legendary Pokémon, Heatran?!

When Jing He thought of Heatran, Stark Mountain in Sinnoh was the first place that came to mind. And theoretically, Mt. Chimney was Groudon's territory, so Heatran should not dare make it its habitat.

But the possibility could not be completely ruled out.

After all, Groudon was asleep, and Mt. Chimney was the sort of high-temperature volcanic region that a Pokémon like Heatran favored. But if it really was Heatran, then they were in serious trouble.

Boom!!

He was given no time to think further. Another crisp sound of rock breaking came from the crack.

Then, the fissure, already radiating scorching heat, exhaled another blast of searing air. A winding crimson stream of light and heat flowed out from one corner of the crack.

Lava!

"Hey-cha!"

At the sight of the lava, the Geodude and Graveler huddled off to one side grew even more frantic.

At the same time, the lava flowed down the rock wall, about to spill below.

"Flannery!" Jing He called sharply.

"Got it!" Flannery hurriedly took out two Poké Balls. In flashes of red light, she summoned a Numel and a Slugma.

Slugma was a Pokémon that resembled lava. Because they loved high temperatures, they often lived near—or even inside—volcanoes. To other Pokémon, burning lava was deadly, but to them, it was more like a comfortable bed.

The Slugma wriggled forward and blocked the thin stream of lava, preventing it from flowing down the mountain.

The Numel also helped the Slugma keep the lava under control.

"Teacher Jing He, Slugma won't be able to hold on for long!" Flannery said anxiously.

"Let's go!"

Though he was worried, Jing He had no choice but to make that decision.

Lava was already leaking out. If they did not patch things up in time, a massive amount of lava inside Mt. Chimney might truly spill out.

Then it would no longer be a matter of one or two lives.

As for Heatran, if they really encountered it, they could only find a way to calm it down and stall for time.

Roxanne had already gone to notify the various Pokémon League organizations in Lavaridge Town. In theory, Flannery's grandfather, that retired former Elite Four member, should be able to barely handle Heatran.

As long as they arrived quickly enough.

Jing He had another reason for deciding to go inside.

That was Gastly.

Though the situation had been too urgent for Gastly to clearly explain what was inside or which Pokémon it had seen, Jing He was certain of one thing: if Gastly thought the danger was so great that they should not even look, it would definitely stop him from going in.

That was absolute trust in his companion.

"I'll go first!"

Steven Stone shared Jing He's thoughts completely, but he had no intention of letting Jing He lead the way. After summoning Baltoy, he entered the crack first.

The crack was too narrow for either Metang or Skarmory to move easily. The small Baltoy was the best fit.

Jing He followed with Gastly.

It was already hot enough outside the crack, but once inside, the heat quickly soaked both Jing He's and Steven Stone's backs with sweat.

Yet the temperature was actually far lower than either of them had expected.

The fact that Zubat and Golbat could survive inside showed that the interior was not quite so hot.

Very soon,

under Gastly's guidance, the passage widened further. The high temperature soaked through their clothes and cast their faces in a fiery red glow.

Boom! Boom! As they went deeper, waves of rumbling gradually reached their ears.

A modestly sized volcanic chamber appeared before them.

Their gazes swept across it at once.

They saw four or five Numel huddled together in a corner. Though they were known for being slow-witted, Jing He could clearly see panic, helplessness, and worry in their eyes.

Worry?

Following their gazes, Jing He and Steven Stone quickly found the source of the incident.

A Camerupt!

It was covered in orange-red fur, with three bright blue circles on each side of its body. Its hump had a rock-like structure, continuously erupting with scorching lava as though it were a volcano.

It was also extremely agitated. Not only was the volcano on its back erupting nonstop, but its four legs kept stomping the ground. The surrounding rocky floor had been crushed into fragments, while the rock wall not far behind it was scorched black. A bright red gash in the wall was slowly leaking lava.

Clearly, the small stream of lava Jing He and the others had seen outside came from here.

But when they saw this Camerupt, both Jing He and Steven Stone froze.

An ordinary Camerupt stood around 1.8 to 2 meters tall, yet the one before them was at least 3 meters tall!

This was a gigantic Camerupt—the big guy Gastly had mentioned.

Boom!! Boom!!

Two more bursts of blazing lava erupted from the volcano on Camerupt's back.

Just as Jing He and Steven Stone noticed it, its bloodshot crimson eyes locked onto them. "Roar!!"

Camerupt roared, and scorching firelight gathered in its open mouth.

Jing He and Steven Stone's expressions changed.

Steven Stone immediately threw out more Poké Balls, directly summoning Metang, Skarmory, and Lairon.

But all three Pokémon were Steel-type. Against the Fire-type and Ground-type Camerupt, they were at a type disadvantage—and this was Camerupt's home ground.

At the same time,

Camerupt's Pokédex entry appeared before Jing He's eyes.

Camerupt

Type: Fire-type, Ground-type

Ability: Magma Armor

Moves: Rock Slide, Fissure, Eruption, Growl, Tackle, Ember, Focus Energy, Bulldoze, Lava Plume, Amnesia, Smog, Earth Power, Take Down

Mood: Berserk (It may have eaten something it should not have)

Status: Abnormal (This is not a state a normal Pokémon should be in. Warning! Warning!)

Friendship: -50 (Danger! You stepped in with your left foot first!)

This Camerupt was very strong!

Without question, even if it were not in this abnormal berserk state, it was still far stronger than Gastly.

But while its berserk state had granted it greater strength, it had also further diminished its already limited intelligence.

Jing He and Steven Stone exchanged a glance.

Boom!!

Surging flames swept toward them.

"Metang, Baltoy, Confusion!"

"Gastly, Curse!"

The two spoke almost simultaneously.

Bzz—

A transparent pale-blue psychic Barrier formed instantly, blocking the surging flames three meters away from Steven Stone and Jing He.

"Koujie—"

Gastly's body swelled briefly. An eerie, invisible force slipped from its body into Camerupt's, slowly taking root.

"Skarmory, Sand Attack! Lairon, Mud-Slap!"

Camerupt's condition, the types and abilities of their Pokémon, and their inexplicable mutual understanding led them to choose the safest approach at nearly the same time: wear it down.

Sand and mud immediately obscured Camerupt's vision, while the flames it spewed began to sweep through the entire cavern.

Rocks kept falling.

The flames gradually faded, but Camerupt only grew more berserk.

It took a deep breath, and a stream of white air appeared around its body—Focus Energy! Then it suddenly raised both front hooves, its agitation plain to see as earthen-yellow energy gathered between them.

This was bad!

It was Fissure! A Ground-type move.

As long as it hit, unless the target was vastly stronger than Camerupt, it was an instant knockout!

This move was not much of a threat to any of the Pokémon present besides Lairon, including Gastly.

But what worried Jing He was this.

The commotion caused by that stomp... would probably be far too great.

Thanks to Meowth Meowth Meowth for the 5,000 reward—an old friend indeed~ Thanks as well to reader 20210211153400606, Wu ee, Pibo Nine, reader 20230409091522948, and many others for their rewards. Thank you!