Seeing this, Xinhai leaned down slightly and patted the warm scales on Charizard's neck. His voice rose a little against the wind. "Charizard, climb a little higher. This altitude could easily interfere with other Flying type Pokémon."
"Roar!" Charizard responded, beating his wings sharply and climbing even higher.
The oncoming airflow immediately grew much stronger, whipping Xinhai's hair and clothes backward. Eevee tucked her entire head into his clothes, leaving only a pair of brown eyes peering through the gap in the zipper.
As they continued to rise, the forest below gradually changed from a dense dark-green blanket into a far more expansive landscape.
Rivers wound through the woods like silver threads, while the gentle outlines of hills stretched toward the horizon.
The air grew thinner and crisper. With one less layer of cover overhead, the sunlight felt uniquely open and bright at this altitude.
At this height, the wind had a noticeably greater effect on Pokémon. Even Charizard had to draw on his Type energy to maintain high-speed flight.
Xinhai narrowed his eyes and looked at the sea of clouds spreading before him beneath the sunlight, taking a deep breath of the cool air unique to such heights.
"Whew... Flying this high really feels incredible," he murmured.
"Roar." Charizard gave a low response, as though agreeing.
After flying for a while longer, a moving black speck appeared in the distance.
Xinhai narrowed his eyes and examined it carefully. It was a Fearow, flying at roughly 2,700 meters. It looked fairly strong.
The Fearow had clearly sensed Charizard's presence as well. It let out a short, piercing cry, shifted direction, and dove several dozen meters, leaving Charizard's flight path.
Xinhai watched the dark figure swiftly vanish from sight without saying anything.
Charizard did not slow down in the slightest and