When Wen Hui heard that Li Wei was taking the afternoon off to visit Back Mountain,
she cautioned him, "Be careful on Back Mountain. I've heard there are quite a few powerful Pokémon there."
Lately, Li Wei had barely had any time to himself as he worked to get the breeding center established.
Aside from filming and editing videos,
he also had to make plenty of Pokéblocks every day, sometimes customizing them to suit individual Pokémon's tastes.
On top of that, there were all sorts of orders for Pokémon essential oil treatments, fur care, and more.
At night, he still had to make time to chat with Feebas and study Pokémon Breeding.
Now he also had an Arcanine with psychological issues to look after.
Even eight copies of Li Wei wouldn't have been enough to handle everything.
Sometimes, Wen Hui worried that he would work himself into the ground.
As his mother, she saw all of it. The moment she heard he wanted to take a walk on Back Mountain, she agreed without hesitation.
Li Wei smiled. "Don't worry. With Lucario and the others around, I'll be fine."
"Then I'm counting on you, Lucario, Arcanine, and Metagross!"
Lucario nodded solemnly.
(Rest assured. Leave it to me!)
"Awooo!" (I'll protect my Trainer too!)
"Metang!"
This was the Eastern Suburbs of Jubilife City. There was little traffic, whether vehicles or pedestrians, and even fewer people went out of their way to visit the mountain.
Lucario had been to Back Mountain many times and already knew the way well.
Li Wei rode on Arcanine's back, the wind roaring past his ears as the scenery raced by.
Lucario and Arcanine were both moving at full speed, tearing along like the wind.
In just over ten minutes, they reached the foot of the mountain without a hitch.
They were beyond the breeding center's grounds now. Li Wei couldn't ride Arcanine up the mountain; he would have to climb it himself.
The mountain was labeled Misty Mountain on the map of Sinnoh, and clouds and mist shrouded it year-round.
It wasn't tall, only about seven hundred meters high. With Li Wei's fitness, climbing it would be easy.
Li Wei glanced at the radar. As he drew closer to the two rare Pokémon, the area displayed on it shrank.
Comparing the radar with the mountain's terrain, he narrowed the search down to Misty Mountain's main peak.
But that was as precise as it got. He would have to find them himself from there.
That meant the two Pokémon could be anywhere on this peak. They might even be underground.
Especially if they were Larvitar or Gible, both of whom were good at digging.
"Lu, luca!"
(The slopes here are gentle. They're easy to climb.)
Lucario climbed the mountain every afternoon as extra stamina training.
If he encountered wild Pokémon, he would battle them!
With ample resources lately and a strong drive to train on his own, Lucario's strength had improved noticeably.
He had steadily advanced from early Gym Leader level to advanced Gym Leader level. One more step would put him at Master Tier.
Barely two months had passed since Li Wei awakened his system.
Above Master Tier was Elite Four level.
Wild Pokémon at Master Tier or even Elite Four level were few and far between. After all, resources weren't easy for wild Pokémon to obtain.
With Lucario around, Li Wei didn't have to worry about his safety.
It was winter, and a thin layer of snow covered the mountain's trees, dressing them in silver and white.
As he climbed, Li Wei heard a waterfall. Perhaps the lingering water vapor was why clouds and mist hung over this place all year?
This was Li Wei's first visit to Misty Mountain.
Searching for a target on a mountain like this would take at least several days.
But he had Lucario, who knew the place well. More importantly, he had a method.
Li Wei took out his phone and began searching for pictures of each region's promising Pokémon and their evolved forms.
Dratini, Larvitar, Bagon, Gible... all the way through Dreepy and Frigibax.
"Have you seen any of them here?"
"Luca!"
(I've seen this one!)
"Take me to find it. Let's start with wherever you saw it."
"Awooo~~" ┗|｀O′|┛ Awooo~~
(Go, go, go!!!)
Arcanine shot off like an arrow from a bow.
Lucario pointed in another direction.
(The path up the mountain is that way!)
"..."
Arcanine froze with his head tilted. A few seconds later... he began snapping wildly at empty air,
as though he intended to devour every bit of air in front of Lucario.
(You should've told me sooner!)
Since there was no hurry, Li Wei, Lucario, and the others climbed at a steady pace.
Along the way, they encountered quite a few Pokémon.
Snorunt, Froslass, Snover, Swinub... The variety suggested that the local ecosystem was doing quite well.
Most of them chose to steer clear when they saw Lucario.
That was because most of those who dared challenge him had already taken a beating from him.
The mountain wasn't home only to Ice-type Pokémon. It was simply that, during winter, some of the others hibernated while others temporarily migrated elsewhere.
After about an hour of climbing, they reached the mountainside's halfway point.
"About how much farther?"
(At this pace, about half an hour. They're at the highest point.)
Li Wei murmured, "The highest point..."
Within a given area, the terrain occupied by wild Pokémon generally reflected their strength.
Since these two occupied the highest point on Misty Mountain's main peak, there was a good chance that one of them was fully evolved.
The mountain path was quiet, the slope gentle, and Li Wei wasn't climbing quickly. By the time he reached the highest point, his breathing was still perfectly steady.
Rather than thinning, the mist at the top grew even thicker.
Strictly speaking, this wasn't the actual summit, but a level stretch near it. Climbing any higher would be extremely difficult without the ability to fly.
Li Wei had no intention of courting death, and he had already reached his destination anyway.
To his great surprise, there was a building here!
Hidden among the clouds and mist, the old house only came dimly into view when he climbed the last few steps.
Lucario pointed at the old house and told Li Wei through Telepathy, (This is the place.)
It was an aged, two-story wooden building. The front door was somewhat dilapidated but remained firmly shut, and a thin layer of snow covered the roof.
There probably wasn't anyone here.
Lucario had said that despite his many visits, he had never encountered a person here.
Li Wei's first reaction was bewilderment. Who had been so bored that they built a little house on a mountain like this?
His second was to wonder why two Pokémon without Trainers were living in a house like this.
The Scan function specifically stated that it only displayed rare Pokémon without Trainers within a hundred li.
That meant these two Pokémon definitely had no Trainers.
Yet they lived in a man-made building. Li Wei couldn't make sense of it.
"Awooo!!!"
Arcanine lunged forward, about to charge straight into the old house.
"Wait a second!"
Like a dog that bolted the instant its leash came off, Arcanine had already dashed inside.
"Never mind. Let's go in too. Lucario, find their location!"
"Metang!"
"Luca!"
(Aura lies within my heart!)
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