"Mmm~~~!"
Volcarona quietly watched the car pull into the courtyard, then beat its wings and flew off into the distance.
Watching the Pokémon fly away, Yong could not help murmuring,
"So beautiful..."
Huchen and Ahe exchanged a glance and smiled.
"That's one of the only two Volcarona our family has! This one evolved quite a while ago, though. The other only evolved recently."
Yong nodded. They got out of the car and followed Huchen into the luxurious-looking villa.
Yet... the interior was nothing like he had imagined. Rather than exquisite decorations, it was filled with an air of mystery.
Pillars covered in strange writing, stairs carved with mysterious patterns, and ancient murals and stone carvings filled the space. Naturally, more than half of them depicted Larvesta or Volcarona.
Most striking of all was the enormous portrait of Volcarona hanging directly opposite the entrance, taking up an entire wall...
Unlike an ordinary villa, the entire ground floor was a great hall, with stairs leading to the second floor only at the far end.
Noticing Yong's curiosity, Huchen explained with a smile,
"This is just our family's base in Nimbasa City. All these decorations are the old man's idea of fun! Don't mind them! Actually, every stronghold of the Sun-Stealing Remnants is built beside a volcano. Ours is pretty far from here."
Yong studied the surrounding murals and asked curiously,
"To help Larvesta grow?"
They headed up the stairs to the second floor.
"That's right. With a volcano's help, Larvesta's growth cycle stays very stable, and they have an ample source of energy."
Chatting as they went, they arrived at the door to a room.
Huchen cleared his throat, stepped forward, and pounded on the door twice with his fist, shouting,
"Old man! I'm back!!!"
The door flew open with a snap.