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Inside his secret base, thousands of meters away from the Snow Peak Temple, Chris had established a comfortable hideaway in a secluded mountain valley. The base contained all the usual supplies he kept stocked for extended stays—beanbag chairs, a well-stocked refrigerator, and even a projection screen for entertainment.
Chris was perfectly content here. He had absolutely no interest in cramming himself into a small tent alongside the people of this ancient era and their primitive accommodations.
However, rest wasn't why he'd returned to the base right now. Reaching into the refrigerator, Chris grabbed a cold bottle of soda before choosing to exit the game world temporarily.
Once in reality, he retrieved Arcanine from where it had been running wild outdoors, returned it to its Poké Ball, then re-entered the game and released it inside the secret base.
"Woof!"
The golden-furred Arcanine materialized inside the secret base, its radiant coat shining so brilliantly that it illuminated the entire space like a miniature sun. Chris didn't even need to turn on the lights.
This luminous quality was precisely why Chris had nicknamed it "Little Sun."
The moment it appeared, Little Sun immediately began rubbing affectionately against Chris's legs before bounding around the base, jumping and playing with boundless energy like an overgrown puppy. Even after evolving into its final form, it still retained that playful, slightly silly personality.
Chris checked Little Sun's current level—it had reached Level 92. Since returning from their Sky Island expedition, the Arcanine had been noticeably more diligent than usual, frequently seeking training advice from the ace Pokémon on Chris's main team. Its level had improved quite rapidly as a result. Combined with its tactical coordination skills, Little Sun now possessed combat capabilities approaching those of his second-string main battlers.
Chris pulled out the specially prepared rations from his backpack and began feeding Little Sun piece by piece.
"Eat up. Once you're full, I'm taking you to battle," Chris said while hand-feeding his Pokémon.
"Woof!" At the mention of battling, Little Sun's tail began spinning like an electric fan, wagging with such enthusiasm that it created a noticeable breeze.
However, because the tail was wreathed in flames, it looked less like a cooling fan and more like a portable space heater.
After Little Sun finished eating, Chris returned it to its Poké Ball. He stood up, left the secret base, and teleported directly to the entrance of the Snow Peak Temple's first floor. Upon arrival, he happened to encounter Gaeric, the Pearl Clan warden, who was directing several clan members in various tasks nearby.
"Excuse me, where can I find your Noble Arcanine?" Chris asked, approaching directly.
"It's on Firespit Island, near the Cobalt Coastlands," Gaeric replied. Then, with obvious curiosity, he asked, "Why do you want to know?"
"I have an Arcanine of my own, and I'm planning to challenge your Noble," Chris answered casually. He raised one hand and waved toward the dark, snow-filled sky.
Within moments, an enormous shadowy figure descended from above and landed beside Chris with a powerful impact.
It was Lugia.
After arriving at the Snow Peak Temple earlier, Chris hadn't kept the legendary Pokémon confined to its Poké Ball. Instead, he'd allowed it to explore the nearby seas and investigate whether the ocean two thousand years in the past differed significantly from his own time.
Under Gaeric's utterly stunned gaze, Chris smoothly mounted Lugia's back with practiced ease.
"We're heading to Firespit Island," Chris announced. He marked the island's location on the map that Team Galactic had provided him, then had Gardevoir transmit the destination coordinates directly to Lugia through psychic communication.
Once it received the destination information, Lugia spread its massive wings and immediately launched into the sky. The swirling snowfall that blanketed the region seemed like nothing more than a minor inconvenience as the legendary Pokémon soared upward with tremendous speed, heading toward Firespit Island.
Gaeric remained behind, still frozen in place with shock.
Sabi, who had just finished sending her message to the clan leader, emerged from the Snow Peak Temple. Seeing Gaeric standing there in a daze, she approached with an amused expression. "What's wrong with you? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
In that moment, Gaeric suddenly understood why Sabi had been so respectful—almost deferential—in her attitude toward Chris.
"I just ran into Chris," he said slowly.
"And?" Sabi prompted, leaning forward with interest at the mention of the powerful trainer's name.
"He flew away... riding on the Guardian of the Seas."
"What?"
At the entrance of the Snow Peak Temple, shrouded in wind and snow, there were now two thoroughly confused people instead of just one.
Firespit Island was located in the Cobalt Coastlands region of Hisui, positioned out in the ocean. It was an area of extreme volcanic activity, with magma constantly erupting from its surface.
On the map, Firespit Island lay to the east of the Hisui Region, while the Snow Peak Temple was situated in the northern territories. Under normal circumstances, even with a Flying-type mount, traveling between these two distant locations would require at least a full day of flight.
But for Lugia, the Guardian of the Seas? Please. Who did you think you were dealing with? A common Flying-type?
Ten minutes was more than sufficient.
This was precisely why Chris felt confident that, despite needing to continue exploring the Snow Peak Temple tomorrow, he could still locate and challenge the Noble Arcanine tonight without any issues.
In mere tens of minutes, Chris arrived at his destination. Spread across the vast ocean before him was a small island continuously erupting with magma and billowing smoke. Even in the darkness of night, it glowed brightly from the volcanic activity.
"Land!" Chris commanded.
Lugia immediately began its descent in a controlled dive. Mid-flight, Gardevoir raised her hand and gestured gracefully. In an instant, Chris was teleported from Lugia's back to the highest point of Firespit Island—a flat area mercifully free of active lava flows.
The moment he materialized, Chris's eyes were drawn to an enormous canine approximately three stories tall, its body radiating golden light that rivaled the volcanic glow around it.
The creature bore roughly seventy percent resemblance to Little Sun in overall appearance. The differences lay in the pattern of fur covering its body and certain distinctive markings on its head—along with its absolutely massive size, of course.
But there was no question about its identity. This was exactly what Chris had come seeking—the Noble Arcanine, alpha of its entire species!
Arcanine (Hisuian Form) LV80
The Arcanine species possessed a regional variant native to this area. The Hisuian Arcanine featured a distinctive appearance reminiscent of traditional ukiyo-e art styles, with an additional Rock-type added to its typing, making it a Fire/Rock dual-type Pokémon. Its Hidden Ability had also changed from Justified to Rock Head.
In terms of base stats, the Hisuian form traded some speed and special attack for improved HP and physical attack compared to the standard Kantonian Arcanine.
Chris recalled capturing one during his playthrough of Pokémon Legends: Arceus in his previous life. The experience felt strangely surreal now that he was facing one in person.
"The Noble Arcanine in Hisuian form should still qualify as an alpha of the species, right?" Chris wondered briefly. He certainly hoped this wouldn't turn out to be a wasted trip.
His sudden appearance immediately drew the Noble Arcanine's attention. Its expression shifted, becoming fierce and aggressive. All four limbs began digging at the ground as it charged directly toward Chris with alarming speed.
At that moment, an anxious female voice called out from nearby.
"Hey! Get away from there!"
"Don't just stand there—the Noble is frenzied! You'll be attacked!"
Chris turned to see a beautiful young woman with short pink hair wearing a white outfit. She was waving at him frantically, her face etched with worry and concern.
She clearly had no idea how Chris had suddenly appeared on Firespit Island in the first place. To prevent the Noble Arcanine from harming ordinary people and Pokémon during its frenzied state, she had even established a blockade around the nearby waters.
At the woman's feet stood two Growlithe—one larger, one smaller—both looking equally concerned.
"She must be the Pearl Clan warden responsible for caring for the Noble Arcanine," Chris deduced, but he paid her warning no mind.
Instead, he turned his attention back to the Noble Arcanine, which was rapidly closing the distance between them. Had the massive Pokémon truly gone berserk due to the space-time distortions plaguing the region?
If so, it should be even stronger in this frenzied condition, shouldn't it? That would make the challenge more worthwhile.
But ultimately, it didn't matter what state it was in. Whether calm or berserk, defeat would still result in it being stripped of its Noble status—and Little Sun would claim that title instead.
Chris calmly retrieved a Poké Ball that was already shaking impatiently in his hand, practically vibrating with its occupant's eagerness to battle.
"Little Sun, you're up!"
The Poké Ball burst open in a flash of light, and Chris's own Arcanine materialized on the volcanic rock, its golden fur gleaming brilliantly as it faced down its much larger, frenzied counterpart.
The battle between alphas was about to begin.