After confirming their approximate location, Elias took his time.
All he needed to do now was find Palina and ask her to guide them back to the Pearl Clan.
Given their friendly relationship, she would surely be pleasantly surprised when she saw him again.
"Elias."
Cynthia approached, surveying the surroundings carefully. She quickly recognized their location as the Cobalt Coastlands.
She puffed her cheeks slightly, feeling mildly annoyed.
When she had first arrived here, why hadn't she been this lucky?
Instead, she'd ended up deep in the Alabaster Icelands, surrounded by danger on all sides.
But then again…
If it weren't for ending up there, she might never have met Elias.
Thinking this, Cynthia felt a lot better.
With a soft pop, Elias released all his Pokémon at once.
Perhaps drawn by the scenic beauty, both Latias and Mew immediately became excited, especially Mew, who joyfully zipped around the sky, trailing its long tail behind.
But Elias noticed something unexpected: Gardevoir, Zoroark, and even Mewtwo all frowned simultaneously upon emerging from their Poké Balls.
"What is it, Gardevoir?" Elias asked curiously.
"The volcano on that island seems unusually active," she said softly, pointing across the water toward the distant island.
Following her indication, Elias extended his psychic senses toward the area.
The distance limited clarity, but even so, he vaguely sensed the volcano was indeed unstable—typically a sign of imminent eruption.
Yet, from their position, everything appeared calm without visible disturbances.
Elias's brow furrowed slightly.
"Could there be some special Pokémon living there?" Cynthia suggested suddenly.
Natural anomalies generally meant Pokémon involvement, just like that legendary blizzard she'd encountered during her own first trip here.
Reminded by Cynthia's words, Elias paused briefly before recalling something.
Indeed, the Cobalt Coastlands were home to a special Pokémon—
Heatran, the Lava Dome Pokémon.
He'd once heard Cogita mention it and even planned to capture it for her before his simulation had abruptly ended.
Just as he was thinking, a deep roar echoed from the distant island—not the sound of a volcanic eruption, but more like Pokémon battling.
"Let's go and check it out," Elias quickly suggested, sensing something amiss.
---
Meanwhile, beneath the volcano on Firespit Island, two Hisuian Growlithe, one larger and one smaller, stood defensively before the entrance of a cave.
Low, cautious growls continuously emanated from their throats, clearly on high alert.
Behind them stood a young woman with flowing, curly hair, wearing simple attire.
Palina.
She stared intently at the cave's mouth, her right hand dangling at her side, marked by a fresh burn—evidence of a recent attack.
What exactly was that...?
Feeling the painful burn on her hand, Palina clenched her jaw.
As the warden responsible for the Cobalt Coastlands, she'd heard stories of a powerful and dangerous Pokémon residing here. She'd always dismissed it as mere legend—until today.
The volcano had suddenly grown restless, prompting her to investigate cautiously alongside her Growlithe.
Everything had seemed normal until she reached this cave.
She'd barely stepped inside before a scorching gust of heat struck her without warning.
Thankfully, her Growlithe had swiftly pulled her away before she'd gone too far, sparing her greater harm.
Still, the burn on her hand couldn't be avoided.
Feeling the blistering heat still emanating from the cave, Palina squeezed her fist tightly, ignoring the pain.
She knew she should retreat immediately with her Pokémon and call for reinforcements from the clan.
But…
She hesitated, her footsteps halting.
For certain reasons, she couldn't retreat—not yet.
At least…
Not without first trying something. She couldn't abandon the Growlithe destined to become their Lord without making at least one attempt.
"Growlithe, stay alert," Palina finally commanded, exhaling deeply.
The two Growlithe immediately split apart, forming a defensive formation.
At the very same moment, another wave of intense heat surged forth.
A reddish-brown Pokémon emerged slowly from the cave, magma dripping from its glowing-hot body.
Even as Fire-type Pokémon themselves, both Growlithe instinctively retreated a half-step, overwhelmed by the blazing heat radiating from Heatran.
Seeing their reaction, Palina's expression darkened.
She realized immediately—this Pokémon was far stronger than she'd anticipated.
It was unbelievable that such a creature had remained hidden here, beneath the volcano, completely undiscovered.
Yet, it made sense.
Only one person had actively sought out and captured these dangerously powerful Pokémon in the past.
But ever since he'd left…
Dealing with such Pokémon required massive resources, often without guaranteed success.
So now, unless absolutely necessary—like today—no one actively pursued them anymore.
"Growlithe, use [Rock Tomb]!"
Taking a deep breath, Palina issued the command.
She had to try, at least once.
Responding swiftly, the Growlithe howled simultaneously, stomping their front paws onto the ground. Large rocks instantly erupted from the earth, hurtling towards Heatran.
Yet…
These volcanic rocks, known for their resistance to heat, melted significantly midair before even reaching Heatran.
Simultaneously, thick, scorching smoke spewed from Heatran's mouth.
[Smokescreen]!
Palina grit her teeth, realizing her Growlithe were hopelessly outmatched. Continuing would inevitably lead to failure.
"Growlithe, fall ba—"
Forced by the situation, she began issuing her retreat command, grateful she'd at least prepared an escape route.
But reality quickly shattered that hope.
To her horror, Palina discovered her carefully prepared escape routes were now entirely flooded by streams of molten lava.