This is bad!
The moment Palina saw the rivers of molten lava behind her, her breath caught sharply in her throat.
She'd thought she'd taken every precaution.
Not only had she stationed her two Pokémon outside in a wide-open space, she'd also prepared multiple escape routes.
She'd even placed a Basculegion waiting by the shore, ready for an immediate getaway if things turned dangerous.
But she'd never imagined that this Pokémon could reshape the terrain itself, covering all her carefully prepared paths in lava.
"Woof…"
Sensing its trainer's distress, the larger Growlithe gently nudged Palina's side. The clever canine instantly understood their dire predicament as soon as it saw the lava.
What should I do...?
Palina clenched her fists tightly, her mind racing for an answer.
She could think of only one possible solution—though it hardly qualified as a solution at all.
As the area's Warden, she was required to report back to the Pearl Clan at fixed intervals. If she could hold out long enough, the clan would inevitably send help when she missed her scheduled update.
But after seeing how effortlessly Heatran had shrugged off their earlier attacks…
Could two unevolved Growlithe really hold their ground against a Pokémon of such power for that long?
The sound of bubbling magma grew louder as Heatran advanced slowly, step by step, closer to Palina, its oppressive presence only magnifying her anxiety.
I guess we have no choice but to try…
---
At the same moment, Elias and his companions had landed on the island.
As soon as he set foot on solid ground, Elias felt something was terribly off.
The temperature was abnormally high.
He'd visited this island frequently with Irida to meet Palina. Due to the cool sea breeze, the island typically maintained a comfortably mild temperature despite being volcanic.
But now…
Merely approaching the shore felt like stepping into an oven. It was nothing like the place he remembered.
"Elias, over there," Gardevoir alerted him, pointing to their right.
Following her direction, Elias extended his psychic senses, quickly detecting vast patches of exposed, molten lava further inland.
Clearly, this was the source of the unusual heat.
Elias frowned slightly, recalling Heatran.
"Let's check it out," he decided, gesturing for the Pokémon and Cynthia to follow.
Mew's little face immediately fell. She felt as though her fur was about to ignite. The last time she'd endured such heat was when she'd sought Ho-Oh to revive Elias.
Latias, on the other hand, tilted her head proudly. She drifted gently over to Elias's side and pressed herself lightly against him, causing a refreshing chill to spread instantly through his body.
As a Pokémon of Altomare, Latias's feathers naturally provided a soothing coolness.
"Thank you. That feels much better," Elias said softly, running his fingers through Latias's crystalline feathers.
"Latia~"
As they moved deeper into the island, the pools of exposed magma steadily multiplied, appearing abruptly everywhere.
"Found it," Gardevoir said suddenly, stopping in her tracks and narrowing her eyes at the source.
Her psychic powers didn't block heat well. Worse, the heat made her sweat, causing her elegant gown to cling unpleasantly to her skin. Such conditions severely tarnished her graceful image in front of Elias.
Thus, she despised hot places—and was thoroughly annoyed by the time they arrived.
Now, the culprit behind all this discomfort finally appeared in her perception.
Gardevoir's lips curled into a faint, cold smile.
That reptile-like Pokémon is finished!
---
Outside the cave, Palina found herself cornered as available ground rapidly shrank beneath her feet, lava encroaching from all sides.
Heatran was deliberately toying with them, slowly but steadily shattering her resolve.
Panic began to seep into Palina's expression.
Her Growlithe's attacks had been useless, her escape routes were cut off, and reinforcements were nowhere in sight.
This was shaping up to be a hopeless situation.
Another jet of flame shot out, landing alarmingly close—Heatran's final warning. Clearly, it was ready to end this little game.
Its glowing amber eyes locked onto Palina as it stepped forward, deliberately commanding the lava to engulf every last patch of solid ground.
Only the tiny space she occupied remained untouched.
A sphere of pale yellow energy began forming in Heatran's mouth—a telltale sign of [Hyper Beam].
"Woof!"
The two Growlithe barked urgently, instinctively knowing they couldn't block an attack of this magnitude.
As the ball of energy grew, Palina strangely felt a wave of calm acceptance wash over her.
Ever since she'd made the choice not to have her Growlithe inherit the title of "Noble," perhaps she'd sealed her fate for this very day.
Her only lingering regret was Irida, the current leader of the Pearl Clan.
Ever since that person had left, Irida had grown uncharacteristically withdrawn, losing much of her former liveliness.
If something happened to her now, how would Irida react? Palina couldn't help but worry.
She sighed softly, resignation settling in.
Simultaneously, the energy in Heatran's mouth reached its peak.
The moment it took aim and fired—
BOOM!
A tremendous explosion echoed—not from the [Hyper Beam], but from Heatran's massive head being abruptly slammed into solid rock. Its half-charged attack detonated harmlessly in its own mouth.
Standing a short distance away, Gardevoir calmly withdrew her psychic powers, a faint hum of satisfaction escaping her lips.
Elias stood quietly beside her.
He couldn't help but notice that Gardevoir's floral scent seemed slightly stronger today than usual—but he quickly brushed the thought aside.
Turning toward Palina, who stood frozen in shock, Elias smiled gently and waved.
"Palina, it's been a while."
---
P.S. Latios has officially been forgotten by his little sister.
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