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"What are you doing here?"
Liam asked Lorelei coldly, his expression stern.
"Obviously I'm going up the mountain with you!"
Lorelei replied, completely unfazed by his tone.
Liam: "…It's dangerous. We don't even know what's happening up there yet."
Lorelei: "I'm not scared! I'm not weak either, okay? And you'll protect me, right?"
Liam: "…"
Liam was momentarily speechless.
"…Fine. You can come. But remember this—without my permission, you are not allowed to speak or act on your own. Got it?!"
Knowing Lorelei's personality, Liam could only sigh and agree in the end.
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm! I'll listen to everything you say!"
Lorelei nodded rapidly in agreement.
"…Zorua, let's begin."
Liam shook his head helplessly and turned to Zorua.
"Chi chi chi~"
Upon receiving the command, a faint purple glow spread from Zorua's body, quickly enveloping both Liam and Lorelei. The light flickered once—then vanished.
"Hm? Is it done already, Zorua?"
Seeing the glow disappear while he could still see Lorelei, Liam turned back and asked.
"Chi chi chi~"
Zorua leapt onto Liam's shoulder, nodding as it let out a confident chuckle.
"Alright, let's go. Lorelei, remember what I told you. And Zorua, you stay quiet too. If we get discovered, it'll be troublesome."
Liam nodded in understanding, then reminded them both.
"Mm!"
"Chi chi~"
Lorelei and Zorua immediately raised their hands and paws to cover their mouths, nodding seriously.
But judging from the excitement in their eyes… Liam had a bad feeling he was going to get dragged into trouble.
Liam: "…Forget it. Let's move."
Time was short—there was no point dwelling on it. Business came first.
And so, Liam, Lorelei, and Zorua quietly began their ascent up the mountain.
...….
Mt. Chimney was eerily silent.
Though it was a volcano, it was long extinct. Shrubs covered parts of the mountain, and the terrain rose in layered steps. Moving along the stair-like paths, Liam and the others quickly reached the first platform.
"…Someone's there. Be careful."
The moment Liam peeked over the edge, he spotted several people and Pokémon confronting each other in the middle of the platform. He immediately stopped and whispered to Lorelei.
She nodded and carefully peeked as well—
There were clearly two opposing groups: three in red uniforms, and three in blue.
Team Magma.
Team Aqua.
Both sides—and their Pokémon—looked exhausted. The battlefield was littered with signs of prior combat.
Yet, for now, they simply stared each other down, neither side making a move—as if an unspoken truce had been reached.
Seeing this, Liam gestured to Lorelei. The two of them quietly stepped onto the platform, carefully circling around the standoff before continuing upward.
As they advanced toward the summit, the situation repeated itself on every level.
Each pathway was guarded by Team Magma and Team Aqua members. Security was extremely tight.
But thanks to Zorua's illusion ability, Liam and Lorelei passed by them multiple times without being noticed.
And just like that—they reached the summit of Mt. Chimney.
...….
Mt. Chimney, being an extinct volcano, had long since cooled internally. Over the years, human activity had left its mark.
Now, at the end of the mountain path, Liam and Lorelei saw a clearly man-made cave entrance—leading into the volcano's interior.
And in front of it—
Two figures, dressed distinctly differently from the ordinary grunts, were commanding their Pokémon in battle.
"Camerupt! Use Flamethrower! Mightyena! Use Fire Fang!"
"Roar!!"
"Grrr!!"
"Hmph! Pathetic tricks! Pelipper, use Hydro Pump! Sealeo, use Brine!"
"Kwaa!!"
"Moo!!"
"Boom boom boom—!"
The battle was intense. Neither side gave way, yet neither could overpower the other.
"Haha! Not bad, Wave! As expected of one of Team Aqua's three commanders—you've got some skill!"
After another exchange, the man in red—clearly from Team Magma—laughed loudly.
"Hmph. Meltfire, is your memory that bad? You've said that dozens of times already today. Can't you come up with something new?"
The man called Wave snorted coldly in response.
"Hahaha! That was a compliment! We've been fighting on and off for so long without a result—what else is there to say? I'm just passing the time! Alright, enough talk—let's continue! Camerupt, Flamethrower! Mightyena, Thunder Fang!"
"Roar!!"
"Grr!!"
"Hahaha! That's more like it—less talking, more fighting! Pelipper, Water Pulse! Sealeo, Powder Snow!"
"Kwaa!!"
"Moo!!"
In the next instant—the battle erupted again!
Watching the fight resume, Liam noticed that the cave entrance was now unguarded.
He immediately gestured to Lorelei.
The two of them quietly crept toward the cave…
Just as Liam reached the entrance—
"Whoosh!"
A small shard of ice suddenly shot toward him. It had clearly been flung from the nearby battle!
Though it was just a tiny fragment—
"Crack!"
With a crisp sound—
Liam, Lorelei, and Zorua's figures suddenly reappeared in front of the cave entrance.
"Damn—it's broken!"
The moment the ice hit him, Liam knew things had gone wrong.
Zorua's illusion was powerful—but it had a fatal flaw: any physical contact would break it.
Even something as insignificant as this!
"?! What the—! You bastards! Who are you?! How did you get here?!"
Their sudden appearance immediately drew attention. Meltfire from Team Magma glared furiously at Liam and shouted.
But Wave from Team Aqua didn't waste a second—he attacked immediately!
"Enough talk! Pelipper! Sealeo! Use Ice Beam!!"
"Kwaa!!"
"Moo!!"
In an instant—
Two blue-white beams of freezing energy shot straight toward Liam!