The next morning, after a simple breakfast, Natsui and Erika, accompanied by Gardevoir, Scyther, Eevee, and Erika's Leafeon, began their trek into the mountains.
Charicific Valley was still deep within the mountain range, so they had a long way to go.
At first, the path was wide, but after passing two mountains, it became narrow and steep. A single misstep could send them falling down the cliffs below. The area was filled with bare rocks and very little plant life, making it look very dangerous. That's why they had let their Pokémon out. If anything happened, the Pokémon could make sure they were safe.
They didn't use Charizard or Dragonite to fly them to the top because, as Natsui had said before, climbing a mountain like this was good training for both them and their Pokémon.
Natsui crossed a high, natural stone bridge first. Seeing Erika walking carefully behind him, he naturally held out his hand.
"Be careful. The rocks here are loose. Watch your step."
Erika smiled and took his hand without hesitation. He gently pulled her to the other side. Once she was standing safely, they let go of each other's hands as if nothing had happened. They both felt the unspoken feelings between them, and deep down, both wished for a closer connection.
This was just a small moment. They continued on their way. As they went deeper, Natsui would occasionally check his phone, comparing the direction on the map to his current position to make sure they weren't getting lost.
After climbing over another small mountain, they were about to take a rest when a woman's voice suddenly came from above them.
"Hey, you two down there! You have Pokémon with you, so you must not be ordinary people. Are you trainers?"
They looked up and saw a woman standing on a giant rock, looking down at them. She looked to be in her early twenties, with long, thick green hair tied into a big, messy ponytail. She was wearing red boots, a miniskirt, and a crop top, and she held a strange staff. She had the look of a tough girl.
Because she was standing so high up, from Natsui's angle, he could see her underwear... He swore he wasn't trying to look; it was just an accident.
He coughed, quickly looked away, and asked awkwardly, "Um... who are you?"
The woman chuckled and leaped down from the high rock. She did a few flips in the air, landing on a lower rock, then jumped again. In just a few graceful hops, she landed safely in front of them. Her movements were so smooth and agile, they were almost on par with the ninja girl, Aya.
Before Natsui could say anything, the woman leaned in close and sniffed him. Erika frowned at the action.
"Hee hee..." The woman straightened up and smiled at Natsui. "I smell something very familiar on you. You have a Charizard, don't you?"
She can smell that? Does she have a dog's nose?
Natsui nodded. "Yes, I do have a Charizard."
Up close, the woman was quite pretty. She wore two large, shiny gold earrings. Her muscles were toned, which, combined with her hairstyle, gave her a wild look.
Seeing him confirm it, the woman looked proud. "Hmph, I can always tell if someone has a Charizard just by smelling them. Oh, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Liza, and I'm a Charizard trainer!"
Liza? So it is her.
Natsui remembered there was a female trainer in Charicific Valley who had a powerful Charizard that once gave Ash a lot of trouble. He had wondered if they would meet her, and now here she was.
He gave her a friendly nod. "Hello, I'm Natsui, and this is Erika."
"So it's you!" Liza's eyes lit up when she heard his name. "Clair mentioned you before. She said you have a very strong Charizard. I've been wanting to meet you for a long time. I can't believe I ran into you here!"
"Oh?" Natsui raised an eyebrow. "You know Clair?"
"Of course! We're very good friends. I go to visit her when I have time, and she comes to see me too."
Hearing their conversation, Erika gave Natsui a subtle glance. She wanted to ask, Who's Clair? And she's been wanting to meet you? She also noticed that Liza hadn't said what type of trainer she was, only a "Charizard trainer." Does she only have Charizard? Thinking about the name of the valley, she started to put things together.
Before Natsui could speak again, the woman said excitedly, "If you don't mind, would you like to come with me to Charicific Valley?"
Natsui and Erika looked at each other. Even though they had just met, they could both tell that Liza was a very outgoing person.
"Of course," Natsui said, turning back to her. "Actually, Charicific Valley was my destination all along."
"Huh? It was your destination?" Liza looked surprised. "I thought you were just passing through. What brings you here?"
"I heard the Charizard in the valley are very strong. I came here to train my own Charizard and see how it measures up."
"I see," Liza laughed loudly. "Then you've come to the right place! The Charizard in the valley are all wild, but every single one of them is incredibly strong! And did you know, not long ago, another trainer left his Charizard here too!"
Liza was probably talking about Ash. The last time Natsui saw him, his Charizard wasn't with him. The timing seemed about right.
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