Early the next morning.
Ethan was awakened ahead of time by an overly excited Charmeleon.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming..."
Ethan rubbed his eyes helplessly.
After washing up quickly and having all his Pokémon eat breakfast, he headed with Charmeleon toward the Volcanic Secret Kingdom.
Since the Volcanic Secret Kingdom of Pyros City was also known as the Charizard Sanctuary, Pyros City itself had earned the nickname Charizard City.
Moreover, the people of Pyros City had strong and straightforward personalities. Within the city, releasing Pokémon was not prohibited; although, of course, overly large or fierce-looking Pokémon were still banned from urban areas.
Ethan walked through the streets with Charmeleon, and now and then he saw a few students with a Charmander or Charmeleon following behind them.
The residents of Pyros City, as long as they met strict requirements, had the opportunity to receive a Charmander as their starter Pokémon. This made Ethan feel somewhat envious: having a good starter made the trainer's journey much easier.
As he continued toward the city center, Ethan finally reached Charizard Plaza, where the entrance to the Volcanic Secret Kingdom was located, right on the central platform.
"Hello, my name is Ethan, I have a reservation for entering the Secret Kingdom today. Here are my ID and my pass." Ethan said as he approached the platform.
"Ethan, right?"
"Perfect, I found your information. Please step onto the sanctuary platform. We will open the entrance."
After carefully verifying the information, the staff member gestured for him to step on.
Ethan stepped onto it with Charmeleon. The staff activated the opening device: a beam shot out, disappeared into the air above the platform, and immediately, spatial ripples formed in the sky, expanding to envelop Ethan and Charmeleon.
In an instant, when Ethan opened his eyes, he was already in a valley.
Looking up at the sky, a red, blazing sun hung high above. Combined with the nearby volcanic crater and the huge number of Fire-type Pokémon living there, the temperature of the Secret Kingdom was extraordinarily high.
Ethan then released all his Pokémon, removed his outer clothing, and stayed only in his light undershirt; only then did he feel a slight relief from the suffocating heat.
"CHARRZZ!"
"CHAARRZZ!"
"CHAARRZZ!"
Sensing that someone had invaded their territory, three Charizard descended from the volcano with several roars, circling in the air while observing Ethan with scrutinizing eyes.
Only when they saw the Charmeleon beside him did their hostility lessen a bit, though they remained cautious.
"Zzzt!"
Meltan floated beside Ethan. Now being the strongest Pokémon on the team, it naturally took responsibility for protecting him.
Vibrava also positioned itself behind Ethan, gently beating its wings. A current of air kept him floating, and as the defensive core, it activated its three detection abilities: sonic echo, airflow reading, and vibration sensing, ready for any danger.
Ethan placed Shuckle on his shoulder, picked up Riolu, and with Vibrava's Levitate ability, advanced lightly toward the mountain.
Although this Secret Kingdom had already been developed by the League, and it had reached an agreement with the Charizard King of the area...
Even so, the volcano's crater was the species' nesting grounds. Any trainer who wished to reach it and use the fiery energy of the crater to evolve their Charmeleon had to pass certain trials; this was how the Charizard demonstrated their authority within the Secret Kingdom.
Boom, boom, boom!
Ethan had barely moved forward when a deep rumble echoed. A Graveler blocked the path leading to the crater.
"So the first trial is defeating this Graveler?"
Ethan observed it with interest. Perhaps from living in a Volcanic Secret Kingdom all its life, Graveler's skin was so dark it looked as if it had been scorched by fire.
"Chaarmeell!" Charmeleon grew excited, the flame on his tail flaring sharply.
"Charmeleon, leave this battle to your teammates."
Ethan patted his head and then set Shuckle down on the ground.
"Shuck!"
Shuckle was thrilled; after so much training, he was finally going to have a real battle.
"Groooh!"
Graveler looked at him with disdain. It slammed the ground forcefully, the earth trembling violently, frightening Shuckle, who quickly retreated into his shell, peeking out only with his head.
Ethan levitated to avoid the tremor and gave the command: "Shuckle, use Hidden Power!"
"Shuckle!"
Knowing the opponent would be troublesome, Shuckle opened his mouth and began accumulating as much Grass-type energy as possible.
His body emitted a faint green glow, and a large amount of pure energy burst out from his shell, gathering in his mouth.
Within seconds, a green sphere formed and began expanding... until, to Ethan's surprise, it became larger than Graveler itself! The energy it radiated was terrifying.
"Grooooh!"
Feeling uneasy, Graveler roared, rolled forward, and used Rollout, planning to crush the small opponent head-on.
But Shuckle launched the enormous sphere.
In the middle of the field, both attacks collided.
BOOOOOOM!!
The explosion made the ground shake. And a moment later, Graveler's huge body was sent flying, crashing into a rock wall. It stayed there stunned, unable to comprehend how such a tiny Pokémon could produce such a devastating attack.
"Hey, hey! Since when is Shuckle THIS strong?"
Even Ethan was baffled. That attack... could rival Meltan's max-charged Thunderbolt!
(End of chapter)