"It's a Magmar!"
"As expected, Magmar usually inhabit the Secret Kingdoms of the Volcanic Mountain Range."
After clearly distinguishing the figure at the foot of the volcano, Ethan's face lit up with joy. That there happened to be a Magmar in this volcanic Secret Kingdom was truly extraordinary luck.
When Magmar saw that Gengar had destroyed its attack in a single blow, a cautious expression appeared in its eyes as the flames on its body burned even more fiercely.
"Let's first test your strength and see if you're worth capturing. Meltan, this battle is yours. Don't hold back—fight with all your strength."
Ethan spoke to Meltan, who was floating beside him. Since evolution also required a certain level of combat power from the Pokémon, he naturally had no intention of capturing just any random one.
"Zzzt!"
Meltan nodded, and its body, wrapped in crackling electricity, floated toward Magmar.
"Maggarmrr!"
Magmar let out a low roar and took the initiative, opening its mouth to spit out a thick stream of flames.
Meltan did not dodge. Electricity surged across its body, and a bolt shot out—Thunderbolt collided head-on with Flamethrower!
Boom!
With a loud explosion, the two attacks collided. After a brief struggle, Thunderbolt gradually gained the upper hand, pushing the flames back toward Magmar.
Seeing this, Magmar immediately cut off its attack and quickly leaped to the side, causing Thunderbolt to strike the ground in front of it and kick up a cloud of dust.
Whoosh!
In the very next instant, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air, and Magmar's silhouette burst out of the smoke, crashing heavily to the ground.
"Maggarmrr!"
Magmar struggled to its feet after the fall, fixing its gaze on Meltan.
"Good fighting spirit, and your strength isn't bad at all. Then let's test a bit more."
Ethan smiled faintly and ordered Meltan to use Thunderbolt again, causing Magmar to directly lose its ability to fight.
"Go, Poké Ball!"
He took out an empty Poké Ball and threw it. After a brief struggle, the Poké Ball closed completely—Magmar had been successfully captured.
"Capture completed."
Ethan smiled and stepped forward to pick up Magmar's Poké Ball.
Overall, although this Magmar's strength wasn't top-tier, it was still quite good. An average intermediate trainer would truly have no ability to defeat it.
"Let's see if there are any more Magmar around here."
He stored the Poké Ball in his backpack and mounted Charizard, flying toward the volcano's crater.
"As I thought... there are more Magmar?"
Not long after taking off, Ethan discovered another Magmar silhouette.
Without hesitation, he sent Meltan into battle again and quickly captured this second Magmar.
"It seems that the closer they are to the crater, the stronger the Magmar..."
After capturing the second one, Ethan formed a hypothesis and directed his gaze straight toward the crater.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Charizard flapped its wings, generating strong currents of air as it rapidly headed toward the mouth of the volcano.
...
At the same time...
In the Volcanic Mountain Range, Brandon Jones advanced through the region along with his subordinates.
"Is it confirmed? The location of the Secret Kingdom?"
Brandon, riding on his Salamence, asked the man dressed in red beside him.
"Yes, a Secret Kingdom has appeared, but that legendary Pokémon wasn't there. However, that Secret Kingdom is about to manifest. The fire orb I'm carrying has reacted... only that legendary Pokémon could contain such powerful energy."
The man in red was holding a deep crimson pearl, from which blazing light radiated. Along the way, its glow continued to intensify, reaching its peak as they entered the heart of the mountain range.
...
Inside the volcanic Secret Kingdom
"Just as I imagined: the stronger the Magmar, the closer it is to the crater. And this Magmar, bathing directly in magma, is undoubtedly the strongest."
Riding on Charizard, Ethan looked at the Magmar emerging from the magma, covered in lava, with a satisfied expression.
This Magmar, the strongest in the Secret Kingdom, was visibly larger than the others, perfectly meeting his expectations.
"Maggarmrr!"
Magmar roared at Ethan in the air, clearly demanding that he leave.
"That's not going to happen. I came here specifically to capture you."
Ethan smiled and once again sent Meltan into battle.
"Zzzt!"
Meltan also sensed this Magmar's strength. Moreover, being at a clear type disadvantage, it didn't dare lower its guard.
"Maggarmrr!"
Seeing that Ethan had no intention of retreating, Magmar's expression darkened.
Immediately afterward, it expelled a powerful stream of flames from within. A wave of heat surged upward in an instant, and even Ethan, riding on Charizard, felt the temperature spike sharply.
"An incredible pressure... This Magmar is extremely strong. It's probably not inferior to my Charizard!"
Ethan reached this conclusion instantly, and his eyes shone brightly. Wasn't this exactly the Magmar he had been looking for?
"Meltan, use the Electromagnetic Cannon directly!"
Hearing the order, Meltan was momentarily startled, but then quickly nodded.
"Zzzt!"
Electricity began to shine intensely over its body, and its form transformed into that of a long spear.
Magmar immediately sensed the threat. The flames on its body flared violently, and it launched a scorching stream of fire straight at Meltan.
At the same time, Meltan moved. The tip of the spear pointed directly at Magmar, and its body shot forward like a rocket, leaving a trail of electricity in the air as it charged straight into the pillar of fire.
Zzzt
Crack!
The spear, wrapped in electricity, pierced through the pillar of flames in an instant, shattering it completely, and appeared the next moment behind Magmar.
"Maggarmrr!"
Magmar's eyes widened in disbelief, unable to believe that its attack had been destroyed in a single blow.
A sharp pain coursed through its entire body, causing it to stagger backward clumsily before collapsing into a seated position on the ground.
"Oh? You didn't lose your ability to fight immediately?"
Seeing Magmar gasping with difficulty on the ground, Ethan showed a satisfied expression.
"Zzzt!"
Meltan's body was glowing red-hot, but its condition seemed quite good. With some effort, it rose back up and returned to Ethan's side, looking with a hint of surprise at the strongest Magmar in the Secret Kingdom.
That a wild Magmar could possess such strength was truly astonishing!
(End of chapter)