Standing up above, you can clearly see Firespit Island, and the waves won't crash directly at your feet, indeed more suitable than Ginkgo Landing itself.
"Let's go up there and have a look."
The two of them mounted Wyrdeer again, trekking upward along the slope.
This time they didn't search for long, about ten minutes later, Ash spotted a figure up high.
It was a young woman.
Her chestnut hair was noticeably curly, swaying in the sea breeze, and her clothing bore distinct Pearl Clan features.
She was standing at the edge of the high ground, her gaze crossed the sea, looking towards the distant Firespit Island.
And at her feet...
Lay a Pokemon that neither Ash nor Cynthia had ever seen before.
The little creature indeed resembled some kind of canine Pokemon.
But its hair on top of its head and around its face was extremely lush, with large swathes of gray-white long fur almost covering its entire eyes, and equally fluffy fur growing around its neck, hanging down to its sides.
Its orange-red body had some similarities to a modern Growlithe.
But just a first glance showed stark differences.
"Are you Warden Palina?"
Hearing the voice, the young woman turned around.
She first glanced at Ash and Cynthia, then at the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder, quickly guessing their identities.
"You must be Ash and Cynthia, Captain Irida had already sent someone to inform me about you yesterday."
"I heard that you were the ones who pacified Kleavor and the Lilligant, now in both teams there are people who even call you the strongest siblings in Hisui."
Cynthia: "..."
Ash: "..."
Pikachu: "Pika?"
The strongest siblings in Hisui?
What kind of silly title is that?
Cynthia's lips twitched slightly.
In her years of being a Champion, she had heard various titles, countless similar ones.
Sinnoh Champion, Strongest Female Trainer, Battle Goddess, she's heard so many like those.
And now, a thousand years ago... the strongest siblings in Hisui?
Who came up with that! It sounds so ridiculous!
"Ahem."
Cynthia naturally ignored that title, her gaze landed on the little creature at Palina's feet: "Warden Palina, this Pokemon is..."
"He's a Growlithe, the child left by the previous king."
"Growlithe?!"
Ash and Cynthia spoke almost simultaneously.
Pikachu also tilted its head.
"Pika?"
Is this thing... a Growlithe?
Don't they all know what modern Growlithe look like?
The body structure of this little one indeed had some similarities, but the overgrown fur that almost covered its entire face, and the long fur hanging from its neck...
If no one told them the name beforehand, Ash wouldn't have recognized it at first glance.
"Woof!"
The Growlithe seemed to hear the doubt in their voices.
The little creature immediately stood up, barking seriously at Ash.
What? Don't I look like it?!
"Sorry, sorry."
Ash waved his hand quickly: "It's not that you don't look like a Growlithe, it's just the ones we've seen before look quite different from you."
"Pika pika."
Pikachu nodded quickly too.
It's really not about you! It's just the first time we've seen such a view!
Palina didn't find it strange.
"Captain Irida mentioned you are from overseas, and Growlithe aren't particularly common even in Hisui."
"Most live near the Cobalt Coastlands, it's normal for you not to have seen a Growlithe like this."
Cynthia nodded slightly, still clearly interested.
"So this is also a unique form of the Hisui Region."
The previous Typhlosion.
Samurott, Lilligant, and now Growlithe.
Even Pokemon that still exist in modern times might have completely different appearances and attributes in this era.
"What attribute is this Growlithe?"
Ash couldn't help but ask.
"Fire Attribute and Rock Attribute."
Palina directly gave the answer.
Sure enough, it's changed again!
Modern Growlithe only has a Fire Attribute, whereas the Hisui Growlithe has both Fire and Rock Attributes.
Ash looked at the little creature before him, becoming even more curious about what an Arcanine from the Hisui Region would look like.
But unfortunately, the previous king had already died, and no new king had been born yet.
Thinking of this, Ash quickly redirected his focus to the main issue.
"Warden Palina, when exactly did the other Growlithe go missing?"
At this question, Palina's face visibly became more downcast.
She lowered her head, stroking the head of the king's offspring beside her, then told them about what happened that night.
"Though I've always cared for them, I wouldn't restrict the two kids to my side every moment, they often roam around nearby, and that night was no different."
"But when I prepared to call them out together the next morning, this little guy was still here, while the other Growlithe had already disappeared."
"At first, I thought he'd just run off to play and would return later, but after a while, he still didn't come back, I realized something was wrong."
"We later found some traces left by strangers in the distance, leading us to believe he was likely taken away."
After Pearl Clan got the news, they quickly mobilized all available Pearl Clan members in the Cobalt Coastlands.
These people have already searched large stretches of land.
Yet, till now, they've still come up empty-handed.
"Are there any places you haven't searched yet?"
"Firespit Island."
After answering, Palina subconsciously glanced at the distant Volcano Island: "It was where the previous king lived, and few have ventured there since the king's passing."
"Also, the missing Growlithe also has Fire and Rock Attributes, making it nearly impossible for him to swim across such a vast sea on his own, so we haven't made Firespit Island a primary search area."
Ash and Cynthia exchanged a glance.
Precisely because it seemed logical not to suspect Firespit Island, it became more worth checking.
If Growlithe was indeed taken away, then whether or not it could swim over wasn't important at all.
Whoever took Growlithe only needed the means to traverse the sea.
As for the notion that the king's resting place couldn't be intruded upon easily... for those who truly respected the king, this indeed couldn't be overstated.
But who says those who took the Growlithe respect this rule?
"Let's start by tracking then."
Cynthia didn't assert the Growlithe was on Firespit Island: "Captain Irida said you kept some of the Growlithe's fur that had fallen out when it went missing?"
"Yes."
Palina immediately pulled out a small tuft of orange-red fluff from a small bag she carried with her: "It fell out when he was shedding fur before, I casually saved some back then, not expecting it to come in handy now."
"That's enough."
Cynthia took the fluff and then took out the Celestica Flute.
She had already learned the melody required to summon Ursaluna from Xipu.
The low, drawn-out flute sound soon spread from the high ground into the distance.
Seconds later, the ground began to shake slightly.
"Boom!"
Nearby, soil suddenly arched upwards, large clumps of earth scattering to the sides, as Ursaluna's massive form emerged from underground.
"Roar~"
Once returned to normal, Ursaluna reverted noticeably to its typically gentle nature.
He first nuzzled beside Cynthia, then glanced at Ash nearby.
"We'll trouble you again."
Cynthia pet Ursaluna's head, holding the fluff near his nose: "This time it's not for finding treasure, we need you to help track the scent left by this Growlithe."
Ursaluna dipped his head, his nose twitching lightly around the fluff.
"Roar."
The scent was remembered.
Ash also squatted down beside Ursaluna.
"This area must have lots of scents belonging to him before, so there's no rush, let's start slowly from where he usually lived."
The missing Growlithe had always lived in the Cobalt Coastlands.
It naturally couldn't have just one scent trail belonging to him nearby.
The real need was to confirm the movement routes left around the time he went missing.
Palina led them to the area where the two Growlithe usually rested and played.