Theo opened his map once again, sliding his finger slowly across the screen before selecting another cave marker located to the north.
As he turned to leave, he instinctively glanced back in the direction where the Torkoal had been earlier.
The steam had already dissipated. The Torkoal's figure had vanished into the depths of the passageway, leaving behind only a few scattered embers on the ground that had yet to extinguish, flickering faintly amid the rolling heatwaves.
With Milotic and Metang accompanying him, Theo retraced his steps and exited the cave.
When the sunlight shone on him again, he realized that his back had already been soaked through with sweat. The temperature inside the cave had been far more troublesome than he had imagined.
"Let's take a break and replenish some fluids."
Theo took out his water flask and drank a few mouthfuls. He then gave Milotic and Metang some restorative medicine to help them recover their stamina and energy.
"You've both worked hard. There are still other caves we need to explore."
Milotic had already dispersed her water sphere. She gently nudged Theo's palm with her head, as if to say, "It's nothing."
Metang hovered quietly in midair, its red eyes scanning the surroundings, already fully prepared for whatever lay ahead.
After a brief rest, Theo recalled Milotic and continued walking toward the next cave while accompanying Metang in practicing its magnetic levitation control along the way.
Over the next two days, Theo's exploration route remained focused on the mid-to-upper cave regions of Mt. Chimney.
As the altitude increased, the temperature grew increasingly scorching.
The smell of sulfur in the air became so thick it seemed impossible to disperse. The rocks beneath his feet darkened steadily in color, and from time to time he could see magma seeping through exposed cracks in the rock layers.
During these two days, Theo had ventured deep into dozens of caves of varying sizes, yet the target Pokémon remained nowhere to be found.
More often than not, the Pokémon residing in the depths of those caves were not the Magmar or Vulpix he had anticipated.
In the magma lakes at the deepest points of the caves, he mostly encountered Magcargo. Fortunately, their temperament was far better than Torkoal's.
Whenever they saw Theo's group, they merely watched warily with their black, bean-like eyes and rarely initiated attacks.
Compared to the fiercely territorial Torkoal, they were far more mild-mannered.
Theo made no attempt to disturb them. He simply withdrew with Metang and Milotic each time.
Yesterday, he had entered an unusually stifling, large cave.
White smoke filled the interior, reducing visibility to less than five meters. The air temperature was astonishingly high—so high that even the water sphere Milotic created was constantly evaporating, its surface bubbling with fine streams of vapor.
He had initially believed that such an extreme environment might be the nest of a Magmar, and his heart had stirred with anticipation.
But when he rounded a rock wall, the sight before him instantly extinguished that hope.
An abnormally massive Torkoal was resting beside the central magma pool.
Its body was more than twice the size of the Torkoal he had previously encountered, and it was enveloped in an unceasing shroud of white smoke.
The system panel displayed information different from before—the white smoke filling the cave was caused by its ability:
[Ability: White Smoke (Covered in white smoke that prevents its stats from being lowered by an opponent's moves or abilities.)]
Aside from being much larger than the earlier Torkoal, it also knew many more moves. Among them was one particular move that made Theo's pupils contract sharply.
[Fissure: Shakes the ground and causes the opponent to fall into a deep crack. If it hits, it results in an instant knockout.]
Theo only spared it a brief glance before immediately signaling Metang to act.
Metang understood at once. Its psychic power erupted instantly, lifting both Theo and Milotic and silently pulling them backward, as though guided by an invisible hand, swiftly retreating out of the cave.
This was inside a cavern—if they truly angered that Torkoal and were forced into battle, the danger would be considerable.
After experiencing the previous conflict, Theo understood all too well how obsessed Torkoal were with defending their territory.
Since it was not his target Pokémon, there was no need to risk provoking a massive creature that had mastered the one-hit knockout move "Fissure."
The only encounters over these two days that brought even slight variation were the occasional sightings of Camerupt.
These large, sturdy beasts strode across the scorching rocks on thick, powerful limbs. Hot air tinged with sparks puffed from their nostrils, and the small volcano-like humps on their backs bubbled steadily.
However, they were not Theo's objective. Each time he encountered one, he chose to detour far away with Metang to avoid unnecessary confrontation.
What concerned Theo the most was still the trail of Vulpix.
Over the past two days, he had seen exactly two.
The first had appeared at the entrance of a cave covered in black volcanic ash.
That Vulpix had a bright orange-red coat, its six tails fluffy as cotton. It had been sitting atop a rock warmed by the sunlight, licking its paw—an adorably serene sight.
Theo's heart stirred, but the system panel displayed its ability as "Flash Fire."
His steps halted. After gazing at it quietly from a distance for a few moments, he left silently with Metang.
The second Vulpix appeared near a steaming sulfur spring.
Its fur was slightly duller in color, as though it had just been playing in the hot spring waters. It was shaking droplets from its tails, thin wisps of white vapor still clinging to its nose.
Theo held his breath as he observed it. The system once again displayed the ability "Flash Fire." He let out a soft sigh and refrained from approaching.
What Theo sought was a Vulpix with the hidden ability Drought—not the ordinary Flash Fire ability.
As for Magmar, there had not been even the faintest trace of one during these two days.
Theo had even deliberately detoured to several "suspected potential Magmar habitats" marked in Devon Corporation's data.
Yet those lava fields contained nothing but solidified magma and rocks burned into charcoal-black husks. There was no sign whatsoever of Magmar.
In truth, Theo harbored a suspicion.
A few days ago, when Beldum had evolved into Metang, he might have actually encountered a Magmar.
At the bottom of that rocky pit, there was a strong possibility that a Magmar had been hiding beneath the magma.
Both Milotic and Metang had sensed an anomaly below the lava at the time. Unfortunately, despite their attacks on the cavern, the opponent had never revealed itself.
In the days since, while traveling, Theo had intentionally chosen to camp near areas with magma.
He deliberately allowed the aroma of cooked food to drift toward the lava pits, hoping to lure out any Magmar that might be lurking nearby.
Yet he had gained nothing.
"This is way too difficult to find."
On the morning of the third day, Theo sat beneath a relatively cool rock, chewing on compressed biscuits, and couldn't help muttering to Metang.
Metang hovered before him. Its red eyes blinked once, as though responding to his frustration.
It then let out a short, low hum and gently rubbed its head against the back of his hand in a gesture of reassurance.
"Forget it. Let's head further up. Maybe we'll find something near the summit."
Theo patted Metang's metallic shell and stood up.
After two days of climbing, they were not far from the summit of Mt. Chimney.
Looking up, he could faintly see thick smoke swirling around the mountain peak—the iconic sign of the lava lake at the summit.
Theo packed his backpack and set off once more. The closer they drew to the peak, the steeper the mountain path became.
Fortunately, with Metang's psychic power assisting them, it could not only easily lift Theo across narrow rock fissures but also detect in advance whether there were dangerous geothermal eruption points ahead.
(End of Chapter)