Volcarona gently flapped its wings toward Fire Vulpix, releasing a soft glow of warm red scales that slowly drifted down and landed on the little fox, making its fur shine even more brightly.
Fire Vulpix immediately let out an excited cry and bounced happily into Volcarona's embrace.
Volcarona caught it with two of its claws, then used another pair of claws to scoop up Ice Vulpix beside it.
Now it could finally hold both little foxes at the same time, just like Theo used to do. Back when it was still a Larvesta, it had never been able to manage that.
Volcarona lowered its head and rubbed gently against Ice Vulpix and Fire Vulpix in its arms. Its wings flapped softly, and its blue eyes narrowed in contentment.
One felt warm, the other cool and refreshing. Just as its trainer had once said, holding them like this was truly comfortable.
At the same time, over on the other side, Deino stared at the now massive Volcarona, then looked down at its own small body. Suddenly, it ran up to Theo, hugged his leg, and began acting spoiled.
It let out little cries as if saying,
"I want to evolve too. I have to become even bigger than Larvesta, or I will not be able to beat it."
Seeing that this rebellious little subordinate had such grand ambitions, Volcarona immediately decided to "help" it. With a single flap of its wings, a wave of scorching heat rushed forward.
Deino yelped in fright and immediately hid behind Theo, no longer daring to act bold.
Watching this lively scene, Professor Birch and Professor Oak exchanged a glance and smiled, their eyes filled with satisfaction.
"It is getting late. Professor Oak and I should be heading back. We will not disturb you and your Pokémon any longer."
Professor Oak nodded as well and reminded Theo,
"Do not forget our agreement. Make sure to contact me when the time comes so I can introduce you to Ash."
After saying their farewells, Professor Oak and Professor Birch prepared to leave.
Charizard and Metagross had already reverted from their Mega Evolution forms and were now gathered together with Dragonite and Pidgeot, whispering among themselves.
It turned out the three of them were arguing about who would carry passengers on the return trip.
In the end, they decided to settle it with a staring contest. Whoever blinked first would lose and would be responsible for carrying the others.
After agreeing on the rules, Dragonite, Pidgeot, and Charizard all widened their eyes and stared at each other without moving.
After quite some time, seeing that Dragonite and Pidgeot were completely still, Charizard suddenly came up with a crafty idea.
"Ah… ah… achoo!"
Charizard sneezed loudly, instantly startling the other two.
Naturally, both Dragonite and Pidgeot blinked in shock and lost the contest.
Neither of them accepted the result. How could it be played like that? It was clearly cheating. They immediately demanded a rematch.
Charizard, however, started arguing in its own crooked logic.
"Was it not about keeping your eyes open? You two blinked first. I just sneezed because dust got into my nose. Losing is losing. How can you try to go back on it?"
"Alright, alright, you are the clever one. You can fly freely on your own. Dragonite and Pidgeot, come here."
Professor Oak had already been waiting with Professor Birch for quite a while and had no patience to watch another round. He simply decided the outcome on the spot.
Charizard flapped its wings proudly and soared into the sky, circling twice as if mocking Dragonite and Pidgeot.
The two of them continued arguing while blaming each other for letting Charizard take advantage of the situation. Even so, they still lowered their bodies to let the two professors climb onto their backs before spreading their wings and flying toward the League headquarters.
"See you!"
Theo waved his hand, only lowering it after their figures disappeared into the clouds.
As he watched Dragonite and Pidgeot vanish into the distance, Volcarona's eyes rolled slightly. It set down the Ice Vulpix and Fire Vulpix from its arms.
Then it excitedly flapped its wings, flew up to Theo, tapped his arm with its wing, and pointed at itself with its claw.
Clearly, it wanted to carry its trainer just like Dragonite and Pidgeot had done.
"Are you sure you can do it?"
Theo hesitated slightly. After all, Volcarona had only just evolved, and he was not certain whether it could carry someone steadily in flight.
Seeing that its trainer doubted it, Volcarona immediately raised its head proudly and flapped its three pairs of massive wings with confidence, as if saying,
"These wings are not just for show. Of course I can carry you."
It kept urging Theo to climb on, its proud attitude making him laugh. In the end, Theo stopped refusing. He grabbed onto the soft fur on Volcarona's back and carefully climbed up.
Volcarona truly lived up to its size. Its back was broad and stable. Sitting on it felt steady and secure, without the slightest wobble.
"Vuu! Vuuu!"
Seeing this, Fire Vulpix and Ice Vulpix immediately ran in circles around Volcarona, crying out and acting spoiled. They wanted to get on as well.
Of course, Volcarona would not refuse. It nodded, signaling for them to climb up.
The two little foxes immediately broke into happy smiles, their eyes curving into crescent shapes as their tails wagged rapidly.
One on each side, they hopped onto Volcarona's back and sat obediently beside Theo.
At the same time, while the two Vulpix were climbing up, Deino had already sneakily circled around behind Volcarona.
Just as its claws touched Volcarona's back, Volcarona immediately sensed it. It turned around sharply and lowered its head, staring directly at Deino.
Deino quickly withdrew its claws, turned its back deliberately, and pretended that it was not interested in riding at all, muttering to itself,
"I do not want to ride anyway. That big fat dragon earlier was better. It could carry all four of us, and it was stable and fast. Truly impressive."
Hearing this, Volcarona could not tolerate it at all. It instantly appeared in front of Deino and gestured for it to get on quickly, its eyes seeming to say,
"Hmph, that big fat dragon only has a pair of tiny wings. If it can carry four, then with my three pairs of wings, carrying eight would not even be a problem."
Deino secretly rejoiced, pleased that its plan had worked, but it still kept up its act, grumbling that it would reluctantly try sitting on it just to see whether it was comfortable.
After Deino settled down, Volcarona was just about to take off when suddenly, a pair of amber eyes appeared right in front of it, blinking as they stared directly at it.
It was Tyrantrum.
Having heard Volcarona's earlier boast about being able to carry eight, Tyrantrum had immediately done the math. That meant it could easily be included as well. It could finally ride Volcarona and fly.
Seeing those large eyes fixed on it, Volcarona glanced over Tyrantrum's massive body and instantly shuddered.
(End of Chapter)