This aura… it was clearly at the peak of Gym-level strength. Volcarona once had the same presence when it was still at the Gym level. Nathan could feel it coming from the Arbok-like creature, so he was certain.
Not far away, Nathan also spotted a corpse.
A Pidgeotto's corpse.
Judging from the wounds and traces of venom on the body…
It was clear this was the reason for Pidgeot's rage.
That Pidgeotto must have been its offspring—killed by the Arbok. No wonder Pidgeot was so furious.
"That Arbok shouldn't be a match for Pidgeot. What should we do now?" Lily tugged on Nathan's sleeve and asked in a whisper.
"Let me think," Nathan replied calmly.
At the moment, the best option seemed to be heading directly to the Salac Berry tree to pick the fruit. Although Pidgeot was at the Elite Four level, judging from the Arbok's strength, which was only at the peak of the Gym level, it wouldn't die so quickly.
The battle would likely last a while.
While they fought, he could take the opportunity to pick the fruit and leave. It was risky, but all gains come with risk.
Soon—
Nathan made his decision.
He patted Lily on the shoulder and said in a serious tone, "Wait here. I'm going over."
"Are you sure about this? What if both of them attack you?" Lily asked worriedly.
"Don't worry. Pidgeot and Arbok already don't get along. Now that Arbok killed its child, there's no way they'd team up," Nathan said in a low voice.
"Alright… Be careful."
Lily nodded. She wasn't strong enough to help and could only stay behind and wait.
Without hesitation, Nathan stepped out from the bushes.
The two Pokémon, who were already in a tense standoff, immediately noticed him and looked over simultaneously.
"Piiiii~!"
Pidgeot flapped its wings, sending out a wave of air. From its tone, Nathan could roughly understand its meaning.
It was telling him to leave.
It seemed worried that he'd get caught up in the fight and be injured.
Nathan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Pidgeot. I'm here to help you. Let's work together to defeat that Arbok. In return, you give me some Salac Berry. How about it?"
Though Pidgeot had the strength to beat the Arbok, the Arbok's venom was no joke.
Once touched by that venom, even Pidgeot could be in serious danger.
And in this secret realm, Salac Berry was something many Pokémon desired.
There were also plenty of Gym-level Pokémon lurking about.
If Pidgeot were seriously wounded, others wouldn't stand idly by.
Pokémon above Gym-level weren't dumb. In fact, their intelligence often matched or surpassed that of adult humans.
Rather than fight alone for the fruit, Nathan thought it better to take the initiative and form an alliance with Pidgeot. Maybe even form a long-term bond.
If he just snatched some fruit now, it would be a one-time gain.
But if he partnered with Pidgeot, he could have a steady supply.
That was why Nathan stepped forward.
"Piii~"
Pidgeot's sharp eagle eyes stared at Nathan, a hint of contemplation flashing through them.
It was very intelligent.
Although it was furious, it wasn't reckless. Defeating the Arbok wasn't the hard part—the venom was what it feared. That venom was lethal. Many wild Pokémon had died to Arbok venom. Without a specialized antidote, the only fate was death.
If it got poisoned, it could lose its position as ruler of this secret realm.
And the Salac Berry tree would likely be taken by others.
"Pii!"
Pidgeot quickly made its decision and nodded slightly to Nathan, though suspicion remained in its eyes. It wasn't sure if this human really had the qualifications to fight alongside it.
Just then—
Whoosh!
A sharp sound sliced through the air.
"Pii!"
Pidgeot cried out in warning and flew toward Nathan at high speed.
At that moment, Arbok suddenly lunged at Nathan without hesitation. Its massive body sprang forward, maw open wide, revealing venom-coated fangs radiating a mysterious energy.
It was the Dark-type move—Crunch.
If it landed, Nathan would be dead in one hit.
As the attack came flying—
Nathan's expression remained calm. He showed no panic, didn't even say a word.
But around his neck, a Pokéball he was holding began to glow red. A powerful aura burst forth—
Scorching flames surged into the air.
The sky instantly turned clear and bright.
The weather had abruptly shifted into intense sunlight.
"Vol-caa~!"
Volcarona let out a furious cry. This thing dared to sneak attack its Trainer? It was enraged. Without hesitation, it broke free from the Pokéball on its own.
Fiery energy condensed into a giant flaming kanji.
It was the powerful Fire-type move—Fire Blast.
Boom!
Just as Arbok neared Nathan, it was blasted head-on by Fire Blast.
The immense power sent Arbok flying, its body engulfed in flames. The burning had a lingering effect too.
This wasn't just Volcarona's overwhelming strength—it was also empowered by the sunny weather.
Volcarona had dual Abilities. Nathan had purchased a "Trait Fruit" from the system store in the past, allowing a Pokémon to awaken up to two Abilities.
One of the awakened traits was Drought.
As long as Volcarona willed it, it could change the weather to bright sunlight at any time.
Under sunny conditions, Fire-type moves are boosted by 1.5x.
Needless to say, the power of that attack left Arbok writhing in pain and screaming.
Its massive body rolled on the ground, clearly suffering.
Pidgeot was stunned. It couldn't wrap its head around it—this human… had such a powerful Pokémon?
Even Pidgeot felt fear just from witnessing the fire move's power.
It instinctively shrank its neck back.
If it got hit by that attack… it would definitely hurt.
"Kachaa!!"
Arbok, despite being at the Gym peak level, managed to hold on after taking the Fire Blast. It glared at Volcarona, furious.
But then—it launched a venomous needle from its mouth, aimed not at Volcarona, but at Nathan behind it.
"Buu-dooo!"
Volcarona's blue eyes glowed, and a Light Screen appeared in front of Nathan, blocking the poisonous strike.
Though Volcarona couldn't naturally learn Psychic-type moves, a few of them could still be learned via TM.
Light Screen was one of them.
"Volcarona, finish it—Incinerate!"
Nathan commanded in a deep voice.
In the wild, Arbok-type Pokémon were among the biggest threats to humans. They were sinister and ruthless, often attacking Trainers directly during battle.
So, Nathan had no intention of showing mercy. He intended to kill.
"Vol-caa~!"
Volcarona responded. Its wings flared, and searing flames swept toward Arbok.
A sudden gale picked up, fueling the fire into a blazing inferno that instantly engulfed Arbok.
Agonized screams rang out from within the flames.
Moments later, a system prompt sounded in Nathan's ears:
[Your Pokémon 'Volcarona' has won the battle. Gained '---' experience points. Current Level: 51!]
The searing flames nearly painted the sky red.
Thankfully, under Volcarona's control, the fire quickly died down.
The area was scorched black, with only a small portion of Arbok's charred corpse remaining. The rest had been reduced to ashes.
"Panchaa!"
'So strong…'
The mischievous Pancham stared up at the blazing Volcarona in awe, its eyes sparkling with admiration.
Even Lily, hidden in the grass, was stunned. She had expected Nathan's first Pokémon to be strong and rare—but not this strong.
This was Elite Four level, right?
A high schooler, not even in college yet, already had an Elite-tier Pokémon? If word got out...
The entire trending feed tomorrow would be about Nathan.
And the Pokémon was none other than Volcarona.
Volcarona!
Lily had never seen one in person, but she had read about it.
According to lore, it was comparable to legendary Pokémon.
The flame of the sun itself—Volcarona.
No one would dare to underestimate its talent and potential.
Ancient ruins even featured murals of Volcarona.
It had been worshipped by people of old as the God of Fire.
"This pressure… It's Elite level!"