A few moments later, Unown A also emerged. Using its psychic powers, it explored all the way to the end of the cave and saw the Pokémon sleeping inside.
'There are no problems inside.'
Only then did Shiro relax and enter the cave.
The cave entrance was already quite large, standing more than three meters high. Corviknight only needed to lower its body slightly to get inside, so there was even less of a problem for humans. However, the deeper they went into the pitch-black cave, the taller and wider it became. Eventually, it reached nearly fifteen meters in height, making even Corviknight look somewhat small as it walked through.
The tunnel continued downward. Unown A used its psychic powers to create a light that brightly illuminated their surroundings. The farther they went, the black rocks gradually took on a reddish-brown color, and the energy contained within them also became denser.
As Shiro walked, he carefully sensed their direction. After taking a huge turn, he realized that the depths of this cave were actually much closer to Mt. Chimney.
The temperature gradually rose until Shiro began to feel hot enough to sweat.
The rocks around them had already turned bright red. Some were even covered with cracks, through which crystal-clear magma slowly flowed. They no longer needed Unown A's psychic light. The fiery magma glowing through the cracks was enough to illuminate the entire tunnel.
A few doubts and guesses surfaced in Shiro's mind.
'Could this path lead all the way to the bottom of Mt. Chimney? Could I even see Groudon?'
Shiro had originally thought this was just an ordinary tunnel. He had even assumed that its endpoint might be quite far from Mt. Chimney. The reality, however, was completely different. The Tyranitar colony actually lived in an area close to Mt. Chimney.
The elemental energy here was incredibly dense, making it the perfect place for the Tyranitar colony to feed.
After walking for several more minutes, the tunnel ahead suddenly turned into a chaotic pile of rocks. Black stones jutted out in all directions, making the path extremely uneven. It was completely different from the relatively smooth tunnel they had traveled through before.
There were no cracks on the surface either, nor were there any traces of flowing magma.
Unown A stopped there, and Shiro stopped as well.
Under its psychic perception, the sleeping "rocks" were quickly examined.
[Name: Pupitar
Type: Rock/Dark
Level: 42 (Gym)
Ability: Shed Skin
Held Item: None
Moves: Tackle, Rock Throw, Rock Slide, Sandstorm, Earthquake...]
The sleeping "rocks" scattered throughout the tunnel were actually Pupitar. Their entire bodies were covered in hard gray-blue shells, with many stone-like spikes growing from their bodies.
Their eyes were blood-red. They saw through two holes in their shells, while another two triangular holes sat above their eyes.
At the moment, all of the Pupitar had their eyes closed and were clearly resting.
Overall, Pupitar looked like a giant stone insect cocoon.
As the first stage of Tyranitar's evolutionary line, Pupitar's main goal was to accumulate enough energy. It was similar to many Bug-type Pokémon in this regard, waiting for the moment when it could finally break out of its cocoon.
The difference was that Bug-type Pokémon had short and fast growth cycles, while Tyranitar's growth cycle was much longer and its potential was far greater.
Its final evolution, Tyranitar, would reach at least Elite-level. A wild Tyranitar was not something an ordinary trainer could control.
Shiro was extremely satisfied and motioned for Unown A to continue forward.
There were roughly a dozen Pupitar, all of them sleeping as they accumulated energy. After waking up, they should eat the rocks around them that had been saturated with Groudon's energy before going back to sleep.
Although the energy's type did not perfectly match theirs, they were not absorbing it directly. After eating the rocks and spending a long time sleeping and digesting them, they could turn that energy into their own.
The Tyranitar leader should be nearby.
Feeling somewhat excited, Shiro quickened his pace.
This was the highest-level Pokémon he had encountered in the wild since becoming a trainer. Perhaps even wild Pokémon throughout the entire Pokémon world rarely exceeded this level.
At the very least, according to the old hag Agatha, she had never seen a wild Pokémon at the Champion-level.
Wild Pokémon with Champion-level potential were simply too rare. They were either captured and raised by humans from an early age, or they failed to survive because their growth cycles were too long.
As for ordinary Pokémon, reaching the Champion-level still required the help of a trainer.
Shiro wiped the sweat from his face and asked Unown A beside him, "A, how much farther?"
'Hmm...'
Unown A sensed the area for a moment before answering, 'A little over a hundred meters. We'll be there soon.'
With that, it simply used Teleport.
Their figures flickered slightly where they stood before disappearing without a trace.
In the blink of an eye, Shiro's figure reappeared on a vast rocky platform.
"So this is..."
Before he could finish speaking, the sight before him left him stunned.
The rocky platform ahead was roughly the size of a regular battlefield. At its far end, however, there was a massive flow of magma that looked like a huge waterfall.
The crimson magma completely filled his field of vision. It was as if this place were merely a tiny window that allowed him to glimpse an entire world of magma.
A rocky ledge stretched out like a cliff and was constantly washed by the scorching magma below. Standing on that ledge was a tall Pokémon that resembled Groudon.
The Pokémon looked tiny against the vast magma waterfall, yet as it endured the endless flow of magma, it somehow appeared incredibly imposing.
"Is that Tyranitar?" Shiro muttered under his breath and used his psychic powers to look again.
The first thing he saw through the magma was a massive head that seemed to fill the entire cavern. Its crimson face was hidden behind the vast magma waterfall, and its eyes were tightly closed.
An enormous invisible aura washed over his mind like magma. The might of an ancient god surged straight into the depths of his consciousness. Even merely looking at it brought an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Groudon!
Caught completely off guard, Shiro almost shouted the name aloud. His mind became more tense than it had ever been.
The God of the Land!
The true deity who created the land and held the power of the world!
This rocky tunnel was actually a simple passage leading directly to Groudon.
"Tyraaanitar!"
A deep growl came from nearby.
Shiro barely managed to calm himself before looking toward that somewhat small figure again.
Standing before Groudon's head and facing the rushing magma, Tyranitar slowly turned around. Wrapped in bright orange-red energy, it looked almost exactly like a smaller version of Groudon.
The former Lord of the Desert now carried the blazing heat of fire. As it stepped forward, scorching sand began to stir along the edge of the rocky platform.
[Name: Tyranitar
Type: Rock/Dark
Level: 58 (Elite)
Ability: Sand Stream
Held Item: None
Moves: Tackle, Fire Fang, Leer, Stomping Tantrum, Hyper Beam, Rock Throw, Rock Slide, Sandstorm, Earthquake, Giga Impact...
Status: ???]
The moment he finished checking its level, Unown A urgently warned him, 'Shiro! It's coming!'
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