"I've already contacted a professional escort exploration team. Their Fire-type Pokémon all have the Flash Fire ability, so they can absorb the heat from the flames near the volcano and stay on Mt. Chimney much longer. I refuse to believe we won't find anything. Maybe there's even another one of the same species. We absolutely have to catch it!"
Looking at the highly motivated comment on the screen, Theo could not help but smile.
The appearance of Larvesta had entirely been because of the Advanced Energy Orb he possessed. Other people did not have a system like him. How could they possibly run into it so easily again?
Theo shook his head, closed his phone, and lowered his gaze toward the Larvesta that was currently expressing its loyalty to him. The little fellow was rubbing against his hand, making cheerful humming sounds while nuzzling him repeatedly.
The hot springs of Lavaridge Town had long been famous. Since he was already here, it would naturally be a waste not to experience them.
Theo deliberately booked a large private room with its own courtyard at the most famous hot spring inn in town, planning to bring several of his Pokémon to relax together.
Early the next morning, Theo arrived at the hot spring area and released Milotic, Larvesta, Metang, and Tyrantrum.
The four Pokémon were immediately captivated by the scene in front of them.
In the center of the courtyard lay a massive oval hot spring pool. The spring water had a faint brown tint, and gentle white steam curled upward from its surface.
The moment one approached the pool, warm mist mixed with a faint sulfur scent rushed toward them, making every pore in the body relax involuntarily.
The instant Milotic saw the water, its eyes lit up.
Without even waiting for Theo to say anything, it happily swished its tail fin and slid smoothly into the pool.
As soon as it entered the hot spring, Milotic completely let itself go. Its creamy white body moved gracefully through the water, swimming back and forth with remarkable agility.
Sometimes it dove down to the bottom of the pool. Other times it leaped above the surface. The splashes created by its tail scattered water everywhere, while soft, pleased sounds came from its mouth.
Clearly, it loved the warm spring water immensely.
Larvesta, on the other hand, curiously approached the edge of the pool and gently touched the water surface with one of its front legs.
Feeling the warm temperature of the spring water, which was not quite lava but still carried heat, it tilted its head as if thinking.
It disliked rain at the foot of Mt. Chimney. What it loved most was the environment inside magma. However, hot flowing water like this still made it curious.
After hesitating for a while, Larvesta tested the water several more times with its front legs. The temperature seemed acceptable.
In the end, it cautiously soaked its entire body into the spring, leaving only its head outside. It quietly enjoyed this unfamiliar yet comfortable experience, sensing the difference between this warm spring water and ordinary rainwater.
Metang floated above the water's surface.
It activated its telekinesis, gathering a small stream of water and moving it around in front of itself as if it were playing with an interesting toy.
Occasionally it lowered its altitude slightly, letting the warm water submerge part of its body, looking completely relaxed and content.
Only Tyrantrum refused to enter the water.
It stood beside the hot spring pool, staring cautiously at the steaming water.
Then it slowly stretched out the tip of its thick tail and carefully touched the surface.
But the moment the water made contact, it reflexively pulled its tail back at once.
Its amber eyes were filled with resistance, and low whining sounds escaped from its throat.
For Tyrantrum, soaking in a pool of water was simply unacceptable, even if it was warm hot spring water.
Its expression of disgust mixed with its somewhat silly behavior immediately amused the other Pokémon.
Seeing this, Milotic quietly swam toward the edge of the pool.
With a gentle flick of its tail, a clear splash of water flew through the air and landed perfectly on Tyrantrum's face.
"Tyrant?"
Tyrantrum froze in confusion after being splashed so suddenly. It blinked its eyes, clearly not understanding what had just happened.
Metang seized the opportunity and immediately used telekinesis to gently pull Tyrantrum toward the hot spring.
Larvesta, seeing that the opponent who had previously defeated it so unfairly was now acting so timid, became extremely excited.
It climbed out of the water and used its plump body to repeatedly bump into Tyrantrum, trying to push it into the pool.
Tyrantrum struggled backward in resistance, but it could not withstand the combined efforts of three Pokémon.
With a loud splash, it fell into the hot spring.
Water splashed everywhere.
Theo did not stop them. After preparing himself, he also jumped into the hot spring and swam over, joining the others in teasing Tyrantrum.
At the same time, he began scrubbing Tyrantrum's body to give it a proper bath.
For a moment, the hot spring pool was filled with Tyrantrum's unwilling roars, Milotic and Larvesta's playful laughter, and the constant sound of splashing water. The atmosphere was extremely lively.
Just like that, amidst the noisy fun, Theo and his four Pokémon fully enjoyed the comfortable experience brought by the natural hot springs of Lavaridge Town.
Only after a long time did they finally leave the hot spring area, somewhat reluctant to go.
In the afternoon, Theo deliberately went to the Vulpix activity area located near the forest on the outskirts of town. He wanted to see the Vulpix living around Lavaridge Town.
The moment he stepped into the activity zone, he saw several orange-red Vulpix playing together.
Their six fluffy tails glowed brilliantly under the sunlight. When they ran around, they looked like small burning fireballs, lively and adorable.
Compared to the Vulpix he had seen on Mt. Chimney, the ones here were noticeably plumper, and their fur was brighter and more beautiful. Clearly, they were very well cared for.
Moreover, they seemed already accustomed to the presence of humans.
When Theo approached, they did not avoid him at all. Instead, they wagged their tails and gathered around him, raising their small heads with expectant eyes.
As expected of fox Pokémon, their ability to act cute seemed engraved deep within their instincts.
Before Theo even reached out his hand, one Vulpix proactively rubbed its head against his pant leg.
Then it lifted its head, revealing its soft pink chin, and stared straight at him with watery eyes that clearly begged to be petted.
Theo laughed at the adorable sight and gently pinched its chin.
The little fellow squinted its eyes comfortably and made soft purring sounds from its throat, clearly expressing its satisfaction.
However, when Theo withdrew his hand, the Vulpix refused to let him go so easily.
It stared at him with round eyes and followed closely beside his feet while wagging its tail, looking exactly like it was asking for a reward.
Theo wanted to tease it a little, so he deliberately turned out his pocket to show that he had not brought any snacks.
Unexpectedly, the little fellow was not angry at all.
Instead, it gently bit the edge of his pant leg and pulled him toward a nearby stall.
The stall specialized in selling Pokémon snacks. Various flavors of cookies were displayed on the shelves, and one particular variety covered with strawberry sauce stood out.
The Vulpix stared intensely at that strawberry cookie.
Then it climbed up Theo's body along his pant leg.
Its fluffy tail gently brushed against his cheek. Its tiny mouth puckered slightly as it stared into Theo's eyes with watery innocence.
That expression practically said, "You really have the heart not to buy it for me?"
Faced with such a powerful cute attack, Theo truly had no way to resist.
He simply bought one of every flavor.
Seeing this, the Vulpix excitedly rubbed its head against Theo's cheek, grabbed the bag of cookies in its mouth, and ran happily back to share with its companions.
Theo laughed and shook his head.
He bought even more snacks, planning to interact with the other Vulpix for a while longer.
But as soon as he turned around, he saw another Vulpix biting the pant leg of a young couple and dragging them toward the snack stall.
Its actions were exactly the same as the previous Vulpix.
Theo and the couple looked at each other and smiled helplessly, their expressions full of affection.
At that moment, a particularly eye-catching Vulpix came wobbling over.
Its body was chubby and round, like a fluffy little ball. When it ran, the fat on its body jiggled with every step, making the sight rather comical.
It closely followed a tourist who was holding snacks.
From time to time it hooked its tail around the tourist's pant leg and made soft whining sounds while begging for food.
Seeing its adorable behavior, the surrounding visitors eagerly handed over Pokémon cookies.
Not far away, a staff member responsible for caring for the Vulpix hurried over while muttering anxiously.
"Eat less. You can't eat any more. If you keep eating you really won't be able to run anymore!"
But this "chubby Vulpix" seemed not to hear the warning at all.
Taking advantage of the moment when the staff member turned around to accept snacks from a visitor, it quickly snatched a cookie from another tourist's hand and ran beneath a nearby tree, devouring it greedily.
Its clever yet gluttonous behavior caused everyone nearby to burst into laughter.
As time passed, more and more Vulpix ran out from the forest.
Theo took out the snacks he had just bought, and several Vulpix immediately gathered around him wagging their tails.
Some climbed up his legs to his shoulders.
Some rubbed their heads against his cheeks.
Others even placed their chins directly into his palms, their eyes squinting into crescent shapes as if happily offering themselves to be petted however he liked.
Theo could not help but sigh inwardly.
No wonder Natsu doted on Happy so much. Faced with something like this, who could possibly resist?
Theo played with the Vulpix on the grass for quite a while before finally leaving when the sun began to set.
To be honest, these Vulpix were indeed lovable.
But Theo clearly understood his current goal.
He had no intention of capturing too many Pokémon right now. As long as he assembled six Pokémon for the Pokémon League Conference, that would be enough.
Besides, Vulpix was a Fire-type Pokémon, and he already had Larvesta, so for now he had no plans to consider another Fire-type.
Once his Pokémon had grown stronger in the future, or when the Pokémon Energy Orbs and the vitamins in his system space were no longer scarce, he could consider capturing more Pokémon that he personally liked.
During these days in Lavaridge Town, Theo was occasionally recognized.
After all, the videos he had posted were currently extremely popular, and many tourists had seen them.
Whenever someone approached him asking for a photo, Theo never refused.
He would always smile and summon Metang, Milotic, Tyrantrum, or Larvesta to take pictures with everyone.
When these photos were posted online, they immediately triggered another wave of envy among netizens.
"Ahhhh I'm so jealous! I also want to take photos with the streamer's Pokémon!"
"Location Lavaridge Town! Does anyone know where the streamer is? I want to run into him!"
"I just saw someone post a photo of him at the Vulpix activity area. Unfortunately I left yesterday. I'm crying in the bathroom!"
Although life in Lavaridge Town was quite leisurely, Theo never relaxed his Pokémon training.
There were still six days left before his scheduled challenge battle with the Lavaridge Gym.
The researchers from Devon Corporation had not yet arrived.
So Theo deliberately found a quiet clearing deep within the forest near the town and began conducting targeted training to polish and refine the skills of his Pokémon.
(End of Chapter)