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Just as Liam had expected, wherever volcanoes were densely distributed, hot springs were sure to exist as well.
Relying on its keen sense of smell, Arcanine found this hot spring area hidden among the mountains within just a few minutes. Large and small hot springs were scattered across the mountainside, wisps of steam gently rising into the air.
Liam set Delia down, then jumped off Arcanine himself. He walked to the edge of one of the springs and tested the temperature with his hand. Finding it just right, he happily pulled Delia along to soak in the hot spring together.
They tossed their dirty clothes aside and changed into swimsuits, comfortably sinking into the hot spring as the fatigue of the past few days slowly washed away.
Perhaps because it had gotten particularly dirty, even the Fire-type Arcanine padded over to another hot spring and climbed in. It paddled lazily through the water in a dog-paddle motion, its face wearing a surprisingly relaxed expression.
"Come on out, everyone—let's all get some proper rest~"
"You too~ Everyone, come soak in the hot springs together~"
Seeing how comfortable Arcanine looked, Liam and Delia decided to release the rest of their Pokemon as well. As for Pokemon like Garchomp and Steelix, who disliked water, the hot spring area also had warm sand nearby—perfect for a sand bath.
"Roar~"
"Wartortle?"
Several PokeBalls opened in midair at once, and the accompanying Pokemon appeared around the hot springs. The moment they realized there were hot springs, they happily scattered to find spots they liked, leisurely settling in to soak.
Garchomp, Onix, along with Aerodactyl, Larvitar, and Shuckle, immediately burrowed into the nearby sand, burying themselves comfortably with only their heads sticking out.
Meanwhile, the Water-type Pokemon—or those that didn't mind water—were already splashing and playing joyfully in the hot springs.
At that moment, Wartortle noticed Typhlosion lying on the shore, clearly planning to take a long nap. Confusion flickered in Wartortle's big eyes as it crawled closer and tilted its head, letting out a questioning call.
Hearing Wartortle's voice, Typhlosion merely cracked one eye open, glanced at it briefly, then rolled over and tucked its head in again, preparing to continue sleeping.
"War? Wartortle!!"
Typhlosion's aloof attitude instantly infuriated Wartortle. As a "senior," Wartortle had followed Delia for much longer, traveled such a long road—yet now this "junior" had already surpassed it by evolving first! How could Wartortle possibly accept that?!
And so—
"Wartortle!!!"
Wartortle clenched its fists as a brilliant white light suddenly enveloped its entire body! As the light intensified, Wartortle's form rapidly grew larger—until the glow exploded outward and vanished completely.
In that instant, Wartortle evolved into Blastoise!
"Blastoise!!!"
With a powerful roar, Blastoise stared seriously at Typhlosion, issuing a bold challenge.
"Rrr-hou!!"
Typhlosion, now sensing pressure from the newly evolved Blastoise, sprang to its feet. The flames around its neck surged upward once more.
"Wow! Blastoise! Hahaha! That's amazing!"
The commotion was so big that it immediately drew Liam's and Delia's attention. Only after Wartortle completed its evolution did Delia finally react—her eyes lighting up with pure joy.
She shot out of the hot spring in her swimsuit, took a few quick steps, and leapt forward, clinging tightly to Blastoise's shell. Wrapping her arms around its neck, she shook happily.
"Ah~ so cold~ so comfortable~ Wartortle! You evolved into Blastoise! That's incredible, that's incredible~"
Pressed against Blastoise's shell, Delia enjoyed the cool temperature, her face full of delight.
"Blastoise~"
With Delia hugging it, Blastoise's fighting spirit quickly melted away. It scratched the back of its head with a thick arm, looking embarrassed, then turned and plunged into the hot spring—carrying Delia along as it happily swam around.
".…"
After Blastoise left, Typhlosion slowly extinguished the flames on its back. It flopped down lazily again, yawned wide, turned its head, and went back to sleep.
Wartortle's evolution was unexpected—but also somehow reasonable. Liam had previously checked Wartortle's stats and knew its level was already very high. It had even learned many post-evolution moves; it had simply never evolved.
This time, Wartortle was clearly stimulated after seeing Quilava, whom it hadn't seen for half a day, already evolve into Typhlosion. Refusing to lose, it triggered its own evolution and became Blastoise—truly a cause for celebration.
At this point, Liam took out another ordinary PokeBall from among the clothes nearby. Inside was the enormous Magcargo he had just captured. After thinking for a moment, Liam opened the PokeBall and released it.
"Gah-no?"
After resting inside the PokeBall for a while, Magcargo had recovered some strength. It appeared beside the hot spring looking energetic, though its expression was still a bit dazed as it stared around in confusion.
Curious, Liam looked at the oversized Pokemon and used Scan.
[Ding!]
Pokemon: Magcargo
Type: Fire/Rock
Species: Lava Pokémon. The evolved form of Slugma. Its body resembles molten lava and reaches extremely high temperatures. The shell on its back is formed when its lava cools; if struck hard, it can easily shatter. It primarily lives in volcanic regions and prefers dwelling within magma.
Ability: Flame Body
Nature: Careless
Gender: Male
Base Stats: Total 480/430
HP: 80/60
Attack: 60/50
Defense: 125/120
Sp. Atk: 100/90
Sp. Def: 85/80
Speed: 30
Moves:Earth Power, Sludge, Rock Throw, Shell Smash, Harden, Incinerate, Clear Smog, Yawn, Lava Plume, Amnesia, Body Slam, Recover, Flamethrower
Egg Move:Smokescreen
Evaluation: Exceeded expectations. Due to abundant nutrition and a carefree lifestyle, this Magcargo's size has increased, enhancing its physical attributes. It has high training value. Recommended for training.
The stats were surprisingly impressive. Liam hadn't expected this sluggish-looking fellow to receive an "Exceeded evaluation".
After a moment of thought, Liam made his decision. Smiling, he waved at the still-dazed Magcargo to get its attention before speaking.
"Magcargo, from now on we're companions. Make sure to get along well with everyone. And since you're a partner now, I should give you a ceremonial nickname… hmm. How about Little Snail?"
Magcargo looked at Liam with a confused gaze, letting out an indistinct cry.
"Gah-no?"