Warning! Warning!

A "big one"?

Johan's face tightened.

That phrase could mean many things.

Especially inside Mt. Chimney, Johan instinctively thought of Groudon—the terrifying entity said to be slumbering deep within the volcano.

But on second thought, it didn't seem likely.

If it really were Groudon, with the power it holds, Mt. Chimney would have already erupted by now. There would be far more destruction than just this small fissure.

Is there no more information to go on?

Johan glanced again at Gastly.

After today, he decided that as soon as they got back, he would begin teaching Gastly how to recognize other Pokémon.

At the very least, it needed to be able to identify different Pokémon. Otherwise, such vague reports could continue to be a problem in the future.

"Ka-kah..."

Gastly seemed to realize that its description wasn't clear enough. It narrowed its eyes in thought, its dark mist swirling around it.

Suddenly, Gastly seemed to have a breakthrough. The black mist shifted and stretched, slowly forming limbs as it dropped to the ground. Then it opened its mouth wide, exhaling a puff of dark smoke.

Limbs?

"A Camerupt?" Steven guessed.

But Camerupt, though large, wouldn't exactly qualify as a "big one," would it?

Johan considered another possibility.

Could it be... the legendary Pokémon, Heatran?

Although Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh was typically where he would expect to find a Heatran, theoretically, Mt. Chimney belonged to Groudon's domain, and a Heatran wouldn't dare claim it as a habitat.

But it wasn't entirely out of the question.

After all, Groudon was dormant, and Mt. Chimney's high-temperature environment would certainly appeal to a Heatran...

If it was Heatran, though, that would spell serious trouble.

Boom!!

Before Johan could ponder further, the sound of rocks shattering echoed from the fissure.

Immediately after, the narrow crack, already radiating scorching heat, belched forth another wave of intense warmth. A bright, glowing stream of molten lava started to trickle from the corner of the fissure.

Lava!

"Geodude!"

Seeing the lava, the Geodude and Graveler already huddled in the corner became even more frantic.

At the same time, the lava began to slowly snake its way down the mountainside.

"Flannery!" Johan called out sharply.

"On it!" Flannery quickly took out two Poké Balls. In a flash of red light, she summoned a Numel and a Slugma.

Slugma, a Lava Pokémon, had a body resembling molten magma. It thrived in volcanic environments and felt right at home in such high temperatures. While the lava would be deadly to most Pokémon, to Slugma, it was like a comfortable bed.

The Slugma slithered forward, intercepting the thin flow of lava, blocking its path down the mountain.

Numel joined Slugma in trying to control the flow.

"Johan, Slugma can't hold this back for long!" Flannery called out urgently.

"Let's move!" Johan ordered.

Despite his growing concern, Johan knew they had no choice.

The lava had already started to flow. If they didn't act quickly, the lava could spill further, leading to a massive eruption of molten rock from the heart of Mt. Chimney.

And if it really turned out to be Heatran...

Well, they'd have to do their best to either calm it down or buy enough time.

Roxanne had already gone to alert the authorities in Lavaridge Town, including Flannery's grandfather—the retired former Elite Four member. He should be able to handle Heatran...

As long as they could get there in time.

There was another reason why Johan decided to proceed.

That reason was Gastly.

Despite the urgency of the situation, Gastly's report, although unclear, suggested that if the danger were too great, it would have warned them to stay back.

Johan trusted Gastly completely.

"I'll go first!" Steven declared, summoning Claydol to his side as he entered the fissure before anyone else.

The narrow crack made it difficult for Metagross or Skarmory to move, so the smaller, more maneuverable Claydol was the perfect choice.

Johan, with Gastly by his side, quickly followed behind.

If the heat from outside had been uncomfortable, it was nothing compared to the suffocating warmth inside the fissure. The air was so thick with heat that both Johan and Steven were drenched in sweat almost immediately.

Surprisingly, the temperature wasn't as unbearable as they had expected. After all, Zubat and Golbat had been living inside, so the internal climate wasn't completely inhospitable.

Guided by Gastly, they ventured deeper into the tunnel, the heat intensifying with every step, drenching their clothes and painting their faces with a fiery red glow.

Boom! Boom!

As they moved further inside, a series of deep, rumbling sounds began to echo through the tunnel.

Finally, they emerged into a larger, open space within the volcano.

Scanning their surroundings, they quickly spotted several Numel huddled together in one corner. Known for their docile demeanor, even the Numel looked terrified—eyes wide with fear and uncertainty.

What were they so afraid of?

Following their gaze, Johan and Steven finally saw the source of the disturbance.

A Camerupt!

The massive Pokémon stood before them, covered in bright orange fur, with two large rocky humps on its back. From those humps spewed molten lava, like a miniature volcano erupting on its own.

It was clearly agitated. Its body was trembling, and it stomped its feet violently, causing the ground around it to crack and crumble. Behind it, a wall of the cavern had been scorched black, with fresh, molten lava slowly leaking from a jagged crack.

It was obvious now—the small stream of lava they had seen earlier had originated from this Camerupt.

However, both Johan and Steven were taken aback by one detail.

Typically, a Camerupt stood around 1.8 to 2 meters tall. But the one standing before them now was at least 3 meters tall!

This was a giant Camerupt!

The "big one" that Gastly had mentioned.

Boom! Boom!

Two more spurts of molten lava erupted from the volcano-like humps on Camerupt's back.

As Johan and Steven locked eyes with it, its bloodshot eyes glared back at them!

"Roooaaaar!!"

The Camerupt let out a furious roar, its open mouth glowing with intense heat.

Johan and Steven's expressions shifted.

Steven quickly reached for more Poké Balls, summoning Metagross, Skarmory, and Lairon to the field.

But all three of his Pokémon were Steel-types, which were naturally at a disadvantage against Camerupt's Fire and Ground-type moves. Moreover, this was Camerupt's home turf.

At the same time, Johan's vision filled with Camerupt's Pokédex information.

[Camerupt]

Type: Fire/Ground

Ability: Magma Armor

Moves: Rock Slide, Fissure, Flamethrower, Growl, Tackle, Ember, Focus Energy, Stomp, Lava Plume, Amnesia, Smokescreen, Earth Power, Take Down

Emotion: Furious (It may have consumed something it shouldn't have.)

Status: Unstable (This isn't a normal state for a Pokémon. WARNING! WARNING!)

Friendship: -50 (Danger! You stepped forward with your left foot first!)

This Camerupt was no joke!

Even if it weren't in this frenzied state, it would still be leagues stronger than Gastly.

The frenzy had increased its strength, but it also made its already low intelligence even worse.

Johan exchanged a glance with Steven.

BOOM!!

A surge of fire exploded toward them.

"Metagross, Claydol, use Psychic!"

"Gastly, use Curse!"

Their commands came almost simultaneously.

Bzzz—

A transparent, light blue psychic barrier formed instantly, blocking the raging flames just three meters away from Steven and Johan.

"Ka-kah—"

Gastly's body swelled momentarily as an eerie force invisibly burrowed into Camerupt's body, planting the seeds of a curse that would soon take root.

"Skarmory, use Sand Attack! Lairon, use Mud-Slap!"

The situation with Camerupt, their Pokémon types, and the sheer weight of their collective experience led both trainers to adopt the same strategy—they would play it safe and wear Camerupt down.

Dust and mud flew, obscuring Camerupt's vision as it unleashed another torrent of fire, scorching the cavern.

Rocks began to fall, and though the fire started to die down, Camerupt's rage only seemed to grow.

It took a deep breath, and a white energy field surrounded its body—Focus Energy!

Then, it reared up on its hind legs, gathering earth-toned energy between its front hooves.

This is bad!

It's preparing to use Fissure!

Fissure is a Ground-type move that, under normal circumstances, guarantees a knockout if it hits!

While most of the Pokémon present, including Gastly, wouldn't be too affected by it, Johan feared what the aftermath of this move could bring.

One wrong step and this entire cavern might collapse...