85. After the fight, the hot spring

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Chris lay on the sofa, gasping for breath.

Displayed on the handheld screen was a message:

[Dungeon challenge failed, enter cooldown: 30 days]

Facing Camerupt, level 50, there wasn't even a chance to fight. Camerupt's Earthquake caused a small-scale volcanic eruption. Gardevoir didn't manage to use Teleport to escape and was hit by the magma instantly.

Though Chris felt no physical pain, the terror of magma erupting in his face left him drenched in cold sweat.

"The intensity of this real-life simulation really helps me build courage and improve my ability to handle tough environments," Chris thought, trying to look at the situation from a positive angle. After all, the world isn't always safe, and real-life training for unpredictable wild battles could prove beneficial.

Next time he faced Maxie, he needed to at least survive a magma onslaught.

In reality, if a level 50 Pokémon went on a rampage in a city, it would turn entire kilometers into ruins. Especially with Pokémon like Camerupt, who frequently use moves like Eruption and Earthquake, the destruction would increase tenfold.

"Level up, level up!" Chris sat up, ready to control his character and train nearby. He realized his weakness—if only his Greninja was level 50, a Water Shuriken would finish Camerupt in seconds. There'd be no need to worry about Earthquakes or lava.

"Huh?" Chris suddenly noticed that the path from Mt. Chimney to Jagged Pass wasn't blocked due to the battle between Team Magma and Team Aqua. This meant he could now travel directly to Lavaridge Town!

Normally, this area would be blocked until after the Mt. Chimney storyline.

Without hesitation, Chris descended into Jagged Pass.

Jagged Pass, a special area between Lavaridge Town and Mt. Chimney, was covered in volcanic ash, and several Trainers were battling there. However, the Pokémon found here were quite different from those on Route 113.

The Pokémon commonly found on Route 113 include: Machop, Numel, Spoink, Mankey, Ponyta, and Tyrogue.

"Ponyta?" Chris thought for a moment, debating whether to catch one as a land mount.

Rapidash would make for a cool ride!

The main appeal, though, was that the flames on Ponyta wouldn't burn its rider. The last thing Chris wanted was for his pants to catch fire while riding.

After checking his Pokédex, he confirmed that Ponyta and Rapidash's flames don't harm those they trust. They didn't even have heat, so there was no danger of feeling like he was standing inside an oven while riding.

Unfortunately, the Ponyta on Jagged Pass were only around levels 20-23, and Chris knew evolving it into Rapidash would require training it to level 40. He quickly lost interest in that plan.

Still, he caught a Ponyta and stored it in the PC as backup.

"Professor Birch, you're welcome! I'm sending you another rare Pokémon for research."

Professor Birch: "I'm grateful, but can you please take back the 1,400 Aron you sent first?"

Originally, Chris only wanted to breed a shiny Aron, but when he finally got one, he had fourteen hundred extra. They were all stored in the PC for now, while his attention shifted to other projects.

Aron, which eventually evolves into the mighty Aggron, wasn't any less valuable than starter Pokémon on the market.

After battling all the trainers along the way and collecting the TMs for Flame Charge and Rock Polish, Chris finally made it through Jagged Pass and arrived at Lavaridge Town.

He headed straight to the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy healed his Pokémon. Meanwhile, he stopped by the shop next door to sell off unwanted items he had picked up along his journey.

Instead of heading directly to the Lavaridge Gym, Chris wandered over to the hot spring's entrance, where an old man handed him a Pokémon egg.

In Chris's memory, this egg would likely hatch into a Wynaut, which eventually evolves into Wobbuffet. While Wobbuffet isn't particularly strong in battle, it's a rare Pokémon, and Chris was pleased to add it to his collection.

As he stood outside the hot spring shop, a notification popped up:

[Do you want to enter Lavaridge Hot Spring?]

"Huh?" Chris raised his eyebrows and decided to give it a try, choosing 'yes.'

The next second, Chris found himself standing naked in front of the hot spring.

"Whoa! Is this for real?" Chris's eyes widened in surprise.

He tentatively dipped his toes into the water, which was pleasantly warm.

"It really is a hot spring!" Chris beamed, eagerly sinking into the water.

As the warmth enveloped him from all sides, Chris felt a wave of comfort wash over him.

"Ahh, this feels amazing~~," Chris sighed contentedly. "I could get used to this at home too~~."

After about ten minutes of pure relaxation, Chris wondered if his Pokémon could also enjoy the hot spring. Maybe it would even help them recover from their battles. Nearby, he noticed a computer sitting by the pool.

Hurrying over, Chris accessed the system and sent all of his Pokémon into the hot spring one by one.

Each Pokémon began to enjoy the soothing waters.

Hariyama, the largest of the group, sat in the hot spring, the water level rising rapidly as it leaned back with a towel on its head. All the exhaustion from its rigorous training seemed to melt away.

Not far off, Greninja sat quietly with its eyes closed, letting the warmth ease the strain of the previous battle, where it had expended the most energy.

Combusken, ever active, took the opportunity to teach its younger brother Gabite how to swim in the hot spring.

The one having the hardest time was Aron. Being so heavy, it immediately sank to the bottom upon entering the hot spring. Luckily, Hariyama quickly noticed and helped Aron move to a more stable spot. Meanwhile, Aron, not particularly fond of the water, soon climbed out and lay down on the shore, taking a nap. As long as Aron could sense the presence of its companions, it considered any place a good spot for rest.

Unfortunately, hot springs weren't exactly a great fit for Rock-type Pokémon!

As for Gardevoir, she was gently rubbing Chris's back, adding to the relaxing experience.

"I'll bring everyone here for a soak whenever we've had a tough day," Chris suggested.

"Hari!" 

"Gabai!" 

"Gardevoir~"

All of Chris's Pokémon agreed enthusiastically, happy with the idea.