Chapter 103: Fire Spar

Just as Metagross prepared to unleash *Steel Beam* to finish off the Magmortar in front of him, Ashborn's voice rang out.

"Metagross, stop."

The condensed *Steel Beam* slowly dissipated, and Metagross turned to look at Ashborn in confusion.

Magmortar, now half-kneeling on the ground, saw two feet appear in front of it. Looking up, it realized the human stood before him.

Metagross loomed beside Ashborn, while Steelix stared intensely, and Dragonair hovered above.

The intimidating presence of Ashborn's Pokémon forced Magmortar to suppress any urge to attack.

"I have a proposition," Ashborn said, pulling out a Magmarizer, a rare item that enables a Magmar to evolve into Magmortar, especially scarce in the wild.

"Do one thing for me, and I'll let you and your men go. Plus, you can have this."

The item gleamed in Ashborn's hand. Even with modern human technology, Magmarizers are incredibly difficult to produce, making them highly valuable.

Magmortar, having evolved through sheer luck after finding one of these rare items in this very secret realm, could barely believe it.

The Magmars surrounding them, though powerful and around level 50, hadn't shared in that luck.

Had they each found Magmarizers, they too would have evolved into Magmortars.

Magmortar eyed the Magmarizer closely.

Back when it was still a Magmar, it had stumbled upon a similar item deep within the magma and evolved into the mighty Magmortar it now was.

With this item, it could secure the future of its clan, ensuring the evolution of its offspring into another Magmortar. 

Magmortar knew its strength was declining with age.

If no new Magmortar emerged from its clan, the Magcargo clan would seize their precious magma territory, and they could be slaughtered.

Magma was vital to the Magmortar family—it was the key to increasing the fire energy within their bodies.

Without a strong successor, their claim to the magma, and perhaps their very survival, would be in jeopardy.

Magmortar glanced at its unconscious comrades, then back at the Magmarizer in Ashborn's hand.

Ashborn had found its weak spot, and Magmortar had no choice but to agree. Even without the Magmarizer, it couldn't refuse. The safety of the clan was at stake.

Magmortar gave a slow nod of agreement. Ashborn, however, remained cryptic about his demand.

"What do you want in return?" Magmortar asked gruffly.

Ashborn, uncertain of exactly what treasure lay hidden within the magma, had consulted his Dowsing Machine, which showed an overwhelming number of red dots, indicating something immensely valuable.

"Once you retrieve it from the magma, I'll tell you," Ashborn replied.

At that moment, several Magmars nearby began to stir, groggily rising to their feet.

They quickly remembered being knocked out by the enemy and, seeing Ashborn standing in front of their leader, prepared to attack. 

"Stop!" Magmortar ordered.

The younger Magmars hesitated, confused. Their leader, their powerful Magmortar, had submitted to the enemy?

Despite their bewilderment, they obeyed, and Magmortar led Ashborn toward the magma pool.

With Magmortar acting as a shield, no fire-type Pokémon dared to approach Ashborn along the way. Clearly, this Magmortar wasn't just a leader of Magmars—it was the Totem of the entire volcanic area.

At the edge of the magma, Ashborn handed Magmortar the Dowsing Machine. "Use this. It will guide you to what I need inside the lava."

The device was resilient and could withstand the searing temperatures of the lava without being damaged. Magmortar gave a curt nod, instructed the remaining Magmars, and then leaped into the bubbling lava.

While waiting at the magma pool, Ashborn observed the surrounding Magmars with his probing eyes.

Most were marked yellow, indicating moderate strength, but two of them were marked green, a higher level.

The old Magmortar that had just dived into the magma was green with hints of cyan—strong, but clearly past its prime.

Perched on the rocks protruding from the lava, Ashborn spotted eight Pokémon eggs—likely the next generation of Magmars—but no Magby to be found.

"Where are the Magbys?" Ashborn asked, frowning. It was odd that only eggs were present.

A nearby Magmar immediately responded with animated gestures, a look of rage contorting its face.

The surrounding Magmars shared its anger.

After a while, Ashborn pieced together what had happened: some time ago, the rival Magcargo clan had launched an attack, seeking to take over the magma territory.

Seven or eight Magmars had died, and tragically, none of the twenty-plus Magbys had survived the assault. The battle had been fierce, with both clans suffering devastating losses.

Ashborn sighed. Territorial battles like this were common in the wild and in secret realms.

Different Pokémon species often fought over territory, food, water, and resources, leading to inevitable casualties.

Pokémon raised in the wild were far more brutal and ferocious than those raised in human society, where the law of survival of the fittest was less prevalent.

After about twenty minutes, the magma began to churn, and soon after, Magmortar emerged from the lava, holding a small, crystal-clear stone in its hand.

Ashborn's eyes lit up as he recognized the treasure.

The stone was no ordinary one—it was a Fire Spar, a rare crystal that only forms in ancient volcanoes after thousands of years.

Despite having just been retrieved from the scorching magma, it felt cool to the touch. The spar, roughly the size of a fist, was red and transparent.

When Ashborn shone a light through it, he could faintly see flames flickering inside, almost as if they were alive.

This was no ordinary stone.

The Fire Spar was a treasure that could ignite fierce competition among powerful trainers if it became known.

The outer layer of the spar was coated in a crystalline shell, perfectly sealing in the fire energy within, which explained why Magmortar had never noticed it despite it being buried in the magma for so long.

Humans had only discovered the value of Fire Spars by accident.

A fire-type trainer had stumbled upon one during a volcanic eruption.

Thinking it was beautiful, he took it home as a decoration, only for his Pyroar to eat it by accident. The event catapulted the trainer to Elite status in his country.

Ashborn marveled at the Fire Spar in his hand, knowing it was far more valuable than any common treasure.

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Adios