Because he didn't know when Team Magma would arrive, Natsui acted cautiously. After leaving Lilycove City, he released Dragonite and flew toward Mt. Pyre by air.
White clouds hovered close, almost within reach; below, the ground flashed by in a blur.
Even though the map made it look close, the trip took half a day. They had to cross water and navigate rough, disappearing mountain paths.
Fortunately, the two were traveling with the wind. With Dragonite's help, they saved themselves from those troubles and could reach their destination relatively quickly.
After flying for several hours continuously, Dragonite flew to a peninsula.
Looking down, the entire Mt. Pyre could already be taken into view!
Mt. Pyre was covered in green trees, with forests and rivers below. Thick fog always hung at the top, making the place feel scary because many Pokémon were buried here.
Rumors whispered of unspeakable horrors stirring on Mt. Pyre at night, making shivers run down even the bravest spines.
Because of these rumors, villagers at the mountain's base had a rule: never climb Mt. Pyre after nightfall!
But Natsui thought it was just Ghost-type Pokémon making trouble or some rare Pokémon. He wasn't worried.
Only those who didn't understand what was really happening would be left in the dark.
According to the coordinates Anabel sent, Natsui had Dragonite land halfway up the mountain.
There was still some distance to the top. Thick fog made it dangerous to fly, so walking was safer.
Most importantly, while there was still a weak signal, he needed to transmit the current progress to Anabel.
He had been getting along well with the International Police. They worked together and offered help to each other as needed.
Natsui had helped them stop bad groups before. Anabel and Looker also wanted to work together.
Letting Dragonite stand alert at his side as a guard, Natsui motioned for Misty to follow. The two started walking up the mountain path toward the higher parts of Mt. Pyre, keeping a lookout for any signs of danger.
Dense forests and winding caves made up Mt. Pyre. The caves formed a maze, and Ghost-type Pokémon lived among the gravestones.
They had only climbed a few hundred meters from the mountainside. Within this short distance, they had already seen several cave entrances of various sizes. Some entrances were large enough for people to pass. Others were small, allowing only Pokémon like Rattata to enter or exit freely.
Feeling the chill in the air creep over her skin, Misty shuddered and couldn't help but say, "A place like this... if it were normal times, I'd be way too scared to ever come here," her voice barely above a whisper.
Natsui first jumped onto a rock, then turned back to help Misty up, smiling. "Actually, this place wasn't always called Mt. Pyre. Long ago, it had a different name, but as people began burying Pokémon here, the name changed to Mt. Pyre."
As they climbed higher, the fog thickened around them.
Misty's fingers tightened around Natsui's arm as the fog curled around them. Her eyes darted fearfully from shadow to shadow, every rustle sending her pulse racing with the dread that something horrifying might be lurking nearby.
Based on several obvious reference points, they found a remote path.
Phoebe's grandparents probably made this path. They followed it through caves and reached the top of Mt. Pyre.
At the summit, the fog vanished. Sunlight filled the sky, making the top feel peaceful and different from the rest of Mt. Pyre.
The air felt fresh and the sunlight was warm. The place was peaceful and pleasant, with no trace of anything sinister.
They didn't see Team Magma or any signs of fighting. Team Magma probably wasn't here yet.
But they didn't know where Phoebe was.
A strange hush fell. For a heartbeat, even the birds seemed silent. Natsui felt the prickle of unseen eyes—a chill, uncertain pause. Then, slicing through the fog, came the faint whistle of a small stone, arcing straight for them.
Natsui didn't move. Dragonite tensed, deflecting the stone with a flick of its wing. For a moment, the fog was silent—then a figure dropped lightly from the branches above. Phoebe landed without a word, her gaze fixed on the path ahead as if nothing unusual had happened.
Only then did the two see clearly who threw the stone.
They saw a girl about the same age as Misty standing on the trunk of a big tree, staring at them with pitch-black eyes!
Looking at the girl's attire again, one could only say it was very bold.
She had two big red flowers on her head and wore a blue top that showed her arms and waist. Her legs were also easy to see.
At the beach, her clothes would have blended in. Up in the mountains, though, the look was undeniably bold.
So distinct, it almost made Natsui recognize who she was immediately. It was precisely one of the Elite Four, the person they came to meet this time—Phoebe!
"You must be Phoebe, right?" Looking up at her, Natsui said, "We are the helpers invited by Anabel to help you handle Team Magma's matter."
"Of course, I know you are here to help; otherwise, I wouldn't have just used a small stone to greet you just now."
While speaking, Phoebe jumped down from the tree trunk as nimbly as a monkey, landed lightly, and walked toward them.
Natsui glanced at her feet.
She didn't make a sound as she walked. While this was partly because the grass underfoot was lush, it was also because she was wearing straw sandals.
And Misty at the side, hearing that the girl in front of her was actually one of the Elite Four, Ghost-type user Phoebe, was surprised.
Misty's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Phoebe.
So young!!
She looked about my age—an Elite Four already. Yet her presence didn't unsettle me; if anything, it was oddly reassuring.
It wasn't because Phoebe was an Elite Four. Phoebe just looked normal, not very pretty.
To Misty, Phoebe was all sharp edges and careless energy, nothing soft or showy.
She even had that kind of boyish short hair!
Misty didn't feel threatened by her at all.
Misty knew Natsui liked pretty girls. Since he was with her and knew others, he would not like someone like Phoebe.
With her worries melting away, Misty relaxed and offered Phoebe a sincere, warm smile, a genuine welcome shining in her eyes.
Phoebe didn't know what Misty was thinking. She walked over, looked at them, and shook her head.
"I clearly told Anabel about the seriousness of this matter, but why did she only send you two over? Where is Drake? Didn't she say he was nearby?"
Phoebe clearly didn't know Natsui. She just saw a boy with a pretty girl and felt disappointed. It was also very normal.
After all, not everyone paid attention to what happened in other regions like Drake and Wallace did. Most people just focus on their own area. Even as an Elite Four member, Phoebe was still just a young woman and didn't really keep up with things outside her world.
And for Natsui, didn't he know very little about Phoebe, too?
You could say this Elite Four member was really low-profile.
How low-profile was she?
She was so low-profile that, like Sidney and Glacia, she hadn't even appeared in the main anime. Phoebe seemed to distrust the two of them. Natsui could only say, "Don't look at just the two of us; we are both very strong!"
Misty also chimed in, "That's right, that's right. Isn't it just Team Magma? We have dealt with them many times; we are very familiar, absolutely no problem!"
Phoebe met Natsui's eyes—calm, steady. "If Anabel sent you, that's enough." She turned, her voice low but unshaken. "This isn't a safe place. Stay close."
Under her lead, Natsui and Misty arrived in front of a wooden house.
The wooden house wasn't very big. Outside was a small courtyard with various ripe melons, fruits, and vegetables. Clothes drying racks, farm tools, and the overall look gave a lived-in feel. This was clearly where her grandparents lived. At this moment, the house was quiet. Through the open window, one could see it was empty inside.
Misty asked, "Where are your grandfather and grandmother? Didn't you say they are the guardians here?"
"What guardians? Just an ordinary old couple lives here," Phoebe shook her head. "They have no power to guard anything. I already fought off several Team Magma scouts before you came. A battle could start anytime, so I sent them to a safe place down the mountain." Without entering the courtyard, Phoebe kept walking, leading Natsui and Misty toward the deeper parts of the mountaintop.
Not long after, the three finally arrived in front of a stone shrine.
This shrine was similar to the one Natsui had seen on Shamouti Island. It wasn't very big, just like a casually built small tower, made of stacked stones that looked very old.
Inside the shrine, there was a stone slab that seemed to be used to enshrine something. In the center of the stone slab were two depressions. One was already empty, while in the other depression, a stone identical in shape to the Blue Orb but emitting a red light was embedded!
"This should be the Red Orb, right?"
"That's right." Phoebe nodded. "The missing one is the Blue Orb. It was snatched by Team Aqua before, and its whereabouts remain unknown. Now that one is already missing, I absolutely won't let this one be taken away by anyone again!"
Hearing her vow-filled voice, Natsui hesitated for a moment and didn't dare tell her the orb was currently in Shelly's hands.
In fact, the last time they were rescued by Anabel's coast guard ship from the submarine at sea, before boarding, he specifically asked Shelly to hide the Blue Orb. Therefore, except for the few of them and those Team Aqua people, no one else knew that orb was with them!
Now hearing Phoebe talk about it, Natsui also chose to remain silent for the time being.
After all, Team Aqua and Team Magma had already set their sights on these two orbs. Facts proved that putting them here couldn't protect them at all. This matter involved two Legendary Pokémon; it was better to return them to her after the dust settled...
Misty rolled her eyes. She also saw that Natsui didn't seem to want to reveal the orb's whereabouts now, so she helped change the topic, pretending not to understand and asking, "Um, since this orb is so important, why don't you take it away or hide it in another place?"
Misty's question indeed hit the point.
Compared to protecting it, hiding it was undoubtedly the optimal choice.
Hearing her words, Phoebe didn't hesitate and said in a deep voice, "Hiding cannot solve the problem. Encountering such a thing, one should first think of handling it immediately, not escaping. Only by defeating those people can this matter be completely resolved!"
Unexpectedly, clearly just a girl about the same age as Misty, looking very young, Phoebe actually had such a sense of responsibility!
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