With a flash of white light, Sneasel appeared on the field. It landed nimbly on the scorching rocks, letting out a low hiss as its cold gaze swept across the entire battlefield.
"Sneasel, roam the flanks."
Ariel issued an extremely concise command.
He didn't have Sneasel go head-to-head; that would be the height of stupidity.
Torkoal's physical defense was extremely high, and the Shell Armor ability reduced physical damage even further.
Trying to win a war of attrition against them in a place like this was pure suicide.
Sneasel understood perfectly, turning into a black afterimage as it used Agility around the edge of the battlefield.
It was like a top-tier assassin, never appearing in front, only cutting in from tricky angles during the gaps between the Torkoals' attacks.
"Ssh!"
Its sharp claws brought forth a cold light, precisely slashing across the exposed leg joint of one Torkoal.
The Torkoal recoiled in pain and turned angrily to use Flamethrower, but Sneasel had already used Agility to pull away, appearing in the blind spot of another Torkoal.
Immediately after, an Assurance covered in Dark-type energy was silently imprinted onto the opponent's neck.
Having succeeded in its strike, Sneasel didn't linger and retreated once more.
The entire process was smooth and fluid; it was like a ghost on the battlefield. Every move was perfectly timed, dealing effective damage while minimizing its own risk.
In contrast, Ken's Charmeleon and Valk's Combusken appeared much more disheveled, covered in wounds and panting heavily.
Although the Water Gun released by Lele's Wingull had some effect, it was a drop in the bucket against the large number of berserk Torkoal.
Ariel watched all this with an indifferent heart, and even a hint of mockery.
A bunch of fools who don't even understand the basics of stamina distribution and tactical evasion.
The battle lasted nearly ten minutes. Under Sneasel's precise and efficient harassment, the Torkoal pack's formation began to crumble, and Ken and the others finally seized the opportunity to drive them back together.
"Whew... whew... finally dealt with them."
Ken flopped onto the ground, gasping for air. His Charmeleon also lay exhausted on the ground, its injuries not light.
He wiped away his sweat and looked up at Ariel, his eyes full of admiration:
"Brother, your Sneasel's coordination is amazing! So powerful!"
Ariel merely nodded politely and recalled Sneasel, who had barely expended any energy.
The team took a short break and then continued their climb.
After the recent battle, the trio's attitude toward Ariel became noticeably warmer, their words tinged with respect.
Ariel remained his usual cold self, responding only occasionally.
His attention was entirely captured by the increasingly thick scent of sulfur in the air ahead and the faint, heart-pounding energy fluctuations.
He knew he wasn't far from his goal.
Crossing the last steep rock wall, a wave of destructive heat hit them head-on, nearly hot enough to singe eyebrows.
The ground beneath their feet was charred black, and the air was thick with the pungent, choking smell of sulfur.
As they crested the rim of the crater, their vision suddenly opened up.
Below them was an endless ocean of crimson.
The churning magma was like the blood of a giant beast, bubbling and gurgling, each pop splashing scorching sparks.
The rising heat distorted everything in sight, making the whole world seem unreal.
"Wow—! We made it! This is the summit of Mt. Chimney!"
Ken spread his arms excitedly, as if to embrace this apocalyptic scene.
Beside him, Charmeleon also looked up and spat out a small burst of flame, appearing equally thrilled.
Lele and her Wingull were a bit uncomfortable from the heat waves, constantly fanning themselves with their hands.
Valk's Combusken, however, seemed well-adapted, standing beside its master with high fighting spirit.
"Brother, look! It's spectacular!"
Ken turned back and called out to Ariel enthusiastically.
Ariel's gaze, however, did not linger on the churning sea of magma.
His eyes scanned the entire interior of the crater, quickly comparing it to the map Soro had provided.
In the center of that magma sea, a massive lava pillar stood stubbornly, like a pillar holding up the sky.
According to the map's markings, behind that pillar, in the shadows of the intersecting rock walls, lay a hidden, semi-dried-up Mineral Vein.
That was his target.
"I'm going to find a place to rest; you guys do as you please."
Ariel's tone was flat as he found an excuse to break away from the group.
"Eh? Don't, brother. It's dangerous here; it's safer if we all move together," Ken immediately tried to dissuade him.
Ariel didn't stop, only giving him a faint glance.
The indifference in that gaze made Ken swallow the rest of his words.
He scratched his head, somewhat puzzled; this solo Trainer really had a strange personality.
Ariel skirted around several scorching boulders and soon disappeared from their sight.
He didn't relax in the slightest, his mental energy highly focused as he sensed every movement around him.
Following the map's guidance, he soon found the massive lava pillar.
Going behind it, an even more scorching heat hit him; the temperature here was several degrees higher than at the crater's edge.
Sure enough, on a recessed rock wall, he saw his target.
Several small pieces of ore were scattered across the charred rock. They were a strange purple-red color, their surfaces rough, yet they emitted a faint glow in the dark corner.
The light didn't look like that of ordinary minerals; it seemed almost alive, breathing slowly.
Ariel's pupils constricted slightly.
This aura was exactly the same as the flames burning on Soro's Black Charmander.
He keenly noticed that the air around these ores was slightly distorted. Even stranger, being so close to the magma, this should have been a paradise for Fire-type Pokémon, yet not even a single Slugma could be seen.
Everything was deathly silent, save for the gurgling of the bubbling magma.
When things are this abnormal, there must be something wrong.
Ariel didn't rush forward. Instead, he took a Poké Ball from his waist and silently released Malamar.
Malamar hovered in mid-air, the patterns on its body alternating between light and dark. Its eyes were fixed on the ores; it felt a certain uneasy energy.
"Sense the surroundings. See if anything is hiding," Ariel commanded via Telepathy.
Malamar nodded, and its deep blue mental power rippled outward like water.
One second, two seconds... Suddenly, the patterns on Malamar's body flashed rapidly. The mental signal it transmitted to Ariel was like being stabbed hard by a red-hot needle, filled with a sharp alarm.
An ambush! And more than one!
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