Pokémon: Lairon (Quasi-Purple)
Gender: Male
Level: 32
Type: Steel + Rock
Ability: Rock Head
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Dragon Rush, Head Smash, Stealth Rock, Screech, Body Slam
Basic Moves: Tackle, Harden, Mud-Slap, Headbutt, Metal Claw, Rock Tomb, Protect, Roar, Rock Slide, Take Down, Metal Sound
Learned Moves: Iron Head, Earth Power, Iron Tail, Snore, Magnet Rise
TM Moves: Protect
After evolving successfully, Lairon, with the help of the quality enhancement potion, managed to reach Quasi-Purple quality, formally entering the Purple tier.
Like Combusken, he was in an intermediate state between Light Purple and Dark Blue — a special transitional phase.
However, thanks to Cain's intense training and the support of Pokéblocks made from rare materials, Combusken was very close to leaving the Quasi-Purple stage behind and reaching Light Purple quality.
It's likely that under Cain's care, Lairon could also advance to Light Purple quality — and even aspire to even higher levels of quality in the future.
Aron's evolution into Lairon left Larvitar full of admiration.
The little Larvitar excitedly circled around Lairon, poking here and there, trying to assess how much he had changed.
Transforming from a cute Pokémon into a fierce and imposing one not only fascinated Larvitar but also made him daydream about what he might look like after evolving.
"Graah!" Lairon roared proudly at Larvitar.
Larvitar, who had been investigating Lairon's changes, stopped immediately.
He walked up, turned around, and began rummaging through his small red backpack.
Lairon had said he was hungry and wanted something to eat.
As a good teammate, Larvitar couldn't ignore the request.
After searching for a moment, he pulled out a diamond.
Lairon opened his mouth, signaling for Larvitar to toss it right in.
However, Larvitar looked at the size of the diamond in his hand, then at Lairon's mouth post-evolution. It seemed the diamond was far too small to satisfy that appetite.
With no other choice, Larvitar dug back into his bag and found three more diamonds. Along with the first, he threw all four into Lairon's mouth.
Crack! Crunch!
Lairon happily crunched them down, while Larvitar, feeling the slight drop in his backpack's weight, sighed with mild sadness.
"He eats more than I do," Larvitar thought with resignation.
Laughing, Cain patted Larvitar's head and pulled out a handful of diamonds, refilling the little one's backpack.
Immediately, Larvitar's eyes sparkled with joy, turning into little crescent moons.
After eating the diamonds, Lairon regained a bit of energy.
Nevertheless, the side effects of the quality enhancement potion were still lingering, so he'd need proper rest over the next few days.
Cain returned Lairon to his Pokéball and released Politoed to accompany him.
In an area with such high concentrations of Fire-type energy, Politoed's presence helped ease the heat a bit.
"Larr!" Just as Larvitar finished adjusting his backpack, he lifted his head and pointed to something on the other side of the lava river.
Cain followed Larvitar's gesture — and he saw it too: it was the silhouette of the Quilava they had been chasing.
The Quilava stood at the entrance of a small cave. It looked at Cain for a moment before ducking and disappearing into the tunnel.
Cain squinted.
He hesitated for a moment, but he wasn't ready to give up. Since they had come this far, they had to not only search for the ingredients for the quality enhancement potion but also explore this mysterious place.
Cain threw a Pokéball, summoning Flygon.
As soon as Flygon appeared, the beat of its wings greatly eased the stifling heat.
Cain picked up Larvitar and leapt onto Flygon's back. Combusken jumped up agilely, while Politoed was temporarily returned to his Pokéball to be summoned again once they reached the other side of the lava river.
Guided by Cain, Flygon soared across.
Though used to the scorching heat of the desert, even Flygon had never experienced temperatures like these — surrounded by flowing lava.
The hot air rising from the lava river was like the inside of an oven, and Cain and his team were the food being cooked.
The lava's temperature exceeded a thousand degrees — it was astonishing that Quilava could survive in such an environment.
However, besides Quilava, Cain also spotted several Slugma and Magcargo moving through the lava.
For Pokémon whose inner body temperatures surpassed the lava itself, this place was like a refreshing pool.
Lava bubbles occasionally exploded, releasing hot bursts of air that could severely burn human skin on contact.
Luckily, Cain wore a protective suit and used his psychic powers to maintain a barrier around himself.
Even so, his underwear was soaked with sweat from the extreme heat.
"Stop here!" When Flygon was above the center of the lava river, Cain gave the order to halt.
The system had triggered an alert.
Crimson Rock found!
Since entering this area, the system had been working in the background, constantly scanning for the materials Cain needed.
Finally, deep within the lava, it had located one of the key ingredients for crafting Combusken's quality enhancement potion: the Crimson Rock.
A preliminary scan suggested a 90% probability that the rock was the required material.
The rock was submerged in lava, and Cain had no idea how to extract it. The area was also filled with Magcargo — several of them near-elite level — making it even more dangerous.
"System, show the exact location," Cain commanded, staying calm despite the intense situation.
The system projected a three-dimensional map in front of his eyes, pinpointing the precise location of the Crimson Rock. It was quite deep within the lava.
Among Cain's Pokémon, only the newly captured Magmortar seemed capable of attempting such a feat.
Cain decided to fly toward a safe spot on the riverbank and come up with a plan.
"Bussk!" Before Cain could give an order, Combusken stepped forward and spoke firmly.
He wanted to try it himself?
Cain looked at Combusken, surprised. Unlike Magmortar, Combusken wasn't adapted to lava environments.
"Are you sure about this?" Cain asked.
Combusken nodded, serious and determined.
After a brief silence, Cain agreed.
"Alright. Slowking, come out and be ready to assist," he said, throwing another Pokéball and summoning Slowking.
(End of chapter)