After wrapping up the reunion with Heatran, Cynthia finally remembered Sato behind her and took the initiative to introduce him.
"Heat~ Heat-Tran~"
Heatran was surprisingly good-natured. It smiled and nodded at Sato, even circling around him as if memorizing his scent.
"Heatran, we actually came to ask you for a favor this time. Let's talk inside."
"Hea!"
Heatran nodded at Cynthia, then lightly stomped the ground to shift the surrounding rock. In an instant, the two humans and two Pokémon were rapidly lowered into the mountainside.
"KROOOW!"
Honchkrow panicked for a moment but was quickly blocked by Togekiss.
"Kiss~"
Togekiss shook its head, signaling that its Trainer wouldn't harm Honchkrow's Trainer.
At that moment, Sato's voice echoed from the pit below.
"I'm fineeee~ Honchkrow, just keep watch up thereeee~"
"Krooow!"
Honchkrow called out once more, then quieted down, stealing a glance at the graceful and elegant Togekiss beside it before shyly turning its head away…
That was kinda embarrassing just now ( - ω -)
---◓---
Back to Sato's side, he and Cynthia, guided by Heatran, had now entered deep into the mountainside.
The moment the view opened up, the pungent sulfur and intense heat nearly knocked the wind out of Sato.
At the Sunyshore Power Plant, they had only brushed against the quiet underground lava flows.
But now, they had directly entered the heart of an active volcano!
"Hea-Heat~"
Thankfully, the ever-considerate Heatran was well prepared. The glowing coal-like dots across its body suddenly lit up all at once, and the intense Fire-type energy around them dispersed instantly, lowering the temperature to a bearable range.
With the heat finally tolerable, Sato had time to look around the volcano's interior.
At the very bottom, lava bubbled violently like it could erupt at any moment.
The surrounding walls were deep red rocky cliffs, the intense glow reflecting off Sato and Cynthia's faces, making their skin look oily under the light.
The two humans and one Pokémon stood atop a massive platform, providing a perfect view of the volcano's interior.
"Awooo!"
Suddenly, a howl rang out from the other side of the mountain, and a flash of orange rushed toward them.
An Arcanine!
The next second, Arcanine skidded to a stop in front of Cynthia, then enthusiastically nudged her with its head, wagging its tail so fast it practically turned into a helicopter blade.
"Hehe~ that tickles! Alright, alright, I know you missed me~"
Sure enough, yet another one of Cynthia's companions… a full-fledged cuddle-dog.
"Heat~"
Just as Sato started to feel a little sour, he suddenly felt something nudging his hand. Turning around, he found Heatran.
Its eyes seemed to say: "Cynthia's petting Arcanine… you can pet me too!"
Sato gave Heatran's hard outer shell a few clinks with his hand…
'Bro… you're not handsome, and you've got no fur. Petting you is like slapping metal.'
Kinda rough on the hands!
After giving the soft, long-haired Arcanine a good round of pets, Cynthia finally got back to business. She reached behind her and pulled out a Heavy Ball.
"Magmortar, come on out!"
"MAG-MOOOOOR!"
A flash of red light and the massive Magmar roared as it emerged.
Only after venting a bit of its pent-up frustration did Magmortar finally lower its head and look down at Sato and the others.
'These tiny things that could be stomped flat with one foot…' Were the ones who caught it?
Magmortar still couldn't accept reality. Just as it was about to lose its temper again and lash out at Cynthia and the others…
That's when the always well-behaved, awkwardly cute Heatran moved.
Heatran simply took one small step forward, and the pressure unique to a Legendary Pokémon born of magma erupted across the entire interior of the volcano!
Magmortar froze on the spot, its furious expression instantly shifting to one of shock.
Its slightly raised cannon arms were now stuck in place; not sure whether to keep them up or put them down.
"TRRAAAN!"
Suddenly, Heatran let out a deafening roar, and the force of its Legendary presence doubled again, slamming down onto Magmortar.
Thud~
This time, Magmortar didn't even hesitate. It dropped to one knee, bowing its head toward Heatran in total submission. The speed of its obedience made it seem like the furious tantrum from moments ago had never happened.
Sato stared in disbelief at the same Heatran who had just tried to get him to pet it. He hadn't expected this thing to actually be… that intimidating when serious.
"Hea-Heat! Tran~"
Heatran gave Magmortar another round of instructions. Soon after, Magmortar fully prostrated itself, lowering its ugly face in front of everyone.
"Magmortar, it hasn't been easy for you to grow to this level and size. But the Sunyshore Power Plant is no longer a place you can stay. From now on, you'll follow Heatran, it'll be better for you too."
"Magmor! Mor!"
Magmortar rolled its eyes up and down in place as a substitute for nodding, clearly saying it would do whatever Cynthia said.
'WHATEVER YOU SAY, GOES!'
Heatran then stepped up as well, wearing a confident expression that seemed to promise it would take good care of things. Its reliability was reassuring.
With Magmortar's issue resolved, Cynthia's purpose for the visit had been fulfilled. But leaving right away would make it feel like they were treating Heatran as a mere tool.
So soon after, Heatran manipulated the mountain's terrain to lift itself, Sato, Cynthia, and Arcanine back to the surface.
As for Magmortar… its sheer size meant it would have to stay inside the volcano for now.
Led by Heatran, the group soon arrived at a nearby lakeside.
No need to say more. A lively camping session was immediately underway!
Sato and Cynthia released all the Pokémon they had brought along to let them relax and enjoy themselves.
Umbreon and Glaceon, that little couple, immediately snuck off into the bushes together… who knew what they were up to…
Sharpedo and Milotic leapt joyfully into the lake, enjoying some rare downtime.
Togekiss and Honchkrow were tasked with gathering fresh Berries. If they found any, they'd bring some back.
The rest of the Pokémon either sprawled out or dozed off, each one completely at ease.
Sato and Cynthia, along with her Lucario, began prepping food together.
Gardevoir stood quietly nearby, wanting to help but not knowing how. After all, a queen like her had never cooked before!
Meanwhile, in one corner near the lakeside, Sato's Houndoom was carefully approaching Heatran and Arcanine, clearly wanting to introduce itself but unsure how to start.
Then Heatran noticed Houndoom and immediately welcomed it warmly.
Having absorbed the Heart of Earthflame, Houndoom had partially converted its flames into magma, giving it a strange affinity with Heatran.
And just like that, the three Fire-type Pokémon huddled together in secret.
At some point, they had already wandered off from the lake…