Riding on Charizard's back, the Xia brothers, Xia Yu and Xia Luo, soared through the bustling city, passing over the jungles west of Starlight City before landing halfway up Qianlian Mountain.
"What are you doing here?" Xia Luo asked, looking at Xia Yu with curiosity.
"I want to catch a Pokémon," Xia Yu replied honestly, not hiding his intentions from his brother.
"Here? To catch a Pokémon?" Xia Luo chuckled. "This area's been cleared out multiple times. There are hardly any Pokémon with good potential around. If you really want a starter, I can give you one of the Kanto starters. You're starting late, but there's still a chance."
"No thanks, Bro. I've got a plan," Xia Yu declined his brother's kind offer, heading toward a cave opening halfway up the mountain.
"Up to you," Xia Luo said, not pressing further. His little brother had always been headstrong. Besides, with both him and their dad as Gym Leaders, even if Xia Yu accomplished nothing and lived as a carefree rich kid, he'd be set for life.
Inside the cave, it was pitch black. For safety, Xia Luo summoned Volcarona, its bright flames illuminating the entrance.
Xia Yu gazed at Volcarona with envy. Once, a Gym Leader-level Larvesta had been within his grasp, but he hadn't cherished it. If not for this stupid system, he'd already have a Volcarona tearing through battles.
As they ventured deeper, bat-like Pokémon hanging upside down in the cave were startled awake by Volcarona's glowing flames, swooping toward the brothers.
"Volcarona, take care of these Zubat."
Zubat were extremely common bat Pokémon, deep blue with lighter purple ear cochleas and wing membranes. Their wide mouths revealed four white teeth, and they had no eyes.
Zubat despised sunlight, spending most days sleeping upside down in caves or under the eaves of old houses. When disturbed, they attacked intruders.
This cave was home to hundreds, maybe thousands, of Zubat. Xia Yu spotted a few Golbat among them but not a single Crobat.
Though numerous, the Zubat were a disorganized mob. In the narrow cave, Xia Luo's Volcarona stood like an impenetrable gate, easily fending off the entire swarm.
"Three hundred meters left," Xia Yu said, checking the one-time Pokémon Detector. Only 300 meters separated him from the Heavenly King-level Pokémon, spurring him to move faster.
Crossing an underground river, the brothers reached an open area—a Zubat nest. Xia Yu saw countless Pokémon eggs scattered across the ground.
"Here it is."
Xia Yu's eyes lit up. The detector pointed to this nest, meaning one of these eggs held a Pokémon with Heavenly King-level potential.
"Bro, there are so many eggs. I'm picking one."
"Go ahead. These are mostly Zubat eggs. They're not particularly strong, but if you raise one into a Crobat, it could be decent," Xia Luo said, glancing at the eggs with little interest. He was preparing to challenge the Heavenly King rank, so only Pokémon with that potential caught his eye.
Xia Yu crouched down, using the system's appraisal ability to inspect each egg.
[Pokémon Egg]
Zubat
Gender: Female
Type: Poison/Flying
Potential: Elite
Ability: Inner Focus (Through mental training, it won't flinch from an opponent's attacks)
Moves: Unknown
…
Not this one.
As Xia Yu searched for his coveted Heavenly King-level egg, a shrill screech echoed through the cave.
A purple figure flashed like a phantom, lunging toward Xia Yu.
"Volcarona, Flame Vortex!"
A surge of heat erupted as Xia Luo, quick to react, ordered Volcarona to unleash a blazing vortex of flames, enveloping Xia Yu in a protective barrier.
"Charizard, stop it!" Simultaneously, Xia Luo grabbed Charizard's Poké Ball from his belt, summoning it to confront the sudden appearance of a Crobat.
[Crobat]
Gender: Male
Type: Poison/Flying
Potential: Overlord
Ability: Infiltrator (Can bypass the opponent's barriers or substitutes to attack)
Moves: Leech Life, Gust, Supersonic, Hypnosis, Bite, Air Cutter, Cross Poison, Air Slash, Sucker Punch, Poison Fang, Mean Look, Astonish, Quick Guard, Haze, Venoshock, Wing Attack, Zen Headbutt
The extensive move list suggested this wasn't a wild Pokémon but one carefully trained by a human.
After its attack missed, the Crobat flew back to the other end of the nest, its red eyes sizing up Charizard and Volcarona, holding off on another strike.
"Screech."
Crobat's sharp, high-pitched cries sent ultrasonic waves echoing out of the cave.
"Hey, Little Yu, you done picking? This Crobat's calling for backup. If too many Zubat show up, even I'll have trouble," Xia Luo warned.
As he spoke, the sound of flapping wings filled the air. Thousands of Zubat poured in from every cave opening, swarming toward the brothers.
"Almost there!" Xia Yu said, growing anxious. The sheer number of eggs was overwhelming, and he hadn't found the Heavenly King-level one yet. "Just a few more minutes!"
"Hurry up," Xia Luo said helplessly. The Zubat posed little threat to him, but their numbers could overwhelm, and a stray one might slip through to attack Xia Yu.
Xia Yu didn't waste time, diving back into his search. Finally, in the last section, he found it—the Heavenly King-level egg.
[Pokémon Egg]
Noibat
Gender: Male
Type: Flying/Dragon
Potential: Heavenly King
Ability: Telepathy
Moves:???
…
Found it!
Xia Yu glanced at the egg, confirming it was the right one, then scooped it into his arms and retreated to Xia Luo's side.
The moment Crobat saw the egg, it let out a furious, ear-piercing screech. Flapping its purple wings, it dove toward Xia Yu.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
A torrent of fire burst from Charizard's mouth, intercepting the charging Crobat.
"Got it?" Xia Luo asked, not looking at Crobat but at Xia Yu, his gaze falling on the egg in his brother's arms. Its markings were slightly different, not quite like the Zubat eggs.
"Yeah," Xia Yu nodded.
"Good. Time to go," Xia Luo said, shielding Xia Yu as he commanded Volcarona. "Volcarona, max-power Heat Wave!"
A scorching gale erupted, the sudden heatwave forcing back the entire Zubat swarm. Droves of Zubat, unable to withstand the intense heat, collapsed to the ground.
…