The Path of a Genius to Becoming a Pokémon Champion

The Charicific Valley is a natural ecological zone within the Kubfu Alliance.

Its original name is Mount Axewood, an active volcano. Because of the frequent volcanic activity, a large area around it is uninhabited by humans, left entirely for Pokémon.

Of course, this kind of ecological zone is different from a nature reserve. The nature reserves in this world belong entirely to Pokémon, and even entering them requires a permit. An ecological zone like Mount Axewood, however, is still within human territory and part of the human world.

Although it is designated for Pokémon to inhabit, the population, distribution, and ecological status of the local Pokémon are all under human surveillance. Occasionally, when volcanic activity is high, humans will intervene to aid the Pokémon populations within the zone, providing supplies and support for a period of time.

You could say it's a very, very large free-range Pokémon center.

And a certain valley within the Mount Axewood area was the destination of Arthur's trip.

Through his research, he had confirmed that many Fire and Rock-type meritorious Pokémon had chosen to live here in seclusion after losing their trainers. The oldest among them could be traced back over two hundred years.

And two hundred years ago was the era in which he had been active!

Although there was no direct evidence, with Celebi's corroboration, his former ace, Charizard, should now be living here.

It was noon when he arrived in the local area. Arthur first rested in the city closest to the foot of the mountain, had lunch, and stocked up on tools and medicinal powders he might need, including picking up an extremely expensive package from a designated delivery point.

Then, around two in the afternoon, he took a car to a camp at the entrance to the mountain area.

This was the last stop before entering the mountains. Along the way, the talkative taxi driver had been trying to strike up a conversation.

This time, because he had more luggage, Arthur didn't rent a Dodrio for travel.

"Young man, it's hot and humid in the mountains this season. Why'd you have to come this month? Are you going up to release or catch a Pokémon?"

Arthur hadn't been in the mood to talk, but the driver's mention of "releasing" had genuinely piqued his interest.

"What do you mean by 'releasing'?"

"Eh? You don't know, kid? This Mount Axewood and the Charicific Valley behind it are famous spots for releasing Pokémon. Lots of people come here every year to do it."

"Why would they release their Pokémon?"

Hearing his question, the driver paused. Then, while waiting at a red light, he rolled down his window, lit a cigarette with a world-weary air, and said:

"Young man, I can tell you haven't seen much of the world yet."

"..."

Arthur suspected this guy was just trying to act cool, but he had no proof.

So he didn't ask any further.

This, in turn, left the driver, who had been deliberately setting up a punchline, hanging. When they reached the destination and Arthur got out, the driver finally couldn't help but hint:

"Hey, kid. You sure you don't have any more questions?"

"Nope. Thanks, goodbye."

Arthur paid the fare and got out of the car decisively, leaving the driver gripping the steering wheel, his composure scattering in the wind…

That's not right. This young man doesn't play by the rules!

I was just setting you up! Why didn't you ask?!

But by then, Arthur was already far away, not even looking back…

Arriving at the camp, he found it wasn't very crowded. There were some shops along the street, mainly selling survival gear like machetes and tents needed for the mountains, but the prices here were at least three times the market rate!

Although this wasn't a protected reserve, there were still league officials, similar to rangers, on patrol.

Before entering the mountains, you had to register with these officials. Because many of the Pokémon living on Mount Axewood were former meritorious Pokémon, to ensure they weren't disturbed, not all areas were open to tourists.

This was why Arthur had waited until his merits were officially distributed before setting out.

At the registration point, after verifying his identity and merit record with the staff, Arthur finally received a signal transmitter with a positioning function and a map.

The young lady at the registration desk kindly reminded him, "This transmitter can track your location. If you're in trouble, we'll track the signal to come rescue you, so remember not to lose it after you enter the mountains. In an emergency, push open this back cover and press the round button. We'll arrange a rescue as soon as we receive your distress signal."

"Also, keep this map safe. With your current merit level, you can go to all the areas in the front part of the mountain, which are the blue sections on the map. But there are no paths outside the public areas. If you insist on exploring them, please be very careful."

The so-called public areas were the ones that didn't require league merits to enter. These areas had paved cement roads and steps, much like a scenic park.

But to find the hidden homes of the Pokémon in the mountains, you had to venture off the beaten path.

Arthur had anticipated this. His backpack, full of supplies, was already prepared.

But while he was confident, the young lady at the registration desk still seemed worried about him.

"Also, young man, are you sure you want to go into the mountains alone? It's still very dangerous."

"I'll be fine."

Arthur replied simply, putting away the transmitter and map.

Just then, another group of people happened to come to register.

Another staff member looked at their documents and immediately called out to the young lady helping Arthur, "Hey, Lily! We've got a few more people here, also with blue clearance, and their destination is also the Charicific Valley in the front mountains. Isn't that where your young man is going? Have them go together so they can keep each other company!"

It wasn't that the people here were nosy. It was because if someone really went missing in the mountains, their department was responsible for the rescue. So when they saw someone like Arthur, a lone hiker stubbornly heading into the valley, they got nervous.

Arthur turned to look. It seemed to be a family—a middle-aged couple with a teenage boy.

They saw Arthur with his huge hiking backpack and offered a friendly smile, seeming not to object to the staff's suggestion.

They looked like easygoing people.

Although Arthur didn't need the company, he saw no reason to refuse the staff's kind intentions.

But just then, the boy suddenly asked.

"Hey? You look really familiar, big brother. Have we met somewhere before? Or have I seen you on TV?"

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