Pokémon: Above the Top-Chapter 218: Mt. Pyre

It had been three days since Ariados advanced to Mid Elite level, yet Sato and the others still hadn't arrived at Mt. Pyre.

In addition to the many challengers along the way, the high density of wild Pokémon also brought them plenty of trouble.

Sato was more than happy with this.

Ariados had become the first Pokémon to break through relying solely on its own efforts, which not only made the rest of the team envious, but also unconsciously more focused, training more seriously than before.

Battles naturally became more frequent. Umbreon, Sharpedo, and Cacturne were especially active in taking on opponents.

Unfortunately, advancement within the Elite stage required significant accumulation. Ariados had only completed the step from low to mid stage. There was still a long way to go.

"Cacturne!"

Just as Sato was lost in thought, Cacturne, scouting ahead, suddenly swung its arm fiercely toward the air!

"Kehehe Kehehe!"

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A Haunter suddenly appeared ahead of Cacturne, clutching its head, its face full of disbelief.

"Haunter? That means Mt. Pyre should be close!" Sato smiled, seeing Ghost-type Pokémon in this area was a good sign.

"I think I hear the sound of waves," Joseph said with his eyes closed, speaking softly.

"Didn't they say Mt. Pyre is on an island? Are we there?" Mark's expression lit up, full of energy.

"Yeah, seems like it!" Sato strode forward, also full of anticipation.

The surrounding vegetation gradually thinned out, and bits of sand and gravel became more common. After passing through the dense forest, the three once again saw the ocean.

Only this time, the sea seemed to be within a closed-off bay. Not only was it calm, but the water's surface was also shrouded in dense white mist.

Faintly visible within it was the silhouette of a towering mountain, almost exactly like the one described in books, Mt. Pyre!

"There it is!"

"There? Where is it?" Mark looked up eagerly when he heard that, but due to his poor eyesight, all he could make out was thick fog.

"Come on, let's go over there!"

"Go where?"

"Across the sea. That's where Mt. Pyre is."

"Ohh... but we don't have a boat. Are we gonna swim there? I won't last that far." Mark pulled a bitter face and stopped Sato again.

Sato, unwilling to waste words, simply tossed out three Poké Balls toward the sea. With a flash of red light, Sharpedo and two Lapras appeared before the group.

"Lapras! When did you catch them, boss? We didn't even notice!" Mark cried out, full of envy.

"Borrowed them from Nurse Joy. Get on, we're heading out," Sato said as he leapt onto Sharpedo.

"Praas~"

The Lapras were gentle. Even though they had stayed in their Poké Balls for a long time, they showed no signs of complaint.

Inside Poké Balls, Pokémon spend most of their time resting, expending almost none energy. Whenever Sato passed by a Pokémon Center, he always let the two Lapras rest up.

Only this time, when it came to choosing who to carry, both Lapras turned their heads toward Joseph, clearly not interested in Mark.

Aside from Joseph's latent influence from the Viridian Power, Mark's messy nest-like hair -even freshly washed- still looked unkempt and seriously lowered his "visual appeal".

The beautiful Lapras were clearly face-judgers, so naturally they preferred Joseph, whose looks were only behind Sato's.

After a round of commotion, the three each ended up riding a Pokémon, making their way toward Mt. Pyre by sea.

Compared to being a makeshift flying mount, Sharpedo clearly preferred swimming freely across the ocean with Sato.

As they got closer to Mt. Pyre, the surrounding fog grew denser. In order to prevent the three from getting separated, Sharpedo had to stay close to the two Lapras, moving at a steady pace toward the mountain.

"Riiing... ring..."

A Chimecho suddenly appeared before the three, swayed gently, then vanished again.

"Joseph, Chimecho can use Heal Pulse and Heal Bell. You might want to consider it," Sato suddenly suggested. Chimecho was a relatively rare support-type Pokémon.

"Okay, got it!" Joseph nodded, clearly interested. Plus, Chimecho was very cute, with a decent appearance score.

Not long after, several Duskull popped out and mischievously used Astonish in an attempt to scare them.

Unfortunately, Sato had already spotted them in advance. Sharpedo used Scary Face, terrifying them out of their wits, and they fled quickly.

Soon, all three could see the silhouette of a large mountain. No matter how thick the fog was, it couldn't block the sight.

But as they neared Mt. Pyre, they discovered the area was surrounded by steep cliffs, with no platform to land on.

Left with no choice, the three circled cautiously around the mountain in search of a landing spot. Eventually, after covering more than half a circle, they found a cave entrance shrouded in a sinister breeze.

"Are... are we really going in?" Mark clung tightly to Lapras' neck. No matter how gentle Lapras was, it was nearly being choked to death and couldn't stand it anymore.

Smack!

"Ah! Who hit me?!" Mark screamed and darted onto the Lapras Joseph was riding, clinging to Joseph tightly with surprising agility.

"..."

Sato had already stepped onto the small patch of ground at the cave entrance. Once Joseph had pried Mark off and landed, Sato recalled both Lapras.

"I'll leave them with you for now. Whether for retreat or backup, they'll be useful."

As he spoke, Sato handed the Poké Balls containing Lapras to the other two.

"Eh? Is that allowed?" Mark hesitated, unsure about taking them.

"Just remember, I'm only placing them in your care temporarily. They're not yours. You're not trying to catch them either, so there shouldn't be an issue."

"...Fine!" Mark hesitated for two seconds. Thinking about how he only had his Arbok, and was easily a liability, he hardened his resolve and took the Poké Ball Sato handed him.

One second, two seconds, a minute... ten minutes passed and still nothing happened.

Mark clenched his fists in excitement. He didn't expect Sato to even find a loophole like this. No wonder he had chosen him as his boss.

In reality, Sato hadn't thought that far. He simply had too many Pokémon on him, and Joseph had only one slot left. He had no choice but to try handing it to Mark.

"Put on your night vision goggles. If we run into Ghost-types, don't scream. Let's stay close to each other so we don't get separated."

For this Mt. Pyre expedition, they were well prepared. Though night vision goggles couldn't reveal Ghost-type Pokémon, at least they allowed them to navigate the dark.

Lighting a fire or using flashlights would've easily provoked resistance or aggression from wild Pokémon.

Mt. Pyre was, after all, a resting place for departed Pokémon. Best not to disturb them if it could be helped.

"Gengar!"

"Haunter!"

Gengar stopped hiding and silently emerged from Sato's shadow, hands folded, golden eyes filled with calm.