Chapter 49 Mt. Chimney

[May: Zfang, I can't believe you actually got the Heat Badge! You just wait for me, I'm going to finish my electrician grid access license exam as fast as possible and come find you!]

Lying on his bed, Zfang looked at the message May had sent him on his phone and scratched his head. May still hadn't finished her electrician license exam yet? Zfang remembered it had already been more than a week since he left Mauville City, yet May still hadn't wrapped it up. Who knew how much longer he would have to wait for her to pass her electrician certificate and then go challenge the gym.

Zfang climbed out of bed, then pushed open the window and looked outside.

Lavaridge Town was built right on top of Mt. Chimney. Pushing open the window, Zfang could see the towering Mt. Chimney not far ahead. Zfang remembered that Meteor Falls and Fallarbor Town were over that way, and Fallarbor Town seemed to be home to a doctor who studied meteorites. Furthermore, a very important game plot character, the Lorekeeper of the Draconids, seemed to be located around there.

Zfang took the stone he had previously found in Granite Cave in Dewford Town out of his backpack. This was a meteorite, but it honestly looked no different from any ordinary stone on the ground. Zfang had tried researching this thing before, but there was zero reaction throughout the entire process. If not for the prompt from his cheat ability, Zfang would have suspected he had picked up the wrong rock.

"Could this thing only be useful if I take it to the Sky Pillar?" Zfang thought of the plot from the games. According to the game's storyline, if one wanted to gain the attention of the Sky High Pokémon, Rayquaza, they needed to carry the meteorite and follow the Lorekeeper to the Sky Pillar to hold a ceremony, thereby drawing Rayquaza's attention. Only then would Rayquaza come to the Sky Pillar to listen to the petitioner's wish.

However, whether the Draconids existed in this world remained a question. Zfang planned to drop by Fallarbor Town on his way to check if there was a girl named Zinnia there.

"Should I go take a look at Mt. Chimney tomorrow? Since I've already made it to Lavaridge Town, it feels kind of strange not to check out Mt. Chimney." Zfang rubbed his chin and figured this idea was worth a shot. After all, as the highest mountain range in the Hoenn region, Mt. Chimney was quite famous. Besides, Zfang remembered someone selling Lavaridge Rice Crackers at the summit, and you could only buy them one by one, which made their effect even better.

Zfang had already looked into the Lavaridge Rice Crackers from Lavaridge Town. The rice crackers here indeed possessed the properties of a Full Heal, though relatively speaking, the effect wasn't particularly strong. According to the old folks in Lavaridge Town, the best Lavaridge Rice Crackers were the ones made right at the peak of Mt. Chimney. The ones crafted up there had a much stronger effect, though they were much harder to make and carried a higher price tag.

With that thought in mind, Zfang lay back down on bed. He planned to buy some rock-climbing gear tomorrow and head up Mt. Chimney to check out the highest dormant volcano in the Hoenn region.

When he woke up the next day, Zfang hurriedly got up to wash up, then prepared Pokémon food for Charmander and Gyarados. After eating breakfast, he went to the store to purchase the items he needed, and then stood waiting at the entrance of the inn.

Zfang was waiting for a Pokémon to deliver a package to him. Before long, Zfang spotted the silhouette of a Pokémon in the air—a Pelipper holding a package in its beak. It flew right up to Zfang, had him confirm and sign for it, and then flew back off.

Zfang opened the package, and right after, he saw a Rotom Dex fly out from inside.

"Hello there, Zfang! I'm your Rotom Dex~" Rotom greeted Zfang cheerfully.

Zfang hurriedly introduced himself to the Rotom Dex as well. The Rotom Dex immediately filled Zfang in on some of its functions, which delighted him. The modified Rotom Dex possessed the capabilities of gathering battle data and exploring and recording surrounding terrain, along with a few minor features. Since he hadn't reached a situation where he needed them yet, Zfang left them alone for now.

After acquiring the Rotom Dex and organizing his backpack, Zfang set off on the road toward Mt. Chimney.

There were three ways to get to Mt. Chimney. The first was taking the League cable car. Riding the cable car up saved time and effort, and was relatively much easier. The second way was walking the winding mountain road, though the mountain trail was somewhat difficult to traverse; the obvious advantage, of course, was saving money.

The final method was extremely challenging: rock-climbing all the way up. Dashing, Zfang's former rock-climbing teacher, claimed he had once free-climbed Mt. Chimney with his bare hands, a feat he bragged about for the rest of his life. Zfang figured that even after old man Dashing got white hair, he would still bring up climbing Mt. Chimney at every opportunity.

Zfang chose the first option. Although it would cost a bit of money, Zfang felt it was well worth it. However, on his way to the cable car boarding point, Zfang kept having the lingering feeling that someone was tailing him.

"It must be those three goofballs," Zfang scratched his head and didn't pay it much mind.

After buying a cable car ticket, Zfang rode the cable car all the way up to the summit of Mt. Chimney. The very first thing Zfang felt after stepping off the cable car was the cold. The temperature at the peak was extremely low, and the wind was fierce, giving Zfang the sensation that he was riding on the back of a Flying-type Pokémon.

Curious, Zfang walked over to the crater and glanced down. There was no magma, only a deep, bottomless abyss. Yet Zfang knew that Groudon slumbered down below, though Groudon wouldn't awaken unless someone possessed the orb from Pyre Peak.

"It's so high up here you can even see the clouds," Zfang rubbed his arms, shivering slightly as he looked around.

The peak of Mt. Chimney was toweringly high; you could even see patches of mist and clouds floating below. It gave Zfang a mild bout of acrophobia, but gazing out at the vast expanse of land below made him feel a bit more at ease.

Before long, Zfang found the elderly vendor selling Lavaridge Rice Crackers. The old man ran a small shop at the summit, and the price of the Lavaridge Rice Crackers he sold was double the price down below, coming very close to the standard retail cost of a Full Heal. Out of pure curiosity, Zfang purchased a single Lavaridge Rice Cracker.

[A rice cracker that can cure all status conditions when consumed.]

Once he held it in his hand, his cheat ability provided the prompt. But just as Zfang was planning to wander around the summit a bit more, he caught sight of a green streak of light shooting swiftly across the sky. At the same time, the backpack on his back began to vibrate incessantly. Puzzled, Zfang unzipped his pack and discovered that the source of the shaking was none other than the meteorite.

As soon as the meteorite was exposed outside the backpack, it shook even more violently, leaving Zfang utterly bewildered. Had something happened?

Almost immediately, however, Zfang sensed that something was amiss. A fierce gust of wind surged from behind him, and the next second, Zfang felt himself lifted into the air. In a blur, the scenery around him retreated at breakneck speed. Zfang quickly spotted white clouds, and when he lowered his gaze, he realized he was clinging to the back of a green Pokémon, which was soaring through the air while fixing its golden eyes upon him.

Rayquaza!