Chapter 64 So Cute

Manager Che remained silent for a moment, and after a while, he took out a set of documents from his carry-on bag and handed them to Qian Lin.

Qian Lin took them and looked over, immediately catching the words "Duanhang Mountain Volcano." He was slightly startled: "This is!"

"The higher-ups have already noticed the anomalies at the Duanhang Mountain Volcano," Manager Che said, pointing to the document. "The higher-ups were the ones who sent the exploration team there this time, but unexpectedly, they encountered interference from Pokémon. By the time we received the news, aerial reconnaissance had already been dispatched, and the results of the reconnaissance are..."

"The volcano might erupt in a short period of time," Manager Che said with a dead-serious expression. "Most importantly, the aerial reconnaissance detected an energy signature very similar to that of Growlithe, but countless times stronger. Based on our deductions, there might be an extremely powerful Fire-type Pokémon living inside the volcano."

"Hiss—" Qian Lin drew a sharp breath.

Putting aside the fact that the Pokémon Research Institute had managed to research Fire-type energy in such a short time, the most crucial part was that they had actually applied it to reconnaissance?

Seemingly noticing Qian Lin's shock, Manager Che chuckled softly: "The Pokémon Pokédex you gave us was equipped with a function similar to energy detection, allowing us to clearly analyze the current abilities of Pokémon. We isolated that feature and created a device specifically for detecting Pokémon energy."

Simply put, it was a function port; they had not yet fully understood the underlying technology.

That was a relief.

No, this wasn't the time to dwell on that.

Qian Lin put down the documents, his expression turning solemn: "There are quite a few Pokémon that live in volcanoes, but not many can survive deep inside them. Among them, a few are relatively easy to handle, but..."

Watching Qian Lin's silent demeanor, Manager Che's heart sank as well: "Is there some kind of entity that's extremely difficult to deal with?"

Qian Lin nodded, picked up his water cup and took a sip, but kept the answer to himself.

It wasn't that he didn't want to say it; it was just useless to speak of it... Whether it was Entei, Moltres, or even... Ho-Oh, none of them were entities that humanity could handle right now. These were deities! With humanity's current technological means, it was uncertain whether they could even put up a fight against a minor legendary Pokémon.

And if it were a major legendary Pokémon... well, they might as well just surrender.

That was why Qian Lin had suddenly fallen silent a few months ago during the livestream when someone mentioned Yveltal. Being able to survive under Yveltal's hands could only be described as being favored by the Goddess of Luck.

What a headache.

Manager Che presumably saw the grave expression on Qian Lin's face and didn't press further. He reached out and patted Qian Lin's shoulder: "I'll go have someone prepare the transport plane."

Duanhang Mountain was not in Sichuan. Currently, trains and ferries were the most dangerous modes of transportation, making airplanes the most conventional means of long-distance travel instead. However, planes weren't entirely immune to accidents; it was just that they happened relatively less frequently. Yet, every accident involving a plane was far more difficult to handle than those on the ground.

In fact, they were completely unmanageable.

Qian Lin simply nodded without speaking.

Perhaps because the matter was urgent, under Qian Lin's urging, all preparations were fully completed in less than an hour.

The transport plane was responsible for quickly ferrying Qian Lin to the airport, where a private flight had already been prepared, allowing him to depart in just over an hour. A transport aircraft was also ready on the other side, meaning Qian Lin could reach the Duanhang Mountain volcanic region in a maximum of two hours.

Calling Swablu back, the Pokémon Research Institute returned the Poké Ball to Qian Lin and handed him a new phone.

With everything prepared, Qian Lin boarded the plane.

Looking at the scenery below from the window, Qian Lin took a deep breath, his heart filled with anxiety and trepidation.

Swablu squatted in Qian Lin's arms, seemingly sensing his unease, and let out a gentle, well-behaved chirp: "Chirpy~"

Qian Lin lowered his head, looked at the obedient look on Swablu's face, and smiled: "Thanks for the comfort, it's fine. This is something I have to do."

Since he had decided to do it, he would see it through.

Growlithe squatted nearby, while Pangoro sat in the back row. Upon hearing Qian Lin's words, both of them looked over simultaneously.

Growlithe gently nudged Qian Lin's leg, sticking out its tongue with a goofy expression.

Pangoro didn't speak, but silently took a deep breath.

Last time against the Ghost-type Pokémon, she hadn't been able to contribute...

"It's okay, don't worry," Qian Lin said with a smile, petting Growlithe's head. "Maybe it's just a simple incident. If it's merely a volcanic eruption, that's still manageable. When the time comes, I'll rely on Pangoro to carry me out."

"Grawr~" Pangoro nodded earnestly.

"Chirpy~" Swablu flapped her wings with an expression that said she wouldn't lose either.

Seeing this, Qian Lin smiled even brighter: "Alright, alright. Once you evolve, I'll be counting on you to fly me around!"

"Chirpy—" Swablu patted her chest in assurance.

Altaria, huh... Qian Lin felt a slight yearning. Riding across the sky on the back of an Altaria seemed like a rather wonderful prospect.

Yet, upon second thought, Altaria's body didn't seem all that large; standing on it barely worked, but if one needed to sit... well, that was still a long way off, considering Swablu wasn't even a year old yet.

Having received Qian Lin's promise, Swablu swayed left and right between his legs, softly humming a tune.

Swablu's voice was very soft, resembling bells chiming in the breeze, drifting into his ears accompanied by a gentle wind.

The melodious tune swayed in the sunlight, casting its radiance over Qian Lin. At that moment, his heart felt tranquil, and all the anxiety and restlessness vanished.

He hadn't expected Swablu's singing voice to be so lovely.

Qian Lin felt a pleasant surprise.

Altaria naturally possessed beautiful voices and were accustomed to humming in the sky. Hearing a wonderful melody deep in the mountains far from human habitation meant an Altaria was singing.

Closing his eyes and leaning back against the seat, with Swablu's voice echoing by his ear, it felt as though he had ascended high above the clouds.

Opening his eyes to look outside, the clouds were right beside him, and that sensation became even more wonderful.

After a long while, Swablu stopped humming and looked up at Qian Lin.

Qian Lin smiled, reached out to stroke her head, and spoke in a gentle tone: "That was sung so beautifully. As expected of you, Swablu."

"Chirpy~"

Swablu's face flushed slightly.

She covered her cheeks with her snow-white wings.

Growlithe stood up, approached Swablu, and very gently touched her with its nose, then took a step back and simply watched her.

Swablu raised her head to look at Growlithe, her slightly blushed face filled with confusion.

Seeing this, Qian Lin smiled and explained: "Growlithe is thanking you, because your song was so lovely that it made him feel at ease too."

"Chirpy~" Swablu's eyes widened.

"Awooo~ Woof!" Growlithe chimed in agreement, its voice soft yet full of spirit.

Swablu's face grew even redder.

Pangoro poked her upper body out from behind and gave Swablu a thumbs-up.

"Grawr—"

Sounds great.

Swablu's face turned even redder, and she buried her entire head into Qian Lin's embrace.