Volcarona immediately turned its head away, not daring to meet Tyrantrum's gaze.
What a joke. With Tyrantrum's massive size, if it climbed on, it would probably crush Volcarona flat.
But Tyrantrum clearly had no such self awareness. It refused to give up, swinging its tail and circling around to stand in front of Volcarona again.
It continued staring with those large, glossy eyes, as if declaring that if it was not allowed to ride, it simply would not leave.
At that moment, Deino shifted its position slightly and suddenly shouted,
"Dei Dei Deino!" (Tyrantrum, come over here! I will make space for you. Just jump up!)
"Stop stirring trouble."
Theo flicked Deino on the head with an annoyed expression.
"If Tyrantrum jumps up here, all of us will be crushed into meat paste."
Tyrantrum still refused to back down. It insisted on getting on. Volcarona had just said it could carry eight, so of course it wanted to ride too.
Left with no choice, Theo turned to Milotic and Metagross for help.
Milotic and Metagross exchanged a glance and nodded, signaling Volcarona to leave first while they handled Tyrantrum.
Only then did Volcarona finally relax. Its three pairs of wings slowly flapped as it gently lifted into the air, carrying Theo, Ice Vulpix, Fire Vulpix, and Deino.
Its wings moved back and forth as it adjusted for quite a while before finally getting used to flying with passengers. As it flew, it muttered,
"Vul Vul!" (Deino, you are really too heavy. You should seriously lose some weight. You need to eat less from now on.)
Hearing this, Deino paid no attention at all. It had already made up its mind.
From now on, it would eat more, and then even more, growing as fast as possible and evolving soon.
When that time came, it would also grow three pairs of wings and compete with Volcarona to see whose wings were more beautiful.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Milotic and Metagross were staring at Tyrantrum, trying to come up with a solution.
Back when Metagross had used psychic power to help Tyrantrum fly, it had still been a small Tyrunt.
Now Tyrantrum had grown into such a large and sturdy form.
Metagross could at most make it float briefly. Letting it fly freely like before would be extremely difficult.
Looking at the still restless Tyrantrum, Milotic and Metagross began coordinating their efforts.
Milotic first released a large amount of water vapor, forming a huge blue membrane of water around Tyrantrum. By adjusting the density within the water membrane, it generated upward buoyancy.
At the same time, Metagross focused its mind and used a reversed gravity technique on Tyrantrum, gradually reducing its weight. Then it used psychic power to lift it into the air.
This operation was extremely complex. It required reversing gravity while maintaining stability, all while continuously using psychic power to control Tyrantrum's movement. It demanded constant multitasking and precise coordination.
Gradually, Tyrantrum's body began to float like a giant balloon.
It immediately broke into a silly grin, kicking its hind legs excitedly.
As Metagross increased its psychic output, Tyrantrum floated higher and higher.
At first, it was a little nervous, staring blankly at the ground below.
It would glance down once, then quickly lower its head and cover its eyes with its small forearms, only to peek again moments later. This repeated several times.
But as it gradually adapted, Tyrantrum completely let go of its fear.
Metagross controlled it to circle through the air, accelerating faster and faster until it even caught up with Volcarona nearby.
"Tyrant!"
Tyrantrum let out an excited roar, its voice echoing through the valley. Its tail swung wildly like a rattle drum, making it look like a completely out of control flying dinosaur.
It even waved its claws at Volcarona as if boasting, "Look, I can fly too, and I am even faster than you!"
"Be careful! Do not crash into us!"
Theo laughed as he directed Volcarona to dodge, worried that Tyrantrum might lose control and collide with them.
Provoked by the challenge, Volcarona immediately increased its speed. Its three pairs of wings blurred into afterimages as it carried Theo and the others weaving through the clouds.
Tyrantrum was unwilling to lose. It roared at Milotic and Metagross to go faster.
With their combined effort, Tyrantrum sped up in pursuit. Although its flying posture looked clumsy, its speed and momentum were not inferior at all, closing in right behind Volcarona.
Fire Vulpix, Ice Vulpix, and Deino all turned their heads and excitedly shouted provocations at Tyrantrum, urging it to catch up.
Sitting atop Volcarona, Theo watched his Pokémon playing around and could not help but smile as memories surfaced in his mind.
From the very beginning, when he only had Feebas and Tyrunt, to now being surrounded by so many companions, it truly filled him with emotion.
After flying for quite some time, Volcarona grew a little tired and slowly descended back to the base of Mt. Pyre.
Metagross and Milotic also ended their coordinated effort, and Tyrantrum reluctantly drifted back down to the ground.
The moment it landed, Tyrantrum ran over to Metagross and Milotic, clasped its small forearms together, and bowed repeatedly in thanks for their help.
This polite gesture made both Metagross and Milotic laugh.
Afterward, Tyrantrum ran over to Volcarona again and started pestering it.
"Well, what do you think? Even without wings, I can still fly. I am not slower than you, right?"
Volcarona could not be bothered with it. It simply lay on the ground to rest, gently flapping its wings to fan Fire Vulpix and Ice Vulpix.
Deino, meanwhile, watched everything quietly, nodding thoughtfully.
Then it moved closer to Metagross and Milotic, trying to curry favor with them.
It offered to massage Metagross's metal limbs and knead Milotic's tail fin, its intentions completely obvious to anyone watching.
Seeing this, Tyrantrum immediately stopped bothering Volcarona and hurried over as well, competing with Deino to flatter Metagross and Milotic.
As the sun set, golden light spread across the land, stretching the shadows of the Pokémon long across the ground.
…
Time passed quickly, and before long, a week had gone by.
After traveling with many stops along the way, Theo finally walked out of the tall, overgrown grass that reached above a person's height.
Looking ahead, he saw towering ancient trees that blocked out the sky. Beside the path stood a sign that read, "Revere the sky, embrace nature."
Theo immediately understood that he was not far from his destination.
He only needed one more Gym Badge to collect all eight and earn the qualification to participate in the Hoenn Ever Grande Conference.
And Fortree City was exactly where his final badge awaited him, the Flying type Gym, the Fortree Gym.
In truth, the distance from Mt. Pyre to Fortree City was not far. If Volcarona carried them, they could arrive in less than half a day.
However, Theo did not choose to fly. Instead, he decided to travel on foot.
This was because Fortree City and its surrounding areas were home to some of the most beautiful and unique natural landscapes in the Hoenn region.
Fortree City also had another name.
It was known as the city that plays with nature among the treetops.
(End of Chapter)