An abstract trainer who taught Charmander the Incinerate move

Chapter 312 The Three Transformations of Fierce Fire, Ice Emperor Liu Bodong (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Consciousness was like sinking into a boundless, scorching sea of ​​sand, both intensely hot and chaotic.

Xiao Huolong felt as if he had become a piece of tree fruit abandoned in the middle of the desert, about to be roasted into jerky by the scorching sun, and even his thoughts were about to evaporate.

[Xiao Huolong, wake up! We still need to find the strange fire!]

Just as it was in a daze and almost completely lost, a familiar and urgent call, like a thunderclap, suddenly exploded deep within its nearly shut-down Tang brain!

That voice... it's Elder Chi!
"What?!"

Xiao Huolong jolted awake as his massive, mountain-like body sprang up from the ground, his signature Tang-style eyes widening in surprise.

It shook its somewhat bewildered, huge bald head and looked around blankly.

Unbeknownst to them, they found themselves in a remote border town brimming with exotic charm.

The streets were bustling with people, and trainers of all kinds wore windproof robes or simple leather armor adapted to the desert environment, accompanied by common desert Pokémon such as Sandslash, Lycanroc, and Hippowdon.

Further out, beyond the town's borders, lies the vast Taglama Desert!
"Huh? I... I already found the strange fire, didn't I? That huge, bright fireball... how did it suddenly end up here?"

Xiao Huolong scratched his forehead in confusion with his powerful, Tyrannosaurus Rex-like forepaws, making a muffled, bewildered sound to himself.

"Snapped!"

A crisp slapping sound rang out on its forehead, and the figure of Old Man Chi, wearing a bright red hat, had somehow appeared behind it, glaring at it fiercely.

[What kind of daydream are you having! How are you going to find the Strange Flame without a map! With your Tang-style navigation skills, you probably couldn't even fly to your destination on Groudon once you're in the desert!]

"Oh—!" (Down syndrome trill)

Xiao Huolong nodded its enormous head as if suddenly understanding, and was immediately swayed by Elder Chi's words, no longer dwelling on the previous matter, and instead asked a question.

"Then... Elder Chi, where should we look for a map?"

It turned its massive body and stared longingly at the illusory figure of the Red Elder, its large eyes filled with innocent dependence.

With a flick of his illusory sleeve, the old man pointed to an inconspicuous corner deep within the town's streets.

[Hmph, of course I'll go to a specialized map shop! There's always one or two old shops like that that hide some good stuff.]

Guided by Elder Chi, Xiao Huolong strode heavily, like a moving orange tank, into the old-looking shop.

The shop was dimly lit, with a unique smell of aged paper and ink floating in the air, along with a faint chill, which contrasted sharply with the scorching heat of the desert outside.

The walls around the shop are covered with maps of various materials, regions, and scales, ranging from yellowed parchment to brand-new synthetic paper, a dazzling array that is hard to look away from.

However, the shop was deserted; there were no other customers besides them.

Behind a long table piled with various drawing tools and tattered scrolls at the far end of the shop sat an old man.

His hair and beard were all white. He sat in a wooden wheelchair, with a cute little pink wild boar curled up on his lap, making soft "puff puff" snores.

The old man held a quill pen in his hand, concentrating intently on drawing the details of a map on a huge, unfolded animal hide. He merely raised his eyelids slightly at the arrival of Xiao Huolong, this behemoth, and then ignored him completely.

"If you want to buy a map, look at it yourself; the price is listed next to it."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a kind of authoritative air of someone who had long held a high position, as well as a cold sense of detachment.

"Oh... okay, alright..."

Xiao Huolong was intimidated by the other party's cold demeanor. He shrank back, responded in a muffled voice, and then began to clumsily browse the densely packed maps on the wall.

Such as "Exploration Map of the entire Tagh Desert (accurate to the sand dunes)," "Speculated Migration Route Map of the Snake People Tribe," and "Distribution Map of the Snake Queen's Palace in Tangtang (for reference only)"...

The complex place names, lines, and symbols instantly assaulted Xiao Huolong's simple lizard brain.

It quickly developed a swirling look in its large, Down syndrome-like eyes, feeling as if its brain was about to turn into a pot of mush.

"Ugh...so much...I don't understand..."

Just as it was about to be completely overwhelmed by this sea of ​​information and was about to randomly pick the most flashy-looking one to buy, its gaze inadvertently swept over a dusty shelf in the corner of the shop.

At the bottom of the shelf, amidst a pile of discarded drawing tools and broken scrolls, lies a seemingly insignificant piece of tattered parchment.

For some reason, the moment Xiao Huolong's gaze fell upon this tattered piece of paper, the originally dormant Burning Technique fighting spirit within its body stirred slightly uncontrollably, as if it were attracted by something!
A stirring deep within its soul made it involuntarily extend its claws and carefully pick up the tattered piece of parchment.

"Old Chi... Old Chi, look at this..."

Old Chi's mind swept over the tattered paper casually, but when he sensed the ancient patterns on it containing a certain blazing Daoist charm, his voice suddenly rose, filled with unprecedented shock and excitement, and even the illusory figure fluctuated violently!
[Kid! You...you've hit the jackpot! This...this is actually the legendary secret technique of the Fierce Fire Sect, the Three Mysterious Transformations of Fierce Fire!!!]

“Ah——!!!”

Although he didn't understand what "Three Transformations of Fierce Fire" was at all, Xiao Huolong was filled with awe just from Old Chi's unprecedentedly excited tone. Following the ironclad rules of the Doupo Elf World, he gasped for breath, almost sucking the already thin air out of the small shop!
"Old Crimson... Old Crimson... what exactly is this Fierce Fire Three Transformations?"

Old Chi's face was solemn, and his eyes revealed reminiscence and emotion, as if he were recalling an ancient legend that had been sealed away for a long time.

He slowly recounted the origins of this astonishing secret technique in a highly seductive and ritualistic tone:
[Legend has it that in the most prosperous and powerful central region of the Dou Qi Continent—the Central State—there exists a reclusive sect called the [Fierce Fire Sect]! This sect is incredibly mysterious, with very few disciples, but each one possesses the purest and most domineering fire-type power in the world! Without exception, all the sect's Pokémon are fire-type starter Pokémon with the [Fierce Fire] trait!]

Old Chi's voice suddenly rose, filled with endless longing and awe.

This [Three Profound Transformations of Fierce Fire] is the most treasured technique passed down through generations of the Fierce Fire Sect since ancient times! Legend has it that it was created by the sect's founder, an unparalleled being who had already reached the Dou Di realm and was known as the [Fierce Fire Emperor], after observing the birth and death cycles of all fires in the world, and spending a thousand years of painstaking effort to create this supreme secret technique!

Old Chi stared intently at the tattered scroll, his voice filled with irresistible allure.

[Once this technique is activated, it can use a strange fire as a catalyst to completely ignite the latent source of the [Fierce Fire] characteristic within the body, drawing upon the power deepest within the bloodline! Its power... is enough to make one's combat strength fifty times stronger than ever before!] Fifty times!!!
When this number hit him like a ton of bricks, Xiao Huolong felt his head buzzing.

"Old Man Chi... Old Man Chi, fifty... fifty times is how much?"

It counted on its thick fingers, trying hard to understand the concept of the number.

But clearly, this was an impossible task for its walnut-sized Down syndrome brain.

Mo Zhen was initially worried that if he filled in the numbers with his feet and changed the effect of the "Fierce Fire" trait in the game, which increases the skill power by 50% when it is triggered, to fifty times, it might be too outrageous.

As a result, Tang Long's Tang-type brain was completely unable to comprehend the concept of such an enormous number. He could only glare at it in annoyance and explain it in a different way.

[Eat, eat, eat! All you do is eat! It'll allow you to unleash power far exceeding your current level at crucial moments, making challenging stronger enemies easier than eating and drinking!]

Upon hearing this, Xiao Huolong seemed to finally understand the power of this secret technique and immediately became excited.

"Great! With this secret technique, I can now defeat bad guys and help good guys!"

Seeing Xiao Huolong's innocent, silly grin, Elder Chi changed his tone, becoming extremely solemn. He extended a phantom finger and said in a deep voice.

[Don't rush. Besides the fact that your race must be one of the three starter fire-type families with the [Fire] trait to cultivate this [Three Transformations of Fierce Fire] secret technique, there is another crucial and indispensable prerequisite!]

Xiao Huolong immediately held his breath, while Tang's eyes widened in disbelief.

Old Man Chi spoke slowly.

That is—one must possess at least one different kind of fire! Only by using the violent and creative power of a different kind of fire, originating from the very source of heaven and earth, as the ignition source can one truly ignite the source of the [Fierce Fire] and unleash the true power of this supreme secret technique! Otherwise, forcibly cultivating it is tantamount to playing with fire and burning oneself, inevitably leading to the depletion of one's bloodline and death!

Strange fire!

Another strange fire!

An unprecedented desire and determination instantly ignited in Xiao Huolong's enormous eyes!

It looked down at its limp and powerless tail, feeling the empty Burning Battle Qi within its body, and an unprecedented desire to become stronger erupted in its heart like a volcano!
We must find the strange fire! To restore our strength! To cultivate the [Three Transformations of Fierce Fire]! To no longer be a burden! To... truly be able to protect everyone!

On the other side, the old man, who had been sitting upright in his wheelchair with white hair and beard, frowned almost imperceptibly when he saw Xiao Huolong holding the tattered scroll and muttering to himself in surprise.

He paused slightly as he drew the map with his quill pen, and said in a calm voice.

“Young man, that thing is not for sale. It’s just a piece of waste paper that I obtained when I was young. Although it is useless to me, I never thought of selling it.”

His words were plain, yet they carried an undeniable authority, as if stating an established fact.

However, before he could finish speaking, the phantom of the Crimson Elder hovering behind Xiao Huolong suddenly burst forth with a tangible light in its eyes, which seemed to be able to see through illusions!

He stared intently at the old man in the wheelchair, and an incredulous thought exploded in Xiao Huolong's mind like a thunderclap.

[Wait... this kid... I misjudged him! If I remember correctly, that deeply hidden, extremely cold aura, like ancient ice... he is actually Liu Bodong, the Ice Emperor, one of the previous Four Heavenly Kings who rose to fame in the Cloud Storm Alliance Tournament decades ago, and who was renowned throughout the Gama Empire!]

“Ah——!!!”

Upon hearing the words "Four Heavenly Kings," Xiao Huolong immediately followed the ironclad rule of the Doupo Elf World and gasped sharply!

It is no longer the useless little fire dragon that hid in a wooden barrel and couldn't even produce a spark!
Having experienced so much, it knows what the words "Elite Four Trainer" mean!
That was a terrifying spirit at the Douhuang level, a top-tier powerhouse who could hold sway over a region and whose mere stomp could shake the entire empire!
Old Chi's thoughts were filled with an unprecedented solemnity and a hint of excitement.

【Young man, your opportunity has arrived, but it could also be a tremendous crisis! This fragment of the 【Three Transformations of Fierce Fire】 scroll is crucial to your future path; it is a supreme secret technique for unleashing your potential and challenging opponents of higher ranks! Its importance is even comparable to Heaven-Rank combat skills; you must obtain it!】

Urged on by Elder Chi, Xiao Huolong suppressed the turmoil in his heart. His plump body leaned forward slightly, and he forced out the most sincere expression in his large eyes as he spoke to Liu Bodong in a deep voice.

"Senior, this...this scroll is extremely important to me! I wonder...I wonder if you would be willing to part with it? I am willing to pay any price!"

Liu Bodong raised his eyes, which seemed to hold endless wind and snow, and calmly swept them over Xiao Huolong, a half-smile curving his lips.

"You want me to part with it? That's not impossible."

Just as a glimmer of hope was beginning to ignite in Xiao Huolong's eyes, Liu Bodong's next words were like a bucket of ice water poured over his head.

"Unless... you can concoct the legendary elixir that can bring elves back to life and defy fate—the Vitality Block. Otherwise, it's all out of the question."

His tone was extremely cold, as if he were talking about something that was impossible to accomplish.

"Vitality Block?"

Xiao Huolong's huge bald head tilted to one side, and Tang's big eyes were filled with confusion.

However, upon hearing these three words, the old man behind it paused slightly, then burst into his signature hearty laughter.

[Hehehehe... I never expected this! I never expected it at all! After so many years, in this remote Tagh Desert, I actually hear the name of my famous work from back then! This is truly a job opportunity! Kid, you agreed immediately! This [Vitality Block] is one of my unique secret formulas that made me famous back then! We'll take this order!]

Having received such a positive reply from Elder Chi, Xiao Huolong immediately felt much more confident.

It slapped its massive chest with a loud thud, causing dust to fall from the shop shelves, and confidently addressed Liu Bodong.

"Senior! What a coincidence! I... I just happened to learn how to refine this [Vitality Block] by chance! As long as the materials are ready, I will definitely refine it for you!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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(End of this chapter)