Perhaps it was because Natsuhiko's Pokémon were very strong and won its favor.
Or perhaps it was because Natsuhiko valued it, making it feel appreciated.
"The pool here is too small. Why not think about going to see the outside world?"
"Gokky?"
The outside world?
Chimchar's face was full of confusion.
It was the first time it had heard the phrase "outside world."
It was like someone suddenly opened a door to a new world for it, a completely blank canvas unfolding before it, with nothing on it, yet it felt that whatever could exist there was endlessly enticing to it.
"Gokky?"
'What... is the outside world like?'
"Choko-e!"
As soon as the outside world was mentioned, Togetic immediately got excited, vividly describing things about the outside world.
Togetic: I'm familiar with these tactics.
Natsuhiko didn't interrupt Togetic's speech.
And as it described the outside world, various colors slowly emerged on the "scroll" in Chimchar's mind, gradually outlining a colorful picture.
It was full of things Chimchar had imagined, things it had never seen before.
Even though they seemed strange and peculiar to Chimchar.
For example, various flavored ice creams that are cold yet delicious, televisions that can display various images with sound, cars that run on four wheels on the ground, large tin planes that can fly in the sky...
The stranger it was, the more Chimchar wanted... to see for itself.
By the time Togetic finished speaking and was a little parched, Chimchar's eyes had become as bright as stars.
Those were the eyes Togetic had once seen in itself.
"Chimchar, have you been training on your own?"
"Gok... ky?!"
Chimchar murmured in a confused response.
"If I tell you that your current training method won't work, that you'll need to find a more suitable training method to grow faster."
Upon hearing this, Chimchar slightly lowered its head in disappointment.
What Natsuhiko said, it knew as well.
But it had no choice.
The training and fighting methods of the Blazing Beasts weren't suitable for it.
Aside from gaining some experience in using Fire Energy from the Blazing Beasts, everything else was learned through its own exploration.
If it bore anyone's mark, it would be its own.
And it didn't know exactly how to discover the best and most correct method for itself.
It was in a process of exploration.
However, this exploration process could be very long.
Far longer than it imagined, and it might even miss its optimal growth period.
"I can provide you with the most suitable training method, help you become stronger quickly, take you to see the outside world, feed you the most effective and delicious food, and give you the best companions and friends..."
Natsuhiko extended his olive branch to Chimchar for the first time.
"Gokky—" Chimchar stared blankly at him.
Natsuhiko smiled, patted its head gently, and said softly, "No rush, take your time to think about it."
Because at that moment.
They had already reached the place where Chimchar found the Original Groudon Shell Fragments, and even if Chimchar didn't mention it, Natsuhiko could feel it.
The overwhelming heat, the extremely dry air, these were all signs of being close to the Original Groudon Shell Fragments.
Looking up.
There was a large area of collapsed rocks, scattered chaotically from the cliff to the ground, forming a slope.
"Is this where you found it?" Natsuhiko asked.
Chimchar slowly nodded.
It looked up at Natsuhiko, whose edges didn't seem very strong, yet exuded great confidence.
Memories of Natsuhiko's words and Togetic's descriptions of the outside world painted pictures in its mind.
Yes.
It hesitated.
But undoubtedly, Natsuhiko's words were very appealing to it.
Most importantly, though, it had no aversion or rejection towards Natsuhiko and his four Pokémon and even found the talkative Togetic quite likable.
Natsuhiko, of course, didn't know what Chimchar was thinking.
But he could assure it that whatever choice Chimchar ultimately made, the outcome would be the same.
Asking for its opinion was simply a form of respect for Chimchar.
He stepped onto the scattered rocks.
The traces on them indicated they had been piled there for a long time, undisturbed by any Pokémon.
Chimchar shook its head, temporarily putting aside its chaotic thoughts, and with a few quick jumps, easily reached the top of the slope, near the top of the cliff, pointing to a not-so-obvious corner.
That was where it found it.
Natsuhiko followed it to the top of the slope.
Just now, Yujira's psychic powers had scanned the area simply, and it was clear that the fragment found by Chimchar was likely the last one here.
But the feeling upon approaching this place was unmistakable.
Even though it wasn't as strong as the feeling given by the previous two fragments, this was a phenomenon only the "Land of the End" of Original Groudon could cause.
Standing amidst the rocks, Natsuhiko fell into thought.
Rolling—
A small rock, under Togetic's movements, rolled from the top down to the bottom.