Less than two hours ter, the pne was about to nd.

  "Your Uncle Zhu will send someone to pick us up at the airport," Su Chuan said as he put away the newspaper provided by the flight attendant and pced it on the tray table.

  To be precise, Charicific Valley could also be considered a restricted area.

  The Alliance's definition of a restricted area wasn’t entirely clear, but one common factor was that the energy in such areas was usually extremely dense.

  As a result, powerful Pokémon often migrated there, while human cities, with their retively sparse energy, rarely attracted strong Pokémon.

  In contrast, the habitats of these powerful Pokémon gradually became restricted areas.

  Charicific Valley was one such restricted area, rich in Fire-type energy and a paradise for various Fire-type Pokémon. Of course, the dominant species there was still Charizard.

  Conservative estimates suggested that nearly 60% of Charizard in the Xia Kingdom lived in Charicific Valley, with 20% in the Dragon’s Lair, 10% scattered in various breeding facilities, and the remaining 10% roaming the wilds across the country.

  As Su Chuan had said, a young man in a white shirt with slicked-back hair was waiting outside the airport, holding a sign with two rge characters: "Su Chuan."

  "Xiao You," Su Chuan led Su Wen over and immediately ruffled the young man’s hair with his rge hand. He then introduced him to Su Wen, "This is your Uncle Zhu’s son, Zhu You. He’s six years older than you."

  "Hello, Brother Zhu," Su Wen greeted politely.

  "Uncle Su, you messed up my hair," Zhu You grinned. "So, you’re Su Wen, huh? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get a top-quality Charmander this time."

  After a few pleasantries, Zhu You led Su Chuan and Su Wen to an SUV.

  "Xiao You, who else has come?" Su Chuan asked as he fastened his seatbelt.

  It was clear that Su Chuan wasn’t the only one coming to Charicific Valley for a Pokémon. Parents always wanted the best for their children, and everyone was eager to secure a strong starter Pokémon for their kids.

  Aside from pseudo-legendaries, Charmander was considered one of the top-tier choices.

  "A few Gym Leaders have already come and gone. The one still here is an old acquaintance of yours, Gym Leader Zhang Yun," Zhu You said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

  Su Chuan paused, then chuckled, "Oh right, Zhang Yun’s daughter is fifteen this year."

  He clicked his tongue, "Tsk tsk, that guy’s here too? His daughter is so delicate—doesn’t seem like a good match for a Charizard."

  Su Wen agreed. Every time Zhang Yun came to challenge Su Chuan, his daughter, Zhang Qian, would quietly hide behind Su Wen like a timid kitten, not saying a word.

  Su Chuan only had one Gym Leader-level Sking, while Zhang Yun had three Gym Leader-level Pokémon.

  Moreover, Zhang Yun was a battle fanatic. Over the past few years, he’d come to challenge Su Chuan two or three times a year.

  The results were always simir: Su Chuan’s other five Pokémon would be defeated, leaving only his Sking, while Zhang Yun still had two full-health Gym Leader-level Pokémon.

  The battles usually ended in a stalemate, rgely because Zhang Yun’s Snorx was incredibly tanky—both durable and powerful, often using moves like Rest and Sleep Talk to stall. Essentially, Su Chuan’s Sking would usually burn itself out before securing a win.

  Su Chuan was clearly frustrated by this almost cheating strategy, which made Zhang Yun’s challenges increasingly annoying.

  "How many newborn Charmander are there this time?" Su Chuan changed the subject, addressing Su Wen’s main concern.

  "Three hundred and twelve, all hatched within the st year and still in their infancy. Also..." Zhu You paused, "the Charizard leader’s child has hatched."

  The infancy period for Pokémon was like a baby’s development phase—a slow process of growth and energy accumution. During this time, a Pokémon’s strength barely increased.

  The length of this period varied by species, from a few days for Bug-types to several years for Dragon-types.

  Although Charizard was a Fire/Flying-type Pokémon without the Dragon attribute, it likely had some Dragon lineage, as its infancy period was longer than most Fire-types, sting about a year.

  Su Chuan raised an eyebrow, "That old dragon’s still got it, huh?"

  Zhu You’s expression was a bit odd. The Charizard leader was over 500 years old, which, for a Pokémon with Dragon lineage, was considered middle-aged.

  Two years ago, the Charizard leader’s mate suddenly id an egg, leading to some pyful suspicions within the Zhu family about the egg’s parentage.

  But these suspicions were just jokes. Pokémon had a strong sense of bloodline connection, and the Charizard leader would never mistake its own egg.

  A year ago, the Charmander hatched, and the Zhu family immediately sealed off the news, hoping to have one of their younger members tame it.

  After all, taming this Charmander would mean gaining the support of an Elite Four-level Charizard and, by extension, the entire Charicific Valley.

  The retionship between the Zhu family and Charicific Valley was unique. Hundreds of years ago, during the Great Cataclysm, the Zhu family was protected by the Charizard in the valley, and in return, the Zhu family became caretakers and guardians of the Charizard.

  It was a mutually beneficial coexistence, so naturally, the Zhu family didn’t want to let an outsider tame the Charmander.

  However, this Charmander was particurly stubborn. After a year, none of the Zhu family’s younger members had succeeded in taming it, and it was nearing the end of its infancy.

  As a result, Zhu Tianxing, the head of the Zhu family, had to compromise and see if any close friends’ children could tame it, thus building goodwill while still keeping it within the family’s sphere of influence.

  Su Chuan wasn’t upset that Zhu Tianxing had kept this secret. In rge families, the family’s interests always came before personal friendships.

  But since none of the Zhu family’s younger members had succeeded, Su Chuan didn’t expect his son to pull off a miracle.

  "Son, we’ll try to tame the Charizard leader’s child first. If that doesn’t work, we’ll pick a high-potential Charmander," Su Chuan instructed Su Wen, not bothering to hide the conversation from Zhu You.

  Su Wen rubbed his nose, not holding out much hope.

  However, Su Wen did have an advantage—his Aura could somewhat enhance his affinity with Pokémon.

  Zhu You chuckled, "Uncle Su, don’t worry. My dad’s definitely on your side."

  Su Chuan ughed, "Of course Tianxing would help me!"

  Su Chuan and Zhu Tianxing had been teammates in their younger days, exploring secret realms together, and their bond was incredibly strong.

  In fact, Zhu Tianxing’s ace Pokémon, Volcarona, had been captured in a secret realm with Su Chuan’s help.

  That’s right—as the head of the Zhu family, Zhu Tianxing’s Charizard was only his second strongest Pokémon.

  In terms of rarity, Volcarona was even rarer than Charizard, as it wasn’t a group Pokémon and had no fixed capture location, often found in various volcanoes.

  In terms of potential, while both were top-tier, Volcarona’s potential was even higher than Charizard’s.

  Its deep movepool, including its unique move "Fiery Dance," made Volcarona incredibly valuable.

  Especially in a Fire-energy-rich pce like Charicific Valley, Volcarona’s growth speed was rapid, and its potential even surpassed that of most pseudo-legendaries.

  Despite being the fourth Pokémon to join Zhu Tianxing’s team, Volcarona had become his ace, a testament to its extraordinary potential.

  With Zhu You driving, they passed through numerous checkpoints without issue.

  As they progressed, the road became less crowded, and the surrounding forest grew denser, exuding a primal, natural atmosphere.

  The frequent checkpoints also gave Su Wen a new appreciation for how tightly guarded Charicific Valley was.

  "It’s Charmander hatching season, so the valley is on high alert," Su Chuan expined, noticing Su Wen’s surprise. After all, this wasn’t Su Chuan’s first visit.

  After their team disbanded, Zhu Tianxing returned to his family to become its head, while Su Chuan went back to Yundu City, got married, and became a Gym Leader. Although Su Chuan often visited Zhu Tianxing in Charicific Valley, he’d never brought Su Wen before.

  "Dad, are there any other Fire-type Pokémon here?"

  Su Wen’s interest wasn’t limited to Charmander. If there were better options, he wouldn’t mind considering them.

  "There are other Fire-types, but they’re scattered and don’t form rge groups. Once you enter Charicific Valley, there are no wild Pokémon, so don’t get your hopes up," Su Chuan expined.

  As they talked, Su Chuan grew more animated, sharing everything he knew, with Zhu You occasionally chiming in. Su Wen soon realized that Charicific Valley was truly dominated by Charizard.

  The time passed quickly as they chatted, and before Su Wen knew it, they had arrived inside Charicific Valley.

  "Ah Chuan, long time no see!" Zhu Tianxing, the head of the Zhu family, greeted them warmly with a bear hug, showing no airs.

  Su Chuan patted Zhu Tianxing’s back, teasing, "You’ve definitely put on some weight."

  After a few jokes, Su Chuan introduced Su Wen, "This is my son, Su Wen."

  Su Wen raised his hand slightly in respect, "Hello, Uncle Zhu."

  "Su Wen, you’ve grown so much! I held you when you were born," Zhu Tianxing said, then turned to Su Chuan with a hint of reproach, "You’ve never brought your wife and son here all these years."

  Su Chuan waved it off, "You know my wife’s sensitive around Pokémon. Bringing her here would’ve been a nightmare."

  Su Wen’s mom, Wang Xuan, wasn’t particurly fond of Pokémon, especially unfamiliar, powerful ones, which she avoided.

  "Should we rest first, or go see the Charmander right away?" Zhu Tianxing asked for Su Chuan’s opinion. "Zhang Yun’s here with his daughter. I left him to come pick you up."

  Su Chuan’s eyes widened, "He’s already picking one? No way. Let’s go, son, we’re heading over."

  Zhu Tianxing ughed, amused by his old friend’s unchanged temperament.

  Su Wen had no objections. He was eager to see the Charizard, as he’d rarely encountered them in real life.

  Under Su Chuan’s urging, the group hurried to the area where the Charmander lived.

  "Everyone, move quietly. Don’t scare the Charmander," Zhu Tianxing reminded them.

  Newborn Charmander were naturally timid, and startling them would be the Zhu family’s responsibility.

  As they stepped into the inner circle of Charicific Valley, Su Wen was instantly charmed by the sight of the orange Pokémon scattered across the ground.

  Their cream-colored bellies, sapphire-blue eyes, and tiny fangs on both jaws made Su Wen’s hands itch with excitement. They were even cuter than in the games and anime!

  Charmander for the win!

  "Let’s go. I’ll take you to see the leader’s child first," Zhu Tianxing said.