The plane was about to land in less than two hours.
"Your Uncle Zhu will send someone to pick us up at the airport," Su Chuan said as he folded the newspaper provided by the flight attendant and placed it on the tray table.
To be precise, Charicific Valley was actually classified as a restricted zone.
The Alliance's definition of restricted zones wasn't entirely clear, but one commonality was that these areas were typically saturated with dense energy.
As a result, powerful Pokémon often migrated there, while human cities, with their relatively sparse energy, rarely attracted such formidable creatures.
Over time, the habitats of these powerful Pokémon gradually became known as restricted zones.
Charicific Valley was one such restricted zone, overflowing with Fire-type energy and serving as a paradise for various Fire-type Pokémon—though the undisputed rulers of the valley were the Charizard.
Conservative estimates suggested that nearly 60% of Charizard in Xia Country resided in Charicific Valley, with another 20% in the Dragon's Den, 10% scattered across breeding centers, and the remaining 10% living wild across the country.
As Su Chuan had predicted, a young man in a white shirt with slicked-back hair—looking somewhat greasy despite his youth—was waiting outside the airport, holding a sign with "Su Chuan" written in bold characters.
"Xiao You," Su Chuan greeted the man, leading Su Wen over and ruffling his hair with a large hand before introducing 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 said politely.
"Uncle Su, you messed up my hair," Zhu You complained with a grin before turning to Su Wen. "So you're Su Wen, huh? Don't worry, I'll make sure you get a top-quality Charmander this time."
After some small talk, 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.
Naturally, Su Chuan wasn't the only one looking to secure a Pokémon for his child at Charicific Valley. Parents everywhere wanted the best for their kids, and aside from pseudo-legendaries, Charmander was among the top-tier choices.
"A few Gym Leaders have already come and gone. The only one still here is an old acquaintance of yours—Gym Leader Zhang Yun," Zhu You replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Su Chuan paused, then chuckled. "Ah, right. His daughter is turning 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 silently agreed. Every time Zhang Yun came to challenge Su Chuan, his daughter, Zhang Qian, would hide timidly behind Su Wen like a kitten, never saying a word.
Su Chuan only had one Pokémon at the Peak Gym Leader level—his Slaking—while Zhang Yun had three.
Moreover, Zhang Yun was a battle fanatic. Over the past few years, he had challenged Su Chuan's gym at least two or three times annually.
Their battles always ended similarly: Su Chuan would lose five of his Pokémon, leaving only Slaking, while Zhang Yun would still have two fully healthy Peak Gym Leader Pokémon.
The outcomes were roughly even, but Zhang Yun's Snorlax—a tanky, hard-hitting Pokémon that relied on moves like Rest and Sleep Talk to stall—often tipped the scales. Most of Su Chuan's losses came from Slaking exhausting its own health.
Su Chuan found this strategy infuriating, which was why he dreaded Zhang Yun's challenges in recent years.
"How many newborn Charmander are there this time?" Su Chuan changed the subject, steering the conversation toward Su Wen's main concern.
"Three hundred and twelve, all hatched within the last year and still in their Infant Stage. Also..." Zhu You hesitated before continuing, "The Charizard patriarch's offspring has also hatched."
The Infant Stage for Pokémon was akin to infancy in humans—a slow developmental period where their strength barely increased.
The duration varied widely among species, from just six or seven days for Bug-types to three or four years for Dragon-types.
Despite being a Fire/Flying-type without the Dragon typing, Charizard's lineage included some Dragon blood, extending its Infant Stage to about a year—longer than most Fire-types.
Su Chuan raised an eyebrow. "That old lizard finally had a kid?"
Zhu You's expression turned odd. The Charizard patriarch was over five hundred years old, which, for a Pokémon with Dragon lineage, was middle-aged.
Two years ago, the patriarch's mate suddenly laid an egg, leading to some jokes within the Zhu family about potential infidelity.
But this was just lighthearted teasing. Pokémon had an innate connection to their lineage, and the patriarch would never mistake its own egg.
When the Charmander hatched a year ago, the Zhu family immediately sealed the news, hoping to secure it for one of their younger members.
After all, taming this Charmander would mean gaining the favor of an Elite Four-level Charizard—and by extension, the entire Charicific Valley.
The relationship between the Zhu family and Charicific Valley was unique. Centuries ago, during the Great Cataclysm, the Zhu family survived under the protection of the Charizard clan. In return, the Zhu family became caretakers and guardians of the valley.
This symbiotic relationship meant the Zhu family naturally wanted to keep the Charmander for themselves.
However, the little Charmander proved stubborn. After a year, none of the Zhu family's younger generation had succeeded in taming it, and it was nearing the end of its Infant Stage.
Faced with this, Zhu Tianxing, the Zhu family head, decided to extend the opportunity to close friends' children—a way to curry favor while still keeping the benefits within the family circle.
Su Chuan wasn't offended by Zhu Tianxing's initial secrecy. Family interests always took precedence over personal relationships in such clans.
Still, if even the Zhu family's best couldn't tame the Charmander, Su Chuan didn't hold much hope for his son pulling off a miracle.
"Son, we'll try for the patriarch's offspring first. If that doesn't work, we'll pick a high-potential Charmander," Su Chuan instructed, not bothering to lower his voice despite Zhu You's presence.
Su Wen rubbed his nose, not holding out much hope.
Still, he had one advantage: his Aura Power could enhance his affinity with Pokémon.
Zhu You laughed it off. "Don't worry, Uncle Su. My dad will definitely side with you."
Su Chuan grinned. "Of course he will!"
Su Chuan and Zhu Tianxing had been teammates in their youth, exploring dungeons together and forging a deep friendship.
In fact, Zhu Tianxing's current ace, Volcarona, was a Pokémon Su Chuan had helped him capture in a dungeon.
Despite being the Zhu family head, Zhu Tianxing's Charizard was only his second-strongest Pokémon.
In terms of rarity, Volcarona was even harder to find than Charizard, as it wasn't a social Pokémon and had no fixed habitat, appearing sporadically in volcanic regions.
Statistically, both Volcarona and Charizard were top-tier, but Volcarona's potential slightly edged out Charizard's.
Its expansive movepool, including the signature move Fiery Dance, further elevated its value.
In a Fire-energy-rich environment like Charicific Valley, Volcarona's growth was accelerated, making it even more formidable than some pseudo-legendaries.
Despite being the fourth Pokémon Zhu Tianxing had acquired, Volcarona had risen to become his ace—a testament to its potential.
With Zhu You driving, they passed through multiple checkpoints without issue.
As they progressed, the road grew quieter, flanked by increasingly dense forests that exuded an untamed, primal aura.
The numerous checkpoints surprised Su Wen—he hadn't realized Charicific Valley was so heavily guarded.
"It's the Charmander hatching season, so security is extra tight," Su Chuan explained, noticing Su Wen's curiosity. This wasn't his first visit.
After their team disbanded, Zhu Tianxing returned to his family to become its head, while Su Chuan settled in Yun City, married, and became a Gym Leader. Though Su Chuan often visited Zhu Tianxing, he had never brought Su Wen along before.
"Dad, are there other Fire-type Pokémon here?" Su Wen asked, keeping his options open.
"There are, but they're scattered. No large populations, and no wild Pokémon inside the valley. Don't overthink it," Su Chuan said, launching into an explanation of what he knew, with Zhu You occasionally chiming in.
Their conversation made it clear: Charicific Valley was Charizard territory.
Time flew by as they talked, and before Su Wen knew it, they had arrived at Charicific Valley.
"Ah Chuan! Long time no see!" Zhu Tianxing, the family head, greeted them with a bear hug, devoid of any pretension.
Su Chuan clapped him on the back, laughing. "You've definitely put on weight."
After some banter, Su Chuan introduced Su Wen. "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, chiding Su Chuan. "You never brought your wife or son to visit all these years."
Su Chuan waved it off. "You know how my wife is with Pokémon. Coming here would've been too much for her."
Wang Xuan had little interest in Pokémon, especially unfamiliar, powerful ones, which she avoided.
"Should we rest first, or go see the Charmander now?" Zhu Tianxing asked. "Zhang Yun and his daughter are already there. I left them to pick you up."
Su Chuan's eyes widened. "He's already choosing? No way. Let's go, son!"
Zhu Tianxing laughed at his friend's unchanged impulsiveness.
Su Wen had no objections—he was eager to see the Charizard. He had rarely encountered them in real life.
Under Su Chuan's urging, they hurried to the Charmander habitat.
"Everyone, move quietly. Don't startle the Charmander," Zhu Tianxing reminded them.
Newborn Charmander could be skittish, and frightening them would reflect poorly on the Zhu family.
When Su Wen stepped into the inner valley, he was instantly charmed by the sea of orange Pokémon.
Their cream-colored bellies, sapphire-blue eyes, and tiny fangs made Su Wen rub his hands together in excitement—they were even cuter than in the games or anime!
Charmander supremacy!
"Come on, let's go see the patriarch's child first."