Chapter 47: The Cave
Chapter 47: The Cave
The next day, it was only when daylight had fully broken that the two finally packed up their belongings and set off toward the towering mountain in the distance.
Mecha Yangma, after all, was seriously injured and had temporarily lost his ability to fight, which had greatly diminished the overall strength of their duo. They could not afford any further losses.
Thus, avoiding all combat until they reached their destination became paramount.
In fact, the forest at dawn was, in some ways, even more dangerous than at night. This was the last chance for the nocturnal predators, ravenous from their evening hunts, to fill their bellies.
Tap, tap, tap.
The forest was hushed as the pair advanced silently, focusing intently and watching for any unusual movement around them.
For reasons unknown, as they drew closer to the towering mountain, the dangerous aura that had previously flickered around them in the forest became increasingly rare. The frequency of encounters with wild Pokémon also dwindled.
Azheng frowned, his worry only growing, his expression darkening with each step. He knew that on this primitive island, such strange occurrences often foretold something far more dangerous.
Imagine, on an island teeming with powerful Pokémon fiercely protective of their territories, there suddenly appeared a region that seemed utterly devoid of life—a forbidden zone.
This typically indicated only two possibilities.
The first was that the environment here was so harsh that not even the most adaptable Pokémon could survive.
The second, and perhaps more ominous, was that a dominant Pokémon, one whose strength could crush the entire island, had claimed this central region as its territory.
Azheng glanced around at the environment. Though vegetation was sparse, it was not so barren that Pokémon could not survive here. That left only one possibility…
Inside the Poké Ball,
Lu Yun was training his newly acquired skill when, all of a sudden, a peculiar aura seeped in from outside.
Even after passing through the Poké Ball’s shield, only a faint trace of this aura remained, barely perceptible—yet it brought with it an unprecedented sense of danger.
It was forceful, authoritative, stirring something ancient within his blood, an overwhelming urge to submit rising from the depths of his heart, pressing down on Lu Yun with suffocating intensity.
“What… is this?”
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he leaned against the white wall, gritting his teeth and forcing himself not to collapse.
Minute by minute, the sensation ebbed away as quickly as it had appeared, soon dispersing completely into the air.
Thud.
The oppressive aura vanished, and Lu Yun suddenly slumped to the ground, deflated.
Leaning against the wall, breathing heavily, he gazed out through the translucent barrier at the pair outside.
“Hah… What are these two planning?”
“Just don’t go courting death!”
Meanwhile, as the duo slowly advanced toward the mountain at the island’s center, on the other side of the island—
A black boat drifted quietly to the shore.
A figure clad in a fitted dark robe stepped ashore, appearing to be in his twenties, his features unremarkable but sharp, a pair of black goggles perched on his nose.
“Well, who would’ve thought there really was an island here?”
His tone was light, tinged with surprise. He looked up at the distant, towering peak, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“Let’s hope the client’s information is accurate, or else this trip will have been for nothing.”
“What do you think, Noivern?”
His murmured question hung in the air as the Poké Ball at his waist jolted twice, then settled, as if responding to its master.
His nose twitched, as if he could scent the hidden dangers lurking in the forest ahead.
“Troublesome…”
“Good thing I came prepared.”
He retrieved a small bottle of purple spray from his waist pouch, misting himself until even the air around him glowed with a faint purple hue.
“Hah… Let’s try to reach the target before sunset.”
With that thought, the dark-clad youth strode briskly into the depths of the forest.
Unlike the peril-ridden journey of the previous day,
the duo’s ascent from the mountain’s base was unexpectedly smooth—they did not encounter a single Pokémon along the way.
Even Xiaozhu, usually oblivious, found this odd, glancing at Azheng whose face was growing ever darker. Her own caution intensified.
At last, as they approached the summit, they found their ultimate goal.
A vast cavern,
dark and deep.
Simply standing at the entrance, an uneasy feeling arose within both of them.
“This is it,” Azheng confirmed after checking the ancient map once more.
Nodding solemnly, Xiaozhu pulled a flashlight from her backpack and, shoulder to shoulder with her companion, stepped inside.
The cave’s darkness was tinged with a faint, foul stench.
“This smell…”
Azheng pinched his nose, his heart sinking, a suspicion forming.
Soon, they reached the cave’s end.
It was damp and shadowy. Droplets clung to the dark stone walls, shimmering faintly in the flashlight’s beam. The ground was covered with a thick nest of twigs and dry grass, scattered with enormous deep-blue scales and black feathers.
But most striking of all was the peculiar Pokémon egg at the nest’s center.
It was pitch-black, like the night sky. The flashlight revealed no reflection, as though all light was absorbed. Large blue-violet patches swirled across its surface like clouds, the interplay of colors lending it a unique beauty.
Surrounding the egg were dazzling purple gemstones and oddly shaped red berries, though the duo’s attention remained fixed on the egg, scarcely noticing the rest.
Thump, thump, thump!
Azheng’s heart pounded wildly, an uncharacteristic frenzy lighting up his face.
“Hurry!”
“Quick, put the egg in the container!”
He directed Xiaozhu to retrieve the special container for Pokémon eggs, his voice trembling with excitement.
Judging from the enormous scales and the egg’s strange markings, Azheng had already deduced the likely identity of the cave’s master.
If his guess was correct, their haul from this expedition would far exceed expectations.
As Xiaozhu carefully secured the egg, Azheng scooped up a few gems and berries, tucking them into his backpack. He picked up a massive deep-blue scale, estimating the size of its owner, and felt his heart skip a beat, quickly urging Xiaozhu to hurry.
“Move faster!”
“We need to get out right now!”
His voice, deliberately low and urgent, echoed through the cave.
Plap, plap.
Suddenly—
Soft footsteps sounded from outside the cave.