**Chapter 24: Thrilling Escape**
"Is Mr. Lysandre also here to explore the Sea God's Cavern on a mission from the Pokémon League?" Bai Feng asked.
Bai Feng held a certain degree of vigilance towards this future major villain before him.
However, according to the setting, Lysandre was a very kind person in his youth, even consistently dedicated to eliminating the gap between rich and poor in this world, a person with lofty ideals.
It was only later experiences that made him disappointed in humans, who were always in constant conflict and plunder, and he eventually placed his hope in using the ultimate weapon to change the world.
So, is the current Lysandre still a good person?
Hearing Bai Feng's question, Lysandre smiled and shook his head, replying, "No, I'm interested in this place myself."
Seeing Lysandre's great strength, Calyrex extended an invitation to him.
"Mr. Lysandre, would you like to explore the Sea God's Cavern with us?"
Calyrex actually knew of Lysandre. Although they hadn't met, she had heard of him long ago.
Don't let his age fool you; Lysandre was already a very famous entrepreneur in the Kalos Region. Calyrex had not only appeared in films he invested in but also endorsed products his company produced.
To be honest, Calyrex greatly admired Lysandre in her heart, because Lysandre was not only extremely shrewd in business but also made significant contributions to charitable causes.
"With Miss Calyrex inviting me, of course, I have no reason to refuse."
Calyrex had heard of Lysandre, and Lysandre, of course, was equally familiar with the name of this child star and genius Pokémon Trainer.
The three of them found a safe place to spend the night, and the next morning, they entered the Sea God's Cavern together.
The entrance to the Sea God's Cavern was quite wide, but the light inside was a bit dim, and it was very quiet.
After the three entered, their footsteps were clearly audible, and even the dripping sound of water constantly seeping from the cave ceiling could be heard distinctly.
Lysandre took out a phone-like machine, waved it around in the cave, and then said, "As expected, this place is filled with a special energy."
Calyrex looked at the machine in his hand and asked curiously, "What is this?"
Lysandre didn't hesitate to hand the machine to Bai Feng and Calyrex, saying, "This is an energy detector manufactured by my Research Institute. It can not only detect the energy concentration floating in the environment but also the energy level inside Pokémon."
"That's amazing?!"
Bai Feng and Calyrex exclaimed in unison. They couldn't help it; they were simply too surprised. Machines that detect the energy concentration of the surrounding environment weren't uncommon; the Pokémon League had them too. But a machine that could detect the energy level inside a Pokémon was something they had never heard of.
The two of them leaned their heads closer to the machine and saw a constantly fluctuating blue wave on the screen, while the top left corner displayed "B+".
After Lysandre's explanation, the two understood that the energy concentration floating in different environments varied. Generally, in the environments they lived in, the energy concentration was between D and C+. Once it exceeded this standard, the energy concentration in the environment was considered abnormal.
The color of the wave represented the nature of the energy in the environment. If the energy in the environment was harmful to humans or Pokémon, the machine would issue an alarm, and the color of the wave on the screen would change from blue to red.
Currently, the wave's color was blue, and its fluctuations were very stable, indicating that the energy in the Sea God's Cavern was not harmful to them.
"What a convenient machine!" Calyrex exclaimed.
Lysandre, however, smiled and said, "I'll give you a few when we get back. This is currently just an initial product developed by our Research Institute, and I don't have plans to announce it to the public yet."
"Then we won't stand on ceremony."
Both Bai Feng and Calyrex were very interested in this machine, so neither refused.
The three continued walking towards the depths of the Sea God's Cavern. The indicator showing energy levels on the machine's screen began fluctuating constantly between B and B+.
"Screech, screech, screech~"
After walking for an unknown amount of time, pairs of eyes glowing with an eerie light suddenly appeared in the darkness, followed by bursts of noisy cries echoing in the cave.
"Everyone be careful, they're Zubat!"
Calyrex had been here once before and naturally knew what these suddenly appearing Pokémon were.
As soon as Calyrex finished speaking, the chattering Zubat swarmed towards the three of them.
"Helioptile, Thunder Wave."
"Murkrow, Thunder Wave!"
Golden light erupted in the darkness. Bai Feng's Helioptile and Lysandre's Murkrow attacked simultaneously. The Move they used was Thunder Wave.
Golden currents intertwined above the cave, trapping the attacking Zubat like a net. All Zubat that touched the electric net fell into a state of Paralysis and then dropped down like dumplings.
Helioptile's Thunder Wave was the most conspicuous and eye-catching; Lysandre's Murkrow couldn't compare in this regard at all.
Soon, all the invading Zubat were subdued.
Lysandre looked at Bai Feng in surprise and said, "Bai Feng, how come I've never heard of such a capable Pokémon Trainer like you before? That doesn't seem right..."
Bai Feng replied modestly, "Haha... Mr. Lysandre, you flatter me. My main profession isn't being a Pokémon Trainer, and I've never participated in any major competitions. My main work is researching Berry cultivation. I only came to the Sea God's Cavern this time because I was invited by Calyrex."
"I see, that explains it. But you are indeed very capable." Lysandre suddenly understood. "Also, just call me Lysandre, no need for 'Mr.'. We're friends now, aren't we? Miss Calyrex too."
Lysandre had always admired Pokémon Trainers with talent. Now that he had met Calyrex and Bai Feng, he naturally had the idea of befriending them.
"Then we shall respectfully comply."
Regardless of what Lysandre might become in the future, Bai Feng felt there was no problem in befriending him now. Who could say what the future held!
"We should leave here quickly, or those Zubat will recover." Calyrex suddenly said.
No one knew how deep the Sea God's Cavern was. Bai Feng and the other two kept heading deeper, turning seven or eight corners without seeing the end.
Just then, Lysandre suddenly shouted, "The energy concentration here has reached Grade A!"
As his voice fell, the seawater beneath their feet suddenly began to bubble, and gurgling sounds arose.
"Look, has the seawater become murky?" Bai Feng said.
"Not good, there's Danger!"
Lysandre shouted loudly, but before he could finish speaking, a water jet suddenly appeared and shot towards Calyrex.
Calyrex's Gardevoir appeared in front of her with a Teleport. It launched a Shadow Ball, instantly shattering the water jet.
At this moment, Bai Feng and the others finally saw who was attacking them: a Gastrodon over four meters tall. It was hiding behind the rock wall, its soft body blending with the rock, which was why the three hadn't noticed its presence in time.
"Feidong~~"
The Gastrodon roared towards the sky, glaring angrily at Bai Feng and the other two intruders. As it moved, the seawater beneath Bai Feng's feet became increasingly murky.
"Not good, it's going to use Muddy Water!" Bai Feng warned upon seeing this, simultaneously releasing Bai Ye as quickly as possible.
Gastrodon is a Ground-type Pokémon. Electric-type Helioptile couldn't deal damage to it.
Whoosh~
The seawater beneath the three began to shake violently. At this moment, Bai Ye and Calyrex's Gardevoir exchanged glances. Intense purple light flickered in the eyes of the two Psychic-type Pokémon. As the murky seawater surged up, they combined their Psychic power to hold it suspended in mid-air.
"Roar~"
At this point, Lysandre's Gyarados appeared again. It roared and lunged at the Gastrodon, tightly coiling its thick, powerful body around it. At the same time, it opened its mouth full of sharp teeth and used the Move Crunch to bite the opponent's head.
"Feidong!!!"
The cave immediately echoed with the Gastrodon's heart-wrenching roars. It twisted its soft body incessantly, simultaneously controlling the water waves beneath it to attack the Gyarados, attempting to repel it.
But Gyarados is a Pokémon known for its terrible temper. If you anger it, it will definitely fight back against you.
The Gastrodon's attacks stimulated the Gyarados's sensitive nerves, so instead of letting go, it coiled around the Gastrodon even tighter.
By this time, Bai Ye and Calyrex's Gardevoir had repelled the Gastrodon's Muddy Water. One used Dazzling Gleam, and the other used Shadow Ball, hitting the Gastrodon's forehead simultaneously.
"Feidong~"
The Gastrodon couldn't withstand the simultaneous attacks from the three Pokémon. Its head tilted, and it collapsed.
But before the three could celebrate, another Pokémon appeared, also a Water/Ground type Pokémon, Whiscash.
This Whiscash seemed to be the Gastrodon's companion. It was as huge as the Gastrodon. After seeing the Gastrodon collapsed nearby, it roared in anger.
At first, Bai Feng and the others thought it was just venting its anger, but soon the three realized something was wrong. Unnoticed, numerous inconspicuous Barboach had appeared in the seawater beneath their feet.
Clearly, the Whiscash had just been calling for companions.
"There are too many of them. Let's not get entangled."
Lysandre's suggestion was approved by Bai Feng and Calyrex.
"Roar~"
Under Lysandre's command, Gyarados used the Move Waterfall, headbutting the Whiscash aside and clearing an escape path for Bai Feng and the others.
Calyrex's Gardevoir seized the opportunity to use Teleport to bring the three onto Gyarados's back, letting it carry them away.
Gyarados swam extremely fast in the water, but the Whiscash and Barboach behind them pursued relentlessly. Gyarados swam and swam, and they chased and chased. In the end, Bai Feng and the others didn't even know where they were in the Sea God's Cavern.
"Look there!"
Just then, Calyrex shouted. A circular passage appeared not far away, just wide enough for Gyarados to pass through.
Gyarados carried the three into the circular passage, with the Whiscash following closely behind. But its body was simply too fat. As soon as its head squeezed into the passage, its "ten-month pregnant" belly got stuck outside.
At the same time, the Barboach also couldn't continue pursuing Bai Feng and the others because their boss had blocked the passage.
Looking back at the Whiscash stuck at the passage entrance, Calyrex let out a long sigh of relief. "We finally got rid of those guys."
Gyarados continued swimming forward. Lysandre asked at this point, "Where are we now?"
Bai Feng and Calyrex looked at each other, then shook their heads.
Calyrex looked at the map on her wrist and found that it was no longer working. This map was given to her when she accepted the mission. When opened, it could automatically record the route she had taken.
But at this moment, the map seemed to be experiencing interference.
"This is troublesome!"
Lysandre frowned and took out the energy detector machine. He wasn't just referring to them being lost, but also because the machine showed that the energy concentration in their current environment had reached A+, which was an extremely terrifying data point.
It was precisely this excessively high energy concentration that caused interference with Calyrex's map.
However, even so, they still hadn't found the reason for the energy concentration being so high here.
"So, what should we do next?" Bai Feng asked.
Calyrex and Lysandre looked at the passage that hadn't reached its end yet and replied in unison, "Keep going forward!"
(End of Chapter)