Chapter 23: Sea God's Cavern and Lysandre
"I watched your battle just now, it was very exciting. I was right about you after all," the young woman said as she walked up to Bai Feng.
The person who arrived was none other than Calyrex, whom Bai Feng had met at the Coupling Gym over two years ago. Compared to two years ago, she had grown taller, appearing more statuesque and mature. The childishness had faded from her delicate face, making her seem even more stunning.
"Thank you for the compliment, but I still have a long way to go," Bai Feng said humbly. "Were you hoping for a battle with me too?" Remembering their agreement when they parted ways, Bai Feng suddenly asked.
"That was the plan initially, but after seeing your state today, I feel like there's no need to rush," Calyrex said playfully.
"What do you mean?" Bai Feng asked, puzzled.
Calyrex explained, "It's like this: I came to Biyi City because I accepted a task from the Pokémon League that requires me to explore the Sea God's Cavern. I've already been there once, and it's inhabited by many Wild Pokémon, which greatly interfered with my exploration task. So now I need a helper to assist me in completing the task. I didn't expect to run into you at the Pokémon Center today..."
"So you're hoping I'll go to the Sea God's Cavern with you?" Bai Feng understood her meaning before Calyrex finished speaking, and he asked in return.
"Exactly, if you have the time," Calyrex nodded, looking at Bai Feng with anticipation.
"Can I think about it?" Bai Feng actually wanted to go.
It had been over four years since he left Island, and he had been holed up in Biyi City, never venturing out once. It wouldn't be bad to have a chance to see the outside world.
But the Orchard was currently very busy...
However, thinking that he would soon be entering Intermediate School, making it even more troublesome to go out in the future, Bai Feng felt that taking this opportunity to see the world was a good choice.
"Of course. I'll be at the Pokémon Center until noon tomorrow. If you've decided, just contact me." Saying this, Calyrex gave Bai Feng her contact information. "I'll be waiting for you at the Pokémon Center entrance then."
"Alright, it's a deal."
After making their agreement, the two parted ways.
Upon returning home, Bai Feng performed the "surgery" to light up the Hidden Energy Circuits for Popplio, Helioptile, and Bai Ye. While they were resting, he chatted for a while with Dongyu, who had come to report the accounts.
After the accounts were sorted out, Bai Feng said to Dongyu, "Brother Dong Yu, a friend invited me to go out and do a task. Could I trouble you to look after things at the construction site here?"
"I can... but how long will you be gone?" Dongyu asked with a frown. "You'll be starting Intermediate School soon, don't miss it."
"It shouldn't be too long," Bai Feng replied after a moment of thought. It shouldn't take too long, right? The Sea God's Cavern wasn't far from Biyi City.
Dongyu nodded upon hearing this. "Then go ahead, don't worry. I'll look after the construction site and the Orchard for you. Just be careful out there and don't be reckless."
"Okay, I know."
After explaining the Orchard matters to Dongyu, Bai Feng called Calyrex and told her he agreed to go to the Sea God's Cavern together.
Getting up the next morning, Bai Feng began packing his luggage. Change of clothes, emergency food, Pokémon food, camping gear, etc. There was quite a lot to bring.
Since it was his first time going out, Bai Feng wanted to bring everything, which made him very conflicted. Bai Ye was just like him, wanting to stuff everything into the bag, thinking everything could be useful outside.
One could only say they were truly mother and son.
Fortunately, the Pokémon world had amazing items like Space Backpacks, which brought great convenience to Pokémon Trainers traveling outside. Otherwise, Bai Feng and Bai Ye wouldn't know how much luggage they'd have to carry for one trip.
Bai Feng's Space Backpack was new. He bought it after he had money, and he had barely used it since purchasing it.
When he bought this backpack, it was purely out of curiosity about such a magical item. In reality, staying home all day, he had no use for it. If it weren't for the high price, he almost would have given this Space Backpack to Director Meili to use for grocery shopping.
Now, it was finally coming in handy.
At noon, Bai Feng mounted Patrol Team Captain Talonflame and set off.
Considering that having a flying mount was very necessary for adventuring outside, Bai Feng thought for a long time and finally decided to bring Patrol Team Captain Talonflame along, in addition to Bai Ye, Popplio, and Helioptile.
Moreover, in terms of strength, the unevolved Popplio and Helioptile were no match for Patrol Team Captain Talonflame; only Bai Ye could consistently win against Patrol Team Captain Talonflame.
With Patrol Team Captain Talonflame there, Bai Feng felt much more at ease. At the very least, it made running away much more convenient when encountering danger!
"Yaroo~"
With a long cry, Bai Feng rode Patrol Team Captain Talonflame towards the West District of Biyi City. Before long, they arrived at the entrance of the Pokémon Center, where Calyrex was indeed waiting for him.
Seeing Bai Feng's majestic Talonflame, Calyrex exclaimed, "Is this the one you rode to the Coupling Gym back then? It's gotten stronger!"
Bai Feng proudly patted Patrol Team Captain Talonflame's wing and said, "That's right, it's him!"
"Then let's set off," Calyrex nodded. Seeing this Talonflame, she felt more confident about this task.
Bai Feng, however, pointed to the Pokémon Center and said, "Wait a moment, I need to buy something inside."
"Okay, hurry up!" Calyrex nodded, not asking what Bai Feng needed to buy at this moment.
What Bai Feng needed to buy were Poké Balls. Besides the Poké Balls for Bai Ye, Popplio, and Helioptile, he didn't have a fourth one. He needed to buy a few spares for this trip.
Also, Talonflame needed one too. Otherwise, wouldn't it be troublesome if he needed it to go into a Poké Ball outside?
Bai Feng quickly came out of the Pokémon Center. He held a newly bought Poké Ball and gestured to Patrol Team Captain Talonflame. Patrol Team Captain Talonflame understood and lowered its head, gently touching the button on the Poké Ball with its forehead. The next second, it turned into a red light and was recalled inside.
This was something Bai Feng had discussed with it before setting off.
Seeing this scene, Calyrex looked surprised. She didn't understand why this Talonflame, which had been with Bai Feng for two years, still didn't have a Poké Ball.
Could it be a Pokémon left by his elders?
Seeing Calyrex's puzzled expression, Bai Feng smiled and explained, "I'm different from you. I'm not a Pokémon Trainer in the true sense. Talonflame is the Patrol Team Captain of my family's Orchard. He was temporarily called upon by me. I don't have a dedicated flying mount myself."
Calyrex realized her misunderstanding upon hearing this.
She suddenly remembered that Bai Feng seemed to have explained Talonflame this way before, but he hadn't specifically introduced the bond between Talonflame and him at that time.
"In that case, let's go!"
Saying this, Calyrex released a Braviary and mounted it.
Seeing this, Bai Feng also released Patrol Team Captain Talonflame again. After mounting it, he followed closely behind Calyrex and Braviary.
Along the way, Calyrex introduced Bai Feng to the situation at the Sea God's Cavern.
The Sea God's Cavern was located in a Dangerous Waters area east of Biyi City, a place referred to as a Strange Land and a Perilous Land.
Countless Pokémon Trainers had always wanted to unveil its mystery, but those who went in either gained nothing, were severely injured, or some even disappeared there entirely.
According to the Pokémon League scientists' detection, the area around the Sea God's Cavern was filled with a large amount of special energy, and this energy was suspected to be from ancient times.
For this reason, the Pokémon League had issued many tasks to explore the Sea God's Cavern, attempting to figure out the source of the overflowing energy. Unfortunately, those who took on this task changed batch after batch, but ultimately failed.
This also made the Sea God's Cavern even more mysterious.
The reason Calyrex took on this task was because she felt her strength had entered a Bottleneck Period and she needed an opportunity for a breakthrough.
However, when she truly delved into this task, she felt it was even more complicated than she had imagined. To be cautious, she decided to find a strong helper.
After half a day, Bai Feng and Calyrex successfully arrived at the periphery of the Sea God's Cavern.
The Sea God's Cavern was located in the center of a vast blue Bay, surrounded by large areas of Ring of Reefs, guarding the entrance to the Sea God's Cavern like sentinels.
According to Calyrex, many dangerous Pokémon were hidden among these reefs.
Looking at the setting sun, Calyrex suggested, "It's getting late today. Let's find a place to rest for the night and go in to explore tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll follow your lead." It was Bai Feng's first time adventuring outside, and he didn't know many things, so of course, he should listen to the senior.
The two found a place to land and were about to set up camp when they suddenly heard the sound of battle coming from a distance. The commotion was quite significant.
"Let's go take a look!" Calyrex said, and immediately urged Braviary to fly towards the direction of the sound.
Seeing this, Bai Feng quickly had Talonflame follow.
Before long, the two found the source of the sound. On a giant reef, five young Pokémon Trainers were being surrounded and attacked by a group of Skrelp and Dragalge.
The number of Skrelp and Dragalge was extremely large, and the five people were clearly about to be overwhelmed.
"Quick, go save them!" Calyrex said anxiously.
However, just as the two were about to go forward to rescue them, a tornado appeared out of nowhere, sweeping a large area of Skrelp and Dragalge into the air, temporarily relieving the crisis for the five people.
Just then, a gigantic Gyarados had appeared on the sea surface not far away. More importantly, a young man of unusually tall stature was standing on the Gyarados's back.
The young man had bright red hair, like a lion's mane surrounding his head. His expression was firm and serious. When commanding Gyarados in battle, his attitude was decisive, and his movements were sharp, looking quite extraordinary.
This is... Lysandre?
Although Bai Feng hadn't recognized Calyrex when he first met her, he couldn't mistake Lysandre now, because his signature hairstyle, identical to a male Pyroar's mane, was simply too iconic.
Unlike the middle-aged man Bai Feng remembered, the Lysandre before him was still a young man, probably in his early twenties, a very handsome young fellow.
Just a bit less handsome than me! Bai Feng thought silently to himself.
"Help them!" Calyrex turned to Bai Feng and said.
Although Lysandre and his Gyarados were strong, the number of Skrelp and Dragalge was too large, and the situation for the five young Pokémon Trainers was still not optimistic.
Hearing this, Bai Feng quickly brought Patrol Team Captain Talonflame forward to provide support.
Calyrex's Braviary used Tailwind, and Bai Feng's flying speed suddenly increased sharply, reaching the sky above the group of Skrelp and Dragalge in the blink of an eye.
Upon entering the battlefield, Bai Feng and Calyrex leaped down from the backs of Patrol Team Captain Talonflame and Braviary, allowing the two Pokémon to battle without restraint.
Patrol Team Captain Talonflame used Quick Attack, swiftly weaving through the groups of Skrelp and Dragalge. Each attack knocked a Skrelp or Dragalge into the water.
Braviary quickly flapped its wings and claws, using the move Fury Attack to knock away all the Skrelp and Dragalge approaching the five Pokémon Trainers, protecting them in time.
The five Pokémon Trainers saw the sudden appearance of Bai Feng and the other two and breathed a sigh of relief. Just now, they almost thought they would perish here today.
The Sea God's Cavern truly lived up to its reputation!
In the battlefield, Bai Feng sent out Helioptile. It first used the move Charge to strengthen its Electric-type moves, then its body glowed with golden light, and streams of electricity were controlled by it, shooting out and shocking one Skrelp after another onto the ground.
The move Helioptile used was Parabolic Charge, which not only damaged enemies but also converted the damage dealt into HP and transferred it to Helioptile, so Helioptile became more energetic the more it attacked.
Furthermore, Helioptile's ability was Dry Skin. When hit by Water-type moves, it not only became immune to the damage but also recovered a certain amount of HP.
Therefore, Helioptile was a professional at dealing with Water-type Pokémon.
However, besides using Water-type moves, Skrelp also used Poison-type moves, which was a bit tricky to deal with.
The five young Pokémon Trainers were facing a situation with no retreat precisely because all their Pokémon were Poisoned.
Fortunately, Calyrex was very capable. She sent out a Gardevoir and had it use Misty Terrain.
Misty Terrain could make all Pokémon on the field immune to status conditions, and also halve the power of Dragalge's Dragon-type moves. It could be said to be the most effective move for dealing with the current situation.
With the combined efforts of Bai Feng, Calyrex, and Lysandre, the Skrelp and Dragalge were quickly repelled, and everyone's crisis was resolved.
"Thank you all. If you hadn't intervened in time, we might have been buried in the sea," the five rescued Pokémon Trainers, dragging their weary bodies, came to Bai Feng and Calyrex and sincerely thanked them.
These five people consisted of two males and three females, all looking around twenty years old, and all carrying injuries, some light, some heavy.
At this moment, Lysandre also urged Gyarados to come ashore and joined Bai Feng and the others. The five people also thanked him.
"How did you provoke so many Skrelp and Dragalge?" Lysandre asked, puzzled.
One of the girls among the five said with a bitter smile, "It was our own greed..."
They had come to explore the Sea God's Cavern, originally only planning to look around the periphery, as this place was notorious and not somewhere to act recklessly.
However, they later accidentally saw a Piplup. While chasing the Piplup, the five accidentally entered the Sea God's Cavern.
They were also young and impetuous, having never truly witnessed the terror of the Sea God's Cavern, so they pressed on, continuing to chase the Piplup, after all, a Pokémon like Piplup wasn't easy to encounter elsewhere.
Lured by the Piplup, they eventually fell into the encirclement of Skrelp and Dragalge.
The five spent a great deal of effort to escape from inside the Sea God's Cavern, but who knew that those Skrelp and Dragalge would also follow them out in a rush.
"What are you going to do next?" Calyrex asked.
"Of course, we're leaving here immediately," one of the boys said without hesitation.
"But all our Pokémon are Poisoned..." another girl said dejectedly. How could they leave without Pokémon?
At this moment, Bai Feng took out some Pecha Berries from his backpack and handed them over, saying, "Take these. Just feed them to your Pokémon."
Pecha Berries can cure Toxic and Poisoned status conditions.
As a professional Berry grower, how could Bai Feng go out without bringing Berries!
"That's great, thank you! We will definitely repay you if we get the chance in the future!"
The five were overjoyed. They took the Pecha Berries Bai Feng gave them and fed them to their Pokémon.
After their Pokémon recovered, the five quickly left the Sea God's Cavern. Before leaving, they exchanged names and contact information with Bai Feng and the others, promising to repay the three for saving their lives if they had the chance in the future.
It was also during this mutual introduction that Bai Feng confirmed the red-haired young man was indeed Lysandre.
After the five people left, only Bai Feng, Calyrex, and Lysandre remained.
(End of this chapter)