The explosion had a devastating impact. The giant rock that held Ash and Ayumi was torn apart, and the fragile rock formations of the mountain were shattered. Boulders rained down, and the ground itself started to collapse inward.
"Retreat quickly!" Koga immediately ordered his Team Rocket grunts to fall back. He glanced back at the rapidly collapsing mine shaft, but in the end, he held back from going back to check on the situation. He had a lovely daughter of his own and couldn't be buried here.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."
The mountain shook constantly, as if in an earthquake. Boulders smashed into the ground, creating a deafening roar.
Ash immediately shielded Ayumi with his body. At the same time, he swallowed the antidote, hoping its effects would kick in quickly.
"Mmm..." Ayumi fell into a familiar and warm embrace, and her panicked heart finally calmed down.
But she soon began to struggle because she knew she loved Ash, and being held down by someone else felt awkward, no matter how she thought about it...
"Don't move!" Ash hadn't expected the girl to be so difficult in such a critical moment. He could only hold her tightly.
The ground had completely tilted. Unfortunately, Celebi couldn't learn Teleportation, and his internal energy was limited. The two of them could only slide down into the unknown depths...
"Why aren't Ash and Ayumi back yet..." Outside the cave, the sudden collapse had forced all the contestants to stop the competition. Misty sighed, her brow furrowed in worry.
"..." Green was also silent, frowning as she stared at the exit, hoping to see her sister and Ash appear.
In a certain underground cave.
"We're doomed, meow! We're going to be buried alive! Jessie, James, Meowth will miss you. See you in the next life..."
James: "Waaah, I'll miss you two as well..."
Jessie's head was covered in black lines. "We've already landed... Can you two stop being so dramatic in a pile of rocks..."
The tears that were about to pour out of their eyes immediately stopped. They looked at each other, confused. "Huh?! We're okay?"
"...Get out now!" Jessie slapped both of them to snap them out of it.
It turned out that when the ground collapsed, the trio was also deep in the cave and fell into this shaft with the debris.
They had thought they would surely die, but they had survived without a single scratch...
On the other side of the cave.
Ayumi's eyelashes fluttered, and she woke up.
She found herself in a dark, underground cave with a very large space. Above her was the large hole they had fallen from, but it looked very small, as if it was a hundred meters high.
"Ah..." As she tried to get up, Ayumi realized her leg was pinned down by someone, and the person on top of her was the Silver Dragon Hero!
Her leg was numb, and only her upper body was exposed.
What was even more terrifying was that half of the Silver Dragon Hero's body was crushed under a mountain-sized boulder!
Thin streaks of red blood slowly seeped from the cracks in the rock...
The scene stunned Ayumi.
She suddenly remembered that just before she passed out, the person on top of her had tried to push her away, and in doing so, was crushed by the boulder...
"Hey! Silver Dragon Hero? Are you okay!"
Ash didn't respond at all. Ayumi's sweet face gradually turned pale.
The desolate scene and the broken body felt like someone was grabbing her heart. She didn't know why, but she was so afraid of losing him.
"Why... Why did you save me..." She was on the verge of a breakdown.
They had only just met, and she only slightly admired him, but he had sacrificed his life to save her.
Ayumi pursed her lips and held back the tears that were about to fall.
She had to quickly push the boulder away! Maybe he could still be saved!
With this thought, she carefully cleared the rocks from under her and slowly pulled her bruised leg out from under Ash.
A searing pain shot through her leg. It was broken, but fortunately, there were only scrapes and swelling on the surface, and no obvious bleeding.
Ayumi endured the pain, crawling over little by little, trying to push the huge boulder away.
But how could she move this gigantic rock, which could be described as a mountain?
Her two Pokémon had already been defeated, otherwise, her Huge Power Marill could have solved this problem...
Just as she was at a loss, a red light flashed from Ash's waist. Then, psychic energy was activated, and red lights shot out from the Poké Balls.
Immediately, five Pokémon appeared in front of Ayumi.
Celebi, Pikachu, Eevee, Pidgeotto, and Feebas.
It was Ash's five Pokémon!
Ash had sent out Celebi to help during the fall, so she was not in a good state, which was why it took her so long to open the Poké Ball from the inside.
After she broke free, she also released her other companions.
"Celebi... and... Pikachu?!!!" Ayumi was first stunned, then shocked.
"You... Does that mean..."
Everything suddenly made sense to her.
Why did the powerful Silver Dragon Hero endure the insults? Why did he risk his life to save her, a stranger? Why did he protect her from any serious injury, even at the risk of being crushed to death himself?
This wasn't some Silver Dragon Hero, this was Ash!
It was the Ash who never gave up arguing with her. It was the Ash who always remembered her favorite foods when he cooked for her. It was the Ash who always protected her in times of danger. It was the Ash she was deeply attracted to and loved!
Her gaze fell on his broken body. His clear, sharp hair was now a dull gray. The silver mask was already broken, and he seemed to have no life left in him...
Ayumi was frozen, as if she had been hit by a Hypnosis attack.
Her vision suddenly blurred.
"A-Ash..." Something was stuck in Ayumi's throat.
She couldn't even say Ash's name. She felt like she couldn't breathe, and the whole world had lost its color...
"Plop..." Large tears fell like a torrential downpour, quickly forming a small puddle on the ground.
Fortunately, while Ayumi was helpless, the Pokémon had already started their rescue.
Celebi used its psychic power to lift the boulder slightly. Pikachu, Eevee, Pidgeotto, and Feebas used Iron Tail, Steel Wing, Double-Edge, and Tackle at the same time, finally moving the boulder a little.
Seeing this, Ayumi snapped out of it. Enduring the grief in her heart, she crawled to the base of the boulder and pushed with all her might.
Celebi pushed its psychic power to the limit, and its entire little face turned pale. The boulder trembled and lifted slightly.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried out again, immediately hitting it with three consecutive Iron Tails. Pidgeotto simply used a Brave Bird attack, and Eevee used another Double-Edge!
They were all their master's little girlfriends. Each of them was anxious and was now unleashing a strength far beyond their normal limits!
"Buzz..." A faint purple link rose from Ash's body and wrapped around Celebi in the air. Then, a water-blue link extended to Feebas.
Ding, Psychic Heart and Water Spirit Heart activated. Celebi and Feebas have received a combat power boost!
The auras of the two Pokémon immediately swelled. The frequency of their psychic power output greatly increased. At the same time, a stream of water gushed from Feebas's mouth, pushing the boulder away. Ash's lower body was finally free from the pressure!
"CRASH..."
The mountain-like boulder crashed to the ground. It was hard to imagine that just a few high-level Pokémon could move a hard rock that had been compressed underground for thousands of years...
The bond between the Pokémon and Ash had triggered their deepest emotions. At this moment, they had created an unimaginable miracle!