chsdbacks Chapter 156 "The Cat Teasing Wand"; Daigo's Silence
Chapter 156 "The Cat Teasing Wand"; Daigo's Silence
Chapter 156 "The Cat Teasing Wand"; Daigo's Silence
The heat was intense, and the surrounding rock walls were covered with bright red inscriptions. It was as if these inscriptions were the reason that, looking out at the cave entrance, the rolling lava seemed to be blocked by an air wall, and the impurities exposed by the cross-section of the lava could be vaguely seen.
This was created by Team Lava and is the conduit to the "Cave of the Land" where Groudon slumbers.
The first sight I saw.
Because the pipes connect to the upper side of the cave wall, you can see more from above.
The cave was completely dark, but with the help of the faint light from the lava outside, Ze Shu could see what appeared to be a creature crouching in the center of the cave. To the naked eye, one could only see its skin—a patchy, bright red color.
Even if Zeshu couldn't see it clearly, he knew that it was Groudon.
Moreover, he could see it clearly.
It was sleeping soundly, its broad, bulldozer-like tail tucked under its rear end.
Its broad, serrated head hung low, covered by claws with sharp spikes. The regular, faint steam rising from its nostrils indicated that it was sleeping comfortably.
And the feeling that Ze Shu had...
This is the so-called "Earth God" Groudon.
Like a groundhog snoring soundly underground.
"I didn't expect to see it so easily.::" Higana snuggled closer to Ze Shu's shoulder and couldn't help but sigh, "But it's so hot."
Not only does the outer magma emit heat waves, but even Groudon, when "dormant," exhales steam: this cave is sealed off, and the heat cannot dissipate; this makes the entire "Cave of the Land" like a sauna.
But that doesn't count as the limits of human potential.
At that moment, Ze Shu jumped down from the pipe built by the lava team and finally stepped onto the ground of the Land Cave. It was burning and hot, but still bearable, and his shoes wouldn't be burned through in a short time.
He couldn't help but rub the Growlithe dog that was following closely beside him.
"Growlithe is adapting quite well."
The cat monster couldn't stand the heat and returned to its Poké Ball.
So now it only has Growlithe by its side.
Ze Shu took a deep breath and suddenly asked Growlithe, "Familiar, isn't it?"
Growlithe looked confused: "Huh? Woof?"
Zeshu said, "It smells exactly the same as the unique scent emanating from the Kamehameha Hot Spring you soaked in. You've been soaking for so long..."
"Didn't you even smell it?"
Growlithe looked aggrieved: "Woof..."
It was so flustered while soaking in the water that it had no mind to smell anything!
But Ze Shu laughed and said, "But you didn't feel any aversion to soaking in this 'Cave of the Land' filled with Groudon's scent, did you? Soaking in this 'sauna' might even be more effective than the hot springs in LavaCity that have been diluted countless times."
Clearly, the unique effect of the Fiery Hot Spring on Pokémon is due to the influence of Groudon, which resides on Mt. Chimney.
Maybe the reason is the steam coming out of Groudon's nostrils when it sleeps.
And that is why Zeshu came here.
Since soaking in hot springs isn't an option, let's try something else.
Upon hearing this, Growlithe paused for a moment, looked around, and indeed showed no aversion to "water".
Its eyes lit up immediately.
Does that mean it won't have to... anymore?
Ze Shu said, "Unfortunately, this is only a temporary enjoyment. Growlithe, your 'treatment' is still a long way off. After all, you can't come here to take a sauna every time; that's too much trouble."
"I'm afraid even if I don't find it troublesome, the original owner of this cave would also find it annoying."
Ze Shu looked at Groudon in the center of the cave; its breathing was clearly not as smooth as it had been since their arrival.
Growlithe was suddenly filled with despair.
"Woof..."
Since it won't last long, we can only absorb more now.
Growlithe stretched out its limbs, mimicking the usual lazy pose of the cat monsters, trying to maximize its absorption of steam and minimize future treatments.
Higana was already drenched in sweat from the heat, but she looked at the seemingly unaffected Ze Shu and asked incredulously, "Why don't you feel the heat at all? You haven't even broken a sweat...?"
"Are you some kind of humanoid Pokémon?!"
Ze Shu chuckled: "Yeah, it's fire-type."
Higana turned her head away: "Hmph, you're talking nonsense."
Ze Shu: "..—·
However, he ignored her and instead looked at the charred meteorite he had just taken out of his hand, which he had obtained from the Second Hokage. When he took out the meteorite, Groudon visibly trembled, and its sleeping nose sniffed like a dog.
This is Groudon's "familiar" taste.
Ze Shu seemed to be deep in thought.
The "smell" that Groudon is familiar with is probably only one of two things: natural energy and its own power.
This charred meteorite is probably not made of natural energy.
Higanbana snorted, looking at the skin peeking out from the dim corner of Groudon's body, and said to Zeki, "A thousand years ago, a huge meteorite crashed into Hoenn, which is now the location of Lilycove City."
"The earth surged and the sky cracked, causing the extremely rich natural energy buried beneath the city of Seijing to gush forth."
"This natural energy awakened Groudon and another being—Kyogre. They both entered what we Meteorites call 'Origin Forms,' and are fighting for control of that surging natural energy."
"This meteorite may have natural energy."
"Then Groudon will probably wake up immediately."
"However, this meteorite may have some connection to Groudon, but it can't awaken it. It's currently in a state of energy depletion, and only this substance can barely revive it."
Higana stood with her hands on her hips, seemingly showing off her knowledge after noticing Ze Shu's occasional moment of confusion.
Then she saw Ze Shu approach Groudon with the charred meteorite in his hand. Her eyes widened in shock, and she exclaimed, "What are you trying to do?!"
Ze Shu said, "I think I've figured out how to use this meteorite."
Higanbana looked completely bewildered: "What method??"
Zeshu held up the meteorite and said, "This meteorite reminds me of... like this Groudon's 'cat toy'."
Higanbana's confusion deepened: "And what about you...?"
When she said "how," Ze Shu brought the meteorite close to Groudon, and then shook it, causing Groudon's jagged head to shake slightly as well.
There was a "poof" sound.
Groudon sneezed, and the cave trembled, the air growing warmer.
"Ugh...!" Higana cried out in alarm, "You...you...you—"
Ze Shu said, "Don't be nervous."
Higana said anxiously, "It feels like you're going to collapse the whole cave. Then we'll be buried here!"
And won't this cat toy annoy Groudon?
Ze Shu said innocently, "But I feel like Groudon is quite happy."
After all, this "cat" that has been lonely for so long must be eager to be "amused".
Higana said, "You...you...you—"
She stared intently at Ze Shu, unsure of what to say.
Please, this is a "monster" capable of destroying the entire Hoenn land!
How could you be so utterly disrespectful as to treat it like a cheetah?!
Higana glared angrily at Ze Shu.
She snorted and said inexplicably, "You should have Groudon spin around a bit more, and then roll over."
Ze Shu nodded seriously and said, "Good idea."
Higanbana: "?!"
She was being sarcastic.
This guy actually thinks it's a good idea?!
And judging from his posture, he actually seems quite interested in trying it out!
Thinking of this, she panicked.
If you want to get rid of her, don't drag her into it! She still has a mission to find the Dragon God!
Just then, the communicator on Zeshu's waist started making a "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound—this was the communicator of the second generation of Himura, who had recently spoken with the first generation Himura, the supreme commander of this base.
Ze Shu picked it up and looked at it: "It's him again."
Higana breathed a sigh of relief, then reacted, "This guy didn't bring the team back, did he? Then we...:"
Ze Shu pressed the answer button.
All that could be heard was the other person breathing heavily, and his voice was filled with panic:
"The intelligence is wrong. There was no natural meteorite at all! Damn it! This is all a scheme by the League—Daigo suddenly appeared on the escort route, and this League team also has a Ghost-type Elite Four member. We are no match for them."
"I was the only one who escaped."
"I'm on my way back, Daigo is still chasing after me."
"Fatty, quick! Quick! Activate the base's defenses. This is something our Team Magma has spent countless amounts of money and effort building. Even if he's the Hoenn Champion, we can still give him a hard time!"
Ze Shu made a soft "hmm".
The other side reacted instantly as well:
"It's you again?!"
"Where's Fatty?!"
"Forget it! I don't have time to listen to your explanation. Quick, quickly relay what I just said to that guy."
"Hmm..." Ze Shu smiled, "Alright, Himura... sir. I'm sure you'll be greeted by us when you return to the base."
"That's good!"
Himura hung up the call in a panic.
In his haste, he didn't realize that Ze Shu's tone was off.
"This..." Higana's expression was strange. "So they didn't come back leading the team, but escaped back."
Ze Shu laughed and said, "Let's go greet our Boss Huocun."
"Let's go, Growlithe."
"Woof..."
"Fire-breathing camel, breathe fire!"
"Whoosh—one!"
With the heavy hum of the fire-breathing camel, the silver figure that had been chasing them was engulfed in a sea of fire.
"We've reached the concave mountain path. The base is just ahead. Hurry, we'll be safe soon."
"Crossbat, hurry, hurry up!"
Himura could see that the base gate hidden in the rugged mountain path was open, and two people wearing the red uniforms of Team Lava were waiting in the open space in front of it. Although the fat man was nowhere to be seen, the anxiety in his eyes lessened a little.
The cross-bat on his back was struggling to fly at full speed with its four wings.
Soon, he arrived at the open space in front of the lava team.
As soon as he landed, he hurriedly shouted:
"Why aren't the base's defenses activated yet? I put him in charge of the base, what's that fat guy doing? Also, move aside, don't block my way, let me in..."
"Um?"
"Wait, who are you?!"
"I've never seen your face among that fat man's men before. And you, with that bulging chest, none of the women under that fat man have such bulging chests!"
As they approached, Himura saw their faces clearly and looked on in surprise, pointing at Higana.
Just as Higanbana was about to get angry, she took out a Poké Ball.
But Homura realized something was wrong and reacted quickly, suddenly pulling out a Poké Ball. A flash of white light appeared, and a Camerupt, badly injured with a comet-shaped fist mark on its chest, appeared beside him.
"Fire-breathing camel, scorching sandy land!"
"Flood them!"
As the village of Huocun roared in shock and fury, scorching yellow sand erupted from the volcano-like humps of the two fire-breathing camels. In an instant, it submerged and covered the few flat areas along the rugged mountain path.
Amidst this gradually rising, scorching "sandstorm".
Not only can people outside not see what's inside, but even people inside have difficulty seeing it clearly.
Meanwhile, Himura kept his mouth tightly shut to prevent the sand from entering his mouth; taking advantage of the cover of the "Hot Sand Land," he charged straight toward the base entrance he remembered, braving the scorching yellow sand.
Seeing the situation here, his worries deepened considerably.
He didn't know what had happened at the base; those two were clearly not from Team Lava.
With pursuers behind and obstacles in front, he had no choice but to use the "Hot Sands" move to release a "smoke bomb" and enter the base.
But he hadn't even entered the base yet.
From beneath the scorching sand came a roar like that of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, followed by a loud "thud" of flesh colliding. As his fire-breathing camel screamed in agony, a sharp piece of steel, cold in the sweltering heat, approached him and "grabbed" him.
He felt as if any movement would be met with this sharpness...
"Don't move, or you might lose a piece of your hand or foot."
Himura was so shocked that he broke out in a cold sweat.
He dared not move.
He felt the sharpness close to his body, and the malice that seemed to want to devour him.
He froze on the spot.
He didn't know how long he had been frozen. All he knew was that after Camerupt's "Scorching Sands" slowly faded, he finally saw what had trapped him—a Pokémon covered in blades, like armor.
And in the distance, a terrifying Tyrannosaurus Rex with rocky skin opened its gaping maw and bit down hard on the fallen Camerup, which was clearly powerless to resist; while its Crobat was being held down by a strange Growlithe, tumbling under its mouth.
His two Pokémon, like his situation, were also dealt with.
Himura stared wide-eyed at all of this;
His pupils were filled with fear, disbelief, and an unwillingness to accept the fact;
He was making "ah ah" sounds, and he probably didn't even know what they were.
"Himura, right..." Zeju said, "Looks like I've taken care of both of you."
Himura turned his head with difficulty and asked, "Wh...what do you mean?"
However, Ze Shu didn't need to explain; a look of realization quickly flashed in his eyes. "Back when we first contacted each other, that fat guy... you already took care of him, didn't you?"
He then recalled his encounter with the Alliance leader after the "robbery".
"So, so that's what happened..."
"It's all part of your plan."
Despair filled Himura's eyes.
His actions, his plans, and his outcomes were all within the expectations and schemes of others. How could this not lead to despair?
Ze Shu felt that this lava team leader thought too highly of him.
However, he shrugged and said, "You guessed right, you seem to be a smart guy. But, no prize."
Just then, a silver light gradually appeared in the distance, and a gleaming, four-legged iron lump quickly approached.
On top of the iron lump with red eyes and a golden "X" mark on its head stood a handsome man with silver hair.
"We meet again, Sawaki," Daigo greeted with a smile. "But I still had you finish up. That Team Magma executive is really fast."
Ze Shu stopped and said, "Then I'll leave it to you."
Daigo nodded, then looked at the soldier with the dagger that had trapped Himura with a look of surprise before saying, "Thank you for your hard work."
With a lift of its massive arm, Metagross took Himura from Koma's small sword; with a psychic strike, it pinned Himura against its broad back.
Daigo looked at the metal passage behind Sawaki: "This must be Groudon's..."
Ze Shu said, "The Lava Team's base has been taken over."
Daigo suddenly fell silent, glanced behind him, and hesitated before saying, "Then this place will probably have to be taken over by the Hoenn League as well. Soon, this place will likely be designated as a key location by the League."
Ze Shu glanced at him, puzzled, and asked, "Is this what you mean?"
Daigo remained silent, scratching his silver hair in distress. He smiled, somewhat hesitant to face Sawaki, and said, "I understand."
"Ze Shu, you don't understand!" Higana shouted immediately, "This base can't be given to that damned Alliance! It can't be given to that damned Zvoich!"
"Otherwise, otherwise..."
She was anxious, glaring at Daigo:
"As expected, anyone with the surname Zvoich is no good!"
Daigo paused for a moment, then couldn't help but explain, "This is what the Pokémon Association requested after hearing about the situation here... Um, Sawaki, you're an investigator, you should know that."
The Pokémon League consists of the Elite Four, the Champion, and Nurse Joy.
The Pokémon Association, on the other hand, manages trainers, gyms, and the Pokémon League in various regions.
They are responsible for selecting dojo masters, paying their salaries, and organizing league competitions.
They also establish rules for the Pokémon world.
For example, a trainer can have a "maximum" of six Pokémon; in battles, each Pokémon can only use one item, etc.
Under normal circumstances, they can be considered an integral part of the Pokémon League and don't need to be clearly distinguished.
But now, Daigo feels he needs to make a distinction.
He suddenly felt tired.
Digging for stones is so carefree...
Ze Shu asked in surprise, "The news spread so fast!"
Daigo was silent for a moment, then could only hum in agreement.
Ze Shu continued, "The Pokémon Association reacted so quickly, could it be that they want to...?"
Daigo hummed in agreement again.
Higana realized something; her eyes widened instantly, gradually filling with anger.
"No, no, no—Absolutely not! Absolutely not!"
"And then that kind of thing happens again!"
"Ze Shu, don't agree to him! You absolutely can't agree to him! Come with me, come with me, I have something to tell you—"