The lord of the grassland and Emboar stared wide-eyed at each other for quite a while before Emboar finally opened its mouth to ask the lord of the grassland if it knew what had happened here earlier.
Of course, the lord of the grassland responded that it didn't know. It wanted to know what was going on just as badly!
Emboar knew that this was one of the bases of the lord of the grassland's army, so it looked at the lord of the grassland with a suspicious gaze. Thinking about the nature of their previous deal, it became even more convinced that the lord of the grassland was hiding something.
The lord of the grassland nearly exploded from Emboar's stare: What do you mean by that!?
But it only dared to get angry inside—it didn't dare say what it was really thinking out loud.
In truth, the relationship between the two Pokémon was not nearly as close as others might have thought. It was purely a transactional partnership, with no deeper private bond between them.
The lord of the grassland knew full well that it was no match for Emboar and that it still needed help with many things, so it could only endure Emboar's suspicious stare while repeatedly insisting that it truly didn't know anything. It even told Emboar that several of its subordinates had gone missing.
In the end, Emboar left with a half-skeptical, half-believing attitude.
After Emboar left, the lord of the grassland began frantically investigating what had actually happened here. Unfortunately, all the sentinel Pokémon it had stationed nearby had been wiped out by Yuga in one clean sweep. It couldn't even find a single Pokémon to question.
Finally, with great difficulty, the lord of the grassland managed to find a lone wild Pokémon, and from its mouth, it learned that a human had indeed come through here. Unfortunately, the wild Pokémon also didn't know where that human had gone.
Now that it was certain a human had been here, the lord of the grassland felt like its heart was on fire. It quickly realized that the human's purpose was most likely related to the disappearance of General Damov and the others.
Thinking of this, it immediately began charging in the direction of the Labyrinth Cave in a panic. Even though it knew that anyone who entered the labyrinth cave would almost certainly never return, it still had a strong, ominous feeling deep in its heart.
Meanwhile, on Yuga's side, he had already successfully reached the entrance of the labyrinth cave, led by the Swoobat leader.
Looking at the ordinary-looking entrance in front of him, Yuga said, "Is this place really as amazing as you say it is?"
"Of course!" Swoobat replied, clearly displeased by Yuga's doubt.
"All right then, once we're inside, I'll be relying on you. You'll guide me out safely, right?"
Yuga put on an expression of complete trust in the Swoobat leader, which made the Swoobat instantly feel like it had become a majestic and towering figure. This was a feeling it had never experienced under the lord of the grassland's command.
It had witnessed Yuga's strength firsthand. Now, to be depended on by such a powerful human made Swoobat feel like it was something special, too.
"Don't worry, with me here!" the goofy Swoobat leader replied, even puffing up its nose proudly. Seeing this, Yuga couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
Pokémon are so pure, truly adorable!
With Swoobat leading the way, Yuga followed it into the labyrinth cave. He recalled all the other Pokémon, leaving only the agile Decidueye and Vivillon to protect him.
When the lord of the grassland arrived with a portion of its troops, the cave entrance was completely empty. It muttered in its heart: Could they have already gone inside?
Soon, the lord of the grassland found a Pokémon nearby who had witnessed what happened. From this Pokémon, it confirmed that a human had indeed entered the labyrinth cave.
As the unease in its heart grew stronger, the lord of the grassland decided to stay and guard the entrance of the cave. If that person ended up dying inside the labyrinth, that would be ideal. If not, the person would eventually have to come out—then it could lie in wait to capture him.
The lord of the grassland knew that anyone capable of easily taking down three of its squads must be immensely powerful. Unless it eliminated this threat, it would never feel at ease.
And because it had already guessed that the enemy was powerful, it didn't come alone but instead brought an elite squad.
After entering the labyrinth cave, Yuga realized that Swoobat hadn't lied to him.
The moment he stepped inside, dozens of paths extended out in every direction, leading to unknown destinations. Some were pitch black and gave off an incredibly eerie atmosphere.
"Swoobat, take a look and tell me which path we should take to find the people," Yuga said, looking at Swoobat with an expression that still read, "I trust you completely."
Swoobat instinctively puffed out its chest with pride, feeling that if it didn't help Yuga find the people, it would be letting down this rare trust.
One would die for a confidant!
So its nose twitched slightly, and waves of ultrasonic pulses began to ripple outward, echoing constantly throughout the cave.
Of course, Yuga couldn't sense any of it. Only the Swoobat leader could tell the subtle differences between each echoing wave.
After quite a while, the Swoobat leader finally said to Yuga, "Follow me!" and flew toward one of the tunnels.
Seeing this, Yuga quickly followed and pulled out a flashlight—this place was simply too dark.
Meanwhile, deeper inside the labyrinth cave, General Damov was trudging along with a few soldiers, trying desperately to find a way out. It was completely dark here. Only one soldier's Flash move allowed them to see anything at all.
There had originally been several hundred people who entered the labyrinth, but because of Musharna's dream illusions, most had become separated. Now, only these few remained with General Damov.
One soldier said gloomily, "General, do we still have a chance of getting out?"
The longer they stayed in this kind of environment, the more psychological pressure they were under, and their emotional states were deteriorating quickly.
General Damov was about to rebuke him upon hearing that, but then thought better of it. Given the situation, he decided not to be too harsh. Instead, he adjusted his tone and gently encouraged:
"Don't worry. I will get you all out, and we will find everyone."
General Damov was usually very stern and cold when he spoke. To hear him speak so gently now gave the soldiers a sudden boost in morale.
"Is everyone tired? Should we stop and eat something?" General Damov then asked.
They had already been inside the cave for several days. Before entering the grasslands, no one had expected to end up in this kind of predicament, so they hadn't brought much food to begin with. To conserve supplies, no one had eaten since last night or this morning.
The soldiers were already hungry and exhausted. When they heard General Damov's suggestion, they all quickly agreed.
While they were eating, one soldier suddenly said, "We don't have much water left, either."
Everyone's heart sank at those words, and the atmosphere became even heavier.
Without water, they wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.
Meanwhile, on Yuga's side, he had already gone around in circles through the labyrinth several times under the Swoobat leader's guidance. This naturally-formed cave system branched out endlessly in all directions. Without Swoobat leading the way, Yuga truly wouldn't have been able to find his bearings.
On the way, Yuga even encountered the skeletal remains of some Pokémon—clearly victims who had died after being trapped here.
Just as Yuga was about to ask Swoobat how much farther they had to go to find the people, the Swoobat leader suddenly began to squeak excitedly.
"We've found them?" Yuga felt a surge of joy in his heart.
The Swoobat leader quickly nodded, then continued flying forward.
After rounding a bend, Yuga indeed saw more than a dozen people. They were all wearing the special combat uniforms of the Pioneer Army, but each of them looked especially weak—some had even fainted.
Sensing movement, the conscious soldiers immediately went on high alert. When they realized it was a human approaching, they were all shocked.
Yuga proactively introduced himself: "I'm Shimizu Yuga. General Toyama sent me to find you."
"That's great, we're saved!"
"We're saved! We're saved, we're really saved!"
...
Hearing Yuga's words, the soldiers were overjoyed to the point of tears.
After being trapped in this dark environment for several days, constantly failing to find a way out, these soldiers had already been on the verge of breaking down.
Most of them had never met Yuga before, but they had all heard of his name.
One soldier asked cautiously, "Mr. Shimizu, do you have a way to get us out of here?"
He was worried that even though Yuga had found them, he might end up getting trapped here too.
Yuga pointed to the Swoobat leader beside him and said, "As long as it's with us, we can navigate the labyrinth."
Upon hearing this, the soldiers were overjoyed.
Yuga then checked on the unconscious ones and found that they weren't injured—they had simply fainted from hunger. Over the past few days, they had only drunk a little water and hadn't eaten anything at all.
The soldiers who had food with them had gotten separated from the others, leaving these ones with empty stomachs.
After assessing the situation, Yuga took out some food and water from his spatial backpack and gave it to them. However, he didn't take out too much, because he knew there were probably several hundred more soldiers trapped like this, and if he used up too much now, there might not be enough for everyone later.
In fact, before coming to Unova, he had prepared a good amount of emergency rations. During the mission these days, the League had been providing supplies, so he hadn't used up much of what he had personally brought.
But no matter how well-prepared he had been, supplying hundreds of people all at once was still a massive burden.
Yuga did some mental calculations and realized the food and water might not be enough, which made him feel worried.
Watching the soldiers devour the food hungrily, Yuga felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. At the same time, he showered the Swoobat leader with praise.
Once everyone had eaten, Yuga said, "Let's rest for a bit, and then we'll continue to search for the others."
So Yuga led the dozen or so people through the labyrinth cave.
Perhaps because they now had such a strong ally in Yuga, the soldiers' morale gradually returned to normal, and the oppressive atmosphere lightened considerably.
As time went on, Yuga continued to find scattered soldiers. Eventually, he even located one of the three missing vice generals—General Yukishiro.
General Yukishiro was the only female among the four vice generals, appearing to be in her thirties. She was a heroic and commanding figure.
Yuga found her and more than a dozen soldiers in a very special location. The walls of the cave there were covered in pale green glowing stones—very beautiful, like crystals—creating a dreamlike and enchanting atmosphere.
Because it was one of the rare illuminated areas in the eastern part of the labyrinth, Yukishiro and her team had not left after discovering it. The darkness of the past few days had nearly driven them mad.
Yuga took out food and water for General Yukishiro and her group. While they were eating, Yuga took the opportunity to chisel off many of those glowing stones and store them in his spatial backpack.
Later, when he saw Steven, he could give him some of these stones as a gift—he was sure Steven would love them.
Moreover, these stones were bright and sparkly—maybe the ladies in Steven's shop would like them too. It'd be a good idea to bring some back as souvenirs for them.
However, before giving these stones away as gifts, he'd need Mewtwo to analyze them and confirm whether there were any substances harmful to the human body.
After General Yukishiro and the others had rested, the group set out once more in great numbers. By now, nearly half of the soldiers had been found—over two hundred people traveling together—and the anxious mood among them finally began to dissipate.
After who knows how long, Yuga finally found all three of the missing vice generals. Of the five hundred missing soldiers, over four hundred had been located. But Damov General's whereabouts remained unknown.
"Could something have happened to the General?" General Leo said with concern.
General Leo was the oldest of the four vice generals, nearly sixty years old. However, he was also the most physically robust among them—he was several times more muscular than Yuga's teammate Raizo. When Yuga first saw him, he even thought he was looking at an Ursaring. There were no signs of aging on him—not even a single strand of white hair.
Everyone else looked equally worried. General Damov had always had a strong reputation within the Pioneer Army, and the other vice generals genuinely respected and admired him.
Yuga comforted them, saying, "Let's keep looking. There are still some places we haven't searched. I'm sure we'll find him."
The labyrinth cave was a dead zone—in other words, no other Pokémon lived here except for Pokémon like Swoobat that could freely enter and exit. So normally, nothing should have happened to General Damov and his team, unless...
Led by the Swoobat leader, Yuga and the group continued their search, finding more scattered soldiers along the way. In the end, only General Damov and fewer than ten soldiers remained missing.
"Could something really have happened to the General?" General Chiba said in frustration.
General Chiba was the youngest of the three vice generals, just barely in his thirties, and he was also the most hot-tempered one.
While everyone was still worried, the usually quiet Swoobat leader suddenly let out a few sharp cries. Although the others couldn't understand it, Yuga immediately got the message.
It suspected that General Damov had entered the center of the labyrinth—the very place its father had warned it never to approach.
During the entire search, Yuga and the Swoobat leader had avoided going near the labyrinth's core. They didn't know what was inside, but elder warnings were often rooted in real danger.
At the same time, General Damov and several soldiers, exhausted beyond belief, had arrived at a strange new area.
"General, look! There's water!" a soldier shouted joyfully.
Everyone looked ahead and indeed saw a beautiful underground lake. What made it unusual was that the lake emitted a faint white glow. Not only that, there were many glowing plants growing around it.
The plants swayed gently, occasionally releasing small white specks of light. The specks floated in the air for a moment before slowly fading away.
The soldiers were long past the point of unbearable thirst. Without hesitation, they rushed to the lake's edge and began scooping up water with their hands to drink.
"Wait…"
General Damov tried to stop them, but the soldiers wouldn't listen.
At that moment, General Damov also started to feel that something was wrong.
His head… His head… Why was it starting to feel dizzy…?