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However, just as the two were about to retreat, pairs of scarlet eyes began appearing in the tunnel behind them. More and more glowing eyes emerged from the darkness, their numbers steadily increasing.
"Oh no, those creatures are catching up to us!" Green turned around to check the source of the approaching sounds, her expression growing more concerned by the moment.
Now they found themselves trapped with enemies approaching from both front and rear. Large numbers of Kabuto continued pouring into the area, gradually surrounding the passages on their left and right sides as well.
"I can't help it! I really don't want to hurt them!" Ash said reluctantly as he placed Jigglypuff on his head and reached for his Poke Ball. It seemed they wouldn't be able to escape without engaging in battle.
The truth was, they had inadvertently disturbed these fossil Pokemon from their ancient slumber in this underground sanctuary. Ash genuinely didn't want to harm them, but given their current predicament, it appeared they had no other choice.
Seeing the situation, Green had no alternative but to retrieve her Poke Ball as well. The Kabuto, Kabutops, Omanyte, and Omastar from both directions gradually closed in, preparing to completely surround the two trainers.
"Help us!!"
At that moment, another panicked cry echoed through the cavern, accompanied by the sound of running footsteps. From one of the side passages, several figures came rushing in. Before the Kabuto could complete their encirclement, the newcomers were already heading in Ash's direction.
"Pika!!"
One of the figures' eyes lit up immediately upon spotting Ash, and it rushed directly toward him without hesitation.
"Pikachu!!" Ash's expression brightened considerably when he recognized his partner, and he opened his arms wide to embrace Pikachu as it leaped toward him.
"Jigglypuff..."
The Jigglypuff perched on Ash's head seemed pleased to see Pikachu jumping into Ash's arms, though for some inexplicable reason, it felt slightly uncomfortable and unconsciously puffed out its cheeks in response.
"Ash!!" Brock and Misty arrived alongside Pikachu, both looking relieved to finally locate their friend.
When Misty saw Ash, she breathed a deep sigh of relief as if she had encountered her salvation in this underground nightmare.
"I finally found you! I was scared to death down here!" Misty exclaimed, her voice still carrying traces of lingering fear.
As Ash looked at his friends, he noticed that Misty was carefully cradling something in her arms.
"Hmm? What's that?"
Upon closer inspection, Ash was surprised to discover that Misty was holding an egg about the size of an ostrich egg, decorated with distinctive red and blue triangular patterns across its surface.
Ash could immediately identify this as a Togepi Pokemon egg. He hadn't expected his friends to discover it during their separation. Although he had known that a Togepi egg existed somewhere in Grampa Canyon, he hadn't specifically been searching for it.
It was unexpected that Misty had found it without deliberately looking for it.
In the original anime storyline, while the Togepi Pokemon egg was initially discovered by Ash, it eventually became Misty's Pokemon and was later released back to its own kind.
"Oh, this? When I first woke up, I was already holding it!" Misty explained, offering the egg to Ash for a closer examination.
During their fall into the underground cavern, in her panic, she had instinctively reached out to grab onto either Brock or Ash for support. In the confusion, she had accidentally grasped onto something solid, and when she regained consciousness after the fall, she discovered the egg in her possession.
"It seems like now isn't the time to discuss this," Brock interjected, his expression growing serious as he surveyed their dangerous surroundings.
Misty also looked around after hearing Brock's warning, finally becoming aware that they were now completely surrounded by the ancient Pokemon.
"Why are these creatures everywhere?!" Misty complained, clutching the Pokemon egg protectively against her chest. They had been pursued relentlessly throughout their underground journey.
Ash glanced toward the passage his friends had emerged from and noticed numerous scarlet eyes glowing menacingly in the darkness behind them.
"Welcome back, Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt attack!"
With Pikachu back at his side, Ash wasted no time in taking action. He turned to face the passage on the opposite side while giving his command.
Following Ash's instruction, Pikachu immediately leaped forward and unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt attack. Before the Kabuto could complete their encirclement strategy, the electrical assault struck the Kabuto on both flanks. The electric current spread rapidly through their ranks, preventing them from maintaining their coordinated surrounding formation.
"Let's move now!!" Ash seized this crucial opportunity and called out to his companions.
Hearing his signal, everyone followed Ash as they rushed toward the only remaining open passage. However, as they were running, the sound of approaching footsteps from ahead caused the entire group to instinctively halt their advance.
"Something's coming from up ahead!"
"Please don't let it be those creatures again!" Misty was already feeling overwhelmed with fear. Even though these fossil Pokemon were Water-types, which she typically loved, she couldn't find any affection for them under these terrifying circumstances.
"It doesn't sound like them!" Ash listened carefully to the approaching sounds, concentrating on identifying what they might encounter. Soon he realized these were human footsteps, not the movement patterns of Pokemon.
"Wait, is that Ash?!" The figures from the opposite direction came into view, and they seemed equally surprised to encounter Ash and his group. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief upon recognizing the newcomers.
"It's Gary! You scared me to death!" Misty and the others visibly relaxed upon seeing familiar faces.
"Am I really that frightening?" Gary approached them first, speaking with mock indignation. Behind him, his usual group of cheerleaders followed, all looking thoroughly terrified by their recent experiences.
"I wasn't talking about you!" Misty responded with an awkward smile, trying to brush off her earlier comment.
"Stop talking so much! Those things are going to catch up to us!" one of Gary's cheerleaders suddenly interrupted, clearly indicating that they had also encountered the hostile fossil Pokemon.
"That's right, the Kabuto are pursuing us! We need to get out of here quickly!" Gary urgently reminded everyone of their immediate danger.
"Don't get your hopes up - we were being chased too, and now there are even more of them behind us!"
Green spoke up simultaneously, explaining their own predicament. The group had now converged together, but each party had brought their own pursuing army of ancient Pokemon. With everyone gathered in one location, the total number of hostile creatures was certainly greater than what Gary's group had been facing alone.
"What should we do now?" Gary was stunned when he heard about their situation. In this narrow cave passage system, their options were extremely limited beyond simply trying to escape.
"We have no choice but to force our way through!" Ash assessed the situation and looked back toward Gary's direction. The number of pursuers from Gary's side appeared to be smaller, making that their best option for breakthrough.
After listening to Ash's strategic assessment, everyone exchanged glances and realized there was no better alternative plan available. They would have to follow Ash's recommendation and fight their way out.