c103: Underground Cave
Meanwhile, while Chen Xiaoxiao was battling the Ampharos…
"There's a surge of electrical energy up ahead! Thunder Sword, we've gone too deep… Teacher specifically warned not to go past the 50-kilometer perimeter. How far are we now?" Lei Ye looked nervously at his Raichu, who was trembling uncontrollably, and asked Lei Jian.
"It's fine. As long as we don't get too close or disturb them, the wild Pokémon won't attack. Just stay calm," Lei Jian replied indifferently.
"But…" Lei Ye looked uneasy, trying to talk Lei Jian out of going further.
"There are dozens of trainers hunting for rare Electric-types in the Electric Forest depths. This is the only way to rank first in the exam! If you're too scared, feel free to turn back."
Lei Jian cut him off coldly, his eyes locked on the dense forest ahead.
"What am I scared of?! I'm just worried Teacher will dock points if we get caught! I'm not afraid!" Lei Ye was provoked by Lei Jian's words and stormed forward.
Lei Jian smiled faintly and followed closely.
A few hundred meters in—
BOOM!
A stray Thunderbolt suddenly struck the ground right in front of them, carving out a smoking crater several meters wide!
Lei Jian flinched and scanned the surroundings—no sign of a Pokémon.
"Lucky it didn't hit us. Must've been a warning shot," Lei Jian whispered, trying to calm himself while his instinct screamed at him to turn back.
Lei Ye, on the other hand, was paralyzed with fear. The image of Gardevoir's powerful psychic attack during the qualifiers flashed through his mind.
"Aah!" Lei Ye cried out and bolted ahead blindly.
"Lei Ye, stop! Come back!" Lei Jian shouted in alarm, preparing to retreat, but now forced to chase after Lei Ye.
But Lei Ye consumed by fear didn't hear a word.
Running forward uncontrollably, Lei Ye triggered a chain reaction: bolts of Thunderbolt began raining down in bursts behind them!
Retreating was no longer an option!
After nearly a kilometer of sprinting, Lei Ye was gasping for air, slowing with each step, but the sounds of Thunderbolts crashing behind them didn't stop.
Seeing a massive tree ahead, with a trunk thick enough for several people to wrap their arms around, Lei Jian made a snap decision.
"This way!"
He dragged Lei Ye behind it to hide.
"Lei Ye! Why'd you run?! That Thunderbolt was a warning! We could've safely retreated but now we're inside their territory!"
Lei Jian glared, panting. Lei Ye, delicate and untrained, was nearly collapsed, barely able to speak.
Lei Jian sighed and carefully leaned against the tree to peek behind them.
His eyes widened.
A black-striped Electabuzz stepped into view, its signal-receiver-like antennae flickering with electricity. It had a distinctive black bolt on its chest—matching the Pokédex's note on Electabuzz variants native to the Electric Forest described in Chapter 98.
Lei Jian immediately ducked.
There were clearly more of them—he could hear the stomping of several Pokémon.
"What now?!" he muttered, sweating.
Lei Ye clung to Lei Jian's arm in terror. His grip tightened painfully.
Just then, Lei Jian spotted Lei Ye's Raichu and had an idea.
"Raichu! Quick use Dig!" he whispered urgently.
Though not his own Pokémon, Raichu had grown up with Lei Jian, who'd helped train him. Trusting the voice, Raichu instantly began tunneling.
Lei Ye's eyes widened with understanding, and hope returned.
BOOM!
A devastating Thunderbolt struck the tree they were hiding behind—splintering the thick trunk!
Crack!
The upper half of the tree began to topple.
"Lei Ye—JUMP!"
Lei Jian shoved Lei Ye toward the entrance Raichu had dug, then leapt in himself!
CRASH!
The tree slammed to the ground above them.
Moments later, three Elite-class Pokémon an Electivire, a Luxray, and a Manectric—approached the wreckage. They sniffed the air, scanned the area, then exchanged low growls, clearly puzzled.
A Luxray examined the scorched remains of the tree and used Rain Dance. Rain clouds formed, putting out the smoldering fire and washing away traces of the soil. The mud and debris slid back into the hole completely concealing it.
After searching briefly, the Elite Pokémon left.
By sheer luck, Lei Ye and Lei Jian had escaped detection.
Thud!
"Ahhh! My butt!!" Lei Ye landed at the bottom of the tunnel, yelping.
Thud!
Lei Jian fell shortly after, groaning as he stood.
"Where... are we?"
The walls were rocky, moss-covered. A tunnel sloped behind them. Looking up, the entrance was more than five meters above.
Thank Arceus they lived falling from that height should've been bone-breaking. But in the world of Pokémon, Trainers naturally developed some resistance.
Surveying the area and finding no immediate threats, Lei Jian's mind raced.
"That many high-level Pokémon guarding one spot? They're not just territorial..."
"Could they be protecting something?" he said aloud.
"Like a hidden treasure?" Lei Ye's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"C'mon, Lei Jian! Let's explore!"
As they ventured deeper, Lei Jian checked his Pokédex.
"No signal. Compass isn't working either. Electromagnetic interference's off the charts here..."
He opened his Trainer's field guide Yu's Field Notes. No record of this exact location.
Cautiously, they advanced a kilometer into the cave.
There, up ahead a bizarre wooden structure, gnarled and twisted like a bird's nest, stood on a rocky outcrop.
"Is that…?"
In its center, nestled like an egg, was a large, ovoid object that gleamed faintly.
Lei Ye gasped, and his feet moved forward instinctively.
"Wait!" Lei Jian grabbed him.
He had noticed faint traces of electrical Sparks weaving through the nest's wood.
"This whole nest… it's electrified," he said darkly.
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