c104: Chen Xiaoxiao: Is NND Over Yet?
Lei Ye looked at Lei Jian, puzzled by his caution.
"Look closely, Lei Ye. There's electricity crackling along the branches. That's not ordinary wood—it's Thunder Shock Wood, infused with live current. It's dangerous. You'll be electrocuted if you touch it directly."
Lei Jian pointed up at the tangled nest-like structure embedded with sparking branches and explained in a serious tone.
"There's actual current flowing across it?! Thunder Shock Wood? That stuff's rare! What do we do?" Lei Ye stepped back instinctively after squinting up at the sparking branches.
"Raichu has the Lightning Rod ability. It's immune to electrical attacks and even absorbs them. Let Raichu handle it," Lei Jian replied calmly, nodding toward the chubby yellow mouse Pokémon beside them.
"Oh! That's right! Raichu, can you go get that for us?"
With a confident squeak, Raichu responded and leapt lightly onto the "nest." Sparks arced through the Thunder Shock Wood, but Raichu was completely unaffected absorbing the current into its body thanks to Lightning Rod.
In a matter of moments, Raichu returned with the oval object in its paws and dropped it gently into Lei Ye's hands.
"Raichu, you're amazing! You're totally our lucky star!" Lei Ye hugged Raichu tightly, overjoyed.
"Lei Jian! Here take a look!" Lei Ye quickly offered the mysterious object to his brother.
Seeing Lei Ye's enthusiastic gesture, Lei Jian softened.
Even though Lei Ye could be annoying sometimes, this moment reminded him that his little brother cared deeply. Lei Ye didn't hesitate to hand over something valuable clearly, their bond ran deep.
"I told you before: this was going to be your catch. You take it. I'll find something else on the surface," Lei Jian said firmly, shaking his head.
He couldn't take it in good conscience. If it hadn't been for Raichu's Lightning Rod, they wouldn't have escaped the elite Electric-types earlier, let alone obtained this mysterious object. Raichu's immunity to Thunder Shock Wood was the key so this find belonged to Lei Ye.
"But... you sure? It feels like this is something really special," Lei Ye said hesitantly.
"It's yours. Let's move. We shouldn't stay here long," Lei Jian replied quickly.
Although Lei Jian understood exactly how valuable this object was, his instincts were on high alert. Those elite-level Pokémon hadn't just been patrolling randomly they were guarding this site. And now they'd taken something they clearly shouldn't have.
Plus, the entire area was laced with Thunder Shock Wood dangerous even to strong electric-types. That made this find even more mysterious. Thunder Shock Wood didn't have item bonuses like Leftovers or Life Orbs, but electric-types exposed to it over long periods could gain strength from the high-voltage energy stored in the wood.
"Alright, so... how do we get out of here?" Lei Ye asked, sliding the object carefully into his storage bracelet.
"We'll head farther away, let Staraptor carry Raichu up to the top, and then use Dig to tunnel back up," Lei Jian suggested after thinking it through.
"Wow, Lei Jian, you're a genius! Let's do it!" Lei Ye exclaimed with admiration, clinging to Lei Jian like Lostelle on a tour of Three Island.
The two brothers walked cautiously for several more minutes, putting distance between themselves and the area where the Thunder Shock Wood was densest.
"Staraptor, come out!" Lei Jian tossed a Poké Ball, releasing his fierce avian companion.
Raichu scrambled onto Staraptor's back, and the Flying-type Pokémon soared upward, carefully navigating the underground space until it reached the cave ceiling. There, Raichu used Dig again this time tunneling upward toward the surface.
After ten minutes of careful excavation, Lei Jian and Lei Ye finally emerged above ground.
"Whew... Back to the surface at last." Lei Jian exhaled deeply, brushing the dirt off his jacket.
Still, an uneasy feeling lingered. He glanced at his Pokédex thankfully, the signal had returned. He gripped Lei Ye's wrist and began walking quickly.
"Come on. Let's head back to the Electric Forest's edge."
"Huh? Why? You didn't catch anything yet!" Lei Ye protested as he noticed their direction on the Pokédex map.
"I can find more Pokémon later. We need to go." Lei Jian's tone was calm, but urgent.
He didn't share his real concern: what if they'd taken something vital to the electric Pokémon ecosystem?
---
Meanwhile...
High above the trees, a large yellow bird Pokémon with black stripes across its wings returned to its roost—a Pokémon unmistakably resembling a Zapdos variant, as hinted in older regional reports.
But something was wrong.
The bird hovered over its Thunder Shock Wood nest, screeched, and darted around in confusion.
It had been guarding something a potential egg, or rare item imbued with static power and now it was gone.
A furious screech burst from its beak, echoing across the Electric Forest.
The sky darkened as low thunderclouds gathered unnaturally fast.
Electric Pokémon all around the forest froze.
Then like a psychic wave the meaning of the screech registered.
They erupted into a synchronized, enraged frenzy.
---
Elsewhere in the forest...
"Thunder? But the forecast was clear!" Chen Xiaoxiao muttered, squinting at the sudden flicker in the sky.
She quickly checked her Pokédex's weather module still showing no rain predicted for the area surrounding the Electric Forest.
Had her Ampharos still been out, it might have recognized the screech—it was no natural thunderclap, but a coordinated call to arms among Electric-types.
Unfortunately, Ampharos was currently relaxing with her other Pokémon in her spatial capsule, admiring the landscape projected in the training dimension. Chen Xiaoxiao had rotated her team to let everyone rest.
"Whatever... I've already caught what I needed. The Lunar New Year's around the corner. Better head back to Shencheng."
She pulled up her flight route on the Pokédex, selected Hanwu Airport as her destination, and tossed another Poké Ball.
"Togekiss, let's fly!"
The elegant white Flying/Fairy-type soared up, and Chen Xiaoxiao hopped on gracefully.
They'd barely covered a few kilometers across the forest canopy when
BOOM!
A Thunder Shock bolt screamed down from the clouds, nearly blasting Togekiss out of the air.
The graceful Pokémon dodged just in time, but Chen Xiaoxiao wobbled precariously in the saddle.
"NND!! What electric-type Pokémon dares ambush me in the air?! Togekiss, land!"
Chen Xiaoxiao barked, clearly livid.
Togekiss began descending rapidly toward the origin of the attack.
More Thunder Shocks lit up the sky, but the energy behind them felt…sloppy.
"Seriously?! An Elite-class Galvantula thinks it can stop me?"
Chen Xiaoxiao scoffed as the level-30 spider Pokémon skittered into view, fangs buzzing.
It was brave, but hopelessly outmatched.
"Togekiss! Use Dazzling Gleam! Wipe it out!"
Togekiss launched a radiant wave of light that smashed into Galvantula. The bug flipped backwards, stunned, and collapsed like a fried circuit board.
"One hit. Please."
Chen Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. "We don't have time for this nonsense."
She climbed back onto Togekiss's back, and they resumed their flight.
But just two kilometers later...
BOOM!!
Another bolt of Thunder Shock tore through the sky, forcing Togekiss into another evasive roll.
Chen Xiaoxiao's expression darkened.
"NND... is this ever going to end?!"
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