Two days had passed since the end of the Pokémon swimming race in Dewford Town, yet tourists wandering around with their Pokémon could still be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys.
Some were taking photos at the commemorative wall, while others were picking out local souvenirs; this lively scene was exactly the original intention behind the local government hosting the event.
Lionel packed his gear into a streamlined bag and slung it over his shoulder. He took out his phone and once again scrolled through the practical experience posts about Granite Cave on the forums:
1. If you see a Makuhita, absolutely do not laugh at its squinty eyes—while Makuhita might usually look cute and dorky, mocking its eyes might provoke its anger and cause it to attack you.
2. You must use your light to illuminate the path at your feet and stay alert for Mawile's traps—despite their cute appearance, Mawile have a mean streak and enjoy setting traps to play tricks on other Pokémon. If a cave-exploring Trainer isn't careful, they can easily be injured by these traps.
3. Absolutely, positively do not carry too many metal objects—if you have too much metal on you, it might attract the attention of Aron, causing them to chase after you and bring unnecessary trouble in the dark caves.
4... Lionel kept these painful lessons from other Trainers firmly in mind as he walked. As he left the town along the coastal road, the scenery along the way was vastly different from before.
Now, tourists in all sorts of outfits were everywhere, and many Trainers were enthusiastically starting Pokémon battles right on the street. The lively atmosphere continued all the way to the town's exit; it was only after he completely left the town area that the surroundings became deserted once more.
The coastline had become a paradise for wild aquatic Pokémon. Corphish crawled across the shallows with their small claws raised, Wingull spread their wings and skimmed over the sea, and occasionally, a plump Octillery could be seen lying on the reefs.
As soon as Lionel approached, an Octillery stared blankly at him. He immediately recalled a miserable past experience of being sprayed with ink by an Octillery and decisively pretended not to see it, quickening his pace to avoid this "potential trouble."
Before long, Granite Cave appeared before his eyes.
The inside of the cave was pitch black, with even the sunlight being firmly blocked outside. He could only barely make out the blurry outline of the entrance. The surrounding wind, carrying the chill from within the cave, blew past, and that bottomless darkness instantly pushed the terrifying atmosphere to the limit.
Lionel was in no hurry to enter. He first set his livestreaming equipment to flight-follow mode to ensure the exploration process would be clearly recorded;
Next, he took a portable inflatable fish tank out of his backpack, filled it with water, buckled the straps, and wore it on his chest. Then, he threw a Luxury Ball to release Feebas.
Watching Feebas swim freely in the inflatable tank on his chest, Lionel breathed a sigh of relief. Exploring Granite Cave would take quite a while, and Feebas could not stay out of the water for long;
Moreover, if Feebas stayed in its Poké Ball and he encountered a sudden danger, it would be troublesome if he couldn't react in time to release the Pokémon.
This arrangement allowed Feebas to maintain its condition, and if they encountered danger, it would be right there to react faster and help him deal with unknown risks.
After everything was ready and he confirmed his gear was complete, Lionel turned on the headlamp on his forehead, then opened the livestream link to greet the waiting audience;
Then, he looked up at the cave entrance, which was so dim he couldn't see inside, took a deep breath, and stepped inside with a steady pace.
The beam from the headlamp pierced the gloom of the cave entrance, illuminating the damp rock walls clearly.
Lionel had only taken two steps when the notification sound of the livestreaming device went "ding-dong," and the screen was instantly flooded with dense bullet comments, like a flock of chirping little sparrows.
"The streamer is finally live! Watching the Granite Cave exploration from the front row!"
"Feebas looks so well-behaved in the fish tank on his chest!"
"Stay safe, streamer!"
"The gear looks very professional. Where did you buy that portable fish tank? I want to buy one for my Magikarp too, link please!"
Lionel glanced down at the screen, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. He reached up to adjust the angle of his headlamp so the light could simultaneously illuminate the path ahead and the inflatable fish tank on his chest.
The livestreaming device slowly descended, its lens steadily aimed at Feebas in the inflatable fish tank.
The soft fill light turned on automatically, illuminating Feebas's purple body with exceptional clarity—
A few droplets of water still clung to its rough scales, shimmering under the light. Its bulging eyes were round and curious, staring at the lens as if studying this "little square" that had suddenly approached.
With a "splash," Feebas suddenly flicked its tail. The moment its tail fin hit the water, the splashing droplets landed right on the lens, forming a hazy mist of water.
By the time the droplets slid down the lens, it had already swum to the other side of the tank, gently rubbing its head against the transparent wall as if greeting the audience behind the screen.
The livestream's bullet comments were instantly overwhelmed by this scene:
"Ahhh, that tail flick! It's too good!"
"My heart melted when the water splashed on the lens!"
"..."
Lionel looked down at the little fellow in his arms and couldn't help but smile. He reached out a finger and touched Feebas's head; it immediately turned around and rubbed against his fingertip, making a faint "wu-wu" sound from its throat as if it were performing a Charm.
"Good morning, everyone,"
Lionel's voice carried through the microphone on his collar, with a hint of the echo unique to caves:
"I've just entered the cave and am about to start the exploration. I'll need to concentrate on my surroundings, so I might not be able to reply to comments in time. Please bear with me. If I encounter anything special, I'll stop and let you all know."
"Understood, understood! Focus on the exploration, streamer!"
"Safety first! Don't worry about us!"
"We'll just quietly enjoy the first-person view of your exploration!"
"..."
Despite his preparations, the environment of Granite Cave still exceeded Lionel's expectations; its complexity was far beyond what he had imagined.
Not only were the small paths as tangled as a mess of hemp, but some sections were covered in moss due to the dampness, making it possible to slip at any moment;
More troublesome was that the rock formations inside the cave were very similar, and many fork entrances looked almost identical, making it difficult to match them accurately even with a map.
Lionel focused on cross-referencing the map. After repeated confirmation, he chose a direction and continued deeper into the cave.
Without warning, Feebas in the inflatable fish tank on his chest suddenly jumped out of the water, tracing a small arc in the air and splashing water onto Lionel's face.
Lionel, who had been looking down at the map's route, was drawn by Feebas's unusual behavior. He shook his somewhat heavy head and looked up to see a small, hunched, dark figure stuck in the middle of the tunnel, blocking his path.
That figure was so thin it looked like it could be knocked over by a gust of wind. Lionel's heart instantly skipped a beat, and images of primitive monsters hiding in the shadows from movies he'd seen in his past life flooded his mind.
In the livestream on the other side, the screen was completely covered by rolling bullet comments; the audience's anxiety was almost palpable through the screen:
"Streamer, streamer, look up quickly!"
"Stop looking at the map! Watch out in front of you! The camera just caught something moving!"
"..."