Seeing this, Natsui couldn't help but move closer to Charmeleon, hoping to draw a bit of warmth from the flame on its tail.
After passing through the long, narrow tunnel, the space he was in suddenly became tall and wide, as if more than half the mountain had been hollowed out. Above his head, sunlight shone in through crevices, making the place not as dim as he had imagined.
Looking around, the inside of the cave was a network of paths leading in all directions, to destinations unknown.
However, the signs of battle here were obvious. Judging from the broken rock walls and fractured stone pillars, who knows how many trainers had made it through the maze and arrived here over the years.
"Follow me."
Led by Haunter, Natsui continued deeper. After a few turns left and right, he finally arrived in front of a dug-out hole with a diameter of only one meter.
The interior of the cave was also inhabited by a large number of Pokémon. Along the way, red glows would flash from time to time—those were the Pokémon hidden in the darkness, staring at him with hostile eyes!
But seeing such a large group of intruders barge in at once, none of them dared to come forward and harass them.
Beside the burrow were claw marks. Natsui bent down and touched the scattered rubble and soil. The burrow was long since dry and solid. It probably wasn't formed by battle, but simply dug out by a Pokémon like Sandshrew as it was passing through.
Peering inside, it was pitch black and went straight down. Natsui shone his flashlight inside, but he couldn't see the bottom at all!
Haunter said, "Don't underestimate this burrow. They seem to be everywhere in the cave, but this one is a shortcut! If you go down from here, you can pass through several levels and reach the very bottom!"
Since Haunter had already investigated, Natsui naturally didn't hesitate. He temporarily recalled his other Pokémon, and as Haunter used Ominous Wind to gently envelop him, descended down the burrow.
The narrow space in the burrow made it impossible to even stretch his limbs, but with Haunter's protection, he wasn't worried about his safety at all.
Before his eyes, thick layers of rock and earth flashed by quickly. In just a short while, they had already passed through at least four levels of stone caves.
They reached the bottom of the hole and arrived in a vast space, but besides stones, there was nothing here.
And in terms of depth, Natsui had now descended below sea level. If it were any other trainer, without extraordinary luck or going through immense trouble, it would be impossible to reach here so easily.
Although the temperature was even colder, there was no ice nearby. Clearly, this was not their destination.
"Where do we go next?" Natsui asked.
"We still have to go even lower," Haunter grinned. "But next, we'll have to take an unusual, special path!"
A special path?
Continuing to follow behind Haunter, they passed through a rugged rock crevice. With the rumbling sound of flowing water, they arrived in front of a rushing waterfall.
Glancing at Natsui, Haunter smiled, "Alright, we're here!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!
The deafening sound of the water was so loud that Natsui could barely hear Haunter's voice. He could only shout at the top of his lungs, "This is the special path you were talking about!?"
Seeing Haunter nod, Natsui couldn't help but be amazed. He walked to the edge of the waterfall, stood on the cliff, and looked down. He saw the powerful waterfall crashing its way down to an even deeper level!
"Alright, it seems that besides this 'waterway,' there's no other feasible option."
Sighing, Natsui released Kirlia. Because he could see the shore below this time, Kirlia directly used Teleport, taking him to the deepest part of the Seafoam Islands!
Inside the vast underground cavern, icicles hung from the ceiling above, and underfoot was a thick layer of ice. Standing here was like being in a frozen world!
And because of the reflection of the ice crystals, the place looked even brighter than the rock caves above.
But on the other hand, there was a cold that seemed to seep into his very bones!
Breathing out a cloud of cold air, Natsui quickly released Charmeleon and hugged it tightly. At this moment, this constantly burning flame was his most important support!
"Charmeleon, I'm only now realizing that catching you back then was a really, really, really wise decision!"
Charmeleon looked helpless and even seemed to want to push Natsui away.
Just then, Haunter came to his side and gestured for Natsui to look into the distance.
"Look over there!"
Natsui looked up and saw that not far ahead, the cascading waterfall had formed a small lake, and in the middle of the lake, there was an island!
On the island was a dense forest formed by icicles. From a distance, it was crystal clear, like an ice shrine from a fantasy world!
"If Articuno is hiding somewhere, it must be here!"
Looking at the small island, Natsui casually took a few photos, then crouched down and gently swirled the lake water with his hand. The chill seemed like it was about to freeze his fingers off!
"Damn, how is it so cold!?" Natsui quickly wiped his fingers dry on Charmeleon's body and said to Kirlia, "I really don't want to get my clothes wet. Could you use Teleport again and take us to the other side?"
Kirlia nodded lightly, gently touched Natsui and Charmeleon with its hand, and in the next second, Natsui only felt a flash before his eyes, and he was already standing on the island in the lake!
But before he could get a clear look at his surroundings, a wave of energy formed from cold air suddenly burst from the center of the island, sweeping past Natsui!
Luckily, Kirlia protected Natsui with its psychic power in time, saving him from the cold assault. But even so, as the cold air wave passed, every breath he took was torture for his lungs!
Is this Articuno's Intimidate!?
Natsui's teeth were chattering from the cold. He quickly fumbled in his backpack for a bottle of Antidote and poured it into his mouth.
A fiery heat flowed from his stomach to his limbs. The feeling was like drinking a bottle of high-proof liquor, slowly dispelling the chill from his body!
When Haunter flew to his side, Natsui smiled at it, "I should have prepared some thick clothes in advance. But it looks like we've really come to the right place. Articuno must be inside!"
"Then what are we waiting for?" Haunter cackled. "Since it's already attacked you, hurry up and defeat it!"
"Hearing you say that is really reassuring!" Natsui tossed a Poké Ball and released all his Pokémon. "But before that, as is tradition, we should test the waters first!"
Perhaps Haunter's words were too arrogant and had finally angered the master of this ice shrine.
A clear, resonant cry was heard, and a large, blue bird Pokémon flew out from the icicle forest, staring at them with icy eyes!
And it was none other than the legendary Pokémon that countless trainers dreamed of—Articuno!
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