"We're close. I can sense a lot of people ahead!"
As Caitlin's voice fell, everyone could faintly hear voices echoing from deeper within the cave.
Behind them, Lance had already caught up after finishing with the two guards.
Chen Shi smiled faintly.
"Then let's go. Time to see what's really going on inside."
Without waiting for a reply, he strode forward.
Cynthia, Phoebe, and Steven Stone immediately followed.
Leon said nothing and silently kept pace.
"These guys really have guts," Lance chuckled, then stepped forward as well.
Diantha and Caitlin exchanged a glance before following.
…
Before long, the air grew hotter and hotter.
A faint red glow appeared ahead.
After walking a bit further—
a vast underground cavern opened before them.
At its center—
boiling magma churned violently, radiating intense heat.
And in one corner—
more than twenty people were bound hand and foot, their mouths gagged.
Every one of them looked miserable.
Disheveled.
Exhausted.
And among them—
Chen Shi spotted a familiar figure.
Lorelei.
Dressed in red—
but now pale, with a trace of blood at the corner of her lips.
She looked utterly wretched.
"Yo, everyone come take a look!" one Team Magma grunt shouted.
"Look what we've got here—the League's top geniuses!"
"We didn't even go looking for them—they delivered themselves right to our door!"
As his voice echoed—
the group of Team Magma members who had been gambling all turned to look.
"Damn, it's really them!"
"These are all top-tier League talents. If we capture them…"
"Heh, the League will pay any price to get them back. We'll be rich!"
"Short-sighted fools! Look at the one leading them—that's Chen Shi, the guy who discovered Mega Evolution!"
"If we capture him, we'll definitely get a ton of Mega Stones. That's real money!"
"Right! Why didn't I think of that?"
"And their Pokémon—I heard they even have shiny pseudo-legendaries!"
At that—
their eyes turned blazing hot.
Like starving wolves spotting fresh meat.
They were already imagining how to divide the spoils.
Completely ignoring the fact—
that these were the League's elite talents.
Their confidence came from the man standing behind them—
a stout, slick-haired middle-aged man in a red uniform.
Team Magma executive—
Fire Commander Tabitha.
"Brats," Tabitha sneered, pulling out a comb and casually fixing his hair.
"Heaven has a path you refuse to take. Hell has no gate, yet you barge in."
Chen Shi and the others didn't even look at him.
Their attention remained fixed on Lorelei.
Their expressions—
all strange.
Lance stared at her miserable state—
and couldn't hold it in.
"HAHAHA! Isn't this Miss Lorelei—the once-in-a-century genius of Indigo Academy?"
"Long time no see. Fell this low, huh?"
From the moment they entered—
Lorelei had already noticed them.
But her current state was too humiliating.
So she had deliberately turned her head away.
Yet—
they spotted her instantly.
Hearing Lance's words—
her beautiful face flushed red.
She bit down hard on the cloth in her mouth.
Meanwhile, the bound captives saw Chen Shi and the others—
and immediately became agitated.
"Mm! Mm!!"
"Mm!! Mm!!"
They struggled desperately—
trying to speak.
But all that came out were muffled sounds.
Lance was about to say more—
but Chen Shi suddenly coughed lightly.
"Phoebe, what are you waiting for? Go help Miss… in red over there."
He had almost said Lorelei's name—
but held back.
Everyone needed dignity.
"Ah—right!" Phoebe quickly understood and nodded.
"Got it! I'll help that lady in red!"
She started running toward them—
but Tabitha's expression darkened instantly.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Am I invisible to you?"
Chen Shi waved dismissively.
"Yeah, I usually don't put trash like you in my eyes."
"I put you in the ground."
"In the ground?" Tabitha paused—
then understood.
Buried.
This brat was saying he'd bury him alive.
Tabitha laughed in anger.
Who gave these kids the guts to speak like this?
Sure—
they might become powerful in the future.
But right now?
They were still just rookies.
And yet—
they dared act so arrogantly.
"Kid, today—no one is saving you."
"I guarantee it."
Tabitha's tone turned cold.
He raised a Poké Ball—
and threw it out.
A flash of red light—
and a powerful aura swept across the cavern.
Mid-tier Elite Four level pressure.
Chen Shi narrowed his eyes slightly.
Before them—
stood a Camerupt.
He had to admit—
Team Magma truly knew how to train Fire-type Pokémon.
This Camerupt—
was excellently raised.
Even by his standards—
it was nearly flawless.
The group's expressions grew serious.
Even someone like Lorelei—
had lost to this very Pokémon.
"So? Where's that confidence now, geniuses?" Tabitha spread his arms and laughed.
From the corner—
Lorelei's eyes showed worry.
"Chen Shi, what do we do? Do we fight?" Steven asked directly.
As if—
the moment Chen Shi said yes—
he would attack without hesitation.
Mid-tier Elite Four strength—
was powerful.
But they weren't weak either.
With their numbers—
and Mega Evolution—
they still had a chance.
Chen Shi shook his head.
He gently stroked Jirachi in his arms to calm it.
Then—
he slowly reached for a Poké Ball at his waist.
Just then—
a voice echoed in his mind.
"This time… I'll have to trouble you, Urshifu."
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