Judging from the Gyarados's skills and HP, it is quite powerful, truly worthy of being a member of the Flowing Mountains.
Lionel noticed that the Gyarados's gaze was fixed on Milotic, with obvious intent and resentment. It let out a series of roars. Just then, Metang actively released a psychic wave.
Acting as a temporary "translator," it relayed the dragon's message to Lionel:
"This is my territory. No outsiders allowed. Leave immediately!"
Lionel took out a medium-sized cube from his backpack and held it in his hand.
This indicated that he had no intention of seizing the land. He simply wanted to inquire with the Gyarados whether it had seen the Bagon and Shelgon, and whether the lake's vastness could provide a passage to the other six areas within the mountain.
Gyarados, having fought the Milotic, sensed the immense energy emanating from the Milotic and was not easily moved.
After understanding Lionel's intention through the Metang's words, it cut off a piece of its head, indicating that it had never seen the Bagon and the Shelgon, nor did it know of any passage to the other six areas.
His gaze fell on the medium-level energy cube in Lionel's hand.
He paused for a few seconds, but didn't actively ask for it.
However, a hint of longing still lingered in his eyes. Lionel, seeing the current situation, instinctively drew the medium-level energy cube along with it.
Gyarados reacted quickly, suddenly opening its mouth wide, and precisely placed the medium-level energy cube there. Its expression showed satisfaction.
It seemed that a hint of satisfaction appeared on its face. After eating the cube, Gyarados moved.
It pointed slightly to the right of the closed-off area. It whispered something.
Metang immediately grasped its intention and acted accordingly.
Lionel said, "It says, go up along that road, there's a very large place, perhaps you could take a look."
"Okay, thank you so much for telling me. Here, take it?" Lionel felt a surge of excitement and immediately took out another energy cube from his backpack, adjusting it to the direction of the violent beast.
"Thank you. We'll leave now, without disturbing you."
Gyarados opened his mouth to receive the message, then leaned forward again, watching Lionel and his group's figures gradually disappear into the distance.
Then, with a low breath, his excited and powerful energy surged, and he gently submerged into the water.
The surface of the water quickly returned to calm, as if nothing had ever happened, only the ripples of the water dissipating.
The new path continued upwards. The mountain path became more winding, extending upwards at almost a 45-degree angle.
The surrounding trees had also been replaced by more diverse rocks.
These rocks, eroded by years of flowing water and wind and rain, had incredibly smooth surfaces, covered with a layer of lake moss, making them slippery with the slightest touch.
The roar of the waterfall grew louder and louder.
The air was filled with even more water vapor. In the thickened area, the soil beneath his feet became wet and soft, slippery and treacherous.
Lionel relied almost entirely on his deprived psychic powers to keep himself afloat, barely managing to maintain his balance.
This slippery path was impossible to traverse smoothly with his own strength alone. After walking for about an hour, his view suddenly opened up.
A naturally formed platform appeared halfway up the mountain, carved out of the mountainside by a massive force.
Looking from the edge of the platform, the main waterfall in the distance resembled a surging silver river flowing down from the endless sky, its momentum magnificent.
On the other side of the platform, close to the mountainside, was a massive, deep opening, nearly ten meters high, wide enough to allow enemies to enter side-by-side.
The rocks along the edge of the opening were jagged. It was as if carved out by a tremendous force. Same.
It was covered with water erosion marks. Drifting was difficult.
Water still flowed from the old stone, pouring onto the ground.
Lionel looked at the huge cave in front of him, feeling both anticipation and a hint of nervousness.
He took out a flashlight from his bag and switched it on with a "click".
A bright light immediately illuminated a small area inside the cave.
"Metang, you use your telekinesis to explore ahead, watch out for Pokémon around you."
Metang stepped forward, his red telekinesis shining brightly in the environment, like an invisible radar.
It slowly spread forward.
Lionel stayed close behind, while Milotic swam beside him, surrounded by a faint mist, constantly alert to any potential dangers.
The cave was deeper than he had imagined.
Flashlight was like a arrow's beam could only illuminate a range of about ten meters ahead. Beyond that, the light became so dense it was almost impenetrable.
At this moment, Milotic, in perfect harmony, was enveloped in a soft, luminous aura—the "Dazzling Gleam" skill.
While this wasn't as powerful as a skin specifically designed for shimmering light, Milotic possessed its own unique understanding of this technique.
With a simple activation, the soft light surrounding Milotic...
The halo of light quietly spread out. The area illuminated by the flashlight was limited.
The faint light shone into the dark cave, bringing a sense of security.
Deep within, water droplets occasionally fell from the tips of stalactites.
Making sounds. These echoed continuously in the double-rowed cave, sounding exceptionally clear.
The ground was covered with a thick layer of silt, soft to the touch, leaving deep footprints with every step. ,
A moment's carelessness could lead to a trap.
After walking about ten meters, the cave suddenly opened up, forming a huge stone chamber.
The ceiling of the stone chamber was covered with many stalactites of strange shapes. Under the beam of the flashlight, they gleamed with a cold light.
In the center of the stone chamber was a small pool of water; the water was clear to the bottom, reflecting the colors of the stalactites above.
A pair of red eyes appeared in the cave.
Lionel's heart tightened, and he immediately gripped the flashlight and shone it sharply in that direction.
In the shadows, a dozen pairs of flashing lights.
They were clearly startled by the sudden light, and, except for the question of who was entering, they flashed sharp lights, and the group rushed over.
Lionel immediately gave the order. Before Lionel could even finish giving his instructions, Metang had already...
secretly used mental power to form an invisible band, protecting Lionel's path.
Milotic took a deep breath and suddenly exhaled...
An extremely cold air, "Ice Wind" skill activated!
A large area of air was released, and Zubats in the cave are covered with a thin layer of ice, losing their mobility.
On the ground, motionless.
The remaining Zubats and Golbats, seeing this, did not dare to approach.
Lionel breathed a sigh of relief, and also...
Continued forward.
Inside the cave, the path was complex...
and occasionally, supersonic waves and sea monsters would fly out from the shadows.
Thanks to the Metang's psychic shield array and the coolness of the Milotic woven together, Lionel was able to avoid danger time and time again, without suffering any substantial damage.
After walking for a while, a small body of water appeared ahead.
The water was a deep, dark green, still there, blending seamlessly with the surrounding green.
Milotic took the initiative to step forward and dive into the water to explore.
She swam back shortly after, excitedly pointing to Lionel.
Milotic had discovered a passage at the bottom of the pool that connected to other places.
Lionel immediately asked Milotic to lead him diving.
Milotic understood and spat out a clear stream of water.
Larvesta and the Metang also joined in.
Led by Milotic, they followed the water vapor wall of the pool, slowly gliding along.
After traveling for a while in the dark water, they finally swam out from the clear water outlet at the other end. They entered another part of the cave.
The scenery here was completely different from what they had seen inside the cave before.
All around were bare rocks, stretching as far as the eye could see. The space was utterly empty.
Suddenly, the scene stopped. A red glow clung to a huge rock in the east.
Looking at it, one could see a small, red, sun-shaped Pokémon floating beside the rock. Its appearance was strikingly conspicuous.
[Pokémon: Solrock]
[Type: Rock, Psychic]
[Category: Southern Rock Pokémon]
[Attribute: Levitate (Can float, immune to Ground-type moves)]
Solrock's red glow stirred slightly, and it slowly opened its eyes.
With a hint of relief and... however, it seemed a little out of place.
After checking, Solrock's glow didn't appear as bright as before.
Metang immediately released a friendly psychic wave.
Actively communicating with the Solrock.
Seeing this, Lionel quickly asked Metang to help relay the purpose of the visit:
"Have you ever seen any Bagon or Shelgon in this cave?"
The red fragment of the Solrock blinked, seemingly carefully about thinking about Lionel's question.
After some time, it nodded and said something, which Metang translated as:
"A long time ago, when the Solrock was mining ore in the six lands...
it encountered a Shelgon.
It woke up the Shelgon and fought it...
but the Shelgon couldn't defeat it and ran away.
However, that was a long time ago...
Solrock did not see it again after that.
Lionel's heart stirred. Although what Solrock said was from a long time ago, it at least proved that a Shelgon had indeed appeared here!
He took out a medium-level energy Cube from his bag.
Then he went to Solrock :
"This is a little favor. Think again, do you remember the location where that Shelgon was active in the cave?"
Solrock looked at the energy cube in Lionle's hand, a red glint flashing in his eyes.
Solrock nodded.
He carefully transmitted the information about the mountains and rivers in his mind, as well as the approximate location of the Shelgon, to the Metang.
After receiving the information, Metang had a general understanding of this and started leading the way.
Lionel followed Metang and quickly found the place where the Shelgon had appeared.
And that...
Aside from some scattered rocks, there were no other traces.
Lionel was unwilling to give up, so he had Metang search the surrounding area carefully again. Finally, in the soil at one point, they found a fragment of Shelgon's shell.
"It seems this is what the Shelgon left behind, but judging from its appearance, it has evolved into..."
Lionel picked up the fragment and examined it.
Although he hadn't managed to catch the Shelgon, this fragment in the center made Lionel even more certain that there were still Shelgons in the Meteor Mountains.
He put away the fragment and then, with JMetang and Milotic, continued exploring the cave.
Unfortunately, they found nothing.
For the next few days, they continued exploring the lake and caves.
Besides finding the Shell fragment in the cave where the Solrock was located, they didn't find any other traces of Shelgons.
At this time, Lionel sat by the fire, watching the fire while thinking about Shelgon.
"Are there any other Shelgons in here?
Maybe we should give it a try."
Lionel looked at the Larvesta lying on the ground, eating and watching something, and then looked at it intently.
He remembered that the Larvesta found the Energy orbs by using the small stone with the Groudon symbol on its body.
Maybe the power of the Groudon symbol stone in the protection area can sense the same super powerful energy, and like Shelgon or Salamance?
Sionel went to the side of Larvesta:
"Larvesta. Can you, like you used to sense my energy orb, check if there is any energy nearby?"
"Lar"
It was facing forward, and upon hearing this, it suddenly moved, raising its little head and using its two eyes to look at Lionel.
It was not accurate, but it still "stood" and called out twice, as if striking a blow. He said:
"The Shelgon is a Pokémon, and I can't eat it, so why should I lead it? You're too stupid!"
With a disdainful look, he took his position without needing to fix his tail.
Lionel clearly understood and reached out to put the Larvesta's rolling head:
"Look, you're still angry, you rascal.
We've already let you and Tyrantrum out to play together quite often, there's no need to stay angry."
Larvesta shook his head, then nodded, and then glanced at Lionel. Seeing this, Tyrantrum, standing nearby, also imitated Larvesta, using its large, amber-colored eyes to gaze at Lionel.
It uttered a sound of "Tyran," as if echoing the words of the Larvesta.
Lionel, temporarily forgetting his worries about not finding the Shelgon, was dazzled by these two eccentric creatures.
Fortunately, though, perseverance pays off.
Lionel found another Pokémon corresponding to the Solrock.
The moon was entirely silvery-white. Shaped like the moon, it is also a Pokémon with a beard.
With Metang's help, Lionel learned another piece of information from Lunatone:
"It flies out of the deep cave at night to collect the energy of the moonlight. It once saw a figure of Salamance near the mountain peak."
After getting the news from the Lunatone, he immediately decided to go to the mountain peak to see if he had a chance to encounter a Salamence.
At that time, he would use a method similar to catching Larvesta to stimulate a certain Salamence to battle her Milotic.
As long as he could encounter a Salamence and stimulate it to battle his Pokémon, the chance of catching it would be much greater than catching a Shelgon.
The next day, Lionel packed his bags and decided not to waste time on the endless search for hidden caves and lake roads.
Since Moonstone mentioned seeing the figure of a Salamence flying to the mountain peak, rather than spending time in the caves of the continent.
What alarmed Lionel even more was that the Larvesta suddenly seemed to lose control, rushing rapidly towards the edge of the precipice waterfall!
Lionel cried out in alarm, his heart leaping into his throat.
"Larvesta!"
At the critical moment, the Metang reacted with lightning speed, instantly unleashing its Psychic.
The powerful psychic force firmly gripped the Larvesta's body, forcefully pulling it back and preventing it from plunging off the cliff.
Lionel, Milotic, and Tyrantrum rushed forward, tightly surrounding the Larvesta.
Seeing that the Larvesta's tentacles had stopped spewing flames, Lionel quickly hugged it tightly. Its body was burning hot:
"Larvesta, what's wrong? What happened?"
The Larvesta struggled a few times in his arms, still agitated, emitting "squeaks," seemingly expressing some complex emotion.
The Metang arrived, using its psychic power to control the Larvesta while simultaneously translating its meaning to Lionel.
It turned out that the fumarole had been in a bad mood these past few days, not because it was angry with Lionel or its other companions, but because it had been feeling unwell, and the flames within its body were inexplicably restless.
Just now, it suddenly and clearly sensed an aura it extremely disliked, located below the cliff, hidden by the waterfall's flow and mist.
Or rather, a repulsive aura emanating from the small stone marked with the "symbol."
That aura was domineering and powerful, instinctively frightening it.
But at the same time, it felt an inexplicable envy, something it couldn't quite define.
Lionel frowned upon hearing this. An aura that could cause this Groudon stone to react with both fear and envy...
Could it be related to Kyogre or Rayquaza?
Seeing that the fumarole remained restless, its body's high temperature showing no signs of abating, Milotic immediately took action.
It gently swayed its tail fin, its body radiating a soft blue light, and droplets of water containing life energy condensed, floating in mid-air like pearls. ]
The life-giving droplet skill's cooling energy instantly spread, like a refreshing spring flowing into the firefly's body, effectively suppressing the restless flames within.
The firefly comfortably squinted its eyes, its previously tense body gradually relaxing, and its squeaking became much gentler.
After a while, the firefly's high temperature finally subsided, returning to its normal temperature.
The wildly flashing symbol above its head slowly dimmed and eventually disappeared completely, leaving its forehead smooth.
Lionel breathed a sigh of relief, gently stroking the firefly's body, feeling its normalized temperature; his worries finally dissipated somewhat.
Lionel carefully placed the firefly on the ground, watching it rub against Milotic before curling up and closing its eyes to concentrate.
Clearly, the violent reaction earlier had exhausted much of its energy.
Having solved the immediate problem, Lionel's gaze returned to the cascading waterfall.
He stood on the edge of the cliff, letting the spray wet his face, and looked down again.
The waterfall's flow was like a giant curtain, completely obscuring the view below, making it impossible to see anything.
Lionel's eyes were fixed intently on it.
Perhaps, hidden beneath the waterfall's cover, there might be a secret cave, like the Water Curtain Cave!