Chương 123: The Subterranean Beast, the Legendary Pokémon with Red Base and Black Stripes

Another day has passed in the blink of an eye.

"Click! (Something's wrong! Judging by the distance, we should have already passed through the heart of Tianguan Mountain and reached the eastern foot of the mountain. Why is it suddenly so hot underground?)" As Lu Sha traversed the dimly lit underground passage, he felt an unusual heat surging around him.

Normally, unless you plunge headfirst into a magma zone, the deep underground is usually cool and shady.

But at this moment, the surrounding temperature has definitely soared to over 50 degrees Celsius.

Although this high temperature does not pose a real threat to them, something unusual must be going on.

"Right below us lies an extremely large energy source. I have never seen such intense energy fluctuations."

"" Cattleya frowned slightly. Even though the thick rock layer greatly reduced the penetration range of her superpowers, she could still sense the terrifying aura below.

"Huh? (This is outrageous? Could it be even stronger than the Roserade of the Mustard Bamboo King?)" Lu Sha's eyes widened.

What's going on underground at Tianguan Mountain? How come you can stumble upon a giant Buddha statue just by digging a random hole?

Looking back on their journey through the underground world, they have encountered countless Pokémon.

In just one day, they encountered at least hundreds or even thousands of wild Pokémon, all of which were at least Gym Leader level.

The most outrageous thing is that they even encountered a wild Pokémon of Champion rank.

It's a three-legged hamster!

Yes, it's that kind of common, ubiquitous gopher, as rampant as ants in the ground.

It was a different colored, shiny species, its body color much lighter than that of its ordinary counterparts.

At that time, Lu Sha and his group plunged headfirst into the groundhog's nest.

In that nest, there were hundreds of Gym-level Dugtrio alone, not to mention countless other minions.

Faced with such an exaggerated swarm of rats, if it weren't for Cattleya's quick reaction and instantaneous escape, the two of them would probably have been buried in the ground and used as fertilizer.

So now, there are actually experts deep underground?

"There is absolutely no comparison."

Cattleya shook her head slightly, her expression unusually solemn: "If the old king's Roserade is a small flame, then the one below is a live volcano that could erupt at any moment."

"Click? (Huh?)" Lu Sha was completely shocked.

Roserade from Mustard Bamboo is no ordinary cat or dog; it's a genuine Champion-level Pokémon.

Even champion-level monsters are just small flames in front of it, so what kind of monster is lurking below?

Groudon?

That's impossible! This is Sinnoh, not Hoenn. If a flying red giant really came to visit, wouldn't it get beaten up by the two dragons of the Time and Space?

Although Lussa knows all about the legendary Fire-type Pokémon, there aren't many that can simultaneously meet the conditions of being "in Sinnoh" and "living underground".

Could it be Seadra?

Lu Sha searched through the list and found that this was the only reliable option left.

"I'm not entirely sure what kind it is. But if I get a little closer, my mental energy should be able to sketch its outline. Shall we go down and take a look? It seems to be in a deep slumber right now."

"I suggest it," Gadriya suggested, her tone unusually revealing a hint of eagerness.

Clearly, the young lady's curiosity had been piqued.

"Click! (Let's take a look! But I need to have a backup plan first!)" Curiosity aside, Lu Sha had no intention of losing her life here.

With the current limit of the young lady's superpowers, she is capable of performing ten teleportations in a short period of time, with each teleportation reaching a maximum distance of approximately 200 meters.

To be on the safe side, Lu Sha first turned around and dug upwards with all his might, digging out a wide escape anchor point every 100 meters, leading straight to the surface, setting up a total of four safe zones.

As long as these coordinates exist, with Cattleya's reaction speed, she can definitely teleport him away instantly.

After setting up an escape route, Lu Sha cautiously began digging deeper into the area.

This time, he didn't dare to release Diancie to join the fun, and he didn't even dare to use any moves with energy. He could only rely on his physical strength and use his claws to dig the soil bit by bit.

They were afraid that even the slightest fluctuation of energy would awaken the ancestor below.

They carefully dug down about 100 meters.

"Snap! (Ouch! It's so hot!)" Lu Sha abruptly withdrew his hand, frantically waving his sharp claws that emitted white steam.

He looked down at the dark red rock layer in front of him, which was almost liquefied by the extremely high temperature and resembled magma, and swallowed hard.

What the hell is that thing down there?

The residual energy emitted unconsciously during slumber is enough to melt even the hardest rock.

How can Shydra have such outrageous firepower?

Is Groudon really in the wrong movie?!

"Stop now, we're close enough, I can sense its entirety."

Cattleya reminded her softly.

She used her telekinesis to envelop her entire body to resist the intense heat, and gently pressed herself against Lu Sha's broad back.

She reached out her fair hand and gently placed it on Lu Sha's head.

The world before Lu Sha's eyes suddenly flipped.

At this moment, he had achieved a shared sixth sense with the young lady. The shocking images that Cattleya detected through her mental power were projected directly into his mind like a high-definition projection.

It was a vast, boundless underground lava lake.

In this infernal space where even superpower ripples are slightly distorted by the terrifying heat, a colossal figure, beyond description, lies quietly in the center of the lava pool.

Its size is so enormous it's breathtaking; even a rough estimate suggests its length exceeds 100 meters.

Overall, it was a colossal beast with extremely thick limbs, its body mainly a dark red, blood-like color, with mysterious patterns on its surface that were as black and deep as volcanic rock.

"Click! (Hiss! It's this thing?)" Lu Sha gasped for breath in the scalding air, his signature shark eyes widening as if they were about to pop out.

He had considered countless possibilities, but he could never have guessed that the culprit behind such a cataclysmic event would be it.

"What kind of Pokémon is this? Is it some kind of unknown legendary Pokémon? There's never been any record of it in the Sinnoh League's Pokédex. Moreover, besides the violent fire-type energy, it also emanates an extremely strong rock-type aura."

Cattleya's voice echoed in Lu Sha's mind, filled with a thirst for knowledge.

Like Diancie, this touched upon a blind spot in her knowledge.

"Click! (In a sense, it is indeed classified as a Legendary Pokémon.)" Lu Sha's expression was extremely complicated as he uttered the name that had shocked the young lady: "Ka! (This is a... Growlithe!)"

"? Shouldn't Arcanine's fur be flaxen? Although its body shape is indeed somewhat similar, what's with this jet-black mane? Is it an extremely rare variant?" Cattleya exclaimed in surprise.

The sleeping behemoth below vaguely resembles Arcanine in its outline, but the differences in details are simply earth-shattering.

Its orange-red color became darker and more fiery, and its normally fluffy mane now appeared as a coal-like gray-black, with a seemingly stiffer texture.

The most incongruous thing is that it has three jet-black rocky horns on its head, which is completely unrelated to the modern understanding of Gyrodog.

"Click! (To be precise, this is the Arcanine form from the Green Age, possessing both Fire and Rock attributes. In layman's terms, the one lying below can be considered the ancestor of the modern Arcanine's ancestors.)" Lu Sha explained with a wry smile.

"The Era of the Emerald Washer? That's at least 3 years ago. Could the Growlithe from that era still be alive today?" Cattleya parted her cherry lips slightly, her face full of disbelief.

Lu Sha has checked the history of the real world, and the Green Age is indeed the ancient period of Sinnoh, which is 3 years ago, not 300 years ago.

After all, even if it were 300 years, it wouldn't cause such a drastic change in the form of Pokémon.

"Click! (The appearance of Pokémon from the Green Era changed due to environmental changes, but that doesn't mean their bloodline became completely extinct. Perhaps this Arcanine obtained some kind of opportunity, leading to a reversion of its ancestral bloodline. Or perhaps, this is indeed an ancient relic.)" Lu Sha was also completely confused and could only deduce based on the current situation.

The giant green Arcanine below is most likely similar to the giant Dragonite in the anime, and is an extremely special individual.

"Click! (Let's go!)" Lu Sha had no intention of provoking Erduo.

This Arcanine below is nothing to them; it's not something they can easily fool at this stage.

Forget about taming or battling; if he got any closer—just a few dozen meters away—he felt like he would be melted by the intense heat.

The ancestor below has an energy level of at least 90, which is above the champion level.

As for the exact number of levels he broke through, that was completely beyond Lu Sha's comprehension.

According to Professor Oak, once a Pokémon's energy level exceeds 90, it is equivalent to entering the realm of gods.

At this stage, the difference in combat power for each level gained is more exaggerated than the total difference between level 1 and level 90.

"I never imagined that such an incredible ancient creature would be sleeping in the dark depths of the earth."

Cattleya sighed sincerely.

She manipulated her telekinesis, tightly embracing Lu Sha, and silently and slowly floated back up the way they came, afraid of waking the slumbering prehistoric behemoth.

She was very self-aware; even though she had now reached the Elite Four level, she still couldn't last a second against the Azure Growlithe below.

That's why witnessing this ancient legend sleeping underground with Lu Sha is, in itself, an unparalleled and wondrous journey for her.

"Click! (Mark these coordinates! We'll come back in a year and have a go at it!)" Once out of the high-temperature zone, Lu Sha immediately reverted to his true nature, grinning mischievously.

As soon as he emerged from the ground, he couldn't wait to compare the surrounding terrain. Once his phone finally had a signal, he immediately marked a very precise point on the electronic map.

Hedong in thirty years and Hexi in thirty years.

They'll come back and take it down sooner or later!

"Okay! It's a deal."

Cattleya instantly understood, her cool eyes sparkling with a bright light.

She solemnly extended her fair little finger and gently hooked it around the tip of Lu Sha's sharp claws.

In one year, he transcends the ranks of King and Champion to confront an ancient behemoth that has entered the realm of gods.

These bold words sound like pure fantasy; even a young Professor Oak probably wouldn't have dared to hope for such a rapid growth rate.

However, Gadriya believed in Lu Sha.

They can definitely do it!

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