Chapter 143: The Second Basement Floor

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"It's you! What did you do to my Victreebel?! Why was it scared out of its mind like that?! Don't think we won't beat the hell out of you in a minute!! …Huh? Fatty? Skinny? Why aren't you saying anything?!"

The burly young man saw Victreebel's strange behavior and immediately assumed that Liam had used some kind of unknown method. 

He growled at Liam viciously, only to realize that his usual lackeys—who should've jumped in by now to back him up—had been oddly silent for quite a while. Confused, he turned to them and asked with a puzzled look.

"B-b-b-boss…"

The fat guy's teeth were chattering so hard he couldn't even form a proper sentence.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?! Did you see a ghost or something?!"

The burly youth roared in frustration, seeing how spineless his underlings looked.

"B-b-boss… o-over there!"

The skinny guy, trembling like a twig in a storm, pointed a shaking finger toward the nearby rock pillar.

"Huh? There's something up there? Let me take a—Wah meow!!"

The burly youth looked up, confused—and then he saw it. Atop the stone pillar loomed a massive creature he'd never seen before. Its blood-red eyes stared at them with a fierce glare, its gaping jaws opened wide like it was sizing up its next meal.

"ROAR!!"

The Aerodactyl atop the rock pillar roared furiously at the three people below, its mouth opening wide as golden energy rapidly gathered—Hyper Beam!

"Holy crap! It's a monster! Help! Run!!"

As Aerodactyl began charging Hyper Beam, the burly guy screamed in terror, turned on his heel, and bolted. The fat and skinny guys were momentarily stunned before quickly catching on. Wailing and crying, they sprinted back the way they came.

BOOM!

Seeing its prey attempting to flee, Aerodactyl turned slightly, then unleashed a blazing golden beam in hot pursuit. As the Hyper Beam streaked after the fleeing trio, a powerful explosion erupted behind them.

The blast swept just past the three, sending them flying as debris and dust exploded all around. The three were buried under a rain of rocks and dirt, wailing as they vanished beneath the rubble.

"ROAR!!"

Frustrated that it had missed, Aerodactyl paused briefly, then began charging a second Hyper Beam.

"Enough! Don't attack again!"

Seeing Aerodactyl preparing to fire again, Liam quickly called out to stop it.

"Rrroar…"

Aerodactyl glanced over at Liam, its red eyes narrowing. After a moment of hesitation, it let out a low growl and dispersed the energy gathering in its mouth, turning its head away as if to say it wasn't interested anymore.

"Heh… what a proud, arrogant thing."

Liam shook his head with a helpless smile as Aerodactyl turned its back on him. Then he bent down and picked up the PokeBall that the burly guy had dropped, turned around, and recalled the trembling Graveler that had huddled itself into a corner of the wall.

He then walked over to where the explosion had gone off, planning to check whether those three had made it out alive.

Though their behavior had been repugnant, they didn't exactly deserve to die. If Aerodactyl had actually taken them out with Hyper Beam, that would've been a huge mess.

But Liam needn't have worried. He'd only taken a few steps when, from the ruined earth ahead, three dirt-covered figures suddenly clawed their way out. They weren't injured, just terrified out of their minds—crying, sniveling, and dashing away like their lives depended on it.

Liam: "…"

He watched the three run off into the distance, dark lines forming across his face. With a sigh, he turned back to recall Aerodactyl into its PokeBall—only to catch something in the corner of his eye: a pitch-black fissure.

Liam froze in place. Then he hurried forward a few steps toward the area that had been hit by Hyper Beam. Sure enough, the ground had started to crack open, revealing a dark space below.

"Venomoth! Use Bug Buzz on the crack in the ground!"

Liam's heart raced with excitement at the sight of the dark fissure, and he gave the command to the Venomoth on his shoulder.

"Veno!"

Venomoth nodded and took to the air, wings fluttering. A powerful wave of sound burst from its mouth, shaking the already fractured ground and widening the crack further.

The disturbance caught Aerodactyl's attention. Curious, it flew down from the rock pillar. Understanding Liam's intent, it suddenly folded its wings and slammed down on the ground with both feet.

The already weakened surface couldn't take the strain and instantly crumbled, a massive section of the floor collapsing as debris rained into the black void below.

Unfortunately, Liam was among the falling debris.

"Venomoth! Use Psychic! Hold me up!"

"Veno!"

Venomoth's eyes lit up with a ghostly blue light, and Liam's body was enveloped in the same hue. His fall slowed, and he safely landed on solid ground.

Thud! 

"ROAR!!"

As Liam landed, Aerodactyl crashed down beside him, shaking its massive head before letting out an excited roar. It spread its wings wide and began soaring joyfully between the pillars of the underground cavern—it clearly felt right at home in this subterranean world.

"Venomoth, Flash."

"Veno!! (Can I get a vacation, maybe?!)"

With a soft hum, Venomoth unleashed a toned-down Flash that lit up the entire underground cavern, finally revealing the space they had discovered.

The scene resembled the first basement floor—filled with thick stone pillars—but was much darker. If not for Venomoth's Flash, Liam would've experienced the true meaning of "pitch black."

"Huh? What's that?"

A glint of reflected light caught Liam's eye, making him squint. Curiosity piqued, he quickly walked toward the source of the glimmer.

A few steps later, he found it: a giant metallic ring half-buried in the rock, glinting under the light. Its surface was covered in fine cracks, and it was clearly ancient and long-abandoned.

"Venomoth, use Psychic to extract that ring carefully—don't damage it."

Venomoth: "…"

Liam always had a habit of casting Scan on anything unknown, and today was no exception. Once Venomoth had extracted the massive ring from the ground, Liam waved his hand, scanning it.

[Ding!]

[Discovered Item: Hoopa's Interdimensional Ring (Abandoned, Damaged).] 

[Originally used by Hoopa to traverse various places through space-time. Lost its power nearly 90 years ago after the sealing of the mythical Pokémon Hoopa. Severely damaged and no longer functions as intended.]

Liam was stunned. He stared at the broken, colossal ring in disbelief, his mind flooded with images of the mighty Hoopa pulling out Legendary Pokémon from its rings.

Just then, Aerodactyl, who'd been soaring happily among the pillars, suddenly stopped mid-flight. It flapped in place, eyes narrowing as it stared intently at something in the distance—clearly sensing something.

And at that very moment, the system's prompt rang in Liam's mind.

[Ding!]

[Emergency Quest Triggered!]

[The Flame Dancer in the Cave!]

[Quest Objective: Within this pitch-dark cavern lies a mysterious Pokémon wreathed in undying flames. Discover its true identity. Obtain a sample for reference—blood, fur, or scales.]

[Quest Rewards: 1000 Exchange Points; One Mystery Gift Pack]

Note: This quest carries no penalties. It is optional and will not negatively affect the host if ignored.

Liam: "…Oh.. Come On!"