Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 246 You... what am I supposed to say about you...? (Please continue reading)

I don't know how much time has passed.

The tremors and roars that seemed to tear the world apart finally subsided like the receding tide.

In the vast darkness.

A warm, soft light slowly emanated from Bai Zhou's chest, barely illuminating the small space made of rubble.

Only now, after confirming that Bai Zhou is temporarily out of danger.

Kirlia, who had been struggling to maintain the psychic barrier and whose body was trembling slightly, finally closed her exhausted eyes.

Her small body went limp, and she nestled peacefully in his arms, falling into a deep sleep.

"Thank you for your hard work, my little princess—"

Bai Zhou's voice was low and hoarse as he carefully reached out and gently wiped the dust off Kirulian's cheek with his fingertips.

He could feel that the super-power within him was already completely exhausted, and every time he mobilized it, it felt like his soul was being torn apart.

But he gritted his teeth and forced a tiny bit of strength out of that dried-up spring.

It transformed into the gentlest warmth, slowly flowing into Kirlia's body, soothing its overexerted spirit.

It was confirmed that Kirullian had fallen into a deep sleep and her breathing had become steady and long.

Bai Zhou then took out its Sweet Ball, put it back, and let it rest in the comfortable space inside the ball.

After doing all this, Bai Zhou finally felt his tense nerves relax a little.

He looked at the Gengar next to him with amusement, who was clearly worried but pretended to be "just passing by" and was secretly glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.

He scooped up the chubby guy and hugged him tightly, using him as a ready-made pillow.

Don't worry.

He rubbed Gengar's cool, bouncy head, his voice filled with exhaustion.

"With such a commotion here, the Alliance must have already noticed and started taking action. We just need to conserve our energy and wait patiently for rescue."

As he spoke, he retaliated by vigorously rubbing Gengar's cheeks, as if to vent all the tension and worry he had just felt.

"You should go rest in the shadows too. It's safe here for now. I'll keep watch."

"Genga! (Father, you are mistaken!)"

Gengar suddenly broke free from his embrace, its chubby body floating in the air, striking an extremely exaggeratedly serious expression.

He even performed a proper salute, trying his best to express his unwavering loyalty.

"Geng ga! Geng ga yan ga! (Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance! The crucial task of protecting Your Majesty can be entrusted to your son!)"

Seeing Gengar's dramatic antics, Bai Zhou couldn't help but smile genuinely.

"Since the Crown Prince has this intention—then I will grant your request and comply with your loyalty to the emperor and your patriotism."

He also cooperated by adopting a bit of an "emperor's" demeanor, and finished this play of harmonious coexistence between ruler and subject.

He's really close to his limit.

The backlash from overdrawing one's superhuman strength is far beyond what ordinary people can bear.

At this moment, every cell in his body was screaming for a strike, and a severe headache and weakness were constantly assaulting his consciousness.

It was only through sheer willpower that he managed to hold on until now without fainting.

As for why Gengar still looks so energetic—

To be honest, even if Bai Zhou was so exhausted that his soul left his body, he probably wouldn't even be able to take a deep breath.

The shadow space beneath its feet is connected to the ghost stone slab, which is equivalent to carrying an endless source of energy on its back.

As long as it is not interrupted by a momentary interruption of consciousness, its energy is virtually limitless.

When it takes a break depends entirely on whether it wants to, or—whether it has had enough of its dramatic performance.

Bai Zhou didn't bother to be polite anymore. He positioned the chubby "living sofa," then turned to the side and leaned against it without any hesitation.

Gengar's cool, soft body was indeed exceptionally comfortable to lean against, and a strong drowsiness swept over him, almost engulfing him.

Anyway, with Xiao A around, at least we won't starve.

He simply closed his eyes, preparing to let himself drift into a short sleep and recover some energy.

However, just as his eyelids were about to close...

rustling sounds —

A very faint sound of gravel scraping against each other suddenly came from outside the enclosed space!

Bai Zhou's eyes, which were only half-closed, suddenly snapped open!

All drowsiness was forcibly dispelled, and the body instinctively entered a defensive fighting stance, locking onto the direction from which the sound came!

Damn it—of all times!

He cursed inwardly.

If he could still use the power of super resistance, why would he need to be in such a passive position?

We need to use our senses to see what exactly is causing this commotion deep within this special mineral vein after the collapse!

Time ticked by, second by second, amidst the tense wait.

The faint sounds didn't disappear; instead, they became clearer and more frequent!

Bai Zhou could sense that something was breaking through the solid layer of rubble and digging towards their location!

This instantly put him on high alert!

You should know that the surrounding area is full of special minerals that are incredibly hard!

The difficulty of forcibly carving a passable tunnel through such an environment is unimaginable!

Even the most professional search and rescue team in the league, equipped with the most advanced engineering Pokémon and equipment.

It would be absolutely impossible to locate them in such a short time and dig so deep underground!

What exactly is coming?

Snap—Boom!

With a crisp, cracking sound, a huge piece of special ore above their heads suddenly shattered and collapsed from the inside.

A narrow passage, whose destination was unknown, was revealed!

At the entrance to that passage, a small, indistinct figure stood there.

Under Bai Zhou's watchful and vigilant gaze, the small figure seemed to want to use the momentum to jump down, but perhaps due to exhaustion or slipping, it failed.

It stumbled and rolled down the passage with a "gurgling" sound, finally stopping at Bai Zhou's feet.

"Younggiras!?"

Bai Zhou recognized the little guy at a glance; it was the one he had rescued before!

He was startled and quickly bent down to pick it up, his tone filled with disbelief and urgency.

"What are you doing here?! You're not—"

"Yo-yo-yo!"

Young Gilas trembled in fear in his arms, raised his little paws, first pointed to his tightly closed mouth, and then pointed to the passage above his head.

"You said you wanted to save me, and then you ate your way out of a tunnel!? You—"

Bai Zhou's pupils suddenly contracted, and a strong sense of foreboding surged into his heart!

He pried open Young Gilas's mouth almost without resistance.

shocking!

The inside of the little guy's mouth was covered with deep and shallow wounds from the sharp edges of the ore, and some places were even oozing blood!

It's terrifying to look at!

He wanted to reprimand it for its recklessness, but the words caught in his throat as he looked at the little guy's eyes, which, though frightened, remained resolute.

All the words of blame stuck in his throat, finally turning into a heavy sigh.

"You—what am I supposed to say about you—"

He immediately exchanged a Vitality Cube from Little Ah and stuffed it into Young Gilas's mouth without saying a word.

Watching it swallow, the medicine began to take effect.

Young Gilas seemed to know he was in the wrong, so he folded his little hands and lowered his head deeply.

They adopted a stubborn stance that said, "I know I was wrong, but you can insult me ​​all you want, I will never talk back."

"well----"

Bai Zhou sighed heavily again; now was not the time to dwell on this.

He must check on Young Kiras's condition immediately!

Gathering a faint light, it approached Young Gilas's body, wanting to examine it closely.

Young Gilas seemed somewhat resistant, instinctively shrinking back, but was firmly but gently held down by Bai Zhou.

Its dark green carapace appeared to have no obvious external injuries.

But beneath that shell, Bai Zhou was horrified to discover that a thick, inky energy was flowing and eroding his body wildly!

With each pulse of this energy, the color of Young Gilas's body became even deeper!

Bai Zhou's heart sank to the bottom in an instant!

Without hesitation, an identification was initiated on Young Gilas!

Pokémon Larvitar

Attribute: Rock/Ground

Category: Rock Skin Pokémon

Gender: Male

"Trait: Guts (When under a status ailment, the user will use Guts to increase their attack power)"

"Mastered moves: Tackle, Gaze, Iron Dodge, Stomp, Reverse Scale, Dragon Dance"

Mood: Worried

Current Status: Severe Energy Imbalance (High Risk!)

"Little A's Assistant reminds you: Ingesting a large amount of high-purity special minerals in a short period of time can completely disrupt your body's energy balance. Without professional treatment for an extended period, this may leave permanent sequelae and pose an extremely high risk to your life!"

Bai Zhou's gaze swept over the status bar and the glaring red warning, and his expression suddenly changed drastically!

"Gengar! Clear a path for me!"

He almost roared as he grabbed Young Giras and, with his last bit of strength, forced out the Superpower that had been drained from his body.

A thin layer of golden light film formed, tightly enveloping Young Gilas and suppressing and slowing down the violent and out-of-control energy within its body!

Gengar sensed an unprecedented urgency in White Boat's tone.

Without any hesitation, his massive body burst forth with astonishing speed that belied its size, rushing into the narrow opening.

The ghostly energy around him surged, frantically widening and reinforcing the passage!

Bai Zhou's movements did not stop at all. He endured the excruciating pain in his brain, as if it were being stabbed by thousands of needles, and the waves of dizziness that came over him.

He bit his tongue, using the pain to stimulate his collapsing consciousness, and instantly followed!

We must get out of here as soon as possible!

We must find Professor Oak immediately!

Only he has the potential to save Young Gilas!

Deep in the Kunlun Mountains, inside a makeshift emergency rescue command post.

Olive's expression remained calm, but her eyes, fixed intently on the screen of the underground detection device, betrayed her inner anxiety.

She was also multitasking, remotely directing multiple search and rescue teams that had already ventured deep into dangerous underground locations via encrypted communication channels.

"Report! Champion Daigo has been found in area B3! Vital signs are stable! He is currently in good condition! He only has minor abrasions!"

The excited voices of the search and rescue team members came through the communicator.

"Roger that. The emergency response team is ready. The receiving team is to proceed to the designated coordinates immediately! They are expected to arrive at the pick-up point in 5 minutes!"

Olive's voice was calm and even, but the knuckles of her fingers gripping the communicator were slightly white from the excessive force.

Three hours later.

Daigo, with a few scratches and dust on his body but still maintaining his elegant demeanor, stood quietly beside Olive, who remained motionless like a statue waiting for her husband.

He didn't speak, but instead cast his worried gaze at the faint, flickering signals on the screen.

"Report! Suspicious person spotted on the edge of F7 area! Stable vital signs, no obvious signs of injury! No apparent intention to attack! Requesting instructions on whether to make contact and provide assistance?"

"Rescue! Priority remains unchanged!"

Olive answered decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

"Repeat, execute the highest priority rescue procedure for all detected life signs! The emergency response team is ready, and the receiving team is on its way immediately! Expected arrival in ten minutes!"

Four hours later.

Night had fallen, and a cold wind was blowing.

The command post was brightly lit, but the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Beside Olive, whose eyes were bloodshot, stood another tall and imposing figure.

It was Sakagi who had followed Shirashu deep into the mine.

"No news of him yet—?"

In the silence, Sakaki's voice, devoid of any discernible tone, slowly broke through the silence.

"----No."

Olive's answer was equally calm, but her forcibly maintained abstinent demeanor now showed a hint of fragility, and her voice trembled slightly.

"But—Lord Shirafune—he'll definitely be alright!"

She seemed to be answering Sakaki, but more like she was desperately trying to convince herself.

No way —

How could someone like Lord Shiraishu—could possibly—

He'll be alright!

It was at this moment, when hope and despair were intertwined, that people were almost driven mad.

The heavy curtains of the command post were suddenly and roughly ripped open from the outside!

A figure stumbled in!

His clothes were tattered and covered with dust and dried, blackened bloodstains. His face and arms were covered with shocking abrasions.

He was in an extremely disheveled state!

The newcomer quickly looked around, his gaze instantly locking onto Sakaki, and then used his last bit of strength to rush towards him.

"Sakaki! Mewtwo!"

He didn't even have time to explain further; he just hoarsely shouted out those two names!

As if telepathically connected, the Master Ball in Giovanni's pocket opened instantly!

A flash of light, and Mewtwo, clearly somewhat exhausted and bearing the marks of battle, appeared before everyone.

Without hesitation, the newcomer handed the baby Gilas, which he had been holding tightly in his arms, to Mewtwo.

His voice trembled with urgency, yet carried an undeniable plea.

"Leave it to Professor Oak! Quickly! I'm counting on you!!"

Mewtwo gave Bai Zhou a deep look, without saying a word.

A powerful mental force instantly enveloped Young Gilas, and in a flash, he teleported with it, disappearing from the command center!