I caught a Pokémon

After being exposed to wind and rain for a long time, the clothes and tents abandoned here are already tattered and can be turned to dust with just a light touch!

After traveling for a while longer, Haunter and Zapdos flew back and landed beside Xia You.

“No way!” Gastly sighed. “From the sky, no matter where I look, it’s all bare rock. My eyes are getting tired of looking at it, and I still can’t find the entrance to the cave!”

"It must be hidden somewhere concealed." After thinking for a moment, Xia You decided to change her approach. "How about this, since going from above doesn't work, let's try to find it from below. Gastly, could you please go underground again and find the cave below first, and then look for an exit leading to the surface based on the cave?"

"This idea is pretty reliable. Wait for my news!" Gastly's eyes lit up, and then its body sank down, directly passing through the surface of the rock beneath its feet.

This time, it took much less time than before. Not long after, when Gastly returned, it finally brought back good news.

"You guessed right!" The unknown adventure also excited it greatly. "I did find several layers of caves down there, and at the very bottom, there really was a huge space made of ice!"

"Did you see Articuno?" Xia You pressed.

"No, I was worried about alerting the enemy, so I didn't continue diving. But I found a tunnel that connects perfectly to the cave below!"

"Excellent! Lead the way!"

Gastly once again burrowed underground, while Xia You flipped over and rode Zapdos into the air. Not long after, somewhere in the maze, a Shadow Ball suddenly flew into the sky.

"There it is! Zapdos, let's go over there!"

With a flap of its wings, Zapdos slowly descended, and only then did Xia You realize just how difficult it was to find this cave entrance.

The cave was surrounded by weeds, and a huge rock partially covered it, blocking the sunlight. Not to mention from the air, even if Xia You were standing in front of it right now, she would not have noticed that there was a cave entrance hidden here if she did not pay attention!

Just then, a chilly breeze blew up from underground, and the biting cold instantly seeped into his clothes and hit his body!

Unable to suppress a shiver, Xia You tightened her collar, took out a flashlight, and had Charizard lead the way before filing in with the Pokémon and stepping into the cave.

At first, the warm sunlight outside mingled with the cold air inside the cave, making the ground incredibly slippery. Every step required extreme caution. As you went deeper, the ground finally became dry, but the cold air grew even colder. Even your breath turned into a cloud of mist when exhaled into the air!

Chapter 81 The Temple of Ice

Seeing this, Xia You couldn't help but move closer to the Charizard, hoping to get some warmth from the flames on its tail.

After passing through the narrow tunnel, the space he was in suddenly became tall and wide, as if most of the mountain had been hollowed out. Sunlight streamed in through the gaps above, making the place not as dark as he had imagined.

Looking around, the cave's interior was a maze of interconnected passages, leading to various unknown destinations.

However, the signs of battle are obvious here. Judging from the damaged stone walls and broken stone pillars, it is unknown how many trainers have ventured through the maze and arrived here over the years.

"Come with me."

Led by Gastly, Xia You continued deeper, turning left and right, until she finally arrived at a tunnel only one meter wide in diameter.

Inside the cave, a large number of Pokémon also lived. Along the way, streaks of red light would occasionally appear. These were Pokémon hidden in the darkness, staring intently at him with pairs of hostile eyes!

But seeing such a group of intruders break in at the same time, none of them dared to step forward and harass them.

Beside the burrow, there were traces of claws digging. Xia You bent down and touched the scattered pebbles and soil. The burrow had long since dried up, so it was probably not formed during a battle, but rather dug by a Pokémon like Sandshrew while traveling.

It was pitch black inside, straight up and down. Xia You shone her flashlight inside, but it was completely bottomless!

Gastly Tunnel: "Don't underestimate this burrow. It may seem like it's everywhere in the cave, but it's a shortcut! Just go down from here, and you can pass through several layers to reach the deepest part!"

Now that Gastly had been identified, Xia You naturally didn't hesitate. He temporarily put away the other Pokémon and used Gastly's whirlwind to gently envelop him. In this way, the two of them, one human and one Pokémon, slowly descended through the tunnel.

The narrow space inside the burrow was so cramped that he couldn't even stretch out his arms and legs, but with Gastly protecting him, he wasn't worried about his safety at all.

Thick rocks and soil flashed by quickly, and in just a short while, they had passed through at least four layers of caves.

They descended to the bottom of the cave and came to a vast space, but there was nothing there except for rocks.

In terms of depth, Xia You has now descended below sea level. If it were any other trainer, they would not be able to reach this place so easily without extraordinary luck or going through all sorts of troubles.

Although the temperature was even colder, there was no ice nearby, so it was clear that this was not their destination.

"Where do we go next?" Xia You asked.

“We still have to go down further,” Gastly grinned. “But from here on out, we’ll be taking a special, unusual path!”

Special roads?

Continuing to follow Gastly, they traversed the rugged rocky crevices, and with the thunderous sound of rushing water, they arrived at a waterfall cascading down.

Gastly glanced at Xia You and laughed, "Alright, we've arrived!"

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The deafening sound of the water made it almost impossible for Xia You to hear Gastly's voice. He could only shout at Gastly, "This is the special path you were talking about!?"

Seeing Ghoststone nod, Xia You couldn't help but gasp. When he walked closer to the waterfall and stood on the cliff, looking down, he saw the powerful waterfall water flowing into the deeper part of the waterfall almost by crashing down!

"Well, it seems there's no other feasible way besides this 'waterway'."

With a sigh, Xia You released Kirlia. Since they could see the shore below this time, Kirlia used Teleport to take him to the deepest part of Twin Islands!

Inside the spacious underground cave, icicles hang overhead, and thick layers of ice cover the ground beneath your feet. Standing here, it feels as if you are in a frozen world!

Moreover, due to the reflection of the ice crystals, this place actually appears brighter than the cave above.

However, in contrast, there was a bone-chilling cold!

Exhaling a breath of cool air, Xia You quickly released the Charizard and hugged it tightly. At this moment, only this ever-burning flame was his most important support!

"Charmeleon, I'm only now realizing how incredibly wise it was to have caught you!"

Charmander looked helpless and even tried to push Xia You away.

At this moment, Gastly came to Xia You's side and gestured for her to look into the distance.

Look over there!

Xia You looked up and saw that not far ahead, the cascading waterfall had gathered into a small lake, and in the middle of the lake, there was a lake island!

The island is covered with a dense forest of icicles, which, when viewed from afar, are crystal clear and resemble an ice temple in a magical world!

"If Articuno is hiding somewhere, it must be here!"

Looking at the small island, Xia You casually took a few photos, then squatted down and gently touched the lake water. The chill seemed to freeze his fingers off!

"Damn, it's so cold!?" Xia You hurriedly dried her fingers on Charizard's body and said to Kirlia, "I don't want to get my clothes wet. Why don't you use Teleport again to send us to the other side?"

Kirlia nodded gently and lightly touched Xia You and Charmeleon. The next second, he felt a flash before his eyes and found himself standing on the island in the middle of the lake!

Before she could even see what was happening around her, a wave of cold air suddenly erupted from the center of the island and swept past Xia You!

Fortunately, Kirlia used her psychic powers to protect Xia You in time, preventing him from being affected by the cold air. However, even so, every breath he took was a torment to his lungs as the cold air swept by!

Is this the Articuno's intimidation tactic?!

Xia You's teeth chattered from the cold, and she hurriedly rummaged through her backpack for a bottle of antidote, which she then swallowed.

A fiery heat flowed from my stomach to my limbs and bones, a feeling similar to drinking a bottle of strong liquor, slowly dispelling the coldness in my body!

When Gastly flew to her side, Xia You smiled at it: "I should have prepared some warm clothes in advance. But it seems we really came to the right place. Articuno must be inside!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Gastly chuckled. "Since it's already attacked you, why don't you hurry up and defeat it!"

"That sounds reassuring!" Xia You tossed a Poké Ball and released all her Pokémon. "But before that, as always, we should test its limits first!"

Perhaps Gastly's words were too arrogant, and it seems that it finally angered the master of this ice temple.

With a loud, angry cry, a large blue bird Pokémon flew out of the Ice Pillar Forest, staring straight at them with its cold gaze!

And this is none other than the legendary Pokémon that countless trainers dream of—Articuno!

Chapter 82 Legend vs. Legend

Articuno's appearance is quite different from Zapdos'.

Unlike Zapdos's dry feathers, Articuno has slightly translucent blue feathers that are beautiful and fluffy. It has red eyes, a short beak, and a crest on its head made up of three dark blue rhomboid feathers. But what is most eye-catching is its long, colorful, flag-like tail!

The tail, almost as long as the body, flutters in the air as Articuno flies and circles, making the bird's posture exceptionally graceful!

The moment Xia You saw it, she made up her mind that she would subdue it no matter what!

Pokémon Pokédex entry: "Ding, Articuno, the Ice Pokémon, an Ice/Flying type, one of the legendary bird Pokémon. Its beautiful, transparent feathers are said to be made of ice, and it can easily freeze the moisture in the air to create blizzards. Legend has it that it will appear before people who are about to freeze to death in the snowy mountains."

Without hesitation, Xia You took out a Great Ball from her waist and released the Pokémon inside.

After the blue light faded, Zapdos appeared in mid-air with a clear cry!

Facing Articuno, Zapdos, also a legendary Pokémon, locked eyes and, without even a word, was already brimming with fighting spirit!

This is a clash between ice and lightning, and even more so, a struggle for territory and freedom!

"Articuno! You surely know why we're here. So, how about it? Do you want to fight us!?"

This was Xia You's provocation, and since they were currently in the habitat of the Articuno, they weren't afraid of it escaping or avoiding battle.

Although the strengthened lineup gave Xia You a lot more confidence and composure than when he faced Zapdos, he still wanted Zapdos to try it out first in this capture battle.

In response to Xia You's declaration of war, Articuno flapped its wings, and a cold wind suddenly swept towards him!

Seeing this, Kirlia quickly stretched out her hands and used her Nen to counteract the cold wind!

"So this is your response." Xia You nodded. "Then let's not stand on ceremony anymore, let's go! Zapdos!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zapdos rushed over. The two Pokémon battled in the air, and in an instant, lightning and cold air enveloped the island!

In terms of type, Zapdos is Electric/Flying, while Articuno is Ice/Flying. Both Electric and Ice-type moves can deal double damage to the opponent.

Zapdos, use Electric Discharge!

As Zapdos flapped its wings, a thick bolt of lightning shot out from its body and struck Articuno!

Articuno, not to be outdone, flapped its wings, and ice spikes formed around it, piercing towards Zapdos!

A series of crackling explosions rang out in the air, and countless ice shards rained down, drenching Xia You.

Kirlia waved her arm, blocking everything, while Gastly flew to Xia You's side and said, "It's still too dangerous here! I think we should stay away, otherwise we'll easily get caught in the crossfire!"

Xia You nodded, stepped back, and hid behind an ice pillar in the distance.

Under the stone dome, the two Pokémon continued their attack and chased each other. After exchanging several moves, Articuno seized the opportunity, suddenly spun around, and kicked Zapdos hard with its claws!

Zapdos was in pain and fell from the sky, crashing to the ground with a 'thud'. Articuno's attacks followed immediately, landing a second and a third kick on Zapdos!

"That's a Triple Slash! Zapdos, counterattack now!"

A flash of lightning suddenly erupted, and the violent current surged indiscriminately, attacking everything around it!

In the critical moment, it decisively used 100,000 volts to protect itself!

The electric current spread along the ice surface, instantly melting the ice layer and cracking it into dozens of pieces of varying sizes. After being shocked by such an electric shock, the Articuno let out a mournful cry and fell to the ground, clearly suffering considerable damage!

"Excellent, Zapdos! Keep attacking!"

Taking this opportunity, the proud Zapdos flew into the air again, spun around, and its long beak glowed as it pecked at Articuno!

boom!

This hit the target squarely, and Articuno's body was sent flying!

However, being a legendary Pokémon, it was attacked twice in a row but still couldn't be defeated. Although its appearance was covered in wounds, it was in high spirits and was clearly getting stronger with each battle!

Once it took flight again, flapping its wings rapidly, a sudden gust of cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, swept up in the next second. As the wind grew stronger, it slowly formed a storm around Articuno!

"It's a blizzard! Looks like we've really enraged it." Xia You chuckled self-deprecatingly, then shouted to Zapdos, "In that case, we can't afford to lose! Zapdos, let's use our ultimate moves!"

Upon hearing the command, the Zapdos flapped its wings and took flight. With a cry, a large patch of dark clouds suddenly gathered beneath the stone dome. In just a few seconds, the clouds thickened at a visible speed, blocking the sunlight that was reflected in and plunging the entire Ice Temple into complete darkness!

Below the clouds, flashes of lightning occasionally streaked across the sky, suggesting that a terrifying thunderstorm was brewing!

"Now..." Xia You looked around, "Let me see who is stronger, Articuno or Zapdos, Blizzard or Thunder!"

When the power reached its peak, the two ultimate moves erupted almost simultaneously. Amidst a dazzling bolt of lightning, howling winds and snowflakes simultaneously surrounded the two Pokémon!

Snap!

The ground shook violently, and the entire cave seemed to tremble several times!

The thunder that followed was deafening in the enclosed space. Xia You had just covered his ears and hadn't even stood up properly when a strong wind carrying snowflakes blew past, blinding him!

The icicles and ice cones shattered, and scattered ice fragments covered the entire island!

When everything had settled down, Xia You rubbed her eyes and looked back at the center of the battlefield.

The storm and lightning had disappeared, and both Pokémon had taken full damage from each other and were lying on the ground. However, upon closer inspection, they appeared to be in completely different states.

Zapdos lay on its back with its eyes closed, clearly unconscious, while Articuno struggled to its feet, panting heavily, and took flight once more!