At this moment, numerous Ariados and Spinarak, glaring menacingly from above, were perched with wide-open eyes.
Their bodies, alternating between red and green, involuntarily sent shivers down one's spine.
Almost instinctively, Trainers decisively summoned their Pokémon to begin the battle.
Moves like 'Flamethrower,' 'Water Gun,' 'Razor Leaf,' and any other long-range attacks were unleashed in a torrent towards the Ariados above.
Ariados themselves are not Pokémon known for their defense. Under these attacks, many were severely injured in an instant, some even falling from above.
"Good, these Ariados are nothing to be afraid of! We are Spirit Hunters."
"Haha, if we catch these Ariados and Spinarak, we'll hit the jackpot."
"Indeed, this trip wasn't in vain. Just catching these Ariados alone will make it worthwhile."
Chenxi breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the confident expressions of the people around him.
Regardless, this was a hunter group with rich experience.
If they hadn't spotted the Small Elves and were ambushed, it might have been chaotic, but after spotting the Small Elves, Chenxi believed these people would certainly be able to cope.
At this moment, the dripping sound of water falling from high above was exceptionally clear in Chenxi's ears.
Chenxi looked up and saw a gap appear where the Ariados and Spinarak had been standing.
This gap initially only had a few drops of water falling, but the next second, it tore open and continuously widened.
An endless stream of water surged into the passage through this torn gap.
In a blink of an eye, it was as if a water dragon slammed onto the ground!
"Ice Beam!" Some Spirit Hunters intended to freeze this gap with an Ice Beam!
But the more fierce the previous attack, the larger the gap above!
The surging tide swept indiscriminately across the entire cave.
Facing this tide, even with their protective Small Elves, the Spirit Hunters found them to be of no use.
Some Fire Type Small Elves were even directly knocked unconscious by the powerful current, God knows where they were swept away to.
At this time, the water level throughout the underground area was continuously rising, and this trend was accelerating.
If they didn't leave quickly, the entire underground passage might be submerged by the river.
At this moment, Chenxi decisively said to the few people beside him, "Come to my side!"
Zhu Lan, Xiaoju, Ming Yan, and Luo Ying quickly gathered around.
The Starmie on Chenxi's chest glowed, instantly forming a giant bubble that enveloped the four of them.
Then, as a large amount of water surged in, the bubble naturally floated up and was soon pushed to the top by the current.
"Your Staryu evolved!" Zhu Lan reached out and touched the bubble, noting its sturdiness. She mused, "That Starmie necklace, you bought it deliberately so your Starmie could shrink and be carried with you."
"Don't make me sound like Voldemort; I just wanted to have an extra contingency!" Chenxi said, looking around. His expression grew serious as he added, "And our crisis isn't over yet."
As he spoke, experienced Trainers had already floated up from the water.
After all, they were experienced Spirit Hunters and had some swimming skills.
Even if they didn't have swimming skills, they at least had a Water Type Small Elf.
If they had neither, then they were on their own.
These people's escape methods were not like the bubble barrier created by Chenxi's Starmie, which completely separated the water, keeping them completely dry. However, they at least wouldn't drown.
At this moment, Chenxi vaguely saw in the darkness that the Spinarak began to stand on both sides of the gap, spewing silk to re-seal the opening that had been destroyed.
This was to prevent the water level from getting too high, maintaining a suitable distance.
More importantly, the entire tunnel had darkened at this point. Under the rush of the flood, almost all Small Elves with flames or Shinny abilities were swept away, making the cave exceptionally dark.
In such an environment, the Ariados began to hunt. They spewed out strands of poisonous silk, precisely attacking the Spirit Hunters who had barely escaped the muddy torrent.
As soon as the silk touched them, these Spirit Hunters felt as if the power within their bodies was drained. They didn't even have a chance to struggle before being bound into cocoons and dragged away by the Ariados.
The Spirit Hunters fought back, attacking with Water Type Small Elves or trying their best to dodge.
But it was all in vain. The Ariados' gaze seemed to penetrate the darkness, becoming extremely efficient, successfully capturing Spirit Hunters with almost every attack.
And each time they were touched by the spider silk, the Spirit Hunter could no longer struggle.
This was a feast for the Ariados, and the Spirit Hunters and their Small Elves who had intruded into this cave were the food for the feast.
Zhu Lan, who possessed Dragon Power, could clearly sense this gluttonous feast taking place.
Even if she couldn't feel it, she could clearly hear the deafening and continuous screams at this moment.
Zhu Lan decisively took out the Poké Ball containing Garchomp, ready to intervene.
But at this moment, Chenxi reached out and grabbed Zhu Lan's hand. Chenxi looked at the tragic scene but still gestured for Zhu Lan not to act.
No matter how much Chenxi pretended to be a native, or even thought he had fully integrated into this Small Elf society,
when it came to making a decision, Chenxi's personality still retained the indifference from his previous life, the kind of indifference that meant 'if poor, focus on self-cultivation.'
But Zhu Lan did not.
Although Zhu Lan appeared as cold as an iceberg on the outside, her heart was as hot as magma.
She couldn't be as indifferent as Chenxi because she believed that if she had the ability, she should Protect others.
So Zhu Lan directly broke free from Chenxi's hand and decisively released Garchomp.
With the appearance of the quasi-legendary Garchomp, just a single roar had a tremendous impact on the Ariados group.
The noble pressure from the Dragon Power bloodline made the Ariados feel like mere ants.
Unfortunately, Garchomp's abilities did not include 'Pressure'; otherwise, just this calm pressure would have been enough to make the Ariados lose their will to fight and flee in disarray.
Garchomp's gaze surveyed the surroundings. Known as the 'Land Shark,' it could clearly see all the enemies on the field, even in the dark cave.
"Garchomp, attack the Ariados!" Zhu Lan commanded, "Just attack the Ariados!"
Zhu Lan did not order the Land Shark to rescue the Trainers.
Because Zhu Lan herself knew that Garchomp was not a Small Elf skilled at rescuing people, and if she sent it to rescue people, it might even put itself in danger.
But sending Garchomp to fight and attack would allow it to unleash its maximum combat power.
Hearing this, Chenxi breathed a sigh of relief. Although Zhu Lan was full of enthusiasm, thankfully she wasn't foolishly naive.
At this moment, Garchomp also charged directly along the cliff face towards the Ariados.
Chenxi narrowed his eyes, clearly sensing that Garchomp was much stronger than when they last fought.
Garchomp's air current armor, generated during its charge, became even more indestructible.
As long as Garchomp's speed reached a certain level, the air current armor on its surface could withstand even physical attacks.
To inflict damage on Garchomp, one would have to make Garchomp stop.
But clearly, it was impossible for the Ariados to block Garchomp with their bodies and stop its speed.
Then Zhu Lan's Garchomp could naturally move unhindered across the water surface in this cave.
Facing a terrifying creature like Garchomp, which defied all reason, the Ariados spewed String Shot, Poison Sting, and Toxic Thread, some even spitting out Sticky Web, but they still couldn't stop Garchomp's rampage.
They watched as more and more Spirit Hunters were rescued, and their eagerly anticipated feast was snatched away right before their eyes.
As their kin continued to die, the Ariados decisively retreated with the Trainers they had already captured,
and did not stubbornly continue to fight Garchomp.
Zhu Lan took out a Poké Ball and recalled Garchomp.
In an instant, it was as if her whole body was glowing!
Zhu Lan was still angry that Chenxi had prevented her from using Garchomp, and with the slight smugness of having just rescued many Spirit Hunters, she turned her head away, indicating she wouldn't speak to Chenxi.
Seeing this, Chenxi smiled faintly but didn't say much.
After all, Zhu Lan was not him. She was the future radiant Sinnoh Champion, the Goddess of War, and her way of thinking was too different from his, an ordinary Trainer who always liked to keep a contingency plan.
Indeed, as soon as Chenxi and the others came ashore, Sha Xie, who was walking at the front, jogged over to Zhu Lan and said, "Miss Zhu Lan. Your Garchomp is truly too strong. Without you, our hunter group would have suffered unknown losses."
"It's what I should do!" Zhu Lan nodded, answering Sha Xie with great composure.
"Captain Sha Xie, should we set up camp here? After all, there are still many Trainers in this tunnel!" Chenxi said, "If we set up camp here, it will also be convenient for me to provide assistance to these people."
"Set up camp here, set up camp here!" Sha Xie also came to his senses and immediately commanded.
The patients who came to the medical room this time not only showed great respect for Chenxi but also for Zhu Lan.
After all, Garchomp, the Sinnoh quasi-legendary, held a status even more noble than the Salamence they were currently hunting.
But such a Small Elf appeared in the hands of this twelve-year-old girl, especially since this Garchomp was clearly exceptionally well-trained. For ordinary civilian Trainers, this was simply a myth.
So, even just by thinking about it, these Trainers could imagine the astonishing background of this little girl.
Before long, after dealing with the injured, Sha Xie came again to thank Zhu Lan.
Obviously, with a Trainer of such explosive strength suddenly appearing in the team, one who even possessed a Master-level quasi-legendary Small Elf,
how could Sha Xie be at ease? He was deeply afraid that Zhu Lan had a 'mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind' scheme in mind.
"Mr. Sha Xie, you've run over several times today. If there's anything, just speak directly!" Chenxi said.
"You've seen right through me." Hearing Chenxi's words, Sha Xie smiled a little awkwardly, but then went straight to the point, "I just wanted to ask what your thoughts are on this Ariados attack."
"Those 'Rage Powder' in the lake water must have been placed by the Ariados!" Chenxi said,
"These Spinarak and Ariados were basically waiting there.
When a large number of Pokémon carrying 'Rage Powder' passed through that area, they would begin to hunt.
They used the water current to destroy the invaders' foothold and eliminate the Fire Type Small Elves, which were quite troublesome for them.
After plunging the surroundings into darkness, the pheromones left by the 'Rage Powder' served as a guiding lighthouse for the Ariados.
It could be said to be a perfectly designed hunting trap. If Garchomp hadn't displayed its divine power, few people would have survived at that time."
"Yes, if Garchomp hadn't displayed its divine power, we would probably have had to retreat this time!"
Sha Xie's gaze turned to Chenxi, and he said with a serious expression, "Who exactly are you people? Don't worry, I'm not trying to pry into your background, it's just..."
Chenxi nodded in understanding: "I understand. It's just a feeling of unease, of something beyond your control appearing. In reality, we are indeed students of Qiefeng Academy; we haven't deceived you about that. She comes from Celestic Town, and I come from the Yuan Family. Our visit this time was indeed on a whim, to see the world. You can think of us as children from influential families coming out to experience life; we don't need any special treatment. Additionally, regarding the Tianwang-level Salamence egg, with her background, obtaining it wouldn't be difficult. As for me, I come from the Yuan Family and prefer Grass Type things, so you don't need to worry too much about us."
"Mm, I understand!" Sha Xie nodded, as if relieved. He said, "Little brother Chenxi, I'm relieved to hear that. However, you two have also been very helpful to our hunter group along the way. Once we successfully defeat the Salamence and obtain the Pokémon egg, you two can take anything you like from the Salamence's nest."
After speaking, Sha Xie left, but how much he truly believed Chenxi's words, only he himself knew.
"Finally got rid of him..." Chenxi turned to look at Zhu Lan.
Zhu Lan still had her face averted, showing no intention of acknowledging Chenxi.
Clearly, this young girl was still sulking with him!
The next day, the rested group set off again for the next supply point.
This time, after passing through the Ariados' cave, everyone could clearly feel that the weather, which should have been crisp and cool, was slowly becoming colder.
As the altitude gradually increased, everyone also put on the winter clothes they had already prepared.
