There seems to be something wrong with these Pokémon

Shuo Guye and his group followed Dr. Karasuo quietly and slowly. There were fewer and fewer people around until they stopped at an area blocked by a cordon where Miss Junsha was guarding the entrance of the cave.

Miss Junsha heard the noise from the side and turned around quickly. She did not let down her guard until she saw Dr. Karaso and saluted with a serious expression.

"Where's Carl?"

Dr. Karasuo looked around and it seemed that there was no one else around except Miss Junsha.

Where did that unlucky student of mine go?

"Just now, a suspicious man who claimed to be sent by the Pokémon League to assist in the operation came to talk to him. Mr. Carl was unsure of his purpose, so he led him away for the time being."

Miss Junsha trotted over and answered for Dr. Karasou.

"Someone sent by the Pokémon League?" Dr. Karasow frowned and turned back to give Dr. Oak a questioning look.

"There shouldn't be anyone else involved." Professor Oak was also confused by this sudden news. He thought for a long time before answering hesitantly.

It stands to reason that the fewer people who know about this, the better. Given the style of the Pokémon League, after he took on the task, they probably wouldn't send other assistants without his active request.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to ask for help from several outstanding novice trainers.

In addition to not attracting the attention of Team Rocket, it is also for the safety of this mission.

"Don't be so absolute, Professor Oak."

Shuo Gu Ye looked back in the direction of the voice, only to see a tall figure approaching from afar.

"The Pokémon League has sent me here specifically to protect the safety of the two professors. Please rest assured."

The man strode over from behind the boulder. He had a sturdy figure, was well-dressed, and had a pair of deep eyes sparkling on his handsome face.

His every move and tone of voice reveal an elegant temperament, and his voice is clear, gentle and amiable, which makes people unconsciously let down their guard.

"After all, the two doctors are the best in their respective professional fields. The loss of either of them would be unbearable for the Pokémon League. Please put your own safety first."

"You are...?" A hint of surprise flashed in Professor Oak's eyes.

"Long time no see, Professor Oak." The man walked slowly to Professor Oak and slowly extended his hand. "I am Sakaki, and I am also the master of Tokiwa Gym."

"Tokiwa Gym?" Dr. Karasuo looked at the two people's clasped hands and said, "It's such a long distance, I really trouble you to worry about it."

"Haha, no, no." Sakaki was not angry at the obviously targeted words. Instead, he smiled and said, "Since it is an order from the Pokémon League, I will come here without hesitation no matter how hard it is."

"It's Sakaki from the Earth!" Fujino Sakura leaned close to Sakuya Ye's ear and whispered, "I didn't expect him to come and participate in this operation. It seems that the Pokémon League is determined to win this operation."

"Ah."

Sakutani Ye responded to Fujino Sakura, his eyes full of Sakaki who was greeting the people around him in a friendly manner.

Among the eight first-level gyms in the Kanto region, the strongest one is the Honglian Gym run by Master Xia Bo.

Secondly, there is the Tokiwa Gym which is run by Sakaki who is known as the Earth.

As the first city that Sakaya passed through during his travels, it had always been a regret for Sakaya that he missed out on the Tokiwa Gym Tournament due to the gym master being away - he really wanted to meet who Sakaki really was.

Unexpectedly, the person I thought I could only see by returning to Tokiwa City would meet me here by chance.

"Haha, now that you're here, Sakaki, I don't have to worry anymore." Professor Oak laughed a few times and turned the topic to the younger generation beside him, introducing Sakaki, "By the way, they are..."

"I know them."

Sakaki suddenly interrupted Professor Oak's words, and when the three novice trainers looked at them in surprise, they saw Sakaki slightly bending his eyes and lowering his waist, and spoke one by one.

"Oki Shigeru, Fujino Sakura and..." For some reason, Sakaki's gaze moved to the boy next to Fujino Sakura and paused for a few seconds before continuing, "Sakuya Ye, right?"

"You know us?" Xiao Mao's face was inevitably tinged with a hint of surprise.

After all, to the busy Tokiwa Gym Leader, these three novice trainers are as numerous as Pikachus on the roadside. It is difficult to recognize their faces, not to mention that they have never met before. Yet, Sakaki can say their names right off the bat.

"Of course he knows him." Sakaki nodded with a smile and explained, "The grandson of Professor Oak, the genius trainer Oak Shigeru who obtained seven gym badges at an extremely fast speed in just a few months."

"And the girl who challenged me at the Tokiwa Gym and defeated the Pokémon I carefully raised with just two Pokémon, Fujino Sakura."

"Finally..." Sakaki's kind eyes finally fell on Sakuya Ye, "This heroic boy who has disrupted the conspiracy of the Kanto terrorist organization Team Rocket many times and stood up in both Cerulean City and Vermilion City, Sakuya Ye."

"correct."

Sakaki bowed slightly under the shocked gazes of the three novice trainers, and said in a very humble manner, "Including the crisis of the bombing of the Pokémon Center in Viridian City, it was thanks to your and Ooki Shigeru's help that no casualties were caused. As the leader of the Viridian Gym, I would like to apologize to the two of you for my negligence and express my gratitude to you."

"No, you don't have to do this. You're too kind." Sakuya Ye quickly moved aside to avoid Sakaki's bow and helped him up. "We just did what we should do as trainers. You don't have to do this."

"Let's put things in perspective." Sakaki stood up with the force from Sakuya Ye, still saying, "My admiration and apology do not conflict with this."

"Okay, stop talking. We don't have that much time."

After seeing Sakaki's actions, Dr. Karaso's expression improved a lot. At least he was no longer as blatantly suspicious and rejecting as he was at the beginning. Instead, he took the initiative to invite several people to stand next to Miss Junsha.

"We will go deeper into the cave. For the sake of confidentiality, no electronic products are allowed except old-fashioned film cameras used for recording." Miss Junsha bent down and diligently scanned Dr. Oak's trouser legs with a metal detector until it stopped making any noise. Then she nodded to signal the next person to take over.

Xiaomao's cell phone, the illustrated books of the three novice trainers, Sakaki's electronic watch, etc. were all confiscated by Miss Junsha without mercy. Only after confirming again that the few people had no other electronic products on them did she remove the cordon and let them pass, saluting at their backs for a long time as they moved forward.

----

"In the photos received by the Pokémon League, a few seconds before the island was about to be destroyed, a black shadow with wings appeared in the sky above the devastated island."

Professor Oak's voice echoed in the cave, seeming a little mysterious and unreal.

"I continued to track this clue and eventually caught signs of the shadow again near the Great Sand Valley. In addition, Dr. Karasuo took the initiative to contact me and said that there had been a large-scale abnormal migration and agitation of the ancient Pokémon in the cave recently. So I suspected that there was a connection between these two phenomena."

"Ancient Pokémon actually existed?" Fujino Sakura raised her foot to avoid the stalagmites standing on the ground, waving her flashlight left and right, "I always thought it was just something made up by passers-by."

"They are extremely rare and often gather in this cave." Dr. Carasso took over the topic. He was generous in sharing his knowledge in his professional field. "Move your flashlight upwards and take a closer look at the traces above."

Shuo Guye obediently moved the flashlight, but only saw stalactites of various shapes with a few drops of water hanging down.

"It's not those, look deeper." Dr. Karaso spoke at the right time.

The flashlight tilted slightly and shone directly into the space between two stalactites.

"did you see it?"

Shuo Gu Ye nodded. There were many scratches of varying depths carved on the stone wall. Looking closely, there seemed to be some strange patterns in the depressions created by the scratches.

"This is the mark left by the feet of the fossil helmet climbing on the stone wall." Dr. Karasuo continued to lead the others forward, "But since the riot, there are fewer ancient Pokémon here."

Sakaki walked among the group of people thoughtfully. The fine lines at the corners of his eyes did not make him look old. Instead, he had the temperament unique to a mature man, which was very reassuring.

"The situation is not optimistic." Sakaki murmured, "The Pokémon that live in groups are collectively migrating and agitated. Either there is some impending danger in this habitat that humans cannot perceive, but they can sense it and flee before the crisis comes."

"Or maybe there is some unspeakable horror here." Sakaki's eyes flashed with a gleam, "Under its threat, the other Pokémon had to leave this hotbed that nurtured them for many years and find a new home."

Shuo Guye suddenly stopped in his tracks, his expression dazed.

"That makes sense." Professor Oak continued, "And the ancient Pokémon that are common in the cave are probably the Fossil Helm and the Scythe Helm, and there is no conflict or competition between them. And because of their special diet, even if other Pokémon populations break in here, they should not conflict with the indigenous people here, but are more likely to coexist harmoniously."

Professor Oak, a professional Pokémon researcher, and Sakaki, an outstanding Pokémon trainer, discussed and listed several reasons for the restlessness of ancient Pokémon, and verified and eliminated them one by one.

Xiao Mao and Fujino Sakura were amazed by the three knowledgeable elders. They could not say a word and could only nod in agreement.

Shuoya Ye, who fell behind, bit his lower lip tightly and sweated profusely.

Veins began to bulge on his forehead, and his entire head felt as if it were being pricked by needles and felt a stabbing pain.

It seems like something...

[Get out! Leave! ! ]

----

There are many forks in the deep cave. Even a knowledgeable person like Dr. Carasso has not been able to fully map out the entire underground cave. He has to look at the hand-drawn map from time to time and twist around in the cave.

Some people with a very poor sense of direction, such as Fujino Sakura, were already dizzy and disoriented. They could only follow Dr. Carasso obediently, following his footsteps and not daring to deviate even a step.

"There are many forks in the underground road. You must follow closely and do not act on your own." Dr. Carasso repeatedly emphasized, "No matter what you hear or see, do not act on your own. Discuss with the group first before making a decision."

In a blink of an eye, there is another three-way fork in the road.

Dr. Karasou pondered over the map for a moment and chose the rightmost passage.

The others followed his lead.

Only Sakaki was left last for some reason. When the flashlight was about to disappear around the corner, he turned around and looked at the young man's increasingly heavy steps, holding onto the stone wall, and slowly walking towards the other passage, and he fell into deep thought.

After a moment, he chuckled, turned off the flashlight with a "click", took a few quick steps to stand behind Fujino Sakura and Xiao Mao, and used his tall figure to block their view of looking back.

"Excuse me, my flashlight seems to be out of battery. Please light it for me and walk in front."