"I mean, why don't we just get out of here?"
A young man's pleading voice echoed through the pitch-black cave.
His face was deathly pale.
Silas, walking ahead, didn't even look back.
"There's still one more missing person. Once we find him, we can leave."
"We've been searching for a long time already. Maybe they've been taken out by wild Pokémon here or maybe they couldn't find a safe spot to escape the flood."
The young man continued talking incessantly.
Silas shook his head, exasperated.
It was now the second morning since he had entered the Dark Cave, more than four hours after the floodwaters had receded at dawn. He and Elio had successfully located the second missing person over an hour ago.
However, this person's mental state was very different from Elio's.
Although he had only been trapped in the maze for a week, shorter than the remaining three, Silas and Elio could immediately tell that his psychological condition was not good.
Silas fully understood that a person in such an environment could be mentally stressed, but that was no reason to give up on the rescue.
"Calm down, Miles. We're already this far in. You won't get stuck here," Elio reassured the fragile young man.
"But what if… what if we can't find the way out? I really don't want to stay here another second."
Miles's voice was full of anguish.
Unlike Elio, who had sufficient supplies, the food in Miles's spatial backpack was limited.
For the entire week trapped in the maze, he had to constantly calculate how much food he had left. The less he had, the more desperate he became.
In a forest, one might survive on abundant natural resources, but the underground cave offered no berries or fruits to eat.
Even if there were, the Pokémon guarding them were far beyond his ability to handle.
Fortunately, Silas had appeared just as Miles was on the brink of despair.
All Miles wanted now was to escape.
"The other person might be in the same situation as you. If we find them quickly, we might save their life," Silas stated firmly.
"But…"
"Shh—"
Before Miles could say more, Silas stopped him.
A red shadow appeared in front of the three of them, it was Blaziken.
"Did you find them?" Silas asked.
Blaziken nodded in response, and the three exchanged looks of relief.
"However, the other person's condition isn't great. They seem to have fainted," Blaziken communicated through its Aura.
Silas frowned, but quickly relaxed.
"Lead the way."
Fainting was fine. As long as they were alive, Pokémon-world medical technology could handle the rest easily.
"Keep up!"
Silas followed Blaziken swiftly, calling out as he went.
Without needing to be told, the two others, already desperate to leave, pushed their potential to the limit and ran at full speed.
It was hard to tell that they had been trapped underground for so long.
After about five minutes, a man passed out on the ground came into view.
"Phew—"
The Pokémon beside him growled menacingly.
It resembled the bulldog from Silas's previous life, but it was upright and predominantly light purple, with black stripes on its wrists and neck, and massive canine teeth protruding from its jaw.
It was Grumpig, though heavily modified in design for this world.
"Blaziken, try to calm it down."
Silas glanced at it and left the task to Blaziken.
"Bang!"
The next moment, the four-limbed Grumpig, baring its huge teeth, was flung backward.
It hit the rock wall, clearly incapacitated.
"I meant… use your Aura to communicate and calm it down," Silas facepalmed.
Blaziken lowered its kicking leg and let out an embarrassed cry, having thought he meant a physical approach.
Miles swallowed nervously.
He suddenly realized this young man's temper might not be very good, so he probably brought some trouble on himself by talking so much earlier.
"Whatever, this works too. Less trouble for us," Silas said, scratching his head as he looked at the fallen Grumpig, without scolding Blaziken.
Grumpig looked ferocious, but in reality, it was timid. Flailing its limbs to scare opponents was probably its limit.
If Blaziken had used Aura to communicate, it might have caused the Pokémon's mind to break completely, not much different from the current result.
"Gigalith, come here and lend a hand."
Silas called to the Gigalith at the rear. It was time to use its size advantage.
He effortlessly lifted the unconscious man and placed him on Gigalith's back.
"Oh, and that little guy too."
Silas thought for a moment. Rather than manually placing the Grumpig in a Poké Ball, he let Blaziken throw the also-fainted Grumpig onto Gigalith's back.
Technically, it was on its Trainer's back.
"Can we go back now?"
Despite being intimidated by Blaziken's earlier outburst, Miles's mind was entirely focused on escaping, ignoring all other concerns.
He hurriedly asked Silas.
"All set. Let's go."
Silas nodded, reviewed the route in his memory, and confidently led the way.
After a sleepless night spent searching, he was eager to leave. The task had kept him occupied, but now he could finally rest.
The seemingly random maze, which had confused Miles and Elio, appeared remarkably simple under Silas's guidance—so simple that both began to worry he might be wandering aimlessly.
"Uh…"
Still Miles, who seemed to want to say something despite Silas decisively choosing the cave passage.
"Uh~"
A sudden groan interrupted him.
The man on Gigalith's back had woken up.
"We've been rescued! We're almost out."
Elio, walking beside him, spoke to the dazed and slightly wary man.
"Thank you," the man's voice was hoarse.
He took the water Elio handed him and sipped it slowly. His body couldn't withstand any more strain at the moment.
"Did this kid faint while protecting me?"
Looking at the Grumpig beside him, the man asked.
"Yes, that's right," Elio confirmed.
The man nodded and didn't say anything further.
He struggled to take out a Poké Ball and recalled his partner.
"Stay on Gigalith's back for now. It might be a little uncomfortable, but at least it's better than walking yourself."
Just as he was about to move, Silas's voice reached him.
Feeling the soreness in his back and considering his current condition, he chose to follow Silas's advice.
The stone was hard, but at least it wouldn't exhaust him to the point of fainting again.
"My name is Kanen, thank you very much for rescuing me. Once we're out, if there's anything you need, just let me know."
The unconscious man introduced himself.
"It's not us. We're just as unlucky as you, Kanen. Miles and I were both trapped here too," Elio replied simply, noting that Silas was focused on leading the way.
"No matter what, we still have to thank you for not giving up on searching after being rescued."
Though Kanen had only just awoken from unconsciousness, his mind was sharp.
Miles stayed silent, and Elio didn't add anything more. The two middle-aged men chatted quietly.
"The light… I see it—it's the sun!"
Led by Silas, the group soon exited the maze and reached the cave mouth near Violet City.
Miles saw the light in the distance and bolted madly toward the exit.
Outside the cave, the Pokémon Center staff who had been guarding the entrance quickly reported the sudden appearance of the missing people to their Gym Leader.
In Violet Gym, Gym Leader Walker was training his son Falkner when he received the news. His expression instantly shifted from anger to joy.
"Good, good, I'll head there right away!"
He immediately hung up the phone, eager to leave.
As he walked out, he instructed Falkner.
"Falkner, contact the Pokémon Center and have Nurse Joy prepare for their medical checks."
"Understood," Falkner nodded.
He was aware of the recent events and, after all, was the legitimate heir of Violet Gym.
"That guy really is impressive," he thought quietly.
"Hello, this is Falkner from Violet Gym. Is Nurse Joy available?"
Falkner immediately took action.
Clear bird cries echoed across Violet City. Curious residents looked up.
The city was a no-fly zone, so who dared so blatantly break the rules?
A silver flash streaked across the sky, visible even in broad daylight.
"This is our Gym Leader Walker from Violet City. Amazing, isn't he?"
Seeing this, the residents proudly explained their Gym Leader to the visiting travelers.
"I heard Walker's ace is Skarmory, but can it really fly that fast? It's almost as fast as Pidgeot!"
One trainer sighed in admiration.
"Yes, yes. No wonder he's called the strongest Flying-type Gym Leader. His strength is incredible."
The crowd continued to discuss excitedly.
As Walker rushed to the Dark Cave, Silas and the rescued group emerged onto the surface.
"Haa—"
Elio took a deep breath of fresh air, enjoying the warmth of the midday sun. He felt an incomparable sense of happiness.
Only someone who has narrowly escaped death could truly understand this feeling.
"Welcome back."
The staff of Violet Gym, dressed in uniform, greeted them.
"Gym Leader Walker will arrive shortly. Nurse Joy's ambulance is on the way. Soon, you'll be able to rest on a soft bed."
Their words were full of congratulations.
"Thud."
At that moment, a heavy object landed.
Walker, like a superhero, emerged from the dust under everyone's watchful eyes.
Silas subtly shook his head.
Walker immediately understood, the five missing people only had three survivors.
A sixty percent survival rate, not bad.
"Thank you all for your hard work. Your families are already waiting for you at the Pokémon Center."
"Thank you very much, Gym Leader Walker."
The three rescued individuals were visibly moved by Walker's arrival.
This was a true Elite Four-level trainer.
Normally, they would never have the chance to meet one in person.
Though Silas interacted naturally with Gym Leaders, it was his talent and connections that created that impression.
In reality, any Elite-Four-level trainer was out of reach for ordinary people, and Gym Leaders were even more untouchable.
The rescue was complete, and follow-up work continued in an orderly manner.
Kanen had fainted, indicating his body had reached its limit. The other two were exhausted but conscious.
Their survival was entirely thanks to willpower and the desire to live.
"I won't be formal about this. I'll report your reward and transfer it to you afterward."
Watching the three being lifted into the ambulance, Walker said to Silas.
Even though Gym Leaders had authority, protocol had to be followed; this wasn't a one-man show.
"Alright," Silas said with a smile.
The payoff was significant, the value of a damaged black badge alone justified the effort.
He also trusted that Walker would treat him fairly.
At worst, he could report back to his senior for extra credit.
"By the way, Senior Walker, I suspect there may be ruins near Violet City."
Walking toward the city, Silas briefly explained the rescue process.
"Lampent?" Walker furrowed his brow.
It was possible.
The appearance of Ghost-type Pokémon rarely goes unnoticed. Apart from graveyards, ruins are the most likely places.
"I understand. I'll have people investigate the area."
Walker acknowledged.
Silas didn't mention introducing an archaeological team.
Although he knew the famous Professor White, Walker had far more resources, and Silas didn't think he needed his help.
During this downtime, Silas also asked about training Flying-type Pokémon, gaining valuable advice.
Especially regarding Pidgeot surpassing Elite-Four-level trainers, Walker gave strong guidance.
"You've been busy all night. Rest here for a while, and tonight I'll treat you to a meal."
Walker led Silas to the Violet Gym's guest room reserved for VIPs.
After a brief conversation, Walker left to handle other matters.
"Haa—"
Closing the door and lying on the bed, Silas immediately fell into a deep sleep.
....
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