Having defeated two opponents, Krokorok stood in the middle of the battlefield. Its dark red eyes swept over its victory as a powerful aura of confidence and ferocity, Qi, rose from its body.
"Great job, Krokorok!" Xinhai stepped forward and carefully inspected Krokorok's arms—the scale-covered fists bore only a few faint white marks and were otherwise unharmed.
He gave Krokorok's rock-hard shoulder a firm pat, his eyes full of approval. "Your strength, timing, and calmness when dealing with a pincer attack were all excellent! But keep working hard. Try to completely adapt to this new fighting style over the next couple of days."
"Hehro!" Krokorok let out a low growl, its voice carrying satisfaction and a trace of battle intent that had yet to fully subside.
It flexed its thick arms, feeling the surging power within its body, and its gaze became even more resolute.
"Vee! (◕ᴗ◕✿)" (Krokorok is amazing!) Eevee scampered over and patted Krokorok's sturdy thigh with a tiny paw—it was the only part Eevee could reach at that height.
"Blazi." (Not bad.) Blaziken nodded slightly as well, acknowledging Krokorok's current strength.
Even Weedle in Xinhai's breast pocket poked out its little head, chirping "Wumi wumi," its black bead-like eyes filled with admiration.
"Alright, everyone, stay alert. We'll keep moving." Xinhai gestured for everyone not to relax.
Blaziken nodded, its blue eyes vigilantly sweeping the surroundings as it continued leading the way.
Xinhai checked the map displayed on the Pokédex, compared it with the surroundings, and led the team deeper along passages dug out by Trainers and Pokémon.
Before long, they arrived beside a cliff.
On the other side of the cliff was a waterfall pouring down from higher up. The current was not especially rapid, but its falling roar remained clearly audible within the relatively enclosed cave.