Cutting Off the Retreat

"You have remarkably sharp senses. Nothing like a high school student who just graduated. Far better than this idiot, at least. Ye Ling, Awakened of the Power of Darkness!" The icy words came from the cave behind them, spoken by a male voice none of them had heard before.

"Who are you?" Xiao Ran stepped forward, shielding Ye Ling behind him as he swiftly summoned Popplio. Ye Ling summoned Sneasel and Froakie at the same time. Jiang Cheng was a beat slower, but seeing their reactions, he quickly caught on and summoned Magnemite to guard his side.

"Tsk, tsk. Just listen to that lovely voice. Xiao Ran, Nancheng's renowned Moon Awakener, with breeding skills rivaling those of a Senior Pokémon Breeder." The man spoke again. This time, he finally rounded the last bend and appeared before the four of them.

Their gazes sharpened at the sight of him. He was one of the black-robed men from the reef, apparently the highest-ranking one. Threads of gold trimmed his black robe, and an enormous Nidoking followed behind him. His footsteps were quiet; clearly, he was also afraid of waking the giant Torkoal sleeping in the cave.

Thud! Nidoking tossed someone onto the ground. The four looked over and realized it was their classmate, Gu You.

"It's Gu You! What's he doing in the Secret Realm?" Jiang Cheng exclaimed. When they left, the guy had still been in the classroom, preparing dinner with everyone else.

"Obviously, he saw us come in and followed us," Xiao Ran said, curling his lip. The idiot simply hadn't expected to be captured as soon as he entered. That also explained how the man knew their names. Gu You must have told him.

"Correct. That's exactly what happened." The man nodded, looking at Xiao Ran with admiration.

"What have you done to him?" Shen Yue demanded. He was their classmate, after all. No matter how bad their relationship was, they couldn't just stand by and watch him die.

"Nothing. We only had a chat. We wouldn't do anything to such a cooperative high school student. As for you, though, I really will have to give some thought to how I should deal with you." The man stroked his chin, regarding the four with an amused look.

"A gold-trimmed black robe. He's a Hall Master, at least Gym Leader Class," Ye Ling said gravely. Their already tense hearts sank. Gym Leader Class was a level they had absolutely no hope of matching.

"You seem to know quite a bit about our organization. Let me think. If I remember correctly, you were the test subject rescued five years ago, weren't you? Tsk, tsk. The only child who experienced Awakening of the Power of Darkness. You really ought to thank our Hall." The man narrowed his eyes, his gaze on Ye Ling brimming with menace.

"Grrr..." Nidoking let out a series of low growls. Its terrifying presence left them shaken. Jiang Cheng and Shen Yue even felt their legs trembling under the pressure of its overwhelming strength.

"I suggest you keep it quiet. I assume you don't want to face that giant Torkoal either?" Ignoring Nidoking's intimidation, Xiao Ran drew a handgun from behind his back and aimed it at the giant Torkoal in the magma behind them. A bullet wouldn't hurt Torkoal, but it would be enough to wake it.

"You've got some nerve! But do you really think that will scare me? Even if it wakes up, I can escape unscathed. You, on the other hand, will definitely die," the man said fearlessly.

"I never thought waking it would be enough to do anything to you. But you won't have time to wait for it to fall asleep again and prepare your capture plan. Once we go missing, the Alliance will send people to investigate tomorrow. You won't be able to hide. You have to finish everything and withdraw today," Xiao Ran said with a faint smile.

"What a troublesome Awakened. You certainly live up to your reputation as a top student. I know the chances are slim, but I still have to ask: interested in working for me? I guarantee you'll have a limitless future." The man rubbed his brow, looking at Xiao Ran as though he were a headache.

"If you know the chances are slim, you'd be better off not asking. Since you know who I am, you should also know that I might join any organization in the world except your Hall. We're irreconcilable enemies." Xiao Ran sneered, then pulled the trigger under the man's stunned gaze.

Bang! Roar!

The gunshot echoed through the Magma Cave. Xiao Ran's aim was terrible, and he only hit Torkoal's back, but even that was enough to wake it. A thunderous roar followed. Torkoal raised its slender neck, its small eyes fixing on the people at the cave entrance with fury.

"You lunatic! Nidoking, Hyper Beam!" the man bellowed, his expression darkening. Now that Torkoal was awake, there was no reason to keep quiet.

"Run!" Xiao Ran shouted, turning and leading the others into the Magma Cave. Although vast pools of magma covered the floor, there were still plenty of flat rocks they could walk on—provided Torkoal didn't target them.

"Roar!" Nidoking bellowed. White light gathered in its mouth, then became a beam that shot toward Xiao Ran and the others.

"Jump down, now!" Seeing Hyper Beam about to fire, Xiao Ran shouted. There was no time to follow the narrow path down. With Popplio, he leaped straight off the stone walkway, three or four meters high. Hyper Beam skimmed over their heads and slammed into Torkoal.

"ROAR!" As a powerful Normal-type move, Hyper Beam possessed unparalleled destructive power. Even the Dynamaxed Torkoal was left with a white mark on its shell. Fortunately, Torkoal's naturally strong defenses, combined with Dynamax, allowed it to withstand the hit. But the fury it provoked was on an entirely different level from that single bullet.

"Grrr..." Torkoal extended its limbs from its shell, glaring furiously at Nidoking by the cave entrance. Thick smoke poured from its back and nostrils, revealing just how enraged it was.

"Watch out! Take cover!" Seeing flames gather in Torkoal's mouth, Xiao Ran had no time to catch his breath after landing. He led the others behind a massive boulder. This was a clash of titans now. If ants like them wanted to live, all they could do was hide.

"Roar!" With another furious bellow, Torkoal finally unleashed the flames brewing in its mouth. The searing heat made Xiao Ran and the others feel as though they were about to evaporate.

"Popplio, come back for now!" Xiao Ran recalled Popplio into its Poké Ball. If these Water-type Pokémon stayed outside any longer, they would die of dehydration. Jiang Cheng's Magnemite was in similar straits. It was already struggling to stay airborne, and its metal body felt scorching to the touch.

"Damn it! Come out, Quagsire! Use Protect!" With Nidoking immobilized by Hyper Beam's recoil, the black-robed man grimly summoned another Pokémon: the Water- and Ground-type Quagsire. He used Protect to defend against Torkoal's lethal attack.

Boom! Explosions reverberated through the cave. Torkoal's Flamethrower was so hot that even the rocks beside the entrance melted. Quagsire's Protect struggled desperately to hold it back, but ultimately withstood the attack. By then, however, Quagsire lay sprawled on the ground as though utterly drained, probably unable to do anything more.

"That Torkoal is terrifying! I feel like I'm about to burst into flames!" Jiang Cheng exclaimed. In such intense heat, there wasn't even a trace of sweat on him. It had all evaporated.

"Never mind you. Even something with Flash Fire might not withstand temperatures like this," Shen Yue said in horror.

Having been born into a Fire-type Gym family, she was more than familiar with high temperatures. Yet even she was still shaken by that Flamethrower. She had never felt such heat even from her father's ace Charizard, which meant this giant Torkoal might already have surpassed Gym Leader Class.

"Damn it. Come back, Quagsire. Nidoking, we're leaving!" Unable to overpower it, the man glanced at Xiao Ran and the others in the Magma Cave, recalled Quagsire, and prepared to retreat. He intended to return once Torkoal calmed down. Just then, however, a series of rumbling crashes came from behind him—the sound of the cave collapsing.

"What's going on?" The man looked back, a flicker of panic crossing his eyes. A small figure flashed past, darting by him toward the group in the Magma Cave.

"Damn you! You destroyed the cave? Now none of us can get out!" The man turned back and roared at Xiao Ran.

"You can't blame me for that. You forced our hand!" Xiao Ran sneered. Seeing panic on the man's face suddenly put him in a very good mood.

He had already made his preparations before firing. As the gunshot rang out and their escape drew the man's attention, Sneasel had used its agility to circle behind him. Then, with repeated Metal Claws, it had completely destroyed the cave passage behind him, cutting off his retreat.

Their little group had no way to deal with Torkoal. Only by forcing the man to stay would they make him fight Torkoal with everything he had to survive, giving Xiao Ran and the others a chance to find a way out alive.

"You lunatic!" the man shouted, his face grim. Rummaging through the bag he carried, he took out another Poké Ball. This time, he summoned an Aerodactyl, the strongest ace in his team.

"Everyone, be careful. Torkoal is coming out!" Xiao Ran said gravely, keeping a constant watch on the situation. He knew perfectly well how powerful Dynamax was. It was a power even greater than Z-Moves and Mega Evolution. Mega Evolution only raised base stats by twenty to thirty percent, while a Pokémon proficient in Dynamax could nearly double its stats. The gap was simply too great. That was why Xiao Ran had never entertained the slightest thought of fighting it from the start. He only wanted to get everyone through this clash of titans alive.