Seeing this, Xia You could not help moving closer to Charmeleon, hoping to draw a little warmth from the flame on its tail.
After he passed through the long, narrow tunnel, the space around him suddenly opened up, tall and vast, as though most of the mountain had been hollowed out. Sunlight shone through gaps overhead, making it far less dim than he had imagined.
Looking around again, he saw passages branching through the cavern in every direction, with no telling where they led.
However, clear traces of battle remained here. Judging by the damaged stone walls and broken pillars, there was no telling how many Pokémon Trainers had made it through the maze and reached this place over the years.
"Follow me."
Led by Haunter, Xia You continued deeper, turning left and right until they finally reached a burrow only a meter in diameter.
The cavern was also home to large numbers of Pokémon. Along the way, flashes of red appeared from time to time-the eyes of Pokémon hidden in the darkness, staring fixedly at him with hostility!
But at the sight of so many intruders arriving together, none dared approach to harass them.
Claw marks covered the area around the burrow. Xia You bent down and touched the loose stones and dirt scattered beside it. The burrow had long since dried and hardened. It probably had not been formed in battle, but had simply been dug by a Pokémon such as Sandshrew as it traveled.
The interior was pitch-black and dropped straight down. Xia You shone his flashlight inside, but could not see the bottom at all!
Haunter said, "This burrow might look unremarkable, like something you could find anywhere in the caves, but it's a shortcut! Going down here will take us through several levels at once,