Chapter 42: Life‑and‑Death Speed

He hung up the phone, and a sharp, piercing screech came from deep within the cave, accompanied by the buzzing of flapping wings, growing nearer and denser, as if an army of thousands were closing in.

"No... not good! The Zubat swarm inside the cave has been startled!" A Da, who was bound, turned pale, his voice trembling, "Quick... run away!"

"It's too late." Xiao Gang said gravely, and decisively tossed a Pokeball, "Golem, come out!"

A flash of red light streaked, and the massive Golem instantly appeared in the cavern, its body occupying almost half the space.

"Golem, coil up and form a barrier with your body to protect us!" Xiao Gang ordered sternly.

The Golem immediately understood, its sturdy body coiling rapidly, soon forming a spire‑shaped "fortress" that shielded Xiao Gang, the Researcher, and Pikachu in the center.

"Huo La, get in quickly!" Xiao Gang shouted from within the "fortress".

Huo La immediately recalled his Beedrill, Scyther, and Nidorina, then glanced at the trembling Rocket Team four brothers, and instructed Bulbasaur, "Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip to pull them in together!"

Bulbasaur instantly wrapped the four brothers' waists with Vine Whip, dragging them to the edge of the Golem's "fortress".

Seeing this, Xiao Gang promptly made the Golem create a gap, allowing Huo La, Bulbasaur, and the bound four brothers to slip inside.

After taking cover, Huo La looked outward through the gap in the Golem's body—only to see a black, dense swarm of Zubats surging from the depths of the cave, like a moving black cloud, the buzzing of their wings making ears ache.

More strikingly, among them were a few green Shiny Zubats, standing out conspicuously in the blue mass.

Huo La felt a stir—Shiny Zubats are extremely rare Pokémon variants, generally possessing higher Su Xing than ordinary Pokémon; capturing one would be a delightful surprise.

But he quickly suppressed the thought: the Zubats outside were countless, swarming densely over the Golem's body, constantly gnawing its rocky plates with their sharp fangs.

If they rushed out now, not even to catch a Shiny Zubat, they'd likely be surrounded by the swarm and have their blood drained, turning into dried corpses.

"Why are these Zubats suddenly agitated?" Xiao Gang asked, frowning as he stared at the scene outside.

A Si, bound beside them, spoke tremblingly: "I... we were just looking for the Moon Stone, broke into a Zubat nest in the cave... then escaped using the GasBomb's Smokescreen. The battle noise must have drawn them here!"

Huo La let out a cold snort, looking at the Golem: although the Zubats' gnawing couldn't breach the Golem's defense for now, continued wear would eventually drain its stamina.

"We need to find a way to lure them away," Huo La said gravely, his eyes scanning the cavern quickly for a chance to break the stalemate.

"Even conservatively, there are hundreds of Zubats outside, maybe even evolved Golbats! We can't even stick our heads out now, how can we lure them?" A Da, still bound, retorted helplessly, his tone full of despair.

"Counting on you is useless," Huo La said, too lazy to argue, and tossed another Pokeball, "Nidorina, come out!"

The moment Nidorina landed, Huo La pointed at the ground and ordered, "Nidorina, use Dig! Dig an underground passage from here to the cave entrance."

"Nido!" Nidorina responded, instantly arched her body, her sharp claws swiftly digging into the ground. Soil fell away, and a pitch‑black opening quickly appeared before everyone.

Xiao Gang's eyes lit up, instantly grasping Huo La's plan: "Good idea! Geodude, you help too—enlarge the opening and clear away the excavated rocks!"

Geodude immediately rolled to the entrance, smashing large rocks with its body, then pushing the debris aside, and the opening widened at a visibly rapid pace.

Huo La turned to A San and A Si, who were cowering nearby, and said coldly, "What are you still standing around for? Send your Karrablast and Machop to help! If you don't want the Zubats to drain you, stop hiding!"

A San and A Si exchanged a glance, dared not hesitate, and hurriedly shouted to their Pokémon, "Karrablast, use Bone Club to dig! Machop, you push the rocks too!"

Although Karrablast and Machop had been battered into exhaustion earlier, they could only grit their teeth and act now—after all, no one wants to become a Zubat's "snack".

With everyone's combined effort, in just a short time a subterranean passage wide enough for a person to crouch through was completed.

Huo La crouched, feeling the hardness of the tunnel wall, reined in Bulbasaur, and after confirming safety said, "I'll go ahead with Nidorina to scout. If the entrance side is safe, she'll return to inform you all."

He turned to Xiao Gang Ge, "Xiao Gang Ge, you take A Er and the GasBomb last—once everyone has passed through the tunnel, recall the Golem and have the GasBomb release a Smokescreen to cover us, so the Zubats don't chase us down the tunnel."

"No problem!" Xiao Gang nodded decisively, then looked at A Er, "Your GasBomb can coordinate, right?"

A Er quickly bowed and nodded, "Yes! Definitely! GasBomb, wait for this brother's command!"

Huo La said no more, gestured to Nidorina, and bent to slip into the tunnel.

Nidorina followed closely, clawing ahead to clear the way; soon only the crawling sounds of two people and a Pokémon remained in the tunnel.

Xiao Gang, staying behind, kept his eyes fixed on the Zubat swarm outside the Golem—its gnawing grew increasingly frantic, and a few fine scratches already marred the Golem's plates, clearly unable to hold out much longer.

"Just hold on a little longer..." Xiao Gang muttered softly, his palms slightly sweaty.

A moment later, Nidorina poked her head out from the other end of the tunnel and called to Xiao Gang inside the cavern, "Nido~"

That crisp voice was the signal of safety.

Xiao Gang's tense nerves eased slightly, and he turned to the Researcher huddled in the corner, urging, "You take Pikachu and crawl into the tunnel first, move quickly!"

He then looked at the bound A Da, A San, and A Si, "You three follow behind, don't dawdle!"

The Researcher hurriedly scooped up the trembling Pikachu, bent and slipped into the tunnel. The three bound men also dared not hesitate, pushing and shoving each other to follow.

Finally only Xiao Gang, A Er, and the poised GasBomb remained.

"A Er, are you ready?" Xiao Gang asked. A Er nodded repeatedly, "Ready! GasBomb, ready to deploy the Smokescreen at any moment!"

"Gas~" the GasBomb wobbled its round body, ready.

"Release!" Xiao Gang commanded. The GasBomb erupted a dense Smokescreen, instantly filling the entire cavern, even the Golem's massive body disappearing into White Fog.

Taking advantage of the moment the Smokescreen blocked sight, Xiao Gang swiftly recalled the Golem and, as the last, bent and slipped into the tunnel.