Chapter 421: The Magic of the Sandwich

Watching Chi Ri, Spinel, and their Pokemon fight farther and farther away, Huo La stood up, brushed the dust and stones off himself, turned to Paipa who was still crouching on the ground and said, "Let's go, let's see if Terapagos is still there."

"Huh?" Paipa looked up with a bewildered expression, stared at the debris of stones and rubble covering the ground, frowned and asked, "It's all collapsed like this, how can we see? There's stone everywhere."

"How else can we see? Just move it aside," Huo La said, patting Paipa's shoulder, "Release your Saltstone Giant, it's strong and works fast."

Paipa was startled, eyes wide, "Eh? How do you know I have a Saltstone Giant?"

Huo La shrugged, a casual look on his face, "Just guessed."

Paipa clearly didn't believe it, curled his lip with a "who are you kidding" expression, but didn't ask further, obediently took out a Pokeball, tossed it lightly, and the massive form of the Saltstone Giant appeared instantly, landing steadily on the ground.

"Saltstone Giant, use Gravity Skill, reverse control, lift these stones and clear a passage," Paipa commanded the Saltstone Giant.

The Saltstone Giant let out a low rumble, a faint aura flared around it, and the Gravity Skill activated instantly.

The piled stones, which had been stacked high, strangely began to levitate, drifting slowly to the side, quickly clearing a passage leading deep into the collapsed Cave.

Entering the Cave, the brilliant glow that the crystals had emitted earlier had vanished, but at least the sight was still enough to make out the surroundings.

In the center of the Cave, the clear spring hadn't been buried by stones; its surface remained calm, and it was evident that the spring was absurdly deep, its bottom nowhere in sight.

Huo La crouched at the spring's edge, staring at the water, his brows slightly furrowed, lost in thought.

Paipa also crouched over, moved beside him, murmuring softly, "Huo La, the battle was so noisy earlier, Terapagos must have been scared away, right? It probably won't come out again."

Huo La let out a light sigh, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness and a touch of teasing, "I know the odds are slim, I'm just here to try my luck. What if I'm naturally attractive to Pokemon, could that lure it out?"

Paipa immediately rolled his eyes, a look of disdain on his face, "You can brag all you want, being naturally attractive to Pokemon? I don't believe it......"

Before he could finish, the spring's surface suddenly rippled with tiny faint waves, and then a small blue head slowly emerged from the water, its round big eyes full of confusion and a hint of shy fear, staring straight at Huo La and Paipa.

"What the—? No way! This is so bizarre?" Paipa's eyes widened instantly, a shocked expression toward Huo La, "You really have that charisma?"

Huo La was momentarily stunned, then shook his head, his gaze landing on Paipa's backpack, and said, "Don't overthink it, I recall you always carry a sandwich in your bag; take one out and try it, maybe it can lure it over."

Paipa's eyes lit up instantly, thumped his thigh, "Right! How could I have forgotten that!"

Saying that, he quickly reached into his backpack, and in no time pulled out a wrapped sandwich, handing it carefully to the edge of the spring.

Terapagos's gaze now held a bit more confusion, tilting its small head as it looked at the sandwich in Paipa's hand, but its nose twitched involuntarily, clearly drawn by the aroma.

It hesitated, its tiny body slowly moving toward Paipa, and when it reached the sandwich, it could no longer hold back and took a bite.

Paipa watched the scene, also surprised, murmuring softly, "I didn't expect my sandwich to actually work!"

Huo La turned his head to look at Paipa, then glanced at the Terapagos, its body still submerged with only its small head out, chewing the sandwich heartily, and thought to himself with a snide remark:

"Damn it, it can't be a female Terapagos, right? They say to catch a female Pokemon you have to catch its stomach first—could that be true?"

Aside from the rant, Huo La didn't waste any time.

After Terapagos finished the sandwich completely, lingeringly licking its mouth, Huo La finally spoke slowly, his tone gentle, fearing to startle it, "Terapagos, we need your help."

Listening to Huo La, the small head of Terapagos glanced at him lightly, its round eyes filled with deep wariness, its body subtly pulled back into the water, a defensive posture.

Huo La didn't mind its wariness, continuing on his own, "Those two people just now deliberately crossed a hundred years to get here, their goal was to catch you. They're not good people; once they catch you, nothing good will happen."

But the wariness in Terapagos's eyes remained unchanged, still staring at Huo La, its gaze full of defense.

Huo La lowered his head, glanced at his own Explorer Team uniform, then pointed at Paipa's, and with a helpless smile said, "Don't get us wrong, we're not with them. We were kidnapped by those two, and now they've started fighting and ran away. We also want to get out of here quickly and return to our own place."

Even so, the wariness in Terapagos's eyes didn't lessen at all, still on guard, unwilling to relax a bit.

Huo La frowned, thought for a moment, turned to point at Paipa beside him, and continued urging, "Look at him, he can make such a tasty sandwich, how could he be a bad person? He's originally a cook, just makes food, and was forced by those two earlier, so he had to come here."

When that was said, Terapagos finally reacted, slowly turning its head toward Paipa, its round eyes losing much of the wariness, gaining some curiosity, and it tilted its small head slightly, assessing Paipa.

Seeing this, Huo La quickly nudged Paipa with his elbow, giving him a look.

Paipa immediately caught on, hurriedly pulled another sandwich from his backpack, carefully handing it to Terapagos, his face bearing a simple smile.

Huo La seized the chance to speak again, his tone tinged with temptation, "Follow him, help us get out of here, and he'll make you a different sandwich every day, all kinds of flavors, guaranteed you'll never get enough."

Perhaps Huo La's words truly moved it, or perhaps the sandwich's scent was too tempting; Terapagos's small head lifted slightly, and its body moved closer to Paipa voluntarily.

"Hehe, you two are trying to betray the Explorer Team, aren't you!"