Peril

Early the next morning, Yuga arrived at the entrance of the Pokémon Center in Castelia City at the agreed-upon time with Sora and Christine.

Because they had arrived quite early, although the Pokémon Center was open, there weren't many people inside, only Nurse Joy and Audino.

Although the three of them were not natives of the Unova region, Yuga and Sora had been to Pinwheel Forest once before. So, after each of them mounted their Flying Pokémon, they flew directly towards the entrance of Pinwheel Forest.

According to the map provided by Mr. Alder, the Underground World was located deep within Pinwheel Forest, a place that Yuga and the others had not ventured into before. The ruins they had previously visited were only in the area where the central and inner parts intersected, and the level of danger there couldn't compare to the innermost region.

As soon as they entered Pinwheel Forest, each of them released a Pokémon to protect themselves. This was common knowledge in the wilderness; otherwise, you wouldn't even know how you'd meet your end in such a perilous environment.

Sora released a Bellossom, Christine released a Tsareena, and Yuga released another Bellossom, just like Sora.

However, the moment Yuga released his Bellossom, a Sawsbuck deep within Pinwheel Forest suddenly raised its head, ignoring the several Deerling around it, and began walking towards the center of the forest.

To reach the depths of Pinwheel Forest, Yuga and the others had to pass through the man-made passages built on the outskirts of the forest.

Pinwheel Forest was vast, and the direction of the Underground World was not the same as the ruins they had visited before. So, Yuga and the others didn't need to deviate from the man-made passage like they did previously; they just had to follow it to the end.

The man-made passage was very safe, even though there were Pokémon all around. However, these Pokémon simply watched quietly as Yuga and his group passed by, without launching any attacks.

After passing through the man-made passage, more and more Pokémon began to appear around Yuga and the others. Although they still didn't encounter any Pokémon that attacked them, scenes of Pokémon squabbling with each other became more common.

When they encountered such situations, Yuga and his group always chose to steer clear from a distance. After all, their purpose on this journey was to complete the test task, and if they could avoid wasting time, they preferred to do so.

However, just as Yuga and his group were slowly advancing towards the depths of Pinwheel Forest, the Sawsbuck from the forest's depths was also gradually moving towards the central area.

But just as it was about to approach the central area, it was blocked by a Krookodile.

This Krookodile was in a state of confusion while practicing its move, Outrage. As a result, it began attacking the creatures around it, just as it coincidentally encountered the approaching Sawsbuck.

The Sawsbuck was in a hurry and had no intention of dealing with the Krookodile. It delivered a quick Double Kick to the Krookodile, sending it tumbling to the side.

This Krookodile was a pseudo-Elite level Pokémon. The Sawsbuck, in a hurry, so it didn't go all out, and the Double Kick didn't do much damage. So, although the Krookodile didn't snap out of its confusion, it didn't lose its ability to battle either.

After kicking the Krookodile, the Sawsbuck leaped over it and continued running towards the outside.

Meanwhile, Yuga and the others had been cautious throughout their journey, and they hadn't encountered any significant dangers until they arrived at a clearing according to the map.

Suddenly, they heard a rustling sound coming from the nearby bushes. Following that, a Pokémon leaped out of the undergrowth, soared over Yuga and the others' heads, and landed on the opposite side.

Upon seeing this Pokémon, Yuga's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected to encounter this Elite level Sawsbuck once again.

Not only Yuga but also Sora, who was next to Yuga, shared the same thought.

The Sawsbuck stared fixedly at Yuga with its unblinking eyes but made no move.

"What should we do?" Sora asked the others in a low voice.

Although the Sawsbuck didn't seem to be looking at Christine, she felt the pressure emanating from it.

Christine may not have an Elite level Pokémon, but she did possess a pseudo-Elite level Pokémon. Feeling the overwhelming aura coming from the Sawsbuck in front of her, she immediately realized it was an Elite level Pokémon.

Both Christine's Tsareena and Sora's Bellossom tensed up, watchful of the Sawsbuck across from them.

Neither of them considered fleeing, as they didn't believe their two legs could outrun a quadrupedal Pokémon like Sawsbuck.

Meanwhile, Yuga was about to tell Christine and Sora not to make any sudden moves when he saw Christine's Tsareena suddenly rush forward, and Sora's Bellossom unleashed a Magical Leaf, all aimed at the Sawsbuck.

Yuga sighed in exasperation, thinking, "Are these two trying to court disaster?"

The rushing Tsareena was swiftly kicked back by the Sawsbuck, losing its ability to battle instantly. The Magical Leaf from Bellossom had no effect on the Sawsbuck.

Christine recalled her Tsareena and was about to send out her Cacturne when Yuga intervened.

"You two, leave this to me," Yuga turned to them and said.

"But..." Sora hesitated.

Yuga reassured them, "Don't worry; I have a way to handle it."

Yuga's intention was not a selfless act of bravery; he simply wanted to get Christine and Sora out from here so he could send out his Volcarona. If they stayed, facing an Elite level Pokémon with their three Pokémon would be a futile endeavor.

Seeing that Yuga was serious and not joking, Christine said, "Alright, we'll meet up at the entrance to the Underground World."

Though Christine didn't know what method Yuga had to deal with the Sawsbuck, she could tell that Yuga was not someone who made jokes in situations like this.

And so, Christine pulled the reluctant Sora away swiftly, with his Bellossom closely following.

What puzzled Yuga, however, was that the Sawsbuck seemed entirely unconcerned about Christine and Sora's departure. It continued to fix its gaze on Yuga, making his scalp tingle with unease.

Anyone being stared down by an Elite level Pokémon would feel overwhelmed.

The Sawsbuck took a step toward Yuga, and Yuga thought it was about to attack. He immediately pulled his Bellossom aside and released his Volcarona.

As soon as Volcarona emerged, without a word, it unleashed a burst of flames that struck the Sawsbuck directly. The Sawsbuck was sent flying by the Flamethrower.

In that instant, the Sawsbuck's eyes held a look of disbelief. Yuga assumed it was astonished by Volcarona's power and paid it no further attention. Instead, he ordered Volcarona to pursue the Sawsbuck while it was still recovering from the attack.