Chapter 75

Hu Tao opened her Pokédex, looking at her bewildered Gible after it had head-butted the wall.

"Hm? Missed?"

"If it's this type of Pokémon… it would indeed be hard to hit!"

Xiangling took a deep breath, patting her chest, her eyes still wide with shock.

"I didn't scream for help just now, that was already brave enough of me!"

"W-What?"

"This type of Pokémon…"

"Hu Tao, are you saying that old woman was actually a Pokémon?"

As she spoke, Hu Tao suddenly shone the light from her Pokédex on Xiangling, startling her so much she nearly stumbled.

"Ah! What are you doing!"

Xiangling, easily frightened, was already on edge; Hu Tao's sudden moves often left her spooked.

Hu Tao said seriously:

"That's right! We've discovered a new type of Pokémon!"

"They can create illusions to scare people."

"But, Xiangling, seeing how spooked you were, maybe you should wait at the entrance of the cave for me."

"I'll let Gible help me with the photos! You're not as brave as Sharky here!"

This provocation worked.

Xiangling's voice turned indignant. "I'm not that scared!"

"Fine!"

Hu Tao smirked, twisting her head and continuing deeper into the cave.

Along the way, they encountered more of the spooky phantoms that had startled them earlier. But Hu Tao, immune to such tricks, led on, and even Xiangling began to adapt, enduring each "jump scare" they encountered.

Suddenly, they emerged into an underground cavern.

Snap!

The moment they stepped in, Hu Tao's Gible, Xiangling's Larvesta, and Scyther all collapsed, falling unconscious.

"Heh heh…"

An eerie laugh echoed.

From the shadows, a dark purple Pokémon with scarlet eyes and a sinister smile floated into view.

"So, you were the one lurking here!"

Hu Tao, fearless as ever, quickly scanned the Pokémon with her Pokédex.

Beep!

Gengar, the Shadow Pokémon. Overlord of this area. Trainers are advised to escape immediately. Extreme danger!

The mechanical voice from the Pokédex sounded, and then more than twenty ghostly figures floated out from the surrounding darkness.

Gastly and Haunter were among them.

But the Gengar before them stood out as the clear leader. Xiangling, already tense, gripped the long spear she had brought with her, eyeing Gengar warily.

The levels of Gastly and Haunter varied, but Xiangling didn't sense a serious threat from them.

However…

The Overlord-level Gengar was different.

Even without the Pokédex explicitly stating its level, Xiangling felt a strong, life-threatening danger emanating from it.

It was clear that Xiangling and Hu Tao had relied solely on their personal strength to make it this far.

Without higher-evolved Pokémon to protect them, they had narrowly avoided being toyed with by smaller ghosts outside.

The Gastly and Haunter had left them alone, deciding to let their boss deal with the two intruders.

Xiangling broke into a cold sweat.

"What do we do, Hu Tao!"

"This thing… it's terrifying!"

Hu Tao remained calm. "I know it's dangerous!"

"My martial arts skills might be a bit stronger than yours."

"If I use an Elemental Burst… maybe we can hold our ground for a while?"

The two friends exchanged a knowing glance.

They instantly understood each other, quickly recalling their unconscious Pokémon back into their Poké Balls.

Then, without any further communication needed, they took off at full speed.

Outside the cave.

They collapsed to the ground, legs weak, but they didn't even pause to catch their breath. Instead, their eyes remained fixed on the cave entrance.

After a few minutes of waiting, they were relieved to see that the Overlord-level Gengar hadn't followed them.

"Phew!"

"So ghost Pokémon really do exist!"

"Hu Tao, you nearly got us killed! Weren't you the brave one? I saw you didn't even draw a weapon; you didn't even consider trying to fight it!"

Hu Tao stood up, casting a teasing look at her friend, who was still seated on the ground.

"What are you, a staff maker?"

"I'm a human with a mortal body, while that Overlord Gengar is a fully-fledged Pokémon."

"I'll consider fighting it only after I gain some wisdom!"

After this harrowing experience, both Xiangling and Hu Tao realized just how dangerous the ecological zone could be.

Even an unassuming hidden area could contain creatures as powerful as elemental lords or ancient rock dragons—overlord-level Pokémon with battle strength to match!

The first ecological zone in Teyvat was indeed as extraordinary as it had been promised.

An Overlord-level Pokémon like this was akin to a world boss. Only a super-strong team could hope to take it down.

Massaging their trembling calves, they gradually calmed their pounding hearts.

Xiangling and Hu Tao exchanged a look of mutual excitement.

"Confirmed," Hu Tao said, breathing heavily. "My combat power might be equivalent to a top Overlord-level Pokémon, but with my mortal body, I can't hope to beat a Pokémon like that."

"I'm weak," Xiangling admitted, "I could only handle a pseudo-Overlord or the lowest-level Overlord."

Normal high-level elite Pokémon are typically around Lv. 60–Lv. 69. However, Overlord Pokémon have significantly higher stats, unique abilities, and a range of powerful skills. Some even consume rare items that amplify their strength.

Despite the intimidating experience, Hu Tao only seemed to grow more enthusiastic.

Her martial skills were among the finest in Liyue, on par with the likes of Keqing and Yelan, though she was still slightly below Shenhe, a descendant of an adeptus, and Ganyu, the half-qilin adeptus.

Yet, even Ganyu's formidable power was comparable to Champion-level Pokémon.

This prospect fueled Hu Tao's excitement.

The potential growth of her Gible was immense. One day, when it evolved into Garchomp and reached Champion-level strength, it could rival Liyue's adepti like Ganyu.

Moreover, there was even a possibility of surpassing the adepti's power in the future.

After a brief rest, Xiangling and Hu Tao took out potions, antidotes, and various recovery medicines. They administered first aid to their unconscious Pokémon, finally reviving them back to consciousness.

"Come on, little ones, wake up…"