Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The deafening sound of rushing water filled their ears as an extremely rapid river appeared before them. Looking along its course, they saw that its end was the only source of light.
The group exchanged glances, their eyes filled with excitement. Without delay, they followed the river's edge in single file.
Phoebe, Mark, Ryoko, Joseph, and finally Sato. Once all five exited the cave, they were immediately struck speechless by the sight before them.
Above the dome, Unfezant, Swanna, and Braviary flapped their wings and soared high. Though there was no sky, beams of light filtering through cracks in the dome gave the illusion that they were flying toward the light.
Looking down, a modest waterfall cascaded beside them, yet it generated a loud roar that echoed throughout the enormous underground cavern.
Enormous underground cavern? Perhaps it was more accurate to call it another "underground world".
It reminded Sato of Ralts' Seafloor Cavern. One lay beneath the sea, the other beneath the ground, and yet both mysteriously nurtured vast populations of Pokémon.
Even sunlight -something seemingly impossible- was in no short here.
Beneath the waterfall was a small jungle. Foongus shuffled along in a line, swaying left and right as they weaved through low shrubs.
Karrablast, Emolga, Deerling, Minccino… Pokémon considered rare even in the Unova Region frolicked in the jungle like common pets from someone's backyard.
The variety left Sato feeling slightly dazed, as if the whole scene were unreal.
"Cotto~"
A group of Cottonee floated past them with utter disregard, one even bumping directly into Mark. With a gentle bounce, it returned to its group.
"So cute~" Ryoko and Phoebe's eyes lit up. They had once talked about catching some of Unova's uniquely adorable Pokémon.
Joseph remembered how they used to argue over whether to go for Minccino or Petilil, but now, upon encountering a group of Cottonee and seeing the leading Whimsicott, they didn't hesitate to switch sides.
To be honest, both Cottonee and Whimsicott were absolutely adorable, especially the latter. Not everyone got to have a Fairy-type Pokémon.
Just think, besides Granbull, is there any Fairy-type that looks ugly?
Even Mimikyu, with its strange appearance, wasn't really unpleasant to look at. And thanks to its powerful battle potential and excellent typing, Mimikyu remained incredibly popular among Trainers.
Looking further ahead, they finally saw the heart of the underground world: a massive mountain towering at the center.
From a distance, it was clear that only the base of the mountain extended into this underground world.
The surface of the mountain was covered with Pokémon dens of various sizes, each inhabited by different kinds of Pokémon.
Krookodile, Liepard, Gigalith, Excadrill… so many Pokémon, living together peacefully. In the wild, such harmony would be impossible.
"How… are we supposed to get down?"
Over the sound of the waterfall, Mark shouted his question. They were stuck at the exit point of the waterfall, unable to go up or down.
"What's so difficult about it? Sharpedo!" Sato called out the Sharpedo. Not only was it powerful, it could also fly well.
"Flygon!"
"Mismagius!"
Ryoko and Phoebe both released their own flying partners. Flygon, of course, could handle it… but Mismagius could fly with a person?
"Hehehe, Mismagius, Power Gem~"
"Magius~"
Mismagius let out a soft cry, then whoosh, multiple Power Gems materialized and assembled into a disk, just big enough for Phoebe to stand on.
"…This actually works?" Mark stared in disbelief at Mismagius's flashy maneuver.
Sure enough, aside from a few Legendary Pokémon, any Pokémon could fly; and even carry people while doing so!
"Gallade, lock onto that patch of low grass. We're going to Teleport directly over there in a moment!" Joseph remained calm, confidently sending out his Gallade, then turned to look at Mark.
"M-me..." Mark looked down at the four Poké Balls in his hand. They were all too small… Arbok and Lapras were out of the question, and while Togetic could fly, it couldn't carry his weight.
He felt... completely hopeless! "Forget it, I'm not teasing you anymore. Hop on," Sato smiled as he sat atop Sharpedo, extending his right hand toward Mark.
"B-Boss, you really are my boss!" Mark teared up as he scrambled aboard, obediently climbing onto Sharpedo's back.
Sato's Sharpedo was significantly larger than normal. Carrying two people posed no problem at all, there was plenty of room.
Soon, the five of them each used their own methods to descend to the grassy area beside the waterfall.
Their sudden appearance disrupted the previously peaceful jungle. The more timid Foongus and Lillipup quickly fled and hid.
Meanwhile, bolder Pokémon like Pansage and Purrloin sat calmly in place, tilting their heads curiously as they watched the group.
"I suggest everyone recall their Pokémon and only keep one gentle one out," Joseph proposed unexpectedly.
After thinking about it, no one objected. Any place where such a diversity of species could "coexist" in harmony was surely guarded by a powerful force maintaining the balance.
Battles were clearly not the right solution in a place like this.
Soon, only five Pokémon remained with them: Umbreon, Gallade, Togetic, Sceptile, and Mismagius.
Just as the group finished arranging their team and prepared to explore the area, an adorably clumsy Cubchoo wobbled over and suddenly hugged Joseph's leg.
Joseph: (⊙o⊙)?
The others: ⊙﹏⊙∥
"Choo~"
The blue-and-white Cubchoo was unbelievably cute. It squeaked softly at Joseph, tilted its head upward, and gazed at him with watery, sparkling eyes.
"Ahhh, why is the little bear hugging his leg and not mine!" Ryoko's eyes sparkled with jealousy.
"Hmm... is this what you're after?" Joseph squatted down, unzipped his bag, and pulled out a jar of Gogoat's Grass Milk.
"Choo! Cuuuub!"
Cubchoo instantly clung tighter to Joseph's leg, eyes locked onto the bottle, drool streaming from its mouth.
Pop~
Joseph opened the bottle cap and handed it to Cubchoo, who eagerly took it and, lying on its back, began chugging it down with all four paws wrapped around the bottle.
…Too cute.
Not long after, Cubchoo finished the entire bottle of Gogoat's Grass Milk and once again latched onto Joseph's leg, its intentions crystal clear.
"You're still small. Too much of that stuff will upset your tummy," Joseph said gently, rubbing Cubchoo's little head. It felt cold, but in a soothing way.
"Cubchoo?" Cubchoo seemed to understand. It "released" Joseph's leg, though its eyes remained glued to him.
As the group ventured deeper into the jungle to explore this mysterious underground world, they realized something.
…Joseph had picked up a new little follower.
Cubchoo: (⊙o⊙)