Chapter 2: The Crossbat

Riding atop the Charizard, the brothers Xia Yu and Xia Luo passed through the bustling city, journeying through the forests west of Starlight City, ultimately landing halfway up the Qianlian Mountain.

“What are you doing here?” Xia Luo glanced at Xia Yu, curiosity etched across his face.

“I want to catch a Pokémon,” Xia Yu replied frankly, not bothering to hide the truth from his older brother.

“To catch a Pokémon in a place like this?” Xia Luo chuckled wryly. “This area has been cleared out several times already. There are very few Pokémon with good potential left. If you really want a starter Pokémon, I can give you one of the three starters. It might be a bit late to start, but there’s still a chance.”

“No need, big brother. I know what I’m doing.” Xia Yu declined his brother’s kind offer and headed toward the cave entrance halfway up the mountain.

“Suit yourself.” Xia Luo didn’t press further. His younger brother had always been strong-willed. Besides, with both him and their father as Gym Leaders, even if Xia Yu never accomplished anything and spent his days indulging in leisure, living as a wealthy second-generation heir, he’d lead a carefree life.

They entered the cave, where darkness swallowed all light. For safety, Xia Luo summoned his Volcarona, whose bright flames illuminated the entire entrance.

Xia Yu looked at the Volcarona with envy. He once had a Gym Leader-grade Larvesta before him but failed to cherish it properly. Only after losing it did he deeply regret the loss.

If it weren’t for this troublesome system, he would have already possessed a Volcarona, dominating everything in his path.

As they ventured deeper, bat-like Pokémon hanging upside down in the cave were occasionally startled by the fiery glow of the Larvesta, swarming at Xia Yu and Xia Luo.

“Volcarona, deal with these Crosbats.”

Crosbats are extremely common bat Pokémon, entirely deep blue, with cochleas and wing membranes in varying shades of purple. Their large open mouths reveal four white teeth, and they lack eyes.

Crosbats detest sunlight and spend most daylight hours hanging upside down in caves or under eaves of old houses. Once awakened, they attack intruders.

This cave housed hundreds, even thousands, of Crosbats. Xia Yu also spotted a few rare Golbats but no Zubat at all.

Though numerous, the Crosbats were disorganized and, combined with the narrow terrain, Xia Luo’s single Volcarona carried the aura of a lone guardian fending off countless foes, fully blocking all the Crosbats.

“Three hundred meters remaining.” Xia Yu glanced at his all-in-one Pokémon detector. Only three hundred meters separated them from the Pokémon of Master rank they sought, prompting him to quicken his pace.

Crossing an underground stream, the brothers arrived at a spacious clearing that appeared to be a Crosbat nest. Xia Yu spotted countless Pokémon eggs within.

“We’ve arrived.”

A gleam of joy lit Xia Yu’s eyes. The detector indicated that the Master-rank Pokémon was among these eggs.

“Brother, there are so many eggs here. I’ll pick one.”

“Do as you wish. These eggs mostly belong to the Crosbat clan. Though not particularly powerful on their own, if raised into Golbat, they can be quite formidable.” Xia Luo glanced at the eggs without much interest. He was preparing for a Master-rank challenge himself and only cared about Pokémon capable of reaching that level.

Xia Yu crouched down, relying on the system’s identification ability to examine egg after egg.

[Pokémon Egg]
Crosbat
Gender: Female
Type: Poison, Flying
Potential: Elite Rank
Ability: Inner Focus (Unfazed by opponent's attacks through mental training)
Skills: Unknown

...Not this one.

As Xia Yu continued searching for the Master-rank Pokémon he longed for, a sudden, piercing howl echoed through the cave.

A purple shadow flashed like a ghost and lunged toward Xia Yu.

“Volcarona, Flame Wheel!”

Heat surged as Xia Luo immediately noticed the purple figure and ordered Volcarona to unleash a blazing flame wheel, sweeping toward Xia Yu to shield him.

“Charizard, intercept them.” At the same time, Xia Luo pulled out Charizard’s Poké Ball and summoned it to confront the suddenly appearing Golbats.

[Golbat]
Gender: Male
Type: Poison, Flying
Potential: Overlord Rank
Ability: Infiltrator (Can bypass enemy barriers or substitutes to attack)
Skills: Leech Life, Gust, Supersonic, Hypnosis, Bite, Air Slash, Cross Poison, Air Cutter, Drain Kiss, Toxic Fang, Black Gaze, Scare, Quick Guard, Black Mist, Venoshock, Wing Attack, Psychic Headbutt

A dizzying array of skills—this was no wild Pokémon but one carefully bred by humans.

After missing its attack, the Golbat flew back to the far end of the cave nest, its red eyes constantly scrutinizing Charizard and Volcarona without rushing to strike.

“Jiji.”

The Golbat emitted a sharp, high-pitched supersonic sound, sending waves beyond the cave’s entrance.

“Hey, Xia Yu, have you chosen yet? That Golbat is already calling for reinforcements. If too many Crosbats come, even I won’t be able to handle them.”

Just as Xia Luo’s voice trailed off, the flapping of wings echoed from every cave entrance. Thousands of Crosbats surged out, swarming toward the two brothers.

“Right away.” Xia Yu grew anxious. But with so many eggs before him, his eyes blurred, unable to find the Master-rank egg. “Almost done, just a few more minutes.”

“Hurry up.” Xia Luo sighed. Though the Crosbats posed little threat to him, their sheer numbers meant a few could slip through and attack Xia Yu.

Xia Yu dared not waste time. He focused and finally, in the last area, found the Master-rank egg.

[Pokémon Egg]
Noibat
Gender: Male
Type: Flying, Dragon
Potential: Master Rank
Ability: Telepathy
Skills: ???

...Found it!

Xia Yu glanced at the egg once to confirm he hadn’t picked the wrong one, then cradled it in his arms and stepped back beside Xia Luo.

At the sight of the egg, the Golbat let out a piercing roar, filled with fury, flapping its purple wings as it lunged toward Xia Yu.

“Charizard, Flamethrower!”

Scorching flames blasted from Charizard’s mouth, intercepting the charging Golbat.

“Have you made your choice?”

Xia Luo didn’t look at the Golbat but at Xia Yu, whose gaze rested on the egg. This egg’s pattern differed from the others; just by appearance, it didn’t resemble a Crosbat’s egg.

“Yes.” Xia Yu nodded.

“Good. Prepare to leave.” Xia Luo positioned himself protectively in front of Xia Yu and commanded Volcarona, “Volcarona, Max Power Heat Wave!”

A scorching, torrid gale surged forth, instantly driving back all the Crosbats. Many could not withstand the intense heat and fell to the ground.

...
 
 
 
 
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