Silas reacted instantly.
"Electabuzz! Quick Attack!"
The electric pokemon had already came out of its pokemon when it sensed the threat. It vanished in a yellow blur.
Ursaring's massive claw was already descending when Electabuzz slammed into its side. The force of the impact pushed the enormous bear off balance just enough for the attack to miss Froakie and Teddiursa by inches.
The Slash carved deep grooves into the cavern floor instead. Stone exploded everywhere.
Froakie and Teddiursa finally snapped out of their fear.
Silas' face grew cold.
The brief hesitation had nearly cost him his two precious pokemon. That could never happen again.
He had already decided after Mount Silver that threats would no longer be tolerated.
This Ursaring had to go.
"Electabuzz, Thunder Wave!"
"Teddiursa, Close Combat!"
"Froakie, charge Water Pulse. Don't release it until you've compressed it to the limit."
All three pokemon moved immediately.
Blue electricity burst from Electabuzz's body and raced toward Ursaring.
The massive bear tried to dodge but the poison coursing through its veins had already begun affecting its movements.
The Thunder Wave landed and Ursaring stiffened as the paralysis washed over him.
Its movements slowed dramatically.
At the same time Teddiursa charged forward to use Close Combat. The smaller bear threw himself into battle fearlessly.
Every strike landed with tremendous force thanks to Belly Drum.
Despite being smaller, Teddiursa was actually driving Ursaring backward.
Silas watched carefully.
Teddiursa wasn't simply attacking, he was circling Ursaring and taking into account the environment. He never remaining in one spot and circled Ursaring while pummeling him.
Teddiursa now held the speed advantage and he was abusing it perfectly. The young bear had learned from numerous training battles with Monferno.
Ursaring attempted to retaliate with another Slash.
Teddiursa ducked beneath it and Close Combat continued. Blow after blow rained down.
"Teddiursa, combine Slash with Close Combat!"
The young bear's eyes lit up.
White energy gathered around his claws.
The next series of attacks became significantly more dangerous.
Every strike now carried cutting power.
At the same moment Froakie finally completed his preparation.
The Water Pulse in his hands had nearly doubled in size and he was having a bit of trouble keeping it under control.
The attack vibrated violently from the pressure.
"Now!"
Froakie launched it.
The massive orb crashed directly into Ursaring's chest.
Boom!
Water exploded throughout the cavern.
Already slowed by paralysis, Ursaring couldn't evade in time. The attack landed perfectly.
Ursaring staggered backwards.
Teddiursa would allow for no time to catch its breath.
Slash, Slash, Slash, Slash.
The boosted attacks tore through Ursaring's defenses.
Deep gashes appeared across its chest and stomach.
One strike severed its left arm completely. Blood dripping from its stub now splattered across the cavern floor as Ursaring roared in agony.
Yet somehow it remained standing.
Silas couldn't help respecting the pokemon's toughness. Most pokemon would've fallen already but instead Ursaring chose to continue fighting.
Normal-type energy began gathering around its mouth.
Silas' eyes widened.
"Hyper Beam!"
Ursaring was severely weakened so its Hyper Beam lacked the same power from before but if it was allowed to fire at this range, somebody was getting seriously injured or worse.
Fortunately, Froakie reacted first. The young frog launched himself forward.
White light surrounded his body as Froakie became a blur speeding towards Ursaring.
Then when he was close he immediately followed with Pound. His fist slammed directly into Ursaring's throat.
The gathering Hyper Beam collapsed instantly as Ursaring choked violently.
The attack failed.
"Now!"
Teddiursa didn't hesitate.
The effects of Belly Drum had already begun fading.
Without waiting for instructions, he activated it again.
Silas grinned.
He was learning.
Sometimes overwhelming force was the correct answer.
Power surged through Teddiursa once more. White energy gathered around his claws to use Slash but this time he aimed higher.
The attack struck Ursaring across the neck.
Blood erupted from the wound as the giant bear stumbled backward with disbelief in its eyes.
It took several unsteady steps before collapsing heavily onto the cavern floor.
Silence followed.
A rapidly growing pool of blood spread beneath Ursaring's body.
The battle was over.
Teddiursa immediately collapsed. Using Belly Drum twice in one battle had pushed him to his limits.
Froakie wasn't much better. He sat on the ground while breathing hard.
Silas approached both pokemon and rubbed their heads.
"You did well today. Both of your progress is truly impressive."
The praise earned wide smiles from both.
Especially Froakie.
This was the first time he had truly fought an opponent capable of killing him. He had overcome his fear and saved the battle by interrupting Hyper Beam.
Silas was truly proud.
The group decided to establish a temporary camp within the cavern.
For the next hour, Teddiursa and Froakie rested while Monferno and Electabuzz handled any challengers attracted by Sweet Scent.
Several pokemon appeared during that period.
Most of the would be challengers quickly regretted it.
By the end of the hour, seven wild pokemon ranging between levels thirty-two and thirty-seven had been defeated.
Silas captured two. The first was a Mankey.
Mankey (M) — Level 32
Ability: Vital Spirit
Potential: B-
Moves: Rank C Fury Swipes, Rank C Karate Chop, Rank C Focus Energy, Rank C Outrage, Rank C Low Kick
Silas was impressed.
A Mankey learning Outrage this early demonstrated exceptional move aptitude.
The second capture excited him even more.
Excadrill (M) — Level 37
Ability: Sand Rush
Potential: B
Moves: Rank C Metal Claw, Rank C Dig, Rank C Slash, Rank C Sandstorm, Rank C Drill Run, Rank C Rock Slide
Excadrill possessed both Sand Rush and Sandstorm.
Its immediate combat strength was excellent. More importantly, Excadrill was intelligent.
After witnessing Monferno and Electabuzz repeatedly defeating challengers, the mole pokemon wisely chose cooperation over resistance.
Silas appreciated practical thinking.
The relationship improved further when Excadrill began guiding them through portions of the cave.
Eventually he led them to an unusual chamber. Silas slowed down out of surprise.
The cavern sparkled.
Hundreds of deep violet crystals protruded from the walls, floor, and ceiling.
These were completely different from the ordinary crystals illuminating the cave. The psychic energy radiating from them was palpable.
Electabuzz approached one curiously. The moment he touched it, the crystal began glowing. Light emerged from within the stone and flowed directly into Electabuzz's body.
Silas became alert.
"Hermes, record everything."
"Analysis in progress."
Electabuzz closed his eyes as the crystal rapidly dimmed.
Several seconds later Hermes spoke.
"Psychic energy has been absorbed. Subject is currently assimilating the energy into his body."
Silas' mind raced.
The explanation seemed obvious.
Mewtwo.
If Mewtwo truly lived within Cerulean Cave, then psychic energy had likely saturated the environment for years.
These crystals had probably accumulated excess psychic energy over long periods of time.
That would explain why psychic pokemon flourished here.
It would also explain why these crystals felt different.
Silas approached one carefully.
He picked up a crystal.Nothing happened but he kept trying.
Still nothing. After several attempts, an idea occurred to him. When communicating with Monferno, he often reached out mentally instinctively without understanding how he knew how to do it. He would just do it.
He repeated that same feeling now and to Silas' delight, the crystal responded.
Light erupted from within the stone.
Silas froze.
The psychic energy enveloped his body before merging into him. The sensation was incredible.
His thoughts became clearer. They were sharper and more focused. Silas felt a newfound sense of superiority. The energy being absorbed into his body was intoxicating.
Without hesitation, Silas kept grabbing crystals and repeating the process.
By the fifth crystal he felt amazing. Naturally he reached for a sixth.
"Stop."
Hermes' voice echoed inside his mind.
"Further absorption will be harmful."
Silas immediately paused.
"Explain."
"Your body is slowly assimilating the psychic energy. Additional intake would exceed safe limits. Both you and Electabuzz should avoid energy usage for the at least the next twelve hours."
That seemed reasonable especially since Silas could afford a break. Electabuzz sat down cross-legged and began meditating and Silas followed suit.
Monferno naturally assumed responsibility for the group. The older pokemon supervised training while keeping watch.
Time passed and Silas lost track of it completely.
His breathing slowed and his thoughts quieted bringing a newfound sense of internal peace.
Then suddenly, Silas heard an unfamiliar voice.
"Is master going to be alright?"
Silas opened his eyes.
The voice had been perfectly clear.
He looked around his surroundings. Nobody was there.
Then realization struck as his Pokémon stared at him with a concerned look.
Monferno.
Silas instinctively knew that the voice belonged to Monferno.
"Monferno… can you hear me?"
The response was immediate.
Monferno jumped several feet into the air. The fire-type spun around frantically while searching for the source of the voice.
Silas quickly reassured him.
"No, no. It's me."
The realization slowly dawned on Monferno. At first he as shocked but excitement quickly replaced any other feeling.
Excadrill watched this strange exchange while becoming increasingly convinced that joining this group had been the correct decision.
The mole pokemon surprisingly contributed further. Excadrill led them toward another hidden chamber.
Inside were two unusual objects.
They were purple orbs with orange rings floated around their centers.
Silas' eyes widened.
"Life Orbs."
They were genuine Life Orbs.
The items formed only in locations saturated with enormous quantities of energy.
Finding one was fortunate. Finding two was extraordinary. Silas carefully stored both treasures away.
After collecting everything Excadrill showed them, the group returned to camp.
Electabuzz remained in meditation. Unlike Silas, he had absorbed twelve crystals. His assimilation process required significantly longer.
Several more hours passed before the electric pokemon finally stirred. Silas immediately scanned him.
Electabuzz — Level 42
Ability: Static
Potential: B+
Moves: Rank B Brick Break, Rank B Thunder Punch, Rank C Thunder Bolt, Rank C Light Screen, Rank C Cross Chop, Rank C Thunder Wave, Rank C Ice Punch, Rank C Fire Punch, Rank D Psychic, Rank D Calm Mind
Silas stared at his Pokemon. It had picked up. Psychic and Calm Mind. Both were incredibly valuable moves. The trip into Cerulean Cave had already paid for itself.
If such rewards existed near the outer layers, then Silas could only imagine what secrets waited deeper within the cave.
Of course, those secrets likely came with dangers far greater than a single Ursaring.