Chapter 80: The Complex Labyrinth

Zhao Fang did not rush to ride the Pidgeot in search of the Kommo-o. First, he needed to purchase some Pokémon food, berries, and other essentials; after all, this trip was to Chimney Mountain, and Professor Odamaki had mentioned that it was very hot inside. Zhao Fang wanted to make sure he was thoroughly prepared.

So he asked Professor Odamaki to accompany him to Orange City to buy everything he needed. Once all preparations were complete, he finally rode the Pidgeot to the location that Professor Odamaki had previously marked.

“This is the place. There’s a hole beside that tree below—a slope. Be careful,” Professor Odamaki said as he set Zhao Fang down, pointing to a tree ahead.

This location was close to Kanaz City, and volcanic ash drifted through the sky. Zhao Fang nodded and walked over slowly. Professor Odamaki had already left; he needed to return to his lab to analyze the data on the Aurorus.

“The snow is really heavy,” Zhao Fang muttered, rubbing his arms. Besides the volcanic ash, snow was falling from the sky. The spot Professor Odamaki had marked was now covered by a layer of snow, concealing the entrance to the hole; Zhao Fang could only feel his way forward.

Seeing the swirling snow, Zhao Fang released his Aurorus, which was delighted by the environment and let out a joyful cry. Meanwhile, Dragapult, who disliked the cold and the volcanic ash, retreated back into its Poké Ball.

Aurorus quickly helped Zhao Fang locate the entrance. He stepped on it, making sure it wasn’t hollow. The snow had buried the opening like a layer of earth. Thanks to Aurorus, Zhao Fang soon cleared the snow away, revealing the entrance.

“It’s quite a large hole,” Zhao Fang observed, recalling Aurorus, then stooped and entered.

Just as Professor Odamaki had described, it was a sloping path. At first, he felt nothing unusual, but after walking a bit, warmth began to seep through, and the ground grew damp—likely from melted snow.

Soon, Zhao Fang descended fully into the cave. It was quiet, with not a sound. He shone his flashlight around and discovered a passage. Gripping a Poké Ball, he advanced cautiously. Professor Odamaki had said the Kommo-o was highly alert.

The passage wasn’t long, and Zhao Fang quickly emerged—only to be stunned by what he saw: multiple passages ahead, forming a miniature labyrinth. He hesitated; he hated maze-like places most of all.

“No map, either…” Zhao Fang grumbled. To avoid getting lost, he resorted to old-fashioned methods, checking each passage one by one and marking his way back. Without markings, he’d soon be trapped inside.

What frustrated Zhao Fang even more was that every passage led to another cave, each filled with yet more passages. Unless he had a Pokémon with a keen sense of smell, like a Growlithe, finding the correct route the Kommo-o had used to escape would be a monumental task.

“Damn it, I once spent an entire night grinding for a shiny—what’s a maze compared to that? I’ll tough it out!” Zhao Fang took out paper and pen; he needed to sketch a rough map of the labyrinth.

Thus began three days in the maze. Apart from eating and sleeping, Zhao Fang spent all his time mapping the routes, his notes growing ever more complex. He began to suspect that the maze was home to hundreds of Digletts, for how else could so many tunnels exist?

When he slept, he gained nothing extra—only darkness. It seemed no other trainers had come to challenge this tower.

“This cave is too complex,” Zhao Fang sighed, looking around. Besides passages leading elsewhere, now there were even paths going deeper underground. A flat maze was troublesome enough; now it had become a three-dimensional labyrinth, its complexity multiplied.

After so long without seeing the sky, Zhao Fang felt claustrophobic.

“If I still can’t find it, I’m leaving,” Zhao Fang decided. He resolved to explore a few more passages; if they remained just as complicated, he’d give up. The place was hot, devoid of Pokémon activity, and he even began to suspect it might be the entrance to Groudon’s resting place.

Soon, Zhao Fang added several new passages to his notebook. Each led to another cave, equally convoluted. Finally, he tied a rope for safety and climbed down a passage leading deeper.

Upon descending, Zhao Fang’s frustration peaked. This small cave was identical to the others. He lost all interest, climbed back up, and retraced his marked route out. He could not stand this wretched place any longer.

After a while, Zhao Fang returned to the previous cave. It was the same as before, with no sign of Pokémon activity. He sighed and climbed out, then reported his findings to Professor Odamaki via the Pokédex.

“There’s enough food for three more days. Aurorus doesn’t eat much, but its tastes are refined,” Zhao Fang mused, rummaging through his backpack. He hesitated when he touched his notebook, but decided to keep it—he might come back, and it could be useful.

“The snow’s stopped. I wonder if I’ll run into Froslass again?” Zhao Fang looked up at the sky; the snowfall had nearly ceased, leaving only volcanic ash.

Zhao Fang scratched his head. This expedition had ended in failure; he hadn’t encountered Kommo-o, and Froslass had likely fled as well.

He wasn’t too disappointed. If Froslass was gone, it was time to head for Dewford Town to challenge the Fighting-type gym and check out the nearby stone cave. He remembered that Steven had dug for stones there in the game; if he found any early, he could sell them to Steven for a profit.

Zhao Fang started towards Kanaz City. After a short walk, he stopped and hid in the forest.

He had spotted a group of people ahead, dressed in red—members of Team Magma.

Hidden, Zhao Fang observed more closely and soon noticed that ahead of the Team Magma members were Team Aqua members; the two factions were facing off.

Zhao Fang swallowed nervously. There were too many people—far more than he could handle. He reached for his Pokédex, intending to call Officer Jenny for help.

Before his hand touched the Pokédex, someone grabbed him.

“Don’t move,” a deep voice ordered. Zhao Fang’s heart tightened. Who was it?