Looking at these dolls, Chen Kai already had some guesses in his heart.
"Hydrapple!" Chen Kai suddenly stood up, his tone firm and resolute, "Use Earth Power! Attack that pile of Pikachu dolls directly in front! Clear them all out!"
"Hydrapple!" (Alright!)
Big Boss let out a low growl, and Second Boss and Sixth Leader immediately obeyed.
Their tails slammed into the ground, and a heavy, solid, earthy-yellow energy, carrying strong shockwaves and rock debris, surged out from under their tails like an earth dragon overturning.
It instantly ripped through the dusty floor, resembling a furious beast, and fiercely struck the mountain-like pile of Pikachu dolls Chen Kai pointed at.
"Boom!" The violent energy of Earth Power instantly engulfed the pile of dolls.
However, the expected scene of dolls being blown to pieces and fragments flying everywhere did not fully materialize.
Just as the energy was about to completely swallow the doll pile, a dark purple energy barrier, filled with resentment, suddenly appeared out of thin air, instantly blocking the front of the doll pile.
The violent shockwave of Earth Power slammed into the barrier, making a dull thud, and energy scattered, shaking the entire storage room violently.
Dust fell like a waterfall from the ceiling.
The barrier fluctuated intensely but stubbornly resisted this fierce blow.
"As expected, something is strange!" Chen Kai's pupils constricted, and the flashlight beam instantly focused behind the barrier.
At the top of that pile of Pikachu dolls, a half-human-sized, dirty yellow Pikachu plush doll was rapidly twisting and melting.
Its faded bright yellow fabric flowed like liquid, and cotton frantically gushed out of the rips, only to be instantly enveloped and shaped by a dark purple energy.
In the blink of an eye, the Pikachu doll disappeared, replaced by a Banette floating in mid-air, resembling tattered burlap, with a large zipper mouth and eyes burning with raging purple flames of resentment.
"Eeheehee—!" Banette let out a sharp, piercing, malicious laugh filled with endless hatred, its flame-burning eyes locked onto Chen Kai and Hydrapple, as if to drag their souls into the endless abyss of resentment.
Apparently, it was guarding its "dolls"; these Pikachu dolls were all its collection.
Almost at the same moment Banette appeared, the mold-stained cement wall to Chen Kai's left, covered with Pikachu posters, rippled like water.
A large, translucent, deep blue gelatinous substance, like a deep-sea jellyfish, silently "permeated" out of the wall and slowly floated into the air, occupying another corner of the storage room—a male Jellicent.
Inside its translucent deep blue body, countless vengeful spirits seemed to be struggling and wailing in pain, emitting a chilling aura that made one's soul tremble, reflecting an eerie glow under the flashlight beam.
Left and right, two powerful Ghost-type Pokémon cornered Chen Kai and Hydrapple in this narrow, cramped space.
"Tsk! Two popped out at once!" Chen Kai estimated that both of these Pokémon had reached Elite Level (level 30+), and Hydrapple should not be without a chance against them.
As his thoughts raced, he instantly made a judgment.
Jellicent is Water/Ghost type, and Hydrapple's innate Ultimate Drain is a Grass-type move, which counters Water-type Jellicent.
If he could get rid of one of them first...
"Hydrapple! Target Jellicent! Use Ultimate Drain!" Chen Kai gave the command without hesitation; he had to finish the battle quickly.
"Hydrapple!" (Understood!) Big Boss turned towards the floating blue jellyfish, opened its mouth, and a vibrant green, life-filled Grass-type energy began to gather frantically, forming a life-draining beam that shot directly at Jellicent.
However, a hint of cunning and malice flashed in Jellicent's hollow "eyes."
Countless distorted, pained facial illusions instantly appeared on its gelatinous body, while it simultaneously let out a low, unsettling murmur, as if countless spirits were cursing in one's ear—Grudge!
An invisible and malicious energy instantly wrapped around Hydrapple.
Hydrapple's body stiffened abruptly, and the abundant energy within it, used to power Ground-type moves (such as Earth Power), seemed to be instantly drained by half.
Its aura visibly weakened a few points.
Fortunately, the vibrant green beam of Ultimate Drain successfully hit Jellicent's translucent body.
"Pfft!" The beam pierced the target, indeed causing considerable damage to Jellicent, making it emit a painful hiss, like a popping bubble.
But the moment Ultimate Drain's energy touched Jellicent's body, Jellicent's body suddenly lit up with a strange, dark, thorn-like runic glow.
A cold, viscous, binding Curse energy, following the Ultimate Drain's energy connection, instantly backfired onto Hydrapple—Cursed Body ability triggered!
"Hydrapple—!" Hydrapple let out a painful grunt; its action of gathering energy to prepare for another attack was forcibly interrupted.
That Curse energy, like cold chains, tightly wrapped around its core for energy manipulation.
For a short time, it couldn't use Ultimate Drain again.
"Damn it!" Chen Kai couldn't help but Curse under his breath; his luck was really too bad, the 30% trigger chance hit right away.
Meanwhile, Banette naturally wouldn't let go of this excellent opportunity.
Its large zipper mouth suddenly opened, and a ghostly purple, phosphorescent flame, cold yet carrying the pain of soul-burning, floated out like a phantom, instantly engulfing the movement-restricted Hydrapple.
"Hydrapple—!" All seven Applin simultaneously let out painful roars.
The cold phosphorescent flame adhered to its shell, ignoring physical defense, directly burning its spirit and energy core! Burn status activated!
Its physical attack power was greatly weakened, and it began to take continuous damage.
Burn (attack down + continuous damage), key counter move (Ultimate Drain) blocked, and Ground-type energy reserves reduced by Grudge... Hydrapple instantly fell into an extremely unfavorable situation.
The maddeningly sickening cooperation of the two Ghost-type Pokémon was truly troublesome.
"I have to take a chance! Hydrapple! Target is still Jellicent! Use Random Light!" Chen Kai knew he had to break the deadlock quickly; Jellicent had already taken an Ultimate Drain and was in poor condition.
Although Random Light didn't have a type advantage, its immense power was the only hope for quickly defeating it now.
"Roar—!!!" Big Boss endured the intense pain of its soul burning and the erosion of the Curse, erupting with astonishing willpower.
It roared, mobilizing all its Dragon-type energy and rage.
The other six Applin also got fired up and accumulated energy together.
Seven chaotic, colorful Dragon-type energy beams instantly condensed, this time carrying a determined, do-or-die momentum, fiercely striking the weakened Jellicent.
"Boom—!!!" The seven violent energies exploded in the confined space.
Chaotic light and violent energy shockwaves raged indiscriminately.
Jellicent's large gelatinous body was hit head-on, letting out a mournful wail, as if countless vengeful spirits were screaming at once.
Its translucent body twisted and contracted violently like a punctured balloon, the purple light rapidly dimmed, and finally, with a "pop," it turned into a small cloud of dim purple Mist, losing its ability to battle and only able to float behind the wall.
After releasing Random Light, the Hydrapples' massive bodies swayed violently, the phosphorescent flame still burning on their shells, and the black Mist of the Curse still wrapped around them.
They were breathing heavily, clearly exhausted.
However, the resentment in Banette's eyes grew even more frantic.
Many of the dolls it guarded were damaged in the previous explosion.
Its large zipper mouth stretched into a hideous arc, and an even stronger, more ominous dark purple energy erupted from its body.
The energy converged into a nail, the sharp end pointing at itself.
Then, it extended a claw made of tattered cloth and fiercely hammered the nail into its own body—this was the move 'Curse'!
Banette's aura instantly withered by half, clearly having paid a heavy price.
But an even deeper, more malicious Curse power, like a bone-deep parasite, wrapped around Hydrapple.
Hydrapple's body shook violently, letting out an even more painful groan, and fell into a Cursed state again! Its stamina began to rapidly drain.
"Damn it! Hydrapple! Hold on a little longer! Random Light! Finish it!" Chen Kai gnashed his teeth; the opponent's tactics were truly disgusting.
In the game, Curse deducts a quarter of total HP each turn, plus the Burn status, Hydrapple wouldn't last much longer.
"Hydrapple—!!!" Big Boss also understood that there was no time to delay.
It let out a roar, urging its subordinates to grit their teeth and unleash their last potential.
The Applin struggled to stand, ignoring the burning pain and the Curse that almost dragged them into the abyss, pouring all their remaining strength, along with their indomitable will, into the beam.
Seven even more violent and unstable giant energy orbs than before shot out with a roar, heading straight for Banette.
Banette tried to counterattack, but Random Light's chaotic energy instantly tore through the ghostly purple flames, slamming into it fiercely.
"Boom!!!" In the blinding light and explosion, Banette let out a shriek filled with endless resentment.
Its body was blasted away like a rag doll, crashing heavily into a corner piled with dolls, its resentful flames completely extinguished, and its zipper mouth limply hanging—also losing its ability to battle.
The battle quickly ended under Chen Kai's command, leaving the storage room in a mess.
Pikachu doll fragments, charred marks, lingering black Mist of the Curse... intertwined like an abstract painting from a nightmare.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burnt energy, the stench of the Curse, and the pungent odor of melted plastic.
After delivering the final blow, the Hydrapples were almost completely exhausted, their massive bodies unable to support themselves any longer, collapsing to the ground and panting heavily.
Their normally shiny shells were now dull, and although the phosphorescent flame had extinguished because Banette fell, the burn marks and the black Mist of the Curse were still clearly visible.
Chen Kai immediately rushed forward, carefully recalling Hydrapple into its Poké Ball to rest.
"You worked hard, Hydrapple! Get some good rest!"
Silence once again enveloped the storage room, but this silence was heavier and more suffocating than during the battle.
"Hoo..." Chen Kai let out a long breath, white Mist rapidly dissipating under the flashlight beam.
His fingertips were white from gripping the Poké Ball tightly, and his palm was covered in cold sweat.
How long had it been since he was in such a sorry state?
He couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart: "It seems... I still have a long way to go."
He knew in his heart that although he had driven back these two, the strongest one... was still hidden in the shadows.
The mastermind who created this Pikachu doll graveyard!
It was lurking in the deeper darkness, watching, waiting for the moment he completely broke down.
He couldn't just sit there and wait to die!
Chen Kai took another deep breath, forcing himself to calm down; fear wouldn't solve anything.
He had to continue taking the initiative.
He suddenly stood up, the flashlight beam no longer scanning aimlessly, but like a searchlight, sharply sweeping every dark corner of the storage room, every gap in the piled dolls, every shadow behind a twisted Pikachu poster.
He deliberately raised his voice, with a forced calm and certainty, his words ringing clearly in the dead silent space:
"Come out! Mimikyu! I see you! Trying to wear me down with these small fry? You underestimate me too much! If you dare, come out and try it yourself!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a cold, viscous sensation of being watched, filled with endless malice and sadness, clung to the back of his neck without warning, as if it were tangible.
Chen Kai's hairs instantly stood on end! A chill shot from his tailbone to the top of his head!
He didn't even have time to think, acting purely on instinct, and rolled forward abruptly.
The moment his body left the wall, the flashlight beam also subconsciously swept behind him.
Where the beam shone—
A Mimikyu was pressed against the spot where his back had just been.
This Mimikyu was much larger than an ordinary Mimikyu!
It was nearly a meter tall, stout, and exuded a suffocatingly heavy sense of oppression.
It was draped in an even larger, worn-out, dirty gray cloth, almost unrecognizable as a Pikachu pattern.
Beneath the cloth's lower edge, two even thicker claws, also formed from shadows, were deeply embedded in the wall crack.
The outline of the cloth was larger, and the hollow, pitch-black eyes revealed through the holes were like abysses, staring fixedly and maliciously at Chen Kai.
A visible, deep purple, almost materialized aura of resentment, like a Totem Pokémon's aura, slowly spread out from it, instantly dropping the already chilling air in the storage room by more than ten degrees.
Clearly, this Mimikyu was also a Totem Pokémon, and its aura was even stronger than the Gengar outside.
It was like a terrifying entity directly "born" from the despair of the wall, silent, yet carrying an overwhelming presence.
The resentment and sadness emanating from beneath the tattered cloth were like a tangible tsunami, almost drowning one's soul.
