Xander and Cynthia were running through the forest with over 10 Beedrill chasing them from behind. The sounds of their winds rapidly flapping was terrifying when alone but when all of them did it was once, even a Tyranitar would be scared.

"Crap! Crap! Crap!" Cynthia kept cursing to herself as they ran

"No talk! More run!" Xander told her from the side.

"Shut up! You had to try and go after that Umbreon even after I told you that the hive was close," Cynthia shot back as she jumped over a pile of sticks

"It was a shiny Umbreon! I would try to catch one even if I have to try and sneak past a pack of Charzards!" Xander admitted. Umbreon was his favorite pokemon in his last life but he was never able to catch a shiny pokemon version of it. When he saw a shiny in the distance, he couldn't help but try to catch it.

The pair ran until they came across a small hole on the side of a hill. It was narrow and would only allow one person or two Beedrill in at a time.

They shared a look before sprinting towards the hole. Xander was the first one inside due to being faster but Cynthia was right behind him. Right after they got in the hole, the pair summoned their starters.

"Use Dragon Breath!" they commanded at the same time

Before a single Beedril could enter, a large torrent of pale purple flames emerged from the hole. The closest Beedrill got burned and fell to the ground. It made no noise so it was hard to tell if the creature had simply fallen unconscious or had died.

Whatever happened, this seemed to upset the wild pokemon even more. The Beedrill let out cries of fury. Soon, the buzzing sound that the pokemon emitted increased by a large amount. Even without looking outside, one could tell that the rest of the colony had been alerted.

Xander and Cynthia shared a look before shaking their heads.

"I'll guard the door with Cerberus and Riolu while you watch over Gabby and Sneasel digging us a way out of here?" Xander asked

"Sure. Hopefully, we can find an entrance to the Grand Underground and escape through there."

The pair summoned their second pokemon before splitting up and getting to work. Cynthia pulled out her folding shovel before she began to dig with Gabby and Sneasel. Although she was pretty much useless, she still felt better trying to help them than just standing around.

Xander, on the other hand, was next to the entrance with Riolu and Cerberus. The plan was simple. They would allow one or two Beedril inside before Cerberus fired off an attack to prevent any more pokemon from entering. The one inside would have to deal with Riolu and Xander who would take it down.

After each Beedril was defeated, Xander would push the body into the entrance of the cave to block off part of it. They would then repeat this strategy over and over to slowly close up the entrance.

By the time they were done, all 3 of them were exhausted. Xander was the first to collapse on the ground followed by the two pokemon.

Xander turned and saw that Cynthia and the other two pokemon were still digging but looked just as tired as they were.

"Ugh. I hate being the mature one between us," Xander complained to himself before gently nudging Cerberus with his foot. "Get up, lazy bums. Riolu, me, and Cerberus will help Cynthia. Let us know if there is any activity and you need help."

"Rio!" Riolu nodded at the job he had just been given. 'I won't let you guys down. I'll block the entrance even if it costs me my life.'

Xander was about to say his thanks to the pokemon but before he could get a word out, white light surrounded the little cub. This caught the attention of Cynthia and the other pokemon.

'You gotta be kidding?! She gets her Lucario already? Is she a protagonist or something? Did I need to read the pokemon manga to understand how important she is?'

Xander watched in amazement and jealousy. He made a promise to stick closer to Cynthia in hopes that some of her luck would rub off on him.

When the light faded, Riolu had evolved into a Lucario. This was a powerful pokemon that was skilled in using a mysterious aura to enhance itself and its moves during combat. It could also use aura to sense what others couldn't see.

Cynthia threw down her shovel before running over to Lucario and hugging the pokemon, careful to avoid the spike in its chest.

Xander shook his head before picking up his shovel since they still had plenty of digging to do.

After Cynthia was done celebrating the evolution of her pokemon, she also continued to help dig down. After several hours and over 300 hundred feet of dirt and rocks, the group was finally able to make it to their target.

Below them was an underground desert with a few oases and a lava pool in the distance.

"So this is the Grand Underground. Doesn't seem that impressive to me," Xander commented.

Cynthia giggled at his joke before she pulled out a rope and tied it to the carving they made. There were over 100 feet between them and the ground so jumping down wasn't an option. They would need to use their rope and a little help from Lucario to catch them.

~ Same time ~

Back in Celestic Town, Professor Carolina had just finished a project she had been dealing with for the past few months and was happy to have a break. She walked to her office but was surprised to see that someone was sitting behind her desk.

Carolina immediately went on the defensive. But when she saw who it was, the old woman was no longer worried. Instead, she showed disgust.

"Volo," Carolina spat out

The man sitting behind the desk looked like an older version of Cynthia. If he did not look like he was in his mid-20s, most would mistake him for the girl's father.

"Is that any way to greet your ancestor?" Volo asked with a teasing smile on his face

"Tsk. I am ashamed to have your blood running through me. Speak! What do you want?" Carolina did not waste time with any pleasantries. She wanted him out as soon as possible.

"Fine. I will be brief then. I came to give you a little warning since the contract dictates that I do. The 300-year bet I made with Arceus must be fulfilled in 3 years," Volo said before standing up and walking towards the door. When he was about to walk past Carolina, he stopped and whispered in her ear, "I hope Cynthia and that boy will be ready in time. Otherwise, I would feel like I wasted 300 years to end up beating some weaklings to challenge Arceus again."

Volo walked out of the room without looking back. Carolina wanted to stop him but knew that she couldn't. He was a person on the level of Regional Champions.

'Kiddos. I hope that the two of you can reach such a level within 3 years. Otherwise, this man may just end the world.'