With the stronger Pokemon in this dungeon, just grinding on the first floor gained Dante and his team enough experience to level up once. And after they got used to the Pokemon on this floor, they proceeded to head towards the next.
On the second floor, they encountered a Stantler. And with every new floor after, a new Pokemon will be added to the pre-existing ones: Pidgeotto, Beedrill, Electabuzz, Flaaffy, Nidorino, Manectric, Gligar, and Growlithe. They've encountered all these new Pokemon on their way to the top, getting treasure boxes from some of them.
But even when they reached the 10th floor, there were still no Pokemon from the Pikachu-line.
They've already cleared the whole 10th floor and are now standing in front of the entrance to the 11th.
"*Pant* *pant* Dan, I think the intelligence they sold us was fake. There's no other Pikachu in this dungeon!"
"Hmm, maybe they're further inside?"
"But didn't the informant tell us not to go past the 10th floor?"
"Yeah, you want to risk getting close to that…lord?"
As they climbed higher and higher, the pressure they felt began to increase. Right now, it was as if the air around them had become viscous.
This suffocating pressure is not normal. It reminded Dante of the Pressure Ability in the game.
In the main Pokemon games, Pressure is an Ability that forces the opponent to use double the energy or PP when attacking. In addition, it also ensures that the Pokemon encountered in the wild will have the highest level possible when placed in the first slot.
Their team had already encountered Vespiquen with Pressure during their exploration of Apple Woods. But since it didn't even pose a threat, they felt no sense of oppression when facing it.
If the Pokemon at the top really possess Pressure, then their strength might be weaker than what they are currently feeling. Besides, this is just a 2-star dungeon. Surely the Pokemon there won't exceed 100 in all stats, right?
As Dante thought about it more deeply, he became more and more certain that this was indeed the case.
"I think the Pokemon living here are fooled by the pressure they feel. Think about it, all Pokemon in the dungeons we explored so far have a growth limit. This dungeon is only 2-stars. How strong do you think the lord they are talking about really is?"
"...then, what about this sense of oppression?"
"It's just their Ability. Besides, we have so many Reviver Seeds with us. It'll be fine~"
Pikachu and Azumarill looked at each other, still feeling indecisive. Dante's words do seem logical. But, their bodies' instincts kept warning them to turn back now!
"...I believe you, Dan. Yeah! You're right! It's just some Pokemon scaring us, we can handle them, no problem!"
Pikachu patted his chest, trusting to believe in his partner more than his gut feeling. Azumarill also nodded at Dante affirmatively, showing his trust in his decision.
"Haha, don't be so exaggerated. Furthermore, we only have to reach the floor with Pikachus, we don't necessarily need to confront the guy at the peak."
Before proceeding further, their group took a short break. It was already late afternoon, and it's been a while since they had lunch. Dante took out some light food from the Item Menu and distributed them to the two.
This time, their exploration of the dungeon was much slower than usual. Because, although Pikachu and Azumarill still need only one move to defeat the Pokemon here, they also need to be attentive for possible counterattacks.
This is especially true for Azumarill since his speed and defenses are lower than the Pokemon in this dungeon. One time, he had even been seriously injured after getting hit by a Poison Jab from Beedrill.
On the other hand, with the high amount of experience the Pokemon here gave, their team leveled up quite a few times. Dante and Pikachu reached level 43, and Azumarill level 40.
Pikachu learned the move Surf, a special attack Water-type move with a base power of 90. It lets the user summon a large wave of water towards an area.
When Dante saw Pikachu learn this move, he was ecstatic. Surf is the only Water-type attack Pikachu can learn. With this, he can effectively counter more types of Pokemon.
Azumarill also learned two new moves, High Horsepower and Superpower.
High Horsepower is a physical attack Ground-type move with a base power of 95. It coats the user's body with Ground-type energy before fiercely attacking the target.
On the other hand, Superpower is a physical Fighting-type move with a base power of 120. The user temporarily exerts force surpassing their physical limit, causing their Attack and Defense to lower after using this move.
Although he already had moves similar to the two, having more in his repertoire can only help in battles.
"Alright, let's proceed slowly. If the lord or whatever Pokemon decided to come and attack us, adopt a defensive stance first. Depending on their strength, we'll decide whether to advance or retreat. Understood?"
""Understood!""
With a relaxed expression, Dante led Pikachu and Azumarill up the stairs and onto the next floor.
The moment Dante and his team stepped onto the 11th floor, the eye of a lone Pokemon in the mountain peak lazily opened. Feeling the foreign energy at the edge of its senses, it snorted in displeasure before closing its eyes once again.
---
On the 11th floor, Dante discovered that all the Beedrill, Stantler, Pidgeotto, and other non-Electric type Pokemon were gone. Instead, only Electrode, Ampharos, Manectric, Plusle, Minun, and other Electric-type Pokemon are here.
And as they walked towards the next room, they finally saw a Raichu sleeping soundly on the floor.
"Huh?"
Raichu opened his eyes in confusion as he felt the earth trembling slightly. Before he could understand what was going on, the ground beneath him opened, and a fox-like Pokemon jumped out and headbutted him.
Raichu's head snapped back, his body briefly flying in the air before landing with a thud.
Pikachu walked beside Raichu's body and waited in anticipation. However, when he saw nothing forming beside him, he sighed in disappointment.
"Unlucky. There's no treasure chest, Dan."
"Hah! Don't worry. At least we confirmed they're on this floor. It's only a matter of time before we get them."
Dante comforted Pikachu as he inwardly felt relieved. He had been worried that they were given the wrong information, that there were no Pokemon from the Pikachu line here. Fortunately, nothing of that sort happened.
Seeing their goal in sight, the team became more motivated. They moved at full speed toward the next room, knocked out all the Pokemon inside, and then proceeded toward the next.
Finally, after two more rooms, they encountered another Raichu. It didn't even have enough time to react before Azumarill knocked it out with an Aqua Jet. Under the team's nervous and expectant gaze, a treasure box began to form beside its downed body.
"YEA-!"
"KWAA!!!"
Their team's celebration was cut off by a loud cry that resounded throughout the whole dungeon.
Dante felt the air around them suddenly still. His forehead began to sweat, and his heart felt as if it was being slowly squeezed.
"W-w-what was that!?"
Pikachu's whole body trembled and his instincts kept warning him to leave everyone behind and run away, right now! Beside him, Azumarill looked to be faring even worse, his eyes wide in terror as his head constantly turned to look for the source of that sound.
"Foolish mortals! How dare you disturb one's slumber!"
All the Pokemon in the dungeon began to tremble in terror as they heard the shout of their 'lord'. They cursed the intruders in their hearts. Because of their transgression, now they were all doomed!