Ditto, in his Golem form, took the lead.
Each heavy step sent faint vibrations through the ground, feeding him information no ordinary scout could gather. Mineral density. Hollow pockets. Buried veins. The subtle difference between ordinary stone and something worth stopping for.
Alex followed a few steps behind, eyes half-focused, mentally comparing Ditto's findings with the Team Rocket map burned into his memory.
"Left fork," Alex said quietly.
Ditto adjusted without question. They moved deeper.
Whenever Ditto detected a stone within the required parameters—similar size and structure to a Mega Stone or Key Stone—he marked it. Scizor or Ditto would crack it open efficiently to it. Most of the time, it revealed nothing more than ordinary minerals.
False positive. Again. And again.
Although Ditto filtered by shape and size, Meteor Falls was filled with naturally rounded stones formed by centuries of water erosion. The cave itself was working against them.
Still, Alex didn't show frustration.
Even failed checks saved time compared to manual searching.
Occasionally, low-level Pokémon crossed their path.
A Golbat shrieked once—then fled the moment Crobat spread his wings.
A Lairon froze mid-step, then slowly backed into a side tunnel.
A Graveler attempted to posture before sensing Scizor's presence and immediately retreating.
Alex watched them go without interest.
Stupid Pokémon that attacked invincible opponents rarely lived long enough to reach Elite level.
Natural selection refined more than bodies. It refined instincts.
There were exceptions, of course—reckless prodigies, territorial tyrants—but most survivors understood fear.
They passed through Area 19 without resistance.
The air grew cooler.
The mineral composition shifted subtly—higher iron concentration, more crystalline growth in the walls.
Then they crossed the boundary into Area 25.
Even without the map, Alex would have known.
The tunnel changed. It widened first—gradually, then dramatically.
The ceiling climbed higher and higher until it hovered more than fifteen meters above them. Jagged rock formations hung like the teeth of some colossal beast. The air felt heavier here. Denser.
The tunnel stretched forward, straight and unnaturally broad—as if something large used it regularly.
A faint draft flowed toward them, carrying the scent of dust, stone… and something else.
After several more minutes of steady movement, the tunnel opened fully. The cavern beyond was massive.
From Alex's perspective, it spanned at least five football fields in width. Waterfalls cascaded from fractured cliff faces high above, feeding a wide subterranean lake that reflected faint mineral light from glowing crystal clusters embedded in the walls.
Natural pillars rose from floor to ceiling, some wide enough to conceal entire battle formations behind them.
And near the center— Scattered bones. Not fresh. But not ancient either.
Alex's gaze sharpened.
Area 25. High Elite Salamence territory.
No one spoke.
Ditto slowed. Crobat's wings beat once before he rose higher, scouting ahead. Even Blaziken's earlier excitement faded into focused readiness.
Alex stepped forward slowly, his psychic senses spreading outward like invisible threads through the cavern.
They brushed against stone first. Then water.
Then— he feel no strong Pokemon.
"Crobat. Gardevoir. Do you sense it?" Alex asked quietly.
Both answered at once.
"Yes."
Crobat's ultrasonic pulses painted a faint outline in his mind. A massive silhouette, wings folded, positioned high against a natural rock ledge nearly six hundred meters ahead. Crobat's range exceeded Gardevoir's—but his detail was limited.
Still, he didn't need clarity.
Only a certain species reached that evolution stage at that shape. And only at level fifty or above.
Gardevoir narrowed the reading further.
"Late-Elite," she confirmed calmly. "Dragon and Flying-type. It appears to be alone."
Alex's eyes sharpened slightly.
Late-Elite.
"Good," he said evenly. "Let's see whether it's the area leader."
They advanced.
No rushing. No unnecessary sound.
Scizor shifted to the front. Blaziken's flames dimmed to faint embers. Crobat climbed higher toward the cavern ceiling to avoid early detection. Banette remained a distortion in Alex's shadow.
As they closed the distance, the air changed. Heavier.
Then Alex saw it.
Perched atop a jagged stone outcrop above the subterranean lake, wings partially spread, claws gripping stone hard enough to leave shallow gouges—
Salamence.
Its blue scales reflected the faint crystal glow around the cavern, giving it an almost metallic sheen. Scars crossed its chest and left wing membrane—old battle marks, healed cleanly.
Its eyes were open. Watching.
It had sensed them long before they arrived within visual range.
The cavern felt smaller now.
A slow exhale left the dragon's nostrils, faint heat distorting the air.
Alex didn't break eye contact.
----------
Pokémon: Salamence
LV: 55
Type: Dragon/Flying
Abilities: Moxie (hidden ability)
Gender: Male
Potential: Deep Gold (14%)
Move:
- Rage, Ember, Leer, Bite, Dragon Breath, Headbutt, Focus Energy, Crunch Dark, Dragon Claw, Zen Headbutt [E], Scary Face, Flamethrower [E], Fly [E]
- (Innate Talent) Draco Meteor [M], (Innate Talent) Dragon Tail [M], (Innate Talent) Dragon Dance [M],
----------
Alex, seeing that this Salamence was only level 55, immediately knew it probably wasn't the Area Leader.
The card he'd bought from Team Rocket was already several months old, so the Salamence Leader should be at least level 56. Besides, most Area Leaders are group leaders and rarely act alone.
"Ninetales, I've found the perfect opponent for you." Alex, seeing which moves this Pokémon had at Master Rank, immediately knew which Pokemon he wanted to use in this battle.
Although he could simply attack this Pokémon directly with all his own, it's unnecessary and a better training option to let one Pokémon fight.
Ninetales smiled slightly when she saw that her opponent was a Dragon-type Pokémon. Ninetales stepped forward with elegant confidence, nine tails flowing behind her like drifting silk.
-------------
Pokémon: Alolan Ninetales
LV: 54
Type: Ice / Fairy
Ability: Snow Cloak
Gender: Female
Potential: Shallow Diamond (36%)
Moves:
-Powder Snow, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Ice Shard, Confuse Ray, Icy Wind, Payback, Mist, Feint Attack, Aurora Beam, Extrasensory [E], Safeguard, Ice Beam, Sheer Cold [M], Howl [E], Dazzling Gleam [M]
-(Perfect Talent) Hex [M], (Perfect Talent) Blizzard [M]
-(TM) Protect [E], (TM) Hail [E] , (TM) Return, (TM) Double Team [M], (TM) Facade, (TM) Substitute, (TM) Payback, (TM) Psych Up, (TM) Toxic
------------------
Alex trained his Pokémon in Strategy and Tactics so that they not only executed his commands like machines, but also learned to think for themselves.
For Ninetales, it wasn't difficult to figure out which move to use.
The Salamence fully unfurled its wings. It looked like this group of Pokémon and one human seemed only interested in a one-on-one fight, so he didn't immediately run away.
He looked at Ninetales' appearance and immediately recognized which Pokémon it was. He thought it was just a strangely colored Ninetales.
The cavern trembled slightly as Salamence leaped from its perch—as it prepared the move, Dragon Tail.
Dragon Tail forces Pokémons that have entered a Poké Ball back into that Poké Ball (as long as it's not too far away), and Pokémon without a Poké Ball will start to feel fear and run away, as long as the Pokémon that use this move is at least of a similar level.
This is a perfect offensive and defensive move, held back only by a weak Power of 60.
As Salamence drew ever closer to Ninetales, he realized that something wasn't quite right. He felt that the energy Ninetales was gathering felt a bit like ice-type energy.
Ninetales finished her move first and immediately used Blizzard.
Salamence was surprised, but thanks to his countless battle experiences, he reacted quickly and tried to dodge.
Unfortunately, Blizzard hit him, and he took a lot of damage.
Salamence, feeling the power of Blizzard, knew he couldn't withstand another hit. Salamence knew he couldn't win this fight.
He now just wanted to use the Dragon Tail move to end the fight and give him enough time to run away.
Salamence flew in front of Ninetales, who smiled at him as he was using his move.
He immediately understood why Ninetales was smiling. His move's energy was instantly destroyed as soon as his tail touched Ninetales' body.
Salamence's attack, lacking the Dragon type energy that move power provides, couldn't damage Ninetails.
Maybe a little. thanks to Salamence's kinetic energy. Although Pokémon at this level rarely take damage from normal means, Ninetails suffered still a little. maybe 1% or 0,5% HP.
'Fairy. This Ninetails is a Fairy-type Pokémon.' Salamence showed a look of confusion and shock when he found out.
Salamence, like all Dragon-type Pokémon, hated Fairy-type Pokémon to the core, but thanks to his survival instinct he ignore this hatred and start running away.
Ninetails, preparing a second Blizzard, used this moment and hit Salamence, who had his back to Ninetails.
Salamence tried to dodge again but still failed and fell unconscious to the ground.
*******
if the story gets 150 powerstones in 24 hours, I will upload 1 bonus chapter tomorrow.
-----
If you want to see the next chapters (30+ chapters) earlier or just want to support me
https://www.--patreon.com/alex02373