Roar~"
"Heh-cha~"
"Kuga~ Ku!"
Under the assault of the combined Earthquake attack, countless Pokémon that weren't strong enough cried out in pain. Many newly born and low-level Ordinary-rank Pokémon lost their ability to battle on the spot.
"Weepinbell, use Bullet Seed and sweep the field!"
"Poliwag, Staryu, Marshtomp—Water Gun barrage!"
"Clefairy, use Disarming Voice! Squirtle, fire Water Pulse volleys!"
Seizing the opportunity, Icarus and Airi immediately ordered their Pokémon to attack, focusing on those less affected by Earthquake, such as the Sandshrew and Zubat families.
Streams of Water- and Grass-type energy shot across the battlefield. More and more Pokémon fell under the relentless barrage.
However, some were clever enough to react.
Several Graveler worked together to raise a massive stone wall, shielding part of the wild Pokémon group.
"Hmph. Showing off."
Seeing this, Stone clicked his tongue in disdain.
Perhaps the wild Graveler's stone wall looked impressive, but to him, it was crude and full of flaws.
"Graveler, Stone Rain! Sandslash and Sandshrew, support with Sand Attack! Let's give them a proper shower!"
After muttering his complaint, Stone immediately directed his Pokémon into another coordinated attack.
"Shasha~ Sha!"
Large quantities of fine sand swirled around Graveler. Some of it was controlled directly by Graveler, while the rest was guided by the two Sandslash.
"Heh-cha!"
With a roar from Graveler, the sandstorm swept across the enemy formation.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The stone wall shattered instantly.
The Pokémon hiding behind it let out miserable cries.
Icarus and Airi immediately ordered their Pokémon to finish them off.
One after another, the remaining wild Pokémon fell.
…
More than ten minutes later, every Pokémon in the area had been defeated.
"You're amazing, Brother Stone!"
While helping capture the defeated Pokémon, Airi praised him sincerely.
"Hahaha, not really. They just weren't coordinated. I also had the terrain advantage."
Stone laughed heartily, though the pride on his face was impossible to hide.
"That's true. Stone, your tactical coordination is incredible."
Even Icarus couldn't help praising him.
"Hehehe… It's all thanks to them. They've always been willing to train with me over and over again."
Stone glanced at the Pokémon standing guard nearby.
His expression was both proud and slightly melancholy.
Clearly, he was thinking about his lack of resources and how difficult it was to properly support the Pokémon that had followed him so faithfully.
"That's true. But we should also thank you, Airi. If Poliwag's Damp hadn't stopped those self-destructing Pokémon, we might have suffered serious losses."
Sensing Stone's mood, Icarus wisely changed the subject.
After all, some things only needed to be said once.
There was no need to keep reopening the wound.
Poliwag's Damp Ability was truly invaluable.
Not only in the mines, but during the past two years, the group had encountered Trainers with ill intentions more than once.
They had also faced many Pokémon capable of Self-Destruct and Explosion, particularly Geodude, Voltorb, and Koffing.
Without Damp, their journey would have been far more dangerous.
The closest call happened when Icarus nearly lost his face again.
A desperate enemy Trainer had disguised a specially trained Voltorb as a Poké Ball and thrown it at him.
The Voltorb had gotten within five meters before Icarus sensed the swelling energy.
By then, his Pokémon were too far away to help.
Fortunately, Poliwag's Damp suppressed the explosion.
Then Staryu used Confusion to hurl the Voltorb back.
That single action saved his life.
…
After cleaning up the battlefield, they counted sixty-two newly born Pokémon.
Most were Rock- and Ground-types.
Of those, fourteen were worth keeping:
Eleven with Ordinary Mid-tier potential.
Two with Ordinary High-tier potential.
One Zubat with Good Low-tier potential.
Combined with all the harvested materials, it was an enormous haul.
Of course, it wasn't as easy as it looked.
Several mining teams had already abandoned this area.
Ordinary mining Trainers weren't going to specifically train Water-types just to counter Self-Destruct strategies.
Nor could they coordinate large-scale combination attacks like Stone's team.
As a result, they simply gave up on the area.
This mine truly was Stone's domain.
Combined with the support of Icarus and Airi, their combat strength inside the tunnels was extraordinary.
"Clang! Clang!"
"Sandslash, don't slack off! Keep digging!"
Once the battle ended, the real work began.
Stone swung his pickaxe while most of his Pokémon dug with their claws.
Even Kangaskhan joined in.
One swipe from her claws left deep cracks in the rock wall.
She was far more efficient than any pickaxe.
"Clang! Clang!"
Icarus wasn't idle either.
His physical strength was comparable to a Machop's, making mining surprisingly easy.
Meanwhile, his Pokémon handled support work.
Weepinbell used Vine Whip to transport ore.
Houndoom smelted raw ore with its flames.
Pidgeotto's sharpened claws sliced through rock like blades.
Airi and her Pokémon handled cooling and refining.
Marshtomp even wielded a pickaxe of its own.
As for Squirtle and Clefairy, they enthusiastically carried miniature pickaxes.
"Squirtle~ Clang! Clang!"
"Clefairy~ Clang!"
Unfortunately, the two looked more like children playing than actual miners.
Their strength was simply too low.
Meanwhile, Houndoom's blazing fire melted ore at incredible speed.
Poliwag rapidly cooled the molten metal with Water Guns.
Almost every Pokémon contributed in some way.
The only one that drew envy from the others was Stone's Graveler.
"Heh-cha~ Crunch! Crunch!"
While digging, Graveler casually ate chunks of ore.
The satisfied expression on its face clearly demonstrated just how rich this vein was.
As for Luna, she naturally took charge of logistics.
She prepared meals for everyone and all of the Pokémon.
Only Graveler ate ore directly.
The others still needed proper food.
Meanwhile, Miltank produced fresh MooMoo Milk, carefully filling empty bottles one after another.
Four days passed in the blink of an eye.
Thanks to their tents and warning systems, they lived inside the mine just like professional miners.
The results were incredible.
Even after refining and compressing everything into a single spatial backpack, the ore was estimated to be worth nearly 600,000 Alliance Credits.
Based on his share alone, Icarus earned more than 70,000 Alliance Credits per day.
It was hard to believe how profitable an undeveloped mining zone could be.
Even after four days of work, they still hadn't exhausted the vein.
There was likely enough ore left for another two or three days.
Naturally, Icarus hadn't neglected training.
During those four days:
Squirtle successfully advanced to the High Newborn Rank.
Clefairy's energy control improved considerably.
Clefairy also learned a new move: Defense Curl.
After Squirtle's breakthrough, Icarus began planning its evolution.
Fortunately, as a starter Pokémon, Squirtle's evolution path had already been thoroughly researched.
The cultivation manual he possessed contained a two-tier aptitude enhancement evolution method.
The downside?
The required materials were worth over 700,000 Alliance Credits.
Far more expensive than Houndour's or Pidgeotto's evolution plans.
Still, the cost was worth it.
If Wartortle could reach Superior High-tier Aptitude, then with Encore's assistance, its final evolution might very well reach Leader-tier Aptitude.
Icarus had already decided:
As soon as they returned from Mt. Moon, he would purchase the evolution materials.
If Team Rocket offered a better price than the Alliance, he'd buy them there.
Even saving a few thousand credits mattered.
A few thousand credits was enough to cover a month's living expenses.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan.
Unfortunately, reality always had surprises in store.
On the evening of the fifth day, everyone was asleep inside their tents.
Houndoom, Staryu, and Sandshrew were standing watch.
Suddenly—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several stones shot toward them from the darkness.
"Hmm?"
Staryu immediately stopped them with Confusion.
The gem at its center flashed.
It asked Houndoom whether they should investigate.
Because Icarus held absolute authority within the group, even Pokémon belonging to Airi and Stone usually followed the commands of Icarus's Pokémon during joint operations.
"Woof."
Houndoom nodded.
It instructed Staryu to move forward and scout with Confusion.
Staryu was actually much better suited for cave reconnaissance than Houndoom.
Its Psychic powers gave it a clear advantage.
Soon, it discovered the source.
More than a dozen Geodude and Sandshrew were approaching, accompanied by a Graveler and a Sandslash.
Without hesitation, Staryu attacked.
Confusion pinned the weaker Pokémon in place.
Then a barrage of Water Guns blasted toward them.
The distant sounds of battle echoed through the tunnels.
Houndoom listened carefully.
Since all it heard were the cries of wild Pokémon, it relaxed and continued lying down.
It waited for Staryu's victorious return.
What they didn't know was that a figure dressed in black protective gear was hiding within the shadows.
Beside him stood an unusually small Sandslash.
The man patted the Pokémon's head and stared toward the camp.
His eyes beneath the mask gleamed with greed.
"That backpack alone might be worth nearly a million…"
"And that pile of materials too…"
"I'm going to make a fortune."
He licked his lips.
This man was a Trainer who preyed on miners within Mt. Moon.
He had been secretly observing Icarus and his group since the third day.
After estimating the richness of the vein they were working, he had also calculated the value of their harvest.
Of course, he wasn't stupid enough to charge in directly.
He only possessed Ordinary Mid-tier strength.
Even with five Pokémon, he couldn't defeat Icarus's team head-on.
Especially not with that High Ordinary-rank Weepinbell guarding them.