In the middle section of Route 12, at the boundary where forest meets grassland.
Silas brought the Mudsdale here.
According to Pyroar, a group of Carbink—Rock- and Fairy-type Pokémon were active in this area. Pyroar said that they had built a small Jewel Kingdom underground.
That there were Carbink appearing on Route 12 was something Silas had never expected. After all, Carbink are notoriously difficult to be born; only under conditions of extreme heat and immense pressure do they have a chance to come into existence. Because of their rarity, Carbink are regarded in the Kalos region as "Guardians of Earth Memory."
By analyzing their bodies, people can study the geological strata ten thousand meters beneath the surface, making them exceptionally valuable for research.
Sitting astride Mudsdale's broad back, Silas surveyed the area ahead from a higher vantage point. Before him stretched a vast expanse of chaotic rock formations. Not to mention Carbink—there wasn't even a single Geodude in sight.
"Mud~"
The eldest Mudsdale stepped forward, placing its hoof onto a stone. A boulder that looked to be nearly a meter tall was crushed into stone powder in an instant.
Extremely brittle—far too fragile to be used for road construction.
Just as Silas was pondering how to find the hidden Carbink, the second Mudsdale's calm, unwavering eyes locked onto a particular spot.
"Mud Mud!"
(Silas, there's something over there.)
"Let's go take a look."
The eldest Mudsdale took the lead, its body wrapped in dense Ground-type energy, High Horsepower fully primed. One man and three Mudsdale advanced in a single-file formation, slowly approaching, until a pitch-black cave entrance hidden behind rocks came into view.
The cave wasn't very deep, but in the darkness, a dangerous red glint flashed briefly and vanished. In the silent surroundings, clear crackling sounds echoed from within the cave, accompanied by several glittering chunks of crystal being flung outward.
"It's Sableye," Silas said in a low voice as he gave the order. "Move out, Mudsdale."
"Mud!"
Receiving the command to attack, the Mudsdale acted without hesitation. Their front hooves rose high, like two massive thousand-pound war hammers, and slammed down toward the cave.
A thunderous roar followed, like an earthquake. The cave, along with the surrounding rocks and soil, collapsed completely, caving in from the outside inward.
The goal was to force the mysterious Pokémon inside to come out. If it didn't, it would be buried alive. Even if the opponent was a Ghost-type Pokémon with a physical body, it wouldn't fare well under such circumstances.
The outcome matched Silas's expectations perfectly. The Pokémon deep inside the cave panicked and fled outward. What awaited it was a two-hundred-thousand-horsepower impact—two Mudsdale charging like heavy trucks, slamming straight into it.
Sableye was given no chance to counterattack. It was sent flying, limbs flailing, before crashing heavily onto the ground. With just that single blow, Sableye completely lost its ability to fight.
"Come back!"
Silas beckoned to the Mudsdale and instructed them to dig open the collapsed cave. If his guess was correct, that Sableye had been gnawing on Carbink.
The Mudsdale brothers quickly cleared away the rubble, revealing a Pokémon inside that was unconscious, practically playing dead. It was a Pokémon whose body was made of jewel-like stone, shaped overall like a cone, with a pair of protrusions resembling rabbit ears.
However, the condition of this Carbink was terrible. The jewels embedded in its body had been completely eaten away, leaving behind empty holes. Without the jewels as adornments, its once-brilliant body had become dull and lusterless.
Whether the lost jewels could grow back was anyone's guess.
Even as these thoughts passed through his mind, Silas's hands didn't slow. He took a Revive Shard from his spatial satchel, gently parted the ring of fluff between the Carbink's head and body, and only then found the tiny hidden mouth inside, feeding the Revive Shard to it.
The self-healing ability of Rock-type Pokémon was no joke. After just a short while, the Carbink that had been on the verge of death slowly regained consciousness.
"Bink Bink~ (＞_＜)"
The Carbink struggled to get up, but since the jewels that supported its body had been chewed away by Sableye, it couldn't even stand. After several futile attempts, it collapsed again.
"Carbink, don't move around," Silas said, supporting it as he helped it sit up.
Only then did Carbink notice the human and the three Pokémon beside it, and it was instantly startled. In its panic, it struggled again and promptly fell back to the ground.
It took Silas quite a bit of explaining before he finally made things clear to Carbink. It had nearly been done for, almost eaten completely by the treacherous Sableye.
"Bink~"
Carbink expressed its gratitude toward them.
Only then did Silas ask, "Carbink, where are the rest of your kin?"
"Bink Bink..."
(All my kin are underground building our kingdom. No—I must inform everyone that a Sableye has appeared.)
Carbink tried once more to get up, its body swaying before it fell again.
Silas reached out and gently gathered Carbink into his arms. The sensation was cold, like holding a piece of stone.
"You can't move right now. Just help guide me, and I'll take you to your kin."
Carbink hesitated. It turned its head to look at the kind human before it, then at the three Mudsdale, and finally at the unconscious Sableye lying on the ground.
In the end, Carbink chose to trust them. Their location had already been exposed. If they didn't relocate quickly, more Sableye would surely be drawn in, and by then, there would be nowhere left to run.
Having made up its mind, Carbink steeled itself and gestured for the human to follow.
Walking in the direction Carbink indicated, they soon spotted an entrance that blended perfectly into the surrounding environment. Without Carbink's guidance, it would have been nearly impossible to find, even if the area had been turned upside down.
Silas had Mudsdale push aside the stones sealing the entrance. What appeared before them was a cave about half a person wide. Along both sides of the rocky walls, sparse jewels were embedded, emitting a faint glow that was just enough to illuminate the path underfoot.
"Bink~!"
(It's here! Keep going down and you'll reach the kingdom we're still building.)
Glancing at the three Mudsdale beside him, Silas recalled two of them. With too many Pokémon, it would be difficult to maneuver if something unexpected happened.
The cave interior wasn't a straight path, but rather a maze of countless branching tunnels. These had been deliberately excavated by the Carbink as a defense against Sableye. Only they knew which route was the correct one.
As they descended deeper, the surroundings actually grew brighter. All kinds of rare minerals filled the cave, countless in number, piled haphazardly into formations that only Carbink could understand as signposts.
Silas's eyes grew brighter the deeper they went. Not even mentioning the rare minerals, even the unremarkable stones scattered around were exactly what he needed. Obsidian, born deep underground under conditions of extreme heat and pressure, was the ideal material for paving roads. Even Mudsdale running across it would be no problem.
He could come back later and trade with the Carbink for a batch.
Just as they were nearing the underground kingdom, a group of Carbink suddenly rushed out from the branching tunnels on both sides. Their bodies shone with dazzling light as the gemstones within them were converted into powerful attacks.
Seeing its kin, the Carbink in Silas's arms became exceptionally excited and lunged toward them. In the next moment, it face-planted straight into the ground—if it had been a human, it would have looked like kneeling down and knocking its head in greeting.
The Carbink guards looked at one another, then back at the scene.
Bin? (Is it New Year already?)
(End of Chapter)