Ariel stopped in his tracks and looked up.
It was a Pokémon with a peculiar appearance.
It was shaped like a crescent moon, with a yellowish-brown rocky body and a large red eye embedded in the center; its black vertical pupil looked particularly eerie in the darkness.
It had no limbs and floated quietly in mid-air, exuding an aura that didn't seem to belong to this world.
Ariel took out his pokédex and pointed it at it.
"Beep. Lunatone, the Meteorite Pokémon. Rock and Psychic-type. It is said that its energy source is moonlight; its power reaches its peak when bathed in the radiance of a full moon. Level: 24. Ability: Levitate..."
"Lunatone, huh..." Ariel muttered to himself.
This kind of Pokémon was completely different from the ones he usually saw.
If most Pokémon seemed like flesh-and-blood creatures, then Lunatone was purely a rock that had gained spirit—the kind that came from outer space.
Of course, there were also rumors in the outside world that Pokémon like Lunatone and Solrock originally lived in the universe and came here following meteorites.
Ariel had heard rumors about them coming from the universe, but he didn't have much interest in it.
However, the appearance of Lunatone at this moment had only one meaning for him—he was very close to the Core Area of Meteor Falls.
Because this kind of Pokémon only inhabited places where Meteorite energy remained.
"Sneasel." Ariel turned his head and looked at the figure beside him, ready to strike. "You're up."
Dealing with an opponent of this level, letting Krokorok take the field would be a waste of stamina; it was better to let Sneasel practice and accumulate some battle experience.
*Swish!*
Having received the command, Sneasel didn't hesitate at all. Its body blurred into an afterimage as it instantly pounced.
The Lunatone opposite clearly hadn't expected the opponent's movement to be so swift, and a flicker of movement passed through its single red eye.
The air around its body distorted, and an invisible Confusion barrier instantly formed.
*Bang!*
Sneasel's sharp claws struck the Confusion barrier hard, producing a muffled sound, but it was forcefully repelled.
What a fast reaction speed!
Ariel felt slightly surprised.
For a wild Lunatone to have this level of Psychic control was quite impressive.
Sneasel performed a nimble flip in the air and landed steadily, letting out a threatening low growl from its throat, its crimson eyes locked onto the Lunatone in mid-air.
The Lunatone's single eye flashed red, and a powerful surge of mental energy flooded toward Sneasel like a tide.
Sneasel felt its head grow heavy, as if a thousand-pound boulder were pressing down, and its movements instantly became sluggish.
This was the most troublesome thing about Psychic-type Pokémon: their various skills that were hard to guard against.
"Use Ice Shard," Ariel calmly commanded.
Sneasel endured the mental pressure as cold air gathered on its claws. Several crystalline Ice Shards instantly formed and shot out like bullets.
Lunatone neither dodged nor avoided. The rocks around its body vibrated slightly, and a shield made of rock appeared out of thin air, blocking all the Ice Shards.
Immediately after, Lunatone's single eye flashed again. The rubble on the surrounding ground floated up as if endowed with life, smashing toward Sneasel from all directions.
"Speed is power; don't go head-to-head with it," Ariel's voice echoed in the cave. "Evade, and use Assurance."
Sneasel understood. It pushed off hard with its feet, its entire body turning into an almost invisible black line, weaving through the dense rain of Rock Tombs at high speed.
Its movements were fast to the extreme, each dodge perfectly timed, as if it had predicted the trajectory of all the stones in advance.
Those whistling stones couldn't even touch its afterimage.
Lunatone's eye darted around quickly, trying to capture Sneasel's trail, but Sneasel's speed was so fast that it made its Psychic Lock-On extremely difficult.
Just at the moment when Lunatone's energy flow lagged slightly due to continuous skill usage, the opportunity arrived!
"Now!"
A dark shadow appeared behind Lunatone like a ghost. It was Sneasel, which had used Agility to circle around to the blind spot.
Dark-type energy gathered on its claws, forming a ball of deep darkness.
Assurance!
This strike was unavoidable!
Lunatone also seemed to feel the fatal threat. Its body erupted with intense red light, trying to use mental power to shake Sneasel off.
But it was already too late.
*Slash!*
The claws wrapped in Dark-type energy tore through Lunatone's rocky body without resistance.
A piercing sound of shattering rang out.
Lunatone let out a silent wail, its body trembling violently. The light in its red single eye faded rapidly, like a light bulb that had been disconnected.
Its body, floating in the air, could no longer maintain itself and fell straight toward the ground.
*Thud.*
With a muffled sound, Lunatone hit the ground, completely losing its Ability to battle.
"Well done," Ariel looked at the Sneasel that had returned to his side and nodded in satisfaction.
Sneasel lifted its head and lightly wiped the feather on its chest with its claw, acting as if it were only natural, but the slight curl of its mouth betrayed its inner pride.
With Lunatone defeated, Ariel recalled Sneasel.
Although the battle just now was short, for Sneasel, every match was a valuable accumulation of practical experience.
He didn't stay long. He identified the direction and continued walking deeper into the cave.
The further in he went, the heavier the moisture in the air became. Fine droplets of water began to seep out of the rock walls, feeling cold and slimy to the touch.
Not far away, a swift dark shadow darted out from a crack in the rock on the side, lunging straight forward with a sharp sound of breaking air.
It was a Sandslash!
This Sandslash was robustly built, its back covered in a thick yellowish-brown shell. Its cold, glinting claws were already extended, clearly treating Ariel as an intruder.
"Inkay, I'll leave it to you."
Ariel's tone was flat, as if he had already expected an attack.
With a flash of red light, Inkay floated lightly in mid-air, the Glowing organs on its head flickering.
Facing the aggressive Sandslash, it simply tilted its head. Several pale purple Psycho Cuts condensed out of thin air and slashed over silently.
Sandslash's reaction wasn't slow. It immediately curled into a ball, trying to use its hard back shell to defend.
However, the power of Inkay's Psycho Cut was now quite significant.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The blades hit Sandslash, directly piercing through its proud defense!
Sandslash let out a pained groan, its entire body stiffening. Its high-speed Rollout posture came to an abrupt halt, and it slumped powerlessly to the ground, losing its Ability to battle.
The whole process was clean and efficient, lasting only a few seconds.
Ariel glanced at the unconscious Sandslash. Its level was 23. For the current Inkay, it no longer posed any threat.
Just then, a low and continuous roar entered his ears.
*Crash—*
*Crash—*
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