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Linus immediately caught Trubbish as it splashed into the water. Peering through his long, tangled white hair, he turned toward the approaching figure.
"New face?" Linus asked warily. He quickly reached for his leaf-woven tunic lying on the bank.
"Hi, I just moved into the old farm," Ron said, offering a friendly greeting and introducing himself.
But Linus remained guarded. Perhaps it was due to years without social contact—he gave his name in a dry, clipped tone, then scrambled onto the shore, hastily pulling on his tunic. Cradling Trubbish, he pointed to the tent above, where a small campfire flickered. "Yeah… I live here alone. Don't mind me."
Ron followed his gesture, then nodded politely.
Linus searched Ron's eyes—and found no judgment, no pity. That eased his tension slightly.
Most townsfolk were kind, but few understood his lifestyle. For that quiet respect, Linus was genuinely grateful.
Still cautious, he quickly stepped aside, clearing a path.
Ron didn't press further. He gave a brief nod and strode straight toward the mine entrance.
He'd reached Floor 5 on his last visit, so he took the elevator directly down to that level.
Normally, this mine should've been crawling with monsters—slimes, bugs, the usual dungeon fare. But he'd encountered nothing all the way down. Ron suspected Pokémon had either driven them out or wiped them clean.
On Floor 5, he released Orthworm and Geodude.
Today's goal: 200 stones.
If luck favored him, he'd also push deeper—ideally reaching Floor 10 to claim Marlon's reward from the Adventurers' Guild.
He checked his Pokédex, then issued commands.
Mining came naturally to both. In fact, they'd already worked out a rhythm:
Orthworm extended stiff, club-like bristles from both sides of its body—like built-in drills—and charged headfirst into boulders.
CRASH!
Rocks shattered across the floor, and Geodude efficiently gathered the fragments.
Impressive efficiency.
While they worked, Ron took out his pickaxe and began searching for ore.
His supply for Orthworm was nearly gone—and manual rock-breaking drained too much stamina. Better to focus on precision mining.
Soon, ore in hand, Ron spotted the ladder down. He waved to his Pokémon.
After stowing Geodude's collected stones in his backpack, he peered into the darkness below. Unable to see clearly, he turned to Orthworm—their highest-level Pokémon—and signaled for it to go first.
Once Orthworm landed safely, Ron leaned over the edge.
Floor 6 should've had ambient light—but instead, it was pitch-black, reeking of something foul. Faint rustling echoed through the cavern.
Ron recalled Geodude into its Poké Ball, gripped the rope ladder, and descended cautiously.
His eyes adjusted quickly—and he froze.
The ceiling above was covered in strange, shifting lumps… slowly swaying.
He pulled out his Pokédex and scanned them.
[Zubat]
[Bat Pokémon]
[Navigates by emitting ultrasonic waves. Rarely leaves dark caves.]
There were at least ten Zubat clinging overhead.
Not good.
Ron set his feet firmly on the ground, released Geodude, and drew his sickle from his backpack.
The moment the Pokédex had scanned them, the Zubat had already turned toward him.
In the next heartbeat, they erupted from the ceiling like a black storm—swooping straight at Ron.
"Orthworm—Sand Attack!" Ron shouted.
Orthworm thrashed its bristled sides, kicking up a cloud of gravel and bat guano.
The debris disrupted the Zubat's echolocation—freezing them mid-air in confusion.
Ron exhaled in relief, covered his mouth against the stench, and assessed his options.
Luckily, Zubat were Poison/Flying types—both Orthworm (Steel) and Geodude (Rock) had type advantages.
But there was a problem:
Geodude was only Level 7—its only move was Tackle.
Orthworm, at Level 10, knew Wrap and Tackle—slightly better, but still limited. It's other move was Mud-Slap which doesn't affect Flying-Types
Thinking fast, Ron pointed to a stone pillar. "Geodude—Tackle that!"
Geodude nodded—and charged.
BOOM!
The impact shook the cavern. Stalactites overhead trembled… then rained down like spears.
The stone barrage struck most of the Zubat mid-flight. Ron dodged falling debris, scanning for his next move.
The attack enraged the surviving Zubat. They opened their mouths wide—
SCREEEE!
A piercing shriek slammed into Ron's skull, making his head throb.
He clapped his hands over his ears and scanned with his Pokédex.
[Supersonic — Emits disorienting sound waves to confuse the target.]
Before the Pokédex finished announcing, Orthworm—caught in the confusion—began thrashing wildly, slamming itself into the walls.
"Orthworm—dive underground!" Ron yelled.
Orthworm burrowed down just as Ron ordered Geodude to slam into another wall.
CRACK!
Another cascade of rocks hammered down, smashing the airborne Zubat to the ground—and cutting off their Supersonic mid-cry.
"Orthworm—Wrap!" Ron commanded.
From below, Orthworm shot upward like a missile, coiling tightly around the stunned Zubat.
CRUNCH!
One by one, the Zubat collapsed—fainted.
Then, a soft ding chimed from Ron's Pokédex.
He opened the interface:
Orthworm had leveled up from 10 → 13, learning Smack Down.
Geodude had risen from 7 → 11, unlocking Rollout.
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