After Lucas and the others left with that scruffy trainer, Cole continued exploring the mine with his Larvitar and the others.
The group — one person and two Pokémon — walked for some distance, passing through a section where the mining lamps were broken.
Suddenly, Larvitar grabbed its small shovel and ran excitedly toward a corner, where it immediately began digging.
"Larvitar, what's wrong? Did you find something?" Cole asked.
Without answering, Larvitar kept digging. After a while, it turned its dust-covered little face toward Cole and held up a fist-sized stone, beaming with a brilliant smile.
In its hands was a Silver Stone.
"Yow~ Yow~ Yow~" — See, I told you we could find one, but you didn't believe me.
Its face radiated pride.
Cole examined the Silver Stone, noting its high purity. Since entrance tickets were relatively cheap, this single stone would cover their fee.
Of course, being just a small piece, that's all it was worth.
"Alright, alright, you're amazing. Let me put it away for you, and you can eat it when we get home." Cole said, smoothly storing the Silver Stone in his spatial backpack.
Larvitar watched the Silver Stone disappear with longing eyes, eager for an immediate taste. It wondered whether self-dug stones had a different flavor from store-bought ones.
Cole: That's just an excuse — you're simply greedy!
Cole patted its little belly and said, "Keep working hard, find more, and you can eat as much as you want!"
"Yow~ Yow~"
Energized by these words, Larvitar raised its little shovel, determined to find every Silver Stone in the entire mine.
After saying this, it darted off, digging frantically in every corner along the way.
Reality proved harsh, though. After that first find, Larvitar couldn't discover another Silver Stone, and its spirits sank.
Seeing this, Cole tried to cheer it up, "Hey, look at all that dirt you dug up to take home! That'll make a tasty snack — not bad at all!"
But Larvitar remained glum. It trudged forward, dragging its little shovel behind instead of holding it high.
They passed several other trainers on their way. When Larvitar heard some had found multiple Silver Stones, it drooled with envy.
Deeper in the mine, they encountered even more trainers. While some were there to mine, others searched for the rumored Eevee. Though no Eevee appeared, they did spot some Aron, which sent many trainers charging after them instead.
Cole mused that without a private mine at home, keeping an Aron was like throwing money away. Though he couldn't really judge — his Larvitar was even more expensive to raise.
Aron just needed minerals, but Larvitar required both high-quality minerals and premium Pokémon food made from Grade A berries to reach its full potential.
Luckily, Cole could grow his own berry trees and had some money saved up.
While its trainer silently fretted about its appetite, Larvitar's attention suddenly fixed on something in the distance.
"Larvitar, what are you looking at?" Cole asked, noticing how still it had become.
"Yow~ Yow~"
Larvitar pointed eagerly toward a dark corner.
Despite the mining lamps throughout the cave, some turns remained in complete darkness. That's where it was pointing.
"What's there?" Cole switched on his flashlight and approached carefully.
In the corner, he discovered several Carbink huddled together.
The Carbink were very timid, and upon seeing a human suddenly appear, they huddled together in the corner, trembling.
"Oh, it's just some Carbink." Cole sighed with relief, having worried what they might find, "Larvitar, you... you're not so hungry that you want to eat Carbink, are you?"
Hearing this, the Carbink were terrified. Their bodies began spinning rapidly, and in a flash, they burrowed into the ground and vanished.
"Yow~ Yow~"
When they disappeared, Larvitar grew furious. It tugged at Cole's pants so forcefully that they nearly came down.
"What are you doing? You can't seriously want to eat Carbink — that's not allowed!" Cole said, clutching his pants.
Larvitar grew even angrier at this. It explained that Carbink could help guide them to mineral deposits, greatly improving their chances of finding them.
"That's actually a thing?" Cole asked, surprised.
"Yow~ Yow~" — Now you've scared them all away!
Larvitar puffed up its cheeks in anger.
"Should we look for them again?" Cole suggested.
Larvitar nodded and rushed to the tunnel the Carbink had dug. It craned its neck to peer inside but, unable to see anything, got its head stuck.
Cole quickly pulled it out by its legs.
"Which direction should we search?" He pondered.
Larvitar, head now covered in dirt, sat sprawled beside his feet, its little face showing the same confusion.
"I've got it!"
Cole had an idea and took out Daisy's Poké Ball, releasing her.
"Mom, can you use your Psychic powers to sense which direction this tunnel leads?" He asked, pointing at the Carbink's tunnel.
"Garde~" — I'll try.
Daisy approached the tunnel entrance, closed her eyes, and extended her Psychic power inside. After a moment, she opened them.
"Garde~ Garde~" — It seems to be that way!
She pointed in a direction.
Cole pulled up the dejected Larvitar and said, "Alright, let's go search there — we're sure to find them!"
"Yow~"
His words rekindled Larvitar's fighting spirit, and it rushed off in the direction Daisy indicated, dragging its little shovel behind.
Cole quickly followed with his mom and Heliolisk.
After running for what felt like ages, they strayed increasingly off course until they emerged completely from the mine. Checking his map, Cole realized this exit wasn't among the seven marked entrances and exits.
Facing the rocky, scree-covered mountain before them, Cole turned to Daisy. "Mom, are you sure the Carbink's tunnel leads this way?"
"Garde~ Garde~" — Probably, they dug so deep I could only vaguely sense it.
Daisy looked uncertain.
Cole turned to Larvitar. "Can following the Carbink really help us find minerals? We're outside the mine now!"
"Yow? Yow?"
Larvitar seemed just as unsure.
"Helio~ Helio~"
Suddenly Heliolisk called out, pointing. Following its gesture, they spotted several Carbink hiding behind a rock, watching them secretly.
"Chase them!"
Cole led the way toward the rock where they were hiding.
When the Carbink spotted the group approaching, they immediately fled.
The chase went on and on, with Cole's group in pursuit while the Carbink kept running. Just as Cole was about to catch up to them, the Carbink suddenly halted.
In unison, they leaped into the air and landed heavily on the ground. As they touched down, an earthen yellow light spread across the surface.
Earth Power!
Cole realized they were in trouble. The ground beneath their feet began to shake violently as cracks spread across the surface.
Before anyone could react, a bottomless pit opened beneath them, and Cole and his Pokémon plummeted into the darkness.
"Ahhhhh..."
✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲
The pit seemed endless.
They fell for what felt like an eternity until Daisy finally caught them with her Psychic Power, slowly lowering them to safety. Without her intervention, they surely would have perished.
The Carbink had fallen with them but, lacking Daisy's Psychic Power to slow their descent, had landed far earlier and already disappeared.
Their rock-hard bodies protected them from the fall, especially with the soft soil below to cushion their landing.
At the bottom of the pit, an unexpected sight greeted them — a long, winding tunnel stretched into the darkness.
"Let's go check it out," Cole said to his Pokémon as he turned on his flashlight.
"Garde~"
"Helio~"
"Yow~"
The three Pokémon responded in unison, following close behind him.
The tunnel stretched endlessly before them. After walking for what seemed like ages, they finally spotted a glimmer of light. Emerging from the tunnel, they found themselves facing a magnificent flower field.
The field burst with colorful blooms releasing sweet fragrances. Butterfree, Beautifly, Vivillon, and Combee danced through the air above. Cole could hardly believe his eyes — it was like stepping into paradise.
Rather than fleeing at the sight of strangers, the Pokémon inhabiting the flower field regarded Cole's group with curious expressions.
As he ventured deeper into the flower field, Cole spotted something unexpected — a villa standing in the distance.
"Someone actually lives here?" Cole was stunned. He'd assumed they were deep in the wilderness.
"Let's go take a look," he said to his Pokémon companions.
Cole led his three Pokémon toward the villa. Drawing closer, he noticed its elegant and beautiful decorations.
Though modest in size, the two-story Western-style house was a pristine white. Yellow-flowering vines draped its walls, lending the villa a mysterious atmosphere.
As Cole stood at the entrance peering in, a young woman of breathtaking beauty appeared before him.
She was tall, perhaps eighteen years old, with fiery red hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. Her light yellow dress fell past her knees, and she stood with such natural grace that she might have stepped from a painting.
Cole had never seen anyone so beautiful — even someone as stunning as Diantha couldn't quite compare.
While he stood transfixed, the young woman noticed him.
"Oh my!" She exclaimed, "How rare to have a visitor!"
Her voice surprised Cole — rather than the sweet, high tone he'd expected, she spoke with the warmth of an older sister.
Setting down her watering can, she approached from where she'd been tending the flowers.
"Little brother, where did you come from?" She asked, opening the gate.
"I stumbled upon this place by accident." Cole replied nervously, "I was hoping to ask where this is."
Understanding dawned on her face, "Oh, I see. Why don't you come in and sit for a while?"
She stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter.
"Thank you for having me." Cole nodded, entering the courtyard with Daisy and the others.
As she closed the gate, the young woman glanced at his Pokémon, "Are you a trainer? Here exploring the area?"
"Something like that." Cole answered. Suddenly, he spotted the Carbink from earlier in a corner of the courtyard, "It's you!"
The Carbink, startled by his voice, quickly hid in the flowers.
"You know these Carbink?" The young woman asked in surprise.
"Actually, I followed them here." Cole said sheepishly. He hadn't realized they had an owner.
Though he hadn't intended any harm to the Carbink, he still felt embarrassed.
"Oh~" The young woman's face was full of meaning as she glanced toward the flowers where the Carbink were hiding, "You went to the mines again?"
There was a rustling in the flowers, but the Carbink remained hidden. Seeing this, the young woman fell silent.
In the center of the courtyard stood a table. The young woman invited Cole to sit, "I haven't asked your name yet, little brother."
"I'm Cole Sage. And you, big sister?" Cole said.
"Hehe... 'big sister', huh? Well, that works too." She laughed mysteriously at his question. Seeing his confused expression, she simply said, "I'm Ember."
"Sister Ember." Cole murmured.
"You came to mine at the mountain, right?" Ember asked.
"Yes, I was hoping the Carbink could help me find minerals, but they ran so fast I ended up chasing them all the way here." Cole explained.
Ember giggled, "Even if you had gotten their help, you wouldn't have found many minerals."
"How does big sister know?" Cole asked, confused.
Ember's eyes twinkled playfully, "Can you guess who owns that mountain?"
Who? Cole was stumped at first, but seeing her teasing look, realization struck him.
"Could it be you, Sister Ember..."
"Correct!" Ember said, "That mountain is mine — and not just the mountain. All the land around here belongs to me."
Rich lady!
Cole was dumbfounded.
✲✲✲
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