Just how many Pokémon did Team Snagem cram into this hole?
Kashiwagi was speechless. He hadn't even been down here for thirty minutes, yet he'd already encountered three separate waves of wild Pokémon. This time, he'd been caught red-handed.
What now?
Should I use my trump card?
He brushed his hand against his pocket, staring tensely at the Aron.
But for some reason, the Pokémon didn't attack. Instead, it maintained an observant posture, its sky-blue eyes reflecting a hazy sense of curiosity.
After a stalemate lasting about ten seconds, Kashiwagi felt a surge of confusion. When the attack failed to materialize, a realization struck him, and he slowly reached toward his collar.
At that exact moment, a faint, high-pitched buzzing reached his ears from behind.
Not good!
The two Vibrava were coming back.
When it rains, it pours. Dealing with an Aron was tricky enough; adding two Vibrava to the mix was a death sentence. They were effectively backing him into a corner.
Kashiwagi looked at the Aron, which still hadn't assumed a combat stance. On a sudden, wild whim, he considered scooping the little creature into his arms so they could hide together. If he hid and the Aron stayed out in the open, it would give his position away.
To his surprise, the Aron took several steps back, gave him one last long look, and then glanced toward the source of the buzzing. With a series of quick, rhythmic scritch-scratch sounds, it dug a small hollow into the rock wall and scurried inside.
Its movements were stealthy and agile—truly impressive.
This little guy...
While staying hidden, Kashiwagi couldn't help but feel the iron ingot tucked against his chest. He wondered if the "clue" he'd been given pointed directly to this specific Aron.
But the exam promised an "obtainable" Pokémon. How could a Pokémon put there by Team Snagem be caught?
Unless... it's an abandoned one?
It was a possibility, assuming the examiners hadn't vetted every single Pokémon in the mine. Then again, the clue might not point to an Aron at all; there were plenty of Pokémon in the world interested in iron.
In Orre, anything was possible.
Kashiwagi held his breath, minimizing every muscle twitch to avoid detection. These desert-dwelling Pokémon were notoriously aggressive and rarely let a target escape once they had it in their sights.
Bzzzzzz—
The raucous noise was like a faulty buzzer, grating on Kashiwagi's nerves. If it weren't for his decent self-control, he probably would have snapped by now.
He counted down in his head, lungs burning.
A moment later, he survived yet another harrowing close encounter as the two Vibrava flew past. Only when the buzzing had completely faded did he allow himself to shift, glancing at the small hole the Aron had excavated.
He expected the little head to pop back out, but after waiting a full minute, there was no sign of it.
"It's gone... I wonder if it really was an abandoned Pokémon?" Kashiwagi felt the shrunken Poké Ball in his pocket. The Vibrava had returned so quickly he hadn't had a chance to test his theory.
Did I just miss my chance?
He massaged his temples to clear his head. The priority was passing the exam; even if he missed out now, becoming an official member would eventually grant him a partner.
He had to keep moving.
Kashiwagi clicked his headlamp back on, adjusting the brightness so the path was visible but not bright enough to attract light-sensitive predators.
Shortly after he left, the Aron poked its head out of the hole. It stared in the direction he had gone, puffs of dust exhaling from the four dark apertures on its face. Then, it began to follow him at a leisurely pace.
Huff... puff... huff...
Naruhisa ran in a blind panic. The Rhyhorn chasing him was like a harbinger of death, forcing him into a reckless flight.
Unsurprisingly, treating an abandoned mine like a track field was a recipe for disaster.
Naruhisa's foot hit empty air. He plummeted into a deep, man-made pit. The jagged rocks at the bottom tore through his skin, and blood immediately began to soak his clothes.
"Heh heh heh... look at this trash, thinking they actually have a shot at passing."
Above the pit, the Rhyhorn's head appeared, flanked by several unpleasant faces.
One of them sneered down at him. "Tell me where Kashiwagi is right now, and if I'm in a good mood, I might just let you live."
"In your dreams! Just wait! When Kashiwagi finds out, he'll make you pay!" Naruhisa glared up at Shibata with pure hatred.
After getting separated from Kashiwagi, their group had actually been quite lucky. They had avoided most traps and encountered very few trial Pokémon. But just as they reached the deeper levels and spotted the scattered shards of jade ore, Shibata and his cronies had sprung an ambush, using a "cheating" Pokémon to catch them off guard.
His companions had been picked off one by one. Now, Naruhisa, the last one to flee, was trapped.
"Make me pay? Hahaha! I'd like to see him try! You're all just a bunch of penniless nobodies. Rhyhorn! Kill him!"
Incensed, Shibata waved his hand, ordering the execution.
Naruhisa crossed his arms over his face and squeezed his eyes shut. He was terrified, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to give Shibata the satisfaction of seeing him beg. Kashiwagi, you better avenge me, he thought.
He waited for the impact. But the pain never came.
Confused, he opened his eyes and looked up.
"Huh? Where'd they go?"
Shibata, his lackeys, and the Rhyhorn were gone. They actually let me go? Impossible, Naruhisa thought, his mind racing.
Above the pit, Shibata's face was twisted in a grimace as he watched the Rhyhorn turn and walk away. The Pokémon had been sent by his uncle to "help" him, but he realized with a sinking feeling that he couldn't actually command the beast.
The contemptuous look the Pokémon gave him before leaving stung worse than a physical blow.
Damn it! Even a Pokémon looks down on me!
Thinking about the Rhyhorn's blatant disregard for his authority, Shibata's face contorted with malice. His fists were clenched so tight his body shook. Seeing his state, his subordinates didn't dare speak above a whisper, terrified of being his next target.
"It's all that damn Kashiwagi's fault! I'm going to kill him!"
In the end, Shibata shifted all his resentment onto Kashiwagi. If Kashiwagi hadn't stood up to him, these "poor runts" wouldn't have had the spine to resist. He wouldn't be getting chewed out by his family for failing at such a simple task.
Yes. It was all Kashiwagi's fault.
Returning to the jade deposit, Shibata looked at the "trash" lying on the ground groaning in pain and broke into a sadistic grin. "Beat them! Make them scream! The more painful, the better! Let that little rat Kashiwagi hear exactly where we are!"
"But Shibata..."
"What!?"
The speaker recoiled from Shibata's bloodshot eyes. The others exchanged nervous glances; they wanted to point out that screaming would attract wild Pokémon, but none of them dared cross Shibata while he was in this state. They did as they were told.
Before long, agonized screams echoed through the tunnels, sending shivers down the spines of other Snagem hopefuls nearby.
What could be making them scream like that? Is the exam really this brutal?
The sounds reached Kashiwagi as well. He recognized the voices—they were familiar. He quickened his pace.
He didn't care about failing the exam anymore. He was worried they were being killed. He wasn't cold-blooded enough to ignore the death cries of people he knew.
Meanwhile, in the shadows that no one noticed, a small, symbolic figure that seemed to have grown out of a grey stone slab—a Yamask—held a miniature camera, silently monitoring the grunts.
Back in Pyrite Town, a man of noble bearing held a glass of red wine, watching the array of monitors before him. He sighed.
"Team Snagem... each generation is worse than the last."
The security company originally founded to protect the mines had degenerated into this.
"Runerigus," the man said. "Have the Yamask keep an eye on them. Let's not have too many casualties."
"Dessss!"
On a massive grey rock etched with strange, serpentine symbols, a spectral purple eye blinked. Then, the creature vanished into thin air.