Chapter 12: The Cave Trial
Recap: Fang Yuan reached Tie Clan territory and learned he must clear a cave trial to earn the right to challenge the third Gym Leader, Tie Shan. He has four days until his fusion ability recovers.
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The cave mouth gaped like a wound in the mountain's side.
Fang Yuan stood at the entrance, his grey robes stirring in the cold wind that blew from the depths. The stone around him was black, veined with red, as if the mountain itself had been bleeding. Above, the peaks of the Tie Clan mountains scraped the sky, their snowcaps gleaming in the morning light.
Behind him, a crowd had gathered. Word had spread quickly—a boy from the Gu Yue Clan, fresh from defeating Shang Xin Yue, had come to challenge the cave. Miners, disciples, merchants, all had come to watch. Some were curious. Some were skeptical. Most were waiting to see him fail.
"The cave is ten levels deep," the guide said, a grizzled miner with a face like cracked leather. "Each level has stronger Gu. The first five are Rank 1. The next three are Rank 2. The last two..." He spat. "The last two are Rank 3. No one's seen past the eighth level in five years."
Fang Yuan nodded. "How do I clear it?"
"Defeat the guardian on each level. The guardian holds the key to the next door. Beat it, and you move on. Lose..." He shrugged. "You don't come out."
Fang Yuan turned to the cave. The darkness within was absolute, swallowing light, swallowing sound. Somewhere in those depths, his next challenge waited.
He stepped inside.
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The first level was simple.
A wide chamber, its walls lined with glowing crystals that cast pale light across the stone floor. In the center, a Rock Gu sat—a creature of stone and dust, its body shaped like a boulder, its eyes two chips of flint. Rank 1. Unmoving.
Fang Yuan released his Water Flea Gu. The tiny creature materialized in a splash of water, its legs paddling the air.
"Bubble."
A stream of bubbles shot toward the Rock Gu. They struck its surface, burst, and the creature shuddered. Rock was weak against water. The bubbles ate into its stone skin, cracking it, crumbling it.
The Rock Gu retaliated. A shower of dust and gravel sprayed across the chamber. Fang Yuan stepped back, but the Water Flea Gu was too slow. The gravel struck its body, and it faltered.
"Return."
He recalled it and released his Lotus Gu. The flower's petals were fully regrown now, its golden light filling the chamber.
"Petal Dance."
The petals spun, scattering golden light across the Rock Gu. The creature's stone skin cracked, crumbled, and it collapsed into a pile of dust. A key—a small, iron token—clattered to the floor.
Fang Yuan picked it up and moved to the next door.
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The second level was harder.
Two Rock Gu, both Rank 1, their bodies larger than the first. They moved in tandem, one attacking while the other defended. Fang Yuan used his Vine Gu to bind one while his Water Flea Gu bombarded the other with bubbles. It took longer, but he cleared it.
The third level: three Rock Gu. He used his White Boar Gu to charge through them, scattering them like bowling pins, then picked them off one by one with his Lotus Gu.
The fourth level: a single Rock Gu, but Rank 2. Its body was massive, its stone skin thick, its eyes glowing with intelligence. Fang Yuan used his Magnemite Gu—its electric attacks were neutral against rock, but they stunned the creature long enough for his Lotus Gu to land a killing blow.
The fifth level: two Rank 2 Rock Gu. This was harder. His Subjects were tiring. His Lotus Gu's petals were torn again, its light dim. He used his White Boar Gu to draw their attention while his Magnemite Gu shocked them from behind. It worked, but the White Boar Gu was wounded, its hide cracked.
He recalled it and moved on.
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The sixth level was different.
The chamber was larger, the crystals on the walls brighter. And in the center, waiting, was a creature he had never seen before. It was humanoid—a figure of stone and steel, its body gleaming, its eyes burning with red light. A Golem Gu. Rank 2. Rock and Steel type.
Fang Yuan's eyes narrowed. Steel. Resistant to Grass. Weak to Fire and Electric.
He released his Fire Cricket Gu. The tiny insect materialized, its body glowing, but its embers were weak—it hadn't fully recovered from the battle with Shang Xin Yue.
"Ember."
The stream of fire struck the Golem Gu's chest. The creature didn't move. The flames splashed against its steel body, harmless.
The Golem Gu raised its arm and slammed it into the ground. The chamber shook. Cracks raced across the floor, and Fang Yuan stumbled, barely keeping his feet.
His Fire Cricket Gu wasn't so lucky. The shockwave threw it against the wall, and it fell, its glow extinguished.
He recalled it and released his Magnemite Gu. The small electric creature hovered in the air, its magnets spinning.
"Thunder Shock."
A bolt of lightning arced from the Magnemite Gu to the Golem Gu. The creature convulsed, its steel body conducting the electricity, its red eyes flickering. It stumbled back, smoke rising from its joints.
"Again!"
Another bolt. The Golem Gu fell to its knees, its body sparking. Fang Yuan released his White Boar Gu, ignoring its wounds.
"Horn Attack."
The White Boar Gu charged, its tusks lowered, and struck the Golem Gu's chest. The creature toppled, its red eyes fading to black.
A key—a larger iron token—fell to the floor. Fang Yuan picked it up and moved to the seventh door.
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The seventh level was a nightmare.
Three Golem Gu, their bodies larger than the first, their eyes burning with coordinated intelligence. They moved as one, attacking, defending, covering each other's weaknesses.
Fang Yuan's Subjects were exhausted. His Lotus Gu was barely glowing. His White Boar Gu was limping. His Magnemite Gu was sparking erratically. His Fire Cricket Gu was unconscious. His Water Flea Gu had been recalled after the fifth level.
He had only three Subjects left that could fight: his Vine Gu, his Rock Skin Gu, and his Moonlight Gu.
It's not enough. I need more.
He opened the Shop. 61 primeval stones. He could buy a Potion, maybe two. But that wouldn't be enough against three Rank 2 Golem Gu.
He looked at the cracked stone in his pocket. The creature was still dormant. Four days until fusion recovered.
I have to do this alone.
He released his Rock Skin Gu. "Harden. Hold them."
The Rock Skin Gu's plates thickened, and it charged forward, drawing the Golem Gu's attention. They turned, their fists raised, and began to pound the creature. Its plates cracked, splintered, but it held.
Fang Yuan released his Vine Gu. "Bind the left one."
The Vine Gu's tendrils shot forward, wrapping around the left Golem Gu's legs. The creature stumbled, and Fang Yuan released his Moonlight Gu.
"Flash."
The silver light burst, blinding the Golem Gu on the right. It staggered, its fists swinging wildly, and Fang Yuan ran.
He sprinted past them, toward the far door. The Golem Gu in the center saw him and lunged, its fist swinging—
The Rock Skin Gu intercepted it. The creature's body shattered, its rocky plates flying, but it had bought him the seconds he needed.
He reached the door and slammed the key into the lock. The door swung open, and he dove through, the Golem Gu's fist missing his back by inches.
The door closed behind him. He lay on the cold stone floor, gasping, his hands trembling.
The Rock Skin Gu was gone. Its sphere was dark, its vitals zero. He had lost his first Subject.
He pulled out the sphere and stared at it. The rocky creature was gone—shattered, destroyed, its essence scattered across the chamber behind him.
It was a tool. It did its job.
He tucked the sphere into his pocket and stood.
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The eighth level was empty.
Fang Yuan walked through the chamber, his footsteps echoing in the silence. The crystals here were dark, their light extinguished, and the air was cold and still.
At the center, a pedestal rose from the floor. On it, a single key—gold, not iron—waited.
He picked it up. No guardian. No trap. Just the key, waiting for whoever was strong enough to reach it.
The last two levels. Rank 3. The ones no one has seen in five years.
He walked to the ninth door and opened it.
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The ninth level was a cavern.
It was vast, its ceiling lost in darkness, its floor littered with bones—human bones, Gu bones, the remains of those who had come before. And in the center, coiled around a pillar of stone, was a creature of legend.
A Stone Dragon Gu. Rank 3. Rock and Dragon type.
Its scales were grey as ash, its eyes gold, its body long and sinuous. It watched Fang Yuan with the patience of something that had lived for centuries, that had seen a hundred challengers come and die.
Fang Yuan stood at the cavern's entrance, his hands empty, his Subjects exhausted. He had no one left who could fight this. No one except—
He reached into his pocket and touched the cracked stone. It was warm, pulsing, but the creature's presence was still dormant.
Three days until fusion recovers. I don't have three days.
The Stone Dragon Gu uncoiled, its body sliding across the cavern floor. Its eyes never left him.
I have to do this alone.
He released his Lotus Gu. Its petals were torn, its light dim, but it was his only chance.
"Petal Dance."
The flower's petals spun, scattering weak golden light across the cavern. The Stone Dragon Gu didn't even flinch. It opened its mouth, and a stream of stone dust shot toward the Lotus Gu.
The dust struck the flower's petals, shredding them, and the Lotus Gu fell. Its light went out.
Fang Yuan recalled it and released his Magnemite Gu. Its magnets were sparking weakly, its body cracked.
"Thunder Shock."
The bolt of lightning struck the Stone Dragon Gu's scales and dissipated. No effect. The creature's stone skin was too thick.
The Stone Dragon Gu's tail swept across the cavern, and the Magnemite Gu was crushed against the wall. Its sphere went dark.
Fang Yuan recalled it and released his White Boar Gu. The beast was limping, its hide cracked, its tusks chipped.
"Charge."
The White Boar Gu ran. It was a last, desperate attack, a creature giving everything it had. The Stone Dragon Gu watched it come, unmoving.
The tusks struck the dragon's scales and shattered. The White Boar Gu collapsed, its legs giving out, its breath ragged.
Fang Yuan recalled it. He had no one left. No Subjects that could fight. No Subjects that could even stand.
He stood alone in the cavern, facing a creature that had killed a hundred challengers before him.
The Stone Dragon Gu uncoiled fully, its body rising above him, its golden eyes fixed on his. It opened its mouth, and Fang Yuan saw the stone dust gathering, ready to shred him as it had shredded the others.
He didn't move. He didn't flinch. He looked into the creature's eyes and smiled.
"Fusion."
The creature inside him didn't stir. It was still dormant, still recovering, still silent.
But Fang Yuan had something else.
He pulled out the black-and-gold sphere—the one that had held the creature, the one the system couldn't identify. It was cold in his hand, cold as death, and when he pressed the button, it didn't open like a Pokeball. It unfolded, its shell peeling back like a flower, revealing a darkness within that swallowed the cavern's light.
The Stone Dragon Gu froze. Its golden eyes widened, and for the first time, Fang Yuan saw fear in them.
The darkness reached out, tendrils of shadow that wrapped around the creature's body, its scales, its wings. The Stone Dragon Gu tried to flee, but the darkness held it, pulled it, consumed it.
Fang Yuan watched, his hand steady, his face blank. The creature inside him stirred—not with power, but with recognition.
You found it. The other fragment.
The Stone Dragon Gu was gone. In its place, a new Pokeball lay on the cavern floor—red and white, like all the others. But when Fang Yuan picked it up, he felt something different. A presence. A power. A new Subject, stronger than any he had captured before.
He opened the sphere. A notification appeared.
[Capture Successful!]
Stone Dragon Gu added to Storage.
Type: Rock/Dragon
Rank: 3
Moves: Stone Dust, Tail Sweep, Dragon Breath
Reward: 50 Primeval Stones
He pocketed the sphere and walked to the tenth door.
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The tenth level was the end.
A small chamber, no larger than his room at the inn. In the center, a pedestal. On the pedestal, a token of red iron—the mark of a challenger who had cleared the cave.
Fang Yuan picked it up and walked out into the morning light.
The crowd was still there, waiting. When they saw him emerge, alive, the token in his hand, they erupted. Cheers, shouts, whispers—all of it washed over him, meaningless.
He had cleared the cave. He had earned the right to challenge Tie Shan.
He looked at the mountain fortress in the distance, where the third Gym Leader waited.
Tomorrow. The third badge.
He walked back to the village, his Subjects' spheres heavy in his pocket, his new Subject—the Stone Dragon Gu—pulsing with power he had never held before.
Tomorrow, I show them what a demon can do.
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End of Chapter 12