Chapter 128:

As dawn broke in the east, casting a soft glow on the horizon, Cain stirred from his slumber. With the morning dew still clinging to the grass, he prepared a hearty breakfast for his Pokemon companions.

Sneasel, unaccustomed to this routine, had been wide awake since Cain stirred, but the rest of the team remained in peaceful slumber. Not wanting to disturb them, Sneasel stayed put.

Cain's call for breakfast broke the silence, and Sneasel realized that, despite his reservations about Cain, he was growing accustomed to the routine. A voice inside him whispered that he shouldn't trust Cain, but his body betrayed him.

The sight of the mouthwatering meal laid out before them, and the tantalizing aroma wafting from the dishes, drew Sneasel to the table, where his fellow Pokemon waited for him to join them.

Sneasel eyed his meal up close, barely containing his hunger. But none of the Pokemon had begun eating yet, so he held back.

"Let's all eat," Cain said with a warm smile, casting a sidelong glance at Sneasel.

At Cain's words, the Pokemon dug into their feast, and Sneasel followed suit. He ate with increasing speed, savoring every delectable bite. Even when Cain affectionately ruffled his fur, Sneasel chose to ignore it, focused solely on the delicious food before him.

After breakfast, their adventure continued. They set out in search of the elusive Onix once more, with Cain vowing that if they didn't find it before lunch, they'd abandon the quest.

Forgoing a mountain ascent, the group scoured the landscape horizontally, ensuring they had ample time to return. Wild Pokemon, eager to challenge Cain and his team, crossed their path, but Slowpoke effortlessly dispatched each challenger, allowing the group to press onward.

The mountain teemed with rock and ground-type Pokemon, making it the perfect environment for Slowpoke. Though rock-type Pokemon boasted high defenses, they were weak against water-type moves.

Fending off numerous challengers, Slowpoke leveled up to 25, matching Sneasel as the highest-level Pokemon on Cain's team. Even if they failed to find Onix, Cain was pleased with Slowpoke's progress, as such ideal leveling spots were rare.

After nearly two hours of fruitless searching, Onix remained elusive. Just as Cain was about to abandon the quest, Murkrow reported a large cave ahead, suggesting that Onix might be inside.

Cain followed Murkrow to the cave entrance, towering as high as two people, and noticed signs of crushing, as if an Onix had squeezed through.

"Slowpoke, use Water Gun on the cave to see if there's an Onix inside."

While the crushed entrance hinted at Onix's presence, it wasn't conclusive. The lack of other signs puzzled Cain.

Slowpoke unleashed a torrent of water into the cave's depths, the sound of droplets echoing back to the entrance. The group stood in tense silence, straining to hear any reaction from within.

Gradually, they detected faint noises approaching the entrance. But Cain's brow furrowed, sensing something amiss.

"Something's not right. If it's an Onix, it wouldn't be this quiet. And this doesn't sound like a Pokemon dragging itself. It's more like... the sound of a tire rubbing against the ground?" Cain mused aloud, perplexed by the noise.

The wait was short-lived. A blue-grayish cylindrical shape, akin to a tire, rolled out at breakneck speed, its friction against the ground creating the tire-like sound they had heard earlier.

Cain's eyes widened in recognition, and he hastily shouted, "Get out of the way!"

He sprinted to the wall outside the cave, narrowly avoiding the fast-approaching tire. His Pokemon followed suit, dodging the impact.

The blue-grayish tire screeched to a halt, grinding against the ground outside the cave. It was then that Cain realized the source of the crushed traces at the entrance.

"WTF?!"

The tire unfurled, revealing an elephant-shaped Pokemon standing over a meter tall. A pair of thick, white tusks protruded from its armored snout. Dark blue armor encased its body, from tail to nose, with two small eyes peering from beneath.

The creature that had emerged was a Donphan, native to the Johto region! Cain had mistakenly believed an Onix might be inside the cave, but it was home to a Donphan instead. The evolved form of Phanpy, this ground-type Pokemon had taken them by surprise.

Pokémon: Donphan (Light Green)

Gender: Male

Level: 25

Type: Ground

Ability: Sturdy

Held items: None

Egg moves: Mud-Slap, Focus Energy, Body Slam

Basic moves: Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Fury Attack, Horn Attack, Bulldoze, Growl, Defense Curl, Rapid Spin, Rollout, Assurance, Knock Off, Slam

Taught moves: Iron Defense, Stealth Rock, Block

Technical Machines (TMs): None

Encountering a light green aptitude, Level 25 Donphan was beyond Cain's expectations.

Yellow-aptitude Pokemon were the most common in their journey thus far, so a green-aptitude Pokemon was a pleasant surprise. It had clearly just reached Level 25 and evolved.

Cain counted his blessings that they hadn't stumbled upon a Level 30 Donphan, which could learn Magnitude—a luck-dependent area-of-effect move. And if they were unlucky enough to face a Magnitude 10; Cain and his Pokemon, even if they evaded the attack, would likely be buried beneath a cascade of jagged rocks.

Since it hadn't learned Magnitude yet, this Donphan was an invaluable find for Cain before returning to the Hunter's Guild. Given the right mission, he could exchange it for a wealth of points.

Unaware of Cain's intentions, the Donphan had no idea it was seen as a pile of money.

"Slowpoke, Water Gun! Murkrow, buff with Tailwind! Sneasel, Icy Wind!" Cain barked out his orders.

This marked Sneasel's first battle under Cain's command. Although its movements were slightly sluggish, its response was swift, and its keen intellect quickly grasped Cain's intentions.