Chapter 8:Trouble At Diglett Cave!

Daisy had a flashlight in her hand as she walked with Rex inside the Diglett Cave. The dim light from the flashlight cast long shadows along the rocky walls, giving the cave a slightly eerie atmosphere. Zorua sat comfortably on Rex's shoulder, its red eyes glinting curiously as it looked around at the small, earthy tunnels.

Rex's eyes narrowed as he spotted several Diglett occasionally popping their heads up from the ground, their little noses twitching before they disappeared back beneath the dirt. "I don't see any problem here," Rex muttered, crossing his arms.

Daisy glanced at him before looking ahead. "Gramps said the Diglett population has been way too active lately," she explained, her tone thoughtful. "And they seem to have increased in numbers too. That's why Gramps wants us to investigate."

Rex raised an eyebrow. "So… what exactly are we supposed to be looking for?"

Daisy's eyes sharpened as she pointed the flashlight down a deeper tunnel. "The problem should be at the nest of the leader of the Digletts."

Rex blinked. "Leader of the Digletts?"

Daisy nodded. "Yeah. Every species of Pokémon has a leader or an alpha — the strongest and most experienced member of their group. This cave is home to a colony of Diglett, so there's bound to be an alpha Diglett or Dugtrio leading them."

Rex scratched the back of his head. "Huh… so we just need to find this alpha and ask it to calm down?" He snorted. "Or maybe they're just enjoying themselves, you know? Making more little Digletts."

Daisy's face immediately turned bright red. "W-What did you just say?!" she shouted, her blush deepening.

Rex gave her a teasing grin. "What? It's nature, isn't it?"

SMACK!

Daisy's hand connected with the back of Rex's head, making a loud thwack sound.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Rex groaned, clutching his head as a comically large bump formed. His eyes watered slightly from the sting.

Daisy's face was still burning red. "Stop talking, you pervert!" she shouted, avoiding his gaze as she stormed ahead.

Rex rubbed the bump on his head with a pout. "Geez, touchy much?" He leaned toward Zorua. "She's just embarrassed because I'm probably right."

Zorua let out a mischievous yip, its eyes glinting with amusement.

Rex sighed as he followed Daisy deeper into the cave. "This mission's already off to a great start…"

While Daisy and Rex were heading deeper into the Diglett Cave, two more people were silently following them. The dim light from Daisy's flashlight barely illuminated the narrow tunnel, but the pair trailing them remained hidden in the shadows.

A woman with short brown hair and glasses adjusted her mic as she crept along the rocky wall. She leaned toward the man behind her, who was holding a large video camera. "Dan, you're getting the whole recording, right?" she whispered, her tone filled with excitement.

Dan, a man with dark hair tied in a small ponytail, smirked as he adjusted the focus on his camera. "Yeah, Tia. We are so gonna get rich when we upload this footage on our channel," he whispered back. "The TRP is gonna go through the roof!"

Tia's eyes sparkled with excitement as they ducked behind a large rock. "A mysterious hero who can transform into Pokémon? This is pure gold!"

Just as they steadied themselves, Rex and Daisy suddenly stopped and crouched behind a boulder. Dan and Tia followed their gaze, peeking carefully from behind their cover.

Their eyes widened in shock.

In the large cavern ahead, a massive Dugtrio — at least three times the size of a normal one — was locked in an intense battle with an equally massive Golem. The cavern shook with each of their powerful attacks, and the ground was littered with smaller Diglett and Dugtrio fighting against groups of Geodude and Graveler. The two factions were clashing violently, rocks and dirt flying through the air.

"What the hell…" Rex muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Why are they fighting each other? Isn't this cave supposed to be Diglett territory?"

Daisy frowned, her gaze sharp as she analyzed the battlefield. "That's the weird part. There's a known Golem territory about five kilometers away, right between Vermillion City and Pewter City. Diglett and Golem have always coexisted peacefully… so why are they at war all of a sudden?"

Rex's jaw tightened. "Only one way to find out."

He raised his wrist, his eyes gleaming with determination as he twisted the dial on the Poketrix.

Behind the rock, Dan's eyes widened as the device began glowing with a bright red light. "Tia, are you seeing this?!"

Tia's hands were trembling as she gripped her mic. "We've hit the infinite money glitch, Dan!" she whispered excitedly. "Every video we get of this guy will make us millions of Pokédollars!"

Rex slammed the Poketrix dial down.

A flash of red light filled the cavern, blinding everyone momentarily.

"Lycanroc!" Rex's voice roared through the cave.

When the light faded, Rex stood transformed into Lycanroc (Dusk Form). His sleek orange and white fur bristled with energy, and his green eyes gleamed fiercely as his claws dug into the rocky ground beneath him.

"Alright, time to stop this!" Rex growled, lowering his body into a battle stance.

In a blur of movement, Rex shot forward with Quick Attack, appearing between the two Alpha Pokémon. "Rock Tomb!" he shouted.

Large boulders appeared out of thin air and smashed into the ground, creating a barrier between the Alpha Dugtrio and Golem. Both Pokémon roared in anger, their eyes glowing dangerously as they turned toward Rex.

"Yeah, yeah, I know you're mad," Rex muttered, cracking his claws. "But you guys need to calm the hell down!"

The Alpha Golem roared as its body glowed faintly. Without warning, it hurled a barrage of sharp rocks toward Rex using Rock Throw.

At the same time, the Alpha Dugtrio's body trembled before the ground beneath Rex began to shake violently. Magnitude 7!

Rex's eyes sharpened. "Oh, you guys aren't holding back, huh?"

He leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the earthquake beneath his feet. His claws glowed green as he shot toward Golem. "Accelerock!"

Rex slammed into Golem's massive body with incredible force, sending the boulder Pokémon skidding backward. Before Golem could recover, Rex's claws shimmered with green energy as he used Trailblaze. He repeatedly slashed at Golem's rocky surface, causing deep cracks to form along its shell.

"Roaaarr!!" Golem screamed in pain as it staggered.

The Alpha Dugtrio saw the opportunity and started gathering energy for another attack — but Daisy acted fast.

"Wartortle, let's go!" Daisy shouted, tossing a Pokéball into the air.

Her Wartortle materialized in a flash of white light, standing firmly with a determined expression. "Water Pulse!"

Wartortle's mouth opened as a swirling ball of water shot through the air, crashing into the rocks Dugtrio had sent toward Rex and Golem. The attack exploded, causing steam to rise in the cavern as Wartortle slid back slightly from the force.

Dan and Tia were nearly hyperventilating behind the rock.

"This… this is insane!" Tia whispered, her hands clutching her mic.

Dan's hands were shaking as he adjusted the camera. "We're gonna be rich, Tia. This guy — he's our ticket to fortune!"