Rex moved silently with Zorua perched on his shoulder, its soft fur brushing against his cheek as they walked. Daisy followed closely beside him, her Golem rolling ahead with slow, deliberate movements, leading them into the heart of the rocky hill. The deeper they went, the cooler the air became, and the faint sound of wind was replaced by the quiet hum of something unnatural.
Electric lamps lined the cave walls, their pale yellow glow casting long shadows against the stone. Rex narrowed his eyes as he observed the setup—wires crudely fixed into the rock, lamps powered by battery packs buzzing faintly.
"This isn't right," Rex muttered, his tone serious. "The Golem species... they hate light. They're ground-types—most of their colonies are buried underground, where it's pitch dark. Someone went out of their way to light this place up."
Zorua let out a low, irritated growl in agreement, its nose twitching.
Daisy's brow furrowed as she looked at the lamps. "That means someone's taken over their territory. And it has to be humans—there's no way wild Pokémon could install this kind of lighting or run electrical lines through a cave."
In front of her, her Golem let out a growl, its eyes narrowing at the glowing bulbs. The anger was clear. This was once its home… and now it had been desecrated.
"Easy, boy." Daisy gently patted her Golem's side. "We'll make it right."
They pressed on, their footsteps echoing softly in the tunnel. Zorua's ears twitched with every sound, while Rex scanned every crevice. Behind them, hidden in the shadows, Tia and Dan kept their distance. Dan crouched low with the camera pressed tightly to his eye, while Tia peeked over the boulder, whispering softly.
"This is getting way deeper than we expected," she murmured.
"Just keep rolling," Dan whispered back. "This is the story."
After several minutes of walking, Rex suddenly raised his hand and motioned for everyone to stop.
"Hold up," he whispered, pressing his back against the wall.
Daisy and her Golem halted without question. Zorua dropped to the ground quietly and crept alongside Rex.
Rex peeked around the corner and narrowed his eyes.
In the chamber ahead was what appeared to be a Golem nest—piles of large rocks and various types of berries were stacked neatly against the wall, likely stored for food. The size of the chamber and the amount of offerings made it obvious.
'This was the Alpha's room,' Rex thought grimly.
But what made his blood boil was the sight within.
Inside a large reinforced steel cage lay an enormous Alpha Golem, far larger and bulkier than the one from Diglett Cave. Its breathing was shallow, and its rocky body had cracks and scorch marks across it. It was unconscious.
Two Rocket grunts stood guard on either side of the cage, casually chatting while holding Pokéballs. Further into the room, a man in a white Team Rocket uniform with a red "R" and cyan-blue hair was speaking with a nervous-looking researcher.
"The alpha genes have already been sent, Boss Proton," the researcher said. "It's… a shame the young alpha escaped with its herd. This one—this old alpha—stayed behind to buy them time."
Proton chuckled, a smirk stretching across his sharp face. "Tch. That's fine. We already got what we came for. And maybe," he paused, turning his head slightly with a sly grin, "this old alpha can serve another purpose. With Serum Shadow, it'll be more than enough to keep a certain pest of a hero busy."
His smirk widened. "Isn't that right… Rex?"
Rex calmly stepped out of hiding, his expression unreadable. Zorua padded up next to him with a low growl. Daisy followed, standing close behind him with narrowed eyes.
"You bastards," Rex spat, glaring at Proton. "I should've known Team Rocket was behind this. Only scum like you would think about turning Pokémon into rage-fueled monsters—burning away their lives just to make them stronger for your gain."
Proton merely chuckled, folding his arms. "Oh, please. All's fair in this world, kid. Black and white? You've seen nothing. You don't even know what kind of world you're living in."
His gaze dropped to Rex's wrist. "And yet… here you are, walking into my hands with the Poketrix strapped to your arm. Why would I let such a treasure escape me?"
With a quick motion, Proton threw a Pokéball. "Crobat, take flight!"
A blur of purple wings shot out of the ball as Crobat screeched into the air, flapping its four wings rapidly.
At the same time, Proton made a subtle hand gesture behind his back. The researcher watching him stiffened and gave a shaky nod, slipping his hand toward a small locked case of viles near his waist.
Meanwhile, the two Rocket grunts stepped forward, tossing their own Pokéballs. One exploded with red light to reveal a growling Houndour, its eyes glowing with hostility. The other revealed a coiled Arbok, hissing menacingly as it bared its fangs.
Daisy stepped up beside Rex, eyes focused while she secretly sent a message to officer jenny. "I've got the grunts. You take on Proton."
She reached for her own Pokéball. "Let's go, Wartortle!"
Her starter burst out with a battle cry, bruised from the earlier fight but still brimming with determination. Golem stepped up beside it, slamming its fists together, ready to fight for its home.
Rex nodded once. "Thanks, Daisy."
He looked down at Zorua. The little fox met his gaze and nodded with quiet resolve. It jumped down into a crouch, its fur bristling.
Rex's fingers curled around the Poketrix on his wrist.
'Proton… I don't know what Team Rocket's planning, but I won't let any of you win. Not here. Not ever.'
Behind a nearby boulder, Tia and Dan were frozen in place. Tia's mouth hung open in horror while Dan's hands trembled slightly, though he never stopped recording.
"This is insane," Tia whispered. "It's like… a movie."
Dan didn't respond. He just kept filming.
Proton told his Crobat to use Quick Attack! Crobat blitzed toward Rex in a blur of motion, its wings slicing through the cave air like knives. But before it could reach its target, Zorua leapt from Rex's shoulder and landed squarely in its path.
"Scary Face, now!" Rex commanded sharply.
Zorua's eyes gleamed with a dark aura as it snarled viciously, halting Crobat's momentum mid-air. The bat Pokémon flinched, its speed dropping. Without hesitation, Zorua followed up with Knock Off, slamming a paw against Crobat's wing. The impact forced Crobat's held item, a Black Sludge, to fly off and smash against the cave wall.
"Don't let up! Use Fury Swipes!" Rex shouted.
"Poison Fang!" Proton barked.
Crobat lunged forward with fangs glowing purple. It bit down hard on Zorua's side, causing the fox Pokémon to yelp in pain. But Zorua retaliated immediately, raking its claws across Crobat's already-damaged wing with a flurry of swipes. Crobat screeched, twisting in the air.
"Venoshock, now!" Proton ordered.
A blast of purple sludge exploded from Crobat's mouth, forcing Zorua to leap backward to avoid being drenched in the poisonous attack.
Meanwhile, Daisy was engaged in her own battle. "Wartortle, Aqua Jet!"
Her Wartortle became a blur of blue as it slammed into the Houndour, just before it could release a Flamethrower. The fire-type Pokémon was hurled into a wall with a pained bark.
"Golem, Rock Tomb, block it off!"
With a growl, Golem slammed its fists into the ground, causing boulders to erupt and trap the weakened Houndour against the wall.
"Poison Fang!" one of the grunts shouted.
Arbok lunged at Golem, but Daisy was ready. "Wartortle, redirect Aqua Jet!"
The water-type changed direction mid-flight and collided with Arbok, sending it crashing into the floor with a hiss.
Back in Rex's battle, he pointed sharply. "Zorua, Leer while circling!"
Zorua dashed around Crobat in a blur, its eyes glowing menacingly. Crobat, its balance thrown off due to its injured wing, hissed and flinched as its defense dropped lower and lower.
"Fury Swipes!" Rex ordered.
Zorua prepared to pounce—but before it could, a large Weezing emerged from the shadows and used Body Slam. It crashed into Zorua, sending the dark-type flying. Zorua yipped as it landed hard.
"Zorua!" Rex called out, diving forward to catch his partner in his arms.
Proton sneered. "Did you really think I was going to fight fair, kid?"
Zorua growled weakly in Rex's arms, glaring at Weezing, whose dual faces both wore smug grins. Crobat hovered nearby, its body trembling but still aloft.
Zorua leapt from Rex's grip, eyes blazing with determination.
Rex reached for his Poketrix to transform—but before he could activate it, an explosion rocked the cave.
BOOM!
Everyone except Proton froze in shock. The blast came from the back of the cavern, where the researcher had just injected something into the caged Alpha Golem.
A guttural roar echoed through the cave as the Alpha Golem broke free, shattering the cage like paper. A dark aura oozed from its body, its eyes glowing blood-red.
Its gaze immediately locked onto Rex.
Proton let out a wicked laugh. "The 'Shadow' serum has been modified. Now the Pokémon have targets burned into their minds. If they kill the target, the pain will stop. And guess who that target is?"
Rex clenched his fist in fury.
Daisy shouted, "Are Team Rocket even human?!"