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Jacob and Amelia walked through the dense forest, their conversation flowing naturally as they shared memories and stories from their school days. The dappled sunlight filtered through the canopy above, creating a peaceful atmosphere for their journey.
Amelia had always been the center of attention during their school years. Her natural beauty, combined with excellent academic performance and a gentle, caring personality, had made her the object of many boys' admiration. She was often referred to as the "Moonlight" among her classmates, and countless love letters had found their way to her desk over the years.
Jacob had to admit that he, too, had harbored feelings for Amelia during their school days. It was only natural for someone to be attracted to such a remarkable person. However, Jacob had always been careful to keep his emotions in check, never allowing his feelings to interfere with their friendship or his studies.
Now, more than half a year had passed since graduation, and Jacob found that those romantic feelings had gradually faded. His perspective on relationships had matured, and he valued Amelia more as a trusted friend than as a romantic interest.
As they continued walking, Jacob's thoughts drifted to Nina, who was currently working in the Imperial Capital. He wondered how his mentor was doing and whether Nina's research was progressing well. Unfortunately, the remote mountain forest they were traversing had no cell phone coverage, making it impossible to reach out and check on his former teacher.
"Jacob, Jacob!" Amelia's voice broke through his contemplation. She waved her hand in front of his face, trying to capture his wandering attention. "What are you thinking about so intently? You seem completely lost in thought."
"Oh, sorry about that," Jacob replied with an apologetic smile, shaking his head to clear his mind. "I was just thinking about some things and got distracted. Where did we leave off in our conversation?"
"You had asked me why I suddenly decided to become a Pokémon Trainer," Amelia reminded him, then turned the question back to him with genuine curiosity. "But now I'm more interested in hearing about you. I remember that you never wanted to be a Trainer before, did you? What changed your mind?"
She recalled clearly that Jacob had never caught a single Pokémon during their school years. Whenever classmates asked him about his future plans, he would always insist that he only wanted to become a Pokémon Professor, dedicated to research rather than battling. Yet after just one summer vacation, Jacob had completely changed course and embarked on the path of a Trainer.
Jacob felt a moment of awkwardness at her question. How could he explain that his previous reluctance stemmed from his passive ability called "Master's Demeanor," which had prevented him from capturing any Pokémon below King level? Such an explanation would sound absurd and unbelievable.
"Actually, I still don't really want to be a Trainer," Jacob said honestly, his voice carrying a note of wistfulness. "I'd much rather live the simple life of a Pokémon Professor. Picture this: a large villa by the seaside, a beautiful wife, maybe a few energetic children running around, spending my days conducting peaceful research while playing with Pokémon. That kind of leisurely lifestyle sounds far more appealing than the constant battles and dangers that Trainers face every day."
Jacob couldn't help but let out a deep sigh as he continued, "Unfortunately, as they say, when you're part of this world, you can't always control your own destiny."
Amelia couldn't help but laugh at Jacob's melodramatic tone, her bright eyes sparkling with amusement as she looked at him. "You can't control your destiny? Come on, Jacob, you're Dr. Jacob now! You have a brilliant future ahead of you, you already own that impressive house, and I'm sure plenty of girls would be happy to marry someone like you. Your dream actually seems very achievable from where I'm standing."
"You don't understand the full picture," Jacob replied with another sigh, his expression growing more serious. "Do you know how I acquired that Alakazam carry with me? The Pokémon Association didn't give it to me as a reward or recognition. They specifically assigned it to me for protection. Right now, there are numerous people who either want me dead or want to capture me alive to force me to help with their experiments."
"That can't be true," Amelia said, her brow furrowing with concern and disbelief. As a recent high school graduate, she hadn't yet been exposed to the darker aspects of the world, making it difficult for her to grasp the severity of the dangers Jacob described. "Is it really as dangerous as you're making it sound?"
"Of course it is. Why would I lie to you about something this serious?" Jacob's voice carried the weight of genuine concern. "This is the reality for anyone involved in high-level scientific research. Once you reach the top tier in any field, personal safety becomes a major consideration."
Jacob had witnessed too many reports in his previous life about scientists meeting mysterious and untimely deaths. A simple internet search for terms like "scientist murder" would yield countless news articles documenting such incidents. "That's exactly why I have no choice but to become stronger. Without adequate power to protect myself, I'd be living in constant fear, always looking over my shoulder and worrying about potential assassination attempts."
Jacob wasn't being paranoid or malicious in his assessment of the world's dangers. When it came to matters of life and death, he believed it was essential to prepare for the worst-case scenarios.
"Alright, I can see your point," Amelia said, her expression softening with genuine concern. "Have you actually encountered any of these dangers recently?"
"Yes, didn't I tell you about the danger I faced during that patrol mission the other night?" Jacob reminded her.
The two friends continued their conversation as they walked deeper into the mountain forest. Time seemed to pass quickly in the pleasant company, and before they realized it, they had arrived at the banks of a small, babbling stream. The crystal-clear water flowed gently through the mountainous terrain, creating a soothing sound that complemented the peaceful forest atmosphere. As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the temperature had risen to a comfortable twenty-some degrees Celsius.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, a sharp sound echoed from somewhere ahead of them. Though not particularly loud, the noise was distinctly clear and startling in the quiet forest environment. The unexpected sound frightened several Pidgey that had been peacefully nesting in the nearby trees, causing them to take flight in a flutter of wings and alarmed chirping.
"What was that noise?" Jacob and Amelia exchanged worried glances, their relaxed expressions immediately replaced by tension and alertness. They couldn't possibly be that unlucky, could they? They had encountered dangerous poachers just two days ago—surely they wouldn't run into another threatening situation so soon.
"Let's go investigate," Jacob decided, his voice steady despite the uncertainty. "We need to see what's happening."
"Alright," Amelia nodded in agreement, positioning herself to follow closely behind Jacob as they began moving toward the source of the disturbance.
"Come out, Noibat," Jacob called, releasing his trusted scout Pokémon from its Poké Ball. He looked at the small Pokémon seriously as he gave his instructions. "Noibat, I need you to fly ahead and investigate the situation. Be careful not to let anyone or anything detect your presence."
Noibat responded with an enthusiastic cry, immediately understanding the importance of the mission. It spread its wings and took flight, soaring toward the direction from which the mysterious sound had originated.
Jacob and Amelia followed behind their airborne scout, moving at a steady pace toward the sound's source. As they drew closer to their destination, their movements became increasingly cautious and deliberate. They reduced their speed and stepped more carefully, trying to minimize any noise that might give away their position.
Within a few minutes, Noibat returned from its reconnaissance mission with valuable information. As Jacob's strength and experience had grown over time, his telepathic connection with his Pokémon had also become more refined and reliable. This enhanced bond allowed Noibat to communicate its findings directly to Jacob through their mental link.
"You're telling me you discovered a massive Steelix?" Jacob asked through their telepathic connection, seeking confirmation of what he had understood.
Noibat nodded vigorously, confirming the accuracy of Jacob's interpretation.
"Let's move quickly then," Jacob said to Amelia. "We need to get there and see what's happening."
The two friends couldn't help but quicken their pace, driven by curiosity and concern about what they might find. After approximately ten minutes of careful but hurried travel through the forest, Jacob and Amelia finally reached their destination. What they discovered was quite remarkable: a massive pit had been carved into the ground, clearly excavated by the powerful digging abilities of a Steelix.
"Should we venture down and investigate?" Jacob asked Amelia, studying the impressive hole that the Iron Snake Pokémon had left behind.
"Are you planning to go down there?" Amelia responded with her own question rather than giving a direct answer.
"Absolutely. I think we need to explore this and see what we can learn."
"In that case, I'll come with you," Amelia decided with determination.
The two approached the entrance of the tunnel that the Steelix had created. As they drew nearer, Jacob realized that the opening was enormous—easily wide enough for two people to walk side by side comfortably. This observation told him that the Steelix responsible for this excavation must have been exceptionally large, even by the species' standards.
They began their descent into the Steelix-made tunnel. The deeper they ventured, the more spacious the interior of the underground passage became. After walking for nearly ten minutes through the winding tunnel, they found that the entrance had disappeared from view behind them. Ahead, the passage opened into what appeared to be a vast underground chamber, so deep that the bottom was completely shrouded in impenetrable darkness.
"Noibat, I need you to fly down and scout the area below," Jacob instructed his faithful reconnaissance Pokémon.
Noibat once again took on the role of advance scout, spreading its wings and gliding down into the dark depths of the underground chamber. It wasn't long before valuable information began flowing back through their telepathic connection.
The space below the tunnel entrance was indeed vast—as large as a town plaza. However, from their current position at the tunnel's end, there was a drop of several dozen meters to reach the chamber floor. At such a significant height, Jacob knew they would need to rely on his Charizard to safely transport both himself and Amelia down to the bottom of the underground space.
For safety reasons, Jacob decided that Amelia should ride securely on Charizard's back while he would position himself behind her to provide additional protection during their descent. Fortunately, Jacob's Charizard was particularly large and powerful, easily capable of carrying both passengers without difficulty.
Mounting Charizard, they began their controlled descent into the depths of the cave. The underground chamber was completely engulfed in darkness, with no natural light sources visible anywhere. Just as they were settling into the space at the bottom, ominous sounds began emerging from the surrounding darkness. Something was clearly approaching their position with apparent hostile intent.
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Jacob commanded without hesitation.
His decision to attack immediately served two important purposes: first, it would serve as a deterrent against whatever threats were lurking in the darkness, and second, the flames would provide much-needed illumination to identify what they were facing.
As Charizard's powerful flames lit up the underground chamber, Jacob finally got a clear view of their situation. Several Alolan Sandshrew were advancing toward them, led by an imposing Alolan Sandslash that was clearly the leader of this group of Ice and Steel-type Pokémon.
However, the Alolan Sandslash's typing worked heavily against it in this situation. Being both Ice and Steel-type, it suffered a devastating four-times weakness to Fire-type attacks. The single Flamethrower attack was more than sufficient to defeat the lead Pokémon, which collapsed immediately upon being struck by the super-effective flames.
Using the temporary illumination provided by Charizard's fire attack, Jacob was able to survey their surroundings more thoroughly. His quick assessment revealed that quite a few Pokémon were lurking in the shadows around the chamber's perimeter. Upon closer examination, he realized that the vast majority of these hidden Pokémon appeared to be Steel-types, creating a potentially challenging situation for their small group to handle.