The wind roared in Gladion's ears as Eldergreen soared toward Mt. Moon, the jagged peaks rising against the late spring sky.
Gladion's psychic aura humd as he used it to sense the unease in the land as Eldergreen banked over the foothills.
From the air, the damage was stark: splintered trees, shattered boulders, and gaping holes scarred the landscape, the handiwork of rampaging Geodude, Graveler, and Golem. 'Looks like the rock-types are throwing a tantrum after being thrown down the Mountain by soone? Interesting,' Gladion thought, his smirk tinged with curiosity. 'What's got these guys so spooked?'
Eldergreen descended to a clearing at the foothill, his massive wings stirring a gust that sent loose pebbles skittering. The Geodudes and gravellars looked fearfully at the massive Tropius. But Gladion decided to return him since surrounded with rocks and with trees around, Tropius did not have much space to maneuver.
Gladion slid off, patting the Tropius. "Good work, Greeny—take a break." He recalled Eldergreen in a flash of light, the Poké Ball clipping back to his belt.
He tossed another Poké Ball, and Hydros, his Blastoise, erged with his cannons gleaming. The ground trembled under his weight, and Gladion grinned. "Ti to cool so hotheads, Hydros."
The instant Hydros appeared, a palpable shift rippled through the area. Geodude and Graveler, busy rolling boulders or smashing trees, froze, their rocky forms quivering as Hydros's dangerous aura washed over them.
The Blastoise's eyes narrowed, cannons whirring with a low hum, exuding raw power. Two Graveler, wide-eyed with panic, scrambled toward a freshly dug cave nearby, their rocky limbs clattering.
Monts later, they returned, flanked by two massive Golem, who rolled into battle stances, fists raised, growling defiance. The Geodudes huddled behind, peeking nervously, while the Gravelers puffed out their chests, trying to look tough despite their trembling.
Hydros gave them a withering look, his voice a deep, mocking rumble. [You serious, rock-brains? Think you can take ? I could squash you fools like Pecha Berries!] He flexed, cannons swiveling, water glinting within.
Gladion gave out a chuckle as he listened to the trash talk by his water powerhouse, he patted Hydros's shell. "Easy, big guy—they're already shaking! No need to drown 'em… yet."
Hydros snorted, [Pfft, these imbeciles need a lesson—maybe a Hydro Pump to the face!] He aid a cannon playfully, sending the Geodude scurrying behind a boulder with comical yelps. Gladion shook his head, grinning. "Save the waterworks, Hydros—they're spooked enough. Let's talk first."
Using his psychic abilities, Gladion reached out to one of the Golem, his mind brushing against its gruff, stony consciousness. 'Why'd you leave Mt. Moon? What's going on up there?' The Golem's eyes widened, not from Gladion's presence but from a deeper fear, its rocky form tensing. [Big… strong Pokémon,] it rumbled telepathically, voice laced with dread.
[Took our caves. Drove us out. Too strong to fight.] Gladion frowned, his psychic senses picking up the Golem's genuine terror. *A Pokémon strong enough to scare two Golems and an army of Geodudes and Gravelers? That's no small fry.' His first thought was an Alpha Pokémon—an oversized, hyper-aggressive variant that could dominate entire ecosystems just like his Collosus.
'If it's an Alpha, this could get ssy. A fight between Colossus and another Alpha could tear Mt. Moon apart—bad for the rangers, bad for Moonwood. I can't afford this since I just beco a gym leader.' Gladion thought
He pressed the Golem, his psychic voice calm but firm. 'What's this Pokémon look like?' The Golem hesitated, then shared a fragnted image: a massive, serpentine form, coiling through the caves, its body glinting faintly.
[Like… Onix. But bigger. Harder. Scary.] Gladion's eyes narrowed. 'Wait… don't tell it's a Steelix.' His mind raced, piecing it together. Steelix, the evolved form of Onix which was rare since it requires a tal Coat to evolve which only a trainer can know.
No way a wild Onix evolves without a trainer. tal Coats aren't cheap—nobody's abandoning a Steelix in Mt. Moon either. I doubt it's team Rocket either since they would have rather caught these Pokemon instead of letting them climb down the hill. Could it be a trainer's Pokémon gone rogue?' He dismissed the idea; evolving an Onix was a pricey endeavor, and Steelix were prized assets. 'No trainer's dumb enough to ditch one.'
Then it hit him, a spark of realization that sent his psychic aura flaring with excitent. 'If it's not a trainer's Steelix, there's only one explanation, it evolved itself and that could only an there is a tal deposit in Mt. Moon.'
Onix, as basic Pokémon, had primal instincts, drawn to resources that could enhance their strength. A massive vein of rare tal—perhaps the kind used in tal Coats—could trigger an Onix's evolutionary drive.
'It must've found a huge deposit, coated itself in the tal, and evolved on instinct without a trainer's help. That's not just any tal—only specific alloys work for Steelix evolution.' Gladion's grin widened, his thoughts buzzing with opportunity. 'A mine like that? It's a goldmine—literally.'
The implications made him giddy. Onix were common across Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn—trainers everywhere had them and literally dread of evolving them into Steelix, but tal Coats were rare and expensive.
'If I control a mine producing that tal, I can mass-produce tal Coats, sell 'em at premium prices, and add another inco stream to my empire.' His ventures—Electirizers, Magmarizers, the Vortex Vault—were already raking in Pokécoins, but this was next-level.
'And as a Gym Leader, I've got leverage to claim mining rights. Pewter City's Flint might kick up a fuss—Mt. Moon's in his backyard too—but I don't like that smug rockhead anyway. No sharing.' The League would take a small profit share, but Gladion could live with that.
'If it's a big mine—a REALLY big mine—I'm looking at millions. Maybe billions.' His psychic aura pulsed with glee, Hydros glancing back, [What's got you so happy, boss? Found a treasure chest?]
Gladion patted Hydros, his smirk pure Vortex. "Sothing better, buddy—a whole mine." He turned back to the Golem, his psychic voice soothing.
'I'll handle this Pokémon—get your crew to stay put and stop wrecking the forest. Deal?' The Golem nodded, relief in its eyes, and rumbled to the others, who relaxed, rolling back to their makeshift camp.
Gladion's mind was already racing ahead—deal with the Steelix, secure the mine, and turn Mt. Moon into his next cash cow.
'Flint's gonna cry when I snag this mine right under his nose. Sorry, buddy— Finder's Keepers.'
---Author Notes------
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