Chapter 100: Diancie

As Rex delved deeper into the Granite Cave, he encountered more and more native inhabitants dwelling within the rocky caverns: Geodude, Onix, and Roggenrola, among others.

Initially, when Rex encountered a Carbink, he had thoughts of capturing it. Unfortunately, this little creature, covered in stones and diamonds, immediately dug a hole and fled upon seeing them. Rex tracked it for a long time but couldn't find it, so he had no choice but to give up.

"Let's take a break for now!"

Rex arrived by an underground river and decided to rest for a while. After all, he had been walking for over half an hour since entering the Granite Cave, maintaining a state of intense concentration throughout. Both his body and mind were feeling fatigued, and he knew that pushing on without rest would only worsen his condition.

After taking a few sips of water from his backpack, Rex began surveying the surroundings.

Suddenly, a fist-sized hole caught his attention. As he turned to look, the mining lamp illuminated the hole, and he faintly felt that something on the other side was peering at them.

"Sandslash, dig through this wall!"

After carefully inspecting the area, Rex believed the wall behind it was hollow and instructed Sandslash to dig through.

Eager to follow his trainer's command, Sandslash's spirit was lifted. Since entering the cave, it had felt a tingling sensation in its claws, instinctively wanting to excavate a safe haven. Now it finally had its chance to shine.

Rex watched as Sandslash used its sharp claws to dig through the soil. Despite the wall's appearance of sturdiness, it seemed as fragile as paper under its claws.

In no time, Sandslash dug out a passable hole, gesturing for them to proceed.

Seeing Sandslash's effort, Rex didn't hesitate. He bent down and crawled through to the other side. There, he found a spacious area with paths continuing ahead.

Upon reaching this point, Rex didn't rush to explore further. He was certain that no one had been here before, increasing the likelihood of finding something valuable.

Sure enough, not long after, Rex discovered a Hard Stone. With Sandslash's perception, it used Metal Claw to split open the surface of a rock, revealing a hard stone—this was an item that could enhance the power of Rock-type Pokémon.

With these two finds, Rex's excitement grew. He began excavating with several Pokémon, even unearthing some star fragments. These beautiful gemstone pieces fetched high prices from many merchants.

"Let's go!"

Having found no further gains, Rex put away his tools and prepared to continue exploring.

After traversing a long passage, Rex's party finally reached the end—a small cavern where signs of Pokémon life were evident. Rex immediately became alert, wary of potential wild Pokémon attacks since they might have intruded into a Pokémon's dwelling.

Due to the cave's small size, Rex's careful inspection eventually led him to discover a small figure hiding behind a rock. The figure was trembling, obviously frightened by the intruders.

"Hey, come out. I won't harm you!"

Rex suddenly felt a sense of guilt, though he hadn't done anything. It was a strange feeling, as if he were a bully.

Upon hearing Rex's words, the Pokémon hiding behind the rock seemed to understand his intentions. It cautiously peeked out, glanced at him, then quickly retreated.

"Carbink!"

With just a glance, Rex recognized the Pokémon before him. However, he was puzzled by the presence of Carbink here. After all, in his understanding, Carbink was native to the Kalos region.

However, this was a misunderstanding. While Carbink was abundant in Kalos, they also existed in other regions.

Carbink was born deep underground in high-temperature, high-pressure environments and had slept beneath the earth's surface for millions of years. Thus, they were not exclusive to the Kalos region; it was just that Kalos's geographical conditions were more conducive to Carbink's birth.

Seeing Carbink, Rex couldn't help but think of the legendary Pokémon, Diancie.

There was a rumor that Diancie was actually a mutated form of Carbink, with a dazzling pink body acclaimed as the most beautiful in the world.

Diancie could compress carbon elements in the air between its hands, instantly creating many diamonds. It was said that in a vein somewhere in the world, where many Carbink slumbered, their queen, Diancie, resided.

Based on his previous knowledge, Rex believed this rumor was likely true.

In the Pokémon movie "Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction," the "Diamond Domain" had relied on the energy emitted by the "Sacred Diamond" to sustain the entire kingdom. However, only the princess of this kingdom could create such diamonds, and the current princess, Diancie, could not yet control this ability.

In the movie, Princess Diancie met Ash and his friends, setting off to find the "Life Pokémon" Xerneas to obtain sacred power and save her people.

Ultimately, guided by Xerneas, Princess Diancie understood her own power, successfully creating the "Sacred Diamond," thus saving the "Diamond Domain" from crisis.

Rex believed that this mysterious power was a fusion of fairy-type energy and life energy, so if he could help Carbink comprehend the essence of these two energies, perhaps it could mutate into Diancie.

Rex saw this as an intriguing experiment. Even if it failed, it wouldn't matter. However, if successful, he would have a legendary Pokémon.

Seeing the somewhat relaxed Carbink before him, Rex took out several energy cubes from his backpack and approached it, intending to befriend rather than coerce.

As Rex approached, Carbink became nervous but resisted the urge to attack upon seeing his friendly smile.

Stopping a few steps away from Carbink, Rex extended his hand holding the energy cube, indicating it could consume it.

Carbink understood Rex's intention. It looked at the fragrant cube before it, feeling tempted yet hesitant.

After a brief standoff, Carbink couldn't resist the temptation and consumed one of the energy cubes. As the cube entered its mouth, its eyes squinted with enjoyment.

With Rex's offering, Carbink finally emerged from behind the rock and floated in front of Rex, scrutinizing him. After all, it had spent its entire life in this cave and had never ventured outside. Even the tunnel outside had been dug out of boredom.

"Carbink, are you the only one here?"

Rex looked around and asked.

After all, according to his understanding, Carbink usually lived in groups, and solitary instances were rare.

Upon hearing Rex's inquiry, Carbink's expression became somewhat desolate as it nodded. After spending countless years in this place, although it could counteract the passage of time through long periods of sleep, it occasionally felt lonely.

"Do you want to come with me and see the outside world?"

Sensing the opportune moment, Rex extended an invitation.

Unexpectedly, Carbink agreed to Rex's invitation without much thought, perhaps harboring a deep yearning for the outside world in its heart!

Having captured Carbink, Rex lost interest in further exploring the Granite Cave. After all, this trip had yielded considerable gains, and the likelihood of finding more was slim. He

 decided not to waste any more time.

Guided by Sandslash, Rex spent only half an hour to exit the Granite Cave. As he stepped outside and was greeted by the glaring sunlight, his eyes felt uncomfortable, taking a while before adjusting.

(End of Chapter)