Chapter 15: Pokémon Born for Farming

Ironstone Mountain lies between Firefly Town and Ironthorn Town, with a modest elevation of about five to six hundred meters.

The mountain is rich in mineral resources, including fragments of a rare ore called Iron Shard, which can be used to craft magical devices.

The towns have clashed frequently over ownership of these resources, contributing to their strained relations. However, due to recent waves of wild Pokémon, both territories are now busy rebuilding and lack the manpower to mine the ore.

This has left the mountain rather quiet, where Ryan is currently hiking with two Pokémon.

He isn't here for the minerals, though, but to find Pokémon that can help with farming.

"There are quite a few Pokémon on this mountain, and they don't seem as fearful of humans as the ones in the forest."

Ryan looked around, noticing several Pokémon peeking curiously at them.

Humans had often come here to mine, so the Pokémon were familiar with them and didn't feel frightened.

However, they weren't particularly friendly either, as mining had disrupted their habitat and taken away their food sources.

"Let's see, mostly Geodude and Magnemite, with a few Rhyhorn... huh? Is that a Sudowoodo? That's a rare sight."

Ryan observed the surrounding Pokémon in awe, having only seen them in games and animations before. Seeing them in real life was a whole different experience.

"Unfortunately, none of these are the Pokémon I'm looking for. It looks like I'll have to check the caves."

After walking a bit longer, Ryan finally found a cave entrance. He lit a torch he had prepared and cautioned the two Pokémon by his side:

"There might be dangers inside, so be ready for a fight."

"Bounsweet!" "Scyther!"

With the two Pokémon ready, Ryan held up the torch and entered the cave.

Soon after entering, a swarm of dark shapes rushed towards them.

Scyther prepared to attack, but Ryan quickly shouted:

"Don't attack! Get down!"

He grabbed Bounsweet and pulled Scyther to the ground as a flock of Zubat swooped overhead, avoiding them.

"As I thought, Zubat. Were they disturbed by the light?"

The Zubat were merely startled by the torchlight and were fleeing. If Scyther had attacked, it would've caused an unnecessary fight.

Ryan stood up, dusted himself off, and continued further into the cave.

Suddenly, some oval-shaped creatures emerged from the ground, looking around in confusion.

How did they dig their way here? Who led the way?

Before they could figure out where they were, they noticed a human staring at them excitedly.

"Finally found you! Scyther, don't let them get away!"

"...?"

Before they could react, Scyther's sharp scythes were already resting on them, and it was giving them an intimidating stare, as if asking, "Are you scared now?"

Terrified, they stayed perfectly still.

"Well done, Scyther. You're getting better at this. Even used Leer to scare them."

Ryan praised, then had Bounsweet release Sweet Scent. This familiar process gradually calmed the oval-shaped creatures.

Looking at the Diglett with their brown heads and red noses, mostly buried in the ground, Ryan felt thrilled.

He had been searching for Diglett!

Diglett are excellent for farming, as they naturally till the soil, and their droppings enrich it. After evolving into Dugtrio, they can even learn the move "Plow," making them born for farming.

"Ahem, don't be scared. We mean no harm. We just need your help with some farming."

Ryan tried to make his smile more reassuring while taking some roots and Pokémon food from his backpack.

He then explained his request to the Diglett, hoping they could help with farming.

The Diglett gathered together to discuss it. They were reluctant to leave their home, but the Pokémon food and roots were tempting.

The mountain didn't have many trees, so food was scarce, and they were often hungry, constantly digging around to find something to eat.

This human promised to plant trees they liked near the farm and provide Pokémon food as long as they helped with farming.

The offer was too good to refuse, and the Diglett agreed to Ryan's request, even asking if they could bring some friends along.

Ryan was more than happy to oblige.

Before long, more Diglett appeared from the ground, along with a few Dugtrio.

They had been summoned by the earlier Diglett, and after seeing the roots and food, they also agreed to Ryan's request.

Ryan didn't expect things to go so smoothly and led them out of the cave with great joy.

"Today really must be my lucky day, not a single hitch! Could it get any better?"

Feeling proud, Ryan forgot that tempting fate might lead to misfortune.

As he was leading the Pokémon down the mountain, he suddenly felt the ground tremble slightly.

Scyther's gaze sharpened as it looked toward the mountain path ahead, while the Diglett quickly burrowed underground, hiding.

"You've got to be kidding me..."

Ryan stared at the massive Onix barreling towards them, wishing he could slap himself.

"Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut? Quick, get out of the way!"

He grabbed Bounsweet and dove to the side, instructing Scyther to dodge as well.

"Roar!"

Onix crashed into a giant boulder on the roadside, letting out a painful howl, causing rocks to tumble down.

Scyther moved swiftly to shield Ryan from the falling debris with its arms, keeping him safe.

It prepared to attack Onix, but Ryan stopped it.

He noticed that the Onix wasn't attacking them; instead, it was repeatedly smashing its tail against the rocky wall, as if in pain.

"Is it injured? I can't see anything from here."

Ryan cautiously moved out from his hiding spot, trying to get a better view of Onix's tail.

After dodging several falling rocks, he found a suitable position.

He looked closely and saw a white object stuck between the segments of Onix's tail.

"Is it a piece of metal? No, wait! Why is it moving?"

The white object was wriggling.

"It's a Pokémon? And it looks like..."

Ryan rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't mistaken.

"It's an Aron!"