Chapter 280: Arriving at the Marked Point

After packing their belongings, Rex and Mai set off toward the first marked point on their map, about a half-hour's walk away. The underground environment was complex, and they had to be on constant alert for wild Pokémon ambushes, which slowed their pace considerably—especially since they were careful to avoid getting lost.

As Rex and Mai made their way to the first marked point, another team, consisting of Beach and John, was already hard at work with their Pokémon, digging eagerly.

Beach's team had successfully reached one of the map's marked points yesterday, and they immediately began excavating, working late into the night. They even set up camp at the marked point's mine. Early this morning, they resumed digging, demonstrating a level of determination that Rex and Mai could hardly match.

Beach and John's enthusiasm was justified. Last night, while digging with shovels, they uncovered a Pokémon fossil. Although it wasn't the Mega Stone they most desired, a Pokémon fossil was still a rare find that could potentially be revived into a rare ancient Pokémon.

"I wonder how Rex and his team are doing?" Beach remarked, wiping sweat from his forehead as he spoke to John, who was focused on digging.

"They're probably digging just like us, though I doubt Mai can handle this kind of physical work!" John replied, continuing his task without pause, as a bit of conversation helped pass the time.

Although John's family was fairly well-off, they lacked the resources of Beach's family, which made John even more eager to find a Mega Stone on his own. He knew that even if Beach didn't find a Mega Stone here, his parents could help him acquire one, whereas John relied solely on his own efforts.

"Too bad there's no cell signal down here. Otherwise, we could check in with them!" Beach muttered before returning to his digging.

Of course, Beach and John weren't digging alone—their Pokémon were also hard at work nearby.

Meanwhile, Rex and Mai had arrived near the marked point, only to find their path blocked by a group of wild Pokémon.

The path was obstructed by a group of Sandslash and Sandshrew. The lead Sandslash immediately took a defensive stance as soon as it spotted Rex and Mai, signaling that it would attack if they continued to approach.

Seeing that the obstacle was a clan of Sandslash, Rex decided against ordering an attack right away. Instead, he recalled his own Sandslash and asked it to act as a bridge for communication. If it could mediate successfully, they could avoid a confrontation.

"Sandslash, go talk to your kin and see if they'll let us pass," Rex said.

Understanding its Trainer's intentions, Sandslash went forward to try to communicate with the opposing Sandslash leader.

Seeing another Sandslash approach, the leader did not attack and instead observed to see what its kin would do.

Rex's Sandslash and the wild Sandslash leader began conversing in what seemed to be a friendly manner. At first, the interaction was calm, but it grew more heated as they talked. The wild Sandslash leader occasionally pointed at Rex's group, growling at his Sandslash.

"Rex, it looks like we'll have to fight our way through," Mai said as she watched the two Sandslash nearly come to blows.

"Let's wait a bit longer—I trust Sandslash to handle this," Rex replied, unwilling to give up just yet. He could tell Sandslash was doing its best.

At that moment, the Sandshrew retreated a bit, and the tension between the two Sandslash reached a critical point—they'd resolved to settle things through the common way of the wild.

Soon, a fierce battle broke out between the Sandslash, their sharp claws clashing intensely. Neither side seemed to have the upper hand initially.

However, Rex's Sandslash had superior endurance due to better training and resources. This advantage became the deciding factor. Taking advantage of a moment when the wild Sandslash leader paused to catch its breath, Rex's Sandslash struck with a powerful Slash, sending the leader flying, followed by a barrage of Swift stars that hit it squarely as it struggled.

Even after repeated hits, the wild Sandslash leader attempted to rise and counterattack. But before it could, Rex's Sandslash held its claw at its throat, forcing it to bow its head in reluctant submission.

With the leader admitting defeat, Rex's Sandslash graciously helped it back up.

The Sandshrew gathered around, showing respect rather than hostility toward Rex's Sandslash, and soon the two groups were on friendly terms. They even started interacting amicably, clearly acknowledging Sandslash's strength.

Seeing this, Rex knew the issue was resolved. He and Mai walked forward, with the Sandshrew curiously observing them as they passed by.

After they left the Sandslash clan's territory, Rex noticed that Sandslash was still socializing with the Sandshrew, so he waved to call it over.

Sandslash quickly bid farewell to the Sandshrew and returned to Rex's side.

"Sandslash, that was excellent work—you did great!" Rex praised, patting its head.

Sandslash scratched its head, looking bashful yet happy from the praise.

After passing through the Sandslash territory, Rex and Mai finally arrived at the first marked point, an old mine shaft dimly lit by scattered fragments of gemstones. The walls showed clear signs of previous digs, indicating that many had already excavated here.

"Rex, do we still need to dig here?" Mai asked, noting the heavily excavated area. She doubted anything valuable remained.

"We're here, so we might as well give it a shot!" Rex replied, pulling a shovel and pickaxe from his backpack.

Though the inner layers of Meteor Falls were risky, they had been discovered years ago, and many Trainers explored them annually. Thus, the chances of finding something valuable were low. However, since Steven had unearthed a Mega Stone here, Rex and Mai felt it was worth investigating.

"Well, okay then," Mai sighed, releasing her Excadrill, clearly intending to let it do the digging since her own stamina wouldn't last long.

Rex likewise let Sandslash help with the excavation, sensing that it had a knack for treasure-hunting—who knew, it might even surprise him with a lucky find.