The scent of wet stone and ancient dust fills my lungs as the mountain swallows me whole. Deep inside the first gallery, shadows are alive with the high-pitched screeching of Zubat.
I manifest Pidgeot with a sharp pulse of my wrist. The sheer force of its Hurricane sends a concussive blast of wind through the dark, clearing the tunnel like chaff before a storm. I recall the bird and continue deeper, guided by the faint clink-clink of steel on crystal.
I round a jagged corner and find an excavation pit flooded by harsh floodlights. A woman in a black tactical uniform with a crimson 'R' emblazoned across the shoulder blades stands center-stage.
"Faster, you idiots!" she snaps. She clutches a rough-hewn Moon Stone.
As she senses my presence, she pivots on one heel. Her eyes are sharp, kohl-rimmed, and burning with alarm.
[POV: Rocket Operative]
Heavy. That's the first thing I feel—the sheer, physical weight of him just standing there. He doesn't look like a League scout. Too big, too calm. My heart kicks against my ribs. I need to look in control, but damn, those eyes... they're looking at me like I'm already claimed.
"Who the hell are you?" she demands. Her grunts scramble to their feet, fumbling for Pokéballs. "Turn around and walk out, or I'll have my team bury you in this hole."
I descend the incline, moving into the full glare of the floodlights. My shadow swallows the light.
[POV: Rika Voss]
He's not moving like a trainer. He's moving like he owns the air I'm breathing. My pulse is thudding. The Moon Stone is too valuable to lose. If he won't walk, I'll make him crawl.
"You're wasting your breath," I say, my voice low and resonant. I glance at the pulsing Moon Stone. "The only ones being buried today are those standing in my way. Command your curs to move, or I'll have my team do it for them."
Rika sneers. "Release now! Bury him in the dirt!"
The grunts hurl their balls—a Zubat and a Rattata. Rika snaps hers into the air. "Go, Golbat! Air Cutter, now!"
I don't waste a second. My left wrist pulses blue. "Crobat. Destroy."
My Crobat, massive and silent, instantly eclipses her Golbat.
[POV: Rika Voss]
Panic claws at my gut. That isn't just a Crobat; it's a monster. My Golbat is outmatched. My mission, the Moon Stone—it's all on the line. I have to fight; I have to keep it, even if it costs everything.
Crobat slams into the Golbat with a sickening thwack, sending it careening into a crystal wall. The Zubat and Rattata scatter in terror.
Rika stands frozen. "This... this isn't over," she snarls.
My wrist pulses again. "Rhyperior. Pressure."
The ground shudders as the colossal figure manifests. Its massive horn-drill gleams in the floodlights. I advance, closing the distance. The immense Pokémon casts a shadow that swallows the entire pit.