Rex, in his Lycanroc Dusk form, narrowed his eyes as he faced down the towering alpha Golem. Dust clouded the cave air, the sounds of battling Pokémon echoing all around them. The alpha Dugtrio had already been forced back by Wartortle, as Daisy was keeping it at bay.
"Double Team!" Rex growled, his voice now slightly more beast-like due to the transformation.
In an instant, multiple afterimages of Lycanroc flickered into existence, darting around the rocky battlefield. The alpha Golem snarled in confusion, swinging its heavy arms toward the illusions in a desperate attempt to strike the real one.
"Zorua, support me!" Rex called out. "Use Torment and Scary Face!"
Zorua, still perched nearby, let out a sharp yip. Its eyes glowed with dark energy as a wave of malevolent aura surged toward the Golem. The rock titan growled lowly, its body flashing with an eerie purple hue—Torment had taken effect.
'Now it won't be able to spam the same move again… Nice,' Rex thought with a toothy grin.
Zorua's eyes flared again, and its entire body shimmered. It leapt right in front of Golem's massive face and let out a grotesque, ghostly grin—Scary Face. Golem recoiled a bit, its movement sluggish as it stopped itself from using rollout.
"Perfect!" Rex barked. "Let's finish this!"
Golem roared and hurled chunks of rock—Rock Tomb—towards Rex. But Rex dashed forward, eyes locked on the incoming projectiles.
'Time it right... now!'
He lunged and bit down with Crunch, fangs glowing black as they tore through the rocky barrage. Shards exploded everywhere as he bulldozed through.
"Now—Drill Run!" he roared, twisting his body mid-air.
He spun like a bullet, glowing with ground-type energy, and slammed directly into the alpha Golem's chest. The impact echoed throughout the cave as the Golem crashed against the cave wall and crumbled to the ground, groaning once before going still.
It was unconscious. That was a critical hit. Fighting both the Alpha Dugtrio and now Rex, had worn it down.
Landing on all fours, Rex panted lightly. Then he tapped the Poketrix badge on his hind leg. His body glowed red, shrinking and shifting until he was human again. The light faded, and he stood tall, a bit winded but triumphant.
"Whoa..." he muttered, looking at his hands. "Still not used to that."
He looked toward Daisy—she was brushing dust off her shoulder. Her Wartortle stood proudly by her side, breathing hard but stable. A few scratches dotted its shell, but it was still battle-ready. The Alpha Dugtrio was seen uncounciois, slumped against another wall, with water surrounding it.
"You good?" Rex asked.
Daisy nodded, her face a mix of pride and exhaustion. "Yeah. Wartortle's tough. Took a few hits, but we're still standing."
The chaos in the cave began to die down. With both alpha Pokémon defeated, the surrounding Digletts, Dugtrios, Geodudes, Gravelers, and Golems all stopped fighting. They gathered in small groups, watching the humans cautiously, awaiting the next move.
"They've stopped..." Daisy murmured.
"Guess they were only following their alphas," Rex said, stepping beside her. His eyes narrowed as he looked down the dark tunnel that led deeper into the cave system. "But something caused this. Digletts and Golems don't just go to war for no reason."
Daisy nodded in agreement. "There's a Golem territory about five kilometers from here. If they showed up like this, something might have happened over there."
"Then that's where we're headed," Rex said with determination. "Let's go find out what started all this."
Daisy gave him a firm nod. "Right behind you."
The scene shifted away from the chaos of Diglett Cave, now showing Rex and Daisy stepping out of Professor Oaks jeep, its tires coated in dried mud from the rough terrain. The moon hung above, casting a soft glow across the hilly landscape.
Daisy pointed toward a steep hill in the distance. It was covered in rocky terrain with small caves dotting its surface.
"This is the Golems' territory," Daisy said, her voice firm but tinged with concern. "They live inside that hill and use the slopes to race each other with Rollout. It's kind of their tradition."
Rex folded his arms, squinting at the large hill as the wind blew through his hair. "Hmm… the outside looks untouched. No signs of battle, no damaged rocks or disturbed earth."
He tilted his head slightly. "So whatever happened... it must've happened inside."
Daisy nodded. "Yeah… I caught my Golem here. He was a wild Geodude back then. He knows the way to their den."
Without another word, she pulled a Pokéball from her belt and tossed it forward. With a flash of light, her Golem appeared, standing tall and solid on the grassy terrain. It looked around for a second, then turned to Daisy with a curious grunt.
"Golem," she said, stepping closer, "take us to the den of your clan. We need to find out what happened."
Golem grunted again and gave a slow nod. Without hesitation, it turned around and began to roll slowly toward the hill, its rocky body rumbling quietly with each movement.
Rex and Daisy followed behind, their boots crunching softly against the gravel path. Zorua, now perched comfortably on Rex's shoulder, flicked its ears and looked back toward the trees.
"Hm?" Rex glanced at his partner. "Zorua, did you sense something?"
The small fox-like Pokémon let out a quiet growl and kept staring at the forest behind them.
Rex turned his head, scanning the treeline. He narrowed his eyes and searched for any signs of movement, but… nothing.
'That was weird. Zorua's senses are sharp. If he noticed something, there had to be something there… right?'
Still, with no clear signs, he decided not to push it. "Probably just a wild Pokémon," Rex said, though the doubt lingered in his mind. "Come on, let's not fall behind."
Some distance away, concealed behind the thick trunks and leafy underbrush, Tia and Dan peeked out carefully from their hiding spot. Their breaths were heavy, and their clothes had specks of dirt from crawling through the terrain.
Tia wiped sweat from her forehead and whispered, "Phew… that was close. I thought that Zorua spotted us."
Dan kept his camera trained on the departing duo, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Don't worry. We're still in stealth mode," he whispered back. "And this footage? Gold. Literal gold. Boss will shower us with millions of Pokedollars!"
Tia smirked. "Forget gold, Dan. This is the infinite money glitch. We have to make full use of it and make sure no one else can use this glitch like us!"
Dan chuckled, zooming in the lens. "Just keep rolling. Every second is worth millions."
And with that, they continued their silent pursuit—hidden, but ever watchful.