"Whoosh… whoosh…"
In the pitch-black, lightless underground passageway, eerie winds howled, their wails reverberating.
It almost sounded like an airplane roaring through the depths below.
Although there was no airplane, there was indeed a massive object flying through the passageway.
Its speed was incredibly fast, giving people the exhilarating sensation of flight.
The object was enormous—if not for the passage being extremely wide and its body not fully upright, it would have been impossible to move through.
Its golden exterior seemed to be the only faint source of light in the dim tunnel, standing out conspicuously.
Though its body was composed of mineral segments, this didn't hinder its agile movements in the slightest, its form winding like a serpent.
Even more bizarrely, it was floating midair as it advanced, achieving flight despite having no wings.
This was all thanks to the occasional currents of electricity flowing around the gleaming Steelix, causing faint arcs of lightning to flicker around it.
Magnet Rise: For five turns, the user levitates using electromagnetic forces.
Fails if the user is under the effects of Ingrain or Smack Down, or has the Levitate ability.
Cannot be used while under the effects of Gravity.
Thanks to Magnet Rise, even a Ground- and Steel-type like Steelix could soar through the air.
Especially when paired with Autotomize, Steelix's speed reached new heights, making it capable of swift flight.
Autotomize: Sheds unnecessary parts of its body, drastically increasing its speed while also reducing its weight.
The combination of these two moves transformed Steelix from a rampaging steel behemoth into a steel airplane!
It had become an unconventional flying mount.
At the same time, Akira and the others were clearly riding atop Steelix, traveling aboard the 'Steelix Airlines'.
Akira owned many flying Pokemons, such as Dragonite, Hydreigon and Genesect.
However, none of them were large enough to carry multiple people at once.
Steelix, with its Magnet Rise, was perfectly suited for this task.
Otherwise, they would have had to rely on their flying Pokemons using Dynamax to carry them.
Additionally, as a Ground-type Pokemon, Steelix was exceptionally skilled at digging.
In such a vast underground passage, it was the most suitable choice.
There was one more ability unique to Steelix.
It could devour ores and gain corresponding effects, making it highly sensitive to all kinds of minerals.
Even while moving swiftly underground, Steelix could still detect the presence of special ores nearby.
Simply put, Steelix was like a massive ore detector, scanning every area it passed through.
Though everyone was on Steelix's back, none of them were chatting—instead, they kept their attention focused on their surroundings.
Since they had confirmed this was the cave of the Stone Giants, one could appear at any moment.
Based on their previous battle with Meowth No. 1, these creatures possessed not only terrifying strength but also impressive speed.
....
After traveling for a while, Steelix's crimson eyes suddenly flashed, and the surrounding electricity vanished without a trace.
Its massive head turned, its predatory gaze fixed on the nearby rock wall as if it could see right through it.
With the effects of Magnet Rise gone, Steelix's body descended to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Although the area was still dominated by Black Tremor Rock, unlike the ground, there was inevitably some dust present.
The group stumbled slightly, but their expressions grew more animated.
They had found something!
Since they hadn't spotted any stone giants nearby, it was more likely that Akira's Nen beast had detected minerals.
Sure enough, when they jumped down from Steelix's back one by one and followed the line of sight toward the cliff wall.
The cliff face was primarily composed of Black Tremor Rock, but certain corners clearly weren't.
Amidst the pitch-black, ink-like rock face, there was a patch of crimson about half a person's size.
Clearly, this was a different ore from Black Tremor Rock.
Though similarly red, this ore differed from Flameglow Stone as it didn't exhibit noticeable high-temperature effects.
It only bore crack-like patterns across its surface, with a deeper shade of red.
For some reason, upon seeing this ore, everyone's first instinct wasn't to approach and retrieve it.
But to retreat!
An innate warning kept reminding them to stay as far away from these ores as possible.
This was a life-or-death warning!
"I feel... there's something off about these ores?"
Usamen had cold sweat forming on his forehead as he subconsciously took half a step back, his instincts urging him to keep his distance.
"Something's definitely wrong!"
"The energy they contain is immense and highly unstable. Simply put, they're bombs that could detonate at any moment!"
Beyond said with a grim expression, having just used his En to investigate.
These ores had surprised him.
Akira's eyes darkened as he immediately activated his Pokedex Ability.
Flame Blast Stone: Deep red in color, explodes violently upon slight impact.
A fist-sized piece can cause an explosion comparable to a missile.
Additionally:
Vine Stone: Resembles normal rock but contains special plant seeds inside.
When shattered, the seeds react with air and grow rapidly.
Just as Beyond said!
These ores contained vast yet unstable energy.
They resembled explosives more than minerals.
Their destructive power was terrifying—a single fist-sized Flame Blast Stone could match a missile's impact.
And how many were here?
Just the visible portion covered an area half a person's height, with unknown quantities buried beneath.
"This complicates things. We might turn to dust the moment we touch them,"
Pariston crossed his arms, his usual smile fading.
His words rang true, making everyone hesitate to act recklessly, fearing a catastrophic explosion.
They were currently deep underground—how deep, no one knew.
The vast space existed only because of Black Tremor Rock's stability.
But faced with these unknown ores, they couldn't guarantee Black Tremor Rock would withstand an explosion.
What if everything collapsed?
"Collapse isn't our main concern. We can quickly retreat to the network space if needed,"
Ging remarked calmly, eyes glinting.
After a brief silence, Akira spoke up, "Don't worry. I won't let them explode."
Before anyone could react, Akira gestured casually, and Lapras's elegant form materialized amidst swirling snowflakes.
"Laaaaaa~"
Lapras lifted its slender neck, releasing a melodious cry.
Instantly, Lapras's body became enveloped in bluish-white Aura as the surrounding temperature plummeted.
Moisture and airborne dust rapidly froze, transforming into drifting snowflakes and crystalline shards.
Thick ice formed beneath Lapras first, then spread relentlessly toward the cavern walls.
"Crack... crack..."
As frigid air invaded, even the walls couldn't escape freezing—not just superficially.
Anyone seeing inside would find the walls frozen solid!
Ice-type move: Blizzard!
Then, dark Aura seeped from Akira's shadow, muffling all surrounding movement.
A glint flashed in Akira's eyes as he turned to face the towering Steelix.
On the other side, Steelix knew it was finally its time to shine.
With its keen sense for ores, Steelix could precisely excavate the minerals without disturbing them.
Then, under the astonished gazes of everyone, Steelix suddenly opened its massive steel jaws and fiercely bit into the now-frozen rock wall!
"BOOM!"
The supposedly indestructible Black Tremor Rock crumbled like potato chips before Steelix's might, effortlessly yielding a massive chunk.
All the explosive firestones were contained within this bitten-off section.
Yet what lay revealed after this excavation—or rather, this bite—left everyone even more stunned!
Ging, Beyond, the other team members, even Akira!
None could escape the shock of this sight.
Their pupils contracted simultaneously, reflecting an image they could hardly comprehend.
After Steelix's bite, clear tooth marks lined the rock wall, accompanied by cascading Black Tremor Rock dust.
Meanwhile, Lapras's Blizzard had also left its mark—the interior remained frost-covered, riddled with ice chunks and shattered frost fragments.
Since Lapras lacked sufficient sensitivity to ores, it had directly employed the more potent Blizzard, freezing even the deeper layers solid.
However, none of this was the main focus.
Within the massive gap, embedded in the rock wall, was a skeletal frame—as if deliberately encased there.
Had it been just another skeleton, it wouldn't have mattered much, given the countless horrors they'd encountered on their journey.
Even in the Purple Forest, they'd seen skeletal monsters—rotting corpses that became animated skeletons once the flesh decayed.
But this skeleton was different!
It was unmistakably human.
*****
Meanwhile, in the deepest recesses of the cave...
The decor here was peculiar, unlike anything one would expect in the Dark Continent.
This was a sizable chamber—or perhaps a cavernous room.
The ceiling was entwined with unknown plants, their bodies a dark green but crowned with oval, yellowish heads that emitted light, illuminating what should have been pitch-black surroundings.
Like lightbulbs in a human dwelling.
Beyond this, other elements bore a distinctly human-like aesthetic.
There was a stone table and chairs crafted from Black Tremor Rock, along with a depression made from an unidentified mineral, housing miscellaneous items.
But the most striking feature of the room was an enormous throne.
Its shape resembled the royal seats of human kingdoms, though typically those were red—this one was carved from white ore.
Mostly white, its owner had apparently found it too plain and adorned it with countless gemstones.
These gems varied in color and size but shared one trait: they were all breathtakingly beautiful.
With these embellishments, an ordinary seat had been transformed into a true throne.
And this was precisely what its owner desired.
It believed this distinguished itself from other creatures.
Currently, seated upon this throne was a humanoid figure bathed in golden light, its radiance intermingling with the gleam of the gemstones.
The humanoid wasn't overly large—standing roughly three meters tall—but its body bore musculature of divine craftsmanship.
Even the most skilled sculptor could not carve such exquisitely defined muscles—it was the pinnacle of artistic perfection.
And within this dazzling golden masterpiece lay an immense, hidden power.
Clad in garments made from the hides of beasts or magical creatures, it exuded a primal wildness.
This was the leader of the Stone Giants!
The most highly evolved of them all—the Golden Giant!
Possessing intelligence comparable to that of a human, it had even given itself a name, which translated to "Jin" in human language.
Upon evolving into Golden Giants, Stone Giants could attain normal human-level intelligence.
As their leader, Jin reclined on his throne, his head slightly lowered, his expression shadowed.
His golden pupils were another mark of the Stone Giants' advanced evolution.
Their facial features were distinct, resembling those of humans.
At this moment, he held an ancient-looking book in his hands, flipping through its pages with deep concentration.
The book was old, seemingly bound with the hide of some unknown beast, its pages made of an unfamiliar material.
Finding a book in such a place was already bizarre.
But even more unsettling was the fact that this Stone Giant was reading it.
The script used in the book…
Was unmistakably a branch of Divine Script!
Jin remained silent for a moment before revealing a chilling smile, emitting a slow, resonant sound.
"No matter how many times I read this, I can't help but marvel at how extraordinary these creatures are."
"Not only do they possess powers different from ours, but they are clearly far more intelligent."
"Hahaha…"