Not long after Sieg left, the boulder he had just been resting by was suddenly surrounded by several members of Team Magma.
Dozens of Mightyena sniffed around the rock, their noses twitching furiously.
"Captain, there's a trace of an outsider's scent here!" a Team Magma scout reported.
The squad captain hesitated for a moment, then said, "Could it be that one of our own forgot to apply Magma Powder?"
"Captain, that's unlikely. Putting on Magma Powder means they're one of us, otherwise they'd be treated as an enemy. It's how we identify our own in the wild, no one would dare forget!"
Hearing this, the captain, though reluctant to stir up a big commotion in the middle of the night, had to admit they were right.
After a moment's decision, he ordered, "Report this to the commander first, then continue scouting the area!"
Inside the dim passageway, only the sound of footsteps could be heard when suddenly a dark shadow flashed by, a Murkrow flitting swiftly through the narrow mountain path.
Above Sieg's head, the beam from his explorer's headlamp lit up the path ahead.
"The altitude's dropping lower and lower, looks like this passage keeps descending…"
Walking through the gloomy tunnel, Sieg felt vaguely uneasy.
Sure enough, before he could even catch his breath, a wild Pokémon suddenly leapt out in front of him.
It looked like a rock with a single conical horn on its head, its dark blue body had a diamond-shaped yellow hole in the center, which seemed to be its ear.
Sieg instantly recognized the species.
It was a Roggenrola.
The memory of it in his previous life's games was too deep to forget. Snapping back to reality, Sieg quickly commanded, "Murkrow, use Peck Drill!"
Inside the cramped cave, Murkrow spun its body, its beak sharpening like a bullet as it dove straight toward the Roggenrola.
Roggenrola didn't just sit there, it immediately gathered several sharp stone spikes and launched them forward. Though the spikes were small, Murkrow instinctively dodged, temporarily abandoning its assault.
Type disadvantage aside, Sieg's Flying type was naturally resisted by Rock type, which was a headache he couldn't easily solve.
He had no desire to waste time here.
"Crawdaunt, use Scald!"
Without hesitation, he called his ace Pokémon to swiftly deal with the wild Pokémon.
However, the scalding jet of water hit the Roggenrola dead on, yet it was still standing.
An ability popped into Sieg's mind, Sturdy, .
When facing lethal danger, it could survive with 1 HP!
"Hmph, Crawdaunt, finish it with Razor Shell." Sieg commanded coldly, without a trace of emotion.
As expected, the Roggenrola had no strength left to resist, shattering on the spot under the shell slash.
Roggenrola was killed instantly.
Crawdaunt scratched the star on its head with its pincers, looking a little awkward, it hadn't meant to hit that hard.
Sieg was briefly stunned, but felt no regret. He just wanted to get out of this troublesome place as soon as possible.
Casually, he picked up the core inside Roggenrola's body.
Most Rock type Pokémon have such an energy core inside them, just like Geodude and the like.
The Roggenrola's core was hidden inside that diamond-shaped yellow hole, which was actually its ear.
As soon as Sieg picked it up, he felt a faint warmth in his palm. For other Rock types, this core would be a great supplement.
Without staying any longer, Sieg stored Roggenrola's entire body in his spatial backpack. After tidying up the scene, he hurried deeper into the passage.
He didn't know how long he'd been exploring the tunnel, only that the altitude kept dropping lower and lower, as if he had already reached the underground depths.
At the same time, the stifling feeling of low oxygen had disappeared, suggesting the exit couldn't be far off.
During this time, not a single Pokémon had appeared, which wasn't Sieg's luck but rather the result of his Ludicolo's move, Sweet Scent.
With a spark of inspiration, Sieg had made a simple sachet, carefully collecting the enticing Sweet Scent within. Then, with a strong flick, he hurled it in the opposite direction of his path.
This way, all the Pokémon with keen noses would be lured away down another tunnel, letting Sieg press forward unimpeded.
Who would've thought that the Ludicolo he'd casually picked up would end up helping so much at this crucial moment?
Thinking of this, Sieg couldn't help but feel a wave of relief.
"Murkrow, you have to be sure, is that really the exit ahead?"
As he wiped the beads of sweat dripping down his forehead, Sieg gently patted his clothes, now completely drenched.
Mt. Chimney truly lived up to its name. Even in the underground passageway, the temperature was stiflingly high.
If he took off his clothes now, he could probably squeeze out an entire bottle of sweat without effort!
"Caw caw!"
Sieg roughly understood Murkrow.
As a Flying type, it was very sensitive to the wind. Murkrow could feel a faint breeze ahead, meaning the exit couldn't be far.
Hearing this, Sieg's face lit up with a hint of joy.
His exhausted body suddenly found new strength, his pace quickening once more.
Finally, not far ahead, he saw a glimmer of light.
Sieg dashed forward, and stepping out of the dark cave, a vast endless plain unfolded before him.
"Eh, where on earth am I now? Is this still Mt. Chimney?" Sieg murmured, puzzled.
Opening his Pokédex, he finally got a signal and quickly checked his current location.
He was at the northeast edge of Mt. Chimney, connected to route 111.
"Damn it, so I went the wrong way?"
Sieg looked at the boundless plain before him and fell silent.
The Hoenn Region was made up of one large mainland and countless smaller islands.
Most of these islands were scattered in the southeastern sea.
Even the League headquarters, Ever Grande City, was built on one of those islands.
As a result, the region's prosperous cities were mostly near the coastline, or simply on the ocean itself.
The deeper inland one went, the poorer and more desolate the towns became.
"The nearest town is Mauville city, I'd better head there first and resupply."
Right now, Sieg had no other choice but to make this plan.
And he resolved in his heart never to come back to Mt. Chimney again.
Who would've thought he'd run into Team Magma on his very first day of exploring?
What Sieg didn't know was that, inside Mt. Chimney, Team Magma had already launched a massive internal purge because of him.
"An outsider's trace? Could it be a League investigator? Search! We must find out! There must be League spies hidden inside our ranks, we need a thorough sweep!"
With just one order from Admin Tabitha, the entirety of Team Magma inside Mt. Chimney was instantly thrown into chaos.
Everyone was on edge, terrified of being treated as a mole.
Ironically enough, the purge did expose several undercover agents sent by the League.
"Who would've thought those League dogs had even planted spies so deep they made it to battalion commander?"
Tabitha looked at the report from his men, a chill running through his heart.
Battalion commander, that rank was practically the backbone of their force.
It was high enough to know some local operations, though not the ultimate plan of Team Magma.
Thinking back to the last raid on Verdanturf Tunnel and the Camerupt lost in that battle, Tabitha's hatred for the League only deepened.
"Fortunately, Boss Maxie compensated me with a promising Cyndaquil."
Thinking of the starter Pokémon's quality, Tabitha's gravitationally disadvantaged body quivered with satisfaction, feeling slightly appeased at last.