Sableye's persistent following struck Kashiwagi as strange.
Lured by the Pokéblocks? He doubted it had developed some spontaneous, inexplicable affection for him. Regardless...
"Hold on a second. Let me deal with this guy first, then we'll talk."
He gestured for Sableye to wait before tossing a Poké Ball at the wild Aggron.
Clack!
The ball struck the monster squarely on the forehead, popping open and engulfing it in a beam of red light. It dropped to the ground, wobbling gently as the red light pulsed.
"Is there only one Aggron here? Or are the others in different tunnels?"
Kashiwagi surveyed the sprawling cavern around the waterfall. He suspected there were other wild Aggron in the cave system, but this prime spot with abundant water had likely been claimed by this particular individual.
Ping!
The ball clicked shut.
Capture complete.
He pulled out his phone and opened the party management tab. The wild Aggron appeared in his list; tapping for details, its move set was revealed.
He scanned the list.
"No Head Smash... wait, it knows Dragon Rush? For real?"
Kashiwagi raised an eyebrow. Usually, wild Aggron in the deep cave mastered Hyper Beam as their heavy hitter. To find one naturally using a Dragon-type move like Dragon Rush was unexpected.
What exactly did this Aggron's ancestors get up to?
While the lack of Head Smash was a letdown, Dragon Rush was a fantastic find.
Once he taught it to his own Aggron, they could eventually pass the technique down to Deino. As expected, powerful Pokémon that thrived in the wild almost always possessed extraordinary traits.
He was about to release it to clarify the situation when he remembered the Sableye waiting for him. He turned around quickly.
"Sorry, sorry! Got a bit distracted there."
Kashiwagi approached Sableye and crouched down to stay at eye level, noting that it hadn't run away.
"Is there something you need help with? Or do you want this?"
He pulled another Pokéblock from his pocket.
The Sableye's diamond-shaped eyes sparkled intensely. It raised its sharp claws to snatch the treat, but after a quick glance at the imposing Aggron and Mawile, it timidly curled its claws back.
It really was followed me for the food...
Kashiwagi felt a mix of relief and slight.. disappointment.
While Sableye wasn't exactly his "type" of Pokémon, he couldn't help but feel a minor sting to his ego realizing it wasn't his natural charisma that had drawn the creature in.
Apparently, his personality wasn't quite at the "wild Pokémon bow down in worship" level yet.
"If you want it, it's yours."
He handed the Pokéblock over.
Sableye snatched it up and stuffed it into its mouth, chewing happily before looking back at him with those same shimmering eyes.
"Uh... sorry, that's all I can give you for now."
Kashiwagi shook his head. He had brought plenty of Pokéblocks, but those were reserved for calming wild Aggron.
He couldn't just feed the entire cave.
Sableye didn't seem to understand his words. Seeing that no more food was forthcoming, it turned and scurried into a side tunnel, then paused and beckoned with a claw.
"Sa-ble!"
"Wait, what? You want me to follow?"
Kashiwagi turned to Mawile and Aggron for confirmation.
"Maw-wile," Mawile nodded.
Curiosity got the better of him. Was Sableye acting as a guide to more Pokémon? Or was this a trap designed to jump him and take the rest of the Pokéblocks?
Driven by intrigue, he followed.
The deeper parts of Granite Cave were pitch black and chaotic. Kashiwagi ended up covered in dust from the cramped, winding tunnels, but luckily the destination wasn't far.
It was a nest.
The den was a narrow, humble crevice that could only fit the Sableye itself.
It rummaged around inside for a while before dragging out a pile of objects.
At first glance, they were just dusty, grime-covered lumps. But when Kashiwagi wiped them clean and shone his light on them, he saw a collection of multicolored stones.
Some were crystalline, though they looked cloudy and unrefined. Most were palm-sized, and some were as small as a thumbnail.
"These are your food stores?"
Kashiwagi poked at the pile, beginning to understand. "You want to trade these for Pokéblocks?"
"Sa-ble! Sa-ble!"
Sableye nodded vigorously, revealing a row of sharp teeth capable of grinding gems to dust. It rubbed its claws together in a way that looked hilously shady like a dishonest merchant.
"I'm sorry, but I don't really know what these are worth. I can't do a fair trade," Kashiwagi replied helplessly.
Gems and ores fluctuated in value based on clarity and rarity. With his limited knowledge, it was impossible to gauge their worth in such a dark environment.
Should I just give it a few and call it even? No, that feels wrong... maybe I'll just give it some for free.
After all, following him this far took guts.
Seeing him shake his head, Sableye thought he was dissatisfied with the amount. It dived back into its nest and dug out even more of its hoard.
"Hey, it's not that I don't like them—wait, what's this?"
He was about to refuse again when he froze. He picked up a black, rectangular object from among the stones that clearly showed signs of artificial craftsmanship.
"What is this? A metal box?"
"Sa-ble~"
Sableye looked just as confused. It seemed to have forgotten where it even found the thing; it instinctively reached out to take a bite.
"Whoa, whoa! Don't eat it! You'll break your teeth or the box."
Kashiwagi stopped it quickly. Seeing the creature's mouth watering, he pulled a large jar of Pokéblocks from his bag.
"Tell you what, let's trade for this."
He didn't know what the box was, but he sensed Sableye wouldn't let him go without a trade.
He treated it like a flea-market gamble.
Sableye stared at the large jar, stunned. It looked at Kashiwagi with disbelief, then back at the jar.
"Sa-ble?"
"Yes, it's for you."
"Sa-ble! SA-BLE!"
The Sableye went wild with joy, clutching the jar and dancing around.
Kashiwagi couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"Alright then, goodbye."
He still had to check in with his newly caught Aggron.
But as he turned to leave, Sableye blocked his path, holding up the crystals it had pulled out earlier. "Sa-ble! Sa-ble-e-ye!"
"No, really, I only need the box."
Kashiwagi waved his hands, thinking it wanted more trades. However, Mawile explained that Sableye actually wanted to give him the stones as a gift.
Because he had been so generous, it was grateful and wanted to officially be his friend.
"Are you sure that's what it said?"
Kashiwagi asked Mawile skeptically.
"Maw-wile!" Mawile huffed and turned away, annoyed that he doubted her.
"Okay, okay, I believe you! Fine, we're friends. But you really should keep these to eat."
Seeing he wouldn't take them, Sableye grew anxious and ducked back into the crevice. Kashiwagi tried to make his exit, but the creature was already back out, panting slightly from the rush.
With a wide grin, it presented its most precious treasure to its new human friend.
It was a dull, pitch-black rock.
"Thank you."
Kashiwagi couldn't say no to that face. He patted its head, accepted the mysterious rock, and pulled out one more small tin—this one filled with the premium Pokéblocks he fed his own team.
"In the spirit of friendship, here's a return gift."
"Maw-wile", Mawile translated.
Clutching the small tin that emitted an even more delicious aroma, Sableye's grin stretched from ear to ear.
"Sa-ble!"