The middle section of Route 12, at the border between forest and grassland.
Hayato Sora arrived here with the Mudsdale.
According to Pyroar, a group of Carbink—Rock/Fairy-type Pokémon—could sometimes be found in this area.
Pyroar had even said that they had built an underground Diamond Kingdom.
Hayato Sora had never expected Carbink to appear on Route 12.
After all, Carbink are extremely difficult to form.
They are born only under conditions of extreme heat and pressure, deep underground.
Because of their rarity, Carbink in the Kalos region are known as "Guardians of the Earth's Memory."
By studying their bodies, researchers can analyze geological layers ten thousand meters beneath the ground, making them incredibly valuable for research.
Sitting atop Mudsdale, Hayato Sora surveyed the area from above.
Before him stretched a vast field of scattered rocks.
Yet there wasn't even a single Geodude, let alone Carbink.
"Brrr~"
The eldest Mudsdale stepped forward and planted its hoof on a rock.
The boulder, nearly one meter tall, instantly crumbled into powder.
The stone was extremely brittle.
Completely unsuitable for building roads.
Just as Hayato Sora was wondering how to find the hidden Carbink, the second Mudsdale suddenly focused its calm gaze on a certain spot.
"Brrr-brr!"
(Hayato Sora, something's over there.)
"Let's check it out."
The eldest Mudsdale took the lead.
Ground-type energy surged around its body as it prepared High Horsepower.
Hayato Sora and the three Mudsdale advanced in a straight formation.
Soon, a dark cave entrance hidden behind a cluster of rocks appeared before them.
The cave wasn't very deep.
In the darkness, a faint red glimmer flickered briefly.
Within the silent surroundings, the sound of crackling bites echoed from inside.
Fragments of sparkling mineral shards occasionally flew out of the cave.
"It's a Sableye," Hayato Sora said calmly.
"Attack, Mudsdale."
"Brr!"
Receiving the order, Mudsdale didn't hesitate.
Its front hooves lifted high like two enormous hammers before slamming down toward the cave entrance.
BOOOOM!
The ground shook like an earthquake.
The cave entrance and nearby rocks collapsed instantly, the entire tunnel caving in from the outside.
The goal was clear—
Force the mysterious Pokémon inside to come out.
Otherwise, it would be buried alive.
Even if the opponent was a Ghost-type Pokémon with a physical body, it wouldn't enjoy being trapped underground.
Just as Hayato Sora predicted—
The Pokémon inside panicked and fled the cave.
But the moment it emerged—
It was greeted by two charging Mudsdale.
The impact was like being hit by two speeding trucks.
The Sableye had no chance to counterattack.
It was sent flying high into the air before crashing onto the ground in a sprawled heap.
With just one hit, Sableye lost the ability to battle.
"Come back."
Hayato Sora waved to the Mudsdale and instructed them to dig open the collapsed cave.
If his guess was correct—
The Sableye had been eating Carbink.
The Mudsdale quickly cleared the rubble.
Soon, the Pokémon buried beneath was revealed.
It was a Pokémon whose body was made of diamond-like stones, shaped roughly like a cone.
Two protrusions resembling rabbit ears extended from its head.
However, the Carbink's condition looked terrible.
The diamonds embedded in its body had been completely gnawed away, leaving hollow holes behind.
Without those sparkling diamonds, its once radiant body had become dull.
Hayato Sora wondered silently—
Would those diamonds grow back?
While thinking, his hands moved quickly.
He took out a Revive Shard from his Spatial Satchel.
After gently parting the soft fluff between Carbink's head and body, he finally found its tiny hidden mouth and fed it the shard.
Rock-type Pokémon were known for their impressive resilience.
Before long, the Carbink that had been on the verge of death slowly regained consciousness.
"Mi-si mi-si~ "
Carbink struggled to stand up.
But because the diamond structures supporting its body had been eaten away by Sableye, it couldn't support its weight.
After several attempts—
It collapsed again.
"Don't move around too much."
Hayato Sora helped it sit upright while gently reminding it.
Only then did Carbink notice the human and three Pokémon beside it.
It immediately panicked and struggled again—
Only to fall over once more.
After a long explanation, Hayato Sora finally managed to calm it down.
It had almost been completely eaten by the sneaky Sableye.
"Mi-si…"
Carbink thanked them.
Only then did Hayato Sora ask,
"Where are the rest of your kind?"
"Mi-si mi-si…"
(My people are underground building our kingdom… I need to tell them that Sableye appeared.)
Carbink tried to stand again.
Its body swayed twice—
Then it fell down once more.
Hayato Sora picked it up carefully.
Its body felt cold and solid like stone.
"You can't move right now. Just guide me, and I'll take you to your people."
Carbink hesitated.
It looked at the kind human in front of it.
Then at the Mudsdale.
Then at the unconscious Sableye on the ground.
In the end—
Carbink chose to trust them.
Their location had already been exposed.
If they didn't relocate soon, more Sableye might arrive.
And then they'd have nowhere left to run.
Having made its decision, Carbink gathered its strength and motioned for them to follow.
Following its directions, they soon discovered an entrance that blended perfectly with the surrounding terrain.
Without Carbink's guidance—
Even turning the entire area upside down might not reveal it.
Mudsdale pushed aside the sealed stone covering the entrance.
Behind it was a narrow tunnel barely wide enough for one person.
Along the rock walls, scattered diamonds emitted faint glowing light, illuminating the path.
"Mi-si~"
(This is the place! Just keep going downward and you'll reach the kingdom we're building.)
Hayato Sora looked at the three Mudsdale beside him.
Then he recalled two of them into their Poké Balls.
Too many Pokémon in such a narrow tunnel would make it hard to maneuver if something unexpected happened.
Inside, the tunnel wasn't a straight path.
There were countless branching routes.
These had been intentionally dug by the Carbink as defensive labyrinths against Sableye.
Only they knew which route was correct.
As they descended deeper underground, the surroundings gradually became brighter.
Rare minerals filled the cave walls.
Many were piled randomly into formations that only Carbink could interpret as direction markers.
The deeper Hayato Sora went—
The brighter his eyes became.
Even ignoring the rare minerals, the ordinary stones scattered everywhere were already exactly what he needed.
They were obsidian, formed deep underground under intense heat and pressure.
The perfect material for building stone roads.
Even Mudsdale could run across them without issue.
When leaving later, he planned to trade with the Carbink for some of these stones.
Just as they approached the underground kingdom—
A group of Carbink suddenly rushed out from the side tunnels.
Their bodies glowed brightly as the gemstones within them converted into powerful attacks.
Upon seeing its fellow Carbink, the one in Hayato Sora's arms became extremely excited and jumped toward them.
And then—
Thud.
It landed face-first on the ground.
If it were a human, it would look like kneeling and knocking its head on the floor.
The Carbink guards looked at each other.
"Mi-si?"
(Is it New Year already?)
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