Meeting Gurkinn was just a small interlude for Cole.
After the old man had walked away, he called out to his Pokémon, "Everyone, let's get going!"
The Pokémon all rushed to his side at once.
At noon, Cole treated everyone to Shalour's local specialties before heading to the town where the Silver Stone Mine was located.
Upon arrival, he noticed numerous trainers moving through the town. Could they all be here to mine?
After inquiring about the mine owner's whereabouts, Cole discovered that the owner didn't live in town — only a butler managed operations here.
Since the mine was nearly depleted and ticket sales barely generated income, the owner naturally paid little attention to it.
Cole paid the entrance fee, and the butler immediately spoke up, "Esteemed trainer sir, we have maps of the entire mine available. Would you like to purchase one?"
Thinking a map might come in handy, Cole nodded, "Sure, I'll take one. How much?"
"Thank you for your patronage. That will be P$300." The butler said with a crinkled smile.
Cole was taken aback — the map cost nearly as much as the entrance ticket itself. Talk about a money grab.
After paying, he examined his purchase. The map was quite detailed — if he managed to find any ore, perhaps it wouldn't seem so expensive after all.
Just as Cole turned to leave, the butler called out again.
"Esteemed trainer sir, we also have mining tools available. Would you like a set? It's quite complete and guaranteed to make your mining much more efficient."
He brought out a bundle containing safety helmets, shovels, pickaxes, and other equipment — indeed, a comprehensive set.
"How much?" Cole asked flatly.
This was getting absurd with all the extra charges!
"Sir, just P$1000!" the butler said with a beaming smile.
You sly old fox...
Cole barely restrained himself from lashing out at the butler. The real money wasn't from selling tickets — it was from selling maps and tools!
Despite his irritation, Cole purchased a set.
To make his investment worthwhile, he questioned the butler about the mine — asking about resident Pokémon and visitor numbers.
The butler revealed an interesting detail: rare Eevee had been spotted in the mine tunnels, not just one but several. This news had drawn trainers to town in droves, all hoping to catch an Eevee.
The butler's profits from selling maps and tools had soared thanks to these rumors.
Cole doubted the story's authenticity. He suspected the butler had fabricated it to attract more trainers — after all, more visitors meant more equipment sales.
After completing his purchases, a servant led Cole to the mine entrance.
The Silver Stone Mine lay across a cliff, accessible only via a suspension bridge guarded by the butler's men. Without paying the entrance fee, no one could cross.
Attempting to force entry would result in Officer Jenny's involvement — the mine was private property, and entry required the owner's permission.
After crossing the bridge, Cole arrived at the mine entrance.
He examined his map. From above, the mine resembled a bird's head, with his entry point at the beak.
The mine featured multiple entrances — seven in total, marked by red dots on the map. These had been carved out during the mine's productive years for easier access.
After donning his mining gear and safety helmet, Cole entered the mine with his pickaxe, accompanied by only Larvitar and Heliolisk.
Larvitar was holding a tiny shovel. As they entered the mine tunnel, it hummed a little tune, visibly happy.
Though the mine was depleted, the facilities remained intact. Mining lamps hung in two rows along the tunnel walls, illuminating the space brightly.
Cole and his two Pokémon hadn't gone far when they encountered another trainer wearing identical mining gear and carrying the same type of pickaxe, accompanied by a Darumaka.
The trainer eyed them warily, and his Darumaka immediately gave them a warning signal.
Cole had no interest in interacting with others, so he quietly walked away with his two Pokémon.
A short distance later, he spotted Larvitar in a corner, using its tiny shovel to scoop up dirt and stuff it in its mouth.
"Hey hey hey... Larvitar, what are you doing? Why are you eating that?" Cole called out.
"Mmm mmm..."
Larvitar's cheeks puffed in and out as it quickly swallowed the dirt.
"Yow~" — Delicious!
It turned out that although the mine was depleted, the soil still contained minerals similar to Silver Stone — these were what attracted Larvitar.
Understanding this, Cole felt conflicted, wondering if he hadn't been feeding Larvitar enough, leaving the poor thing so hungry it had to eat dirt.
"Alright, eat if you want to."
He continued deeper into the mine tunnel with Larvitar and Heliolisk, finding no Silver Stone along the way. Meanwhile, Larvitar dug here and there until its little belly was completely full.
When it couldn't eat anymore, it had Cole take out a bag to collect more for later consumption at home.
While everyone else would lose money here, Larvitar was the exception. It could naturally distinguish between mineral-rich and poor soil, selecting only premium quality specimens.
How did Cole know? Larvitar told him so itself, even mentioning that it had discarded slightly inferior soil to avoid overburdening him.
Cole nearly rolled his eyes hearing that. Thanks a lot...
In the end, Larvitar's "tasty snacks" consumed half the space in his once-spacious backpack.
Along the way, they encountered several more trainers, but interactions were limited to silent nods as they passed each other.
At a fork in the tunnel, Cole discovered all the mining lamps ahead were broken, leaving the path ahead in total darkness.
He pulled out a flashlight — another tool from the butler. Say what you would about the money-grubbing old man, but he did provide all the necessary equipment.
Though not as bright as the mining lamps, the flashlight provided enough illumination to navigate.
Suddenly, a whoosh echoed through the tunnel. An Arbok materialized on Cole's right, its tail raised to strike Heliolisk with Poison Tail.
Being the most formidable member of their group, Heliolisk was naturally the first target of this ambush.
A blue light flashed in Cole's eyes, directly affecting Arbok and making its attack pause momentarily. Though his psychic powers were still weak — unable to fully restrain a Pokémon — even a brief pause was sufficient.
Heliolisk moved with incredible speed, vanishing and reappearing behind Arbok in an instant.
The snake's Poison Tail struck nothing but empty air.
Before Arbok could launch another attack, Cole's psychic power struck again just as Heliolisk unleashed its move. Golden electricity erupted from its body, illuminating the entire tunnel.
Due to Cole's psychic suppression, Arbok remained immobilized, unable to evade the Parabolic Charge.
"Hssss~"
With a pained cry, Arbok crumpled to the ground, its body convulsing.
Now ranked as a double-A Pokémon, Heliolisk's power nearly matched Daisy's. With such mastery over its techniques, there was no way the snake could withstand its full-power attack.
However, Cole's attention wasn't focused on Arbok. Through the golden light from Heliolisk's electricity, he spotted something lurking in the darkness nearby.
When he shone his flashlight in that direction, a dark shadow suddenly leaped from the darkness, lunging straight at him.
Fortunately, Cole was ready. He extended his psychic power to intercept the attacking creature.
At that moment, Larvitar sprang into action.
"Yow~"
Its childlike voice echoed through the mine tunnel as a white light gleamed from its head before it rammed headfirst into the shadow.
BOOM!!!
Despite the shadow's considerable size, Larvitar's Iron Head sent it flying into a nearby wall. The small Pokémon's power was not to be underestimated.
Cole's flashlight revealed the attacker's identity — a Sandshrew.
As he pondered why Sandshrew and Arbok had ambushed him, Heliolisk darted forward with Quick Attack. Another flash of electricity illuminated the darkness, followed by a cry of pain.
"Someone's there?"
Cole suddenly realized — this was an ambush by another trainer. They must have deliberately broken the mine lamps.
Moments later, Heliolisk emerged dragging a shabby-looking middle-aged man, his body crackling with golden electricity and twitching from Thunder Wave's effects.
This was the trainer who controlled Arbok and Sandshrew. After depositing the shabby man aside, Heliolisk gestured toward the man's hiding spot.
"You're saying there are more people over there?" Cole asked in surprise.
"Helio~"
Heliolisk nodded.
"His accomplices?"
"Helio~ Helio~"
Heliolisk quickly shook its head.
Hearing this, Cole carefully walked in that direction with his flashlight. When he arrived, he found three people lying scattered on the ground.
It was clear he wasn't the shabby trainer's first target — the man had successfully ambushed these three people earlier.
He checked their condition. Fortunately, the shabby trainer hadn't had the nerve to kill anyone; these three were just unconscious.
"Heliolisk, give them a little electrical stimulation."
"Helio~"
Heliolisk nodded and approached the unconscious trio, its fingertips sparking with weak electrical currents.
As the gecko placed its finger on one of them, the person's body twitched and their eyes suddenly shot open.
"Ahhh... What happened? What happened?" The person abruptly sat up.
"Are you alright? Do you remember what happened?" Cole asked.
The three people on the ground were two women and one man, with the man being the first to receive Heliolisk's electrical therapy.
It was then that the male trainer noticed Cole's presence.
"I... I think someone ambushed me." The man said, rubbing his still-aching head, "Was it you who attacked me?"
Cole: "..."
You deserved to get ambushed.
"What do you think?"
The man chuckled, "Haha... I'm just joking, just joking."
You probably think you're quite funny, don't you?
"You're the one who saved me, right?" The man's intelligence finally came online.
Cole nodded and explained what had happened.
Then he used the same method to wake up the two girls.
Among the three, the male trainer was the oldest, probably over 25, while one girl was around 14–15 years old and the other around 17–18.
The male trainer introduced himself as Lucas, while the older female trainer was Sophie and the younger one Emma.
After Cole saved them, the three gratefully retrieved their Pokéballs and storage bags from the shabby trainer.
"Are you three going to continue exploring or leave here?" Cole asked.
Lucas hesitated — he wanted to continue exploring, having paid the entrance fee and bought equipment. Wouldn't leaving now be a waste?
The two girls were more decisive, immediately expressing their desire to leave. The recent events had left them both shaken.
"How about this — since you're heading out, take this person along and deliver him straight to the police station." Cole suggested.
He pointed at the still-twitching shabby trainer.
Terror filled the shabby trainer's face at the mention of the police station. But Heliolisk's Thunder Wave had left him unable to speak properly, let alone beg for mercy — he could only contort his face.
No one paid him any attention.
Sophie shot the shabby trainer a fierce glare, "Leave it to me!"
Emma nodded in agreement.
Seeing the two girls preparing to leave, Lucas considered for a moment, "Then I'll go too. It wouldn't be right to let two girls escort a criminal by themselves."
Sophie's face brightened, "That's wonderful! I feel much more at ease now."