Ironstone Mountain was a range situated between Ember Town and Ironthorn Town, with an elevation of only about 500 to 600 meters.
The mountain contained abundant mineral resources, including Iron Shards, a rare ore used to craft Beast Control Devices.
To compete for ownership of these mineral deposits, Ember Town and Ironthorn Town had clashed many times, which was one of the reasons for their poor relations.
Now, due to the Beast Tide, both territories were busy rebuilding and lacked the manpower to mine the ores.
As a result, the mountain seemed rather deserted. Meanwhile, Leon was climbing with two Pokémon by his side.
He wasn't here for the ore, but rather to find Pokémon that could help with farming.
"There are quite a few Pokémon on this mountain, and they don't seem as afraid of humans as the ones in the forest."
Leon looked around and noticed many Pokémon watching them secretly.
Humans had often come to mine here in the past, so the Pokémon were familiar with them and didn't feel fear.
But they didn't have much goodwill toward humans either, as mining damaged their homes and took away their food.
"Let's see… mostly Geodude and Magnemite, with a few Rhyhorn. Huh? Is that a Sudowoodo? That's pretty rare."
Leon observed the surrounding Pokémon with fascination. He had only seen them in games and anime before, and seeing them in real life was a completely different experience.
"Too bad, none of these are the Pokémon I'm looking for. Guess we'll have to search inside the caves."
After walking a while longer, Leon finally found a cave. He picked up a prepared torch and instructed his two Pokémon:
"It might be dangerous inside, so be ready for battle."
"Bounsweet!" "Scyther!"
Seeing that both Pokémon were prepared, Leon raised the torch and entered the cave.
Not long after stepping inside, a group of dark figures rushed toward them.
Just as Scyther was about to attack, Leon shouted:
"Don't attack! Get down!"
Leon held Bounsweet with one arm and pulled Scyther down with the other. A swarm of Zubat flew over their heads without attacking.
"Zubat, as expected. Were they startled by the light?"
The Zubat were just frightened by the torchlight and trying to escape.
If Scyther had attacked them, it would have triggered an unnecessary battle.
Leon stood up, dusted himself off, and continued forward.
Suddenly, several oval shaped creatures emerged from the ground, looking around in confusion.
How did we dig here? Who was leading the way?
Before they could figure out where they were, they saw a human staring at them excitedly.
"Finally found you! Scyther, don't let them escape!"
".?"
Before they could react, Scyther's sharp scythes were already at their necks, and its fierce gaze locked onto them.
As if asking: Are you moved by this?
Too scared to move! Too scared to move!
"Nice job, Scyther. You're getting better at this, even using Leer to intimidate them."
Leon praised it before having Bounsweet release Sweet Scent. After this familiar routine, the oval shaped creatures gradually calmed down.
Looking at the Diglett with their brown heads and red noses, half buried underground, Leon was delighted.
The Pokémon he was looking for was Diglett!
Diglett were naturally skilled at farming. The soil they passed through would be tilled, and their droppings would fertilize the land.
And when they evolved into Dugtrio, they could learn the move "Rototiller," making them practically born to farm.
"Ahem, don't be afraid. We mean no harm. We just need a little help."
Leon tried to make his smile as friendly as possible while pulling out prepared roots and Pokémon food from his bag.
He then briefly explained his request for help with farming.
After discussing among themselves, the Diglett weren't too keen on leaving their home.
But the Pokémon food was too tempting, and the roots were one of their favorite foods.
There weren't many trees on the mountain, so food was scarce. They often went hungry, constantly digging around to find something to eat.
This human promised to plant their favorite trees near the farmland and provide Pokémon food if they helped with farming.
The Diglett were sorely tempted. Tilling soil was as easy as walking for them.
Imagining a life of lazing around and eating, the Diglett eventually agreed to Leon's offer and asked if they could bring more friends.
Leon was more than happy to oblige.
Soon, more Diglett popped out of the ground, along with a few Dugtrio.
They had been called over by the first group of Diglett. After seeing the roots and Pokémon food laid out, they also agreed to Leon's request.
Leon hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. Overjoyed, he led them out of the cave.
"Today must be my lucky day. Not a single obstacle. Couldn't I face a little hardship to toughen me up?"
Leon was feeling smug, but he forgot one thing: some flags shouldn't be raised so carelessly, or else joy could quickly turn to sorrow.
Just as he was about to lead the Pokémon down the mountain, the ground began to tremble slightly.
Scyther stared warily at the path ahead, while the Diglett quickly retreated underground, not daring to come out.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
Leon watched as an Onix charged straight toward them and wished he could slap himself.
"I just had to open my big mouth! Move!"
He quickly grabbed Bounsweet and dodged to the side, signaling for Scyther to do the same.
"Roar!"
The Onix crashed straight into a giant boulder, letting out a pained cry as rocks tumbled down.
Scyther swiftly moved in front of Leon, blocking the falling debris with its arms, preventing Leon from getting hurt.
It raised its scythes, ready to attack the Onix, but Leon stopped it.
He realized the Onix wasn't attacking them. Instead, it kept thrashing its tail against the rocks, its cries full of pain.
"Is it hurt? I can't see anything from here."
Leon took the risk of stepping out from cover, shifting positions to get a better look at Onix's tail.
After dodging several falling rocks, he finally found a good vantage point.
He squinted at the tail and saw a white object lodged in a crevice.
"Is that a piece of metal? Wait… it's moving!"
The white object was squirming.
"That's a Pokémon? And it looks like…"
Leon rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't mistaken.
"It's an Aron!"
(End of Chapter)