Three days later.
The three arrived at Jasper Reid's family mine.
"Deep inside the mine is the entrance to the Secret Kingdom. Be careful," warned Jasper Reid, staring into the depths with a serious face.
"Relax, in a Secret Kingdom this small there shouldn't be much danger," replied Alex Baxter with a smile as he made the Poké Balls in his hand shine. Magneton, Donphan, Golem, and other Pokémon appeared around him. For this exploration, he had brought six Pokémon in total.
Unfortunately, since it was a cave, Charizard and Skarmory were not suitable to be released for now.
"Don't get overconfident. Release your Pokémon," said Ethan Black, taking a deep breath as he released his own.
He let Sandslash and Cacnea stay by his side, while he carried Shellder in his arms.
Once ready, they advanced with Jasper Reid's Onix leading the way into the depths of the mine.
After about ten minutes of cautious walking, they arrived at a huge excavated chamber.
"There's the entrance to the Secret Kingdom," indicated Jasper Reid, pointing at a rock collapse. "To prevent any Pokémon from coming out, I had Onix seal off the access."
At his command, Onix began removing the rubble with his body, exposing the entrance.
"Jasper, there's nothing there," commented Alex Baxter, puzzled, as he walked closer.
But the moment he touched the mine wall, his hand sank into it, as if he had touched air. It was like his hand had slipped into another dimension! Alex Baxter was startled and immediately pulled his hand back.
"The entrance is right there," said Jasper Reid, pointing at the same spot.
"These things are incredible," remarked Alex Baxter as he touched the wall again. Indeed, it seemed like that place existed in another space, impossible to grasp.
"It's time to go in. Check your backpacks to make sure you've got everything," reminded Jasper Reid, still nervous.
Even though they were close to being advanced-level trainers and had defensive cores formed, a Secret Kingdom was an unknown and potentially dangerous environment. Nobody knew what they might encounter.
"I've got supplies for a week, survival gear, medicine, and Poké Balls. All set!" said Alex Baxter confidently, thumping his chest.
"Perfect. We'll be inside the Secret Kingdom for 24 hours. If we haven't come out by then, my emergency recorder will alert my father and he'll send Pokémon Hunters to rescue us."
"So if we run into danger, the first thing is to find a safe place. If we manage to hold out for 24 hours, we'll be safe."
It was clear Jasper Reid had made very meticulous plans for this exploration, including emergency measures. That gave everyone some reassurance.
"I'll let Graveler go in first to explore. The first time I discovered this place was because he accidentally went in," said Jasper Reid seriously.
After nodding, Graveler curled into a ball on the ground, used Defense Curl to increase its defense, and rolled toward the wall.
Upon impact, its figure vanished instantly. It had entered the Secret Kingdom.
Then, Onix also threw itself against the wall and disappeared.
Seeing his Pokémon had crossed, Jasper Reid walked up, extended his hand toward the wall, and his body gradually faded away.
"Let's go too. Hopefully everything goes well," said Ethan Black, nodding to Alex Baxter.
With Sandslash leading the way, Ethan Black hugged Shellder, and together with Cacnea, entered the Secret Kingdom.
Unlike the Secret Kingdom at Ironvale City's Pokémon University, full of mist and clouds, this one was an abyss of complete darkness.
He didn't know how long he had walked, but suddenly he felt the darkness open up before him. When he opened his eyes, he was already inside a massive cavern.
"Is this the Secret Kingdom?"
Ethan Black frowned and took a flashlight from his bag. He began to examine the surroundings.
Suddenly, his expression changed. At his side were only Cacnea and Shellder, but Sandslash and Jasper Reid were nowhere to be seen.
Even the entrance he had just come through had disappeared!
"What's going on?" murmured Ethan Black, recalling the darkness during the passage.
Clearly, they had been separated during transit through the dimensional channel.
"With Sandslash's strength there shouldn't be a problem."
"But, how about Jasper and Alex?"
"If their Pokémon aren't with them, it could be quite dangerous..."
He sighed softly. The most urgent thing now was to regroup to move safely.
As for the exit, if Graveler had managed to return before, that meant there had to be a return portal.
"Cacnea, Shellder, I'll be counting on you now."
"Cac cac cac!"
"Sheell sheell sheell!"
Both Pokémon nodded with determined eyes. Shellder generated a barrier as a floating shield that stayed protecting Ethan Black.
He smiled and patted its shell in approval.
"Let's go."
Taking a deep breath, Ethan Black began moving deeper into the cave.
"What's that?"
Just a few steps ahead, the flashlight illuminated a glowing rock.
Ethan Black picked it up and noticed it was much heavier than it looked. He held it and examined it carefully.
"Is this iron ore?"
That's what he thought, and when he shone the flashlight on the wall, he discovered many similar rocks embedded, like polished river stones.
"Looks like this cave is an iron deposit!"
"Could it be that Steel-type Pokémon inhabit this place?"
Muttering to himself, Ethan Black stored the mineral in his backpack and, together with his two Pokémon, continued his advance.
(End of Chapter)