Parting with Sableye.
Baimu returned to the waterfall cave.
He first observed the black block; its exterior had many pits, clearly showing it had been gnawed on by a hungry Sableye.
But it was tough enough; at least the bite force of that Sableye hadn't managed to break it open.
He turned it over and over, examining all six sides, but didn't find any openings. It was flawless, as if cut from a single piece by a lathe.
"A metal block? Ultra-ancient technology? Some modern industrial product?"
He curiously inspected the black box, reasoning that it was somewhat heavy, almost like it was solid inside.
So what exactly is this thing?
"Maybe I should ask Laisa; she might have the answer." Baimu recalled the De Wen Company researcher he met selling a Leaf Stone, believing this well-informed person might recognize it.
He then took out the black rock that Sableye had given him before leaving. It was similarly large and heavy, with an irregular long strip shape.
Might there be some kind of crystal or gemstone inside?
Given Sableye's habits and diet, it wouldn't store ordinary stones in its nest.
"Why don't you grind it a bit?"
Baimu handed the rock to Aggron, "Last time you found something worth eight million, maybe this time we can make even more money. Then we'll hit the jackpot!"
He changed to an encouraging tone.
Mawile's eyes lit up at the thought of hitting the jackpot; last time, when they struck it rich, the trainer took it shopping for a whole day.
"Chido~ Chido~"
It patted Aggron's leg, flashing a smile that said it was leaving it all to him.
"Gohou..."
The Big Monster felt weighed down with pressure. Clearly, its specialty wasn't this; its expertise lay in battling, so why rely on it?
However, when they previously made four million, it still shared a moment of joy with the trainer, even if it didn't quite grasp how to assess money.
In any case, this rock didn't whet its appetite; there probably wasn't any metal inside.
It raised its sharp claws, gently scraping the surface.
As a mix of black and gray stone dust fell off, a bit of translucent orange-red was revealed.
"——Stop!"
Baimu suddenly called to stop.
"Hou?" Aggron looked at him in confusion, not understanding why he shouted to stop.
Mawile was equally puzzled but quickly noticed the trainer seemed very nervous and excited, "Chido?"
"Cough, cough, let me take a breath; I'm a bit nervous." He looked at the orange crystal emerging under the flashlight's glow, never expecting to encounter such a thing in the Stone Cave.
Half a minute later.
He waved his hand and said, "Continue! Don't scrape the places where the crystal is exposed!"
"Hou!"
Aggron growled in response and continued scraping the rock with its sharp claws. The stone dust flew, creating a smoky haze, but Baimu paid no mind, staring intently at the rock.
Quickly, a mottled orange crystal appeared before Baimu.
Though it looked somewhat blurry, he could vaguely see a gray bead inside, with a pure sky-blue and white within.
"Hou... Hou?"
Aggron saw the object and hurriedly took out a Super Stone from its hole for comparison.
It looks similar!
Mawile compared as well and thought it looked similar too.
Both turned to the trainer, only to find him taking deep breaths repeatedly, as if trying to suppress something.
"A Super Stone——!!"
Baimu could no longer contain his excitement and punched the air, unable to resist the surge of emotion like drawing five gold in ten consecutive draws.
He took out his phone and compared the collected Super Stone images, quickly identifying three possible colors—Steelix Evolution Stone, Absol Evolution Stone, and Abomasnow Evolution Stone.
These three Super Stones all had gray bases with blue and white stripes, distinguished by their shades of blue and white.
In the dim light, Baimu found it hard to make a precise comparison, but he was ninety percent sure this was a Steelix Evolution Stone.
Because in the Gemstone Reproduction game, the Steelix Evolution Stone was picked up in the Stone Cave.
It's the Gem Series he played the most, so it left the deepest impression.
Unexpected, truly unexpected.
He had obtained a Super Stone from Sableye's hand, and it was a gift from a "friend."
The latter might not understand the significance of a Super Stone to humans, but given it only gave it out at the last moment, it showed how much it treasured this item as well.
"A great gift indeed, such a grand gift."
Baimu couldn't help but feel remorse for his previous stinginess. Sableye had given him such a precious treasure, whereas he had only been willing to give a small can.
"..." He rubbed his somewhat stiff face, "Do you still remember the way to Sableye's nest?"
"Chido?"
Mawile sensed the trainer's change in mood, not understanding why, but it did indeed remember.
"Let's go give our friend some warmth."
Baimu patted its head, "Otherwise, it's truly undeserved."
Mawile, still puzzled, broke free from the trainer's large hand messing up its hair, leading him toward Sableye's nest.
Halfway there.
They suddenly heard a faint rumbling, like an earthquake.
But Baimu knew it was probably the sound from a group of Arons moving; why were these guys suddenly so excited—
No way.
He exchanged glances with Mawile and Aggron. Though thinking it unlikely, he couldn't help but worry about Sableye's safety.
The three quickened their pace; when they arrived near Sableye's nest, they saw the tunnel almost filled with Arons, making their hearts tighten.
"Hou!!"
Aggron roared with fury.
The roar echoed through the cave, exceedingly loud, causing the wild Arons blocking the path to turn and panic at the sight of the towering Aggron.
"Have them clear the path!"
Baimu hastily waved his hand; Aggron roared again, and a path allowing them passage immediately appeared.
The three continued toward the nest, imagining scenes of Sableye's Poké Blocks being snatched away, leaving it lying dormant, injured.
This compelled him to shout impulsively, "Sableye!"
The sound spread outward.
From the end of the pitch-black road came a hesitant and curious voice.
"Yam, Yami!"
Baimu quickly approached that direction, and then—
Then he saw several Arons spitting various gems or crystals on the ground, taking Poké Blocks from Sableye, grinning and stepping aside for the next Aron to exchange.
Not a single one competed for it, even though the delicious Poké Blocks were placed to the side.
"Yami?"
Sableye looked up at Baimu, then back at the pile of gemstones and crystals beside it, looking a bit awkward.
"You, you rascal."
The latter covered his forehead with a speechless expression; even Mawile turned its head, not wanting to see, while only Aggron scratched its head, not understanding the situation.
"It seems I was overly sentimental. Well, you must have thrived living here for so many years. If you can trade with me, why couldn't you trade with other wild Pokémon?"
Baimu sighed, opening his backpack to hand over all the Poké Blocks inside, "Here, for you."
"Yami?"
Sableye initially thought he came looking for trouble, but seeing so many excellent Poké Blocks given to it, it was at a loss, "Yami Yami!"
It didn't have anything to reciprocate!
Baimu seemed to understand its thoughts and reassured, "No worries, these are gifts for you; I don't lack this stuff. I'll bring you more if there's a chance."
"Yami?"
Sableye didn't understand his words, completely immersed in delight, just like Baimu when he saw the Super Stone.
At this moment.
The joy both felt was shared.