Cold, dark, and suffocating.
The condition of the abandoned mine was dire even after being cleared by the Quicksand Team.
The ceiling above seemed so fragile it could collapse at any moment.
Fortunately, the interior was relatively spacious, surprising in its size to allow the mining cars to run smoothly for transporting ore.
Baimu couldn't help but admire the Ore Region; desolate as it was, its level of technology was astonishingly high.
It had been ten minutes since they descended into the mine.
Once someone entered the cave, they chose to dig out a jade stone from the perimeter. The pinging sound of the pickaxe striking the rock wall made Baimu extremely uneasy, prompting him to quickly distance himself from the group. Shortly thereafter, a terrifying rumble and screams were heard.
This hero's mine-clearing endeavor served as a deterrent for others with similar ambitions.
"Keep an eye out and don't get separated."
Headlamps illuminated the surroundings as the bold colleagues walked in front, occasionally whispering reminders.
In the silent darkness, the breathing of others was audible even through their masks, and the confined environment subtly increased their psychological pressure.
Most children in Pyrite Town had experience going down mines, but safe normal mines and abandoned ones were worlds apart, not to mention the hidden traps and lurking Pokémon.
In the assessment, being attacked by Pokémon was a scenario as terrifying to the Ore people as being shot in an escape room game back in Huaxia.
As a result, sticking together became the norm, and the Quicksand Team never prohibited teaming up for assessments, so grouping up to advance was only natural.
However, according to experienced participants, sticking together in the mine made them more prone to attacks. Even if they got lucky and found the mission target, disagreements over "sharing the spoils" could lead to conflicts.
Baimu didn't want such a thing to happen.
After all, they already didn't have much advantage against Chaitian's group, and internal strife could mean being bullied for a lifetime.
"There's a fork ahead, be careful."
He gave a reminder, looking at his colleagues, "There's a good chance lurking Pokémon will be there... Don't be so nervous, relax, and take a deep breath."
These people were either sweating profusely or breathing heavily, looking slightly desperate, clearly at the height of tension.
Once they finally calmed down, Baimu said, "When we reach the fork, don't linger, quickly choose a direction and pass through, I'll cover the rear."
"Huh?"
The group looked at him in surprise.
"No time for 'huh', let's hurry, the tokens are limited. If others take them, we won't have a chance."
Baimu moved to the back of the line, "Quick."
In situations of extreme tension, crisis can cause loss of rationality, forcing survival instincts to make unwise decisions. If someone in front of the group gets dragged down in chaos, it's over.
Even if it's unintentional.
What's that saying? When you encounter a bear in the wild, you don't have to outrun the bear, just run faster than someone else.
He didn't intend to kick someone while they were down, but he also had to ensure he wasn't the one being kicked.
"Baimu..."
The colleagues, unaware of his thoughts, were moved as they looked at him, then turned to encourage each other as they slowly proceeded.
Baimu took a deep breath, vigilantly observing the surroundings.
Being careless could be fatal.
The constant threat to life reminded him to stay calm, focus, and be aware of every suspicious spot.
The Quicksand Team's Pokémon were mostly ground and rock types, perfectly suited for the underground mines. Engaging them here would be unwise.
As they reached the fork,
the space expanded slightly, causing the group to tense up again, nervously scanning the surroundings to check for safety and ready to give a warning at any time. The leading colleague dared not hesitate and headed straight into the left tunnel—
"Wait."
Baimu, who was at the back, suddenly called out.
Everyone's heart skipped a beat, cold sweat instantly pouring from their foreheads and backs.
"W-what is it?" someone asked shakily.
"You said not to linger at the fork!" someone said nervously.
Baimu shushed them, "Listen carefully, do you hear rumbling? The ground is shaking too!"
The group exchanged glances, instinctively holding their breaths to listen.
Baimu listened too, and his keen senses quickly realized that not only was the ground shaking, but the faint rumbling was also growing louder, like something approaching.
The source was—the middle tunnel!
He was startled, immediately running towards the left tunnel while shouting, "Run, something's coming! Quick!"
As his words fell, a massive, person-high rolling boulder suddenly appeared in the middle tunnel, rapidly speeding towards them from a distance with astonishing speed!
"Which way do we run?"
"The left!"
"Which way is left? Where's Baimu!?"
"Quick, quick! Don't just stand there!"
The others instantly panicked, headlamps swinging wildly, making it hard to see the pitch-black paths around them.
But to make matters worse, as the vibrations intensified, rocks kept crashing down from above, threatening to collapse. Everything visible shook with them.
Crisis, chaos, and shouts.
The terrifying rush of the giant boulder.
The hair-raising factors prompted Baimu to instinctively run a great distance.
Despite the chaos, he carefully observed his surroundings, avoiding traps and lurking Pokémon.
When he finally stopped in a safe spot and looked back, no one had followed him.
The boulder, likely a Graveler in disguise, was also nowhere to be seen.
"There were three paths in total, right? I picked the left one, didn't I?"
Baimu frowned, waiting a minute in place before realizing he really had been separated from his teammates.
Turn back?
Impossible, the Graveler might be waiting there.
"..."
He showed a hint of regret. Forming a team in the assessment had pros and cons. Those colleagues, despite an erratic performance under pressure, might offer a helping hand in critical moments—who could say?
But, lost was lost, no need to force it.
Baimu adjusted his emotions.
In the underground mine, it was easy to lose your sense of direction, but fortunately, if you carefully observed the sides of the rock walls, you could see directional markers that were simple and easy to understand, even for someone half-illiterate like him.
After about ten minutes of walking,
he suddenly stopped, crouched down, and turned off his bright headlamp, trying to tuck himself into a notch between rocks, concealing his presence.
After half a minute, two dragonfly-like Vibrava flew overhead with a buzz, the sound of their fluttering wings causing Baimu's head to ache intermittently.
What made Baimu's heart tremble was that one of them was clutching a bloodied young man.
Unconscious? Dead?
Neither was promising; going solo was too risky.
As soon as the two Vibrava flew away, he breathed a sigh of relief, about to stand up when he suddenly froze.
At the edge of his vision, a pair of blue eyes were watching him.
"Guh?"
The unknown presence let out a low sound.
Baimu's movements were slightly stiff; the Ultrasonic Pokémon's wing noise was too loud, masking this creature's approach.
He barely made out a few details.
It was a deep gray all over, resembling some kind of insect, with a head like a hockey mask.
As big as a typical border collie, its few dark holes made it somewhat intimidating.
[Iron Armor Pokémon, Aron]
Feeding on iron ore, driven by hunger to even devour bridges and tracks, considered pests by many, this is a steel and rock type Pokémon.
Damn.
Fortune was not on his side.
Baimu's heart grew heavy.