The Flygon led us away from the teeming valley of displaced Pokémon and toward the jagged, iron-rich rock formations that jutted from the desert floor. As we approached the range, the air grew noticeably heavier, thick with an almost tangible static charge. The metallic hum I had noticed in New Mauville was magnified tenfold here.
The Flygon halted at the entrance to a dark, narrow cave mouth. It vibrated its wings nervously but pointed insistently inward.
"This is it," I confirmed, securing my backpack. "The source of the magnetic disruption must be deep inside."
We stepped inside the cave, leaving the brutal sunlight behind. The interior was cool, but the atmosphere was oppressively uncomfortable. The walls were rough igneous rock streaked with veins of what looked like raw, oxidized iron ore.
The most unnerving thing, however, was the silence.
"It's too quiet," Clara whispered, crouching low beside me. "There should be Zubat or Geodude here. I haven't seen a single Pokémon."
"That's the magnetic field," I theorized, my voice low. "If the energy spike is strong enough, it could be driving away all the usual cave dwellers. Or maybe it's just attracting the Steel-types."
We pressed ourselves against the rough cave wall, following its edge slowly. The darkness was intense, but our curiosity about the cause of this disturbance was rising, overshadowing our immediate fear.
We rounded a bend where the cavern widened slightly, and the Flygon suddenly stopped and emitted a low, distressed cry.
Resting against a shelf of stone was a Pokémon that shouldn't have been in a dry cave: a Slugma. Its body—a flowing mass of molten magma—was dull and cracked, and its usually bright, pulsing form was barely glowing. It was clearly injured and suffering from the unnatural, cool environment.
"It's hurt," Clara immediately observed, her training instinct overriding her caution.
I quickly knelt down. "This isn't just an injury from a fight, it's environmental stress. The magnetic energy here might be suppressing its body heat."
I pulled out a healing salve and a Hyper Potion, administering them carefully. As the cool medicine touched its body, the Slugma hissed slightly, then seemed to absorb the relief. Its magmatic shell began to glow with a slightly brighter intensity.
"We're looking for the source of the magnetic problem," I explained to the Slugma, keeping my voice gentle. "It's disrupting the desert and forcing the ground Pokémon out. We mean no harm to the Fire-types here."
The Slugma observed me with its large, vacant eyes, then shifted its gaze to the hovering Flygon. After a long moment, it slowly extended its body and began to glide deeper into the cave, clearly inviting us to follow.
"It's leading us," Clara realized. "It must know what's wrong."
The Slugma guided us through several twisting passages. The magnetic discomfort intensified with every step. Then, the passage opened into a larger cavern, and the unsettling silence was shattered by the distinct, mechanical buzzing of Magneton.
"Halt! Intruders!"
Three Magneton units immediately formed a defensive line across the passage. Beside them, blocking the lower path, were two heavily armored Aron.
"We found the guards," I muttered. "The Magneton and Aron are defending the inner chambers. The Slugma led us to the right spot."
"Torchic, go! We have to break their line!"
I released my starter. Torchic stood ready, its body radiating intense heat.
"Slugma, help us! Use Flamethrower with Torchic!" I pleaded.
The injured Slugma, fueled by the Hyper Potion and its own desperation to end the magnetic interference, responded instantly. Torchic and Slugma unleashed a powerful, synchronized wave of fire. The combined Flamethrower was devastating; the Magneton units shrieked as their metal bodies glowed red-hot, and the Aron were forced to retreat beneath their heavy armor.
We breached the defensive line.
We rushed past the retreating guards and into the vast, central heart of the mountain.
The cavern was circular, wide, and strangely flat. In the exact middle of the floor, sitting directly on the bedrock, was a small, shining point of light. It pulsed with an intense, blue-white luminescence, radiating the magnetic energy that was plaguing the area. The walls surrounding the point were laced with thick veins of iron ore, acting like conduits to broadcast the energy.
"That's it," I whispered, pointing. "That light is the source of the magnetic anomaly!"
But the light wasn't unprotected. Standing guard were two formidable Pokémon we hadn't seen before.
Hovering over the light source, its massive, bladed wings spread wide, was the Skarmory from the desert, now joined by another, even larger one.
And standing beside them, coiled like a massive, silvery serpent, was a Steelix. Its gigantic, stone-hard head was raised, its metallic jaw agape in a silent snarl. It was perhaps the most intimidating Pokémon I had faced.
They were not merely defending the point; their posture suggested they were protecting it out of compulsion, fueled by the very energy it emitted. They were angry, enraged, and focused entirely on the intruders.
"The Skarmory and Steelix..." Clara breathed, her hand frozen on a Poké Ball. "This is a major league confrontation."
The Steelix let out a low, grinding growl, scraping its massive tail against the rock floor. The Magnetons and Aron from the outer chamber quickly filtered in, flanking their leaders. We were surrounded.
The largest Skarmory launched itself forward with a screech that promised violence.
The final, intense battle for the ecological balance of the desert was about to begin.