Pokémon Simulation: Hunting The Protagonists

"Is it delicious?"

Ethan reached out and gently patted the happily munching Aron.

'So good…' Aron nodded with tears in its eyes while wolfing down the energy cubes.

It had been a long time since it had eaten properly. Deep inside the cave, the limited minerals available were far from enough to satisfy both it and its mother.

Now that its mother was injured, and its father had stayed behind to fight off enemies while helping them escape, the family had become separated. For now, Aron was anxiously awaiting tomorrow, the day they were supposed to reunite at a predetermined location.

Aron devoured several energy cubes. Staring at the remaining half, it hesitated for a moment before pushing the remaining cubes toward its mother with its head.

With that done, Aron lay down quietly, standing guard for the night.

Before leaving, Ethan left more energy cubes beside them and told Aron that its mother would recover fully by the next morning.

They said their goodbyes.

Ethan, accompanied by Gloom and Gastly, ventured deeper into the cave, while Aron silently watched his back, lost in thought.

Ethan was different from the humans it had encountered before. Maybe not all humans were as bad as its parents had said.

Would Ethan really just give up on Aron that easily?

Of course not.

Right now, his top priority was finding the perfect-quality Sun Stone.

He needed it for Gloom's evolution—and then he would deal with Cassandra.

As for Aron?

Earlier, while it was eating, Ethan had secretly marked it with pollen from Gloom's flowers.

As long as Aron remained in the forest, Gloom would be able to track it.

Once Cassandra was taken care of, Ethan would return to collect Aron.

For now, leaving a good impression was more than enough.

The cave was pitch black at night, its depths completely shrouded in darkness. Ethan turned on his flashlight and carefully proceeded deeper into the cavern.

Thanks to Gloom's heightened senses, they could confirm that no other Pokémon were currently present, but they remained cautious.

Gastly floated ahead, while Gloom stayed at the rear, keeping Ethan protected between them.

Led by Gastly, the group navigated the winding passages for nearly ten minutes until they reached the innermost part of the cave—a small, empty chamber just a few meters wide.

The chamber was messy and foul-smelling. The sight made Ethan's face twitch slightly in disgust.

The floor was littered with the remains of half-eaten Pokémon, rocks, branches, leaves, and tufts of fur—but no sign of the perfect-quality Sun Stone he had been searching for.

"This is strange," Ethan muttered. "The space is small enough—where could it be hiding?"

"Did I come to the wrong place?"

"Or is it hidden in the surrounding walls?"

Ethan paused in thought before turning to Gastly.

"You can phase through walls, right? Go check the surrounding area and see if you can find the stone."

Gastly looked a little speechless at the request.

Randomly searching without a clear target would hardly be efficient. Even if it did find the stone, it couldn't carry it out.

Still, understanding the importance of the Sun Stone to Gloom, Gastly didn't complain. It quickly disappeared into the walls.

Meanwhile, Gloom stretched out its hand, sensing the surrounding energy.

Before long, Gastly returned, excitement evident on its face. It spoke rapidly to Ethan.

"You found it? The Sun Stone?"

Gastly nodded enthusiastically.

"So, it really is buried in the wall," Ethan mused. "Gloom, focus your Energy Ball at the spot where Gastly pointed and push it gently into the wall."

Gloom instinctively prepared to hurl the Energy Ball before stopping at Ethan's reminder.

They were deep inside the cave. A high-powered attack could easily trigger a cave-in, and that would spell a rather embarrassing and tragic end for Ethan.

Holding the Energy Ball carefully in its hands, Gloom slowly pressed it against the wall, bit by bit.

The dense energy tore through the sturdy rock like tofu.

Ethan and Gloom watched intently, fearing they might accidentally damage the Sun Stone. After all, it was worth a hefty 20 million credits!

Gastly darted back and forth through the wall, providing updates on the stone's remaining distance.

After about twenty meters, Gastly urgently signaled for Gloom to stop.

Any further, and they would reach the Sun Stone's location.

Finally, after an intense effort, Ethan reached into the wall and retrieved the glowing, sun-shaped stone.

A mysterious aura quietly filled the air.

Gloom's eyes widened. She could feel the stone's immense allure, as if it was calling out to her.

[Perfect-Quality Sun Stone: A miraculous stone capable of evolving specific Pokémon. Using it significantly enhances a Pokémon's aptitude and energy adaptability.]

"Gloom," Ethan said with a smile, tossing the stone toward her.

"Go ahead. Evolve."

If anyone knew that Ethan was handing a 20-million-credit Sun Stone to a blue-aptitude Gloom, they would likely lose their minds with rage.

Such an act would be considered a colossal waste.

But for Ethan, it was the key to the next step of his plan.