"Are there really no Dugtrio around here?"
"Roooar." The Onix shook its massive head, responding unusually obediently.
"That's strange."
This environment should be perfect for Dugtrio—ideal terrain, no evident predators. The only logical explanation would be that Dugtrio had never appeared on this island to begin with, but that seemed highly unlikely.
After all, in Alola, Dugtrio were even more common than Pikachu were in Kanto. And Pikachu were famously known as the ubiquitous electric mouse.
Remembering something, Maki turned to Mawile and spoke again.
Through Mawile's lively gestures, Maki finally understood what Onix had said.
According to Onix, it had indeed encountered Dugtrio a few times while tunneling underground, but only in the deeper parts of the island. Even for Onix, reaching those areas was rare.
"Deeper inside the island? Maybe we should leave it alone, then. It might be dangerous," Mohn said, frowning after hearing Maki's translation.
"Hmm… I actually think it wouldn't hurt to take a quick look."
"Not having enough Poké Balls is really inconvenient."
Maki weighed the only specially crafted Poké Ball he had left, which contained Onix. He definitely couldn't leave this troublemaker with Mohn.
Onix was far from an easy Pokémon to handle. As long as Maki and Mawile were around to keep it in check, things were fine, but if they left, the best-case scenario would be Onix escaping. The worst-case scenario? It might even attack Mohn.
After some thought, Maki decided it was best to bring Onix along.
...
"I knew it. There's no way this place wouldn't have Dugtrio."
Maki murmured as he stared at the entrance to an extradimensional space before him.
Unlike Ultra Wormholes, these portals were more common and led to mysterious hidden realms. Their existence was also highly stable.
Dugtrio thrived in nutrient-rich soil, which was why Maki had initially assumed they must exist on this island.
But what if there was an even better environment somewhere else?
Hidden realms often held abundant resources. Team Rocket had discovered similar places on remote islands they controlled in the ocean. Giovanni even theorized that deep within Mt. Silver, an enormous hidden realm might exist.
However, places like that were accessible only to past Champions. Not even Giovanni could confirm their existence.
Maki glanced at the sky. He wasn't sure how large the island was, but he had already spent quite a bit of time exploring. If he turned back now, he wouldn't be able to return until tomorrow.
After considering his options, he recalled that he had already informed Mohn that he might be gone for a while. There was nothing to worry about.
Still, Maki cautiously tossed a rock through the portal. Since he couldn't see what was on the other side, he had no way of knowing where the exit was placed.
If the exit was in midair, stepping through could mean instant death.
It wouldn't be the first time someone inexperienced had stepped into a portal and plummeted to their doom.
Hearing the rock land safely on the other side, Maki felt reassured.
With one decisive step, he entered the hidden realm.
A wave of dizziness washed over him before he landed on solid ground again.
The exit was about 30 centimeters above the surface. Even though Maki had been careful, he still stumbled slightly before quickly regaining his balance and assessing his surroundings.
"Hmm… Is there a difference?"
The environment looked nearly identical to the one outside—dense foliage, towering trees. If anything, the trees here were noticeably taller.
"Cotton!"
Cottonee let out a soft cry as it drifted around Maki.
"Did you notice something?" Maki asked, observing how Cottonee behaved slightly differently than usual.
"Cotton~"
Cottonee shook its head. It didn't know why, but being in this place felt incredibly comfortable.
Maki looked up. Sunlight filtered through the thick canopy, dazzling him and forcing him to squint.
"What about you two?" he asked Charmeleon and Mawile.
Mawile shook its head, but Charmeleon hesitated before speaking.
The sunlight here was significantly stronger than outside, making him feel warm and energized, as if an unknown power within him was about to awaken.
"Yeah, the light here is definitely much more intense."
Though it wasn't quite at the level of the move Sunny Day, it was close. That was likely why Charmeleon had reacted—his latent Solar Power ability was stirring.
A thought struck Maki. This environment, so close to Sunny Day, was the perfect place for Cottonee to train that very move!
"Cottonee, try using Sunny Day again."
Recently, Cottonee had been making progress with Sunny Day, but it had yet to fully master the move.
Cottonee hesitated for a moment before nodding.
As Maki, Charmeleon, and Mawile watched, Cottonee absorbed a massive amount of sunlight. Then—
A brilliant burst of light erupted.
Success!
A giant red orb shot from Cottonee's body, soaring into the sky.
Even Maki could feel the immediate rise in temperature. He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he stepped back slightly.
"Again! Use Sunny Day one more time."
For Cottonee, now was the critical moment. If it didn't reinforce its newfound mastery, it might lose the ability to replicate the move.
Luckily, Cottonee had the Prankster ability, which granted it an exceptional talent for status moves. Now that it had successfully used Sunny Day once, it quickly grasped the technique's intricacies.
Another dazzling red orb shot skyward.
Maki and Mawile quietly stepped back further—the heat was getting intense.
Meanwhile, Charmeleon seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.
-----------------------
Want to read ahead of schedule?
Join here for advance chapters: PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON