The pitch-black darkness of the entrance to Mt. Moon was thick, damp, and immediately annoying. Odin stood just past the threshold, clicking his tongue as the cool subterranean air washed over his face. He hated missing out on his comfort, and stumbling blindly through a rocky abyss was definitely not a part of his blueprint for an easy day.
"Ugh, this is garbage," Odin complained loudly, his voice echoing off the jagged stone walls. He unzipped his travel bag and began aggressively rampaging through it, tossing aside spare clothes and item cases. "Angel better have packed something for this. If I stub my toe on a rock, I'm turning right back around."
His hand brushed against a heavy, metallic object at the very bottom of the bag. A triumphant grin spread across his face as he pulled it out. It was a high-tech tactical flashlight—one of the ultra-expensive, premium military-grade models that corporate executives and elite exploration teams used. Odin clicked the heavy power switch, and a violent, blinding beam of pure white light cut through the cavern darkness like a laser beam, completely illuminating the entire forward tunnel for dozens of meters. It was so bright it practically turned the immediate cave into broad daylight.
Lucy instantly flinched, shielding her eyes with a gloved forearm as her vision swam with spots. "Whoa! Turn that down, you idiot!" she yelled, her fiery aura flaring up. Once her eyes adjusted, she looked at the heavy, gleaming chrome device in his hand and let out a sharp, backhanded compliment. "Nice flashlight, young master. Truly, it's a brilliant piece of technology—if your goal is to let every single living thing in this mountain know exactly where we are."
"Oh, please. You're just jealous because your standard-issue gear looks like a dim candle compared to this masterpiece," Odin scoffed, waving the ultra-bright beam right past her face just to annoy her.
"I'm being realistic!" Lucy snapped, crossing her arms. "A simple, good-quality flashlight would have worked just fine. But no, you just have to keep showing off how rich you are now by carrying a searchlight that could blind a Charizard. You're basically begging for a wild swarm to ambush us."
"Let them come. That's what I have a bodyguard for," Odin laughed arrogantly, completely unbothered.
While Lucy continued to mutter under her breath about his ridiculous vanity, Odin closed his eyes for a brief moment and shifted his attention inward. 'System, open up. Boot up the radar and run a live scan for all wild Pokémon and hidden items in the vicinity. Let's see what this rock pile is hiding.'
[System Notification: Scanning Mode Initiated. Initializing high-frequency pulse mapping...]
A crisp blue progress bar flashed across his subconscious vision. it instantly exploded outward to a massive 1-kilometer range max. Within a fraction of a second, a complex, three-dimensional circular diagram materialized in his mind's eye, mapping out every twisting tunnel, vertical layer, and hidden pocket within a one-kilometer sphere.
The radar screen lit up like a crowded Christmas tree, densely populated with glowing blips representing wild Pokémon. Odin's eyes flicked over the biological data floating on his interface. The cave was crawling with life: dense clusters of Geodude and Graveler clung to the upper rock faces; swarms of Zubat and Golbats hovered in the high cavern ceilings; lone Machop and Machoke wandered the lower paths; and scattered groups of Paras, Parasect, Rattata, and Raticate moved through the shadows. The scanner even picked up distinct evolutionary variants like Nidorino and Nidorina.
Deep within a sealed, naturally formed chamber near the edge of his radar, the System flagged a small cluster of Clefairy. Odin blinked lazily at the glowing pink markers. He had absolutely no idea that Clefairy were considered legendary rarities among standard collectors, or that rare-Pokémon hunters and wealthy black-market brokers on the surface would willingly pay an absolute king's ransom to secure just one.
His eyes scanned the potential ratings for the creatures in his immediate area. Every single one of them—including the rare Clefairy—flashed with a dull Bronze-Potential or a mediocre Silver-Potential
'Wow. A whole mountain filled with actual garbage,' Odin thought, thoroughly disappointed as he dismissed the Clefairy markers without a second thought, completely unaware of the mountain of credits he was casually ignoring. 'Not a single Gold or Platinum in the whole first tier. What a waste of space.'
He nudged Lucy with his elbow, gesturing down the left fork of the path. "Nothing special here, bodyguard. Just a bunch of low-tier pests. We need to go deeper."
As they began walking, Odin quickly realized that navigating Mt. Moon was going to be a massive headache. Unlike his previous adventures in Diglett's Cave—which was essentially a straight, brainless, forward-facing tunnel dug through the dirt—Mt. Moon was a literal, shifting maze. The environment was incredibly complex, split into multiple vertical layers that went deep underground or climbed high into upper ridges. There were naturally formed cavern paths, smooth man-made tunnels dug out by mining corporations, and tight, jagged burrows carved out by generations of burrowing Rock-type or Ground-type Pokémon.
Before he lost his bearings, Odin switched the System over to the item-location tab. 'System, scan for resources. Show me the goods.'
[System Notification: Material Scan Complete. Displaying localized item coordinates...]
'The system sure sounds awfully robotic today.. eh well whatever' Odin thought to himself.
The blue map updated instantly, highlighting various treasures embedded deep within the rocky walls within his 1km vicinity. There were several Moon Stones scattered throughout the strata—not a massive motherlode, but a decent handful. The scanner also flagged an array of other subterranean items: Hard Stones, Oval Stones, a couple of ancient, brittle fossils embedded in stone, and even a few rare Dusk Stones. Scattered along the damp cavern floors were clusters of Tiny Mushrooms and Big Mushrooms, alongside volatile Rock Gems and ancient Stone Plates.
Odin stared blankly at the glowing item names. He had absolutely no idea what ninety percent of these items actually did, nor did he understand their astronomical market value. The only reason he even recognized the name "Moon Stone" was because Executive Ariana had specifically demanded them during her midnight call. He had zero clue about their evolutionary functions or why scientists and collectors fought over them.
Despite the System clearly highlighting the exact coordinates of several nearby Moon Stones, Odin didn't bother to check them out, nor did he notify Lucy.
'Mark them and put a live tracker on the Moon Stones,' Odin commanded the System inside his mind. 'We're here to find her Nidoran first. Once she has her new toy, I'll make her Arbok do all the physical digging for the stones. Why should I break a sweat?'
To keep his vision clear, he adjusted the UI settings. 'System, keep the live scan running every single second in the background, but minimize the interface to the edge of my peripheral vision. Don't block my line of sight.'
[System Notification: Interface minimized. Live-tracking active.]
With his digital map safely tucked away, Odin turned his bright flashlight down the tunnel, his posture loose and completely cocky. "Come on, Lucy. Stop lagging behind. The real treasure is deeper down, and my feet are getting tired."
As they traveled deeper into the labyrinth of Mt. Moon, Odin quickly noticed that the cavern wasn't an isolated, dead void at all. The tunnels were bustling with activity. Wild Pokémon were everywhere; some docile species completely minded their own business, ignoring the two humans entirely, while other highly territorial species hissed from the cracks in the rock, watching them with glowing
Furthermore, the mountain was heavily populated by human trainers. To Odin's mild amusement, the vast majority of these trainers didn't bother them at all. The moment they saw Odin's sharp, pristine new black Officer uniform and Lucy's imposing, high-ranking Elite Officer attire, they quickly looked away, pulled their caps down, and steered clear.
Good,' Odin thought with a smirk. 'Looks like most people don't suffer from hero syndrome or protagonist syndrome. They're just happy to be left alone and survive the day without getting their pockets emptied by Team Rocket.'
The walk was filled with their usual dynamic—Odin dropping arrogant, second-generation young master remarks while Lucy fired back with fiery roasts. Every now and then, a wild, aggressive Pokémon would leap out from the shadows to look for trouble. Without a single word, Lucy would effortlessly unleash her massive, Arbok, crushing the wild beasts into submission within seconds.
Whenever a battle broke out, Odin played the most obnoxious, loud-mouthed cheerleader imaginable. He would wave his high-tech flashlight around like a glowing baton, shouting useless, sarcastic encouragement that drove Lucy absolutely insane. For the shorter battles, he would simply find a nice, flat, quiet spot to sit down and rest, completely treating the Lucy like his hired muscle. During a few longer skirmishes against aggressive wild packs, Odin would nonchalantly ignore both Lucy and the fighting entirely, lazily walking around the active battlefield to aimlessly and curiously wander through the side tunnels, inspecting rocks with zero regard for his personal safety.
"Odin, you absolute lunatic, stay within my sight!" Lucy screamed mid-battle, her Arbok violently slamming a wild Geodude into a wall. "You don't even have a Pokémon out! If something jumps you from behind, you're dead!"
"Relax, bodyguard, you're doing great!" Odin called back, completely ignoring her warning as he kicked a stray pebble.
After a few more minutes of trekking, their path was suddenly blocked by a young trainer wearing a pristine League-certified jacket and a red cap. The boy had an obvious, unmistakable case of severe mental illness—specifically, the ultimate 'hero syndrome.' The moment he spotted their black uniforms, his eyes lit up with delusional righteous fury.
"Halt, villains!" the boy shouted, pointing a dramatic finger at them. "I am a defender of justice, and I won't let Team Rocket spread their evil through this sacred mountain! Prepare to face the wrath of my Pidgeotto!"
Odin let out a massive, exhausting groan. "Ugh, another protagonist roleplayer. Lucy, handle this trash. I'm taking a break."
Odin casually looked around the immediate chamber, spotting what looked like a perfectly shaped, rounded gray boulder nestled against the cave wall. It was the perfect height for a seat. He sauntered over, turned his back, and sat right down on it, letting out a satisfied sigh as he stretched his long legs.
Feeling his stomach rumble, Odin unzipped his luxury bag. He knew his beautiful, ghostly Angel would have prepared something incredible for him, and sure enough, he found a neatly packed container of premium, handmade gourmet snacks alongside another bottle of chilled Pinab berry juice.
As Lucy's Arbok clashed violently with the trainer's Pidgeotto, the cavern filled with the sound of hissing, flapping wings, and booming commands. But Odin was completely dialed into his own world. He sat comfortably on his rock, casually chewing on a delicious snack and sipping his juice, completely maximizing his annoying jackass energy. He began shouting loud, unfiltered commentary that thoroughly annoyed the living shit out of both parties.
"Wow, Defender of Justice!" Odin yelled, his mouth half-full of food. "Your Pidgeotto's wings look incredibly aerodynamic! It's a shame your battle strategy is completely brainless! If you use Gust right now, you'll literally just fan the flames of Lucy's irritation! Go for it, I want to see her yell more!"
"Odin, shut your mouth or I will have Arbok wrap around your neck!" Lucy roared, her face turning crimson with pure rage as she tried to focus on the aerial opponent.
"And you, Lucy!" Odin cheered obnoxiously, booing loudly as Arbok missed a Sludge Bomb. "Terrible aim! Absolutely pathetic! My grandmother can throw a rock more accurately than your pet snake! Are your legs still wobbly from this morning? Do better, bodyguard!"
The League trainer was equally furious, his face contorting as Odin's backhanded compliments tore through his righteous confidence. Both sides were completely pissed off, their veins popping in the dim light, which only caused Odin to let out a loud, mocking laugh of pure, unadulterated enjoyment.
However, right at the peak of the intense, heating battle, Odin suddenly received a massive scare.
The rounded gray boulder he was sitting on violently shuddered beneath his ass. Two rocky arms suddenly popped out from the sides of the stone, and a pair of angry, glowing eyes snapped open right beneath Odin's thighs. It wasn't a rock at all—it was a wild, incredibly territorial Geodude, and it was absolutely furious about being used as a cushioned seat for an arrogant human.
"Geo... DUDE?!" the Pokémon roared, its rocky fists clenching as it prepared to violently launch Odin across the cavern.
Odin's heart skipped a beat, but his quick-thinking, adaptable mind didn't fail him. Instead of panicking or running away, a wicked, playful smirk crossed his face. He reached into his snack container, pulled out a massive, heavily frosted premium gourmet biscuit that Angel had baked, and casually held it right in front of the Geodude's angry face.
"Whoa there, rock star," Odin said smoothly, entirely relaxed. "No need to get your pebbles in a twist. Here, have a peace offering. It's better than getting dirt in your mouth."
The Geodude froze. It blinked its heavy stone eyelids, staring suspiciously at the incredibly aromatic, high-nutrient snack hovering centimeters from its nose. The scent was completely intoxicating to a wild Pokémon. Hesitantly, the Geodude reached up with one rocky hand, snatched the biscuit, and shoved it into its mouth.
The moment its rocky teeth crunched down on the snack, the Geodude's entire demeanor shattered. Its eyes widened to the size of saucers, and a look of absolute, profound bliss washed over its stone face. It had never tasted anything so unbelievably delicious in its entire life. Within three seconds, all of its territorial rage completely evaporated. It looked up at Odin, let out a cheerful, friendly rumble, and patted its own head, indicating that Odin was officially allowed to sit back down.
'Wow. What an incredibly simple, brainless little creature,' Odin thought mockingly to himself, thoroughly amused by how easily he had bought a wild beast with a single cookie.
And so, the active battlefield turned into a completely bizarre, hilarious scene. The intense, high-stakes battle between Lucy and the League trainer raged on in the center of the room, while off to the side, Odin was now comfortably sitting right on top of the friendly Geodude's head. Odin kept chewing his snacks, casually tossing pieces down to the Geodude, who happily caught them in its mouth like a trained puppy.
The Geodude became so thoroughly invested in the dynamic that it began to perfectly mimic Odin. Whenever Odin let out an annoying cheer or a loud boo, the Geodude would throw its rocky fists into the air, letting out a booming roar of agreement, effectively joining Odin's obnoxious cheerleading squad.
The sight of a Team Rocket Officer literally sitting on a wild, cheering Geodude like a king warming his rocky head with his ass completely broke the concentration of both trainers. Lucy and the League youth both froze mid-command, completely flabbergasted. They stared at Odin, then at the cheering Geodude, then at each other in absolute, stunned confusion. For a full five seconds, the battle halted entirely before their mutual irritation forced them to awkwardly shake their heads and continue the fight.
After a few more minutes of the dual-cheering nightmare, Lucy finally had enough. "Arbok, end this farce! Bite!"
The massive serpent lunged forward with blinding speed, its fangs sinking deep into the Pidgeotto and slamming it into the dirt. The League trainer let out a defeated cry, his "hero" illusions completely shattered. Lucy marched over with a fierce, icy scowl, violently snatched the boy's wallet to steal all of his cash, but decided to spare his life, gesturing for him to scramble before she changed her mind. The boy grabbed his fainted Pokémon and fled crying into the dark tunnels.
The second the show was over, Lucy whipped around, stomping over to Odin with fire in her eyes. "Odin! You are the most insufferable, distracting, annoying piece of work I have ever met in my entire life! What the hell was that?!"
Odin just threw his head back and let out a loud, arrogant laugh. Right on cue, the Geodude beneath him threw its arms up and let out an identical, gravelly laugh, perfectly synchronized with its new favorite human.
Lucy stood there, completely bamboozled, her jaw dropping as she looked at the two of them. "I don't believe this. You literally tamed a wild rock with a biscuit."
"Hey, it's called charisma, sweetheart. Look it up," Odin smirked, finally standing up from his seat. He turned around and patted the Geodude on its rocky shoulder. "Thanks for the seat, bro. You're a real one."
The Geodude looked up at Odin, its stone heart swelling with an immense sense of gratitude and debt. It had spent its entire life eating dirt and rough moss, and this beautiful, arrogant human had just shown it a realm of flavor it didn't know existed. Feeling deeply indebted and having the absolute time of its life, the Geodude suddenly reached behind its back, digging into a small, secret crevice right underneath where it had been resting.
It pulled its hands out and extended them toward Odin, offering a couple of objects it had been hoarding in its private stash.
In its left hand was a gleaming, heavy Hard Stone. In its right hand was a smooth, beautifully glowing, cratered Moon Stone. To the Geodude, the Hard Stone was incredibly useful for its own power, but the Moon Stone was just a pretty, shiny rock with absolutely no practical uses. It happily thrust the Moon Stone forward, practically forcing it into Odin's hands as a gift.
Odin froze, his eyes staring down at the pristine, glowing Moon Stone resting in his palm. He was completely shocked.
'No way...' Odin thought, a massive, wicked grin slowly spreading across his face. 'I literally just gained an actual Moon Stone for Ariana's mission without lifting a single finger or doing a second of digging. The radar tracker didn't even flag this because it was hidden under a Pokémon.'
Odin instantly burst into a loud, incredibly boisterous brag, waving the glowing Moon Stone right in Lucy's frustrated face. "Ha! Look at this, Lucy! Look at perfection! I am literally so blessed, so lucky, and so utterly amazing that the universe just drops mission items right into my lap! The world literally loves me! While you're over there sweating and fighting for your life, I get handed top-tier treasure just for sitting down! Admit it, I am a god!"
Lucy glared at the glowing stone, her veins popping so hard it looked like they would burst through her skin. "You have got to be kidding me. That is pure, unadulterated, disgusting luck."
"Jealousy is an ugly color on you, bodyguard," Odin mocked, thoroughly enjoying her misery.
He then turned back to the Geodude, looking down at the friendly creature with a genuinely impressed expression. "You know what, bro? You're alright. Let me reward you for this free Moon Stone. I don't like being indebted to anyone."
Odin reached into his uniform utility belt, pulling out one of the empty, standard Pokéballs he had purchased back at base. He squatted down to eye level with the rock Pokémon, twirling the red-and-white ball on his finger.
"Listen up, rock star," Odin said, his tone casual but firm. "I'm going to tap you with this ball. I need you to let it capture you. But listen to my promise: the second you're inside, I'm going to release you right back out and strip away the capture command. I'm not going to kidnap you from your home or force you into slavery. It's just that the reward I'm about to give you requires your data to be linked to my System first. Got it? Trust the process."
The Geodude didn't understand the technicalities of the System, but it trusted the human who fed it the heavenly biscuit. It nodded its rocky head enthusiastically, completely complying.
Odin lightly tapped the Pokéball against the Geodude's forehead. The ball popped open, drawing the creature inside in a flash of red light. The ball fell to the dirt, wobbled once, and immediately clicked solid. An effortless, perfect capture.
Odin instantly picked up the ball, shifting his focus straight into his mental interface. 'System, bring up the newly captured Geodude's profile. Let's see the stats.'
[System Notification: Accessing Pokémon Data...]
Species: Geodude (Rock/Ground)
Level: 20
Current Potential: Silver-Potential
Total IV Score: 116 IV
Free IV Points: 20
Odin's eyes narrowed as he analyzed the underlying stat architecture. 'System, i fucking forgot.. what is the exact numerical threshold required for Geodude or a just a pokemon in general to break through into Gold-Potential again?'
[System Notification: A total score of 121 IV points is strictly required to achieve Gold-Potential status for a Pokémon. Geodude is currently exactly 5 points short.]
Odin checked the secondary ledger on the screen, spotting a flashing notification at the bottom of the profile. Because the Geodude was already at Level 20, it had accumulated a massive, unallocated pool of 20 free stat/IV points stored deep somewhere— that standard trainers could never access without a badass system like mine. Or maybe perhaps in the future, some kind of advanced laboratory equipment would be able to do this.. nah fuck it I doubt it.
A wicked, god-like smirk crossed Odin's face. 'Perfect. System, invest 20 of those free points directly into its stats. Max out its physical Attack, max out its baseline HP, and defense...dump the rest into.. whatever i guess. Force the breakthrough right now!'
[Ding!, all 20 free iv points have been allocated!]
[Geodude - Silver-Potential(old) - Gold-Potential (new)]
[Geodude: F - Rank]
[Geodude's IV stats:]
Hp: 31 IV
Atk: 31 IV
Def: 31 IV
Sp.atk: 10 IV
Sp.def: 31 IV
Spd: 2 IV
'LOL, bro your speed is pathetic bro, hahaha'
The entire process took less than two seconds. Odin casually clicked the button on the Pokéball, releasing the Geodude back into the cavern in a brilliant flash of white light.
The moment the Geodude's rocky body materialized back on the dirt floor, a profound, visible transformation occurred. The dull, gray stone of its skin seemed to tighten, taking on a subtle, dense, metallic sheen that radiated structural density. Its physical muscles looked vastly more contoured, and a surge of raw, immense power flooded through its veins. It felt heavier, faster... just one point faster, 1 point is still 1 point, and infinitely stronger than it had just been two seconds ago.
The Geodude opened its hands, staring at its own rocky fingers in absolute, boundary-shattering shock. It knew exactly what had just happened. This human hadn't just fed it; this human had literally reached into its very soul and granted it the power of Kanto royalty. It had broken its natural limits. UNLIMITED POWEEEERRR!!
Without a single second of hesitation, the Geodude fell to its knees, or lack of knees. It brought its rocky head all the way down to the dirt, comically bowing down before Odin's boots in a display of absolute, fanatical worship. In its eyes, Odin wasn't just a human—he was a living god, a literal manifestation of Arceus himself walking the earth.
Odin threw his head back, letting out a loud, triumphant laugh at the ridiculous sight, while Lucy stood completely frozen beside him, her mind turning into absolute mush.
"What... what did you just do?!" Lucy stammered, her voice cracking as she stared at the fanatical Geodude. "Why is it looking at you like you created the universe? And why does its energy feel completely different now?!"
"I told you, Lucy. The world just kneels before my greatness," Odin smirked, entirely dismissing her confusion.
In the complex language of Pokémon, the Geodude let out a series of deep, resonant gravelly rumbles, looking up at Odin with fierce, unyielding devotion. It was officially swearing its life and eternal loyalty to him. Odin was no longer just a friend—Odin was the Big Boss of all Bosses, and it refused to leave his side.
As Odin and Lucy turned to continue their trek, preparing to head down into the deeper, darker vertical layers of Mt. Moon to finally locate her high-potential Nidoran, Odin noticed a familiar, rhythmic scraping sound behind them.
He looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, the newly minted Gold-Potential Geodude was happily rolling and floating right along behind them, refusing to stay behind, acting as a self-appointed, fiercely loyal miniature vanguard for the Big Boss.
"Looks like we have a trailing shadow, bodyguard," Odin chuckled, hands in his pockets as they stepped toward the deeper dark. "Try to keep up, the real show is about to start."