The atmosphere changed around the path they were moving, it's wasn't a subtle change Instead the air become dryer and heat began to seep in.
"Water," Alex commanded, stopping the group.
He dismounted Nidorino, the heat was radiating through the soles of his boots.
"Drink..... now."
Jax and Kruger looked like they were melting, their shirts were soaked through with sweat, plastered to their backs. They fumbled for their canteens, guzzling the water greedily.
"Ration it you idiots," Alex warned, slapping the canteen out of Kruger's hand. "We don't have much, Small sips. If you vomit, you will dehydrate and If you dehydrate, you die and I'm certainly not carrying your corpse."
Kruger glared at him, wiping his mouth, but he screwed the cap back on.
Alex took a measured sip from his own flask. He checked on Nidorino, the Poison-type was panting, his tongue lolling out.
The heat was uncomfortable, but Nidorino was a ground dwelling creature by nature so he could handle it better than the humans.
"Duskull, return," Alex whispered slowly.
He recalled the ghost as the heat was too intense for a creature of shadows.
"It's getting hotter," Alex said, checking the atmospheric readout on his watch.
[ Temp: 45°C ]
"I think we are closing in" Alex said.
"Close to what?" Jax wheezed. "Hell?"
He looked straight ahead as the tunnel opened into the Magma Chamber.
It wasn't a lake of lava, that was video game exaggeration. If it were a lake of lava, they would be dead from the radiant heat instantly.
Instead, it was a vast, cavernous caldera. The floor was a crust of blackened, cooling magma rock and In the center, a massive pillar of magma flowed sluggishly from the ceiling to a drain in the floor, acting as a natural heating element for the entire mountain and scattered around the perimeter were the remains of the Rocket Excavation Team.
"Look at that," Kruger whispered, pointing.
A massive, yellow industrial drill lay on its side, it was the size of a truck and it was... bitten.
Huge chunks of the drill had been torn out of the solid steel.
"Something ate it," Jax said, stepping back. "Something ate the tank."
Alex approached the wreckage and touched the edge of the metal which was sheared clean.
"Only a few Pokémon can eat steel," Alex analyzed. "But this..."
He looked at the teeth marks which were wide and crushing
"Heavy jaws," Alex deduced.
"Rock and Steel types."
He scanned the chamber and suddenly saw something.
"Backoff everyone," Alex barked. "Jax, Machop on the left. Kruger, Mankey on the right and Nidorino, center."
Crunch...
A sound echoed from behind the machine which was the sound of metal grinding against teeth.
Alex signaled for a halt as he picked up a loose rock and tossed it over the wreckage.
Clatter.....
The grinding stopped as a head popped up from behind the drill.
It was encased in grey, metallic armor and had a rounded head with three horns, and its eyes were a piercing, icy blue that contrasted with the red hellscape around it.
[ Pokémon: Lairon ]
[ Level: 24 ]
[ Type: Steel / Rock ]
[ Ability: Sturdy ]
[ Status: Territorial / Hungry ]
"Lairon," Alex breathed, the intermediate evolution of the Aggron line which was of steel and Rock type, a actual powerhouse pokemon after it becomes Aggron.
"That's the eater?" Jax asked, unimpressed. "It's the size of a dog."
These idiots don't know about pokemon from other regions, he thought as Alex corrected. " It eats iron for breakfast.....
literally."
The Lairon roared, a metallic screech voice and from the shadows of the cave walls, more eyes appeared..... Smaller cute ones.
[ Pokémon: Aron ]
[ Level: 12 - 15 ]
" It's a pack, they're nesting here," Alex realized. " The Rocket drill provided a free buffet of high-quality steel for them."
Lairon stepped forward, scraping its claws against the floor as Sparks flew. It lowered its head, aiming its horns at the intruders.
Seeing it's aggressive stance Alex calculated rapidly in his head , Immune to Poisonso Nidorino's Poison Jab will be useless.......
But...
"Jax! Kruger!" Alex shouted. "You're up!"
"What?" Jax yelped as the Lairon charged. It moved shockingly fast for a steel body.
" Use Double Kick and Low Kick " Alex ordered. "Fighting type moves is 4 times effective against Rock/Steel! Hit it now or you die!"
Lairon was upon them.
"Machop! Block!" Jax screamed as Machop braced itself, crossing its arms.
WHAM......
Lairon slammed into the Machop... Iron Head
Machop was lifted off its feet and thrown backward and it skidded across the hot rock, crying out in pain but it didn't faint.
"Now, Kruger!"
Mankey leaped over the stunned Lairon. It screeched, landing on the Lairon's armored back.
"Low Kick!"
Mankey swept the Lairon's legs, Low Kick dealt more damage the heavier the target was and Lairon was incredibly heavy.
CRACK...
Lairon stumbled, its legs buckling under the attack as it roared in frustration, bucking wildly to throw the monkey off.
"Nidorino!" Alex commanded. "Double Kick! Aim for the the soft part!"
Nidorino charged and slid under the Lairon's guard as it tried to shake the Mankey.
THUD.....THUD.....
Two heavy kicks to the softer plating on the stomach and Lairon bellowed, It was hurt as 4x weakness was no joke.
But it wasn't done as Lairon's body began to glow silver and it stomped the ground.
Iron Defense
Its defense rose sharply and the next kick would feel like hitting a diamond wall and the Arons were moving, the small, metal bugs were rolling into balls....Rollout and were charging at them like bowling balls.
Alex switched gears. "Jax, keep the big one busy! Kruger, kick the little ones!"
"I can't!" Jax yelled. "My Machop is hurt!"
"Use the Potion!" Alex threw a spray bottle at him. "And get back in the fight!"
Alex looked at the Lairon which now had a defensive boost.
"It's stalling," Alex realized. "It's waiting for the pack to overwhelm us."
He needed to break that defense and do it fast, he started thinking about steel, heat and it's correlations.
Wait...
"Nidorino!" Alex shouted. "Back off!"
Nidorino leaped back, panting.
" It always comes down to Physics," Alex whispered. "Rapid cooling causes thermal shock, good thing I didn't sleep during that lesson."
He grabbed his canteen which has his remaining water.
"Nidorino! Distract it! Sand Attack into its eyes!"
Nidorino turned and kicked a cloud of black grit into the Lairon's face which made the steel type flinch and be blinded momentarily.
Alex sprinted forward.
"Hey! Rusty!"
Lairon snapped its jaws at him.
Alex uncorked the canteen and splashed the water directly onto the Lairon's glowing, super heated armor plate.
HISSSSSSS....
Steam exploded violently as the metal groaned. It didn't crack, but the sudden temperature drop shocked the Lairon and it shrieked, its focus breaking and the Iron Defense was shattered.
"Jax! Now! Karate Chop! Full power!"
Jax didn't hesitate seeing the opening, he roared.
"Machop! Kill it!"
Machop jumped, its hand glowing with white energy as it brought a chop down on the weakened, steaming neck plate.
CRUNCH.....
The armor dented deep and Lairon's legs gave out as it collapsed, hitting the ground with a heavy metallic clang.
The Arons, seeing their matriarch fall, stopped their rolling and hesitated, then scattered, burrowing into the walls.
Silence returned to the Magma Chamber.
"We... we got it," Jax panted, staring at the unconscious pokemon.
Alex walked over and looked at the Lairon.
[ Lairon (Fainted) ]
[ Aptitude: Green (Light) ]
"Decent," Alex noted.
He turned to the wrecked drill.
"Check the cargo hold," Alex ordered. "If that drill dug up any Moon Stones before it got eaten, they'll be in the hopper."
Jax and Kruger scrambled to the machine, eager to loot.
Alex stood by the Lairon, watching it.
Authors Note:-
Personally Aggron is One of my favourite pokemon in hoenn.
Always listen to your classes 🫡😏.
And support your shameless Author with power stones.
Also my phone is dead so I had to come to a computer centre to update..... No good luck for me.... Never.
Give a review dear readers....
It's been this much chapter.... I deserve that much right.
Love you all ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️.
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