"Alex, keep going, it's getting hotter," Kirlia's gentle voice echoed softly in Alex's mind, a calm but serious reminder.
"All right, if anything feels wrong, just tell me immediately." Alex held Kirlia tightly and stepped cautiously deeper into the cave.
Along the winding path, he carefully avoided groups of patrolling Pokémon, including aggressive Mawile and Aron. They seemed far more ferocious than the ones they had met at the cave's entrance.
Suddenly, Alex turned into a narrow corner and saw a level 32 Lairon struggling with itself. It repeatedly slammed its steel-hard head against the cold stone wall of the cave. The furious eyes mixed with intense pain.
It seemed that banging its head wasn't just aggression — it was the only way it could relieve the torment inside.
Alex stood still, intending to wait for the Lairon to leave before continuing.
But unfortunately, the smell of the yellow spray he had used to protect himself quickly spread in the confined space.
The Lairon suddenly stopped, sniffing around with extreme discomfort upon detecting the strange scent. Its eyes filled with hatred and sharply searched for the source of the repulsive odor.
And then, those eyes landed on Alex — the uninvited "intruder."
The Lairon's four legs stamped on the rocky ground as it opened its sharp-toothed jaws, ready to attack.
"Damn it!" Alex, usually mild-mannered, unexpectedly swore. The narrow space made dodging almost impossible.
Kirlia immediately reacted, preparing to use Teleport to rescue her trainer if things got dangerous.
At the critical moment, Alex quickly grabbed a chocolate bar from his bag, aimed carefully, and threw it straight into Lairon's mouth.
"Luna, Teleport!" he shouted.
Whoosh~
In an instant, Alex and Kirlia appeared about 20 meters away from Lairon.
Landing on the ground, Alex didn't run away.
Instead, he turned back and kept his eyes on Lairon.
He was sure the chocolate he threw had hit its target.
Though never trained in throwing sports, Alex's sports experience gave him confidence in his accuracy.
Besides Mawile, Lairon also liked sweet treats.
Another great side effect of chocolate was its ability to reduce fire damage.
Though exposed to heat radiation from the Fire Stones inside the cave, at least it should help Lairon endure better.
Bang!
The heavy banging on the wall echoed again, chunks of rock scattering everywhere.
But with its thick iron armor, Lairon was barely harmed.
It stood up, shook its head strongly, and looked toward Alex.
No attack move followed.
Alex keenly noticed a gleam of clarity in its fierce eyes — a sign of calming down.
"It works!" he exclaimed happily.
Immediately, he took another chocolate bar from his backpack and gently tossed it in front of Lairon.
The bulky Lairon opened its mouth and swallowed the chocolate in one bite.
Its furious anger visibly lessened.
"AowOw," Lairon bowed its head, showing a completely different expression from before, letting out a low roar of relief.
"Alex, the one you gave calmed it down. It's asking if you have more," Kirlia cautiously guessed.
Though Kirlia couldn't understand Pokémon language, she inferred from Lairon's expression and attitude.
With Kirlia's telepathic translation, everything became clear.
"Tell it that as long as it doesn't attack, I'll keep giving chocolate," Alex asked Kirlia to convey.
He shook several chocolate pieces in his hand, preparing to continue negotiating.
"ChiruChiru," Kirlia began communicating.
"AowOw," Lairon replied, watching the chocolates in Alex's hand intently.
"It says no problem!" Kirlia responded.
"All right." Alex held Kirlia in his left arm, chocolate in his right, and slowly approached Lairon.
Though the chocolate clearly helped, Lairon's fierce nature meant Alex couldn't be careless.
A surprise bite could be no joke.
Fortunately, Lairon was alert and calm, showing no intent to attack.
At about five meters distance, Alex gently tossed another chocolate bar.
Lairon quickly opened its mouth, caught it, and swallowed.
After three chocolates in a row, its rage vanished completely, replaced by gentleness and clarity in its eyes.
Alex breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling somewhat reassured.
"Luna, ask if those red stones make it uncomfortable," he said.
Kirlia obeyed, relaying the idea to Lairon.
"ChiruChiru."
"ChiruChiru."
Suddenly, Lairon raised its head and shouted excitedly: "Aow! Aow! Aow!"
It stood up abruptly, making Alex's muscles tense. He held Kirlia tightly and watched carefully for any sign of attack.
Luckily, Lairon just shouted without any hostile move.
"The big iron one" — that's how Kirlia called it — said that not long ago, a large stone fell from the sky and struck the cave strongly.
Right after that, some strange stones appeared.
Once these stones appeared, Lairon began suffering terrible headaches.
It hated those red stones but dared not approach them.
Kirlia translated this into Alex's mind.
"That's right," Alex nodded, "that's the meteorite — the cause of the many Fire Stones in this cold cave, and also the reason the Steel-type Pokémon went berserk."
He looked straight at Lairon and said:
"Luna, tell it that I can help them restore the cave to how it was, and ask if it's willing to help."
"QiluQilu," Kirlia said softly, waving her delicate white hand.
"AowOw," Lairon looked at Alex with hope.
"It says it's very willing to help us."
"It also said this is their home and they want to protect it."
"Please help us make the home the way it was," Kirlia translated.
"AowAowAow~" Lairon roared again.
"Lairon is asking what we should do next?"
Alex thought for a moment, then replied:
"Let it lead us to where the red stones fell."
"We will clean up those stones."
If Alex and Kirlia tried to avoid and explore the cave by themselves, it would be time-consuming and dangerous.
But with Lairon guiding, their efficiency in exploration would definitely increase.
"QiluQilu," Kirlia relayed.
Immediately, Lairon lay down and gestured for Alex to climb onto its back.
At first, Alex only wanted it to lead the way, but unexpectedly the beast offered him a ride.
In this situation, he couldn't refuse.
He gently climbed onto the big Lairon's back, feeling the strength of its muscular body beneath him.
Together, they continued deeper into the mysterious cave.