Although he hadn't checked, Maki remembered seeing a mission on the League's official website involving the capture of Graveler. So why not catch a few along the way? Once he reached town, he could simply accept the mission and submit them directly — a convenient win-win.
After all, Pokémon inside Poké Balls don't expend much energy. Even if they went without food for a few days, it wouldn't be a problem. Especially Graveler — if they got hungry, they could always snack on rocks.
After capturing the Gravelers, Maki began to think the two young trainers from earlier must have simply mistaken a Geodude for a Larvitar.
Since there were Gravelers here, Geodudes were bound to be nearby too. In the dim cave environment, the two Pokémon were similar in size, making it easy to mix them up.
Maki released one of the Graveler that Mawile had knocked out earlier.
"Ask if it's seen… this Pokémon before."
He pulled out his phone and displayed a picture of Larvitar before handing it to Mawile.
"Maw!"
Mawile puffed out its chest, accepting the phone with confidence. It assured Maki it wouldn't take long to get the information he needed.
There was logic behind letting Mawile handle this. The Graveler had been flattened by Mawile just moments ago — surely it would have the sense to cooperate.
Sure enough, when the Graveler was released, it blinked in confusion. Where had all its companions gone?
Then it looked up… and saw Mawile approaching — the deceptively cute but terrifying creature that had bested it in a single strike.
"Grav…!"
The Graveler's eyes filled with fear. The memory of being headbutted into submission was still fresh in its mind. This little Pokémon's strength was downright monstrous.
"Maw?"
Mawile waved the phone with Larvitar's image in front of Graveler, asking if it had seen the Pokémon.
Faced with such intimidation, the Graveler eagerly nodded, answering every question without hesitation.
"So there really was one?"
Watching Mawile's animated gestures as it relayed the Graveler's information, Maki started to wonder if his luck was really that good.
Graveler lived in Mt. Moon year-round and were highly adapted to the cave's environment. What seemed like darkness to Maki was likely as bright as daylight to them.
Though it sounded unbelievable, the Graveler's account was likely reliable — especially given how terrified it still was of Mawile. It didn't seem brave enough to lie.
"Now that's interesting…"
Maki's eyes lit up. He wasn't particularly desperate to catch a Larvitar, but the thrill of exploration was undeniable.
Besides, there was no danger — why not press on?
He glanced at the map. According to the layout, they were nearing the deeper, unmapped parts of Mt. Moon.
"No big deal…"
Maki picked up a rock and handed it to Mawile, instructing her to leave a bite mark on it.
Luckily, Mawile's control was precise. Otherwise, the rock would have been shattered instantly.
With the marked rock in hand, Maki nodded in satisfaction. The bite was clear and distinct — unmistakably Mawile's.
He had her prepare several more marked rocks. At each fork in the path, he'd drop a couple on the ground.
Marking walls would be too obvious. If other trainers were after Larvitar, Maki doubted they'd leave such signs alone. But rocks on the ground? Almost no one would pay attention to those.
Besides, Mawile's second mouth had no taste buds — biting rocks didn't bother her. If he'd asked Charmeleon, it would have quit after a few bites.
Still, to speed things up, Maki had Charmeleon leave claw marks on some rocks too. The scratches stood out clearly.
Before long, they reached the first fork beyond the map's coverage.
"Maw?"
Mawile looked to Maki for guidance.
"Watch this."
Maki smirked, placing an empty Poké Ball on the ground and spinning it. Whichever direction the ball pointed when it stopped would be their path.
What other choice was there? This was the most "logical" method he could think of.
If they were relying on luck anyway, why not add a little ceremony to the process?
"Maw…?" That random?
"Cotton~" [Don't worry, you'll get used to it soon enough.]
Cottonee and Charmeleon had long accepted Maki's odd ideas. Point and walk — simple as that.
"Maw…"
Hearing the veterans' reassurances, Mawile reluctantly went along with it.
"This way."
Pocketing the Poké Ball, Maki placed two claw-marked rocks on the ground and led the group down the chosen path.
But perhaps fate was at play.
Not long after they'd left, a small figure stumbled into the area where they'd stopped.
"Lar…?"
The Pokémon tilted its head, spotting the rocks.
Hmm… this type of stone looked unfamiliar.
It picked up the rocks and stuffed them into the diamond-shaped hole on its belly. The stones were small enough to fit with a little adjusting.
Best to stash them away for later.
Patting its full belly, the little creature felt quite content. It wasn't hungry now, but new rocks were always worth collecting.
It really was a genius.
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