Pokemon dungeon

Kay kept running through the dark forest, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and the enemy team. But suddenly, his foot caught on something hard, and he stumbled forward. 

As he looked down, he realized he had stepped on a Geodude that was sleeping right in the middle of the road. The sudden impact woke the Pokemon up, and it growled in surprise. 

Kay didn't know why a Geodude was resting there, but he couldn't waste time thinking.

If it made too much noise, it could attract wild Pokemons, or even worse, alert the enemy team to his location. 

Without hesitation, he shouted, "Growlithe! Use Double Kick! Eevee! Support it with Helping Hand! Then finish it with Bite!" 

Growlithe and Eevee responded immediately. Growlithe leaped forward, delivering two strong kicks that sent Geodude rolling backward. 

At the same time, Eevee's Helping Hand boosted Growlithe's power. Before Geodude could react, Growlithe dashed in and used a strong Bite on its face, knocking it out instantly. 

Kay let out a breath of relief. "Good job. Now, let's—" 

Before he could finish, he noticed something strange. A faint glow was coming from Growlithe's body. 

Kay's eyes widened as he quickly realized what was happening. "Growlithe, you're breaking through to the Intermediate Steel Stage." 

Growlithe was about to break through to the next substage, but its body's glow inside the night's darkness could expose their position or attract wild Pokemons.

Kay knew they had to find a safe place before letting Growlithe complete the process. 

"Try to hold it for now, we'll find a better place first." 

Growlithe gave a determined nod and suppressed its energy as best as it could. 

As they continued running, Kay's sharp eyes caught sight of a cave entrance. It looked empty and quiet. Without wasting any time, he led his Pokemons inside. 

Once they were safely inside, Kay turned to Growlithe. "Alright, now you can finish breaking through." 

Growlithe let out a soft growl of acknowledgment. "Graaw…" 

A deep crimson-red glow surrounded Growlithe's body, with streaks of orange and yellow flickering like flames. 

The energy filled the cave, creating a warm and powerful presence. Kay watched closely, knowing that this was an important moment. 

Kay didn't carry any Power Stones with him because using a Power Stone during a Pokemon's first breakthrough could be risky.

Letting it happen naturally was the safest way; The energy in the environment was enough. 

After about three minutes, the glow faded, and Growlithe stood there, looking the same on the outside. But Kay knew that Growlithe had become much stronger. 

Kay nodded in satisfaction. "Nice work." 

Now, he had to decide what to do next. He had two options: 

The first option is to go back and search for his teammates to organize a counterattack.

But that would take time, and by the time they returned, the enemy team might have already caught Aerodactyl especially if the Bronze Stage Aerodactyl wasn't there. 

The second one is to try to stop them by himself. 

Kay clenched his fist, thinking hard. He didn't have much time to decide. 

After thinking for some time, Kay made his decision, he would try to stop them alone.

If he went back to find his teammates and the enemy team caught Aerodactyl, it would be almost impossible to get the Pokemon later even if they called for another one. He couldn't take that risk. 

Meanwhile, on the mountain, the enemy team continued climbing toward the cave.

The leader suddenly noticed a brief red glow coming from the forest below. The light flashed for a moment and then disappeared quickly. 

His eyes narrowed. "That must be the trainer who ran away earlier," he thought. 

However, the light was too far away now. He couldn't afford to leave his team and chase after it, that would just waste time. 

Still, something didn't feel right. After a few moments of thinking, he realized that if the trainer was running away, he should be far more than that. 

The leader concluded that the enemy was hiding, watching them, and planning something, so he decided to stay cautious.

Once they arrived at the cave, he gave new instructions. 

"We'll split into two small teams, one team will go inside the cave to check if Aerodactyl is here. The other team will stay at the entrance and keep watch to avoid any surprises." 

His teammates nodded in agreement. 

As they stood at the entrance, they began discussing who would be in each group. 

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Kay was watching Growlithe finishing its breakthrough. He took out his Pokedex to check its updated stats. 

Growlithe: 

Potential: Red 

Stage: Intermediate Steel 

Moveset: 

Ember (Expert) 

Double Kick (Expert) 

Helping Hand (Novice) 

Sunny Day (Proficient) 

Double Team (Proficient) 

Kay was excited about Growlithe's breaking through, he now had two Pokemons; one in the Superior Steel stage and the other one in the Intermediate Steel stage even though he was still an F-rank trainer. But he didn't have time for excitement he needed to act fast. 

Kay was deep in thought as he watched the other team at the top of the mountain. They seemed to be discussing something, and he tried to figure out their next move. 

After a few moments, he noticed that the leader and two members had entered the cave while the remaining trainers stayed outside. 

The ones who remained at the entrance were the trainers of Metapod and Spearow. 

Kay cursed under his breath. He had planned to attack while they were inside the cave, but it seemed the leader had anticipated his move and taken precautions. 

Now, attacking directly would be more difficult. Determined not to give up, Kay carefully reduced the distance between himself and the enemy team, using the darkness of the night to stay hidden within the forest. 

However, without a Flying-type Pokemon, he couldn't launch an aerial assault, and approaching them with Growlithe or Eevee without being noticed would be extremely hard. 

Just as he was trying to figure out his next move, Eevee suddenly jumped and turned, growling in the direction behind them. 

Kay immediately became alert, sensing that something was wrong. Then he heard footsteps approaching from the distance. 

His mind raced with confusion. He had just seen the other team enter the cave, how could they have managed to circle around him? Or was it someone else entirely? 

As the footsteps grew closer, Kay realized it wasn't just one person, but three. Preparing himself for a possible fight, he was about to give Eevee the command to attack when the three figures finally appeared. 

Kay recognized them instantly. They were his own teammates, the ones who had stayed behind when Kay and the other two trainers had gone to investigate the enemy team. 

Kay quickly asked them what they were doing there, and they explained that after waiting for a long time, they had started searching for them. 

While passing through the area, they had heard noises and decided to investigate, which led them to Kay. 

Understanding the situation, Kay wasted no time and began explaining that the other team was close to winning. 

He told them that Aerodactyl was most likely inside the cave ahead and that if they didn't act fast, the enemy team would capture it first. 

Knowing they had to come up with a plan quickly, they brainstormed a way to turn the situation in their favor. 

Finally, they formulated a strategy. Onix would use Dig to tunnel underground until it reached the base of the mountain. 

Once there, it would emerge and extend its head to the edge near the cave's entrance, forming a bridge. That was possible because the mountain's height was nearly the same as Onix. 

Ponyta would then profit from the moment of confusion and use Quick Attack, dashing across Onix's body to reach the peak of the mountain. 

Upon arrival, it would immediately attack the enemy Pokemons that were guarding the entrance to the cave. 

Once Ponyta launched its surprise attack, the rest of their Pokemons would climb up Onix to reach the cave's entrance. 

Kay predicted that upon seeing multiple Pokemons charging toward them, the trainers guarding the entrance would panic and retreat inside the cave to seek protection. 

If everything went according to plan, this would give them the perfect opportunity to strike back. 

See you in the next chapter... 

Drop some Power Stones.