While patrolling their route, the group encountered several Pokémon, including Zubat, Geodude, and even an Onix. Leo and Alice's teamwork made short work of them. Tyson was taken aback by Leo's partner Pokémon, a large primate-like creature with reddish-brown fur, white patches on its chest, head, and lower legs, and gold markings throughout its body, topped with a large flame on its head. 'An Infernape, so he chose Chimchar from Professor Rowan as his starter Pokémon. It's clearly well-trained,' Tyson thought, recalling how Infernape had effortlessly dodged Onix's attacks and defeated it with a single strike. Despite his interest in rock and ground types, Tyson knew that capturing a Pokémon already defeated by another trainer was against league rules and was often seen as disrespectful, so he decided to let it go for now as they continued their exploration.
"I've been wondering, we call this place the Michina Ruins, but all we've seen are tunnels and rocks. What's the deal?" Alice inquired. As Leo was about to respond, Tyson interjected, "Actually, we're in the Michina Tunnels, which weave through the mountains, creating a network of paths and caverns that form a massive labyrinth. Trainers and rangers have ventured through these tunnels before us, providing a map for guidance." After Tyson's clarification, Leo added, "That's correct. We're currently navigating the Michina Tunnels. The ruins are located at the peak of one of these mountains, but the path there is marked as a red zone." "So, are these tunnels just a route to the ruins?" Alice questioned, to which both boys gave a confirming nod.
Upon exiting the cave, the group found themselves at the rear of the mountain. Surveying their surroundings, they spotted a nearby path that ascended further up the mountainside. Adhering to the patrol map's guidance, the trio proceeded up the trail and entered another cave. "Caves, caves, and more caves; this is why I detest mountains," grumbled Alice, only to be rebutted by Leo: "You chose this mission, so no grumbling. Besides, we might encounter some intriguing Pokémon, so stay alert."
As the group traversed the cave path, they emerged into an expansive cavern. Various Pokemon meandered about, and perched on Tyson's shoulder, Gligar surveyed the area as though in search of something. "See anything you recognize?" Tyson asked to which Gligar responded with a nod of her head. "Good, then lead the way," Tyson said, offering a smile to reassure Gligar.
As they made their way through the cavern, Gligar gestured towards a forked path. Tyson noticed and said, "This is the right path, isn't it, girl?" Gligar confirmed with a "Gli Gli" [Yes, this leads to my former home]. Tyson, looking at the path, turned to Leo and remarked, "Gligar seems to want us to take the left; what do you think, Leo?" Leo responded, "In that case, you and Alice go ahead and scout the left path. I'll complete the patrol and meet up with you later."
Upon hearing Leo's suggestion, Alice's spirits lifted, and she exclaimed, "Oh! A solo adventure with Tyson, this should be fun." Tyson sighed, turned to Leo, and inquired, "Is that okay? We had agreed to find Gligar's herd after completing the patrol." Not wanting to break their previous agreement, Tyson was hesitant. Leo responded, "That's true, but you have your own task to complete. By doing this, we'll cover more ground. Try to avoid battles as much as possible, and for safety, I'll send Infernape along to assist."
"Are you sure it's okay to send your strongest Pokémon with us?" Tyson inquired, worried about diminishing Leo's combat capabilities. Leo chuckled at Tyson's concern and responded, "Infernape may be my partner, but he's not my strongest, so there's no need for concern." Tyson was taken aback by this admission, thinking to himself, 'He has a stronger Pokémon?' Meanwhile, Alice added, "If Infernape is coming along, then splitting up should be fine. Plus, you've got me covering your back." Assured by Leo and Alice, Tyson expressed his gratitude, "Thank you," then turned to Gligar and commanded, "Alright girl, lead the way," as the group divided their paths.
- Meanwhile
Atop a nearby mountain peak, there was a large temple, beneath which lay four lakes of different sizes. Inside the temple, a man could be observed watering the plants adorning the temple's outer walls, a serene hum emanating from him as he worked. Despite his age, evident from his white hair, he moved deliberately. Abruptly, the old man stopped, and a pale light flickered in his eyes as he declared, "The lost soul has arrived; yet, it is not the time for our meeting—his presence shall be required later." It seemed as though he received a message; the light in his eyes dimmed as he faced the temple again and uttered, "As you command."
Turning to the side, the man called out, "Little one, please come here." In a flash of light, a small creature appeared. It resembled a tan figurine, crafted from clay or mud, with arching red markings above its closed eyes and a red stripe encircling its belly. "Little Baltoy, your partner has arrived. Remember your mission to protect and guide him in the future. Do not worry about the timing; you will know when," the man instructed. The Baltoy responded with a simple "Baltoy," which meant [Very well, Lord Felmos,] and disappeared in a flash of light. "Now, I should start my walk back to town; young Sheena must be worried sick," Felmos murmured as he turned and walked towards a nearby stairway.
- Back with Tyson's group
Taking the left path, Tyson, Alice, Gligar, and Infernape soon emerged from the mountain, finding themselves on the northeastern side of the range. The cave's exit led to a stone bridge connecting to the neighboring mountain. Tyson looked across and asked Gligar, "So, are we crossing from here, girl?" Gazing at their surroundings, Gligar glanced towards the peak of the adjacent mountain and responded, "Gli Gli," [Look up, there they are] while pointing her claw skyward. Looking up at the peak of the neighboring mountain, the group observed several figures soaring through the sky. Watching their flight pattern, Tyson remarked, "Yep, those are Gligar; that mountain's peak must be their territory. "Something seems a bit strange," Tyson noted that many of the figures also resembled birds. As he was about to analyze them further, Gligar tugged at his pant leg with her claw, pointed forward, and chirped excitedly, "Gli Gli!" [Let's go, I want to see them].
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Tyson chuckled in response, "Alright, alright, no need to rush; we have to be careful." Meanwhile, Alice, looking towards the figures soaring in the sky, added, "So those are Gligar, huh?" and in response Tyson spoke "Yes, that's the herd. Let's get going and stay alert,". The group started to cross the bridge, remaining vigilant of their surroundings. Suddenly, Infernape halted, its head flame wavering in the wind. It turned, spotting a figure soaring toward Tyson and Alice.
Infernape leaped between the figure and the two youths, pulling back its fist as flames engulfed its knuckles. It thrust its fist forward, colliding with the figure and creating a shockwave that shook the bridge. 'What the-' Tyson's thought was cut short as he took in the spectacle before him. Grasping the peril, he swiftly started running towards the other side of the bridge, dragging Alice, Gligar and Prinplup with him. As they made their escape, Infernape and the figure broke apart, with the former swiftly regaining its stance on the bridge to confront their assailant.
Infernape studied their attacker, taking in its distinct features. The creature had a silver-gray body, complemented by a long, metallic blue neck, legs, and tail. A loud "Skar!" echoed as the figure roared, unveiling itself as a large Skarmory, distinguished by a scar on its belly—a souvenir from a past battle. As Infernape faced the Skarmory, it let out a fierce roar, the flame atop its head flaring up. Tyson and Alice reached the opposite end of the bridge, breaths coming in panicked gasps. Tyson looked back in exasperation, thinking, 'A Skarmory, again? It's as if there's some age-old feud between me and the Skarmory kind that defies time and space.'
"Damn that bird, it nearly killed us!" Alice screamed furiously, glaring at the Skarmory. "Infernape, reduce that oversized steel turkey to a pile of slag!" she commanded. Almost on cue, Infernape opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful Flamethrower towards Skarmory, who flinched before swiftly dodging to the side. Gaining distance from Infernape, Skarmory roared in anger, its wings glowing bright white as it began fanning them back and forth, unleashing a torrent of crescent-shaped slashes at Infernape.
As the attack neared, Infernape's fists were once again engulfed in flames, swatting away the oncoming assaults with great speed. "Fast... to be able to deflect attacks like that is beyond impressive," Tyson analyzed before continuing, "Though, it's a bit random for a Skarmory to show up and attack us... unless..." Reflecting on the sight of the flying Gligar earlier, Tyson remembered that some of the figures had a bird-like shape. "Unless this is a turf war," Tyson said, startling both Alice and Gligar. Alice repeated in confusion, "A turf war?" Tyson explained, "Earlier, when we were watching the Gligar, I noticed some bird-like figures. They must be a group of Skarmory attacking the Gliscor herd to claim their territory."
"Oh no," Alice exclaimed in shock, then continued, "We have to help them!" Beside her, Gligar nodded in agreement, chirping, "Gli Gli" [Yes, we must help my family]. Beside them, Prinplup also nodded in agreement, uttering "Prin, Prinplup," which meant, [Yes, royal cook, you must assist them]. As the three girls looked at Tyson with pleading eyes, Tyson thought, 'Interrupting a turf war is suicide! Are they kidding me? And we have to face multiple Skarmory and possibly Gligar or Gliscor, depending on how they react to our interference,' before sighing deeply. "Fine, but first, we need to investigate the situation and devise a plan. No playing the hero, understood?" Tyson said, to which Alice immediately replied, "Yeah, yeah, I get it; you sound just like Leo."
Shaking his head, Tyson redirected his focus to the ongoing battle on the bridge where Skarmory and Infernape were clashing. After deflecting all of Skarmory's attacks, Infernape slowly raised its hand, gesturing with its finger and taunting, "Bring it on." Tyson observed this and thought, 'Taunt? Interesting, he must be trying to provoke a close-range attack.' Fortunately, Infernape's taunt was successful, as Skarmory let out an angry roar and charged, its wings shining bright white. Infernape took a stance, its fist crackling with electricity, waiting for Skarmory. As Skarmory dove in, Infernape swiftly delivered a thunderous punch which echoed a loud bang, sending the steel bird crashing into the mountainside. Not allowing Skarmory to recover Infernape followed up with a Flamethrower aimed at the downed bird.
Struggling to recover, Skarmory couldn't evade the incoming Flamethrower. The flames engulfed its body, causing it to lose consciousness and fall to the ground. With a huff, Infernape turned and returned to the group at the far end of the bridge. "Good job Infernape, you roasted that bird" Alice smiled as Tyson nodded in agreement before adding "Sadly we don't have time to celebrate, we need to make our way to the top of the mountain. After quickly briefing Infernape, the group decided to investigate the conflict between the Skarmory and Gliscor.
They commenced their ascent to the mountain's peak along the mountain side, adhering to the designated trail. As the group neared the summit, they witnessed a fierce battle between a massive Gliscor and a Skarmory. The two giants were locked in combat, each unleashing powerful attacks to subdue the other. Observing this, Tyson thought to himself, 'This is going to be tough,' while glancing at Gligar, who was perched on his shoulder. "Remember, girl, we investigate first, then we assist," Tyson reminded Gligar, who nodded in understanding. The group pressed on, observing numerous Gligar and Skarmory engaged in skirmishes along the path. Tyson, however, cautioned against intervening before fully assessing the situation.
Upon reaching the summit, the group quickly took cover behind nearby rocks to evade the ongoing crossfire. Tyson, peering out, observed the raging battle, only to be taken off guard when a shadow plummeted to the ground from above. Examining the figure the group noted that it was the Skarmory from earlier who was cast from the sky. "Looks like the Gliscor have the advantage" only for Alice to chime in "Thats good, though why are they being attacked in the first place".
In response to her question, Tyson explained, "Skarmory are highly territorial and generally aggressive, but they usually focus on defending their territory rather than attacking others. There must be an attractant here, or perhaps someone's actions have displaced the Skarmory from their home." He remembered the previous year when a rogue Pokémon team's activities had wreaked havoc in the mountains, stealing eggs and inciting fury among the Pokémon. Consequently, it had become perilous for anyone below rank five to traverse the tunnels. Unfortunately, Gliscor's advantage was short-lived as it was quickly encircled by a group of Skarmory, who had split from their own battles to aid their leader. Seeing this Tyson thought 'Shit, we can't let the Gliscor leader fall, or this feud will go south'.