[@Pikmin Eye]

Heatmor stared squarely at Martin as he returned Goldeen and made his apology, and kept watching him until he was a bit away before turning back to its ants. Seemed like Martin had gotten away without being pursued.

Going deeper into Vast Underground, he quickly found out that what just had happened wasn’t anywhere close to an isolated incident. There were Durants running around, digging and climbing walls, and every so often there were Heatmors pursuing them. There were far more Durants than there were Heatmors, many holes too small for Heatmor but just right for Durant, but that didn’t mean the Heatmors had any trouble finding ways to get what they wanted. They torched tunnels, causing the Durants to flee, and the Heatmors took advantage…

The levels on the Heatmors varied dramatically. Some appeared far more powerful than others, while others weren’t quite as intimidating, and the latter were more likely to be in a group of other Heatmors of similar level. But, for Martin this meant that although he perhaps made the right choice not to engage the last Heatmor, it didn’t mean all of them were above his level. It just meant that if he wanted to engage one, he might want to make it escape a smaller pack, first.

Huh. This rock looks peculiar.

[center][color=6ecff6][i]Martin found an Everstone![/i][/color][/center]

… So, as he wandered, Martin might realize he faced a gigantic crossroad. The “main path” was branching off, gigantic halls of darkness dug out from a huge explance of rock. In the direction to the left, he could hear the flow of running water. To his right, the air felt a bit colder. And straight ahead was… a deep echoing noise, something smashing against something else, something [i]powerful[/i].

Alright. What would Martin do now? The crossroad would still be here if he decided to hunt Pokémon instead.

[hider=Vast Underground Progress][img]https://i.imgur.com/6iUzTth.png[/img][/hider]

__________________________

[@Rune_Alchemist]

The Absol came to a stop, some distance away from the clones but keeping his eyes focused on Ralia where she had landed after jumping off him. Then, Ralia made her Growl. Stefan looked mildly annoyed at his slightly reduced Attack.

[color=d6d2a9]‘… Right. Leer!’[/color] Yvonne commanded from the other side, and Stefan aimed a particularly penetrating stare at Ralia, decreasing her defenses. A Leer for a Growl, bringing things back to an equal level. 

[color=d6d2a9]‘Alright. Now let’s dodge the last move, and then you know what to do,’[/color] Yvonne commanded with authority, frowning with her muscles a bit tense, looking at Ralia.

[color=5d6d8f]‘Absol.’[/color] Stefan confirmed, nodding as the two faced against Ralia, keeping an eye on where the real one was.

Penultimate exchange complete. Last moves.