Ash's Story (Part 6: Unova)

Chapter 49: Electric Threads

Mistralton Cave was quieter than I expected after Cobalion's warning. The entrance stood behind us like a mouth cut into old stone, and the air inside felt cool, dry, and forgotten.

Eve looked around the empty passage and frowned. "This place sure is empty."

"Two years ago, Mistralton Cave was home to Cobalion," I said, keeping my voice low because the cave carried every sound. "Ever since Cobalion left, most people nearby mostly forgot this place."

Iris did not look sad about the emptiness for long. A small cry echoed from deeper inside, and Axew immediately perked up in her arms.

"Axew?" Iris whispered, then her eyes lit up. "There are Axew here!"

We followed the sound through a narrow stone path, past claw marks carved into old walls. Several wild Axew were gathered near river-smoothed rocks, sharpening their tusks and testing little charges against each other.

Iris crouched at once, delighted. Her own Axew jumped down and ran toward them, waving his tiny arms as if he had found a whole cave full of cousins.

Iris's Axew's meaning came bright and amazed. "Many tusks. Many friends. I am not small alone."

Iris laughed softly. "See? This is great for him."

One Axew stood apart from the others. He kept charging a rough stone pillar, striking with both tusks, then staggering back when the impact shook him harder than the rock. A larger wild Fraxure watched nearby, not cruelly, but with the strict patience of someone waiting for a student to understand.

"That Axew wants to battle," Alice said.

"He wants to be strong before he knows how," Eve added quietly.

The small Axew heard us and turned, cheeks puffing with offended pride. He charged toward me, but tripped over uneven stone before reaching my shoes. Iris's Axew rushed to help him up.

The wild Axew shook him off, embarrassed, and pointed one tusk toward me.

Cilan smiled gently. "A young Dragon-type flavor, sharp with pride and still undercooked."

"Iris?" I asked. "Can you help me understand him without making him feel mocked?"

Iris nodded seriously. "Dragon types hate when people treat small as weak."

She walked to the Axew and crouched, meeting his eyes. "You want to prove your tusks can protect others, right?"

The Axew stared at her, then nodded once.

Wild Axew's meaning came stubborn and hot. "Small tusks still cut. Small body still stands."

"I believe you," I said. "But standing also means learning when the cave is stronger than you."

A rumble moved through the floor before the Axew could answer. Stone cracked near the river passage, and several younger Axew cried as loose rocks tumbled toward their training spot.

"Carracosta, brace the wall!" I called.

Carracosta appeared and slammed his shell against the falling stones. The wild Fraxure pushed the younger Axew back, but the stubborn Axew darted forward instead of away, trying to strike a boulder rolling toward Iris's partner.

"Axew, use your tusks together!" Iris shouted.

The small Axew crossed his tusks in a sharp double strike, hitting the stone twice in a clean rhythm. The boulder cracked enough for Carracosta to shove it aside.

Move Dex Updated — Ash and Alice's Shared Unova Record

Dual Chop — Dragon type. The user strikes twice with tusks, claws, or dragon-charged force, using two connected blows to break through a target's guard.