1. Ash's Story (Part 10: Galar)

Chapter 90: The Max Lair

The Max Lair swallowed sound differently from any cave I had entered before.

Our rental Poké Balls felt light in my hand, but the air around them felt heavy with Galar particles. Pikachu and our own Pokémon were waiting safely near the entrance because the scientist had been clear. Inside this place, using unprepared partners could make the adventure dangerous for everyone.

Pikachu had not liked that rule, but he had accepted it because he understood why it mattered. I could still see him near the storage rail behind us, watching with tense ears while the scientist checked each rental ball. It was not easy to walk forward without him, but protecting him sometimes meant trusting him to wait.

A quiet rental Trainer joined us as the fourth member, holding an Unfezant's Poké Ball close to her chest. She introduced herself only as someone assigned to support first-time groups, which told me she was probably used to Trainers panicking once the cave began changing around them.

I had Dedenne. Alice had Torkoal. Elena still looked strange without her own team at her side, but she held Persian's Poké Ball with steady care.

The scientist's warning followed me even after the entrance disappeared behind the bend. Rental Pokémon were not weaker just because they were temporary, but the bond was different. I did not know Dedenne's habits yet, and Dedenne did not know the small shifts in my voice that Pikachu understood before I finished speaking.

That meant we had to build trust quickly. Not the kind built over years, but the kind made from listening the first time. I crouched beside Dedenne before the first fork and offered my hand, palm open.

"We are partners until we get out," I said. "I will not treat you like a tool."

Dedenne touched my finger with both paws, and the spark that jumped between us felt like agreement.

Alice did the same with Torkoal, while Elena adjusted Persian's collar carefully. Even the assigned Trainer smiled, and some of the entrance tension loosened.

Two paths opened ahead. One shimmered with purple shadows. The other pulsed with pale light.

"Ghost or Psychic," I said.

Elena studied the Ghost path. "Persian is Normal type, so Ghost attacks will not trouble it much. The problem is that my useful attack is Play Rough."

Alice glanced at Torkoal. "Torkoal can handle pressure if we choose carefully. I think Ghost is better than walking straight into Psychic tricks with no idea what comes next."

Dedenne twitched its whiskers toward the Ghost path, sparks tight against its cheeks, "This cave is too loud with power, so I will listen through the electricity."

"Then Ghost path it is," I said.

The tunnel shifted as soon as we chose. The Psychic light dimmed behind a wall of stone, while the Ghost path widened just enough for the four of us to continue. The Max Lair did not feel like a place with fixed roads. It felt like something that wanted us to commit before revealing the next step.

The first chamber opened around us like a hollowed-out den, and a Haunter drifted from the darkness with a wide grin.

I immediately noticed the problem. Haunter was Ghost and Poison, which meant Dedenne had no easy advantage. Elena's Persian could ignore some Ghost pressure, but Haunter could still use other attacks.

"I will take the first Dynamax," Alice said.

Torkoal rumbled forward as Alice raised the rental Dynamax Band. Red energy wrapped around him until his shell rose huge beneath the cavern ceiling. Heat rolled outward, pushing the cave's damp chill away.