Underground Cavern (Night)

'It feels like we've been walking for hours.' Taylor mentally complained. As it turned out, she wasn't just in a cave. She was in a gigantic cavern teeming with Pokemon she'd never seen before. She knew just by looking at them that she stood no chance with how weak she and Nymble were. Thankfully, they seemed intimidated by Mimikyu. And frankly, she wasn't surprised.

She once watched Dominic battle using Mimikyu. The two of them won in a single Move, without taking any damage at all. The wild Pokemon here might be able to sense its strength, and refrain from attacking because of it.

Eventually, the two of them found a way out of the cave. What they found outside was amazing. It was a giant crater with a cloud of smoke at the bottom. Another odd trait of this place was the color. Even in Cortondo, which was surrounded in grassy fields, the green color decorating the terrain was nowhere near as bright as it was here. There were also crystals growing from the earth that looked almost identical to Tera Jewels. In short, the crater was beautiful.

'Is this the Great Crater everyone's been talking about?' Taylor wondered. To her knowledge, there was a giant crater in the center of Paldea, also known as Area Zero. Because of how dangerous it was, it was forbidden to enter. She didn't have all the details, but there were some rumors in the Academy about weird Pokemon that resided here. The sound of Mimikyu's unmistakable voice alerted Taylor to the Disguise Pokemon's current behavior. Its eyes were sparkling brightly as it gazed intently at the smoke cloud below them. There was only one reason Mimikyu would do this. "Is Dominic down there?" Taylor asked. The small Pokemon 'nodded', if you could call it that, in response. "How are we supposed to get all the way down there? It looks like a mile-long drop!"

Mimikyu quieted after that, looking around the area for something. After a few seconds, it found what it was looking for. It rushed straight forward, forcing Taylor to follow it. Eventually, she was led to an old laboratory that was overrun by plants and vines. The doors' motion sensor detected Mimikyu and opened, allowing it and Taylor to enter. The inside of the lab wasn't any better than the outside, as most of the machinery was broken or simply not there. In the corner, there was a worn-down bed.

"What are we supposed to do here?" Taylor wondered aloud. When she turned to face Mimikyu, she saw the small Pokemon jumping up and down on a circular pad on the floor. Curious, Taylor stepped onto the pad. As soon as she did, bright light filled her vision. When the light faded, she and Mimikyu were in a new location. It was a lab almost identical to the one she came from, but with a very important difference. There were crystals everywhere, and she could hear the sounds of a battle coming from the other side of the doors.

"Great Tusk, Earthquake!" Dominic's voice commanded, followed shortly after by what Taylor could only describe as an elephant yelling.

The doors opened, and what Taylor saw was nothing short of crazy. She was now in another cave system, but one with massive crystals growing from the Earth. But those didn't even register in her mind. She was focused on Dominic, Great Tusk, and the Pokemon they were battling. It looked like a robot moth, if that made sense. 'Can robot Pokemon even exist?' Taylor wondered as the mechanical being shot swirling blasts of fire at Great Tusk. The quadrupled Pokemon was unfamiliar to her, but it looked kind of like another Pokemon she saw a classmate train with in Battle Studies. Donphan, if her memory was correct.

"It's not going down, no matter how much we hit it." Dominic said, breathing heavily. "I don't think we can win like this. We have to find a way to restrain it, and then we wail on it with Earthquake." Great Tusk seemed to contemplate these words before nodding in understanding. "Good, please return." Dominic brought out an Ultra Ball and sent the Paradox Pokemon into it just as Taylor and Mimikyu ran to his side. "What the heck are you two doing here!?" he asked, unaware that they were down here with him.

"I don't even know where here is!" Taylor shot back. "I just woke up in a cave, then Mimikyu led me here."

"That explains a lot." Dominic said, looking up at the bug-like Pokemon floating in the air. "We don't have a lot of time to chat, but I need Mimikyu's help to take on Iron Moth."

"Iron Moth? That's its name?" Taylor asked, following her classmate's gaze to the Paradox Pokemon. "It looks like a robot, or some sort of UFO."

"You're not the first person to think that. But I assure you, Iron Moth is a living thing." Dominic said. He crouched down to Mimikyu's level. "Ready?" he asked, to which the Disguise Pokemon cheerfully obliged. "It's a Fire and Poison Type, so we have to watch out for Status Conditions. With this in mind, start the show with Phantom Force!" In a plume of purple smoke, Mimikyu vanished. After a few moments, it reappeared behind Iron Moth and struck it with its claw. Almost immediately after, the Paradox Pokemon turned around and blasted Mimikyu with another spiral-shaped burst of flame, sending it crashing into the ground below.

It stood back up, still able to battle. Unfortunately, its Disguise broke, causing the head to sag limply over the neck.

"AGH!" Taylor screamed. "What happened to Mimikyu's neck!?"

"Don't worry, that's just its Ability." Dominic said, trying to calm down his classmate. "Disguise allows Mimikyu to be hit with any attack once per battle without taking damage. It's a big reason why we won against Ultra Necrozma." Livid at its precious Disguise being Busted, Mimikyu's body became shrouded in a pitch-black aura that permeated everything around it. "Let's show Iron Moth what true power really is! Ready?" Mimikyu turned back to its trainer and nodded, knowing what the blonde was planning.

Dominic reached into his jacket pocket and got out a black and white bracelet with a beige crystal embedded inside, which he then put on his wrist. The boy crossed his arms in front of his torso, an action that was mirrored by his Pokemon.

"Can you hear it? The blazing fire deep in your Soul?" Dominic asked his partner as he continued the pose sequence. "Now is the time to let that fire out!" Bright light surged from the Z-Crystal and into Mimikyu. "Show the audience what you're made of! Let's Snuggle Forever!"

Its eyes sparkling, Mimikyu jumped onto the side of one of the large crystals in the cavern, then climbed to the top. Once it reached the top, it jumped down until it was close enough to attack. Using its claws, the Disguise Pokemon pulled Iron Moth into its costume. After it was trapped inside, Iron Moth was repeatedly punched from all sides until the Z-Power left Mimikyu's body. It was then let out, but with only enough energy to remain levitating a few inches off the ground.

"Now, to catch it." Dominic said, rummaging through his pockets. After a minute of searching, his face went pale. "Oh, now I remember." Yesterday, he sold all of his Poke Balls so he could buy a limited edition Fire Tera Phone Case. Filled with dread, he watched as Iron Moth started to emit electricity. "TAYLOR, WATCH OUT!" he yelled, running to his classmate's side.

In a burst of light, the entire area became electrified. As a result, Iron Moth's wings started to glow brighter.

"What's happening!?" Taylor asked, scared.

"Quark Drive. It's an Ability that boosts Iron Moth's power on Electric Terrain." Dominic explained. "You're going to have to catch it before it attacks again."

"What!? Are you serious!?" the girl asked.

Seeing the two converse, Iron Moth blasted the students with another spiral of flame. Dominic was about to protect his friend, but was beaten to the punch. Nymble came out of its Poke Ball and used Struggle Bug on the fire. While it did manage to hold the flames back for a few seconds, it was eventually engulfed by them.

"Nymble!" Taylor screamed, worried for her partner. As she sobbed uncontrollably, Iron Moth prepared another flame attack. The spiral of fire made its way to Taylor, who was too distraught to see it coming. Luckily, she didn't need to. Something ran to her aid and kicked the flames out of the way. When she opened her eyes, she saw a bipedal bug Pokemon with black skin, orange eyes, and hind legs folded on its back.

"Holy crap, Nymble Evolved!" Dominic exclaimed.

"What?" Taylor said, tears still in her eyes. Looking at the new Pokemon, she noticed many similarities between it and her partner.

"This is Lokix, a very powerful Pokemon famous for its kicks." Dominic said. Once it was sure its Trainer was safe, Lokix turned to face Iron Moth. Lime-green light filled the area as the Grasshopper Pokemon took a fighting stance. "I think it wants to battle for you. Why don't you try out one of its new Moves?" Dominic handed his Rotom Phone to Taylor, letting her see her partner's new moveset.

Looking through the available attacks, Taylor made her choice. "Use Bug Bite!" Entering Showdown Mode, Lokix lunged at Iron Moth and bit down on its face. The ensuing explosion sent the Paradox Pokemon flying into one of the giant crystals, unable to fight any longer.

"Time to catch it!" Dominic said.

Taking a deep breath, Taylor got out a Poke Ball. With all her might, she threw the device at Iron Moth. The orb made contact, and sucked in the mechanical Pokemon.

Taylor had caught Iron Moth.

AN: The next chapter will have more Worm elements. The real story is just beginning.