A handsome, ravenheaded youth approached the duo, talking Andrea out of her Bad Idea™. "Oops! You're right, that would be pretty dangerous. Let's not do that." The dragon-hooded girl concurred, while a relieved Barron wiped a bead of sweat off his metallic brow, knowing that he wouldn't have been able to dent that structure in the first place.

The draconic cosplayer examined the crystalline formation more closely, discovering a hole that was just big enough for an averagely sized human to fit though if they crawled on all fours. "Aha! This isn't just any old rock. It's a den!" She remarked with the passion of an explorer coming upon a groundbreaking discovery. "Wanna go in?" She proposed to the dark-haired man.

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Indeed, there was no way Barron could fit through that hole. Into the Pokéball he goes.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Ranger Man. I'm Andrea." The dragon-costumed girl introduced herself, while following after the man, her mind too pure and innocent to get distracted by his well-sculpted behind.

The inside of the den was like a kaleidoscope of sparkling minerals. True to the Ranger's suspicions, a herd of Excadrill seemed to have dug this cozy cave-within-a-cave originally, but the power of the Tera Crystals had transformed their home into something that looked out of this world.

The Excadrill seemed to have congregated around a pyramid-shaped mound of salt, atop which a glowing Tera Shard sat, radiating extraterrestrial energy. "Looks like they're guarding some kind of treasure..." Andrea whispered, hoping not to wake up the napping moles.

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If the duo wanted to get their hands on that sparkly treasure, they would have to be extra careful lest they stirred the cave's inhabitants, as Mr. Ranger Man pointed out.

"I see, so we'll have to be stealthy." Luckily, the dragon fanatic had just the right Pokémon for the job, letting a Dragapult out of its ball. "Could you get that crystal shard over there, Stella?" She requested.

Stella nodded, becoming fully invisible with her ghostly powers. She slithered past the barricade of sleeping Excadrill without making a sound. However, just before she could grab the Tera Shard, the entire mound of salt shook violently.

A pair of pixelated eyes shone. The sodium structure groggily rose from the ground, revealing itself to be a gargantuan, blocky golem that looked like it belonged in a completely different video game. "Whoa! What kind of Pokémon is that?!" Andrea exclaimed in shock.

The giant Garganacl hurled a volley of Stealth Rocks at Stella, forcing the ghostly salamander to reel backwards. The ruckus caused all the Excadrill and their young to awaken as well, glaring daggers at the two humans that had invaded their home.

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Retreat did seem like the smartest option, but alas, a Rock Tomb blocked the only exit to the cave. It looked like the duo had no choice but to fight for their lives, with Andrea's Aggron raising a barrier to Protect against an onslaught of Drill Runs, while her Dragapult fired its Dreepy missiles at the angered Excadrill.

The giant Garganacl consumed the Tera Shard, causing its blocky body to be coated in a crystalline sheen, while a blue gemstone shaped like a water fountain sprouted on top of its head. "It put on a crazy hat! That means it Terastallized!" Andrea cried out.

With its typing now changed to boast an advantage against its enemies, the salty golem fired a Water-type Tera Blast against Ghost's Steelix.

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While Steelix swiftly dealt with some of the Excadrill, Andrea's Aggron was no slouch either, Autotomizing in order to greatly boost his speed, before ramming into the Garganacl with a devastating Head Smash, cracking its crystalline armor.

No longer affected by the Terastal phenomenon, the blocky golem stumbled backwards, prompting the rest of the Excadrill that hadn't fainted yet to rush to its aid. That Garganacl was apparently their ringleader, as strange as it seemed.

With that momentary distraction, the group finally had an opening to attempt to escape. Stella the Dragapult phased through the walls, removing all the rocks that blocked the exit in order to allow the humans to pass through.

Once they had finally made it out, Andrea recalled her companions, before sighing in relief. "Phew... That was intense! But also fun! I wonder what was up with that weird-looking Pokémon. It looked more like a stack of bricks than a living creature." The dragon-costumed girl mused.

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