A strange silence filled the cave.
Different diamonds fell to the ground, or it was the sound produced by the small Carbink bumping into each other.
The little Carbink finally reacted and gathered together.
They looked at Cain with wary expressions.
At last, they remembered the terrifying creatures their elders had often mentioned.
But these didn't seem as frightening as the elders had described.
The small Carbink, with their tiny bodies gathered in one place, looked like a cluster of shining, sparkling diamonds.
When Drapion and the others saw these little creatures, they let out a sigh of relief.
These tiny Pokémon not only didn't seem threatening but also didn't exude any sense of danger.
They looked more like a pile of minerals.
Cain had no malicious intent.
If any Pokémon can sense malice, the top candidates would be Psychic-types, followed closely by Fairy-types.
Although the Fairy type hadn't been officially revealed, some battles and studies suggested its existence.
Cain wondered if, once he left Mythical Island, he could nudge the Alliance toward officially announcing the Fairy type.
However, that thought was fleeting. Right now, he had a group of little Carbink in front of him.
As Rock- and Fairy-types, Carbink aren't very strong in battles, but their defense is exceptional.
They have base stats of 150 in both physical and special defense. The rest of their stats are quite average, with 50 in each.
However, Carbink's weaknesses are also evident: a glaring 4x weakness to Steel, along with 2x weaknesses to Ground, Water, and Grass, making them easy to counter.
While they have 2x resistances to Normal, Flying, Bug, Fire, and Dark, Carbink really aren't suitable for combat.
This confirmed what Cain had suspected all along: the existence of a group of Carbink.
Only a Pokémon like Carbink could regularly produce uniformly high-quality diamonds and generate large quantities of premium minerals.
If Cain could capture an entire group of Carbink, he could solve Aron and Larvitar's food problem once and for all.
If that happened, Cain's biggest burden would be lifted, and the pressure on him would be significantly reduced.
After all, the amount of food Aron and Larvitar consume is astounding. Cain was already mentally preparing to resume his work as a hunter and earn money frantically to feed them once he left Mythical Island.
But he never expected to encounter a group of Carbink here, and from the looks of it, the group wasn't small.
Carbink are native to the Kalos region and aren't particularly rare there.
But while they're not very rare, that doesn't mean they're cheap or common.
Due to their cute appearance and the diamonds on their bodies, Carbink are very popular among wealthy young women and are highly prized by women in general.
Owning a Carbink is a status symbol, akin to showing off a designer handbag or exclusive lipstick.
For this reason, although Carbink aren't scarce, their price on the black market is incredibly high.
Initially, Cain had planned to buy a group of Carbink to produce food for Aron and Larvitar. But after doing some research, he realized that buying a few wouldn't be a problem, but acquiring them in large numbers was far too expensive.
Moreover, since there weren't many on the market, he would also face disapproval from the aristocratic young women who collected them.
The cost was too high, so Cain abandoned the idea.
He never imagined he would find them on Mythical Island.
Carbink aren't particularly strong in battles. Even if an elite-level Carbink appeared, Cain wouldn't be too worried; the worst that could happen is a stalemate.
But there was one thing that did concern Cain.
A Pokémon considered legendary, a kind of mutation of Carbink.
In the Kalos region, there are several legends about this Pokémon.
When a group of Carbink grows large enough, a mutation can occur, and that mutation is Diancie.
It is the king of all Carbink.
Neither Carbink nor Diancie have a gender.
Although Diancie has a feminine appearance, it is actually genderless.
Diancie is a mutation of Carbink and shares the same typing: Rock and Fairy.
But unlike Carbink, Diancie has significant offensive power.
With 600 base stats, Diancie can hold its own against pseudo-legendary Pokémon without much trouble.
Additionally, Diancie can Mega Evolve, giving it far greater potential than ordinary Carbink.
Although Diancie is considered a legendary Pokémon, it doesn't have a divine role.
It's similar to legendary Pokémon like the legendary birds, where while there may be more than one of their species, only one holds a divine role.
Diancie is quite similar.
In a large group of Carbink, only one mutation can occur. And only after that king dies can another arise.
If this group of Carbink isn't very large, Cain wouldn't be worried.
With around a hundred Carbink, the conditions for a mutation to occur still wouldn't be met.
But if more Carbink were hidden deeper in the cave and a Diancie appeared, Cain would definitely retreat.
In that case, he would immediately report it to Team Rocket, and someone else would handle the group.
After all, Diancie is much rarer than a pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
And Diancie doesn't need to be trained from scratch; once it reaches the appropriate level, it already has formidable power.
Cain could demand a portion of the Carbink in exchange for the information, which would be acceptable.
Of course, that would only happen if a Diancie appeared and Cain couldn't defeat it.
But if he encountered a newly transformed Diancie, Cain would likely dream of striking it rich.
Because Diancie has a unique ability: it can produce Carbink.
Carbink are asexual, so for a new one to be born, an older Carbink must make a great sacrifice, and it can only produce one in its lifetime—a process similar to cell division.
However, Diancie can create Carbink infinitely, as long as it has enough energy.
That means owning a Diancie is like having an entire kingdom of Carbink, an endless supply of minerals and diamonds, and, consequently, limitless resources.
Cain could then train as many Pokémon as he wanted without worrying about resources.