I asked the system what with the grade in the appraisal and was slightly surprised to learn that special stones like this hardstone or an evolution stone such as a fire stoually have different levels of effectiveness and are thus graded. The lowest grade was 1 a that the item was barely capable of fulfilling the minimum requirement to t as a graded item. Grade 2 was the most on and average level of item that fulfilled the requirements and if it was a high grade 2 had a little extra.-

  In this regard the hardstone I just got was a high grade 2 item si helped mastering rock type moves. Grade 3 items had the same bes of a grade 2 but improved by a certain amount. Grade 4 items were rare and had an additional effect beyond to grade 2 and 3 versions in boosting stats. Grade 5 and the sed highest grade were super rare and had much stronger effects than a grade 4. Finally there was grade 6 items that were so rare you had a better ce of winning the lottery than finding one.-

  Uhe previous grades however grade 6 items were not only far more powerful thahers but also had the unique feature of filling their surroundings with deype energy making them fiercely guarded treasures by the nearby pokemon. For evolution stones however this was much simpler as the higher the grade the strohe pokemon after evolution. Grade 6 evolution items still filled their surroundings with type energy however. I didn't mind the fairly low grade of the hardstone I found though sireasure is treasure to me. Having already fully explored this first area of the cave system Gaia and I headed to the sed one we found earlier.-

  This one was different than the previous area as there was the sharp spikes on the ceiling showing that this part had water in it somewhere. There was also a noticeable increase in pokemon with Geodude , Graveler , Aron , iron , Paras and Parasect visible just from the entrahanks to the torches light. The more timid species like the Aron quickly fled the light while the others merely looked at it curious or hostilely. 'Appraise' I thought while looking at each of these visible pokemon and started to get a read on how strong they were.-

  I was surprised to see that the average level amongst them was between fifteen and twenty. The Paras fled the light but the Parasects were trolled by the mushrooms on their backs and thus wao attack at o ecifically four of them that were levels fifteen , seventeen , seventeen aeen respectively, "Gaia sandstorm and iron defense!" I called and she obliged glowing brown as the localized sandstorm formed a bit strohan her previous ones. Following that her body shone silver for a moment as her carapace hardehanks to the steel type energy.-

  The first of the four Parasect arrived immediately after these preparations were plete and glowed purple on it's right front cw. "Dodge that it's poison!" I call out and Gaia quickly avoids the glowing cw before using bite on it's head decapitating it without her toug it. The level fifteen now out of the picture the two level seventeeer the outskirts of the sandstorm. "Avoid to the best of your ability and try ahem to attack each other if you since you're faster then them!" I order and Gaia moves between both of the Parasect before leaping to the side as they try to attack her instead attag each other.-

  The mushrooms trolling them didn't posses a lot of intelligence as they began fighting amongst themselves viciously taking heavy damage each. I didn't eveo give Gaia any orders as she finished off one of them that was on it's st legs and theher that hadn't been able to react yet. Unfortuhe final Parasect arrived as she did so and hit her with a dark green barb that caused yellow energy to flow through the air and into it.-

  Gaia grunted in pain at the leech life but swiped the barb off of her and turo face the st oppo. "Sandstain and then keep your distance , let the storm wear it down!" I ordered and Gaia didn't hesitate to double down on the sandstorm. This was the biggest differeween the game ay in terms of this move , it stacked iy. The storm went from thin and barely damaging to hard to see and stinging winds that slowly scour away at you in an instant. The stupid mushroom k was taking damage but couldn't tell why a haywire attag the wind and sand around it recklessly like there was some sort of hidden attacker.-

  Gaia waited patiently for the bug zombie to start wobbling from physical exhaustion before dash towards it and ending the fight with a decisive bite. "Good waia you were great!" I plimented her and she rumbled happily. She let the sandstorm fade and I stepped forward to check the bodies since I remembered that these thing sometimes had a tiny mushroom on them. I smiled as I found a faintly glowing e and red mushroom underh one of the bodies.-

  I plucked it and stored it away si could be used as a rare food ingredient as far as I remembered from the games. The Geodude , Graveler and Lairon had decided as a group that they didn't want any trouble after watg how Gaia killed those Parasect with almost no injury. Gaia wao get some training in but I vinced her that making an enemy of every pokemon in a cave we were still expl was a bad idea. I offered an oran berry to the stronger members of these species for a spar instead which tempted a level twenty Lairon to spar with Gaia.-

  It opened up by using iron defense and harden back to back raising it's defense by three levels but I had Gaia use screech to lower it down to one. As it turns out screech is exactly how you would expect it to be as Gaia screamed at the Lairon while her throat was glowing white. White energy waves flew through he air and struck the Lairon and it shuddered a bit causing it's defeo drop. Gaia then used Sandstorm for the boost to evasion followed by bite to try and deal some damage.-

  The Lairon dodged to the side of her attad used headbutt to crash into Gaia's side making her grunt in pain before tg her jaws around the Lairon's ned squeezing , hard. The Lairon cried out in pain and she released it si had admitted defeat. I handed over the oran berry as promised and the Lairo us happily as if the defeat didn't bother it at all. I checked Gaia's level and saw that after those Parased this st fight she had reached fourteen. sidering she was out leveled by all of her oppos however this was to be expected. Her size and high stats covered that gap for her perfectly though.