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"I think Lu sensed it before I did," Brian said, glancing at the Lucario as she nodded once. Yes, she was more in tune with her innate abilities, but Brian would get there eventually. Brian's eyes were never still as they continued, always on the alert for anything lurking in the shadows. Lu kept a close watch, as well, a bit uneasy in the dimly lit area. Neither she nor Brian were accustomed to areas like this, but both would adapt and thrive, if given a chance. Riley's voice breaking the silence caused Brian to jump a bit, turning to see the other man standing there, holding what looked like a Star Piece.

Something about the way Riley said 'hold it up to the light and get a better look' caught Brian's attention, and he immediately turned his attention to the shadows, feeling Riley was testing him somehow. Lu picked up on her trainer's wariness and did the same, her senses on high alert. There was something here, there had to be. What it was was anyone's guess at the moment, but as Brian looked at the Star Piece again, something clicked in his mind. Gem, cave, dimly lit area. What Pokemon loved places like this? Something seemed to shift as he felt something watching them, something that wanted that Star Piece. Keeping his eyes on the gem, he gave Lu a discreet signal. The Lucario had already picked up on the barest hint of emotion from something that had hardly any kind of presence. The next moment, Lu shot forward and struck out with a Steel-infused fist, aiming at the air directly above where Riley was holding the Star Piece. If this was the Pokemon he was thinking it was, Fighting-type moves wouldn't work on it.

Brian gave Riley a side-eyed look, knowing the man had been expecting this. He didn't say anything about it, however, instead turning his attention to the now-revealed Sableye. Ah, so he was right. It made sense, given it was a gem it was after. And with it being part Dark-type, Psychic-types wouldn't have been able to sense it. Lu looked at the Sableye as it gnashed its teeth at her, wondering if she was supposed to be intimidated by the gesture. What was supposed to be scary about that? It was smaller than she was. Then again, the typical rule was the smaller the Pokemon, the faster, and Sableye proved that with how fast it moved. Lu took the Shadow Claw to her chest, growling a bit as she backed up a few steps. She glanced at Brian to see him give a slight nod. "Extreme Speed," he said, and she shot forward as she utilized the attack. She wasn't aiming to hit the Sableye with the move, however; she utilized the speed of the attack to circle the Ghost/Dark-type. Hopefully, this would disorient the little gremlin, but anything could happen at this point. A moment later, she heard Brian's voice again. "Now!" he called, and there was a flash of blue as a Bone Rush materialized in her front paws, aiming for the Sableye as she circled around it.

Lu landed several hits before the Sableye decided it'd had enough and fled. She allowed the bone in her paws to dissipate, then glanced at Riley when he spoke. Brian bit back a retort, knowing it wouldn't help. "I had a feeling when ye said 'hold it up for a better look'," he said. "Ye're right, that's a great test for anyone who isn't expecting it. That being said, Sableye did take quite a beating, so I'm going to leave something behind for it, as a way of saying thanks." Pulling a small container out of his pack, he opened it and pulled out a few poffins that were made for Ghost-types, leaving them where the Sableye could see them, then replaced the container in his pack. He and Lu followed as Riley led them down another set of steps, both of them spotting the picnicker but not saying anything since Riley didn't seem worried about the girl. Was she here to train, too? It didn't seem likely, given she had a Staravia out with her.

The ground grew more rugged as they continued, making Brian wonder if they were going the right direction. Something was making both him and Lu uneasy, and as they stepped further onto the rugged ground, Lu stopped, making Brian stop with her. "Lu?" he asked. "What is it?" The Lucario didn't answer, instead closing her eyes as the appendages on the sides of her head lifted horizontally and began to vibrate. A moment later, she opened her eyes and gave a slight growl, a noise that told Brian she wasn't willing to go further. Kneeling down beside her, he placed a hand on the ground, noting that the ground at his feet felt off. Something was seriously wrong, and as he knelt there, he felt something flow from him into the ground. Curious, he closed his eyes to try and better sense what was going on. A moment later, he opened his eyes and looked at Riley. "We need to go back or around," he said, standing up. "The ground here is too thin to walk safely on."

Brian was a little incensed that Riley seemed to dismiss his words. True, the man might have traveled this path many times, but how long had it been since the last time he'd been here? And just because the miners didn't mine over here anymore didn't mean that wild Pokemon didn't weaken the floor with their movements. Speaking of which, he hadn't seen any wild Pokemon since the Sableye. He watched uneasily as Riley walked forward, not getting very far before the floor began to crack beneath him. Brian barely had time to think before he lunged forward, grabbing Riley's wrist and turning to push the man back toward where Lu was still standing as he took Riley's place. As he began to fall, however, one of his Pokeballs opened to reveal a normal-colored Kirlia. He'd sensed Brian's unease and chosen to act, utilizing his Psychic abilities to try and prevent his trainer falling. Unfortunately, with the Kirlia being only in his middle evolutionary stage, Chase wasn't strong enough on his own to bring Brian back to solid ground, but before his psychic grip could fail, Lu joined him and used Psychic, as well, Brian having had Chase teach her the move not long before coming to Iron Island. Hopefully the two working together would be enough to save Brian from falling into the abyss.

Brian found himself suspended in midair as Chase and Lu worked together to bring him back to solid ground. As another Lucario joined them, however, the two could immediately feel the power this Pokemon was giving off, telling them he was far more powerful than they were at the moment. The two realized this Lucario could have saved Brian on its own had it so chosen, but it instead aided them. When Brian was on his feet again, he looked at Riley as the man said they were never truly in danger. Seeing the man's Lucario, Brian could tell he was right. He didn't need a battle to see how powerful this one was. "Wait, ye were intending for that to happen?" Brian asked, incredulous. "I mean, I guess it makes sense, given ye've been testing me the entire time we've been in here. Still, I think my heart stopped for a second when I saw ye starting to fall."

He gave a slight shrug to Riley's comment about him being willing to put himself in danger for others. "Some might say I have a bit of a hero complex for doing it, but I think more people should have that kind of mindset," he said. "Lu was my first Pokemon, my starter, if ye will. I always thought our bond and how we sometimes act in sync was just a result of that, but finding out I've got latent Channeling abilities has opened my eyes to the possibility that it's something far deeper at work." He looked Riley in the eye and nodded at his final question. "Yes, I can forgive ye," he said. "I have to say, I'm eager to get started. I want to explore and find out just how far we can traverse this path."

Brian smiled at the interaction between Riley and his Lucario. The two obviously had a very close bond, as friendly as they were with each other. He and his Pokemon followed as Riley led them back the way they'd come, onto the well-traveled path they'd seen before. The three of them (Chase had chosen to stay out of his ball for the time being) got onto the lift after Riley, Brian having to grab the railing as he stumbled a bit from the shaking as the lift started to move. As they moved toward the bottom of the shaft, Brian had to wonder just what kind of training Riley had organized for them. His thoughts were interrupted when they reached the bottom, following Riley and his Lucario until they stopped at another fork in the path. So Riley wanted him and Lu to find the way forward again. Should be easy enough, but at the same time, anything could happen still. Brian walked over to one of the staircases and knelt to place his hand on the floor while Lu did the same with the other staircase.

Being in tune with her inner aura, Lu was easily able to pulse her aura into the path she was testing. Brian, on the other hand, wasn't quite as successful right away. He didn't know how he'd been able to do it the first time, so he wasn't sure what to do here. Then again, that had been a gut feeling back there, so perhaps that had something to do with it? Unfortunately, there was nothing here to tell him which way they needed to go, so he would have to rely on instinct. He cleared his mind of stray thoughts and went motionless for a few moments, trying to see if he could sense anything from the path he'd chosen. Lu couldn't feel anything from the one she'd chosen, so she closed her eyes as the appendages on the sides of her head vibrated again. Hmm, there didn't seem to be any kind of feedback from this side. She got up and walked over to Brian to see how he was doing.

Her trainer was still motionless, and as she approached him, she felt something she'd never felt from him before. He was beginning to learn how to access his aura, something that, to her knowledge, very few humans were able to do. She watched as he twitched a few times, seemingly knowing he couldn't brute force his way through this. Brian, somehow able to sense Lu behind him even without seeing her, ignored her presence for the moment, as he attempted to see what he could feel. A moment later, he felt what he could only describe as a block to his senses, and he opened his eyes as he stood up. He glanced briefly at Lu as he walked over to the other path to do the same, while Lu checked the one he'd been testing. After several moments, Brian stood back up and glanced at Lu before looking at Riley. "It's this one," he said, nodding toward the path Lu had chosen. "Not sure if what I felt was accurate, but I sensed what felt like some kind of block, maybe a wall, down that path." Lu gave a nod of agreement, having felt the wall her trainer was describing during her own check.

Brian gave a nod in response to Riley's question, the three of them following behind him and Lucario as they led the way. The wound of flapping wings startled Chase, alerting Brian and Lu to the flock of Zubat right as Riley called it out and hit the ground with his Lucario. Brian and his Pokemon did the same, barely avoiding the poisonous bats as they flew by overhead. Well, if that wasn't a sign they were on the right path, Brian didn't know what was. Once the flock had passed, they got up, ready to start again, but another cry from Riley had Brian spinning on his heel. For a few seconds, there was nothing, but Lu and Chase both took a ready stance as a Golbat showed up, unleashing Ghost-type energy. Recognizing the attack as Astonish, Brian made to duck, but Lu struck back with a Shadow Claw, aiming to dispel the energy to prevent Brian from getting hurt. Chase, seemingly ignored, hit the larger bat with a Confusion, aiming to disorient it long enough for Lu to take it out.