Part 3

"We're here!" Torchic cheered. She stood up and headed towards the cave's entrance. The Pokémon all stood up and followed Torchic inside.

Once inside, two Golbats stopped them.

"Stop!" The first Golbat said. "You shall go no further."

"No further!" The second Golbat added.

"Well that isn't going to work." Grimer told them. "See we need to go further. See my friend is ill and we need to get through so that we can get a berry to cure him. So if you guys move, we'd be gladly appreciative."

"You can pass." The first Golbat stated. Grimer and Mudkip sighed in relief.

"Oh, thank you guys! For a moment, I thought you wouldn't let us pass. I thought we'd have to…"

"If you can answer three riddles." The first Golbat continued. The second Golbat flew in Grimer's face.

"Three riddles!" He repeated.

"Oh sure!" Grimer responded. "Fire away."

"Okay," The first Golbat began. "A merchant just sold a Chatot to a trainer. The Chatot was only a baby and didn't know any words yet. The seller told the trainer that Chatot will repeat any words it hears. However, a week passed and the Chatot hadn't learned any words. The trainer complained but the seller refused a refund. Why didn't the Chatot speak? This riddle has been presented to you by the Golbat Twins."

"The Golbat Twins!" The second Golbat echoed.

"Hmm," Grimer pondered. "Now let's see, Chatot didn't speak because it was…uh, mute?"

"It didm't wamt to?" Pichu guessed.

"A Pokémon stole its voice and it got sealed in a bottle?" Torchic suggested.

"It died before it could speak its first word?" Treecko put in.

"No, no and no." The first Golbat said.

"I got it!" Mudkip piped up. Everybody looked at her. "The Chatot couldn't speak because it was deaf. It didn't hear the words being spoken."

"Right!" The first Golbat said. Grimer and friends cheered.

"Congrats Mudkip!" Grimer congratulated.

"Riddle number 2!" Said the first Golbat.

"Riddle number 2!" The second repeated.

"What is once in a minute, twice in a moment and never in a thousand years?"

"What?" Grimer asked. "Are you speaking English?"

"I think they are." Torchic told him. "I know every word he said…I just don't get it.""

"Not me neither." Pichu agreed, scratching his head. "The question's too complimacated."

"Look." Grimer told the Golbats. "Why not ask a simpler question? One that we all know. Please?"

"If you don't answer this, you will be not be able to pass and rescue your friend."

"Can't rescue your friend!" Golbat 2 said.

"Look," Grimer continued. "I'm sure we can work this out. How can you possibly know that we mig…."

"The letter M." Mudkip blurted out.

"Right!" Golbat 1 said.

"Correct!" Golbat 2 added. The Pokémon all looked at her.

"Mudkip!" Grimer said. "That was amazing; how did you know that?"

"Riddles are tricky." Mudkip answered. "You got to think about everything being asked."

"Well okay, but how did you know it was the letter M? I can only think of one M in the word time, two in moment and zero in a thousand years." Then it hit him. "Ohhhh! Now I get it; clever girl! You do have to think of everything before giving up!" Mudkip nodded.

"Exactly!"

"Last question!" Golbat 1 said.

"Last question!" Golbat 2 repeated.

"Good!" Treecko moaned. "Because the second Golbat is getting on my nerves!"

"What can be swallowed, but can also swallow you?"

"Oh man; why must the final question always be the hardest?" Grimer questioned aloud.

The Pokémon thought about this.

"Time's almost up!" Golbat one warned.

"Almost up!"

The Pokémon kept thinking.

"Time's up in 5, 4, 3, 2…"

"Is it pride?" Mudkip asked. Grimer and friends held their breaths.

"CORRECT!" They sighed in relief and cheered.

"Mudkip, you are so smart!" Grimer told her. "Glad you came along!"

"Glad I did too." Mudkip responded. "Our uncle Psyduck would be stumped if you told him!"

"Now that you answered all three riddles correctly," Golbat one stated. "You may pass. Good luck with your friend."

"Good luck!" And they disappeared into the darkness.

"Thanks. Now come on guys!" The heroes continued further.

"That was fun." Grimer told his friends. "Wasn't it?"

"Yeah!" His friends all agreed.

"Yeahs!" Pichu chirped in.

"It was a blast!" Torchic said. "And we all came though thanks to my lucky hat."

"That Golbat that kept repeating everything that other Golbat said was annoying." Treecko admitted. "I can't believe I'm saying this but he was more annoying than Torchic and Pichu." The rodent and chick Pokémon perked up and cheered.

"Yay!"

"Yamgs!" The two hugged Treecko tightly.

"Get off!" Treecko ordered. The two immediately let go.

"Okay!" Torchic said.

"Okays!" Pichu added.

They then heard a cry.

"Where is that coming from?" Grimer wondered out loud.

"There!" Mudkip told him. She pointed to a large hole in the middle of the cavern. They all ran to see what was wrong.

They gasped when they saw it and stopped dead in their tracks. There down in the hole was a crying Phanpy. A giant boulder was crushing its leg and pinning down. A Teddiursa and a Poliwag were nearby. They also looked in the hole.

"Somebody help me!" The Phanpy wailed. Mudkip quickly jumped down next to the baby elephant Pokémon.

"What happened?" She wanted to know. The Phanpy looked at her.

"I was playing tag with my friends when I slipped and fell into this hole. This boulder rolled onto my leg and now I can't get it out!" He cried and cried. "I want my m-m-mommy!"

"Don't cry Phanpy!" Poliwag shouted down to him. "Tangela is getting your mom right now!"

"In the meantime, we got to push this boulder off of you!" Mudkip said. She looked at her friends. "Help me push this boulder!" She looked at Poliwag and the Teddiursa next. "You help too!" The Teddiursa and Poliwag hesitated and looked at each other.

"But…but that boulder's too big!" Poliwag complained.

"Yeah!" Teddiursa added. "We're too small; we can't move it, even if we work together! The boulder's too heavy!"

"Well, now you got us! Come on, with teamwork, anything's possible!" Poliwag and Teddiursa looked at each other and nodded. They looked back down at Mudkip.

"You're right!" Poliwag yelled down. "Phanpy's our friend; we have to save him! If one of us were in danger; he'd do the same for us!"

"Exactly!" Mudkip agreed. "That's what friends do! Now, come and help me with this boulder."

The Poliwag and Teddiursa hopped down. Grimer and the party all dropped into the hole, Grimer splashing a bit at the bottom, they gathered together and started pushing the boulder. Torchic stood by.

"What's gonna work?" She sang. "Teamwork! What's gonna work? Teamwork!"

"Torchic!" Mudkip shouted, grunting in effort.

"Sorry!" The chick Pokémon ran and chipped in. Pichu then saw something shiny on the floor. It was a coin!

"Ooohs!" He squealed. "I spies a coims!" He went over to grab it. As soon as he stopped helping, the rock rolled back down into place. Phanpy howled in pain.

"Pichu!" Mudkip scolded.

"Ohhh, rights!" Pichu said and went over to start pushing again.

"We can't do it!" Teddiursa said. "The boulder's too heavy!"

"Don't give up hope!" Grimer said. "Remember the song!" They all then started singing, strenuously except Treecko. The gecko Pokémon sighed.

"Must they sing this baby song?" He asked. Torchic nudged him.

"Come on Treecko!" She urged him. "Sing along!" He sighed and sang along.

"What's gonna work? Teamwork! What's gonna work? Teamwork!"

"What's goimgs to works?" Pichu sang off-key "Teamworks! What's goimgs to works? Teamwork!"

Then with a lot of effort and with new strength, they pushed the bolder off of Phanpy's leg! Phanpy was happy, he could move again! Everyone cheered.

Then Phanpy's mom, Donphan came in followed by Tangela.

"MOMMY!" The excited Phanpy cried out. Donphan smiled.

"Phanpy!" She said. Tangela then let out his vine whip to carry his friend out, as well as all the others.

Phanpy limped over to his mother. Then they all watched mother and child rubbed their trunks affectionately at each other.

"Aw!" Mudkip smiled. "Doesn't a baby getting back to its mother always warm your heart?"

"It sure does!" Grimer agreed. "It sure does!"

"How can I ever thank you for saving my son?" Donphan asked Grimer.

"Oh no!" Grimer told her. "We don't need anything. Seeing your son safe and out of harm's way is thanks enough."

"No, I really must insist," Donphan insisted. "How can I repay you?" Phanpy nudged his mom. His mother looked at him.

"How about that coin Pichu was interested in, mommy?" Phanpy suggested. Donphan looked confused.

"What coin?" She asked. Phanpy showed his mom the coin from the hole.

"That coin!" Pichu then got excited. "I cam haves it?" He asked, hopefully.

"Sure." Donphan said. "A trainer must've dropped it. We don't need it."

"YAMGS!" Pichu cheered, jumping up and down like a little kid.

"I'll go get it." Tangela offered. She then released her vine whip to retrieve the coin from the bottom of the hole. He then gave it to Pichu. "Here you go." Pichu excitedly grabbed it and looked at it.

"OOOh, shimys!" He admired the coin.

"It might not be much," Donphan explained. "but at least it's something."

"Well thank you." Grimer said. "At least Pichu is happy, and if Pichu's happy, I'm happy!" Donphan smiled as they watched Pichu twirl around and hugged his treasure. She then smiled at her youth.

"I know what you mean."

"Another thing!" Grimer added. "Can you tell us how to get to the summit?"

"Oh sure! You go straight into a few chambers down this path then you're there."

"Thanks!"

"Don't mention it!"

Suddenly the ground shook. The Pokémon tried to balance themselves. Phanpy held on to his mother.

"What's happening mommy?" The child asked.

"An earthquake I think." His mother answered. 'but just stay calm." The shaking then stopped.

"We got to go!" Grimer said. He and his friends dashed off.

"Be careful!" Donphan warned.

Grimer and friends gasped as they saw The Tribe of the Sharpened Blade.

"Hey guys!" Grimer greeted. "Long time no see!" Bisharp sneered at them. The ground then shook again. The Pokémon all held on. Mudkip then noticed some rocks rolling down a slope. They were rolling rights towards the entrance to the next chamber.

"Quick!" She shouted. She and her friends raced to the entrance. The Tribe ran as well.

Grimer and friends made it to the next chamber just in the nick of time. Bisharp and his team of Pawniards however, weren't so lucky, but with their great agility, they managed to dodge the rocks and avoid being crushed.

"Curses!" Bisharp cursed.

"What do we do now?" A Pawniard questioned. Bisharp thought about this then came out with an idea.

"Let's see what Lord Eevee says." He said. The Pawniards agreed and off they went.

Pichu tried to grab his coin that got stuck underneath the rock.

"I gottas get my coims." He said. The ground shook again.

"No time!" Mudkip told him. She dragged Pichu away as she and her friends hurried off.

"My coim!" Pichu cried. "I'll never forgets you!"

"Just forget the stupid coin!" Treecko moaned.

"Okays!" Pichu agreed.

The Pokémon ran and ran from cave chamber to chamber, climbing slowly higher and higher through the caverns, dodging falling stalactites and moving out the way of stalagmites.

"There's the exit to the summit!" Mudkip shouted. She and her friends dashed towards it as a great rock came down. Mudkip and her friends slid out just in time.

Once outside, they noticed that it was nighttime. They looked back, the exit to the cave was now blocked by a rockslide. They all sighed, relieved that they all made it out safe and sound.

Then they all saw a huge shadow against the full moon. They all gulped in fear as they looked at whom the shadow belonged to. Just as they feared, looking down on them was none other than the big, scary Dragonite!