Smokey woke up early the next morning. The adventures from the day before had drained both him and Joey, so they pretty much fell asleep almost as soon as they got back. Buzz went home with his friends to the old factory they lived in, deciding that their shack wouldn't be the best place for him to spend his nights. He got up before the sun had risen and was waiting outside for the mail. Joey was sleping like a Snorlax inside, so Smokey didn't bother to wake him.
He had no idea how long he waited for but Peppy eventually showed up with their reward from their first mission. Smokey took it inside and spilled the contents onto the stone table. A pile of Poké fell out and he started to count it greedily. There was a good two thousand Poké laying in front of him. He let out a long whistle. There was more money in front of him than he had seen for nearly four years.
The house started to shake slightly, cutting his mental celebration short. At first he thought it was an earthquake, but it seemed too small to be one. Suddenly, he heard the splintering of wood come from behind him. He spun around just in time to see the still sleeping Joey fly through the air and crash into the wall.
"OW!" he yelled as he hit the ground, "what kind of earthquake does that?"
Smokey looked at Joey laying on the floor to where he was sleeping. In the place of the rotted wood were three brown lumps. Smokey recognized them as a Dugtrio.
"You ever heard of a door?" Joey snapped once he recovered from being tossed like a ragdoll. As one, the three heads turned to Joey with a scowl.
"We are sorry for our intrusion," it apologized, with a hint of irritation in its voice, "but this is a really urgent matter."
"Okay, explain yourself," Smokey told the Dugtrio.
"Well... where do we start," one of them said, "Diglett and Dugtrio tend to shake the earth a bit when we dig so it seems like there's an earthquake. With all the recent ones, a Skarmory thought it was our fault. So to get back at us, it... it... it kidnapped our son."
"That's harsh," Smokey commented. One of the heads broke down and started to cry.
"It kidnapped our Linus for a crime we didn't commit!" it wailed. One of the other heads comforted it while it sobbed.
"You see how desperate we are," the free head said. Smokey nodded but Joey was still a bit angry from getting thrown across the room.
"We know you're desperate but you could've had at least used the door," he ridiculed them. The head that was comforting the crying one turned to him.
"We tried to send a letter but the post office said they couldn't deliver to you," it retorted, "They didn't specify the reason. And we would have used the door but it's hard to tell exactly where you are underground, and this seemed like the softest spot."
Joey glared at the Dugtrio briefly before accepting the response. Smokey gave a quiet chuckle at his friend's reaction. He seemed to hate when he got beaten in an argument.
"Where did this Skarmory take your son?" he asked, getting over the argument, "you do know where he is, right?"
"It took him to Mt. Steel," it sighed, "the mountain is too dense, so we can't borrow through it and our son can't either. We need someone to get him for us."
"We feel grateful for choosing us," Smokey began, looking slightly confused, "but why did you choose us? We only just started yesterday. Why didn't you ask a stronger team, like Team Steel?"
"Because Manac is a dried up douche bag, that's why," Joey mumbled darkly in the corner. They disregarded his comment and Dugtrio resumed.
"Team Steel is a steel type based team," it explained, "you two both have a type advantage against a Skarmory. It would be easier for you to beat it. Also, Team Steel costs too much."
It added that last part in a mutter so only Joey managed to hear it. He bit his lip to keep himself from laughing.
"Well, we will rescue your son," Smokey said and all three heads cried in joy.
"Thank you so much," one said, tears filling its eyes, "you won't regret this."
They tunneled back underground, leaving a hole in the floor. Smokey turned to Joey.
"Guess we better get prepared then," Joey said. Smokey nodded.
"We should split up," he suggested, "you go get Buzz from the Power Plant and I'll go ask Leaky for some advice on what we should watch out for in Mt. Steel. That way, we save some well needed time."
Joey agreed with the idea and Smokey gave him directions to the Power Plant. They went down separate paths to their different destinations.
"Leaky!" Smokey shouted to get the Lombre's attention. It worked and the water type turned.
"Hey, Smokey, how you doing?" he asked as Smokey ran over, "you're up early today."
"Yeah, we just got a mission," Smokey panted out.
"Another one! You guys are on fire."
"A Dugtrio showed up in our house to request it. Their kid was kidnapped by a Skarmory and was taken to Mt. Steel. Do you have any advice for us?"
"Whoa, Mt. Steel already?" he said amazed, "You guys don't have to worry about much. Geodude and Aron inhabit the cave but that's the only Pokémon you have a strong disadvantage against. Others like Zigzagoon, Meditite and Spearow also live there."
"Is that all you know?" Smokey asked when Leaky paused.
"No, there are a couple more things. While Skarmory is weak against both fire and electric attacks, it is powerful. If it's the one I think it is, you have to be careful. She will trick you into thinking she's beaten then surprise you. The mountain itself isn't that dangerous. There's a lot of deep gorges you can fall into and rockslides are frequent but that's as dangerous as it gets."
"Watch out for Geodude, Aron, landslides, gorges and a deceitful Skarmory," Smokey said while ticking off his claws, "I think I got all of it. Thanks!"
Smokey turned to run off when another idea came to mind. He faced Leaky again, "I need you to do something for me while we're gone, is that okay?" he asked. Leaky raised an eyebrow.
"Sure, what is it?" Leaky asked with interest. Smokey told him what to do and handed him a sack of Poké before running off to join Joey at the base of Mt. Steel.
"Took you long enough!"
Joey and Buzz trudged along the road towards Mt. Steel, where Smokey was waiting for them. Somehow, he had managed to get there before the other two and they had the shorter walk.
"Don't blame it on me," Joey said, attempting to defend himself, "Buzz told me there was a short cut."
"IT WAS NOT MY FAULT," Buzz countered defiantly, "IF YOU HAD FOLLOWED MY DIRECTIONS, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED A SHORT CUT."
"Just shut your mouth."
"I DO NOT HAVE A MOUTH TO SHUT."
"Then how to you speak?"
"I HAVE A SPEAKER WHICH I USE TO COMMUNICATE."
"Good, then put it on mute. You're starting to bug me."
Smokey watched the two electric types argue back and forth like a tennis match. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing but he still smiled goofily. Joey walked past him, grumbling under his breath. Smokey locked eyes with Buzz who just rolled his one eye. Smokey lost restraint and let out a burst of laughter. Joey let out an annoyed sigh, trying to keep his anger in check.
"So what did Leaky tell you about this place?" he asked Smokey. He relayed what Leaky had said to Joey and Buzz.
"Okay, I know what a Geodude is, but what is an Aron?" Joey asked, once he had taken in all of Leaky's information.
"I don't really know how to describe it," Smokey stated but tried anyways, "it's like a turtle, only with a white shell and a white helmet covering its face and head."
"Seems simple enough," Joey responded. They all looked towards the cave entrance.
"We all ready?" Smokey asked nervously. Everyone nodded grimly, "then let's go."
Smokey took the first step into the cave entrance and the other two followed. Just like Thunderwave Cave, it got dark just a few steps in. Smokey's flame kept it bright enough for them to see where they were going.
"Hey Buzz," Smokey said, trying to start up a conversation to pass the time, "I don't mean to offend you, but what gender are you? I can never tell with Magnemite."
"THAT WAS NOT OFFENSIVE," Buzz said, "MAGNEMITE HAVE NO GENDERS. WE ARE ALL THE SAME."
"Wait, no genders?" Joey asked, "How do you reproduce then?"
"HOW WE REPRODUCE IS NO MATTER TO YOU."
"So what do we refer to you as? A 'he' or a 'she'?"
"YOU MAY REFER TO ME AS BUZZ."
"Okay, we'll call you a 'he'."
"THAT IS OFFENSIVE. I AM NOT A 'HE'."
"Fine, we'll call you a 'she'."
"THAT IS ALSO OFFENSIVE. I AM NEITHER A 'SHE' NOR A 'HE'."
"Then what do we call you when we don't refer to you as 'Buzz'?"
"YOU MAY CALL ME BUZZ."
Joey groaned in frustration as this discussion just went in circles, "Just shut your mouth, you're starting to annoy me."
"I DO NOT HAVE A MOUTH TO SHUT."
"Dammit, you know what I mean!"
Smokey was dying of laughter in the lead while listening to them fight. Try as you might, you could never win an argument with a machine. His laughing was disrupted by a low growl. Team Spartan immediately got into a battle stance, setting up for a fight. Out of the shadows, a Pokémon with spiky brown and beige fur stepped out. It had a black blotch on its face, which made it look like a raccoon.
"What is that?" Joey asked Smokey, not taking his eyes off the raccoon.
"It's a Zigzagoon. Normal type, so we don't have any advantages or disadvantages," Smokey told him. The Zigzagoon was the one who was growling but something didn't seem right to Joey. Then he knew why. There was more than just one source of the growling.
Buzz switched on his spotlight, illuminating the faces of a dozen more Zigzagoon which had surrounded them. Team Spartan backed up into each other.
"Looks like we got a rescue team in our midst, fellas," the closest one said, which Smokey presumed was the pack leader, "I think we should show them what happens when you invade someone else's territory."
This was met by a round of sniggering from his pack. Joey's anger started to rise and he tried to keep it under control.
"We're just passing through to go save a Diglett," Joey said, in an attempt to explain their situation, "if you don't mind, we would like to avoid an incident."
"If you don't mind we would like to avoid an incident," the leader repeated in a high and annoying voice.
"I do not sound like that!"Joey bellowed and rushed the leader. Smokey grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him back. Joey's arms flailed wildly for a few seconds before he stopped and just glared at the leader.
"If you didn't want a fight, you shouldn't have become a rescue team," the leader scorned. Smokey struggled to keep Joey back while Buzz floated over to them.
"THIS IS HARDLY A FAIR FIGHT," Buzz commented, "IT WILL BE FOUR ON ONE. NOT A VERY NOBLE THING TO DO, GANGING UP ON A SMALLER GROUP."
"Oh yeah," the leader snarled, "then how 'bout a one on one, a mon on mon. Me against your hyper little friend."
"Deal," Joey snarled, "now let me go so I can kick this rodent's ass."
Smokey obliged and let go of him. Joey rushed over to the leader and stopped a foot away.
"Let's lay down some ground rules first," the leader began and Joey agreed, "First rule; no leaving the ring. You do that, you forfeit the match. Second; no special attacks. That means no electric attacks from you. And last but not least; no outside help. Your friends can't assist you in any way, shape or form. That means no advice, no attacks and definitely no distractions. Anything else is fair game. You got that?"
"Sounds good to me," Joey said, agreeing to the terms. Not being able to use electric attacks would mean that his most powerful moves were out of the play, but that didn't bother him that much. Before becoming a Pokémon, Joey had gotten into a lot of fights in school. He was experienced with using just his fists to fight. The Zigzagoon formed a circle around Joey and their leader. They squared off on opposite sides, about five feet from the edge of the ring. Joey stood on his hind legs and went into a boxing stance.
"Come on, bring it, you little punk," Joey mumbled, holding his tiny fists in front of his face and bouncing up and down.. The leader laughed hysterically from Joey's stance.
"Check this guy out," he laughed, "this Pikachu thinks he's a Machop!"
Joey stopped bouncing and lowered his guard, "what the hell is a Macho-OOF!" While he was distracted, the Zigzagoon took it as an opportunity to land the first strike. His Headbutt sent Joey skidding to edge of the circle. Smokey groaned. This was not a good start for Joey. His friend recovered quickly and got up.
"You're going to pay for that," he told the leader in a low growl. The leader smirked.
"Let's see you try," it responded and charged Joey again. Joey waited for the last moment and dodged, letting the leader run by. As he came to a stop and started to turn, Joey charged him with a Quick Attack, hitting the leader in the side. He was sent skidding but he used the momentum to roll back onto his feet.
"Well, this should be fun," it grinned and charged Joey again. He was getting sick of this and decided just to punch him out. He balled his hand into fists and waited until he was close enough to strike. He swung his fist, attempting to hit him in the face.
Joey missed the punch completely and was rocked by the Zigzagoon's Tackle. Joey got up, wincing in pain. He had never been in a fight like this. His opponent was using his body more than his fists and Joey wasn't used to that. He had to adapt soon or he was going to lose this fight.
"You've had enough yet?" the leader asked with a sneer. Joey responded by using a Headbutt of his own, hitting the leader in the ribs once again. The Zigzagoon snarled and pounced on Joey, who was caught off guard and collapsed under the weight. Joey fell on something that dug into his back but he didn't focus on it all that much because he had the pack leader pinning him down.
"Ha ha, I've got you pinned," he taunted Joey. The Pikachu tried to squirm out of it but his shoulders were pinned so he couldn't do anything with his fists.
"Not for long," Joey growled and placed his feet on the Zigzagoon's stomach. It had just enough time to say 'huh?' before Joey extended his legs suddenly. The leader was thrown off of him and Joey used the momentum of his kick to roll backwards onto his feet. While he rolled, he picked up the thing that was digging into his back and hid it from sight.
All that was done in one swift movement. Buzz seemed to be the only one in the ring that saw Joey pick something up off the ground. Then again, Buzz never missed anything.
The leader struggled back onto his feet. He seemed to be in pain and growled angrily at Joey. He charged him quickly but Joey was prepared this time. Before the Zigzagoon could react, Joey pulled his arm back and threw what he was holding at the charging Pokémon.
The rock hit him right between the eyes, sending him head over toe. The leader came to a rest by the edge of the circle, knocked out cold. Smokey and Buzz started to cheer while the other Zigzagoon looked mortified.
"I think that means I won," Joey stated, looking into the Zigzagoons' horrified faces, "so we'll be leaving now, since your leader has been knocked the hell out."
"You cheated!" one of them claimed, "You threw a rock at him. That's what knocked him out."
"JOEY FOLLOWED THE RULES YOUR LEADER MADE," Buzz jumped in, "HE DID NOT USE ANY OF HIS SPECIAL ATTACKS, DID NOT RECEIVE HELP FROM SMOKEY AND I AND NEVER LEFT THE RING. YOUR LEADER SAID ANYTHING ELSE WAS FAIR GAME, MAKING ROCK THROWING LEGAL."
"Yeah...b-but...," the Zigzagoon tried to think of something but just sputtered out nonsense. Smokey gave a small chuckle. You can never beat a machine in an argument. The one that talked let out a resigned sigh, "fine... just... just go."
The Zigzagoon broke their circle and the members of Team Spartan walked through the opening. Once out of range, Smokey broke into a small celebration.
"I knew you could do it, Joey!" he exclaimed and smacked his friend on the back, "that stupid rodent didn't know what hit him."
Joey started to laugh but stopped soon after, wincing in pain. His ribs felt like they had been bruised badly from the fight. Smokey, noticing his friend's discomfort, brought out a blue berry from the toolbox and handed it to Joey. Joey looked at the berry in confusion.
"It's an Oran Berry," Smokey explained, remembering that Joey didn't use natural methods of healing, "it has properties that heals wounds really well. All you have to do is eat it."
Joey popped the berry into his mouth and tasted an explosion of different flavours. He munched it for a while, savouring the taste, before finally swallowing it. The berry's healing effects were immediate, repairing his wounds almost instantly. Joey wiggled his whole body, feeling great.
They travelled through the mountain's multiple floors without incident, meeting no hostile Pokémon. At one point, Smokey reached down and plucked a wild mushroom off the floor. Being his favourite, he bit down on the dome of it and chewed it. It tasted a more bitter than usual but that was just because it wasn't ripe yet.
The team was chatting about unimportant stuff, like berries and their properties and different types of Pokémon to help Joey better understand them. They had just decided that Buzz was a guy (much to Buzz's insisting that he was neither) when they heard a shout from behind them. They spun around to face the voice.
"You cheap little rat!" they heard it yell, the voice echoing of the walls, "I'm gonna make you pay for using that dirty trick."
Buzz switched on his spotlight to brighten the angry Zigzagoon leader. He was charging them at full speed, its head down like it was preparing for a Headbutt. Joey groaned in frustration. He had had enough of this guy.
Instead of dodging the attack like he would normally do, he ran forward and jumped. Time moved in slow-motion for him. As Joey started to descend from the jump, he brought his fist down hard against the top of the leader's head. He punched him with enough force that sent the Zigzagoon's jaw into the dirt floor, while Joey completed a front flip over him.
"Are tired of losing yet?" Joey demanded after landing, "or do you want me to continue with your beat down?"
"Okay, I got your point," the leader moaned, "I'll stop trying to attack you."
"Do you promise you won't try to attack us anymore?"
"Yes, yes! I've learned my lesson."
"Good. I was getting sick of you."
Joey left the battered Zigzagoon, taking him on his word that he wouldn't try anymore shenanigans. He rubbed his knuckles, not menacingly, but because he had punched the Pokémon's skull really hard. Blood was smeared across the back of his hand, but not much so he ignored the pain. Joey and his friends turned away from the beaten leader and continued on with their mission.