Chapter 17

Rock Tunnel was similar to Diglett's Cave in that the expansive cavern was lined with hundreds of spiraling stalagmites which marked a walkway for groups to follow. What it did lack was the signature rumbling created by the busy paws of wild Diglett which acted as a natural sound barrier that made it easy for travelers and scientists alike to act without drawing attention to themselves or their Pokémon. Rock Tunnel was different though. The silence when entering announced itself with an eerie stillness that carried an echo like a wave on a lake. The rocky terrain took every single step, cough, sneeze, huff, fart, or slap of a blue Poliwhirl foot and amplified them exponentially. While they couldn't hide their presence in the cave they took solace in the distant sounds of battling.

Prior to hitting Rock Tunnel, though, the pair had hunkered down on a rock basin west of the entrance and spent a couple of hours resting and regrouping. The tent was positioned away from Lavender Town as the rubble from both Pokemon House and Pokemon Tower were still smoking and the sight of it was a reminder of what they had lost. Sleep was a welcome friend but left almost as quickly as it arrived. The oppressive sun and stress from the night before made it hard for either of the friends to relax, thus the decision was made to pack up and try their luck half-asleep and less prepared for the journey through Rock Tunnel. Each step felt heavier than the last, but they trekked onward; Troy motivated by the thought of Moleman, Evan by the curiosity that came with whatever was hidden in the Project Mercury files.

The Pokénav rang with an unceremonious tone, much like that of an alarm clock. As Evan retrieved it from his backpack Troy and Mr. Punchy hovered around waiting to hear from their first caller since Rocco.

"Hello?" Evan said.

It was the voice of Troy's sister Sally on the line. She was equal parts frantic and irritated, something that Evan knew meant he was in big trouble, or perhaps Troy was, though that was wishful thinking. She asked, rather demanded, to know how the two were doing. After assuring her they were fine, he briefly explained their location and destination. The line fell silent. Then she shared the news. Saffron City was burning. Evan almost dropped the phone, but caught himself as doing so would not only prevent him from learning more about Saffron, it would also anger Sally to a point of no return. He put the receiver back to his ear.

"Evan, you have to tell me honestly, did you kill somebody?" She asked.

"Kill somebody?" He said. The noise and verbiage was enough to rouse Troy and Mr. Punchy.

"We killing somebody?" Troy asked.

"No, we're not killing anybody!" Evan said.

"Is that Troy? Did he kill somebody?" Sally asked.

"No! No one killed anyone!" Evan said.

"That's not entirely true," Troy said. He mouthed Vance's name to his friend.

"WE did not kill anybody," Evan said.

"Oh really? Because the cops are here, and they say you're wanted in the connection for MULTIPLE bombings in Lavender Town. Multiple, Evan. More than one. They think you're part of the group that attacked Saffron City!"

"WHAT?! We didn't bomb anybody! We weren't even in Saffron at the time!" Evan said.

"Saffron City got bombed? Yo, that must have been Rocco. He doesn't seem like a bomber though. I'd have pegged him as like a serial flasher or something," Troy said.

"Why do they think we bombed Lavender? WHY IS EVERYTHING GETTING BOMBED?" Evan asked.

"They have HD video of you two jackasses diving out of Pokemon House as it explodes. They also have video of you sneaking into Pokemon Tower only to have it explode minutes later. Do you know what HD stands for, Evan? It stands for HIGH DEFINITION. Your bald ass is on national news right now. I swear, if you get my brother arrested I am going to shove my shoe so far up your-" Her voice trailed off as Evan stuffed the phone in his pocket.

"Do you know how there was no one in Lavender when we woke up from the blast?" He said to Troy. He nodded. "And how there was no one in Pokemon Tower, and the town felt like an actual ghost town?" Another nod. "I think Steven set us up."

"The bastard! Wait...set us up for what? Because if it's speed dating I'm gonna need a shower and a shave. I look a proper mess," Troy said. The speed in which Evan's hand met the back of Troy's head created mini shockwaves that startled their Pokemon. Mr. Punchy used his newly formed hands to help separate fabric from face skin and sat his trainer up to recover.

"No, you idiot. Steven has video of us from last night sneaking around Lavender Town. He set us up. Now the cops think we're terrorists. Even worse, they think we're a part of the group that attacked Saffron City, " Evan said.

"Glerp glops…?" Troy said.

"Yes, I know. We technically are a part of that group, but we didn't have anything to do with the attack. I mean, I guess we did, but we didn't bomb anything! Did we?" Evan said.

"Rocco did say we were going to be a distraction for the attack," Troy said, the fog now clear from his head.

"He said he was only going after Silph Co. He never said the rest of Saffron City would be in danger! We might actually be responsible here,"

"Hey, we didn't bomb anyone! And when it comes down to it we'll just turn state's witness against Rocco and his crew and enjoy brand new identities in different regions of the Pokémon world," Troy said. He seemed overly pleased with himself.

"This sounds like something you've thought extensively about," Evan said.

"Yeah, pretty much since he brought us into his office. I already have my name picked out, or at least an assortment of names. I think I'll be a Hiker, or a Cooltrainer. Yeah, Cooltrainer Steel McGoverns and his trusty Pokémon Fist Brickley." Troy said. On cue, he and Mr. Punchy struck a flexing pose.

"I don't...I don't have time for this. I literally do not have time to explain everything wrong with this."

"I have a name picked for you too."

"I don't want to hear it."

"Baldy Waffles."

"...I'm leaving."

"Wait, what are we supposed to do about Steven?" Troy asked.

"He said it would be near impossible to get to the labs. Maybe this is what he was talking about."

"If the cops get us then we'll never be able to find out what's on these files, and then we'll never be able to prove Moleman's innocence."

"Moleman's innocence will be the least of our worries if we end up in jail." Evan said.

"What are we supposed to do?"

"If we can get through Rock Tunnel, that would be a start. From there, we hit the lab in Cerulean, then...we have to find a way back home."

The two shared a moment of silence.

"It's been a while," Troy said.

"Yeah, it has," Evan replied.

"15 chapters approximately."

"Shut up."

"Is Sally still on the phone?"

"Shit."

Evan picked up the phone and gave his farewells to his girlfriend. Sally's angry outburst could be heard from the speaker, but thankfully Evan ended the call before the story rating would need to be increased to Mature for strong language. He'd deal with Sally later, most likely with a bouquet of flowers and take-out Chinese food. For now, they had to focus on their journey, which had taken a loamy turn the further they got. Their boots started to sink with each step. The soil reminded Troy of the gardens they had back at the Boarding School, but they had access to daily water and tending. This dirt should be as solid as stone, he thought. Evan had similar suspicions, scanning the walls, and trying to pinpoint an underground spring or well-water leak.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Evan asked.

"Trainers?"

"Yep. With Water-types."

Evan and Troy held back and let their Pokémon take the lead. As they did, one of Mr. Punchy's heavy steps sunk deep into the mud and triggered a sinkhole that sent the group barreling into a mud pit fifteen feet down. Evan landed first, followed by Troy, then by Grimer and Mr. Punchy.

"Aw, what the hell. I just had a poor man's bath before coming in here," Troy said.

"Why can't we have one part of our adventure that's not rigged with boobytraps and cave mud?" Evan said.

The two freed themselves from the mud and helped their Pokemon do the same. The sinkhole they fell in was almost a perfectly carved circle appearing as if it were dug by hand rather than by natural phenomena. The walls were towering and steep, near impossible to climb without the help of a Flying or Fighting-type Pokemon. Troy tried his best but even after throwing Mr. Punchy up as high as he could, they couldn't reach the top, nor find spots in the walls to grab on to.

"It's hopeless. We don't have any way out of here," Troy said.

"What about your Diglett?" Evan asked. Troy's eyes lit up.

"Junior! I totally forgot! He can dig us out of here!"

Troy reached for his belt and felt around. Each Pokeball felt vacant and ready for new Pokemon. He furrowed his brow and turned his attention to his backpack. After a minute or so of digging around he came up empty.

"I don't get it. Junior has been on my belt since the Fuji fight. I can't find his Pokeball anywhere."

"Oh great, our one chance of escape and somehow you managed to bungle that up," Evan said.

"I didn't bungle anything, you jerk. He's gotta be around here somewhere. Maybe he's in the mud. Mr. Punchy any chance you can help me out here?"

"Poli!" Mr. Punchy happily squeaked. Puffing up his chest he let loose a powerful Water Gun that pushed the mud from the floor and against the wall. As the debris was pushed Junior's marked Pokeball appeared. Troy reached for it but as he did a shadow swooped down and snatched it from his grasp.

"What the hell?" He said.

"You should have left well enough alone, good sir." A voice boomed from above. The two trainers looked up to see the hole surrounded by five trainers draped in robes. They looked young, Evan thought, not much older than your typical Lass or Youngster. Their robes were black, undoubtedly to blend in with the shadows to sneak up on unsuspecting trainers. Evan palmed a rock and chucked it at the boy holding Junior's Pokeball. The rock bounced off his head and sent him falling straight forward into the pit. The others screamed and ran to grab him but were too late. The boy fell face first and landed with a thud next to Troy and Mr. Punchy. Troy looked at the boy and then to Evan.

"I thought you said we weren't going to kill anyone!"

"He's not dead, just stunned," Evan said,

"Okay, Crocodile Dundee, the kid is dead. He ain't breathing."

Evan looked at the boy's lifeless body.

"Alright, so maybe he's dead." As Evan said that the boy shifted and groaned.

"AGH! ZOMBIE BOY! MR. PUNCHY USE MEGA PUNCH!" Troy screamed.

"Troy no!" Evan yelled, but it was too late. Mr. Punchy wound up his arm and thrusted it hard in the boy's chin sending him flying out of the pit. The boy screamed and spun as he found himself knocked out at the edge of the pit. Junior's Pokeball, which had been freshly dislodged from the boy's hand, flew through the air and landed firmly in the grasp of Mr. Punchy. Mr. Punchy tossed the ball to Troy who then called forth Junior. The Diglett appeared from his Pokeball, his golden hair flowing in an unexplainable breeze.

"Junior! Let's make this battlefield a little more even. Use Magnitude!" Troy said.

Junior sprang into action disappearing into the earth. The ground started to shake violently and the walls around them came crumbling down. Troy, Evan, Grimer, and Mr. Punchy did their best to dodge rocks and stay on top of the dirt pile. The five trainers at the top of the sinkhole fell as the ground beneath their feet gave way, and soon they found themselves face to face with the two friends. Evan approached with Grimer by his side and with his colossal presence said,

"Tell us who you are, now."

One of the boys stood up and looked Evan in the eye. On cue the rest of the group jumped to their feet, save for the one boy who was still unconscious, and formed a horizontal line behind him. The boy in front turned and gave a wink and in unison they began to chant.

"Beware trainers! In the darkness of the cave we appear! Leaping from the shadows to strike fear! Your Pokémon are ours for the taking! Or fall victim to our literal groundbreaking! From Nugget Bridge to our underground hive, prepare yourselves because we're the Rock Tunnel Five!"

"There's four of you now," Troy said.

The four trainers exchanged looks. The one in front bore an insignia on his chest; a golden number one. He spoke up first.

"And for that you will pay!"

"Wait a minute, I remember these guys. Aren't you the kids Rocco hired to weed out strong trainers to join Team Rocket?" Evan said.

The girl with the number two insignia stepped forward.

"That man is a jerk and a con man!" She said

The boy with the number three insignia chimed in.

"Yeah! He tricked us into thinking we were joining a young trainer's scholarship program!" He said.

The girl with the number four insignia spoke up, her voice the softest of the bunch.

"When we got shredded by this super strong trainer the recruiter stepped in to battle, but he lost too. He got really mad and threw a fit, that's when the cops showed up. We all got taken in and charged with conspiracy." She said.

The first boy took over from there.

"We got kicked out of school and banned from the Pokémon League challenge. All because of that heinous man!" He said.

"Is that why you're hiding in a cave pretending to be tough guy brigands?" Troy asked.

"We aren't pretending!" The first boy said.

"Yeah! You fell into our trap!" The second girl said.

"So did you," Evan said.

The group pulled Pokéballs from their robes and held them forward. The knocked-out boy started to shift again.

"Regardless, you're outnumbered. Hand over your Pokémon and we'll show you out. If not, we'll take them anyways and leave you here to rot!" The first boy said.

"What do you say, Evan? Up for a Pokémon battle?" Troy said with a smirk.

"I thought you'd never ask. Go, Grimer!"

"Mr. Punchy! Junior! Let's take these fools out!"

The pair's Pokemon jumped forward ready for battle. The five trainers responded by calling Pokemon of their own. From the Pokéballs appeared a Caterpie, a Pidgey, a Sandshrew, and a Nidoran(f). They commanded their Pokemon to attack in unison. Troy stepped up first, Mr. Punchy and Junior side by side.

"Let's make this easy. Junior, hit 'em hard with Magnitude! Mr. Punchy, follow it up with a couple of Mega Punches!" Troy said.

"Grimer!" Evan called out. "Get in on this! Use Sludge!"

His Pokemon leapt into action at the command. Junior dove into the ground creating a tremor, one not as strong as the first but enough to send the four Pokemon scattering about. As the Lass's Pidgey flew up, Mr. Punchy met it mid-air with a vicious strike.

"Pidgey!" The girl screamed as she dove to catch her partner. The other Pokemon turned to attack, but the ground proved too difficult to traverse. Nidoran(f) was struck with a jutting stone as Junior reappeared, knocking it out. Caterpie resisted the attack at first but was enveloped in the thick poisonous slime shot by Evan's Grimer. Sandshrew was the only Pokemon of the ground that seemed able to handle the Magnitude and dodge the Sludge, but its focus on the attacks of Junior and Grimer left it unaware of the cocked fist of Mr. Punchy hovering directly behind it.

"Sandshrew, look out!" The boy screamed. His Sandshrew spun around only to feel Mr. Punchy's balled up fist crack against its jaw. Troy and Evan cheered as the last of the group's Pokemon fell to their attacks.

"This isn't over!" The quiet girl said. The boy that had been knocked out stood up and brushed himself off. He pulled a Pokeball from his robe and called out his Pokemon. A feisty Mankey appeared, ready for battle.

"Beware trainers!" He said.

"We already heard it. Blah blah blah, darkness, traps, puberty. We got it," Troy said.

"You guys did the rhyme without me?" The boy asked the group. They nodded.

"You were knocked out and they were asking too many questions!" The other boy said.

"Did you do our introductions?"

The group looked at each other and shrugged.

"Ugh, see, this is why I'm the leader," He said, he turned his attention to Troy and Evan. "I'm Five. I'm a Camper and the most experienced trainer of the bunch. They follow my orders and we get stuff done. The boy with the Caterpie is One, he's a Bug Trainer. The girl with the Pidgey is Two, she's a Lass, Sandshrew trainer is Three, he's a Youngster, and finally, quiet girl with the Nidoran(f) is Four. She's a Lass too. Any questions?"

"Did you buy those cute little uniforms in bulk or did you need to get special permission from your scout leader?" Troy asked.

"Joke now," Five said. "But you're about to witness our unstoppable secret battle technique! Everybody, max attack now!"

Each of the Rock Tunnel Five pulled out five more Pokeballs from their robes and tossed them on the battlefield. Suddenly, Troy and Evan found themselves surrounded by a collection of first-form bugs; Caterpies and Weedles, Pidgeys, Rattatas, Nidorans of both gender, Mankeys, Oddishes, Bellsprouts, and weirdly a lone Ekans. Outnumbered thirty to three, Troy and Evan backed away until they felt the walls of the sinkhole behind them.

"Any ideas?" Evan asked.

"I have one, but I don't think you would like it," Troy said.

"We don't have anything else to lose,"

"Remember how you used Grimer's Smokescreen to sneak in and out of the lab in Vermillion City?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't we try that again, but this time have Vance's Muk do it. I've seen it battle firsthand, that thing is powerful. Maybe he can cough out a plume of smoke thick enough for us to escape?"

"Maybe," Evan said. "But how do you suppose we get out of this hole?"

"They said they'd show us the way in their chant if we gave up our Pokemon. There has to be a way out. They weren't too worried when they fell down here, like they knew they could get out whenever they wanted," Troy said.

"You're right. There has to be a ladder or something."

"Or a trap door. When Mr. Punchy washed away the mud on the bottom of this floor I noticed something off about the hole. The ground was perfectly level. Like flat flat. As if we were standing on tile. This sinkhole isn't a sinkhole. If I had to guess it's an abandoned staircase back from the mining days. And look over there, they're standing in a row blocking off that side of the hole. I would bet money that's where the exit is. The only issue is that we have thirty Pokemon and five trainers blocking us."

"I don't see any other way out. Let's go, Muk!" Evan said. He tossed Muk's Pokeball into the air, calling the Pokemon forth. Muk appeared, lackadaisical at best, looking as if he were ready for a nap. Confused, Evan ordered him to use Smokescreen and in response Muk rolled over and belched in his face.

"Oh, dear Arceus, that smells like a post-berry gorging fart," he said. Troy laughed at the misfortune of his friend.

"I should have known; he probably won't obey you because you don't have any badges. You should let me try. Don't forget, I got the Thunder Badge. Pokemon up to level 30 should obey me."

"I'm the Grimer master here, I can handle this Muk," Evan said defiantly. To this Muk let loose another foul-smelling belch. "Alright, he's yours. Go to town."

Troy took Muk's Pokeball and immediately the Pokemon perked up.

"I know I'm not Vance, bud, but I'm going to do my best to make you feel like you're my very own Pokemon. What do you say?"

"Muk!" He squelched, a slimy smile on his face.

"Alright! Muk, use Smokescreen!"

Muk puffed up and released a cloud of darkness from his belly. It filled the battlefield giving the trainers and their Pokemon a chance to bull rush the crowd. With Mr. Punchy leading the way, they Mega Punched their way through facing minimal if any resistance from the trainers. Before reaching the other side of the hole, Troy snagged the robe off of the Bug Trainer and stashed it in his backpack. The trainer flailed wildly attempting to steal it back only to get shoved by Evan who with great irritation herded Troy towards their escape route. Troy called on Mr. Punchy to blast the wall with another Water Gun and when he did a door appeared in the mud. They slammed into it with great force and it gave way. They collectively landed in a pile behind the door. As they took in their surroundings they found themselves in a shallow cavernous pathway.

"Good call on the mining staircase. I wonder where this leads to," Evan said.

"If memory serves correctly, the miners were digging for coal to set up the Powerplant and were set up with small houses on the south side of Cerulean City. So, I think this might take us right to the city. It would explain how the Rock Tunnel Five got here from Nugget Bridge," Troy said.

"One question, though."

"What's that?"

"Why the robe?" Evan asked. Troy pulled it from his backpack and stretched it across his chest. It was two sizes too small and looked as if it were one sneeze away from ripping at the seams. Troy ran his hand over the golden emblem and smiled.

"I'm the real number one. That guy was a loser. Plus, this fabric is so soft. I think I might make a jacket for Mr. Punchy when we get home."

"And there it is. Let's get going. And remind me to collect a few badges on the way."

The two fistbumped and continued their journey forward. Eventually they reached the end and came to an opening; a cliffside overlooking the ever-blue Cerulean City. They had reached their destination.

"This is going to be a bitch to climb down," Evan said.