Authors Note: Well, this episode is kind of a dark episode. Jason have to save the Bulbasaurs that are working in the mines of Crystal Town. And in this episode, he meets Carrie....*blink* Well, enjoy!

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It was late in the evening when Jason walked out of the Poké Center to leave Crystal Town.

He walked cross the town square, but suddenly he heard someone calling for him.

He turned around, and spotted a girl about his age, running towards him waving her hands

"You! Wait!" she yelled. "Follow me!"

"What?" Jason asked and stopped walking.

"I'm not gonna kill you or something!" the girl said, impatiently.

"Allright, allright" Jason said and followed her to a large, white mansion.

The girl unlocked the door, and they both sneaked up the stairs. She opened the door to her room, and Jason stepped inside.

The room was big, and Jason was amazed.

"What do you want?!" he asked, as Teddyursa jumped down on the soft bed.

"I'm Carrie" the girl said and sat down on a chair. Now Jason could see that she carried four Pokéballs in her belt.

Jason took a close look on her. She was pretty, and her eyes were beautiful, almost like diamonds.

"What am I doing here?" Jason asked and crossed his arms and started to stomp impatiently with his feet.

"I'm going to tell you if you stop the goddamn stomping!" Carrie said with anger. "You'll wake up my parents..."

"Okay, I stop."

Jason sat down on the bed next to Teddyursa.

"I need your help" Carrie looked into his eyes. "You must save our Bulbasaurs!"

"W-woa, what do you mean? Save your Bulbasaurs? What Bulbasaurs?"

"You have noticed that we sell diamonds and crystals on the town square, haven't you?"

Jason nodded.

"They come from the mines north of the town. These diamonds are the key to our wealth, and all the profit from the sale is divided between the people. And it's nothing wrong with that.

Jason shook his head.

"But it's the way we're collecting the diamonds that totally piss me off!" Carrie said and the anger was burning in her eyes.

God, she had some hot temper, Jason thought, but he didn't say anything.

"There has always been alot of Bulbasaurs in this area, and a few months ago, some intelligent persons came up with the idea of using them, instead of the people that worked there now.

Now, the whole thing has gotten to far. The Bulbasaurs has to work until they faint of exhaustion, and when they can't work anymore, they are put out to die in the forest.

And the worst of all is, that no one in this village care, except for nurse Joy and I. If they get their money, they're happy.

The townspeople has hired guards who runs everything, and I've seen what they do to the Bulbasaurs. Their Houndooms bite them, they burn them, I c- can't find words..."

A tear fell down Carries face, and Jason felt the anger burning like a fire inside.

"Do you help me?" Carrie said, wiping away the tear with the back of her hand. "When the next trainer arrives, it will be to late. We gotta stop this, today."

Jason nodded, and placed Teddyursa on his shoulder.

"I saw you on the town square earlier today. You're the one I've been waiting for."

"What are we waiting for?" Jason asked. "Let's go and end this madness!"

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The mining area were huge.

Carrie sneaked through the forest with Jason in her tracks.

The whole area was lit up by torches, and Jason could see how the Bulbasaurs was forced to lift stones with their vine whips.

Some dragged wagons several times their size, loaded with rocks.

Jason took a deep breath.

There were men there too, who commanded the Bulbasaur with their long, black whips.

The guards' Houndooms carefully watched every Bulbasaur, and they barked as soon as a Bulbasaur did something wrong.

"Why are they doing this?" Jason mumbled. "The Houndooms should know that they are making a mistake."

"They are trained from birth" Carrie said. "It's hard to break old habits."

They watched the mines for another five minutes.

"What should we do?" Jason asked. "We can't just run down the hill, and shout like injured Spearows."

He remembered the Spearows that woke him up every morning on Pokémon School.

Carrie gave him a sharp look.

"One of us must keep the guards busy, while the other have to free the Bulbasaurs that are working inside the mines."

"How many Pokémon do you have?" Jason asked, and recalled Teddyursa into a Pokéball. He couldn't carry him around at this moment.

"Four" Carrie replied.

"Then you'll take the guards, because I only have two. I'll go into the mines."

"Okay" Carrie said. "And..."

"...Jason" Jason said. He didn't introduce himself before.

"Jason. Thank you"

Jason nodded.

"Be careful, Jason" Carrie said, and Jason could catch a worried look in her eys. "Most of the Bulbasaurs are chained, and there are several Houndooms guardings them. Good luck."

"Good luck to you to Carrie."

He took a deep breath as he started to sneak around the area to get to the mines without getting noticed.

Meanwhile, Carrie walked the other direction.

He looked at her.

"God, this is madness." he said to himself.

He had never heard of a plan, where so many things could go wrong.

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The very same moment Carrie threw her four Pokéballs to fight the Houndooms outside the mines, Jason stepped into the dark mines.

The mine was lit up by torches which were placed every 10:th meter.

Suddenly, Jason became nautious and it felt like he was going to puke.

In front of him stood a group of chained Bulbasaur, all were thin like sticks, and their eyes were tired and lifeless.

"O god!" Jason said putting a hand over his mouth. "Don't worry, I'm going to save you."

There were no Houndooms nearby, and no guard either. He kneeled down to the Bulbasaur next to him, and he was not surprised when it jumped back like a frightened little mouse.

Jason tried to calm it down, but it didn't help.

"I'm here to save you." he whispered slowly.

Eventually, the chain stopped the Bulbasaur from backing any further. Jason tried to break the chain with his hands, but it were far too strong.

He tried for almost ten minutes, but the chain didn't break. He started to panic.

What if Carrie had already been captured?

"Mudkip!" he said, calling out the little waterpokémon out of it's Pokéball. "Bite it off!"

Mudkip buried it's teeth in the chain, but the chain withstood the bite.

"Stop it, Mudkip, or your teeth will break." Jason said and let out a sigh.

Suddenly, he heard someone yelling above, and he started to panic.

He used all his brainpower to come up with a solution... Steel...

He couldn't melt it since he didn't have a fire-pokémon, and Teddyura couldn't break it with it's claws.

Suddenly, he knew it!

The only thing which could make a chain weaker except fire, was water.

"Mudkip!" he commanded. "Water gun!"

Mudkip started to water the chains, and small spots of rust spread over them.

When Mudkip had finished, Jason grabbed the weakened chains and destroyed them with his bare hands.

"Come on everyone!" Jason said to the freed Bulbasaurs.

He called back Mudkip and started to run, but the Bulbasaurs didn't follow him.

Suddenly, he realized. They thought he would take them to a place that was even worse.

They had lost all their trust in humans.

"Come on!" he yelled. "I want to save you!"

But the Bulbasaurs didn't move.

"You're going to die if you stay here!" he shouted, and the tears fell down his cheeks.

But they didn't move.

Jason were just about to give up, when a Houndoom came around the corner.

And suddenly, the Bulbasaurs started to run, away from the danger, and towards freedom.

Houndoom sent flames after them, but the attack didn't hit.

Jason and the Bulbasaur ran out of the mine and out on the mining area, only to be greeted by five guards and their Houndooms.

He saw Carrie lying on the ground with ropes around her wrists.

He didn't know what to do.

Sure, it was at least 12 Bulbasaurs, but it wouldn't be enough against five well-trained Houndooms.

Two more came out of the mine, and Jason and the Bulbasaurs were suddenly surrounded.

He grabbed his two Pokéballs.

They wouldn't surrender without a fight.

"Bulbasaurs!" He shouted. "Fight for your freedom!"

With a roar he tossed Mudkip and Teddyursas Pokéballs, and then, the battle begun.

Everything became an burning inferno of vinewhips, flames and razor leafs.

Jason were tackled to the ground by a Houndoom, but he was saved by Mudkips bubblebeam.

He got on his feet, and he saw how the guards stopped everyone that tried to escape with their whips.

Suddenly, a firebeam flew through the air, straight towards Teddyursa who didn't have a chance to avoid it.

But Jason saved the little bear.

He threw himself in front of Teddyursa, and he was hit by the firebeam in the chest.

His jacket went on fire, and he desperately started to roll on the ground to choke the flames.

But eventually, the pain was to large.

The last thing he did before he fainted, was to recall Teddyursa and Mudkip into their Pokéballs.

And then the whole world disappeared in front of his eyes and was replaced by the darkness...

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