Author's Note:

Hello friends, it's another Bonnie chapter today. Not much to say, so let's just get to it. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 21: The Excavation Escapade

As Bonnie fell off of her surfboard and into the water for what must've been the millionth time in just one morning, she decided she'd had enough for the day. She scrambled out of the water, ignoring Clyde's excited laughs as he easily surfed the wave behind her, and she made her way over to where Roxanne was lying under an umbrella to protect from the sun. She'd had some success with the surfing, but had stopped after her Nosepass had attempted coming in the water and gotten splashed a bit too much for a rock type's liking.

"Not having much success?" the Rustboro Gym Leader asked as Bonnie sat down on a towel next to her, glaring in frustration at Clyde and the Pokemon surfing easily along with Shauna, who had invited them for a surfing lesson this morning. Clyde was doing pretty well, along with Treecko. Wingull was also not bad, surfing the waves just as he would glide on the ocean breeze.

The real surprise was Dedenne. The Antenna Pokemon had been given a tiny little surfing board and for some reason, he was able to use his tail to manoeuvre it almost flawlessly. Shauna seemed quite impressed and felt Brawly was going to want to see Dedenne surf in person once hearing about his talents. Dedenne just seemed to think it was a fun little exercise.

The only one that was just as miserable with their attempts as Bonnie, was Beautifly, who was perched on top of Roxanne's umbrella, enjoying the sun. Bonnie smiled at her as she glanced over the edge to check on her. "I don't think this surfing training is for me," she finally muttered, answering Roxanne's question. "I hope it's not going to hurt my chances against Brawly."

"Not every training style suits every trainer," Roxanne said, chuckling as Bonnie narrowed her eyes, seeing Clyde successfully ride a fairly large wave. "Brawly knows not everyone will train like him. It works for him and his Pokemon, and perhaps its a style more suited to fighting types anyway."

"Dedenne seems to like it," Bonnie pointed out, watching as Dedenne guided his mini surfboard out for another wave.

Roxanne shrugged. "Maybe he can find a use for it. Pokemon may end up acting a lot like their trainers the more time they spend with them, but they still find their own interests and talents from time to time."

"But Ash always tried to train with his Pokemon," Bonnie muttered, sighing as she looked over to see Rotom bugging a few people by trying to analyze their Slowpoke. "I can't help Dedenne if I keep falling off my surfboard."

"Dedenne knows you're trying," Roxanne said calmly. "That's the best you can do. You can't be expected to perform every feat that he does. Pokemon are capable of things we may never dream of. As long as you do your best to understand him and can know his instincts as well as your own, you'll be able to make use of something like this."

"Beauuutifly," Beautifly cried out in agreement, now flying down off the top of the umbrella to join Bonnie and Roxanne in the shade. She hovered over and rested comfortably on Bonnie's head, apparently not minding her wet hair.

Bonnie giggled happily as she looked up at her bug type. "You're the best, Beautifly. It's easy to train with you no matter what!"

"Beautifly sure is a special one," Roxanne agreed, smiling as she looked to the Butterfly Pokemon. "I suppose she'll need a little bit more of a training session herself if this surfing thing isn't for her."

"Maybe we can go to Granite Cave once we're finished here," Bonnie suggested. "We should still have plenty of time and I bet there are a bunch of strong Pokemon to train against there."

"Seems like a good plan," Roxanne said, nodding as she glanced towards the beach. "Looks like Clyde and Shauna are done anyway."

Bonnie looked up in surprise, seeing that Roxanne was apparently right, and she scrambled up to her feet as her Pokemon rushed forward to greet her. Dedenne scurried up to her shoulder, while Wingull simply flew in a circle around her before landing at her side. They both looked happy, though, so Bonnie was glad the surfing idea had at least given them something to enjoy, even if it hadn't worked for her.

"Your Dedenne really is good at this," Shauna said, shaking her head in amazement as she looked at the Antenna Pokemon, Meditite staring intensely at her side. "He's got great balance and uses that tail really well for control. Your Wingull obviously knows the water well, too, although I think the air is his specialty."

"Wingull!" Wingull cried out in agreement. He certainly did like soaring on the ocean breeze while they'd been traveling with Briney.

"They're better at it than me, that's for sure," Bonnie said, sighing. She smiled a moment later, though, as Dedenne patted her cheek encouragingly. Wingull nuzzled her affectionately at her side as well.

Shauna just shrugged. "It takes practice, but even if it's not for you, you still got an idea of what it's like out there. Now when your Pokemon are in a battle and taking on a tough attack, you'll have a better sense of what kind of control they need to keep their balance."

Bonnie hadn't thought of it that way, but she realized it was kind of similar to dealing with some attacks. It was a bit like when Ash had trained for his rematch with Viola at the Santalune Gym and had needed to get Pikachu and Fletchling to be better able to handle Vivillon's Gust. Surfing was a bit similar, with the Pokemon needing to be prepared for the rough and unpredictable waves, while also maintaining balance and control.

"Brawly must be really tough to beat if he's a master of this stuff," Clyde then said, bringing Bonnie's attention to him. "He'll understand all the various ways to maintain control no matter what kind of attacks are used against him."

"He's certainly pretty strong!" Shauna agreed, grinning as she looked to Bonnie. "But a tough challenger needs to find ways around a gym leader's tactics."

"Well then I'm going to need to do some more training!" Bonnie said, putting her hands on her hips in defiance. "We should get changed and then head for Granite Cave. I want to see if we can do some good training there, and maybe meet some powerful Pokemon."

Clyde certainly seemed interested in that. "Awesome! Maybe we can even find some of those fossils that are apparently around there. I'm sure researchers have most of them recovered, but maybe we'll find another."

"That would certainly be an interesting find," Roxanne agreed, looking thoughtful as she began rolling up her towel and getting her things prepared for them to head back to the Pokemon Centre. "Although hopefully things are safe with those protective Pokemon supposedly around there."

"Oh those won't be too much of a problem," Shauna said dismissively. "I think Officer Jenny just wants people to be on the lookout in case those vandals from Team Archaic are around."

Vandals? Bonnie thought, exchanging a glance with Clyde. Apparently knowledge of what Team Archaic had done in Oldale Town and Rustboro City wasn't quite as well known as she'd imagined it might've been. She supposed damage had been kept to a minimum so far, but they certainly seemed dangerous. Especially if they really had managed to get to Regice in Island Cave.

"You okay, Bonnie?"

Bonnie shook her head, realizing she must've gone quiet. The others were looking curiously at her, and Shauna had apparently said something to her. "Sorry," she murmured, trying to rid her mind of thoughts of Team Archaic. "Just got distracted I guess. What were you saying?"

Shauna smiled. "I was wondering if you'd like me to come along to Granite Cave. I'd still like to do some training as well, and Granite Cave is a great place to do some tough physical training and work on stamina with your Pokemon! And it'd be good to have an extra trainer along for dealing with those protective Pokemon if they're around."

"Of course you can come!" Bonnie said. "Do you know any special places to train there? Or where we might find super cool Pokemon?"

Shauna was about to answer, but just then, Rotom returned to their group, rushing over quite quickly and coming to a stop in front of Bonnie. He seemed to be excited, darting around with pictures rapidly flashing across his screen. Bonnie eventually had to grab him and hold him still in order for him to actually speak.

"Zzt! I have heard some very exciting news!" he cried out, his screen flashing with what appeared to be digital fireworks. "Some trainers have spotted a shiny Metagross nearby Dewford Town!"

"A shiny Metagross?" Shauna asked. "A wild one?"

"Wait a minute," Clyde said. "There's a famous trainer that has a shiny Metagross..."

Bonnie rolled her eyes at that, Clyde looking confused as she did so. "Yeah, the most famous trainer in all of Hoenn, Clyde!" She looked to Dedenne, grinning as he glanced back, eyes shining with excitement. "We've met that Metagross!"

Shauna's eyes widened. "Wait...you don't mean..."

Bonnie nodded. "Champion Steven is here in Dewford Town!"

Butch groaned as he helped a few workers in the excavation crew move a heavy rock to the side to make room for some of the carts to get through. The carts were loaded with various stones and other interesting items. He and Cassidy had been keeping an eye on their whereabouts ever since Zinnia had secured them a place in Steven's fossil excavation crew.

"See any sign of the fossils on those carts?" Cassidy whispered as Butch and the others finished with the boulders and he made his way back over to her, where she was presumably on break with Smeargle and Raticate. Those two had actually been quite useful for the crew in breaking apart large rocks with Raticate's Skull Bash, and brushing away dust with Smeargle's tail.

"Nothing yet," Butch muttered, grabbing a bottle of water at one of the break tables. "I don't know what the point of this mission is. Seems like no new fossils are being found. We should just nab some of the rare stones and get out of here."

Cassidy apparently had a problem with that, glaring at Butch as he took a drink of his water. "We are not screwing up our first assignment given to us by Zinnia. If we do well with this, we won't have to work for that idiot Viktor anymore. There must be more fossils somewhere in this cave."

"Perhaps we should get ourselves assigned to work closer to where Steven is doing his research," Smeargle suggested, as though that would be as simple as asking one of the administrators. "I'm sure he's trying to keep a close eye on these fossils."

"You don't think he suspects something like...us?" Butch asked, noticing Smeargle's glance around the cave, eyeing the workers taking a break nearby.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Cassidy snapped. "There's nothing to suggest we'd be infiltrating his excavation crew."

Smeargle raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh...right," he murmured sarcastically. "I'm sure the fact that you stole fossils in Oldale Town, restoration fluid in Rustboro City and attacked an Elite Four member at the site of another Team Archaic excavation site won't have raised any alarm bells about potential attempts on the fossils discovered here in Granite Cave."

Butch rubbed his chin in thought, considering Smeargle's words. "Hmm...you know, Cassidy, I think he has a point."

"It doesn't matter," Cassidy muttered, shaking her head. "We're already in his crew and we have access to the cave and everything that's being taken. We just need to take advantage of our chance whenever we get it. We'll grab those fossils as soon as they're in our sight."

"Whatever you say, Cass," Smeargle muttered, rolling his eyes at Butch as she looked away, analyzing the cavern where their group of excavators was working on making some space for transporting carts from deeper in the cave.

"If we do get a chance at stealing those fossils," Butch said, looking around nervously as he felt some shaking in the ground beneath him, "shouldn't we be worried about the rumours of those Pokemon that have been attacking some of the workers."

Cassidy shrugged at that, apparently thinking it was no big deal. "It sounds as though Steven hasn't had to deal with any of those Pokemon, so if we can find a way to stay close enough to him that they don't bother us, we should be fine."

"The attacks have come from some of the deeper parts of the cave," Smeargle added. "That last fellow got himself lost pretty far in when he was chased. I reckon Steven is being quite careful not to disturb them as much as possible. Even he isn't excavating that deep into the cave."

"Perhaps we should just risk it and try going further in ourselves," Cassidy suggested somewhat absentmindedly as she stared at the carts going by, none of them with fossils. "We could steal some of the equipment and see if there are any signs of fossils in another area of the cave."

"That seems pretty risky," Butch said, remembering what one of the workers that had encountered the protective Pokemon had said. "There's a big, nasty Pokemon in here somewhere..."

"We've dealt with worse..." Cassidy muttered, although for once she didn't seem willing to argue further.

"Hey! You two!"

Butch and Cassidy both jumped as large man with a pickaxe and a clipboard came over, looking them over suspiciously. They both reverted to Team Rocket and Team Archaic habits, stopping immediately and saluting him. That seemed to throw him off a bit, but he recovered fairly quickly, and actually looked a little pleased as he stopped in front of them.

"You two takin' a break?" the man asked, eyeing the water bottle in Butch's hand.

"Um...yes...sir," Butch murmured, swallowing nervously. Zinnia would not be pleased if they screwed up the mission just by taking a break and getting kicked off the excavation crew.

"All right, well don't take long, got it?!" the man shouted in response. Butch wasn't sure if it was his normal speaking voice, but it certainly came off like a shout. "You two have been reassigned to help further in the cave. They want all crew members with Pokemon to help out with some heavy lifting there, and there may be some fossils as well so that Smeargle will be useful for carefully removing those."

Cassidy answered quickly before Butch even had a chance to take in the man's words. "Will do, sir!" she said happily. "We'll report immediately!"

"Good!" the man grunted, nodding as he turned to peer at the other workers. "We need to pick things up around here. There are reports the Pokemon are getting agitated. We'll need to leave pretty soon if that big one gets upset..."

Butch didn't quite like the sound of that, and he could tell Smeargle and Raticate weren't too thrilled either. Cassidy, on the other hand, didn't seem to consider the threat, grinning as she looked towards the passageway leading deeper into the cave where a handful of other workers were heading, some Machoke trailing after them. She only sensed the opportunity ahead.

"Time to get our hands on those fossils!" she whispered excitedly, before heading off, not bothering to wait for Butch and the Pokemon.

Butch watched her a moment, before sighing in exasperation and following. "Why do I have a feeling this is going to end badly?" he muttered to Smeargle as they headed towards the passageway.

The Painter Pokemon shrugged. "Perhaps it's because nothing has gone particularly well, lately." He paused, looking as though he was listening to something. "And...I believe those 'nasty' Pokemon that are displeased by their home being chopped apart are indeed getting agitated."

Butch simply groaned. He didn't hear anything, but he trusted Smeargle's hearing with those big ears of his.

And he was pretty sure he felt the ground rumbling beneath his feet once more.

It didn't take too long for Bonnie and her friends to get back to the Pokemon Centre and get ready for their outing to Granite Cave. Bonnie supposed they were all in a bit of a rush with the knowledge that Steven was here in Dewford. The obvious bet for where he would be heading was Granite Cave, so it made the idea of going there for some training even more exciting. Bonnie just hoped it wasn't going to be too crowded with trainers now having the idea he was around.

"Do you think we'll be able to get into Granite Cave?" Bonnie asked Shauna as their group headed out of the Pokemon Centre. They headed the opposite direction from the town, towards the rocky cliffs on the outskirts of the island.

Shauna shrugged. "There will probably be a lot of people around, but maybe I can use my clout as a gym leader's assistant to get us in." She didn't seem to be joking, although Bonnie heard Clyde covering a laugh. "Who would want to stop Brawly's assistant from seeing what was going on?"

"Is...that the only plan we have?" Bonnie asked, feeling a little worried. She'd been looking forward to seeing Granite Cave, even without knowing Steven was there. It was even more exciting that he was, but it was probably going to make it even harder to get in. Especially if he was doing something with fossils they were trying to protect from Team Archaic.

"I'm sure we'll be able to access part of the cave," Roxanne said reassuringly. "As long as we're careful about not disturbing the protective Pokemon that are supposed to be around."

"Those Pokemon are probably focused on the fossils Steven is investigated in anyway," Shauna pointed out.

"But I was hoping to see the fossils!" Clyde said, looking dumbfounded by the mere suggestion they would explore the cave away from where the commotion would be. "I thought we were meeting Steven. Aren't you friends with him, Bonnie?"

"I wouldn't say we're friends..." Bonnie murmured, feeling a little awkward. She wasn't even sure Steven would remember much of her. If he had one of his assistants with him, though...

"I think we'll just have to see what the situation is like once we're over there," Roxanne suggested, giving Clyde a reassuring smile. "I'm sure we'll get the chance to see Steven eventually, and if those fossils are recovered safely, they'll be taken somewhere we can see them without Team Archaic being involved."

Rotom floated down in front of their group, after apparently having been taking some pictures of some Pokemon up in the trees. "Zzt! I believe there will be much data to analyze in Granite Cave either way! If we are unable to see Champion Steven, I will still very much enjoy analyzing the Pokemon in Granite Cave."

"Easy for you to be so positive," Clyde muttered. "All you do is take pictures and load up some descriptions."

"Zzt!"

"Ow!"

Bonnie's eyes widened as Rotom floated away from Clyde, hiding behind her. Apparently he'd slapped Clyde, who hadn't given chase, but just looked irritated. Treecko, perched on his shoulders, seemed to find the whole thing quite amusing, however, smirking and holding his tail in front of his mouth to stop from laughing. Dedenne seemed to be holding in a laugh as well, forcing a smile to come to Bonnie's face.

"Rotom, you shouldn't do that," Roxanne scolded, although she looked slightly amused as well.

"Zzt! I will not be insulted for gathering and analyzing data!" the PokeDex said proudly. "Zzt! I must have all the data necessary to help Pokemon Trainer Bonnie become a Pokemon Master!"

"Thanks Rotom," Bonnie said, surprised to hear him so passionate about helping her.

"Zzt! You are welcome. You certainly need the help!"

"Don't make me get Dedenne to shock you!" Bonnie warned, narrowing her eyes.

"Dedenne would never-"

"Hey guys, look at this!"

Bonnie paused, looking up as she noticed Shauna stopping up ahead, near the top of a hill. She was pointing down at something, and Bonnie and her friends quickly rushed up to join and her and have a look. As they pulled to a stop next to her, Bonnie heard a groan from Clyde, and as she looked down, she couldn't blame him.

They had arrived at Granite Cave. It appeared, however, that they wouldn't be getting in to Granite Cave. At least not where the exciting stuff was happening. There were two barricades up by two of the larger entrances, with a group of police at each one, and a sizable crowd of people out front, presumably hoping to catch sight of Steven or the fossils. There were also a few trucks by another road that apparently led towards the other end of the town, which some workers were loading with some things gathered from the caves. From the reactions of the people down there, though, they weren't as exciting as fossils.

"We're definitely not getting in there..." Roxanne said quietly, looking down at the scene with pursed lips.

"Should we wait out front with the other people?" Clyde asked. "Maybe Steven will show up later?"

"I'm sure I can convince them to let us in," Shauna said, although she didn't sound as confident as before. "Brawly will want me to see this, right? I can just say it's gym leader business."

"Roxanne's the only actual gym leader here," Bonnie noted, getting an embarrassed look from Shauna. "Do you think they'll let us in if you tell them who you are?" Bonnie asked the Rustboro Gym Leader.

"I doubt it," Roxanne said. "They'll want to protect those fossils from Team Archaic. I expect..." She paused, tilting her head thoughtfully. "Do you hear that?"

Bonnie looked around, unsure what she was talking about, but Dedenne seemed to tense up from his place on her shoulder and as Bonnie glanced to him, his ears perked up. "What is it, Dedenne?"

"Nene!" he said, quietly but forcefully. He scurried down to the ground, making his way to towards some trees down to their right, a little ways down the hill. Roxanne was the first to follow him, and Bonnie and the others quickly joined them.

"What do you-" Clyde started to say, before Roxanne interrupted.

"Quiet!" she whispered, holding up a hand. "Listen carefully."

She ducked down as they reached the bushes, and Bonnie and the others followed suit. Bonnie noticed Dedenne a little ahead, just barely visible as he hid in the thick growth of the bushes. He was peering down the hill, towards a little area on the beach that was closed off by rocks. What Bonnie saw there, was enough to make her clench her fists in anger. She was ready to charge down and fight. Roxanne held her back.

"Who are those guys?" Shauna whispered, looking curiously at the two men below, preparing a boat to head out into the water. They were wearing the standard brown uniforms with the bones forming an 'A' on the front.

"Team Archaic," Bonnie said angrily, narrowing her eyes. "Looks like they're planning on making a move on those fossils after all."

"We should go and warn Officer Jenny," Clyde said, turning a little to look back where the large crowds were. "Who knows what these guys are planning. We need to act fast."

Bonnie nodded, although she didn't think there was any point in wasting time heading down to Officer Jenny. They needed to follow these guys now. They were already in their boat, starting the motor. "We need to follow them and find out where they're going. I bet there's more of them."

"Bonnie's right," Shauna said, ignoring Clyde's panicked look. "It'll take too long to get over to Officer Jenny and warn her. Those guys could be enacting their plan by then." She was silent a moment as the boat began moving. It looked like the two Team Archaic members were heading towards a different entrance to Granite Cave, around the cliffs.

"We don't exactly have a way to follow them," Clyde noted, looking exasperated. "We need a...what are you doing, Bonnie?"

Bonnie wasn't quite sure herself, but if there was ever a time for her to make use of Clemont's special backpack, this would be it. She was sure he would've put something in it that could help her get over some water. It wasn't like she needed a fancy boat. She just needed something to quickly access the other side of Granite Cave. She could see the Team Archaic members in the distance already steering their boat towards a rocky area that led towards a dark entryway.

"Zzt! Gym Leader Clemont thought that we might encounter a situation precisely like this!" Rotom said, appearing as though he was loading something. He floated down in front of Bonnie, positioning himself by one of the buttons on the backpack's straps. "Clemontic Gear Mark Two on!" Rotom cried out excitedly, hitting the button, the backpack beeping along with something Rotom had loaded.

Suddenly, the backpack opened up, and a large, yellow object began expanding out of it, almost like a balloon. Bonnie quickly realized what was happening, and she picked the backpack up off the ground and began rushing down the hill, her friends chasing after her, while Rotom excitedly explained what was happening. As Bonnie reached the water, though, it was becoming clear.

The yellow, balloon-like object was actually some kind of blow up boat. It was a bit like a lifeboat that would be on a cruise ship. It had enough room for the four of them and their Pokemon, and as it landed in the water, Bonnie could see a motor at the back of it, ready to propel them across nice and fast. As long as it didn't blow up, it looked like Clemont had really come through for them.

"Zzt! Gym Leader Clemont calls it the Speedy Water Traveler Mark One!" Rotom announced proudly. "A perfect name!"

"Right..." Bonnie muttered, shaking her head at the naming choice. "Well...I guess this works for our problem, huh?" She turned to her friends, seeing them staring at her backpack, looking completely dumbfounded. "What?" she asked them.

"How...how does your backpack...I don't...that doesn't make any sense!" Shauna said, looking from the backpack, to the boat, to Rotom and then to Bonnie.

"I don't think I've seen anything quite like that before," Roxanne murmured a moment later, reaching out to touch the boat, but apparently seeing nothing wrong with it and nodding thoughtfully.

"I thought that Aipom Arm was crazy...but that was nuts!" Clyde added, chuckling nervously. "Your brother is something else."

Bonnie laughed, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. She was so used to Clemont's crazy inventions that this kind of thing was normal to her. She'd forgotten how different it could be to some people. "Yeah...he's a pretty good inventor." She quickly shook her head a moment later, though, looking out to where the Team Archaic members had gone, seeing they were getting off their boat. "We can talk about the invention later, though. We need to go!"

The others nodded, following her gaze and seeing the two grunts approaching the new entrance. It seemed like it was hidden pretty well by the rocks and pretty far away from wherever Steven was likely doing his excavation, but Bonnie was surprised there wasn't any protection there. Clearly Team Archaic felt it was worth entering from there, and that made it a threat. There had to be a reason, and she intended to find out what it was. But first, they had to follow.

Apparently whatever Clemont had done with Rotom and the Clemontic Gear made the PokeDex capable of steering the boat. The motor and steering mechanism were connected to him by some signal he was able to transmit. He was quite pleased about the whole thing, and if the situation wasn't so urgent, Bonnie was sure he would've taken them all for a joyride around the entire island. Despite his excitement, though, he navigated the rocks well as he steered them towards where the Team Archaic members had disappeared.

"So Rotom," Clyde asked as they were moving across the water, "why weren't we able to use this boat back in Rustboro City? It was good we got to go with Mr. Briney, but could we have used this?"

"Zzt! Don't be ridiculous, Pokemon Trainer Clyde!" Rotom snapped. "This boat is only for short distances. Gym Leader Clemont would've needed a much larger backpack to create one for a journey that long!"

"Oh...yeah, sorry, my mistake," Clyde muttered, shaking his head. "I should've realized how ridiculous that question was."

"Zzt! Indeed!"

Fortunately, despite the rocks around this area of the beach and around the entrance to Granite Cave, Rotom managed to navigate the waters quickly, and before too long, they had stopped their "backpack boat" - a term Clyde had given it – nearby the Team Archaic one. They weren't really too worried about it being seen as they got out of it. Bonnie was pretty sure they would be spotted well before the boat if it came to that.

As they got out of the boat and made their way through the rocks and sand towards the cave entrance, Bonnie felt it was quite similar to when they'd gone into Island Cave. The only difference was that this cave didn't appear to be nearly as cold. Unfortunately, the danger seemed just as present, with Team Archaic involved just as much, if not more, with whatever was going on here. She could feel Dedenne tensing up on her shoulder, and sensed her friends getting ready for a confrontation.

The Team Archaic members they had seen before were apparently already inside, and as the stopped in front of the entrance leading into the cave, there was no sign of anyone ready to stop them. Bonnie was a little surprised by that, but she supposed that if there were known criminals spotted guarding the area, the police would've gone after them. They'd probably tried to keep their actions as secret as possible. It had just been lucky that Roxanne and Dedenne had heard the commotion before.

"Be ready," Shauna whispered as the group began to move forward. "We could encounter them at any moment."

Bonnie nodded, locking eyes with Dedenne as they followed. They were ready to fight at any time. Whatever Team Archaic was up to could not succeed. Clearly they were after the fossils Steven was uncovering, and with the technology they'd stolen from Devon Corp. and the fossils they'd already obtained, it would be very dangerous for them to gain more.

It wasn't too dark near the entrance, but as they walked further, it became a bit harder to see. There were a few passageways heading upwards that seemed to leave to openings in the cliff where some sunlight came through, but they needed to rely on a flashlight that Roxanne had brought that helped them see further ahead. It was fairly uneventful as they walked, but Bonnie couldn't help but feel like they were being watched the whole time.

"Where do you think those guys went?" Clyde asked, looking perplexed as they stopped in an open area of the cave, two passageways ahead of them. "I haven't seen any sign of them."

"It's certainly oddly quiet..." Roxanne murmured in agreement, pausing as she stared at the cave walls.

"Nene!" Dedenne then said sharply, hopping down off of Bonnie's shoulder and darting towards the passageway on their right.

"Dedenne, what is it?" Bonnie called out, running after him. The others followed, whispering for her to be quiet, but she didn't care at the moment. She was worried about whatever was making Dedenne nervous.

It wasn't too long until she found out why. The scene that Dedenne led them to, however, was definitely not what they expected. Bonnie, who had run a little further ahead than she'd intended, waited with Dedenne until Roxanne approached with her flashlight, hoping the light would give her a clearer picture of whatever was going on. It just made her more confused, though.

Dedenne had heard something all right, and it had led him towards another open part of the cave, with much more space and a variety of passageways around them. It would be a good place to start in trying to find Steven. Apparently that was what Team Archaic had thought as well, because this was where the two members they had spotted earlier were now positioned. Unfortunately for them, and another two members of Team Archaic with them, they were unconscious.

"What...what do you think happened to them?" Clyde asked nervously, stepping forward cautiously to peer at the group. There were signs of a fight. Rocks were broken around them, and scorch marks were on the ground in some places. Two of the men even had pokeballs lying next to them.

"They seem to have been attacked," Roxanne said, kneeling down further away and examining a large crack in the ground. Bonnie went over to join her, her eyes widening as she noticed the crack led to a large hole. "Attacked by a Pokemon...a very big Pokemon."

"I would almost feel bad for them if they hadn't been trying to steal," Shauna muttered, heading over to check and make sure the Team Archaic members were, indeed, unconscious. "I wonder-"

CRRRAAACCCKKK!

"Ar! Ar ar arrr!"

"OOOAAAWWW!"

Bonnie whipped around at the ear splitting noise, eyes widening as a massive shape burst out of the ground at the opposite end of the cavern. Its eyes were wide with fury and its roar only emphasized its anger as it raised itself up in front of the group. Underneath it, a group of much smaller Pokemon appeared to be barking at them, their rounded heads moving up and down as they snarled.

"Zzt! An Onix and a group of Aron!" Rotom cried out in surprise, snapping a picture of the larger Pokemon, which appeared like a giant serpent made out of massive boulders. "Onix, the Rock Snake Pokemon! Onix-"

"Not now, Rotom!" Clyde interrupted, looking to his friends in fear. "We should run!"

"Agreed!" Shauna called out, grabbing Clyde's hand since he was nearest. "Let's go!"

Unfortunately, just as Clyde and Shauna began to head towards the nearest passageway and Bonnie and Roxanne moved to follow, Onix dove to the ground between them, seeming to shake the entire cave. Bonnie could hear her friends calling out, but she and Roxanne were thrown back, hitting hard against a few rocks. Bonnie could hear Rotom calling out to her and Roxanne in concern, apparently having managed to join Clyde and Shauna, but he was quickly interrupted as a few Aron began barking. A moment later, she heard their shouts of alarm disappearing in the distance.

"We need to get out of here!" Roxanne said, getting up with a wince and helping Bonnie to her feet. She glanced to their left where another passageway was fairly close. "Ready to make a run for it?" she asked, looking nervously to where Onix was, the Rock Snake Pokemon seeming to consider who to chase after.

"Ready!" Bonnie said, nodding and taking off immediately, Roxanne joining her with a yelp as Onix locked his gaze on them.

They managed to reach the passageway, which appeared to be a little too tight for Onix, but as Bonnie and Roxanne ran further down the tunnel, they could hear the Rock Snake Pokemon roaring in anger. Neither had any interest in slowing down upon hearing that, and they ran even harder as they heard a loud crash to follow up the roar, along with the barks of a group of Aron. Bonnie might've been tempted to battle if it was just the Aron, but with that Onix back there, she was way too scared. And apparently Roxanne felt the same.

Luckily, it appeared that the passageway was small enough to restrict Onix for the time being, and after a few minutes of running, Bonnie and Roxanne came to a stop, finally no longer hearing the angry Pokemon in the distance. They were too tired to be relieved, though, taking the moment to catch their breath and sit down. Dedenne even seemed tired enough to glance briefly at his pokeball that was on at Bonnie's belt.

"That Onix...was very big, and very angry," Roxanne whispered, still breathing heavily as she stood up, nervously shining her flashlight back in the direction they'd come from. "I think I see now why the police didn't bother posting guards out front of this part of the cave."

"At least we know Team Archaic won't be able to do anything," Bonnie said, getting to her feet as well.

Roxanne didn't look convinced. "I'm not so sure. There will be other entrances. I'm sure they sent groups into various places. I wouldn't be surprised if they're plotting a way to take down that Onix."

Bonnie clenched her fists in frustration at that. Despite the Onix attacking them, she wasn't mad at it. It was only protecting its territory, and it had probably just thought she and her friends were like the Team Archaic members trying to steal what was in the cave. "We have to help it."

Roxanne smiled at her declaration. "Agreed," she said, turning back to her. "Of course...we'll need to find Clyde and Shauna if we're going to come up with a good plan of attack, and to make sure they're safe. Who knows where they may be at this point..."

Bonnie nodded, exchanging a nervous glance with Dedenne. "They could be anywhere. We ran for awhile and we went in nearly opposite directions."

"We just have to hope they weren't chased for too long," Roxanne said, taking a better look at their surroundings. "At least we know they weren't chased by Onix."

"We need to find them before Onix does," Bonnie said, suddenly worrying about the Rock Snake Pokemon setting off after her friends. "They might not be in as safe a place."

"We'll find them," Roxanne promised, taking a deep breath as she locked her eyes on a passageway ahead of them. "We'll start in this direction. I think it heads towards the back of the cave. That seemed to be where Clyde and Shauna were heading. Hopefully we'll find another passageway that runs along that end in their direction."

Bonnie had no arguments with that, and she took a deep breath as they prepared to set off once more. Dedenne quickly scurried up onto her shoulder, and a moment later, she and Roxanne were walking once more. This time, they were alert for much more than just Team Archaic. They needed to be ready for Onix and the Aron as well.

That was why Bonnie jumped about a foot in the air when an Aron darted around the corner in front of them a few minutes later, just as Roxanne's flashlight lit the area ahead. Dedenne was hopping out front of her a moment later, cheeks sparking as he prepared to battle. Roxanne seemed ready as well, grabbing a pokeball as she looked at the Aron nervously.

This Aron, however, didn't appear to be hostile. Instead, it tilted its head as it looked at Bonnie and Roxanne, and a moment later, it turned around in the direction it had come from. It briefly disappeared around the corner, but a few seconds later, it came back, looking at Bonnie and Roxanne once again, before heading back around.

"Ar!" it then barked a moment later, almost as though it was calling for them.

"Do you think it wants us to follow it?" Bonnie asked, looking curiously at Roxanne.

"I...think it might," she said, looking thoughtful. "What do you think? It doesn't seem like it wants to harm us."

"I guess not," Bonnie said, still feeling a little nervous about it. Dedenne was looking encouragingly at her, though, so she eventually nodded. "Let's see what it wants."

Roxanne nodded in agreement at that, and the two set off once again, spotting the Aron quickly as they rounded the corner and following after it as it continued moving ahead. As it walked, it continually glanced back at them, still making sure they were following. When they were too slow for its liking, it would bark at them as well. Eventually, it did slow down, though, coming to a stop near a passageway that seemed to lead down into another wider area. It waited for Bonnie and Roxanne to come to a stop behind it, before heading down.

They followed cautiously, and as they headed down the tunnel, Bonnie was surprised as she began to hear voices. For a moment, she was excited, thinking that Aron had found Clyde and Shauna, but as they drew nearer, she could tell it wasn't them. They did seem to be familiar, however...

Finally, they reached the end of the passageway, arriving in a wide open area with a massive cave wall ahead of them. In front, there was a section of the ground raised up, almost like a small stage. A Metagross was resting there, guarding two people who were examining the wall. Bonnie watched as Aron ran forward to greet the Iron Leg Pokemon. It took her a moment in the darkness to realize it was of a different colouring than a regular Metagross.

That's when she realized why the voices were familiar, and a huge smile came to her face as she looked at the two people up ahead. They had already noticed her and Roxanne's arrival. One of them, holding a small notebook in his hand, smiled just as widely as her as he rested his gaze on her.

"Bonnie!" Sawyer shouted happily. "I was hoping I'd get the chance to see you!"

Author's Note:

And Sawyer has returned! I've been looking forward to getting to this point, so the next chapter should be fun. Lots of action ahead. Hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you next time.