Mudkip and Diglett

The surface of the pond was brilliant blue, but the water underneath was dim. Mud particles saturated the bottom, making it difficult to see. But Azure had no trouble with that. She could click in a low tone, then use the returning sound waves hitting her headfin to figure out what was on the muddy bottom. There didn't seem to be any more, so she started back for the surface.

Plop.

She raised her fin back up to get a better feel of the disturbance. A small sphere had dropped into the pond. As it was an inanimate object, she swam right up to it and snatched it with her mouth. The small dimples on the surface confirmed what it was: another golf ball. She brought it up to the surface, where her Trainer waited.

He was an older human, with a bald patch he hid under a tan baseball cap advertising the Pristine Meadow Golf Course. He always wore tan overalls; at least, she had only ever seen him in tan overalls for the two weeks she'd been working with him. He was the groundskeeper of the golf course and she was learning to be his assistant Pokemon.

Azure dropped the ball into the basket, which held twenty others that she'd retrieved from the pond. "That should be the last one."

The groundskeeper patted her head. "Good work, girl. Any more?"

She shook her head.

"Okay then. Hop into the cart and we'll head over to the third hole. Now that I know you're a hard worker, we have to talk about the most important part of your job as Pokemon Assistant."

Eager to hear that, she jumped into the passenger seat of the golf cart they used to get around. It was like every other cart on the course, yellow-tan and off-white, except for the green flag on back. That marked them as staff and the golfers respected them for it.

She hadn't been over to the third hole yet. There were no ponds for the golf balls to fall into, just several groupings of trees for them to get lost in. The grass was green and immaculate, like everywhere else in Pristine Meadow. The groundskeeper did an excellent job and Azure was proud to be picked as his assistant.

He stopped the cart and leaned on the steering wheel. "Okay, you see the problem?"

Azure put her forepaws on the dash and looked ahead of them. But the course looked pretty much the same here as anywhere. Lots of tough grass and a flagpole marking the third hole. "Ummm, not really."

"It's that darn Diglett again," he answered, hitting his fist on the dash. "I call him Little Demon. He can dig pretty deep into this soil, that's for certain, but he always digs right under the surface, leaving unsightly lumps and trenches that ruin all my hard work. And every year, at least a dozen people sprain their ankle stumbling into one of his tunnels. I've gone with all the traditional ways of getting rid of a Diglett, but Demon has it out for me."

Knowing what to look for, Azure finally spotted the trouble. There were several long winding lumps in the otherwise smooth grass. "That jerk. You do so much for the course and he can wreck it in no time."

The groundskeeper scratched her head. "But that's why I picked you, Azure. You can hit him where he's weakest. And when you evolve, you'll grow into the same type as he is, so he won't stand a chance. You're my best hope of getting rid of Demon once and for all. You can do that, right?"

"Sure thing! I'll root him out." She hopped off the cart and sniffed the ground.

"Careful. He's a tricky one." The groundskeeper picked up one of his tools and went to work himself.

Keeping her fin extended fully, she checked out the scene. Some of the tunnels seemed fresh, with newly revealed dirt. And there was a scent of another Pokemon around. So Little Demon was here. The trick would be making him appear.

Through her paws, she felt a slight rumble through the ground. There he was. She couldn't sense him with her fin while he moved underground, but wherever he popped up, she would know.

He came out right behind the groundskeeper. All that showed was his smooth head and his grubby paws, but that was enough. Azure rushed up to tackle him from behind. His head and grip were harder than she expected, as she was pushed back instead of him being thrown out of the hole.

Demon spun around in his hole with surprising fluidity. "Hey, what was that for?"

"You're ruining our work," she said, getting back onto her feet. "So I'm gonna get rid of you."

He gripped the ground and leaned forward. "Get rid of me? But this is my turf! My family has lived here for centuries before the humans took over. So it's my land and you need to be gotten rid of."

"You've lived here that long?"

He crouched partly back into his hole. "Well yeah. Great-great-great-great-grandad Dugtrio was born here, and he kept the land as fresh and pretty as anyone would like. But now it's all strict manicures and foreign plants. He's ruined everything."

"But he's my Trainer, and he works hard to keep things nice."

"Well it ain't so nice when..." he trailed off into a sad mumbling.

Azure hopped closer to the Diglett. "When what?"

He looked down at the ground and mumbled some more.

The Mudkip stepped closer. "I can't hear you well."

He popped back out and slashed her across the nose with her claws. Laughing maniacally, Demon dropped into the ground to come out of another hole. "Hah! You'd believe any sob story, huh? Softie. I came here to overtake this field and it shall all be mine!"

Snarling, she turned to Demon. "Not a chance, jerk!" She shot him with her Water Gun attack.

At the same time, he threw a rock at her. Both attacks struck their target, but the Water attack hit harder. Demon dove back underground and scurried to another hole. Azure stood her ground until she knew where he was appearing, then shot another Water Gun at him. This time, he didn't stick around, but went back under and to another hole on her other side. He was trying to make her dizzy, but thanks to her fin, she was able to keep focused.

After several minutes of hide-and-seek, Demon moved to right underneath the Mudkip and slammed into his tunnel walls with such force that it felt like a minor earthquake. Azure stumbled and fell into one of the holes. After a second to get her bearings, she saw Demon looking back at her. "Hah, I've got you now!"

He grinned. "Well, well, well. Welcome to my side."

She shot Water Gun at him; he responded by flinging a slimy ball of grime at him. Some of the gunk slipped into her mouth and made her gag. Upon realizing that she had gotten poisoned, she scrambled to get back out of the hole. She managed, but fell unconscious shortly after.

The groundskeeper saw her fall. Dropping his gear, he ran to pick her up. "Curse you, Demon!" he shouted. "You may have won today, but your days are numbered!" Then he left to get her healed.

He couldn't be sure, but he thought that he heard laughter from behind him.

…

Ruby entry: The fin on Mudkip's head acts as highly sensitive radar. Using this fin to sense movements of water and air, this Pokemon can determine what is taking place around it without using its eyes.

Diglett Fire Red entry: It burrows through the ground at a shallow depth. It leaves raised earth in its wake, making it easy to spot.

At first, I planned on doing something dignified for Mudkip. I think the silly Mudkipz meme overshadows them. But then, I love the movie Caddyshack and that stole my inspiration.