A massive Pokémon sauntered through the tunnel, its footsteps echoing underneath the dirt floor. Lavender fur, glowing yellow sparkles and cherry red eyes glowed faintly in the dark.

Something rumbled above its head, everything quaking in its spot. Construction workers, maybe? A colony of Graveler, perhaps?

The Pokémon stopped walking and looked up. Clumps of dirt fell from the ceiling, crumbling into fine dust as they hit the floor.

—

The boys went through the tunnel's entrance. The environment was slightly damp, but at least it was breathable. Tank whipped out his Rotom Phone and frowned; no cell service (likely due to being underground), BUT at least the phone had a flashlight. He turned his phone around to look at the cave.

The only thing hanging from the walls were thin stalagmites with yellow circles painted on the side, while somethingdripped from the ceiling. Small drops of water landed on the ground, forming a small puddle in the corner.

Benedict spotted something from the corner of his eyes; what was that thing and why was it sparkling?! He rushed ahead of his boyfriends, stopping when he finally saw the sparkling object. He knelt down to pick up the object. It was a round white stone with a silver streak running through its core.

"Hey!" Tank yelled.

Benedict looked up from his spot, turning around so fast that some of his hair flew into his face.

"What'd you find there, dude?" Tank asked.

Benedict stood up, pushing strands of hair out of his face as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Some sorta weird stone," he grunted as he picked up the stone. Sheesh, was this thing made of pure iron?!

"Oh cool!" Tank looked closer at the rock. "I'm no geologist, but I think you should keep it!"

Benedict looked at him with a flat expression across his face.

"What, it might be worth something!" Tank suggested.

"Y'know what?" Benedict put the white rock in his backpack. "I think so too."

Kidd caught up to the duo, panting as he placed a hoof on his chest. "So, which way are we going now?"

Tank pointed up ahead, "This way. I see a light in the tunnel!"

"Sounds morbid but alright," Kidd shrugged.

Benedict snorted, "Tank, don't go into the light!"

Tank looked at the two of them. "I don't get it?"

"It's somethin' I heard from a movie," Benedict shrugged.

Kidd shook his head, chuckling a little. "Was it a horror movie by any chance?"

"How'd you know?" Benedict asked.

Everyone kept walking forward, looking around at the tunnel. There were no signs of light, however, the ground underneath them felt softer and deeper. Kidd slipped on a rock, then jolted up in surprise. The ground underneath had collapsed!

The boys screamed as they fell through the hole. Kidd grabbed Benedict's hood, while Tank tried to grab onto the rocky surface. Unfortunately for the group, the rocks were damp and slippery.

With a deafening thud, they fell into a large minecart. A cloud of dust exploded into the air. The minecart was rusty inside and out; nothing else was inside except for an equally rusty pickaxe.

Tank picked up the pickaxe; it felt surprisingly light in his hooves. He put it back where he found it. After all, who needs a pickaxe right now?

"So" he asked the group. "Should we just sleep here?"

Kidd yawned as he slumped in his spot, "Do we have a choice?"

"I figured you'd say that" Tank shrugged. He took his backpack off and placed it on another corner. "I mean, there's worse places to sleep!"

He laid down, using his backpack as a pillow. It felt lumpy from all the goods inside, but it was better than nothing.

Benedict and Kidd looked at each other and shrugged. They set their bags down, then curled up close next to Tank. His body felt warm to the touch, but not burning up. With the day behind them, the boys slowly fell asleep. Eight hours had passed in the cavern. A colony of Whismur waddled around the area, two of them stopping to touch the minecart before catching up to their group.

The group of Whismur waddled away, rolling down the hills like bowling balls. With a loud thud, they stopped at a large boulder, then ran through a small tunnel.

A pair of Loudred wandered around the cave, looking for trouble. They stopped to talk to each other. The larger Loudred pointed at the cart, describing a weird sound he heard from on the surface.

The smaller Loudred scoffed, not wanting to believe what he was claiming. His companion walked up to the cart, feeling the rough surface on his palms.

Despite the cries from the other Pokémon, the larger Loudred rolled his eyes and used both hands to push the cart down.

Loud squeaking echoed from the wheels, as the cart slowly rolled down the hill tracks.

Tank woke up first, jolting up in his spot. He looked up from the cart; why was it moving?!

"Guys" he nudged the other two. "Guys?!"

Benedict woke up next

"What's goin' on?!"

"Seriously, what's–"

Kidd asked before he looked at Tank and screamed. "Why's the cart moving?!"

"That's why I woke you two up!" Tank yelled.

"That's it?!"

Benedict hollered. "We just gotta stay inside"

Kidd gasped "Inside?!"

"Yeah!" Benedict explained as he grabbed onto the edge of the cart. "Like on a roller coaster!"

With a skeptical look across their faces, Tank and Kidd looked at him.

"Y'all just gotta stay in one spot!" Benedict yelled as he continued to hold onto the cart. "I've done this before back in Nimbasa!"

Tank and Kidd nodded at each other. They held onto the minecart's edges as it zipped across the track, rattling louder by each minute. A stick of dynamite got caught under one of the wheels. Sparks flew behind the cart as the dynamite ignited itself. Loud hissing squeaked from the dynamite stick.

The cart made three more sharp turns before the dynamite exploded on the rails. The boys were flung out of the minecraft, crashing into different spots against the wall.

Tank stood up first. He brushed some dirt off his clothing, but something felt wrong. A dull throbbing sensation pounded through his right wrist. He lifted his arm up to look closer; his wrist faintly glowed red. He gulped upon realizing the horror.

Kidd got up next, then walked to Tank's spot.

"What in the–" he gasped as he looked at Tank's wrist.

Tank brushed him off, "It's nothing, I just fell on my arm" he tried to wave it off, but flinched. There was that stupid throbbing again!

Kidd facepalmed

"It's clearly something" he deadpanned and took Tank's wrist. Kidd took his scarf off, then tied it around Tank's arm to conceal his injury.

"Wow, um, thanks", Tank looked away, blushing hard. "...You've dealt with this before?"

"Yeah," Kidd frowned and looked back at Tank. "I've broke a bone here and there."

Kidd remembered one of his most painful memories. Breaking his ankle at a Lumiose City park, lashing out at his mother for spending the whole afternoon texting, and of course, getting grounded for said injury, like he wasn't pushed off the jungle gym by some snot-nosed brat.

Benedict panted as he ran up to the duo. "That was somethin' else!"

"Heh, yeah" Tank chuckled as he hid his injured arm behind his back.

"So what was that part about Nimbasa City?"

"Well" Benedict explained, waving his arms around in the air. "Nimbasa's got this kickass 'musement park with the best roller coasters. I've went with the girls a few times" He looked closer, sensing that something was wrong.

"Um, Tank, why are you hidin' your arm?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Tank assured him. "Just getting some dust off my backpack."

Benedict looked closer; Kidd wasn't wearing his scarf….

"Yeah, right" he scoffed.

Tank sighed, "Alright, you got me." He showed him his injured arm, pushing the scarf up to his elbow. His wrist looked normal, but a dull pain pulsed through his entire wrist.

Benedict looked down at his arm and flinched, "Sweet Arceus…"

Tank pulled the scarf down

"Yeah, I think it might be broken"

"Y'all think?" Benedict snarked.

"Hey, look!", Kidd pointed ahead. "The light's still there! If we go there, we might get to Rustboro City faster!"

"Oh, that's nice I guess," Tank said.

The boys ran to the light. They dashed outside of the tunnel, then looked around at the small clearing. The skies were a hazy shade of grey, just minutes before sunrise.

Patches of grass rustled in the cool wind, while a colony of wild Nincada scaled up the nearby mountain. Tank had wrapped a different cloth around his arm in the meantime.

Kidd scoffed, placing his hands on his hips

"Great. A clearing with nowhere to go"

"What 'bout that mountain?"

Benedict pointed at the group of wild Nincada. "We could get one of our Pokémon to carry us up!"

"Are you sure about that?"

Tank asked. "Seriously, look how steep that cliff is!"

Benedict looked closer. The Nincada were digging their claws in, trying not to slip off the steep hill. Makoto and Freiza would slip right off, Jojo and Kenshiro were too small to carry anyone, and Asuka couldn't handle rocky surfaces due to her being part flying type.

"Yeah" he said. "We should get back inside"

"No, I think it'd be a fun idea to stay outside" Kidd snarked before putting his scarf back on.

The boys walked back into the tunnel.

Nothing inside had changed, except for a trio of Whismur now wandering around the area.

Tank whispered, "We should follow them. I heard Whismur use their hearing to navigate tunnels!"

The boys nodded in agreement. Carefully, they tiptoed behind the three Whismur, careful not to upset the wild Pokémon.

Footsteps rumbled behind them, as they looked for a clue on how to get out. Tank grabbed something out of the wall; an ordinary white gemstone. The wild Whismur hopped into another tunnel, disappearing from sight.

A deep sound echoed through the tunnel, sounding like a bizarre cross between a howling animal and a bass drop.

The footsteps grew louder, their heavy thuds quaking in the ground.

The boys looked up and screamed.

A bipedal mauve Pokémon towered over them, blasting steam out of the crest on its head. The Pokémon roared, baring its pearly white teeth before spewing more steam. Yellow sparkles surrounded its body, then burst into glittering dust. Its burning red eyes glared at the boys, eying up potential prey.

The beastly Pokémon pulled its right arm back, then swiped at the animals in front of it.

Tank jumped behind a boulder, while Benedict and Kidd scrambled to different spots in the tunnel. The wild Pokemon stomped around the caverns, the earth quaking underneath its footsteps.

"What IS that thing?" Kidd asked.

"Oh!", Benedict gasped and whispered. "It's a Pumbloom!"

Tank was confused. Was Pumbloom some sort of Unovan species he never heard about? "Um. No, Benedict, it's an Exploud!"

Benedict explained, "I was jokin'! See, there was this Unovan show 'bout a Whismur named Pumbloom an' it went about travellin' the world and-"

The Exploud let out an ear-piercing scream, the force strong enough to push the boys backwards. It flailed its arms around in the air, effortlessly destroying several boulders and leaving dents in the cavern walls.

"This is no time for joking around!" Kidd hollered, his ears ringing from the assault. "We gotta find a way out!"

"Can't we just battle it?!" Benedict screamed. "I mean, Tank's got that Breloom now, so it's got Mach Punch now!"

"No way!"

Tank shook his head no. "I'm not putting Shiitake up against that Pokemon! Seriously, that's one shit take."

Kidd facepalmed into both hooves. This was not the time to make terrible puns!

Benedict opened his backpack, rummaging around for anything that could help. Underneath all his stuff, he found a long brown rope and pulled it out. He tied the rope into a lasso, swinging it around and throwing it at a boulder. The rope bound tightly around the boulder. Benedict held onto the rope, then climbed up the rocky cliff. Who knew all those hours in gym class would come in handy?

He hollered as he reached the boulder, then hoisted himself up on the cliff

"Guys! If y'all don't wanna be killed, climb on up!"

"Yeah, wow," Tank deadpanned. "Tell the guy with a broken arm to climb a rope. Great idea."

Kidd chuckled. Who knew even Tank had a snarky streak? "We'll be fine!"

Benedict lowered some of the rope. "I got a better idea!" he yelled again "Tank, tie it 'round your waist!"

"I have a better idea," Kidd said as he walked up to the rope. He wrapped his hooves around it and climbed upwards, digging the heels of his boots against the rocky surface. Some of the rocks chipped away, falling to the ground as Kidd made it to the cliff.

"An' that is?"

Benedict asked.

Kidd tossed the rope down, then pointed at the boulder

"We'll pull Tank up together"

Tank looked up from the ground.

"Am I still tying this thing around me?" he hollered.

"Yeah!" Benedict explained. "It's pretty easy to tie!"

"Alright" Tank shrugged. He stuck his tongue out as he slowly tied the rope around his waist. His wrist throbbed as he adjusted the rope, making sure it wouldn't chafe against any exposed skin. He looked up and yelled

"Ready!"

Benedict and Kidd looked at each other and nodded. They wrapped their hands around the end of the rope, then pulled backwards. Fortunately, their combined strength was enough to slowly pull Tank through the air. He dangled from the rope like a sack of potatoes.

The two boys stepped backwards and pulled harder on the rope. Tank reached out and grabbed the cliff with his good arm, then climbed up to safety.

After letting go of the rope, Benedict untied the knot, while Kidd helped Tank up on his feet.

"Was that rope too much?"

Benedict asked as he pulled the rope back, carelessly shoving it into his backpack.

"Nope," Tank shook his head. "I made sure I wouldn't get any ropeburn"

Kidd looked down below the cliff. He sighed in relief, knowing that monstrous Pokemon was finally gone.

"So, ready to keep going?"

"Heck yeah" Benedict said as he threw his backpack back on. "I just know we're close, I can feel it!"

Tank sighed, "Yeah, let's go…"

The boys walked away from the cliff, then followed a new path. This tunnel had smoother rocks, chunks of glittery stones emerging from the ceiling, and strange tracks indented in the floor. Unlike the rail tracks, these tracks were soft to the touch and could be wiped away by a mere Bubble Beam.

"Goooooo…."

a deep voice murmured, rumbling through the cave walls.

Kidd walked forward, then yelped as he stumbled on the ground.

He stopped and turned around in surprise.

"Huh?" Benedict asked.

"What're y'all lookin' at?"

"Just look behind you!"

Kidd snapped.

Benedict and Tank turned around, then jumped back in surprise.

An enormous boulder Pokemon stood in front of them, hissing as it clawed the air. The Pokemon had thick sturdy legs and sharp claws on its slender arms. Its skin looked like several stones glued together into a lumpy sphere..

"Go-LEMMMMMMM" it roared, baring its jagged grey fangs.

"We gotta run,"

Benedict said as he grabbed Tank's left arm. "Come on!"

The wild Golem tucked its head and limbs into its body, leaped into the air, then used Rollout to launch itself through the tunnel. Dirt and pebbles were caught on Golem's skin, digging into the crevices of its shell.

The boys sprinted through the tunnel, panting heavily as they tried to outspeed the wild Pokemon.

As if things couldn't get bad enough, two stalactites fell from the cave's ceiling. The first one fell onto the wild Golem, exploding into fine beige powder. The larger stalactite, however, fell between trainers and Pokemon.

"Over here!" Kidd hollered as he jumped to the left side of the tunnel. Benedict and Tank joined him, the three of them sliding down the muddy steep cliff.

They looked up from the cliff, watching the wild Golem barrel forward. If they had stayed in the tunnel any longer, Golem would've squashed them all to death.

Unfortunately, the cliff had nothing to grab onto, and the boys were sent tumbling into a deep pit. The pit was almost empty, except for a broken ladder, an empty birdcage and a flashlight with batteries long dead. The boys took a few minutes to catch their breath.

Benedict took his backpack off. He rummaged through his backpack for something to eat; all he could find was one box of chocolate almond pocky. He ripped open the box and showed it off

"Anyone want some?" he asked before placing a pocky stick in his beak.

"Sure!" Tank said as he reached for the box. He grabbed a fistful from the box, scarfing them down in mere seconds.

"I don't see why not" Kidd shrugged before taking just two sticks. He took his time finishing them off, then looked up and snorted. "Um, what are you doing?"

Benedict was still holding his stick of pocky, pretending to smoke it like a cigarette.

"Eatin' pocky?" he said before eating the whole stick.

"Oh"

Kidd chuckled. "Were you trying to be one of those film noir guys?"

"Maybe?"

Benedict stuck his tongue out. He ate a few more sticks before handing him the last one. "Here"

"Oh thanks!"

Kidd said before placing the biscuit end into his mouth.

Tank leaned over, biting down on the chocolate end. The two boys looked up at each other, their faces burning red from how close their mouths were.

Benedict snorted and crossed his arms

"I know y'all aren't gonna do it"

Kidd rolled his eyes before taking his mouth off the pocky

"Just watch."

He took the stick back into his mouth, closing his eyes as he inched his mouth forward. The sweet chocolate taste melted in their mouths as they got closer, and closer…

Tank placed his hoof on Kidd's wrist, firmly grasped it, then leaned forward for the kiss. Kidd blushed hard, not wanting to pull away any time soon. It felt like time had stopped just for the two of them.

Kidd pulled away first, still blushing as he opened his eyes and looked away.

"That was…."

Tank swallowed the last crumb of pocky.

"What?"

Kidd gulped, then smiled, "Better than expected!"

"Heh, yeah" Tank chuckled as he looked away, his cheeks now glowing pink.

"Um, what was weird, Benedict?"

"Nah, not at all"

Benedict shrugged. "But next time, I'm savin' some pocky so I can get in on it"

"Fair enough"

Kidd said as he brushed some dust off his coat sleeves. "So, what's the plan now?"

"Well, I got a Pokemon that could help us outta here" Benedict gasped. He grabbed one of his Poke Balls and held it in front of him.

"Kenshiro! Let's go!"

The steel type popped out, turning his head back and chirping to his trainer.

"Ar-ON!"

For a second he thought he felt an odd feeling emanating from Benedict's bag, but shook it off.

"Kenshiro" Benedict pointed at one of the walls. "Climb outta the pit and see the best way to go!"

"Aron, aron!" Kenshiro roared before scaling up one of the walls. The muddy surface was no trouble for him at all. After all, a few years in Granite Cave does a number to a Steel-type.

The iron armor Pokemon hoisted himself over the edge of the pit, then looked around at the cavern. How was there no light around?!

He walked for a few meters, then stopped at a fork in the road; one of the roads was blockaded by a wall of rocks, the other was smooth enough for even an Onix to tunnel through. The blockaded wall probably had a reason for the rocks, or did it?

He used Iron Head to smash some nearby rocks, but yelped in surprise. A trio of wild Geodude popped out!

The first Geodude punched its left fist into the ground, using Magnitude to form a strong earthquake that rippled through the earth.

Kenshiro climbed onto a nearby boulder, holding on tight as the earth rumbled underneath him. Several stalagmites fell from the ceiling, forcing two of the wild Geodude to roll backwards for their safety.

The second Geodude lunged forward, using Rock Smash to destroy the rock Kenshiro stood on.

"Ar-on!" Kenshiro yelped as he jumped away from the crumbling boulder. He clawed at the ground, challenging the Geodude trio to a battle.

The third Geodude pumped its fists in the air, eager to battle any outsiders that weren't Whismur. It held its hands out, blasting two rocks from each palm.

Kenshiro's head glowed silver as he headbutted every single rock, bracing himself for the worst.

The three Geodude flung themselves through the air, crashing against the other Pokémon. They pressed themselves against Kenshiro, refusing to let him escape.

Fists pummeled against the steel type's body, pinning him to the ground. Kenshiro tried to headbutt the Pokemon, but to his avail, they dodged him, continuing to pummel his iron hide. The fists pounded harder, and Kenshiro felt like he was being pressed into the earth's core.

He curled into a ball, blockading his underside from any more attacks. He wanted them to stop, but the three Pokemon were too much for his puny body to handle. Unless…

"Arrr…." Kenshiro opened his eyes and screamed. "RONNNNNNN!"

A brilliant metallic light enveloped his entire body, shining across the tunnel.

The three Geodude stopped their attacks, backing away from the glowing orb.

The grey light grew four times in size, then burst into twinkling white stars. A larger grey dinosaur Pokemon stood where the light was, with stocky legs, a wider head and prominent spikes emerging from his back.

"Lai-ron!"

Kenshiro roared at the top of his lungs.

The iron armor Pokémon stepped backwards, lowered his head, then charged towards the other Pokémon. He used Iron Head to catapult the first two Geodude across the cavern. With the last of their energy, the two Geodude hovered away to a small cave on the right side of the tunnel.

Kenshiro roared at the last Geodude, watching as the rock type hovered to another cavern.

The iron armor Pokemon crawled back into the pit, holding his head up in pride.

"Lairon, lairon!" he growled, before closing his eyes and smiling.

Tank and Kidd gasped in surprise. Talk about one huge Pokémon!

Benedict perked up, "Kenshiro!" he exclaimed with stars in his eyes. "Just look at you!"

Kenshiro ran down to his trainer, knocking him over with a headbutt.

"Lair?" he tilted his head. Aw man, did he really get that strong?!

"It's fine, Kenshiro!"

Benedict assured him before laughing. "Hey, can I try somethin' out?"

"Ron?" The rock-type Pokemon was confused.

"Just stay still," Benedict told his Pokemon. He climbed up on top of his Pokemon, sitting between the middle spikes. The metal plates underneath felt cool to the touch. "Can y'all move?"

Kenshiro looked up and nodded. He took a few steps forward, making sure his trainer wasn't falling off.

He climbed to one of the cliffs, then scaled upwards. Thanks to his stronger legs, he could dig deeper into the muddy surface, all while being able to carry his trainer. After he climbed out of the pit, Kenshiro stopped to let Benedict climb off.

"Great job, buddy!" Benedict cheered as he pet his Pokémon on the head. "Hey, can y'all get my friends up here too?"

"Lai-RON!" Kenshiro roared as he turned his chin up. He stomped his front legs twice, then crawled back into the pit. Twenty minutes later, he climbed back up to the surface, with Tank and Kidd comfortably seated between his spikes.

The two boys hopped off the Pokemon, each of them petting the steel-type on his head.

Benedict looked at Kenshiro with pride. This was the perfect place for him to evolve, he thought to himself.

"Hey, Kenshiro?" he asked.

"Lair?" Kenshiro tilted his head to the right.

Benedict kneeled down to his Pokemon's eye level

"Y'all wanna go back in your Poke Ball?" he asked.

Kenshiro thought for a minute. While it was safe and comfortable, he wanted to explore the rest of the tunnel in his new form!

"Ron" he shook his head no.

"Got it" Benedict nodded.

The group walked through the stretch of the tunnel, feeling relieved that they finally saw light ahead. They rejoiced as they sprinted towards the fading light, trainers and Pokemon unapologetic in their loudness.

Kidd leaped out of the tunnel first. He gasped in awe as he looked around outside. The air was refreshingly clean, while purple clouds swirled around the pink and orange skies. Thick green bushes framed part of Route 116, seemingly trapping the group in their spot.

Tank panted as he hopped out next; first it was a sunrise, now a sunset?! How could he have spent almost two days in one tunnel?!

Benedict wiped some sweat off his forehead, then returned Kenshiro to his Poke Ball. He blinked a few times, getting himself readjusted to bright days instead of endless dark tunnels. Petalburg City was just days away!

"So" he asked his boyfriends. "Onto Rustboro?"

"That…"

Tank was still panting. "that sounds pretty…..pretty great…ughhh"

"I'm fine with Rustboro" Kidd shrugged.

"Sounds good to me" Benedict nodded before jumping into a row of bushes.

He looked around in the bushes, rummaging through the thick foliage. Twigs and leaves got stuck in his ponytail, while the humming of wild Nincada echoed through the ground. He stopped in his tracks.

"Over here"

he whispered to the group.

Tank and Kidd followed him into the shrubs, looking ahead at what he was pointing at.

The boys rejoiced when they saw the outskirts of Rustboro City. Sleek skyscrapers towering in the sky, silver chimneys sparkling under the pale moonlight. Reliable doctors, filling food, comfortable hotels, fresh showers. Everything was mere feet away.

They crawled through the bushes, about to pop out and sprint into the city, until…

Tank's phone rang. He picked it up, "Oh, hi!"

Professor Nook screamed from the other end of the phone, "Tank Pepper! I called you twenty times, so why didn't you answer me?!"

Tank jolted up

"I'm sorry, Professor Nook!" he explained. "I was in the Rusturf Tunnel for over a day, and they didn't have any cell service, a bunch of wild Pokémon attacked us, and–"

"That's no excuse, Tank!"

Professor Nook scolded him. "I asked you all day long to catch ONE Geodude. Have you caught one yet?!"

Tank frowned as he walked to sit down on a nearby tree stump.

"No, I'm sorry. I broke my wrist too so I couldn't throw any Poké Balls"

Professor Nook's eyes twitched as he lashed out, "I had ONE job for you, and you went off and ignored me?! I knew I shouldn't have trusted you to be my research assistant!"

Tank trembled in his spot. Anger fumed over him as he snapped back, "If your research is so much more important than my physical health, then fine! I don't want to work for you anymore! Good-BYE!"

He angrily hung up, blocked Professor Nook's number, then shoved the phone in his pocket.

"Don't you think you're being a little harsh?" Kidd asked him.

Tank sighed, "Maybe. I know he's a nice guy; he gave us all the stuff we needed to be Pokémon Trainers, but" He placed his chin in his hooves.

"Could it have killed him to ask how I was doing first?!"

Benedict gulped and looked away. He'd never seen Tank get that heated before, except for that one trainer who accused him of being a thief. He wanted to try to reach out, but a gut feeling told him to stay out of it.

Kidd sat down next to Tank, placing one of his arms on his waist. "You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to"

Tank gulped, "Yeah….I'm just tired of everything."

Kidd stood up, then tightly embraced him. "Same here," he whispered.

Tank gulped as he squeezed Kidd.

"I'll be okay," he sighed as he headed back into the shrubs. "Let's just go to Rustboro"

The boys spent the rest of their evening heading to Rustboro City. Little did they know, a cute bird Pokémon was right behind them, quietly following the trio into the city.

—-

Professor Nook slowly placed his phone down, still reeling from the shock. His stomach churned in guilt, his hands cold and clammy. Was Tank right about everything he said? All he needed was one Geodude to research how it adapted to different environments, and that was what he got? Was it his own fault for putting too much pressure on Tank, or Tank's fault for not being able to reach out?

He faceplanted onto his desk, his desktop computer and rice bowl quaking in their spots.

Was it really anyone's fault for not installing a cell tower near Rustboro City? How was he supposed to know Tank would spend all day in a tunnel? Did he really need to tell him he didn't trust him?! Tank was such a reliable young man! He had a good heart, and all Nook gave him was an unneeded lashing out?!

At that evening, Tom knew one thing:

He fucked up.