The thunderstorm which had rolled over Route 10 on this night may have be dissipating but the danger was far from over as an oily old Pidgeot Transport 350 Golempuller dashed down the dirt road. At the wheel was Ross Keller, a long-time trucker but a reckless one with the CB handle of "Rubber Psyduck." Tonight, his trip to Pewter City with a load of lithium ion cell phone batteries in the back of his rig had seen him confront an Absol with a taste for taking on trucks but easily best it by ramming the creature at top speed. While the Absol ended up incapacitated on the side of the road he drove on.

Absols were known to cause disasters and Ross was taking no chances when he rammed the one that had tried to quick attack his truck. With the rogue Pokémon dealt with he radioed back to driver Ken Worth from the rival GS Transportation company, driving a few miles behind him on the same road, to inform him the issue had been dealt with. Judging by his response Ken had reached the Absol but for some reason the younger trucker didn't seem happy with his actions and was now using the radio to question his logic.

"Ross, back it down, something might be wrong with the road ahead," Ken said on the microphone. "Absols don't cause disasters. They try to prevent them. That's why it went after your rig."

Ross rolled his eyes. He wasn't a trainer but he knew problem Pokémon when he saw them. He'd heard that "Absols are good" nonsense from plenty of breeders but didn't believe it given their vested interest in making profit with them or promoting their "mega evolution" or whatever else nonsense party tricks that species had as a battle tactic.

"Yes, says the people who breed them to hold Kalosian stones and pick fights with Espeons," Ross said. "That's just a rogue. Don't lose sleep over it."

"Watch the road," Ken reiterated. "I think something is up here."

Ross wasn't worried. Route 10 was one of his regular shortcuts to avoid I-Route 10 traffic. There was also less of a police presence on the backroad, allowing him to go faster without worrying about speeding tickets. As the conversation on the radio continued Ross rounded a corner toward a section of the road that had been washed out moments earlier by a landslide. At the speed he was going Keller didn't realize this until it was too late.

"Relax rookie," Ross said. "I've run Route 10 plenty of times and OH S…"

Ross didn't have time to finish that explicit remark as his truck shot off the end of the road and into the air as it plummeted into the gap in the road. His jaw about hit the floor as he looked out the windshield and realized what was going to happen. The big rig started to flip over to its passenger side as it fell before colliding with the other side of the crevasse with great force. The impact was massive as Ross and almost everything else in the cab was flung forward on impact. The old Pidgeot Transport truck's frame snapped like a toothpick as the cargo area was thankfully flung away from the collapsing cab. The Golempuller's two diesel fuel tanks were both crushed in as the rear wheels jerked forward and broke loose, one tank came off the truck as it ripped open and began spilling its contents down the hillside. It jammed against a rock and began to teeter back and forth on it as diesel continued flooding out and down the hill. The second fuel tank stayed attached to the truck as diesel began to pour out of it toward the other tank. Wheels flew in every direction and the truck's engine broke loose and was flung out from under the cab. The now separated and smashed cab came to rest on its passenger side near the top of the gap as truck's cargo section crashed and flipped down to the bottom of the hill among other debris from the destroyed truck. A moment of diesel rain showered the crash scene for a second before an eerie silence fell over the area.

"Vulpix 3 to Rubber Psyduck, you alright?" Ken's voice said from the radio. "This isn't the time for jokes."

Ross was barely able to remain conscious after that vicious hit. Commercial trucks don't have airbags. The fact he had a seat belt on might have been the only thing that saved him going straight through the windshield to his doom. The CB microphone was still in his hands as the truck crashed and it had ripped off during the wreck. He dropped the microphone and reached for the door as the radio itself now sparked and died. Ross had the wind knocked out of him and could barely move. He reached for the door handle only to find it missing amidst the damage. He struggled to stay awake and could only hope someone would find him.

Being trapped, crashed and alone, is horrifying scenario for a truck driver but Ross Keller had no idea just how serious the situation was about to become. As he lay unconscious something ominous was starting to come out of the smashed cargo area: a small amount of white smoke. Ross' truck was carrying a load of lithium ion batteries and under normal conditions that is a safe load. However, lithium ion batteries hold a dangerous secret, if they are badly damaged it can start a chemical reaction that often leads to a fire. The crash had certainly done just that. The rear cargo door had broken at the end of the crash but most of the batteries remained inside and already a brightening orange glow was visible inside the container. While diesel doesn't "blow up" in a cinematic style once it gets going it burns intensely and with the cargo area now aflame and the fuel tanks still leaking it was only a matter of time before it spread.

As Ross' situation worsened coming up the road behind him was GS Transport Truck #653 and perhaps his only hope of getting rescued. Driver Ken Worth tentatively made its way toward possible disaster aware of Ross suddenly being cut off on the radio but unaware of just what may lay ahead. Ken's partner Fennekin sat alongside him and stared out the window as the rain storm that they had been driving through finally subsided. Standing behind the pair in the cab was the Absol Ken had just caught after Ross had rammed it, setting up his date with the disaster the Pokémon was trying to warn him about.

Ken was having a hard time justifying Ross' decision to ram Absol. Ramming a Pokémon wasn't illegal, and indeed truck drivers are even taught the right ways to do it for when they get in trouble, but it is supposed to be a last resort tool and never the first choice. In truck driving school one of the few specifically Pokémon-related lessons was learning which types could be hit and which types were best avoided. If a driver lacks Pokémon of their own to defend a truck but is facing another Pokémon in a fight then a ramming maneuver can be helpful. The preferred way to do it is a low speed one, intended to safely push the Pokémon out of the way. Full-speed rams were reserved only for the most dangerous situations, given that few Pokémon that aren't rock types would likely survive a hit like that. Only a driver who is being completely reckless or careless would use that tactic in a non-life and death situation. Ken wasn't sure what category Ross fell under but at this point it didn't matter. He kept his mind on the road ahead and slowed his truck to try and avoid surprises.

In addition to finding Ross Ken had to find out if Route 10 was blocked or impassible, with his GS co-worker Eugenie Euclid not far behind him on the same road he had get the word circulating to stop traffic if they couldn't get through before anyone else wrecked. Fennekin hit a switch on the passenger door and rolled down the window as he began to sniff the air. Ken's mind was having a hard time processing that he had just caught an Absol but he was ready to use the Disaster Pokémon to its fullest to stop this situation getting worse if he could.

"Alright Absol," Ken said. "You know where this issue is, look out the front here carefully and alert me when I'm getting close…Please."

"Absol," Absol responded. "Absol. Absol."

Ken didn't have long to wait. Truck #653 rounded a corner and immediately Absol started reacting.

"Absol!" it yelled. "Absol! Absol!"

Fennekin sniffed the air and also began to bark widely. Ken slowed to a near stop as he noted something whiffing through air. For a moment he thought it might be a post-rain fog until it briefly obscured his headlights, revealing a black color. He immediately realized it was smoke. As the smoke blew away Ken slammed his brake pedal to the floor as he got his first look at the gap created by the landslide. His could only sigh, realizing Ross' likely fate. He couldn't see into the gap but stopped his truck and began reversing to keep his rig at a safe distance from the opening. If more land gave way there was no point in losing a second truck tonight. Once he stopped and flipped on his truck's flasher lights, he reached for his CB radio.

"MAYDAY! MAYDAY!," Ken called out on the radio. "Stop all traffic on Route 10! Repeat! Stop all traffic on Route 10 immediately! There's a landslide washout at Marker 16. Repeat. Landslide washout Route 10, Marker 16. This is Vulpix 3 and I'm alright but we've got a truck MIA and I think he's in the hole."

"Pikachu 4 to Vulpix 3, I'm at marker 22 and I'll stop here," came another GS driver's voice. "You check on the gap, I'm getting out my cell phone and calling every Jenny I can get. We'll block traffic both on both ends ASAP."

"Bulbasaur 5 to Vulpix 3," said Eugenie. "Copy. Check on Ross and I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Roger," Ken said to both of them, unbuckling his seat belt.

Ken grabbed a giant high-power flashlight from his cab. As he got out of his truck two ominous scents caught his nose, diesel fuel and fire. He carefully made his way back toward the gap. Fennekin hopped out of the truck to follow with Absol following suit. Ken looked off the side of the road and immediately caught sight of the burning cargo. Truck #653 had two fire extinguishers aboard, a small one in the cab for cooking fires or other little things and a larger one meant for if the truck had an issue that was in an exterior storage compartment, but neither had the power to deal with anything that. He only hoped Ross was alright, the cackling of the fire becoming more audible with every moment. Finally, the gap came into full view with Ken sighting the wreck of the Ross' truck. Given the destruction he hoped Ross had somehow already gotten out.

"ROSS!" Ken yelled. "ROSS KELLER! ARE YOU IN THERE?!"

In the cab Ross could hear him but lacked the strength to get out or yell back. Using the last of his strength he reached up and pulled the cord for the truck's air horn. It let out a loud blast but fast ran out of air. Unable to fight it any longer Ross passed out in his crushed cab. Ken heard the horn and picked up on its meaning. He looked down to the burning cargo then back at the wrecked cab.

"CAN YOU GET OUT OF THERE?" Ken yelled.

Fennekin and Absol now approached Ken and the gap, both getting their first look at the destruction. Absol could only nod its head sadly, it tried so hard to prevent this yet that driver of that truck was too stubborn to let it.

Ken hoped the busted door would swing out and Ross would climb out but he got no response and fast began to realize this situation was getting more serious by the minute. He glanced at the burning cargo area where the flames had now fully engulfed it and were starting to burn toward the hill. The bright color of the flames and the blackening color of the smoke indicted there was spilled diesel burning along with the load, lithium ion batteries on their own would only emit gray smoke. Ken immediately called for emergency services on his cell phone.

"Gringey City Central Dispatch, what is the nature of your emergency?" asked the emergency dispatcher.

"There's been a serious accident on Route 10," Ken said. "There's a washout at Marker 16 on Route 10 and a commercial truck went over the edge. It's all tore up, the driver is trapped inside, and we've got a fire spreading fast with lithium ion batteries and diesel fuel burning."

"Copy that," the dispatcher responded. "Fire and paramedic crews will be in route. I am alerting the GCFD and all local departments in your area."

"How long will it take to get here?" Ken asked hurriedly.

"ETA 12 to 25 minutes based on location," came the dispatcher.

"I don't know if we have that much time," Ken said.

"How many people are in the truck and do they appear to be hurt?" the dispatcher asked.

"It's just the driver as far as I know," Ken said. "I can't see him. He's stuck in the cab."

"Copy," the dispatcher said. "Is the cab itself on fire?"

"Negative," Ken said. "The fire is spreading fast though and I think she's going to go up."

"Do you have any water or ground type Pokémon that can slow the spread?" the dispatcher asked.

"No," Ken replied.

There was a pause. The dispatcher was likely thinking about all this information.

"Copy," the dispatcher said. "Can you get the driver out of the truck at this time without putting yourself in too much danger?"

Ken grimaced for a second at the thought then steadied his nerves.

"I can try it," Ken said. "The fire is at the bottom of the hill and we might have some time but I suspect it is going to come up."

"If you can get the driver away from the flames without causing any more serious injury can you attempt it?" the dispatcher said. "If it looks like fire is imminent or you start having issues and can't get him out then try to save yourself. Try to minimize the risks as best possible. I'm relaying your position to the fire department now, equipment is in route but it is going to take some time."

"Roger, I'll try," Ken said, slipping the phone back into his pocket.

"Keep me updated on this status," said the dispatcher.

Under normal circumstances civilians should never, ever try to free or move someone who has been in a vehicle accident before emergency services arrive. Fire was the one wild card exception that required breaking that rule. Ken, Fennekin and Absol looked back toward the burning cargo and then to the cab. Silently Ken reached down to his belt and activated Spearow's Poké Ball, deploying the bird. The fire was already starting to creep up the hill. A small explosion could be heard in the flames as some of batteries blew up. With a fire, a flying, and a dark type Ken was not well equipped to face this issue yet he was going to go try it.

"How are we going to do this?" Ken asked aloud as he and his three Pokémon looked at the fire.

AUTHOR NOTE

Ross Keller's name is a reference to a famous fictional trucker, specifically the sadistic one with a big, rusty tanker truck from the story "Duel" where a random salesman finds himself unable to escape the evil driver and his truck. The driver is mostly unseen and unnamed in the 1971 movie version of Duel BUT in the short story that inspired the film his name is given as Keller when the salesman reads it on the side of the truck and thinks that it "sounds like killer."