Our friends' journey leads them to a desolate factory town known as Gringy City. It's a depressing grimy, over-industrialized city where few people live, and even the ocean winds smell like sludge.

"This is a weird city," Ash remarked. "Lots of factories, but no people."

Misty was looking at a tiny guidebook, "This place is called... Gringey City."

"Gringey? Never heard of it," Ash said.

"It used to be a lively and busy place, with all this Factories here," Misty explained.

"Yeah, they kind of went overboard with Factories," Brock said, "Pollution ruined the air, and the water here."

Laoise wrinkled her nose, "And man, what a mess"

Brock agreed. "Yeah, they kinda went overboard with factories. Pollution ruined the air and the water here."

"I guess we won't find any Pokémon here." Ash shrugged.

Pikachu, perhaps weary from travel, looked unwell. "Pika…" Pikachu began to sway in place.

"Pikachu? What's wrong?" Ash noticed.

"He looks a little woozy." Laoise said, concerned.

"Pikachu!" Ash caught Pikachu before the little electric mouse fell over, but he ended up getting shocked immediately.

From behind a wall, a mysterious Pokémon watched the gang from afar.

Soon, with Ash wearing rubber gloves to protect himself, our heroes rush to the Pokémon Center.

From an open manhole, Meowth watches them through a periscope. Jessie and James began to recite their motto, though a foul stench forces them to stop. Meowth, who is inside his own protective container, gives them scuba suits to wear, and says he will stay there to pump oxygen and fresh air to them. He instructs them to dive into the water and swim through the pipes to the Pokémon Center, but they refuse. Meowth responds by pushing a button that delivers Jessie and James an electric shock, and they reluctantly enter the sludge-filled sewer waters.


Inside the Pokémon Center, Ash rang for Nurse Joy.

"Hey, Nurse!" Ash rang the bell two more times. "Hey, Nurse!"

Soon, Nurse Joy comes out yawning. "Do you kids know what time it is? Don't you know that you should be sleeping now?"

I'm not sleepy! Laoise protested. And besides, Ash's Pikachu needs help.

"There's something really wrong with my Pikachu."

Nurse Joy yawned dismissively. "A cold."

"This is no cold! Your sisters and cousins were a lot more helpful!"

Nurse Joy brushed off his concerns, "There's no need to get excited. Look. Sparks are coming from its cheeks, right? That's an early symptom of a cold in electric rodent Pokémon. If you leave him here overnight, I'm sure he'll be fine in the morning."

Ash questioned, "Excuse me, but are you, by any chance, the oddball in your family?"

"Oh, no. It's all my other relatives that are odd. "

Everyone looks at her confused.


Outside, in the polluted waters, a bunch of purple sludge creatures emerge. Creatures that are actually, Grimer. And without hesitation, the Grimer swarm into a water entrance. Turns out, the entrance actually is the water intake valve for the hydroelectric power plant that gives Gringy City electricity. With the Grimer blocking the water intake, the generators lose power, as does the entire city.

Meanwhile, down in the sewers, the generator Meowth set up shuts down due to the Grimer jamming the intake valve. Back at the Pokémon Center, the power outage is revealed to have shut down the intensive care unit, where multiple Pokémon are kept, including a Growlithe, a Spearow, and a Sandshrew, as our heroes find out as they rush inside.

Knowing that pokèmon lives were at stake, the quartet decided to head for the power plant to try to do something

Nurse Joy explained, "This city is powered by a hydroelectric power plant."

Ash nodded, "Right. Let's go!"

However, Pikachu reached out for Ash, begging to go with him, but the gang won't have it.

"No, Pikachu. You stay here and rest." Laoise said gently as she fetched her flashlight. The look on the little guy's face melted her heart but Pikachu needed to recover.

Ash added, "Pikachu, we'll be back when the power's back on."

Our heroes rushed out of the center Nurse Joy watched them with concern, "Good luck, everybody."

Less than five minutes later, our heroes arrive at the Gringy City police station where they receive directions from Officer Jenny.

"You can't miss it!" Officer Jenny pointed to it. "It's the big building with the smoke stacks, there."

Yet before our heroes hear something in the bushes nearby, it's Pikachu.

Laoise was concerned and Misty figured out that Pikachu was afraid that they wouldn't return for him, so Ash decides to let him come along. Pikachu jumps into Ash's arms, giving him an electric shock. Nearby, the shadowy Pokémon watches from a bush.

Meanwhile, Jessie and James gasp for air after managing to get back to the surface. After spotting the four run by, Meowth announces that he has a new secret weapon that the trio can use to steal Pikachu.


Finally the quartet enter the power plant and notice that nobody is there to greet them. Misty located a map and points out the direction to the central control room.

"It looks like the central control room's down that way."

Laoise immediately pulled out her flashlight. It flickered but began working properly once she hit it a couple of times. "This oughta help."

As they walked on, something follows them, as evidenced by Misty feeling something behind her.

The tomboy shuddered, "Something's following us."

"But I don't hear footsteps." Laoise said. There were some advantages to having been born with sound sensitivity as a part of the Asperger's package. All Laoise heard was movement in the grates, and a soft whoosh of air but it could be anything.

"The place is deserted. Nobody's here." Ash said turning to look.

Misty glared then looked wary, "I know I heard something back there."

Ash began, "Listen, Misty, it's okay if you're a total chicken. Brock, Laoise, and I are brave enough to handle things here."

Misty protested. "I'm not a chicken, you little twerp! There was something back there whether you believe me or not!"

Brock tried to diffuse the argument, "Okay! Okay! Let's just..."

But before Brock can finish, he and the others are spooked by a sudden shape appearing near Ash.

"Chill out?"

Both Brock and Misty shake their heads. Ash turns, but the form is gone.

"Alright! If anybody's there, you can come on out!" Ash called out then became cautious, "And if you're a ghost or a monster, you can stay where you are and we won't bother you."

Misty growled, "AND YOU CALL ME CHICKEN?! YOU'RE A TOTAL COWARD!"

Ash was sheepish, "Maybe not a total coward.

"But what if it's not a ghost but a different kind of monster, like those crazed maniacs on those crime shows or something?" Laoise tensed a little.

With the place this dark, no one could see what could sneak up behind you.

"You're not helping!" Misty yelped.

Brock chided, "Come on, guys! Quit it!"

Soon, the thing that was following them soon came up behind Pikachu, frightening him and the others. Ash was almost too afraid to look, "Be quiet, Pikachu. Be quiet. Pikachu, I told you..."

They slowly turned and before Ash can finish his sentence, they see what's going on, spooking them more. The four backed into a wall and trembled in fear

Laoise then squinted. "Hey, wait a minute…"

She raised her flashlight to reveal a Pokémon known as Magnemite.

Ash pulled out Dexter, "Magnemite, a Magnet Pokémon. It's means of floating through the air are not understood. This very mysterious Pokémon is of the electric/steel type."

"Sure, but what's a Pokémon like that doing here?"

Misty said, "It caused the blackout! Magnemite shut down the power plant!"

"This one? By itself? No way!" Brock was a little skeptical.

"Brock has a point. A whole swarm of Magnemite could do it, but not just one." Laoise pointed out.

"Well... Dexter said it's mysterious," Misty insisted.

Ash took out a Poké ball, "Great! I'll capture it, then we can check it out!"

Misty then said, "Wait a minute! That Magnemite doesn't look like it wants to battle."

In effect, the Magnemite only seems interested in Pikachu, and begins to follow him. When sparks flew from Pikachu's cheeks, the Magnemite blushed.

Misty noticed, "This Magnemite's blushing, like it's in love or something."

"Love?"

"That's bizarre." Laoise remarked.

Brock speculated. "If it were an animal Pokémon, I could understand. But can an inorganic Pokémon like Magnemite fall in love with an electric rodent?"

Ash commented. "Magnemite's following Pikachu all over the place, almost like it's a streaker, or something.

Laoise tried to keep from laughing while Brock and Misty were taken aback by Ash's words.

Brock corrected, "Ash, you mean a stalker."

"Well, like I said, this Magnemite really likes Pikachu."

"Yeah, but Pikachu doesn't like it. Hey, you, Magnemite! Cut it out!"

Magnemite abruptly stopped following Pikachu and goes a different direction.

"Weird, why did it leave?" Laoise peered over to where it went.

"Guess Magnemite gave up." Ash said.

Brock then sniffed the air, "Do you smell that?"

Misty agreed, "Me, too."

Ash grimaced, "So do I."

"He who smelt it dealt it." Laoise frowned.

"It's not that kind of smell!" Misty snapped.

Then a ceiling vent grate falls and two purple sludge fall after. A slimy, amorphous Pokémon, with two large eyes with beady pupils and a gaping mouth with a gray tongue. While it lacks any visible legs, it does have two arms with three digits on each hand.

Brock held his nose. "It's those things!"

Misty covered her nose with both hands, "They stink!"

"They're gross, too!" Laoise held her flashlight in one hand and covered her nose by pulling up her hoodie and shirt with the other.

"What are they?" Ash held up his Pokédex.

"Grimer, a Sludge Pokémon. Born from sludge, these Pokémon specialize in sludge attacks."

"Is this what sludge smells like? It really stinks!" Ash griped.

The Grimer seem offended. Brock warned nervously, "Ash, don't say anything that might insult their Pokémon pride or make them mad."

"I'm sorry. You have such a unique scent, I should've known it was the aroma of sludge." Ash lied.

"Mmmph!" Laoise didn't dare say anything. This was one of the few times she couldn't blurt out the ugly truth.

Misty yelled still holding her nose, "You call it whatever you want, but it still stinks!"

Horrified, Ash and Brock covered her mouth at once, "Shut up, Misty!"

"STOP! Are you crazy!?" a scared Laoise screeched at Misty.

All the Grimer start getting even more offended. And something bigger loomed out from behind all the grimer. It looked like a bigger version of grimer but this one was a more dark purple color.

"It's huge!" Ash gulped.

Misty yelped, "Grimer's grandpa?"

Ash took out Dexter. "Muk, Grimer's evolved form. Use extreme caution, as its slimy form contains poison."

"Poison?!" Laoise nearly dropped her flashlight.

Everyone had extra reason to be afraid. They were obviously staring down a dangerous pokèmon.

"That's not good news!" Brock sweat dropped.

"And the smell is getting worse." Misty worried.

Poor Pikachu was covering his nose, "Pika."

"Muuuuk!" The Muk raised a slimy hand pointing at the group.

The Grimer army charged as our heroes panic and ran screaming.

"Why'd you have to open your mouth and make the Grimer mad, Misty?!" Ash complained.

Misty wailed, "I had to open my mouth! I couldn't use my nose!"

"Well now you went and got them mad!" Laoise griped.

As they round the corner, they bump into two plant workers. The Grimer approach, and they all start running for the control room. After everyone makes it inside, Brock bolstered the door shut.

"Tell us what's going on! This blackout is a disaster to the city! Lots of Pokémon are gonna die at the Pokémon Center if the power doesn't come back soon!" Ash hollered.

Laoise added, "They need that power!"

One of the Plant workers shook his head. "But, we can't. There are so many Grimer, that they're blocking the sea water intake."

Another Plant worker #2 explained, "We've got to bring the water to a boil, so that it can turn the turbines, or the generator won't work at all."

"So do something!" Ash insisted.

The second Plant worker said, "I'm afraid that's easy to say. We've been trying to..."

Brock yelled, pushing against the door. "The Grimer are, ramming the door! I can't hold it!"

Indeed, one by one, the Grimer ram the door in order to enter the room as our heroes help reinforced the door.

Misty strained, "I hate to say it, but if we don't act fast, we'll be on the Muk's menu!"

The four held the door as hard as they could. However, the Grimer manage to break down the door down and enter the room.

"You all are Pokémon trainers, right? You've gotta use your Pokémon to help us out!" The first plant worked said.

The second added, "That's right! If you can get rid of the Grimer, the generator will work."

"What do you expect us to do? Pikachu is sick! He won't be able to take on all of those Grimer at once!" Ash protested.

"None of our other pokèmon have an advantage over poison types like these!" Laoise cried. "But now it looks like we don't got much of a choice!"

Pikachu used his Thunderbolt attack to knock out some of the Grimer, but it isn't enough. Suddenly, the Magnemite from before knocks out the control room's ceiling grate, entering the room with its Magneton friends. Their combined electric attacks prove effective and they manage to drive off the Grimer in the room, as well as the ones blocking the flow of water into the seawater intake valve, restoring power to the plant causing them to cheer.

Misty warned, "Hold on, there's still one left."

Sure enough, the Muk that led the Grimer army still stood there.

"It's that Muk." Ash noticed.

"And its not too happy about Pikachu scaring off its army." Laoise said.

"Pikachu, Thunder Shock!"

The attack landed, but Muk proved to be resilient.

Magnemite then floated over unleashing a Thunder Shock, the Muk is hit by the double Thunder Shock, and was in pain.

"MMMMMMUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuu..." the Muk finally collapsed and fainted with a slump.

"Alright! Pokéball, go!" Ash threw the Pokéball, and after it shook and wobbled, a ping is heard. Meaning, Muk was captured and was officially Ash's new pokèmon.

Ash picked the Pokéball up. "I did it! I captured a Muk! Ash Ketchum saves the day once again!"

However, everyone else is standing far away from Ash. Even Laoise, she was covering her nose with the neck of her T-shirt she wore under her favorite hoodie.

"What's wrong?"

"Sorry Ash, we can still smell it." Laoise replied apologetically.


Outside, Ash airs out the Pokéball, without releasing Muk, due to the smell. "The smell comes through the Pokéball!" he groaned.

Everyone else laughed while still holding or hiding their noses.

Misty chimed, "That's the bad news. But the good news is Pikachu's one-hundred percent better."

"That's right! Pikachu was sick until just a little while ago." Brock recalled.

The second plant worker explained, "If an electric mouse builds up too much electricity, its body become magnetized, and it seems like it has a cold."

Ash grinned, "Wow. We all sure owe a big thank you to Magnemite, here. Don't we?"

Magnemite lowers to Pikachu's level, but as Pikachu starts to thank Magnemite, it moves away from him.

"Hey! Until just a minute ago, that Magnemite was obsessed with Pikachu." Misty was baffled.

So was Ash. "What's going on? Now it's completely ignoring Pikachu."

Brock guessed. "Maybe Magnemite fall in and out of love just like humans do."

The second Plant worker wondered, "Could Magnemite have fallen in love at first sight because Pikachu's body was magnetized?"

The first Plant worker agreed. "That must be the reason. Animals are attracted to other animals by scent, so Magnemite are attracted to other Pokémon by their magnetic force. Because Pikachu had built up so much magnetic force, it must've been very attracted to that Magnemite."

"Weird, but I guess it makes sense in context." Laoise said with a shrug.

Brock caught on. "I get it. After Pikachu ran out of electricity, it was no longer magnetized. That's why Magnemite isn't interested in Pikachu anymore."

Ash chuckled, "It's a good thing, huh, Pikachu? It won't follow you around anymore."

Pikachu smiled, "Chu!"

"Just glad that this whole thing is over. I was a bit worried when that Grimer army burst in the control room." Laoise admitted.

From the filthy waters, a Gyarados submarine comes out of the water with a large magnet attached to it. Team Rocket intends to use the magnet to capture Pikachu, unaware that Pikachu is no longer magnetized. When they activate the magnet, Magnemite and Magneton from all over town become stuck onto it, and their combined weight causes the sub to sink.

And so our heroes prepare to leave Gringey City, they mention that the Grimer horde was a sign that the town needed to be cleaned up and suggest that if the residents clean up the air and water, they will restore the city to its former glory. Taking the advice to heart, Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny bid farewell to them.

Thus the quartet leave Gringy City with big smiles and even bigger hopes, for a future that's cleaner, and greener, than before.


In the meantime, Ash had tie up one loose end. Miles away in Pallet town, Prof. Oak received Ash's newest Pokémon.

"It's been quite a while since Ash sent me a new Pokémon. I wonder what he's captured this time." Chuckled the Professor.

The Pokéball opens, but Professor Oak is immediately hit by the odor of the Pokémon within.

"What is that smell?!"

And the Muk materialized, much to Professor Oak's chagrin.

"What's the idea of sending me a Muk?! Yuck!"


Several months have passed since Laoise had embarked on her Pokémon journey. After lots of adventures and discoveries, the gang find themselves somewhere in the mountains.

Laoise let out a long whistle, "We all sure have traveled a long way."

Misty agreed. "Yeah, we've seen tons of places. I wonder where we should go now."

Ash perked up, "Our next destination? That's easy! We have to go to the next gym so Laoise and me can get another badge!"

"Well, Fuchsia gym isn't too far from here." Brock said.

"Where is it?" asked Misty.

"Over the mountain."

"But which one?" Laoise questioned.

"The map says the Fuchsia gym's on the other side of one of those mountains right over there." Brock looked at the map becoming a tad frustrated. "Is it this way? Or that way? Or maybe it's that way. Oh, great. We're surrounded by mountains on every side!"

Misty sighed, "Don't tell me we're lost again."

"Okay, I won't tell you."

Pikachu groaned, "Pikachu."

Elsewhere in the forest, Team Rocket is having a picnic and getting ready to eat their lunch when an explosion is heard. Then rumbling is felt by both Team Rocket and our heroes. Team Rocket's food spills all over them, to their frustration and despair. Everyone runs to where the explosion came from, and they locate a road filled with trucks.

Soon, one of the trucks runs into a hole, causing all the other trucks to crash into each other as they all run into holes popping up on the road, to the shock of all the spectators.

There came the the sound of other Pokémon coming from around them, until the source of the sound pops out of the ground in the form of a mole-like creature called Diglett right in front of Pikachu.

Pikachu approached the Diglett and tried to talk, but the Diglett playfully went back down its hole as Meowth watched above. "So THAT's it!"

Then from out of one of the wrecked trucks, an upset man, the foreman of the operation the trucks were meant to help move along, emerged from the driver seat.

"I just can't take it anymore!" He spoke with a Russian accent.

The four trainers came running up.

"Are you alright?" asked Ash.

"It's the Diglett! They're destroying everything!" The foreman groused.

Ash blinked, "The Diglett?"

The foreman pointed to the right. "See? They're right over there!"

Everyone turned to look at the pokèmon that was causing all the trouble. The Diglett were tiny, brown Pokémon that seemed to be perpetually buried within the earth, leaving only its head visible complete with beady black eyes and a large, round, pink nose.

Misty smiled, "Oh, look, how cute!"

The foreman loomed over her, "You think they're cute, do you?! Thanks to them, we can't finish building that dam! I hate Diglett! I hate them!"

Laoise squinted, titling er head as she looked at the diglett. "I dunno, they look a lot like whack-a-moles."

Ash got out Dexter. "Hmm. Diglett."

Dexter's robotic voice explained. "Diglett, the movement of these ground Pokémon can be easily detected by their tracks of upturned earth."

Ash then comments that he doesn't see any upturned earth. The foreman says that it is because the ground is covered with concrete, but if they look closely, they can see movement in the form of small quakes and cracks. The foreman fears that they may not be able to achieve their dream of building the Gaiva Dam.

"Gaiva Dam?" Ash repeated.

The hysteric foreman pointed to a construction site, "Over there."

Right on cue, an explosion sent a rock rolling downward.

"That explosion is part of building a dam?" Brock asked.

The fore man shouted. "Yes, the blasting is part of building a dam! But we can't get supplies through because of Diglett!"

"Don't shout!" Laoise covered her ears. "We're not deaf!"

At least the foreman backed up a bit. Laoise still looked sour, that man had issues. Also this whole scenario reminded her of what happened with the Tentacool invasion.

"Mmmhmm... that is a problem," Brock said.

"We even created a special division for developing strategies to fight off the Diglett. We're calling for any able Pokémon trainer who's traveling through the area. Somebody with real Pokémon know-how who can help us get rid of these Diglett! The reward is a six night seven day stay at the famous Gaiva hot springs resort! If you know any Poké..."

Ash said, "We're a whole group of able Pokémon trainers at your service. "

"Oh, so YOU'RE the first squad of trainers we called in!"

"Oh, well, we weren't exactly called in..." Ash said sheepishly.

"What do you mean by FIRST squad?" Laoise questioned.

There was the sound of screeching tires. Lo, and behold, there was Gary Oak, his entourage of girls, and a fleet of buses come pulling up.

"The first Pokémon trainers have arrived! The rest are in these buses." Gary declared.

Ash stared. "It's Gary."

It was Gary Oak, they haven't seen him since Porta Vista.

Laoise huffed, pursing her lips. "Oh great, the big blowhard's here."

Gary blinked before recognizing Ash and Laoise, "Huh? Who are... Well, if it isn't little Ash from Pallet. What're you doing here?"

"For your big fat information, Gary, we came to investigate after the blasts got our attention." Laoise replied.

"And the teenybopper from the Bluebell Hollows. It must just be an unlucky coincidence." Gary sneered, "Only the best were invited. Like me, Gary from the town of Pallet. The number one trainer! Ash is fourth!"

"I'm fourth? I'm better than that!" Ash glared.

Laoise makes a face, glaring at Gary. "You, number 1? Yeah right, and I'm a backup singer for the Holograms."

Gary brushed off her comment, "You're fourth to leave home and the munchkin there might've left before I did, but as trainers, you're both dead last."

Ash was affected, Laoise scowled.

"Now, watch as I step up to the plate, and hit a Pokémon grand slam!"

"He's very…" Misty commented.

Brock finished. "Detestable."

Laoise said. "Rude and a pain in the..."

Gary chose to speak in that moment, "So, Ash, have you or Laoise picked up any good Pokémon?"

Laoise folded her arms, "I got plenty of them."

"Whatever. So, as I asked you, Ash, you picked up any good Pokémon?"

"Of course I have. You wanna see?" Ash said.

"No thanks, Ash. Only amateurs show off their Pokémon. If I was gonna show something off, it'd be my personal fan club." Gary pointed to his entourage of fans as they cheered for him.

Ash asks if they are Pokémon, as Brock hits him in the head and tells him to not be dumb. Brock asks who the girls are, and Gary explains that they are his friends. Brock asks the girls if they want to go out with him some time, and they all agree. Brock asks the girls for their contact information, but the foreman begs for everyone to focus on the Diglett. Gary and his fan girls then drive off to stop the Diglett. Brock whines about having not gotten the girls' phone numbers, while Ash maintains that he can't let Gary beat him. Team Rocket, hidden nearby, note that they too are Pokémon Trainers, and resolve to join the Diglett pest control effort in order to earn some rest and relaxation at the Gaiva resort.


Another dynamite blast went off, forcing some Ratatta and Pidgey to flee. Meanwhile, at the construction site, the Foreman is addressing the trainers who arrived, including our heroes.

"We greatly appreciate all of you talented Pokémon trainers interrupting your training to come here and help us get rid of the Diglett!"

Ash commented, "There sure are a lot of people here."

"You, with the Pikachu on your head!" The foreman shouted, "Listen with your ears, not with your mouth!"

Ash grumbled, "You'd think the least he could do is yell at me by name."

Misty reassured, "Don't be mad, he doesn't know what your name is."

"He doesn't know anyone's names, for that matter. Not that he actually cared." Laoise added.

"My name is Ash Ketchum, the loser from Pallet." Ash slumped over.

"Don't listen to Gary. You and Laoise can still catch up."

Not too far, Team Rocket noticed the large number of trainers and consider that they could steal their Pokémon. Though they realized that with only their Koffing and Ekans, they would be outnumbered. Jessie discredits the idea of a sneak attack, before they settle on another plan that they refer to as "the principle of induced evolution".

Soon, the foreman brings down a poster with a picture of a Diglett x'd out.

"Pokémon trainers, here you see Diglett, the greatest parasitic bug Pokémon of the century!"

"Just a minute!" Gary interrupted, "Technically, Diglett is not a bug Pokémon. As a matter of fact, the term mole Pokémon would be more appropriate. With a height of eight inches, and a weight of two pounds, they're hardly candidates to be called the greatest anything of this century."

Ash grumbled, "That showoff thinks he knows everything."

The foreman answered back, "They may seem to be weak, but together, they can destroy."

Laoise rolled her eyes then put on her noise canceling headphones to tune out the foreman and she presses play on her musical playlist. At once, "Téir Abhaile Riú" by Celtic Woman started playing. She smiled.

The foreman must've noticed she wasn't listening and tried shouting but Laoise folded her arms stubbornly. Until there was a small rumble.

Laoise lifted her headphones to hear, "It's the Diglett!"

Right on cue, a Diglett starts tunneling toward the buses that brought the trainers to the construction site and sink them as more Diglett pop up.

Gary confidently stepped forward, and with his cheerleaders' support, he throws his Poké Ball to bring out a Pokémon to battle Diglett. However, the Pokémon refuses to come out of its Poké Ball

"It won't come out. What's wrong?" Ash asked.

Pikachu was just as perplexed. Suddenly, a Diglett gave Gary his Pokéball back.

"Oh, thanks." Gary said sheepishly at first, "Wait! This can't happen! Okay, I can take care of this! I'll just bring out, my best Pokémon! You can handle it! " He kissed the Pokéball three times for extra good luck. "Go get em!"

Gary threw another Poké Ball which contains his strongest Pokémon, though it too refuses to come out. In frustration, Gary throws all of his Poké Balls as the foreman begs for someone to get rid of the Diglett. Everyone else throws their Poké Balls, but the Diglett continue to bring them back to their Trainers. The trainers were confused but still thanked the Diglett.

Misty remarked, "At least they're polite."

Brock added, "Yeah, and unstoppable."

Ash decided to use his Squirtle to face the Diglett. Pikachu tried to stop Ash, but he had already thrown the Poké Ball. Squirtle also refused to come out of its Poké Ball. Pikachu nodded to inform Ash that the Pokémon don't want to battle.

"Hmm, I wonder…?" Curiously, Laoise tossed the pokéball that contained her Shiny Staryu, Idril. But like everyone else's, the pokémon wouldn't come out and the Diglett carried the pokéball back to Laoise.

"Diglett!" It popped up, balancing the pokéball on its head.

"Uhm... thanks?" Laoise took her pokéball cautiously, and took a chance to pet the little mole type pokèmon – it didn't back away. It felt like a very long fingernail covered with specks of dirt.

Well that's weird, none of the pokèmon will come out of their pokèballs, but why?

Soon, everyone hears a pounding sound. And it's the Foreman trying to hit the Diglett with a mallet like he's playing a game of Whack-a-Mole. "You won't get away with this! Go away!"

Gary snarked, "That won't work! Diglett can pull their heads in at 186,282 miles per second!"

Ash questioned, "What's that?"

"The speed of light. Diglett aren't very strong, but they can move super-fast."

"Well, that's part's true. I read it in a book." Laoise said.

"Wow. You two have been studying, huh?" Ash noted.

Gary replied, "Yeah, I've been studying, unlike you. My grandfather is a researcher, you know."

Ash falls over in embarrassment.

"I read field guides to various pokèmon belonging to Kanto and other regions. When you're stuck at home while everyone else got to start a pokèmon journey, you tend to read up as much as you can." Laoise pointed out.

"Well, that's it. I'm gone. Look, since no one's Pokémon will come out and battle," A chagrined Gary pointed out the foreman still trying to smack the Diglett. "There's no reason for any trainers to be here unless they wanna watch this arcade game." He then hopped back into the sports car, he'd arrived in with his fan club. "I, on the other hand, must continue my journey to become a Pokémon master. And I suggest, Ash, you and Laoise do the same. Hasta la vista, Poké-people! Come on, fans! Get in the car and let's hit the road, shall we? Good luck!"

Ash groaned "I don't like him!"

Brock called, "Girls? Those numbers?"

"Brock, give it up." Laoise rolled her eyes.


That night, the four trainers enjoyed a hot spring (it took a few minutes for Laoise to adjust), but Misty is concerned, as she still can't understand why the Pokémon wouldn't come out of their Poké Balls.

Ash asked Pikachu, who pointed to where the Diglett are. After getting dressed, the four follow them and pass by the foreman, who is still trying to hit the Diglett with a mallet.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket is reading about how to evolve their Pokémon, and learn that Pokémon must have a lot of experience before they can evolve. They remember that Pokémon change when they evolve, and note that they've known Koffing and Ekans for a long time, and may miss them. As Team Rocket hugs their Pokémon and cry, their tears spur their Pokémon to evolve. As Jessie and James look on with proud anticipation, Meowth muses that their Pokémon's time to evolve has come...

Soon our heroes continue following the Diglett deeper into the woods. Our heroes are then surprised when they see a giant garden utopia, with both Diglett and Dugtrio working on the landscaping. Pikachu watched admiringly.

Dugtrio is a set of Diglett triplets sharing a single body, although no one knows what its body looks like since it's perpetually buried underground. Each head is incredibly tough with a smooth surface, and has brown skin, black eyes, and a large, round, pink nose.

Ash gets out Dexter. "Dugtrio, the evolved form of Diglett. No specific information available."

"They look like they're doing some garden landscaping of their own." Laoise remarked.

Brock then figured it out, "Oh, now I get it! This must be Diglett and Dugtrio's home! They work and live here together. Diglett plows the ground, and Dugtrio plants the trees. And not just here, this whole mountain range is there backyard!"

Ash looked around, "All of these mountains?"

Brock said, "Yeah, maybe. Probably all the forests in the entire world are…"

Misty finished, "Beautiful gardens made by these little guys."

"And if we complete the dam, this whole mountain forest would be completely covered with water!" The foreman had noticed and followed, coming to the same conclusion as the four did.

"And if I remember my Science class, a flood could devastate the whole area." Laoise surmised.

"Nothing could ever live here." The foreman understood.

"All of our Pokémon realized that before we did." Brock said.

Misty guessed, "That's why none of them would leave their Pokéballs, even when their masters ordered them to.

"I guess we humans still have a lot to learn from the ways of the Pokémon. Right, Ash?"

Ash agreed, "I guess so. Right, Pikachu?"

Pikachu nodded, "Pikachu."

"I'll say." Laoise said, admiring the Diglett and Dugtrio's work.

The Foreman said, "This project's cancelled. I won't build the dam."

Team Rocket shows up, and Jessie and James begin reciting their part of the Team Rocket motto, but when Meowth jumps in, he remarks that Ash and his friends already know the rest, cutting the motto short. Ash groans and tells Team Rocket that nobody is in the mood to deal with them right now. Team Rocket retorts that they are in a good enough mood for everyone and announce that they have a special treat to reveal. Team Rocket dons Japanese outfits and fans as fireworks go off above, revealing that Ekans has evolved into Arbok and Koffing has evolved into Weezing. As Jessie orders Arbok to attack, Ash calls on Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur. James commands Weezing to use Smog. Ash has Pikachu use Thunderbolt on Arbok, but it dodges. Jessie tells Arbok to dive underground, and James orders Weezing to follow. Diglett and Dugtrio can be heard chanting from underground, and Jessie and James start to gleefully chant along, but stop when they notice something is wrong. A commotion can be heard from underground, and Arbok and Weezing are thrown out of the ground covered in bumps and bruises. Meowth is baffled, but Jessie and James realize what's about to happen. Diglett and Dugtrio pop out of the ground and group together to form a wave of dirt and mud, scooping up Team Rocket and their Pokémon. They enjoy surfing on top of the wave, before it smashes into and destroys the dam wall, sending Team Rocket deep into the dirt and debris.

Ash commented, "Gee, those guys never seem to catch a break, do they?"

Misty added "And they never learn their lesson."

"That's why we win." Laoise sniggered.

Foreman said, "Not like me. I definitely learned my lesson."

Ash concluded, "So our stay wasn't a waste after all."

Brock nodded, "That's right, and we're in luck. Fuchsia gym's right over those mountains."

"And that means our challenge and badge awaits." Laoise smiled.

And so, the Diglett and Dugtrio were left in peace, and everybody learned that if you do a little digging, you can find something good wherever you look. And now, it's on to the next Pokémon adventure!

To be continued…


Author's note: Yeah, decided to cram two environmentally themed episodes into one chapter together. Sorry to disappoint, Laoise won't be catching more pokèmon until after a couple chapters. Expect a few more surprises there. The next chapter will be both Laoise and Ash's sixth gym battle.