Mt. Steel certainly lives up to its name. The air smelled of the distinct metallic tang one would expect. Cyn took the lead into the caves, watching carefully for any sign of trouble. Magnemite kept to the rear, watching their backs to prevent us from getting ambushed. The first few floors passed without incident. Though the fact that there were staircases within a cave still weirded Jack out. A natural fixture in mystery dungeons, sure. That didn't make it feel any less strange.
"You keeping up, Magnemite?" Jackson asked their newest ally.
"I appreciate your concern, Jackson, but I am not helpless." Came the response.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I suppose I'm just nervous."
"That is natural. This is an unfamiliar area. One that has dangers, no less. Wariness is to be expected." At least they were understanding. The last thing any of them needed was to come to blows over something not worth it.
"Hey Cyn." He turned his attention to his partner. "What do these traps look like?"
"They look like big steel plates in the ground. But they don't appear until you step on them."
"Oh, that's evil."
"I agree. Sometimes I worry Arceus has a dark sense of humor." A mechanical click seemed to punctuate his statement, followed by a metal plate materializing below Cyn's feet. A split second later he collapsed to the floor. Darkness swallowed everything as his flames burned out.
"Cyn!?" Jack yelled.
"One moment, Jack." Magnemite said. In a sudden flash of light electricity began to arc from between their magnets, bathing them all in its glow. With his vision back, Jackson rushed to Cyn, careful to avoid the trap. Much to his relief, Cyn was still breathing. He seemed to be asleep. Whatever the trap was, it simply knocked him out. A relief, sure, but judging by the sounds of activity beyond Magnemite's light, it was about to make life very difficult.
"We are about to have company, Jack." Magnemite said.
"We can't leave Cyn like this. Guess it's time to prove yourself. I'm gonna try to wake him up. Can you cover me?"
"Yes. I can do that."
"Okay…" Jackson turned his attention to his slumbering friend. "Cyn! Wake up!" He shook him vigorously to no avail. "Cyn! Come on!"
A bright flash of light overtook the room before dimming back down. "Aron defeated." Magnemite said. Jack looked up to see them just as they shot out another Thunder Shock at a Pinsir. All it did was make them angry. "Not good." they said as the Pinsir charged at them.
"Crap…" Jack muttered. He turned his attention back to Cyn. "Sorry about this." He sighed before giving him a hard slap across the face. Immediately Cyn stirred, yelping out in pain and glancing around in confusion.
"What just happened!?" He yelled.
"Trap got you, I think." Jack looked back to Magnemite, who had drawn the Pinsir away from them. Magnemite was now cornered and in desperate need of help. "Come on! Magnemite needs help!"
After a moment to reorient himself, Cyn flared up. "Right! Let's go!." With a quick breath he spat out a small fireball at the Pinsir's back. They recoiled in pain, turning to face Cyn. The both of them braced for the coming attack only for the Pinsir to begin convulsing and collapse on the floor, revealing Magnemite behind them.
"Target incapacitated." they said.
"That…" Jackson sighed in relief. "...was too close. Bringing you along was the right call, clearly."
"Well, after this, we should have enough for a pair of Goggle Specs." Cyn said. "Then we'll be able to see and avoid those things."
"Surprised you didn't mention those sooner."
"Had I not stepped on a trap, that would had been my next topic. Come on. Let's get moving."
Right. I'll take point. That way any other unpleasant surprises don't plunge us into darkness."
It wasn't long until the darkness of the caves gave way to sunlight as they reached the mountain peak. After adjusting to the light Jackson could see their quarry straight ahead. The Skarmory stood over his captive on the other side of a deep chasm, glaring at them as they approached. The Diglett watched them too, a glint of hope sparking in his eyes. Poor kid was probably fearing for his life.
"Rescue team…" He muttered. He took flight and soared across the chasm to meet them. Jackson took a defensive posture, his teammates following suit soon after. "You took the wrong job. These little creatures must pay for the suffering they caused."
"What makes you think they're responsible for the quakes?" Jackson asked. Perhaps they could reason with him. It was worth a try, at least.
"They're tunnelers! The ground is their domain! If enough of them got together they could shake the ground beneath us!"
"The amount of Diglett and Dugtrios needed to accomplish such a task numbers in the thousands." Magnemite said. "That is in addition to it needing to be a coordinated effort. Such a feat, while not impossible, is highly improbable."
"Do you have a better explanation, then, ball bearing?"
"I do not. However, condemning a species without sufficient evidence is ill-advised."
"Don't talk to me about ill-advised! I lost my home to these pests! Pokemon I know have died to these disasters! It's only getting worse. And everyone's doing squat about it! Not me. I'm taking action. I'm doing something."
"And how does kidnapping a Diglett improve things?" Cyn asked.
"I..I don't…" Tears welled in Skarmory's eyes. For a moment he seemed to ponder before his attention turned back to the team. "What, do you expect me to just sit and watch the world crumble to pieces? I can't do that!"
With long, sweeping flaps of his wings, he used air cutter, launching arcs of razor-wind at them. One arc nailed Jackson straight in the chest, sending him reeling backwards in pain. By the time he'd gotten his bearings and was back on his feet, Skarmory was charging them all down. Running on instinct he dove for cover, narrowly avoiding getting sliced by the razor sharp wings.
"You want the Diglett? You go through me! Come on then! Show me what you can do!"
"So much for a peaceful resolution." Jackson muttered.
"Fine then." Cyn cried. "You want a fight? You've got one! Team Guardians is ready!"
"If you insist." Skarmory sneered before charging at them once more.