“Log date number 17: Picking up a new ultra-wormhole reading at 5:42 PM, we immediately started investigations. Traveling out of the town to the site, we are currently hunting for the latest arrival in the eastern reach of the town,” Derek narrated as he stepped out of the car. Glancing around the wooded mountainside, he added, “From the looks of things, I doubt that this latest arrival is a Fire-type…”

A sudden Gibbs-slap to the back of his head snapped Derek out of his speeches, making him wince. “Enough with the TV spiel, Derek,” Ashley commented, and passed him as he rubbed his head, “The sooner I can get this over with, the sooner I can finish my paper for Composition.” With her comment, Ashley double-checked her pocket for Pokeballs before she jogged off towards the mountainside.

Derek could only watch for a little bit, then eventually let out a huff. “Fine, see if folks will pay attention to the audio notes afterwards,” Derek commented, then began to walk in a different direction. While not as rocky as the path Ashley had gone, Derek soon began to pant as he pushed his way through the brush and shrubbery. It wasn’t to say that he was unfit, but good god was it hard on him to hike through it all!

“Alright, Derek, you can do this,” he muttered to himself, his chest heaving from the unplanned hike. Glancing back to see if anyone spotted him, Derek pulled out a PokeBall before he let Eve out. As the Eevee appeared on the ground, Derek knelt down to the fox Pokemon’s level. “Hey, Eve, could you maybe sniff around for any Pokemon around here?” Derek asked as he scratched her between the ears.

Eve quickly let out a cheer at the request, and began to sniff around. Her ears soon perked up, and her nose began to turn westwards. However, she was only able to sniff for a few more seconds before she began to sneeze violently. Derek let out a snort in amusement when one violent sneeze knocked her onto her butt, and picked her up. “Alright, I guess we’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way,” Derek chimed, and soon started to walk in the direction Eve had been sniffing at.

While Derek was eager to make some headway, he soon began to curse as he pushed his way through the undergrowth. Despite the forest already being plentiful with trees that seemed decades old, thick bushes and vibrant shrubbery seemed to line the ground. As Derek pushed his way through a particularly thick ivy patch, he cursed when he felt his leg catch on something. “My kingdom for a pair of hedge clippers,” Derek grumbled. Once he tugged his leg free, he added, “That, or a flock of goats, to chew this place clean.”

Feeling something cling to his leg, Derek hissed through his teeth and continued to push onwards. For all the pain the ivy was around his legs, he didn’t need to deal with rashes all week by tugging blindly. Thank god for jeans to protect his legs at least. As he continued to trudge through the trailing tendrils though, he noticed an odd sound with each step…

Step-

“Gellll!”

-Step-step-

“Gellll!”

-Step-step-

“Gellll!”

Finally pushing his way through the mass of overgrowth, Derek let Eve down, as her sneezing had finally died off. Lifting the burdened leg up, Derek clicked his teeth at the sight of it tied up in a ball of thick blue vines. Derek began to tug at the tendrils with a stifled curse, his hands snaking through the vines to grab the main tangles. However, a sudden grip made Derek freeze, and the tendrils quickly wrapped around his arms.

The sudden swap in momentum toppled Derek over, nearly falling on top of Eve. The Eevee let out a growl, but Derek’s movements became more frantic as he tried to break free. As he tried to pull his hands out though, a pair of large eyes poked out from the vines. Derek’s struggles stilled at the sight, and the ball of vines raised a spare tendril…

“Tannn-gel!” the vine-covered Pokemon chimed, and poked Derek on the nose.

Despite being tied up, Derek couldn’t help but snort in amusement at the action. As the Tangela began to poke and prod at him with more tendrils, Derek shifted to look at the Pokemon better. “You’re a real clingy fella, aren’t you?” Derek asked, his words momentarily slurred when a tendril poked his cheek, “Anyways, why don’t you let me go, and-” Before he could finish speaking, the Tangela let out a cry of surprise, then burst into red light.

Derek was left stunned as the red beam flew into a pocket, his limbs now free. Sitting up slightly, Derek dug through his pockets, only to finally pull out an enlarged Pokeball. The Pokeball wriggled in his grasp for a few seconds, barely moving in his hand before it finally flashed a successful catch. Derek let out a noise of surprise, earning a look from Eve. “You know, I didn’t think it would be that easy,” Derek commented, earning a nod from Eve. When she began to sneeze again though, Derek gave her pats of sympathy. “You’re really having trouble with the forest, aren’t you?” he commented, earning another sneeze from her. Maybe he should have a doctor or someone similar give her a look…

“Say ‘ahhhh’,” Ashley said, shining her phone’s flashlight on Eve. When the Eevee opened her mouth with a ‘Voiiii’, she pressed her tongue down with a cleaned popsicle stick and looked down into Eve’s throat. “Well, I can’t seem to find anything wrong with her, so it’s probably just the recent seasonal bloom,” she finally commented, turning off her flashlight. As she turned towards Derek, Eve jumping into his lap for the offered piece of candied mango, Ashley asked him, “Have you noticed any other symptoms she’s been dealing with?”

“No, she’s only sneezed up a storm last night, so you may be right,” Derek commented as Eve immediately chowed down on her treat. When he looked over at the Tangela sitting on a table though, he asked her, “What do you think of Tangela, though?”

Ashley glanced at the ball of vines, the grass-type poking at a tipped jar of parts. “...You’re kidding me, right?” she asked, turning back with mild shock, “I’m training to be a vet, not a botanist.” As Audie walked over, carrying a tray of rice krispy squares, Ashley called out to her, “Hey Audie, is the Tangela looking fit?” The Audino paused at the question, and looked at the Tangela. The two stared at each other for several seconds, each tilting their head at the other. When the Tangela finally snagged a rice square and pulled it into its mass, Audie gave a thumbs-up and Ashley commented, “Yeah, I think he’s good.”

Derek snorted at that, before he placed Eve on the countertop. “I suppose that’s fair,” he commented.

As he took a rice krispy square though, Ashley suddenly told him, “However, I’m starting to get worried about your Grubbin, Sparkplug.” Derek froze at the comment. Seeing it as a sign to continue, she added, “While I know we don’t have any real references for what a ‘normal’ Grubbin looks like, I’ve noticed he’s been getting rather… relaxed recently. And I’m worried it’ll give him… mobility problems.”

Derek set the rice krispy down, and asked her, “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying he’s getting chunky!” Ashley exclaimed, slapping her hands on the tabletop, “He’s becoming a blubbery grub! Looking more like a pillow than a bug! He’s going to end up evolving into a Chug-jabug!” The two glared at each other for several seconds, before they finally broke into laughter at her outburst.

“Alright, alright, I get your point,” Derek said, still snickering slightly, “I’ll work on getting him to be more active on the team. That sound fair?” As Ashley nodded in agreement, a sudden blare of noise erupted from outside the room, causing both to start. As a second blare came through the building, causing Audie and Eve to curl up from the volume, Derek recalled Eve and the Tangela (he’d have to figure out a name for it later) before he ran towards the lab room.

“What on earth is all the noise for?!” he exclaimed as he entered the lab. Glancing around, he saw Titania standing at the monitor. As a third round of the siren roared through the building, Titania looked up, before she cut it off mid-scream.

“Oh, good, I was hoping you would hear the alarm,” she commented, and turned to look at him, “Unfortunately, it seems that the Pokemon you brought back wasn’t the only one that came through last night.”

Derek opened his mouth to comment, but he was cut off as Ashley shoved her way past him. “Alright, what’s the point for all this racket?” she exclaimed, guiding a still-whimpering Audie into the room, “It nearly knocked Audie here out with how loud it was!”

Titania froze at that, and glanced over at the whimpering Normal-type. Seeing the Audino still covering her ears, she pursed her lips and gave a nod. “I suppose I can work on changing the alarm,” she muttered, then turned towards the screen. “Anyways, I know that you caught the Tangela last night, but have you heard the recent announcement about Highway 211?” While Derek vaguely remembered something happening, Ashley shook her head in the negative.

Seeing that the two weren’t too familiar with it, Titania pressed a button on the screen to pull up a news article. “Several hours after you left the mountainside, a rockslide was reported blocking off the main road between Iron Springs and Lincoln,” she told them, a separate screen changing to show the area she was talking about, “While the road has been cut off until it’s cleared, there’s thankfully been no injuries from it. However, with the close proximity to where you caught the Tangela, I suspect that it wasn’t the only Pokemon that was there.”

“I suppose that makes sense, especially as Tangela aren’t… focused enough to learn Rock Slide, let alone Earthquake,” Derek commented. As he looked at the map though, he began to muse aloud, “However, the Pokemon who caused this has to be good at hiding, so it can’t be an Onix or a Solrock. Even a Sudowoodo would stick out like a cactus, for all the jokes made about it.”

“Whatever it is, it won’t be found unless you two get to finding it!” Titania snapped out, causing the two to snap up. As Titania turned back to the screen, she added, “Anyways, with there only being a few more hours of sunlight left, it’s probably best if you head out there sooner. I’ll stay here to fine-tune the program.” When Ashley coughed into her hand, she paused for a moment, then finally said, “...I’ll also work on finding a suitable alternative to the alarm.”

Ashley nodded in satisfaction, and sprinted back past Derek. Stumbling slightly as she pushed past, Derek ran out after her, almost racing the beam of light as she recalled Audie. Soon, the two were driving eastwards, Derek’s worn car trailing behind Ashley’s bright-red SUV.

As the two made the turn around the mountainside, the sun now casting deep shadows on the mountain peaks, Derek had to suddenly slow down when he saw Ashley’s car had stopped. Coming to a halt a few feet behind her, Derek’s jaw clenched at the minimal warning he had been given. As he looked past her though, his frustration faded away at the sight of police tape blocking the road. After some careful maneuvering to park the car on the shoulder (ironically, on the opposite side that Ashley parked on), Derek stepped out to examine the wrapper barrier.

“Man, they really went all out with the police tape, didn’t they?” he mused to himself as he looked at it. Despite the road having over twenty feet of distance from one side of the road to the other, shoulder and all, the road was blocked by the bright yellow tape. However, the tape had been used rather liberally. With strips of ‘DO NOT CROSS’ being wrapped around a trunk ten feet up, the barrier almost seemed to form a web of caution. It was somewhat admirable, if wasteful.

Derek admired the barrier for a short while, before a harsh whistle made him jump. “Hey Derek, stop standing around!” Ashley called out, already on the other side of the fencing, “We can’t find it out if we just stay here, twiddling our thumbs!” Letting out a faint sigh, Derek slid under the barrier, before he finally walked over to her.

At first glance, Derek couldn’t help but whistle in admiration at the debris. Stretching from the mountainside to the creek on the right, a deluge of stone and dirt had covered the upcoming turn. The sheer variance of size only added to it, with some of the boulders almost three times his size. Observing the damage that had been caused, Derek eventually turned towards Ashley and asked, “So, do you want to start at the base, or uphill where the rockslide likely started?”

“Oh, I’ll take the mountainside!” Ashley commented, and began to stretch, “You can’t really wake up without a good hike each day!” With little prompting, she sprinted up the slope.

Derek watched in a mix of amusement and envy as Ashley climbed up the rocky hillside. If he had that kind of endurance, he’d be able to run around for Pokemon all around Iron Springs himself. Seeing her scramble onto a large stone, Derek shook his head slightly, then turned to the stone blockade on the road. As he walked closer to the earthen barrier, he looked it up and down.

After some careful glancing around, Derek eventually stepped up to a large, fragmented boulder and hauled himself up. With unsteady steps, Derek began to walk around on top of the debris. It didn’t seem problematic at first, with the rocks stacked willy-nilly. As he stepped over a large gap though, a sudden movement caught his eye. Turning to his left and away from the river, he didn’t notice anything immediately. When he glanced down though, he noticed that some of the rocks seemed more uniform than the rest…

As he knelt to examine the boulders, Derek let out a yelp when arms of stone suddenly grabbed hold of him. With little warning, he was pulled into the now-wide crevice by them, and the rocky limbs pinned him against the wall of debris. Derek tried to call out for help, but a rough, misshapen hand quickly covered his hand. “Geeee,” A rumbly voice hissed in his ear. Derek’s head turned at the noise, only to see wide, beady eyes staring hard at him. Despite the shock of it all, the frantic glances and unhidden terror in the eyes made him pause.

After a few seconds, a sound of something tapping - No, scuttling on the ground, finally drew closer. “Corrr-cor-cor-cor-cor-cor-cor,” a shrill, raspy voice chanted as it passed the cluster. The space seemed to draw even closer around Derek, leaving him with little breathing room. After several close seconds though, the scuttling sound went back the other way, and soon faded from earshot.

The cluster continued to hold onto Derek for a few more seconds. After several tense seconds, the rocky coating finally broke away. Derek sat up as the living boulders formed a loose ring, faintly heaving. As he took in deep breaths, he glanced down at the stony soccer ball-sized Pokemon. “Thanks for the save I guess. I would’ve appreciated a slight warning, first,” he told the cluster of Geodude. Seeing one look somewhat disappointed at the comment, he patted it on the head before a thought suddenly hit him. “Wait, where did that Pokemon get too?”

His words were quickly cut off when a scream came from uphill. Derek rose up sharply in alarm, and glanced towards the noise. While the view was partially hidden by the debris, the bright flare of Pokemon attacks easily told him where the battle was at. Derek scrambled out of the crevice, and after checking for his Pokeballs, ran towards the battle.

As he climbed up the rockslide, a wave of small blasts made him stumble back. “Huevos Squad, use Bullet Seed!,” he heard Ashley call out. Glancing up, he saw the hextet of Exeggcute jump up high. A green glow faintly built up around them, and a swarm of green projectiles shot at a small dip. Before the barrage landed though, a red figure rushed out and charged at the group.

Easily the size of an adult dog, a bright-red lobster Pokemon easily traveled the rocky terrain. Coming to a stop after the Bullet Seed barrage stopped, the Corphish looked up at the descending batch of botanical eggs and began to hiss. “Corrrr…” The oversized crustacean fumed, a dark field enveloping its pincers. Leaping up, the Corphish lashed out with its darkened pincers and spiked the closest Exeggcute into the ground.

As the cluster of Grass-types slammed into the ground, the impact snapped Derek out of his observer’s stupor. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Derek pulled out a handful of Pokeballs and threw them in the air. “Alright everyone, we’ve got a Corphish that needs to be flash-cooked!” he exclaimed, the Pokeballs opening mid-air, “Eve, Quick Attack! Indy, Headbutt! Sparky, Spark!”

As the Pokemon appeared in the air, Eve quickly capitalized on the command to rocket at the Corphish while Derek scrambled to grab the falling capsules. Becoming a white blur, Eve crashed into the crustacean's back. Rather than flinch from the blow though, the Corphish only paused for a moment before it lashed out with a closed pincer. Eve ducked under the blow, and Indiana zig-zagged in and slammed into the Pokemon. This time, the effects were much more prominent with the Corphish being pushed back by the blow.

After being pushed back a few feet though, the Corphish’s feet locked into the ground. The crustacean let out an angered hiss, and as Sparkplug skittered closer, it lifted both claws up. Seeing a bright orange glow now wrap around its pincers, Derek began to call out, “Everyone, get away from-!” The Corphish didn’t wait for him to finish, and slammed down on the rocks.

The attack made the rocks underneath shatter like bombs, launching shrapnel everywhere. Derek fell back from the attack, shrapnel and streaks of orange energy shooting out everywhere. However, a furry bundle slammed into him and fully knocked him over. Looking down at what hit him, Derek’s heart sank momentarily at seeing Indy prone in his lap. However, the Zigzagoon quickly woke up, and shook itself slightly before it jumped off Derek.

As he stumbled back up, Derek glared at the Corphish as it preened. As it buffed its pincer on its chest, the ground shook slightly before Eve and Sparkplug popped out of the rubble pile. The Corphish looked at them disinterested, but Sparkplug quickly took the opportunity. Ducking underground, there was little warning before it burst out in an electric aura. The attack hit Corphish hard, the attack making it shake from the blow.

As the Grubbin prepared a second Spark attack though, the Corphish got up and gave Sparkplug a glare. The crustacean Pokemon clashed its claws together, the effect somehow polishing its pincers, then rushed forward. Seeing the wild Pokemon charge at him, Sparkplug pointed his fangs at the Pokemon and charged in an electric aura. The two clashed momentarily, the electricity clashing against the Corphish’s claws. However, Sparkplug was soon sent flying back when the second claw crashed into his face.

Derek winced when Sparkplug crashed into the ground, the rocks shifting from the impact. As dust flew into the air, Derek watched with bated breath, waiting for Sparkplug to get up. However, when the Corphish began to approach the downed bug, fear and anxiety began to trickle down Derek’s spine. “Come on, get up already,” he hissed, clenching his fists tight, “You can’t be taken out like this.”

Glancing over at Eve and Indy, he shouted out, “Eve, Indy, hit him hard with a Twin Tackle until Sparky gets up!” At the command, the two Normal-types charged at the Corphish. However, the Water-type crustacean turned at the command. He batted Indy’s charge away, but Eve managed to get under the blows to land her attack. As the two kept Corphish occupied, Derek turned towards Sparkplug and called out, “Come on, you can’t give up like this, Sparkplug! You gave me and Titania hell when we first fought! Are you really going to let an uncooked seafood dish beat you?!”

At the last comment, Sparkplug finally flipped himself back up and glared at the Corphish. “Grubbbbbb,” the large-fanged Bug-type began to growl, sparks emitting from its pincers. However, as Corphish turned towards the battlecry, Grubbin suddenly began to glow a brilliant white. The battle cut off as everyone turned towards the glow, and Derek could only look on in confusion.

As Sparkplug’s body began to expand though, a wild smile grew on his face. “Holy crap, I didn’t think it’d push him this far,” Derek commented, grinning as Sparkplug’s fangs began to shrink. The Bug-type’s body began to change rapidly, its form becoming more box-shaped in only a few seconds. With a final flare of light, the glow vanished, leaving a leaf-green, boxy grub that sported window-shaped eyes and two prongs where its pincers were.

“Charrr-jabug!” The now-Charjabug exclaimed, rising up momentarily before it faced the Corphish. The large lobster Pokemon looked at Sparkplug in disinterest, but when the boxy Pokemon began to emit electrical sparks, it began to look warily at the Charjabug. Seeing an opportunity, Eve charged at the Corphish at the same time Sparkplug began to wriggle into battle. With a white glow, Eve managed to strike the small of the Corphish's back.

“Corrr!” The Corphish cried out when Eve hit it, glaring back at her with its mouth open wide in rage. However, its cry was cut short when its mouth was suddenly plugged. Glancing down in confusion, the Corphish could only stare at Sparkplug in his throat before the Charjabug unleashed its electric charge.

Despite it terrorizing him and the team, Derek couldn’t help but wince in sympathy as the Corphish spasmed and shook from the Spark attack. When the lobster finally spat Sparkplug out, barely conscious, Derek ran a hand through his pocket to find a spare Pokeball. However, as he pulled one out, a Great Ball bounced off the sparking lobster Pokemon and captured it. As the blue and red Pokeball shook, Derek looked up the hill to find Ashley with one arm mid-throw. “What? If we let it recover, it’ll likely go after us again,” she commented.

While Derek opened his mouth at first to complain, he glanced down in thought as he thought it over. If it started lashing out more, its destructive punch attack would risk causing the rocks to collapse on them. Or worse, another rockslide… “Yeah, that’s fair,” he eventually commented, his words accompanied by the ping of a successful catch. With the battle over, he glanced back at the cluster of Geodude, who were looking on in a mix of wariness and curiosity.

Derek glanced down at the Pokeball in his hand, before he walked over to the Geodude. “I’m sorry to hear you had to deal with that Corphish, but it shouldn’t be bothering you anymore,” he told them, causing several of the living rock Pokemon to cheer. As some of them began to collide together, Derek told them, “Unfortunately, it’s likely that with them gone, there’s going to be other forces that will want to hunt you down. We can help you get to safety, but it’ll mean you’ll need to be caught in other Pokeballs to stay safe. Are you willing to let that happen?”

Most of the Geodudes were wary of the offer, giving Derek cautious glances. As they began to talk to themselves though, one Geodude floated up to Derek. It tapped a stony finger on the Pokeball’s button, and was sucked inside. After a few seconds, the Pokeball popped open again, and the Geodude gave the other Rock-types a cheer of confirmation.

With the Geodudes’ worries abated, they were quickly caught in the Pokeballs. Pocketing the capsules, Derek finally climbed off the debris. He walked back to the car feeling rather confident, Ashley already circling around the barrier. As he ducked under though, a sudden horn honk made him flinch. Derek glanced up, the police tape pulling his hair back, his heart sank slightly at the sight of a police car pulling up towards the barrier. When the cop car came to a stop, a somewhat familiar face stepped out.

“Well mister Wattson, it seems we meet again,” Officer Henderson said as he walked over. He looked past Derek at the rockslide, then gave Derek a glance. “What brings you out to the blockade? Another extra credit assignment for your teacher?” he asked, amusement and curiosity quite evident in his voice.

“Partially, but it’s not what I mainly came out here for,” Derek told him, his mind racing for an excuse, “I heard about the rockslide on the news this morning, I figured I could scope it out. Mother’s day is coming up, and since I used to go on family hikes with her, I was hoping to find some gems as a Mother’s Day gift with help from a classmate.”

“Really? That’s a surprise, though I know some gem collectors find sites like this to be hot beds,” the officer mused, rubbing his chin. As he glanced back with curiosity, he asked, “Did you manage to find one?”

“Unfortunately not,” Derek told him, shaking his head slightly, “Granted, it was a bit of a long shot anyways.” As he pointed at the rubble pile, he paused momentarily before he added, “However, it’s not the safest place to hunt, either. Saw some of the rocks collapse earlier when I was looking on top.”

Henderson clicked his teeth at the comment, but his suspicion seemed to die away. “Yeah, that was what we were worried about. It’s why we actually set up motion sensors to make sure no cocky motorcyclist or ATV tried to ride over it,” he told Derek, and pointed up to the treeline. Looking in the direction the officer pointed, Derek winced at the basic cameras set up facing the road. However, Henderson didn’t seem to react as he told Derek, “Anyways, we should have the road cleared of all the rubble in about a week, so I’d recommend not passing over to Lincoln for now.”

“Alright, I should probably get back to my dorm anyways. Have a good night, officer Henderson,” Derek told him. Without waiting for a reply, he briskly walked over to his car and got in. After shakily shoving the key in, Derek turned around and began to drive back into town. As he went around the bend though, he glanced in the rearview mirror. The officer’s gaze followed him intently until he finally vanished from the rearview, and Derek let out a faint huff as he drove down the mountain road.