"Sato, Konan."
"Who's there?"
"Eichi, Kelly?"
Sato turned his head and saw Eichi and Kelly standing on a tree branch. Eichi leaped down first, with Kelly following close behind.
"Why are you two here?" Eichi asked as he walked over to Sato.
Sato spoke with a grave expression, "I encountered Team Rocket. For some reason, they wanted to capture me. Their Pokémon are very powerful; their levels should be at the peak of Elite or even Gym Leader rank. I was no match for them. Fortunately, they didn't know I had Haunter, and I used that chance to escape. I ran into Konan on the way, and now we are searching for the others."
Konan nodded, confirming that the situation was exactly as Sato described.
Eichi took a moment to process the situation and said, "It's much the same for me. I saw Team Rocket members, but they didn't spot me. I met Kelly on my way here, and she saw Tetsu being captured."
After he finished, Sato looked at Eichi and asked, "What should we do now? Do we need to find everyone else?"
Sato, Konan, and Kelly all looked at Eichi, waiting for him to make a decision. Eichi didn't answer immediately. After a moment of reflection, he said, "No need. I suspect we are the only ones left who haven't been captured. Furthermore, no one should call the others. They might have been caught already, and calling them could expose our position. What we need to do now is determine the situation with Team Rocket. Kelly told me that after Tetsu was caught, they headed in that direction."
He pointed behind Sato.
"I remember seeing a mining site there when I first arrived. I suspect they are being held there. We'll head over now to scout the situation. If any of you have concerns, speak up."
Sato nodded. "No problems here."
Konan and Kelly also nodded. "We're fine with that too."
"Since there are no objections, let's move out," Eichi said seriously.
The four of them then set off toward their target. After walking for about an hour, Eichi stopped. "Wait."
The three behind him looked at him with confusion. Eichi whispered, "There are people ahead. Follow them quietly, and keep your voices down."
Kelly looked at the Gardevoir beside her. Gardevoir understood, closed its eyes to sense the area, then opened them and nodded.
There were indeed people ahead. Although everyone was curious about how Eichi had discovered them, they kept the question to themselves and followed cautiously.
After advancing a certain distance, Eichi crouched down, and the others followed suit. The four of them were now hidden in a patch of waist-high grass. Eichi gently parted the grass to create a gap. Through the opening, two Team Rocket members in black uniforms could be seen not far away.
The others also peered through the gaps and saw the Team Rocket members.
"What's going on?" one Team Rocket member grumbled. "Where did those four go? We're only missing those four brats."
The other Team Rocket member replied, "Yeah, we've caught the other six. Just these four left."
"Forget it. How about we stop searching for now, go back and rest, and let the others deal with it?"
"Sounds good. Great idea. Let's go."
Eichi and the others overheard their conversation. Once the men were far enough away, Konan said, "It's just as Eichi suspected. Everyone else has been taken. Only the four of us are left."
Eichi turned his head and said, "Follow those two, but don't get too close to prevent being discovered."
Everyone nodded.
The four followed the two Team Rocket members to the base of a small mountain, which was a vast rocky area. As they approached, they heard the rumbling of mining carts and the faint sounds of engines and excavators echoing from within a cave.
Around the small mining mountain, Team Rocket members were everywhere. There were about dozens of them, not counting the drivers and others inside the cave. The two Team Rocket members they were following quickly disappeared into the cave.
Eichi and the other three formed a circle in the jungle to discuss how to rescue their classmates.
"Tetsu and the others must have been taken into that cave," Kelly said.
Konan added, "There's another question: why is Team Rocket appearing here?"
Sato stood up to observe the mining carts outside. When he saw what was being transported, he turned back and said, "I know why they are here."
"Why?"
"Because of White Iron Ore."
"What!!"
"White Iron Ore."
Konan was very surprised, and Eichi looked thoughtful, while Kelly remained confused. Seeing her blank expression, Sato explained, "White Iron Ore is extremely precious. My family has some dealings in this field. The top-tier Steel-type Pokéblocks we are familiar with have White Iron Ore as their main ingredient."
Sato then explained the value of White Iron Ore to Kelly. Only then did she realize how precious it was. Eichi had also read about White Iron Ore in books.
Eichi said, "When I first came through here, there was no White Iron Ore. Team Rocket must have found out about the deposit and come here. It looks like the League doesn't know about this situation yet. That's also why Team Rocket wanted to capture Tetsu and the others."
"So, what do we do now?"
"Notify Director Yanagi," Eichi said. He took out his communicator and dialed Director Yanagi's number.
Beep... Beep...
On the other side, Director Yanagi and the others had finally rescued the third-year students from the rampaging Pokémon. They were all resting in a clearing. The third-year director was harshly lecturing several disheveled students.
"It's you few again! Can't you give me some peace? Do you have any idea how much work your little stunt caused everyone!"
Although the students looked a mess, they seemed indifferent to the scolding. Seeing their attitude, Director Yanagi could only sigh in frustration. Just then, his communicator rang.
"Hello, who is this?"
"Oh, Eichi. Did you find a glass marble?"
"What?"
Director Yanagi shouted, his expression changing violently. All the teachers turned to look at him. After a while, he hung up with a heavy expression.
"What happened, Director Yanagi?" the second-year director asked.
"Team Rocket has appeared," Director Yanagi said. "And they've captured my students."
"What!?"
Everyone was shocked. Even the third-year director stopped lecturing and walked over. "What's the situation, Director Yanagi?"
Director Yanagi gave a brief overview. "Team Rocket appeared suddenly and took my students. It's also related to White Iron Ore."