"Ugh!?"
Matsumoto slowly opened his eyes. Having slept for a while, he actually felt quite refreshed. However, looking at his surroundings, he found little to be happy about. Several people sat beside him. Once he woke up, someone spoke.
"Matsumoto, you're awake," Ishida said.
"Ishida, you were captured too," Matsumoto noted.
Matsumoto was currently locked in an iron cage. Inside were not only him and Ishida, but also Shinta, Tetsu, Ami, and Kosei. Matsumoto looked around. There were several large iron cages nearby, all filled with people. Furthermore, several men in black uniforms stood guard nearby.
Beside the guards, several Pokémon—Arbok, Crobat, Weezing, and others—glared at them with fierce eyes. They were currently in a corner. In the distance, the sounds of excavators and mining carts echoed.
Rumble.
They were likely inside a mine. Large floodlights shone from above, leaving some areas bright and others dim. Six out of the ten students had been captured.
"What's going on?" Matsumoto asked.
"I don't know either," Tetsu replied. "Team Rocket appeared out of nowhere and attacked us. They are very strong, and we were no match for them. Moreover, they aimed to capture us from the very beginning. Then, we were brought here."
"What exactly does Team Rocket want?" Ishida wondered aloud.
Tetsu looked at the surrounding iron cages, which were filled with various people wearing work clothes. He called out to someone in the neighboring cage, "Mister, Mister, can I ask you something?"
As expected, a man in the opposite cage turned around with a confused expression. "Are you asking me?"
Tetsu's eyes lit up. "Yes, Mister. I want to ask what is happening here. Especially, why did Team Rocket show up?"
The man sighed deeply. "This was originally a small iron mine. We were doing just fine. Suddenly, yesterday afternoon, a group of people appeared and locked up all the workers and drivers. They replaced everyone with their own people. Since then, they've been incessantly digging for a type of iron ore I've never seen before."
Tetsu pointed to the ore being transported out on a mining cart not far away. "Is it that one?"
"Yes, that's it," the man said. "We didn't have that stuff here originally. But as soon as they arrived and started digging, that iron ore appeared."
Suddenly, Ami spoke up. "I know what kind of ore they are digging for."
"What is it?" Everyone turned to look at Ami.
Ami watched the excavated ore in the distance. "This ore is called White Iron Ore. It is extremely precious. The Steel-type Pokéblocks we buy contain White Iron Ore. In fact, it's the main ingredient. Most importantly, its composition is very complex. It's said to be used in heavy industry and high-tech fields. Did you know? A piece of White Iron Ore the size of a fist is worth ten thousand Pokédollars. Of course, I only know this because my father told me."
"Ami, what does your family do?" Tetsu asked, somewhat puzzled.
"My family is in the steel business," Ami replied.
"I see."
"So what should we do now?" Shinta asked. "Our communicators and Poké Balls were all confiscated."
Hearing this, Ishida felt around his person. Sure enough, his Poké Balls and communicator were gone. He felt completely hopeless.
Seeing everyone's despair, Tetsu spoke up. "Everyone, cheer up! I believe Eichi and Sato will definitely come to save us. Plus, once Director Yanagi and the others realize we're missing, they will surely come looking for us."
Meanwhile, Eichi had just obtained his fifth Key Stone from a cluster of Pineco. This was truly insane—hiding a Key Stone among Pineco. Fortunately, Eichi had Beedrill, which could grab the Key Stone and return at top speed. As for how Beedrill's twin needles picked up the Key Stone, simply using a small pouch sufficed.
Just as he was about to retract his Bug Force and find a place to rest, the Bug Force suddenly fluctuated. Someone was approaching!
Eichi kicked off the ground and quickly climbed a tree. The trees in this vicinity grew dense and tall. He hid in a tree, suppressing his breath, and quietly waited for the person to arrive.
A minute later, a man stepped out of the bushes without making a sound. Eichi's pupils shrank when he saw him.
Team Rocket!?
Why were they here? The Team Rocket man looked around. Finding no one, he continued forward. Once the man was far away, Eichi released his Bug Force again. This was very wrong. Why would Team Rocket appear here?
Would the others be in danger? Eichi jumped down from the tree and quickly left the area.
After a while, the Bug Force reacted again. Eichi silently climbed a tree to hide. Seconds later, a Team Rocket member flew past in the sky, riding a Pidgeot. Once he was gone, Eichi continued his journey. A few minutes later, someone else approached, and Eichi hid again.
A moment later, a girl and a Pokémon emerged from the woods. It was Kelly and Gardevoir! Kelly was looking around cautiously, appearing quite frightened.
Suddenly, the fearful Kelly heard someone calling her name.
"Kelly."
Kelly quickly turned her head. Eichi jumped down from a tree.
"Eichi!!!"
Kelly was exceptionally excited to see him. She had been very afraid, but as soon as she was by Eichi's side, her fear vanished.
"Kelly, what's going on with you?" Eichi asked.
Kelly remembered the urgency and spoke quickly. "Eichi, I saw Team Rocket."
"Tell me slowly," Eichi said.
Kelly explained that she had been nearby when Team Rocket captured Ami. She watched helplessly as Ami was taken away. Fortunately, Kirlia had evolved into Gardevoir and could detect nearby Team Rocket members, so she wasn't captured herself.
"Then why did they capture Ami?" Eichi asked.
Kelly shook her head. "I don't know."
"By the way," Eichi said, "do you know which direction they went after capturing her?"
Kelly pointed behind Eichi. He turned and looked in that direction. Thinking for a moment, he remembered there seemed to be a mine over there.
"Kelly, let's go take a look," Eichi said.
Kelly nodded firmly. "Okay, Eichi. I'll follow your lead."
"Gardevoir!" Gardevoir also nodded.
The two humans and one Pokémon began rushing toward the mine. After running for a short while, Eichi suddenly stopped. "Hide!"
He quickly climbed a tree. Kelly had Gardevoir use Confusion to place her on a branch. After a while, two figures appeared. Upon seeing them, Kelly and Eichi breathed a sigh of relief.
The two people were Sato and Konan.