Chapter 22: Diglett's Problem?
The gang was now traveling through a mountain forest. "Once we pass these mountains," said Brock, "we should find Fuchsia City."
"And in Fuchsia City," said Lyra excitedly, "I can get my sixth badge."
Lyra had let out her Plusle and Minun, who were happily chatting—or Poké-chatting—with Pichu and Pikachu. Vaporeon and Flareon were walking beside Lyra, happy to be out for a stroll. Plusle and Minun were riding on Vaporeon's back, while Pichu and Pikachu did the same on Flareon's back.
"Hey Lu, did your mum get Skitty?" Misty asked. Looking at Lyra's Pokémon, she could tell that Vaporeon and Flareon had grown stronger. Vaporeon could now withstand Electric-type attacks, just like Flareon could withstand Water attacks.
"Yeah, she did. Mum told me she loved it," Lyra answered. "And get this: Mum told me that Persian has adopted Skitty as her child, and the same happened with the other Skitty. Isn't it cute?"
"Yeah, that's great," Brock said.
They were walking along the road when suddenly an explosion happened, making the ground shake.
"What was that?" Misty gasped in shock.
"I don't know," said Brock, "but it came from the other side of the hill. We better check it out."
They discovered that the explosion was caused by trucks being destroyed by landslides and pit-holes.
"What a mess," Brock said. "What's going on?"
"I'll tell you what's going on," a voice said, sounding very cross. It was a construction Workman, and he was red in the face with anger. "It's because of those Diglett!"
"Diglett?" Lyra said, taking out her PokéDex.
Diglett, the Mole Pokémon.
Diglett love to create underground tunnels. It is a tiny, brown Pokémon that seems to be perpetually buried within the earth, leaving only its head visible. It has beady black eyes and a large, round, pink nose.
"God, I hate those damn Diglett!" the Workman shouted in frustration.
Lyra's Pokémon looked at each other in question. "Excuse me, sir," she said, getting the man's attention, "but why do you hate Diglett?" Lyra didn't see anything bad about them.
"Because those Diglett keep on interrupting our construction work," the man answered. "Me and my men are trying to build a dam, but those Diglett keep getting in the way."
Suddenly, some cars, trucks, and buses came up the road.
"Ah, at last they've come!" the Workman said, suddenly happy.
Lyra blinked. "They?"
"I've asked some Pokémon trainers to help me get rid of the Diglett," the Workman answered. "And if you want to help, you're welcome too."
Lyra frowned a bit and looked at her Pokémon. "I don't want to attack the Diglett or try to get rid of them. Do you think they have a reason for interrupting the construction work?" she asked them.
Lyra's Pokémon all looked at each other, then looked back at their trainer and nodded together, telling her that she was right.
A trainer stepped out of a red convertible car. Lyra and her two Electric mice on Flareon's back recognized him instantly. It was Gary Oak.
"Gary?" Lyra said, looking surprised to see her rival.
"Well, if it isn't Lulu-boy," said Gary. "What brings you here?"
"I'm on my way to get my sixth badge," Lyra answered.
Gary chuckled. "I've already got my sixth badge," he said with an arrogant smirk.
Lyra felt annoyed by that. Ever since they were kids, Gary would always boast about being the greatest because he is Professor Oak's grandson.
"So, what are you doing here?" Lyra asked.
"I have been asked by the workmen to help with the Diglett problem," Gary said, looking at the Pokémon on Vaporeon. "And are those your Pokémon?" he asked.
"Huh?" Lyra looked where Gary was pointing. "Yeah, they're mine," she answered.
Gary took out his PokéDex to look at the two unknown Electric types sitting on Vaporeon.
No data available.
"What?" he gasped.
Lyra shook her head. "You can't find them in the Kanto Region, Gary," she said. "Plusle and Minun are found in the Hoenn Region."
"So those are Plusle and Minun, huh?" Gary said stubbornly. "They look small, and I bet they are totally weak." Lyra's Pokémon started to glare at him. "My Pokémon are stronger than them."
Lyra stepped in front of her Pokémon to make sure they didn't attack him. "Listen, Gary, I can handle you making fun of me. But..." she stared at Gary angrily, "I ask you to not insult or make fun of my Pokémon."
Lyra had limits on how much people could push her, but insulting her Pokémon was one thing she would never appreciate from trainers—or anyone else.
"Hmph," was Gary's reply, but he wouldn't admit that Lyra looked quite scary for a moment there.
The Workman explained to the trainers that they needed to get rid of the Diglett. "These bugs cause nothing but trouble." Gary corrected him, stating that Diglett were Ground-type, not Bug-type. "I don't care what type they are!" the Workman shouted angrily. "I just want them gone!"
Gary kissed one of his PokéBalls and threw it to release a Pokémon. But what happened was weird; Gary's Pokémon came out and then immediately went back into the PokéBall. Gary tried again with another PokéBall, but the same thing happened.
It also happened with the other trainers' PokéBalls. What was stranger was that the Diglett would give the PokéBalls back to the trainers. Lyra, Misty, and Brock, along with Lyra's Pokémon, watched from the sidelines. They were entertained and amused by the mole Pokémon returning every PokéBall to their owners.
"That seems odd. Do you think something is preventing the Pokémon from coming out of the PokéBalls?" Misty asked.
"I don't know," said Brock, "but something doesn't feel right around here."
After trying five times, Gary gave up and left in his red convertible. The other trainers decided to leave, too. The Workman got so angry he tried to whack the Diglett with a sledgehammer. Lyra and her friends sweat-dropped at his actions.
The gang spent the night at a hot spring inn. When morning broke, they relaxed in the hot spring baths. Lyra was watching her Pokémon play. "You know," she said, "I've been wondering about the Diglett. What if this is the same thing that happened with the Tentacool at Porta Vista?"
"Are you suggesting that where they are building the dam is the Diglett's home?" Misty asked.
Lyra nodded. "I do."
"That actually makes sense," said Brock. "Besides, the Tentacool bothered the workmen to protect their home. The Diglett must be doing the same thing."
Just then, Pichu and Pikachu saw a Diglett. The gang saw it, too. They got out of the baths, changed from their swimsuits into their clothes, and followed it.
The Workman was still trying to whack the Diglett with his sledgehammer. It was a funny sight, but they didn't have time to stop. They followed the Diglett to a mountain range and saw a vast number of Diglett and their evolved form, Dugtrio.
Dugtrio, the Mole Pokémon.
The evolved form of Diglett. Its three heads move alternately, driving it through tough soil to depths of over 60 miles.
They saw the Dugtrio digging around while the Diglett were planting small trees in the ground. "Wow, look at this," Lyra gasped. "It's so beautiful."
"Yeah, these small Diglett and Dugtrio actually created this whole mountain range themselves," Misty said.
"It seems your theory was right, Lyra," said Brock. "This mountain range is their home."
The Workman saw the mountain range as well and realized his mistake. "If my men and I build the dam," he said, "we would not only destroy this mountain range but also the home of lots of Pokémon. I'm going to cancel this project and leave the mountains and forests alone."
Lyra, Misty, and Brock were delighted. Just then, they heard laughter in the distance. It was Team Rocket; they wanted to capture all the Diglett and Dugtrio.
Lyra had her Pokémon out: Pichu, Pikachu, Plusle, Minun, Vaporeon, and Flareon, all ready to fight. Jessie and James sent out their Pokémon, but instead of Ekans and Koffing, they revealed their newly evolved forms.
Arbok, the Cobra Pokémon.
The evolved form of Ekans. Transfixing prey with the face-like pattern on its belly, it binds and poisons the frightened victim.
Weezing, the Poison Gas Pokémon.
The evolved form of Koffing. Inhaling toxic fumes from trash and mixing them inside its body lets it spread an even fouler stench.
Pikachu, Pichu, Plusle, and Minun used Thunderbolt, while Flareon's Flamethrower and Vaporeon's Hydro Pump gave Arbok and Weezing a good thrashing. Then, the Diglett and Dugtrio helped out by sending Team Rocket away with their Dig attacks.
After Team Rocket's departure, the gang headed on toward Fuchsia City. Just then, Brock noticed a Diglett following them. "Hey, what's wrong, Diglett?" he asked.
Diglett looked at Brock with a smile. "Diglett, Diglett!" it chirped.
"I think Diglett wants to go with you, Brock," Misty said.
"Yep," Lyra agreed.
Brock asked Diglett if that was true, and of course, the answer was yes. So Brock captured himself a Diglett and was happy to gain a new Pokémon.
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Thank you for reading this chapter!
See you in the next episode of Pika Ball Z! ⚡