High above Verdant Valley, a steel-clawed inspector checks the cave ceiling — and finds something very wrong.
High above the northern caves, a Metang hovered beside the rock face. It was wearing a tiny hard hat. Well — sort of. It had magnetically clamped a yellow construction marker to its head. That counted.
MetangStructural survey. Section Seven. All clear so— CLUNK.
CRACK. A chunk of cave ceiling broke off and bonked Metang right in the claws.
Metang stared at the chunk. Then at the ceiling. Then at its clipboard. There was a very long crack running along the cave wall — all the way down to the floor.
MetangThat is... not in my report.
Deep below, something was RUMBLING. The ground shook. Dust fell like snow.
Inside the cave, the baby Pokémon were fully awake now. A tiny Larvitar was crying. A baby Snorlax was sitting on a baby Jigglypuff. Nobody was happy.
CharizardNobody panic. I said NOBODY PANIC.
Everyone panicked. WAAAH. BONK. SQUEAK.
Metang pressed one cold steel claw against the cracked wall and felt it. The vibrations were coming from below — rhythmic, deliberate. Not an earthquake. Something was DIGGING.
MetangUnauthorized excavation detected. This is a hard hat zone.
Metang reached out one claw and knocked firmly on the cave wall. Three times. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
The digging stopped. For exactly two seconds.
Then it got FASTER.
Metang...They are not going to fill out a permit, are they.
Outside, Venusaur and Mismagius were still facing Team Rocket's Dugtrio. Three heads. Three smug grins. One very large tunnel entrance behind them.
Dugtrio (Head One)Too late, flower. The door's already open.
MismagiusI would like to dramatically disagree — but I'm afraid he's right.
Far to the north, something metallic caught the moonlight. Moving fast. Moving low. Getting closer.
To be continued...
