Alex and his group had left Pallet Town several months ago, navigating many twists and turns along the way. They had just departed from the heavily polluted Wuyun City and were now continuing their journey toward the region where the next Gym badge awaited, arriving in the heart of a deep mountain range.
"If you think about it, we've really come a long way," Brock said, walking along the path.
"But it's good to finally leave the big city. All those tall buildings felt quite oppressive," Alex remarked, stretching his arms.
"The air in nature is so much fresher," Misty added, inhaling deeply.
"Oh, right! Where are we headed next?" Misty stopped and asked.
"Does that even need asking? Of course, we're going to the next Gym to earn a new badge!" Ash exclaimed, his excitement palpable at the mention of a Gym.
"There's a Celadon Gym nearby," Brock said, glancing at the map.
"Where is it?" Alex asked curiously, as he too needed to collect eight badges before competing in the League Tournament.
"It's on the other side of the mountain," Brock replied.
Alex and the others looked up at the towering, overlapping peaks and asked helplessly, "The other side of which mountain?"
"Over there, at the end of the mountain. The map indicates that's Fuchsia City, but where exactly is it? Here? Or here?" Brock tapped the map uncertainly.
"Ah, there are mountains all around. This is a headache," Brock said awkwardly.
"We're not lost again, are we?" Alex said, exasperated.
"It seems so," Brock admitted weakly.
"But hey, at least we're still on the road!" He forced a cheerful tone to encourage everyone.
"Then we'll just have to keep going," Ash nodded enthusiastically.
"My favorite for lunch is curry rice," Jessie said happily, sitting on a picnic blanket.
"Tea-soaked rice is the best," James chimed in, holding a teapot.
"I'm not eating. I need to lose weight, Meowth," Meowth said, lying on the side and doing sit-ups.
"Oh, that's really tough for you then..." Jessie and James said in unison.
Suddenly, the ground shook violently, startling even the Spearow in the trees into flight.
Alex and the others tumbled to the ground.
"What was that explosion?" Misty asked, looking terrified.
"Oh my goodness!"
"My curry rice is too sweet!"
"I'm soaked in tea!"
On Team Rocket's side, Jessie's and James's food had landed all over their heads, leaving them looking utterly disheveled.
"You deserve it, but what was that explosion just now?" Meowth said, resting his chin on his paw.
"Boom!"
At that moment, the sound of another explosion reverberated through the air.
"Over there! Let's go see!" Alex said, leading Ash and the others toward the source of the sound.
"My wonderful lunch!" Jessie said, holding her plate and suppressing her anger.
"I'm covered in tea! This grudge..." James lamented, holding the bowl he'd taken off his head.
"We must get revenge!"
"Unforgivable!"
Flames of determination ignited in Jessie and James's eyes as they dashed toward the direction of the explosion.
"What are you two doing? Wait for me, Meowth!" Meowth called out exasperatedly as he watched them disappear.
By this time, Alex and his group were almost there.
Suddenly, a series of large trucks appeared before them, each one different from the last.
At the same time, large boulders rolled down the mountainside.
"What's going on?" Jessie peeked out from the bushes.
"Are they burying treasure?" James said, frowning.
Suddenly, as the foremost truck drove, the road surface collapsed, causing the entire vehicle to tilt sideways.
Then, the trucks behind crashed into the one in front, creating chaos on the road, with dust rising everywhere.
"Ah, what a mess!" Alex exclaimed, surveying the scene.
"It's incredible!" Brock added.
"That's not right!"
"This world is too different!" Jessie and James nervously clasped their hands together.
"Pika, pika, pika!"
Pikachu suddenly noticed a sound coming from underground.
As an Electric-type Pokémon, Pikachu's hearing was far superior to that of humans.
Then, a Diglett burrowed up from underground, and Pikachu happily ran over.
"Pika~"
"Pika!"
The Diglett appeared very happy, its eyes curving into a smile before it burrowed back into the dirt.
"So that's it," Meowth said, understanding upon seeing the Diglett.
At this moment, the driver's side door of the first truck opened, and a bearded driver emerged, slumping to the ground in despair.
"Again, again, it's happening again!"
The man kept pounding the ground with his fist as he spoke, looking utterly distraught.
"Are you alright?" Alex and the others rushed over to ask.
"Diglett! Ah, a Diglett disaster!" the man cried out, throwing his hands up in despair.
"Diglett?"
"Those are Diglett!" the man said, angrily pointing at a group of Diglett popping up and down on the road ahead.
"Pika pika, pika pika!"
A large group of Diglett could be seen popping their heads up from the ground, only to disappear again, then reappear and disappear.
"They look so cute!" Misty said, cupping her face.
"They're not cute at all!" the man suddenly roared, his face darkening.
"Because of them, my reservoir project has made no progress!"
He gestured toward a nearby construction site.
"I hate Diglett! I hate Diglett! I hate Diglett!" he shouted, hitting his head with both hands, even breaking his hard hat in frustration.
Alex then took out his Pokédex.
"Diglett, Ground-type Pokémon. A Pokémon that moves in shallow underground areas. The ground it passes through will bulge."
"But there are no bulges anywhere on this road?" Ash said, peering over Alex's shoulder.
"The part you're looking at has already been paved with concrete!"
"But if you look closely..."
Upon closer inspection, there were still many cracks in the concrete-paved ground, clearly damaged by the Diglett.
"I see," Alex and the others nodded.
"It looks so strange, all broken and tattered," Misty said, observing the cracks.
"Now our dream, the largest reservoir in the nearby mountains, will never be completed!" The man knelt on the ground, head bowed, his voice choked with tears.
"What reservoir?" Alex asked, confused.
"Look at that," the man said, pointing to the construction site on the other side.
Inside, construction workers were constantly directing traffic as huge rocks tumbled down from the mountain.
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