Diglett's favorite food is Berries and plant roots. Both are rich in moisture, so Diglett rarely need to seek out additional water sources to survive.
"They're coming," Kael suddenly murmured.
Cole looked confused. "What's coming?"
Thud… thud…
A faint tremor rippled beneath their feet, traveling past them toward the small lake ahead. Then—
Plop…
Bubbles began surfacing across the lake. As seconds passed, the bubbling intensified, swelling violently.
Splash!
A massive black figure burst from the water. Under the moonlight, its signature silver horn gleamed—there was no mistaking it. It was the Rhydon that had earlier driven the Diglett herd in this direction.
Cole's finger trembled as he pointed. "If I remember right, Rhydon is a Ground- and Rock-type Pokémon. Theoretically, it's four times weak to Water. So how is it swimming in a lake?!"
Kael smirked. "If a Water-type like Psyduck can be a terrible swimmer, is it really that strange for a Ground- and Rock-type Rhydon to know how to swim?"
"It's not just strange—it's insanely strange!" Cole wanted to shout, but at Kael's gesture, he hurriedly covered his mouth.
Rhydon heaved itself ashore. In the center of the lake, a whirlpool had formed. By combining Dig with the drilling power of its horn, Rhydon had tunneled straight through to the lakebed. With the bottom pierced open, water naturally began flooding into the underground tunnels.
Kael had deliberately chosen a relatively small lake. Even if the water flow became difficult to control, it wouldn't cause large-scale damage to the surrounding forest.
Diglett usually tunnel at shallow depths, which makes them easy to capture. But their evolved form, Dugtrio, is different. Not only are they faster, rumors claim they can burrow as deep as 100 kilometers underground.
Both Diglett and Dugtrio are valuable allies in agriculture. The land they till becomes remarkably fertile. In some remote villages, they're even regarded as symbols of a bountiful harvest.
But when their numbers grow unchecked, disaster follows. Once a colony expands beyond what wild Berries and roots can sustain, they turn to farmland—biting through crops at the root and causing devastating losses.
Every year, the Kanto League invests significant manpower and resources to prevent potential Diglett infestations.
After all, Diglett are beneficial Pokémon overall. The League would never exterminate them outright. Instead, they adopt relocation policies—transferring excess populations from one region to the poorer, even desertified northern areas of Kanto.
...
Lake water poured into the underground tunnels Rhydon had carved. Since the forest floor beneath was riddled with hollowed-out passageways, the water spread unimpeded.
The Diglett fell into chaos.
Like headless flies, they scrambled wildly underground to escape the rising flood. Many had no choice but to pop out onto the surface, trembling helplessly.
With its subordinates nearly wiped out, the leader could no longer stay hidden. A three-headed Pokémon burst from the earth—each head a slightly different height, like three Diglett fused together.
"Lulu, Weavile—you're up!"
The moment Dugtrio appeared, Kael hurled two Poké Balls.
"Lulu, use Psychic—hold Dugtrio in place! Don't let it escape!"
"Weavile, Ice Punch! Knock it out!"
Blue light flared in Lulu's eyes as she clenched her hand. The panicked Dugtrio instantly found itself unable to move.
A gust of wind followed—Weavile dashed forward with lightning speed and struck each of Dugtrio's three heads in rapid succession with frost-coated punches.
"Duuug—trii—"
Before it even realized what hit it, Dugtrio was instantly knocked out by the super-effective blows.
"Now it's your turn," Kael said calmly. "Resolving a Diglett infestation proactively helps the League. The dollar may not be huge, but to your superiors, a subordinate who gets things done is more pleasing than one who merely claims dollars."
Kael was pragmatic. Solving the Diglett problem brought him no reward—it was Cole's private request. The League certainly wouldn't compensate him. Better to return the favor and let Cole take the achievement.
Joy flashed in Cole's eyes. He'd been so frustrated by the reservoir delay that he'd nearly forgotten—resolving a Diglett infestation ahead of schedule would earn serious points in his year-end reassignment review.
Add in the timely completion of this reservoir project, and in a few months he might even regain his former position. No more worrying about being reassigned to street-sweeping duty.
Grinning from ear to ear, Cole clapped Kael on the shoulder. "Thanks, kid. When I'm reinstated, I won't forget you."
He stepped forward with a standard red-and-white Poké Ball. The unconscious Dugtrio offered no resistance and was easily captured.
With one Dugtrio exposed, others soon followed, unable to endure the flooding tunnels. The same seamless coordination repeated—Lulu immobilized them with Psychic, Weavile knocked them out with Ice Punch, and Cole gleefully captured them.
...
At five in the morning, streaks of dawn light began stretching across the eastern horizon.
Kael and Cole returned to the reservoir site. A large truck stood loaded with metal cages, each about a meter tall. Inside each cage, over twenty trembling Diglett huddled together.
Thirteen red-and-white Poké Balls lay neatly arranged on the desk.
Cole couldn't stop laughing.
These weren't just Poké Balls.
They were political capital.
Once he handed the Dugtrio over to the inspectors—and pulled a few strings through his old boss Renard—give it a month or two…
He'd be back in position.
And once again, he'd stand tall as a League officer.
***************************
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