Manmade tunnels were completely different from natural caves.
Aside from the roads being much smoother, human-made traces were everywhere.
However, everything -from the transport rails to the power lights along the walls- had been smashed to pieces by the Nosepass.
Haruki released Wormadam, assigning it to stay by his side and use Protect at any time.
With safety now greatly improved, Cubone could act a lot more freely.
Cubone began by using Curse twice to reach its optimal state, holding its bone club diagonally, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
The tunnel was dark and quiet, with each footstep echoing clearly.
Haruki raised his flashlight and quickly spotted a Nosepass.
The Nosepass was facing north, silent and still. It didn't react until the beam of light landed on its body.
Just as it was about to let out a cry, Cubone had already darted forward.
Bone Club!
Bonk~
The cracking sound of the bone striking echoed sharply in the otherwise silent cave.
Crash~
Dust and debris flew as the Nosepass was knocked flat to the ground.
Not letting up, Cubone hurled a Bonemerang into the cloud of dust.
As the double cracking sounds rang out, Haruki didn't even wait for the dust to settle; he tossed an empty Poké Ball directly in.
"Worm~"
Wormadam suddenly used Confusion from the side, pulling the now-still Poké Ball over and handing it to Haruki.
"Thanks, Wormadam."
Wormadam wobbled happily, clearly pleased to be of help.
"Cu~"
Suddenly, Cubone raised an alert cry, gripping its bone club tightly.
From deep within the tunnel came the sound of a growing commotion.
"Fall back to the entrance!" Haruki ordered at once.
The three of them quickly retreated, and by the time they reached the cave entrance, the big group of Nosepass had just caught up.
Haruki let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Nosepass weren't known for their speed.
But seeing the dense wave of them charging with malicious glares and crackling electricity made Haruki's scalp tingle.
He'd already heard that there were at least 50 Nosepass in the mine.
Now they were all crowded at the entrance, fierce and flashing with electrical energy… any ordinary Veteran Trainer would be in serious trouble.
Fortunately, Cubone had "that" move.
"Continuous Bulldoze! Wormadam, use Protect!"
Without a word, Cubone's short legs began stomping the ground furiously, sending waves of Ground-type shockwaves outward.
At the same time, the Nosepass swarm launched their counterattack.
Rock Throw, Thunder Wave, Spark.
All three moves came flying at Haruki and Cubone without pause.
At the critical moment, a green shield flared up; Wormadam reliably blocked every incoming attack for Haruki.
And since Electric-type moves were ineffective against Cubone, both Thunder Wave and Spark were ignored. Only Rock Throw dealt minor damage.
Finally, Bulldoze struck!
The Nosepass in front were all knocked off their feet, tripping and entangling several of their companions behind them. The entire battlefield descended into chaos.
"RETREAT!"
Haruki's voice rang out. Cubone glanced back at the Nosepass mob, clearly reluctant, but ultimately obeyed and retreated.
There were too many enemies!
They might look like a mess now, but Protect couldn't be used repeatedly. Haruki was no longer safe.
Even Cubone, under the barrage of more than ten Rock Throw attacks, had already lost over half its stamina in mere moments.
They couldn't withstand a second coordinated barrage from the Nosepass horde.
Retreat was the only option!
Thankfully, the Nosepass had a clear objective: guarding their leader during its breakthrough. Not one of them left the cave, so they didn't pursue Haruki.
A few minutes later, Haruki and Cubone returned to the mining team's temporary base and were immediately surrounded by Harumi and the others.
"As long as you're okay, that's what matters. We should just wait for the police to come help us."
Azuma spoke quickly, not even asking whether they'd made any progress.
Haruki took a moment to recover, then immediately checked on Cubone's condition.
Seeing that there was no serious harm, Haruki finally said, "Let's not talk about the Nosepass leader just yet, but I think we might have a way to deal with the others."
"What?!"
---
An hour later, Haruki led the group back to the mouth of the mine.
The entrance was a complete mess, but not a single Nosepass was in sight. They had all likely retreated back into the depths.
"We'll proceed as planned. If anything goes wrong, we pull out immediately."
"Don't worry, Haruki! We might not be good at battling, but when it comes to digging… we're pros!"
Azuma gave Haruki a firm pat on the shoulder, then waved his arm and led his crew stealthily to the cave entrance.
And then, Haruki witnessed a downright beautiful excavation display.
First on the field: six unremarkable Geodude.
Under Azuma's team's command, they formed a circle at the cave entrance and all used Mud Sport in unison.
Soon, the ground in their area began to soften, turning into a muddy pit.
Next came three Gastrodon.
With impressive coordination, the Gastrodon all used Muddy Water together, and the loosened earth began surging out from the pit.
Within minutes, a shallow trench about 30 cm deep was dug out, though many large rocks still remained.
Then came the third "wave" of Pokémon.
Four Carnivine moved in, expertly using Vine Whip to lift all the large debris from the pit.
Five minutes later, the Geodude returned for round two, softening the pit again with another Mud Sport.
Then it cycled: Gastrodon, Carnivine, Geodude… again and again.
After an hour and a half, and without the Nosepass deep in the mine suspecting a thing, a massive pit over three meters deep had been dug at the entrance.
Haruki was stunned. If Team Rocket's classic trio had seen this, they'd be humbled on the spot!
"This is simple stuff. We just changed from digging sideways to digging vertically," Azuma explained with a smile, clearly approving of Haruki's tactical suggestion.
Truth be told, once the idea was raised, Azuma and his team had been confident all along. And their performance far exceeded Haruki's expectations.
There was nothing to say except: professionals get the job done.
Next came laying down the bamboo mesh, covering it with dirt, and restoring the mine entrance to its original look.
Then it was time to bait the enemy.
Cubone stood far off at the mine entrance, swung its Bone Club, and launched a Smack Down into the tunnel, making a considerable noise.
Then the Geodude, Gastrodon, and Carnivine all began roaring and shouting, with those who had ranged attacks firing down into the cave with great enthusiasm.
Even Wormadam let out a few high-pitched "Worma Worma" cries. Clearly just joining the ruckus for fun.
Soon, roars erupted from inside the cave, angry roars from the Nosepass horde. Among them, one furious bellow stood out clearly.
It was the Nosepass leader!
Everyone's expressions tensed, and the confident looks on their faces faded.
"Tell everyone to stop provoking them. Sounds like we were too convincing… they even woke the leader!" Haruki shouted loudly.