The Dark Cave that Walker mentioned was a special tunnel located in the eastern outskirts of Violet City.
As its name implies, Dark Cave is extraordinarily dark inside, so dark that you can't see your hand even when holding it right in front of your face.
"You know this already," Walker said with a sigh. "Because of Johto's unusual terrain, the cave that was originally planned to connect Violet City and Blackthorn City had to have its construction halted."
Mentioning this place clearly left him feeling helpless.
In fact, the initial proposal and construction of Dark Cave were strongly promoted by Violet City Gym itself.
Naturally, Blackthorn Gym also contributed a great deal.
After all, this concerned direct access between two major cities in Johto. It would have benefited everyone involved, with no real downsides.
The better a city develops, the deeper the foundation of its Gym become and in turn, that Gym can better support the city's development. It's a mutually reinforcing relationship.
Moreover, Violet City and Blackthorn City have always shared a certain connection. The residents of both cities felt that having a convenient route between them would be an excellent thing.
Before this, the only official League route from Violet City to Blackthorn City required an extremely long detour. Otherwise, travelers had to pass through dangerous wilderness areas.
For most League citizens, the latter simply wasn't an option. And the former practically cut off regular interaction between the two cities, it was just too inconvenient.
At that point, it was easier to travel to an entirely different city instead.
After all, Violet City boasts the best Trainer School in all of Johto, along with famous landmarks like Sprout Tower and the Ruins of the Bell Forest;
Meanwhile, Blackthorn City's Dragon Clan is world-renowned. Nearly everyone dreams of pursuing powerful Dragon-type Pokémon, and Johto's reputation as the "Village of Dragons" is certainly well-earned.
Once Dark Cave was completed, residents of both cities would have been able to enjoy each other's advantages.
Unfortunately, due to Johto's natural conditions, the League was forced to halt construction just as Dark Cave was nearing completion.
Dark Cave runs roughly north to south or more precisely, from the southwest of Johto toward the northeast.
According to the original plans and surveys, even accounting for elevation changes, the tunnel's incline was supposed to remain gentle because of its length.
Reality, however, proved otherwise.
Silas didn't know exactly what went wrong—after all, he was from Kanto, not Johto but it clearly wasn't a minor issue. In a world where Pokémon exist, there are very few engineering problems Pokémon can't solve.
And if one Pokémon isn't enough, you simply bring in a stronger one.
The underground tunnels connecting many cities in Kanto are living proof of that philosophy.
"Over the years, people have occasionally still used Dark Cave," Walker continued. "But starting last month, a problem began appearing."
He rubbed his head irritably.
Silas tilted his head in confusion.
"It's those damn Gligar."
The words that came out of Walker's mouth were completely at odds with his appearance and status.
"Gligar prefer to stay perfectly still deep underground where light can't reach. Dark Cave is practically the perfect habitat for them."
The moment Walker complained, Silas didn't think about the danger Gligar posed. Instead, his instincts as a bounty hunter kicked in, and he immediately evaluated how likely it was for Gligar to appear in Dark Cave.
The probability was extremely high—entirely reasonable.
"…Huh?"
Silas couldn't help but voice his disbelief.
And it wasn't strange for him to react this way.
The Pokédex describes Gligar as follows:
"Gligar, the Flyscorpion Pokémon. When it spots an enemy, it digs into the ground with its tail and flees backward."
In the wild, Gligar has extremely weak combat ability. Even when they appear in large groups, most Trainers can defeat them one-by-one with ease.
That said, this only applies to wild Pokémon. Some Trainers' Gligar are quite formidable.
It is one of the very few non-Dragon Pokémon that can theoretically learn Dragon Rush, a powerful Dragon-type move.
You could only say that Dragon-related Pokémon in this world share certain traits with the dragons of legends from Silas's previous life.
"The danger itself isn't the issue," Walker said with a sigh. "Gligar's destructive power is limited. But their natural habits are an absolute nightmare."
Silas's eyes flickered, and he asked tentatively, "Because of the tunnels they dig?"
"Exactly."
Walker nodded fiercely.
Aside from staying motionless, wild Gligar constantly dig backward through the ground using their drill-like tails, creating intricate underground nests.
Simply put, they're similar to Diglett and Dugtrio colonies in Kanto.
Gligar will occasionally even share tunnels with them.
However, compared to Diglett and Dugtrio, Gligar tunnels are narrower and far more complex.
Because Gligar navigate using the scent of soil, their tunnel systems become massive labyrinths to outsiders.
The one upside is that tunnel collapses aren't a concern. Gligar are meticulous when building their nests, and Diglett—good neighbors and occasional collaborators sometimes reinforce the tunnels with Ground-type energy.
After all, borrowing someone else's tunnels requires payment.
"Although Dark Cave was abandoned near completion, it's technically still usable.
If you reach the highest elevation point and climb over it, you can actually reach Blackthorn City directly, saving a significant amount of time compared to traveling overland.
That's why, even though Dark Cave is considered abandoned, many people still use it every year as a shortcut.
But since it's pitch-black inside and with Gligar appearing recently, the internal pathways have become incredibly complicated. In the past month alone, multiple families have reported missing relatives who got lost inside Dark Cave."
Walker summarized the current situation.
Silas quickly understood.
"You want me to go in and rescue them?" he asked.
He didn't consider it particularly difficult.
Walker nodded slowly. "Inside Dark Cave, unless a Trainer has exceptional sensory perception, even strong lighting won't guarantee they can find their way out."
That was one of the main reasons so many Trainers had been trapped.
"I understand. I think I can—"
"Wait. Let me finish."
Walker interrupted Silas firmly.
"This mission carries real danger."
"Danger?" Silas frowned.
Walker nodded. "I know you specialize in sensory perception, that's precisely why I asked you. And most of your Pokémon are well-suited for underground combat. Violet City Trainers specialize in Flying-types, which are poorly suited for subterranean environments."
As an old friend of Chuck, he understood that first point deeply.
The second point was comparatively less important.
So where did the danger come from?
"Do you know why Dark Cave was abandoned?" Walker suddenly asked.
"I don't," Silas replied honestly.
"Terrain was only one reason given to the public. The main reason was that Dark Cave is prone to flooding."
Walker bluntly revealed a secret that most people didn't know.
Flooding—Silas was all too familiar with that. After all, he had experienced it himself not long ago.
Still, he couldn't help feeling that Johto seemed to flood everywhere.
"Strange, isn't it? Why it feels like Johto is flooding all over the place."
Walker was naturally aware of the sudden flood Silas had encountered recently in Heracross Forest. At the time, Violet City had been one of the primary locations asked to provide assistance.
If Pryce, who was better suited to dealing with floods hadn't been available, Walker himself would have been the one to appear before Silas back then.
"The source of the flooding here is actually quite clear, it's tidal movement from the sea."
Walker sighed helplessly.
"But Violet City is still quite a distance from the ocean, isn't it?" Silas voiced his confusion.
Under those circumstances, could ocean tides really affect underground tunnels near Violet City?
"It's complicated. In any case, that's the conclusion reached from multiple studies—and Violet City's Forest of Trees exists thanks to this phenomenon as well."
As just a Trainer, Walker admitted he didn't fully understand the specifics. He wasn't a geologist, after all. Knowing the conclusion itself was already good enough.
"In short, because the source is known, the timing of the flooding can be predicted. It usually occurs between around 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., and again between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. That's why Violet Gym seals off Dark Cave's entrance at fixed times."
Seeing that Silas wanted to ask more, Walker quickly stopped him by changing the subject.
Silas fell into thought. If the flooding in Violet City's Dark Cave was related to ocean tides, then perhaps the flooding in Heracross Forest—closer to the sea, might also be related.
But it didn't quite match. The floods there had no apparent pattern at all sometimes massive, sometimes minor.
"What about people entering from the Blackthorn City side?" Silas asked, setting aside those thoughts and refocusing on the task at hand.
After all, making money came first.
"The same applies. Blackthorn Gym also sends people to seal the entrance at fixed times," Walker replied matter-of-factly.
Dark Cave was nearly finished, after all it would be a waste not to use it at all. It really was incredibly convenient.
However, unlike the original plan, the tunnel's usable time was now extremely limited and uncertain.
More importantly, no one could guarantee that the tides would always follow their established pattern. If something went wrong, the consequences wouldn't be trivial.
The maze-like nests created by Gligar were already bad enough, natural disasters would be far worse.
Some people might argue that those lost inside could simply be ignored. After all, the League had officially declared Dark Cave an abandoned route.
But this was precisely the responsibility of a city's Gym.
Regardless of the reason and regardless of whether those people were alive or dead, the Gym had to do what it was supposed to do.
Otherwise, citizens wouldn't feel genuine pride in their local Gym.
That sense of safety was built through generations of protection.
Dark Cave, no matter what, belonged to the two cities rather than being purely wilderness. If someone encountered danger inside, the Gyms were obligated to provide rescue.
"It's 1:30 p.m. right now. Once the evening tide passes, you can enter immediately. What worries me most is that you won't be able to find the trapped Trainers quickly enough to withdraw safely before 3:00 a.m. tomorrow."
Because Walker was a life-and-death friend of Chuck, that effectively made him one of Silas's elders. Combined with their past meetings and Silas's earlier help, his perspective inevitably carried a bit of personal concern.
If it were someone else, he wouldn't care nearly as much, he would simply pay them to do the job.
As for withdrawing midway and continuing the search the next day, there likely wouldn't be enough time. The overlap in search areas would increase drastically.
Due to Dark Cave's internal environment, Walker had searched for a long time without finding any Trainer willing to accept this rescue mission. By now, a considerable amount of time had already passed since the first missing Trainer had been reported.
If Silas delayed any further, the remaining hope of survival for those people would likely vanish completely.
It wasn't that Walker was unwilling to go in himself but as Violet City's Gym Leader and guardian, this wasn't enough to justify his personal involvement.
If something bigger happened while he was underground, that would be disastrous.
League regulations existed for this reason.
Besides, his performance inside the cave might not even surpass Silas's by much.
"No problem. Leave it to me."
Silas responded with clear confidence.
"As for the mission reward, it will probably—"
Seeing this, Walker didn't say much more and instead began discussing the compensation.
"Alright. If there's nothing else, I'll go make preparations."
Before long, the two reached an agreement and exchanged smiles. Silas took the opportunity to bid farewell.
Walker nodded.
Watching Silas's departing figure, he let out a quiet sigh.
"I just hope they had enough food saved up… and that they found a place safe from the floodwaters."
Walker didn't expect Silas to bring everyone back alive, even saving one or two would already be a good outcome.
"Hello, Clair? It's me. Walker."
Turning around, he walked into the Gym and made a phone call.
....
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