Out of the Blue

Traveling with Aiko, Elaine, and Glen toward the diglett tunnels, Blue learns of an absol spotted in the area. At the town of Golden Hills, the residents are gripped by superstition, blaming the absol for a sudden spike in accidents and house fires, hanging protective wards everywhere. Rangers Fischer and Tanaka arrive to coordinate the bounty hunters, but dismiss Blue’s group from going underground, citing their lack of collective experience. Frustrated by the slight and confident in his party, Blue decides they will hunt the absol anyway, ignoring the Rangers. They cross paths with Bretta and Sumi from the Vermilion Gym, who are also heading down, but Blue declines to merge groups.

In the dark, narrow tunnels, the party utilizes shinx and butterfree for light, while Aiko's raticate tracks the absol by scent. They fend off a small ambush of diglett and a dugtrio, practicing their combat formations and capturing the attackers. Moving deeper, they locate the absol’s nest. They set up tranquilizer-laced meat and broadcast a mating call to draw it in. When the absol finally arrives, it proves incredibly fast, easily evading machoke and Blue’s shiftry. But more disturbing to Blue is a sudden, oppressive feeling of unease and disorientation that robs him of his usual battle calm, a feeling shared by the rest of the party. Just as they manage to corner the bleeding absol, the cavern begins to violently shake. A massive horde of diglett and dugtrio pour out of the walls in a frenzy, completely overwhelming the party.