CHAPTER NINE

When Marco’s cheek started to quiver, he turned away. He didn’t know if he was going to cry or totally go off on Logan for bailing on him.

He didn’t actually bail on you, Marco reminded himself. He got hurt—that’s different. And Maddy and Nisha will still be there tomorrow.

So he took a deep breath and faked his best cheerful voice. “Maddy and I had better get to the cave. Are you going to be okay, Logan?”

“I’ll make sure he gets back to his cabin safely,” said Nurse Joy kindly. “Maybe after a Poké Puff?”

Logan’s eyes lit up, but Marco’s stomach twisted at the thought of eating at a time like this. He tried to smile as he hurried out the door, practically dragging Maddy behind him.

Team Treecko—or what was left of it—made it to the cave in record time.

Marco was relieved to see Officer Jenny standing just outside the cave, which meant they hadn’t totally missed orienteering today. But in her blue vest and police officer cap, she looked especially stern. She tapped her watch. “You’ve got twenty-five minutes left. And Nisha has your team map. See if you can find her right away.”

Marco swallowed hard as he reached down to set his stopwatch. It was tough enough to find Pokémon with a full hour. How were they going to find any in just twenty-five minutes?

“Wow, it’s dark in here,” Maddy said from inside the cave. As he followed her in, he felt the temperature drop—and was almost grateful that Officer Jenny had made them change out of their wet clothes.

The cave was definitely dark. Marco could barely see his hand in front of his face. As his eyes adjusted, he heard Maddy fumbling around in her backpack.

Then, with the click of a switch, he was blinded all over again—this time by a bobbing bright light.

“Let me guess. Night Goggles?” he asked, shielding his face from the glare.

“Yup,” said Maddy happily. “Hey, look at that staircase. It’s just like Granite Cave!”

Marco couldn’t see the stairs. He couldn’t see anything except the shining light that Maddy had become, so he carefully followed her glow up the rock steps.

Eventually, he could see the cave walls around them. This did look like Granite Cave from the Hoenn region. He felt like a player in a video game!

They were entering a torch-lit cavern with lots of cracks and crevices. A team of kids explored a corner of the cave, but in the shadows, Marco couldn’t tell what color their shirts were.

“Let’s see if Nisha is over there,” he said to Maddy.

As they got closer, Marco saw the flash of a camera. Kids laughed and scurried away from the wall, as if they’d just struck gold.

“Did they find a Pokémon?” asked Maddy as they rushed toward the wall. “Do you see it?”

“No,” he answered. “Without the map, I don’t even know what we’re looking for!” He searched up high while Maddy got down on her hands and knees to explore the rocks down below.

“Here!” she cried. “Oh—ha! Look what the counselors did!”

Marco knelt down and spotted it, too. The poster of a rock-like Pokémon had been wrapped around a boulder to make it round and bulging, like a real Pokémon. “Is that Geodude?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Nisha will know, though. She always knows.”

“That’s true,” said Marco. “She’s like a walking Pokédex. Well, let’s get a picture—quick.” Then it hit him like a rockslide.

We can’t take a picture.

They couldn’t take a picture, because they didn’t have the camera. Logan still had the camera.

Marco sunk down on a rock and buried his face in his hands.

“What’s wrong?” Maddy asked, shining her light on him as if he were a Pokémon she’d just discovered.

“Logan has the camera,” he said, his voice muffled by his fingers. “And I’ve got the compass. And Nisha has the map. But if none of us are together, what good are all those things? We can’t capture any Pokémon!”

“Oh.” Maddy’s voice sounded small in the darkness. “Well, we could still keep looking for them. I’ll bet Zubat is in here somewhere… .”

Marco shook his head. How could Maddy be cheerful at a time like this? But when he felt her hand on his arm, his frustration started to melt away. If Maddy’s not going to quit, then I can’t either.

He stood up and brushed off the back of his shorts. “Okay, Maddy,” he said. “Lead the way.”

She did, right out of the cave and into a dark connecting tunnel. “So what does a Zubat look like, anyway?” he asked as they walked.

“Duh. It’s a bat!” she said, giggling.

“A Zubat is a Poison- and Flying-type Pokémon, to be exact,” added a deep voice.

Marco jumped about a mile high. “Who’s there?” he asked, spinning in a circle.

Professor Birch stood just a few feet away, shielding his eyes from the light of the Night Goggles. “It’s me,” he said. “Your favorite counselor. But the real question is, what in the land of Hoenn are you wearing on your head?”

Maddy took off the Night Goggles and showed them to him while Marco tried to calm his racing heart.

“Ah, interesting,” said Professor Birch. “We tried to light up most of the rooms in the cave, but these glasses will come in handy in some of the darker spots. You never know which Pokémon might be hiding there.” He winked at Maddy as he handed back her Night Goggles.

“We don’t even know which Pokémon to look for,” Maddy confessed, “because we don’t have the map—Nisha does.”

“Or a camera,” Marco added bleakly. He explained what had happened to Logan’s ankle.

Professor Birch stroked his goatee thoughtfully. “Well, I’m sure we can find a solution,” he said. “Keep searching for Nisha, and if your team can show me where you found the Pokémon, I’ll make sure you get the points for them.”

Maddy bounced forward and gave the counselor a quick hug. Marco felt like hugging him, too, but tried to control himself.

“Alright now, you don’t have much time,” said Professor Birch, holding up his hand to block any future hugs. “Get going, and remember to keep an eye out for glittery rocks.” He stepped aside so that they could pass by.

“Glittery rocks must be the hidden item,” Maddy whispered. “He gave us a clue!”

“Yup,” said Marco. “But he also said that we don’t have much time. C’mon!”

He could already hear voices from the end of the tunnel, which opened into another cavernous room. Kids were scattered around, poking their heads into tunnels that led from the cave to who knows where.

“Wow,” said Maddy, taking it all in. “Do you see Nisha?”

“No,” said Marco, but he wasn’t really looking for her—because his eyes had spotted artwork on the walls. “Check it out,” he said. “This really is like Granite Cave!”

Above each tunnel was a chalked Pokémon figure. As Maddy looked up and shone the light of her Goggles on the wall, Marco recognized one of them. “Hey, I think that’s Grimer,” he said, pointing to the blob-like Pokémon.

“Gross,” said Maddy. “I don’t like him.”

“What?” said Marco. “I thought you never met a Pokémon you didn’t like.”

“Well, you’re wrong,” said Maddy, scrunching up her nose. “Grimer is slimy and stinky. I don’t care if we find him or not.”

Marco laughed out loud. “Maddy, the poster of Grimer won’t be slimy or stinky. We have to try to find him. It’s part of the game. C’mon.” He led the way into the tunnel.

“I hope we find Zubat first!” said Maddy as she followed.

The tunnel was much narrower than the one they’d walked through before. Marco could stretch out his arms and touch both sides. Just a short ways in, he heard footsteps rushing toward him from behind. Before he could turn around and look, Maddy give a little yelp.

Then something slammed into Marco’s back.

Hard.