[attr="class","lance"]"a few hours at least."

likely with little access to food and water, it puts the rescuers on a timer, for who knows how long those stuck in there truly have.

"this the kind of danger you were looking for?"

their side of the tunnel's been caved-in; chunks of stone and rubble collapsed atop each other, blocking the entrance to rusturf tunnel. there are a few rescuers already on scene, mostly medic, but they're off to the side tending to the injured.

"brute force might not be our best option here. we should find another way in."

he looks up, scanning the side of the tunnel for other entrances or weaknesses in its structure. he notices a wide enough hole and points to it.

"there?"

[attr="class","noodles"]DEREK HOFFMAN

"Damn. And kinda, I guess?" Truth was that Derek did seek to challenge himself, but the lives of others were on the line, more-so than his own. It gave a different sense of danger and morbidity than if it were them facing off against, say, a horde of dragons or a tauros stampede one their lonesome.

Rather than adrenaline, it was paranoia that vested deep within.

"Let me head in first." Showing initiative as a means to distract himself from any fear of what may happen, Derek treks up and into the opening. The hole isn't particularly large, but it's enough for him. Lance, on the other hand, might need to duck at some point. Maybe even crouch? It was hard to say until he was in there with him.

The walls of earth supporting the weight around them didn't seem very intact, little bits of dirt falling as their feet pressed against the earth. "I think my Lairon could fit in here." Contemplating the pokemon he'd brought with him, this would be much more like it's natural habitat. Perhaps it could help? "But I am a little worried about his weight."

---

LANCE VOLLANS | 2/5

[attr="class","lance"]derek's initiative is quickly met with an approving nod. situations like these truly test one's mettle, and so far, how derek's handling the situation is nothing short of excellent. perhaps his gut's right after all.

sending the lairon in seems like their best course of action.

"i can help make it lighter."

a pokeball flashes open, revealing a little porygon2.

"stay close to lairon, jelmo."

beep boop, porygon2 hovers forward and wraps a PSYCHIC around the lairon, not enough to lift it but enough to reduce its weight.

[attr="class","noodles"]DEREK HOFFMAN

"Alright, Calus. Slow and steady wins the race." Derek encouraged caution while allowing the pokemon to move ahead of him. Rubble in their way would be moved from their path delicately with it's rock head acting like a plow, padding it along the sides of the tunnel with hope it might offer some support to the failing structure, as well as increase available space. Even when some of it fell on him, Calus simply shook it off and piled the earth and rocks back up against the wall.

Gradually drawing closer to what was obviously where the main channel's shaft sinking area collapsed, the mound of rubble was more rock than earth. Being that this tunnel was larger, Derek could only imagine how much weight there was. But seeing as they had room on their side...

"I've never done this before, so I can't be certain of anything. But we could try sliding it our way without pushing towards the miners. We'll use our pokemon to divert it away from us using psychic." Plucking another pokeball from it's place on the holster, the orb grew and inevitably released Savathun, the Hatterene.

"Ava, I need you to-"

THWAP!

The whip-like appendage came across Derek's face, albeit he expected this to some extent. The pokemon was new to his team, and though he worked with it so much to help evolve it all the way from a Hatenna, the bond still didn't outweigh the increased psychic sensitivity that spanned a thirty mile radius. She could feel the distress of the miners, and her trainer's unease. But also that Derek grew much calmer with her there, anticipating her aid.

When she looked to Lance, she didn't pick up much of anything. His lack of negative vibes allowed her to settle down some. Eyeing the mound of rubble next, Ava gestured between Derek and Calus as if to tell them to hurry up. "Thanks... Calus, bring it down."

The subtle application of the Lairon's ROCK SLIDE brought the rubble down like a crashing wave, only of rocks, not water. Ava's PSYCHIC ability allowed her to funnel it off to the sides, filling the spacious main channel and chipping at the size of the mound with every passing moment.

---

TL;DR Lairon is using ROCK SLIDE to clear the debris their way while Ava's (and potentially Jelom's) PSYCHIC powers divert the rubble aside to protect them from being struck.

LANCE VOLLANS | 3/5

[attr="class","lance"]another pokeball flashes open, calling out more reinforcements. this one takes the form of a small gothorita.

"ida, help ava out with your PSYCHIC."

the ROCK SLIDE comes sliding down, guided in a particular direction with the help of their PSYCHICS. it's a simple enough task, one that doesn't require lance to supervise much, so his attention drifts deeper into the tunnel, towards where some of the miners should be.

"we still need to find out what caused the cave-in."

almost on cue, something roars from deeper in the tunnel, perhaps explaining the lack of miners. the ground starts to tremble, shaking with intensity as an EARTHQUAKE pulses through the area.

[attr="class","noodles"]DEREK HOFFMAN

"You just had to say it." Derek chimes in after the earthquake, looking around frantically to see if the walls would collapse. Fortunate for them, the cave seemed to hold for the time being. Even so, he doubted the structure could withstand another.

Withdrawing his pokemon and placing the pokeballs back into their holster, Derek begins running the only direction they could go from here - the direction of the roar. Towards the final stretch was a bend, and after rounding it the two of them would finally lay eyes on the culprit.

It was a steelix. A big angry one, at that. A duo of miners seemingly tried to rely on their pokemon to fend off the creature, but it was evident the earthquake was too much. They were thrown back by the tremors rippling through the earth, and the iron snake didn't intend to stop there.

Trying to get it's attention, Derek threw out two pokeballs with one hand. Another placed it's thumb and index finger in his mouth before letting out a shrilling whistle.

The Steelix coiled and rounded about in order to face them, but it was also a call to his pokemon. The call to attack.

The Charizard let out a FIRE SPIN that rose high to entrap the giant, making it stand up on it's tail if it wished to avoid the flames. Meanwhile, his Machamp launched through the flames in order to deliver a LOW KICK.

---

LANCE VOLLANS | 4/5

VS.

[attr="class","lance"]"that's my bad."

porygon2's TRACE sweeps through the vicinity, scanning for their target only to find it moments later: a big angry steelix.

derek calls out his pokemon, springing into action to try and contain the steelix. lance does the same, understanding the simple fact that the cave might not survive another devastating EARTHQUAKE.

"the steelix!"

spiritomb fades into the shadows only to reappear right before steelix to throw a SUCKER PUNCH. then, his eyes pulse in a HYPNOSIS that slowly begins to send the steelix to sleep.

the entrance continues to be excavated; light eventually creeping through.

[attr="class","noodles"]DEREK HOFFMAN

The heat from the flames cradle the Steelix as it falls into a slumber, providing it great warmth. Perhaps it would've been too much, but Derek's Machamp saw LANCE VOLLANS' intentions and used it's STRENGTH to kick up the dirt around the fire, extinguishing them.

Turning his attention to the evacuation efforts after returning his Charizard, Derek moves along to find a miner struggling to help his unconscious buddy through the tunnels. Not because he wasn't fit enough to do so, but because of an apparent injury on his lower leg. It looked pretty fucking bad. He must've known that guy. His family.

Or maybe he owed him a lot of money?

"Hey, allow me to help." Derek approaches, unburdening them of the unconscious body so that the Machamp could carry them. Derek propped the injured man's arm over his shoulder, supporting them on their bad side to make things easier on their way out.

Lance seemed to be in the moment, diligently scouring to make sure all of the miners were being evacuated. When Derek and them got outside, he stopped at the back of the recently arrived ambulance, where medical personnel were ready to receive them.

"Y'know, I would've really liked to catch that Steelix." He mentions, walking over to Lance. "But I guess I'll settle for a job well done. I'm looking forward to the next one."

[attr="class","lance"]lance is quick to join derek with assisting the miners with their evacuation, and with their combined efforts, they make it out of the tunnel in no time.

a breath of fresh air is accompanied with the sounds of medical personnel rushing to their aid. the rangers are fine, unscratched, so they focus (rightly so) on the miners.

"could always go back in. i'm sure the steelix is all yours to catch."

patting derek on his back, he says:

"good job. you're settling in really well."

soon to be senior ranger derek hoffman, perhaps...

[attr="class","noodles"]DEREK HOFFMAN