You got, Box Of Andes (or whatever the brand would be in Pokemon) Mints!

  How exciting!

Moving along! The next day, Maverick sets out for the Forested Canyon, waiting for Joe to come with when he's ready. It doesn't take much to get there. Just a short hike from town. But once there, of course, now comes the part where Maverick wants to figure out how pokemon are disappearing.

  Joe's wearing a Miner's Helmet.  Because why would you ever waste a legitimate reason to wear a Miner's Helmet?

  "Okay, so what you've heard is that Pokemon disappear after going in there.  Where did you hear this, and why do you think pokemon keep going in there anyway?  Normally they seem smart enough to stay out of the spots that suck for them."

  Dirt path? Pfft, I'm out of here!

"Because mostly, it's been pokemon trainers who go through here that report their pokemon missing afterwords. Nothing special happens just... next time they use their pokeball, nothing comes out. I heard it from a trainer or two on my way west, which wasn't very far off the direction to this place."

  "Huh.  Well I guess that's consistent enough for it not to just be one idiot throwing already empty balls."  No comment on how nobody ever apparently went in with pokemon already out.

  Helmet flashlight is go!

It is daylight still. And is a canyon. No caves just yet. But so what? Helmet flashlights are fun! Besides... it's inevitable the RP would lead to a cave of some kind anyway, right? The duo comes across a cave and both can feel... tipsy. Like their equilibrium is thrown off.

  Joe is probably introducing any nearby snooping psychic types to some colorful language at this point.  "Yeah, this is going to be one of those days isn't it.  you okay?"

Maverick flops against a wall. "I... think so..." he keeps a hand on a wall so he has some stability. Woowoowoo sound effects are coming from deeper inside.

  It's all fun and games until their is silly hand waving and pink woowoowoos.  "I can't help but feel some desired venting of aggressions will be sidelined by a sob story I have to go along with lest I look like a complete jerk."

  Joe's not psychic.  He's just jaded.  The latter has a larger percentage of ending up wrong.  Regardless, Joe starts heading in first since the whole point of being here is mildly less danger to Maverick.

Inside a hollowed-out room is a large machine making the woowoowoo sounds. There are tall pillars with electricity climbing them that seem to be generators of some kind. There are also about 4 scientists, who each have some kind of headset on.

  Hmm, okay.  So end results of BATSMASH may not be completely out of the question after all.

  "So...  What do you think the odds of poking through all their notes while they are busy listening to headsets are?"

Maverick is getting queasy. "....I'm... good at sneaking..."

If Rune and Pidgey are not far behind, they are feeling the same effects.

  Joe eyes Maverick.  "While I find myself believing that, I don't think barfing is very sneaking.  We're probably better off stealing their headphones and hoping they have weak stomachs on second thought."

Superbird's thoughts on this situation.  <<I told you caves were lame.>>

Maverick doesn't nod. That would throw him off balance. "Yes. They probably don't expect company. Let's do it."

He immediately gets to walking from one cover to another, heading closer to the scientists.

  Joe lesser sneak sneaks towards what looks like the second most sissy Scientist (therefore only second most likely to secretly be some kind of martial arts expert) intend on headphones yoinkage.  Batsmash is still up in the air, it depends on where between 'eek!' and 'Intruders! DESTROY THEM' a reaction there is.

More thoughts from Superbird: I am going to peck off the eyebrows or equivalent of those responsible for my personal inconvenience.

Maverick yoinks the headphones off one, immediately putting said phones on himself. When Joe does the same, the reaction is "Hey! AH! Intruders! Sound the alarm!"

Rune says, <<You mean the having to come here in the first place part? Or the can't fly or you'll crash part?>>

  "You're violating several public health and saftey codes sir, I'm going to have to ask you to fill out several forms and pay multiple fines.  Unless you can pass off responsibility to a more well paid superior, then you're in the clear personally."

  Ah, the insane rambling claims approach.  It occasionally works, but odds are violence will be the answer as usual.

  Superbird's outlook on life: <<Well I'm not pecking off your eyebrows, so it's clearly not the first one then is it.>>

The scientist Joe is talking to says, "You're trespassing! Get off the premises now or be removed by force!" Out comes the taser.

Maverick, meanwhile, may have the headset of the scientist he attacked, but that one doesn't have qualms with punting children. So Maverick gets punted.

  Joe see's your tasers, and raises you a CanOMace™ Brand Can Of Mace.  You don't need to actually land a hit to work with chemical sprays after all.

  He'd go for a swift kick to the dangly bits, but he doubts he has time for that luxury just now if he's dealing with people whose first reaction to children is field goals.

Mace will down a guy so fast he can't really react anyway. The guy is on the ground, freeing Joe up to help Maverick, who is also on the ground, curled around his own stomach. The other two scientists have run off and hit the alarm button.

  Joe rushes over to Maverick to help them up, also pressing CanOMace! into their hands.  He's got functional upper body strength by comparison so being stuck with just a bat is less of a snag for Joe.  "Right, you run or something while I go all ignorant pitchfork mob on something important looking."

  Meanwhile, Superbird is annoyed! ...Nothing new there, <<Oh great, more things to give you a headache.  Chaaarge!>>  fast walking pidgeys aren't really that imposing.

Maverick is feeling stupid for not hitting this guy in the knees with the bat before taking the headset. But he honestly thought the sudden loss of balance would do it. Still, he readily accepts the mace and gets to macing the other scientists while Joe bats them. Rune charges in, tackling one of the scientists and looks woozy. With all the scientists taken out, though, even the two pokemon could wear the headsets.

Maverick looks over. "....looks like our friends didn't take "no" for an answer." this makes Maverick smile.

  <<time to make good on ridiculous threats!>> Oh look,  Superbird is attempting to peck the eyebrows off one of the fallen scientists.

  Joe seems to be mostly ignoring that.  "Well, you know.  Just look at the example we're setting for them after all."  Friendship seems to be about extreme carnage.  Go figure.  "Now to actually see if we can figure out what the hell this is all for aside from making people feel lame."

Maverick follows Joe, though it's clear the boy is cringing and wincing occasionally from boot-to-the-gut pain. With some quick looks at the computers, because it's a cartoon and all, Joe is able to tell this is a machine built on the same principals as the pokemon database. So it's able to teleport pokemon like the storage unit at any pokecenter. Slight alteration, though, this one teleports the pokemon straight from anyone's ball to it's own storage balls.

The odd radiation that causes people without headsets to lose inner-ear function? Not readily apparent.

  Hacking the trade interface?  That will totally get your account banned.

  "Well, one less reason to have them in balls unless they can't physically fit someplace."  Hey now, using a Gyrados inside a small cave of single room house TOTALLY works in the games.  Joe looks for an off switch or array of power cables or something, but his optimism is a bit hazy in that regard.