Curse of the Geoblight

Chapter 1: Return of Team Magma

Standard Disclaimer:I do not own Pokemon, though some of the ideas presented here, such as the D.I.S., are creations of my crazy mind.

World Information: Rustboro City

Founded more than 100 years ago as a site for scientific research. The area around the Rustboro Plains was found to have some of the highest Geo-diversity in the Hoenn Region, including nearby Caves, a Mountain, the Ocean, a River, Grasslands, a Forest and, after its construction, an Urban area. This caused many studies on pokemon habitat and resource competition to occur in the area. The city was quickly seen as a bastion of science, prompting a young Devon Stone to move his family to the city and start a company focused on science and invention. In recent years not only is the Devon Corporation the biggest contributor to the scientific endeavors, all off the research is now stored digitally on a shared server. This has led to the recent building of the Davon Institute of Science in Rustboro, Hoenn's first College, to teach a new generation of scientists from trainers less interested in battling pokemon, and more interested in learning more about the strange creatures that share our world. It is located in the heavily rebuilt and expanded Pokemon Academy, the classes for which are now held in the Rustboro City Pokemon Gym and Learning Center.
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The keys clicked as Ruby wrote up the weeks report. Someone had to keep things updated while momma was away, and mom had in no way inherited the scientific drive present in both of her uncles. If forced, Ruby would admit she had spent most of the day outside of the city observing the 'fossil' pokemon her momma was trying to reintroduce to the wild to stay away from the festivities, but she also found the whole process fascinating and could not wait until she was eighteen so she could be accepted into the Devon Institute of Science and conduct her own studies. She finished her report and logged in to submit her findings, only to see a message in a square box appear on the screen. *UNABLE TO CONNECT TO SERVER.* She hit reload, only to be confronted with the same message. Now worried, the girl rolled her chair over to the window and looked out, over the heads of the obliviously celebrating citizens, to the top of Devon Tower, where the wireless transceiver stood. Surrounding the top of the metal structure was a cloud of black smoke, more than enough to block the signal, and it was coming from some outside source, a pokemon.

"Corsola, come on!" She called out, and the little living coral hoped on to her shoulder as she ran out the door. It seemed as though no one else had noticed the lack of connection, not surprising considering the holiday, and she was about to burst in the doors when they burst out, knocking her over as three men and two women rushed out. Ruby looked up in terror at the red outfits that had last been seen almost a year before she was born, but the Team Magma goons wasted no time.

Immediately out the door the lead grunt tossed his pokeball, calling "Zubat, Poison Fang!" Corsola lunged at the small bat, but it quickly dodged before biting Rubys shoulder. The girl cried out in pain, but managed to grab the fleeing pokemon and send it flying back into its trainers face. Her shoulder was bleeding and she could feel the venom trying to flow through her, but, though it caused her to overheat and have seizures every few months, the Geoblight refused to compete with another pathogen and the poison would burn out before it had a chance to do much.

Corsola righted itself quickly, but by the time it was ready to fight the Zubat had been joined by a Baltoy and the Lampent at the towers top had been expertly recalled and rereleased. The Baltoy began spinning in place, kicking up a lot of dust, while its trainer called out, "Get out of here and get the loot to safety. We can handle the locals." Two of the Magmas ran off, but it was hard to see where to, and Ruby had more immediate problems to attend to. The Baltoy had stopped spinning and a purple glow was building on its horn.

"Corsola, Ice Beam!" She called out quickly. The small pokemon held the charge as long as it could, allowing the beam just enough extra energy to outlast the psychic attack, nicking the ground type and sending it spinning. Unfortunately she was focused too much on the ground type, a potentially fatal mistake as she felt two hard metal arms wrap around her.

"Laaaamp," The pokemon called, and she felt a weariness spread through her body. She had almost passed into unconsciousness when she was, suddenly, no longer held.

"Good shot Duskull, hit it with another." A boys voice called out from behind her, as the skull faced ghost floated past her. A black glob of energy exploded from its mouth, hitting the other ghost in the side and visibly injuring it.

"Bubblebeam," Ruby called out, her energy quickly returning as the soul draining ghost weakened. The little pink pokemon didn't bother charging long before a stream of bubbles shot from its horn and struck the fire ghost squarely, knocking it out. Ruby surveyed the scene, The Zubat trainer had taken his pokemon hard to the face and, judging by the inflamed new cuts on his cheek, its mouth had been open enough to scratch him with its still envenomed teeth. The other two trainers where still standing, but their pokemon where both unconscious and they recalled them and fled, looks of fear on their faces that she didn't understand at first, until she heard the sound of powerfull hooves on pavement and turned to see her mother atop her Rapidash bearing down on the crooks. This was also Rubys first look the trainer of the Duskull that had rescued her. It was a boy, around her age, who didn't seem to have got the memo that colors exist. He was dressed in slightly rippedjeans black jeans, but a nice black button up shirt and black shoes, and thus presented a rather confusing picture in her mind. "Thanks for the save back there," Ruby said, walking over and extending her hand. He looked at it like he had never seen one before, so she withdrew it and continued, "I'm Ruby Quartz, daughter of the local Gym Leader."

"Alistair Shade." He responded.

She was saved from any more awkward silence by the clopping of hooves from behind them, and two grunts as her mother dropped the goons next to their prone companion, and tossed an Antidote into ones chest so he could administer it. "Either of you two chuckleheads want to tell me why I have to explain to my wife tonight that her city was attacked by Team Magma wannabes, and our eldest kicked their asses?"

The two glanced at each other but stayed silent, so Ruby walked over to stand by her mothers side, "How about where the two you told to run went?" The girl demanded. They still remained silent, but their eyes quickly flashed to the right. Ruby looked over, "Oh, shit," she said, and her mom didn't even chastise her over her language. The sky to the south over Petalburg woods was black with smoke.