Chapter 4 – Maxie vs. Steven
"I wanna go and buy some pokeballs from Oldale, and then I can see if I can get me a new pokemon… Oh this is the best, isn't it?" said Zack to Rachael, an obvious tone of excitement and happiness in his voice.
"Yeah, I know. I don't really want to get a Poochyena. Wasn't it one of them that attacked Mud?" she asked.
"Yeah. I reckon it was so cool that Mud actually faught back! I mean, she had never been in a pokemon battle before! It was just so amazing!"
"I wanna see if I can get a Ralts! I heard that they're rare in route 102, so I might be able to find one…"
Rachael and Zack had been talking excitedly for the last 20 minutes about their pokemon journey ahead of them. They were making their way to Oldale town, in which they had both been before.
"Look, there it is," said Rachael finally, as they rounded a corner to see a large sign theat read 'Welcome to Oldale Town! Mart has been running since 1813!'
"I wanna go to the pokecentre today. Lets go!" said Zack excitedly, as they headed for the doors of the mart. They walked inside and had a look around, and headed for the pokeballs.
"I am gonna buy a ground ball," said Zack firmly. At this, Rachael zipped around.
"WHAT? A ground ball? You gonna buy a ground ball?" she said, obviously astounded.
"Yeah, I saw on TV that they catch rock and ground pokemon really well! I want to get a Sandshrew. They're really hard to beat when they get strong and when they become a Sandslash," said Zack smiling.
"Whatever… I don't think that I could trust a product from Devon, but whatever. Suit yo' self. It might come in handy some day."
They walked around the shop, looking for the extra things they needed. When they reached the cash register, the person that was behind the counter told them that it would cost $12 to get the things they need.
"Oh, and there is a deal on at the moment," said the old man who was behind the register. "Buy three pokeballs and get a great ball free. What do you say?"
"Uhh… yeah, okay," said Rachael, with a smile on her face. She exchanged looks with Zack and Rachael, as she took the balls from the man.
"Thank you, bye!" said Rachael. The man smiled, and then they walked out into the sun, carrying the balls. Rachael put her hand in the bag and pulled one out, and reached her hand towards Zack. Zack looked at the ball, and then to Rachael.
"What's this?" he asked enthusiastically, a grin on his face.
"It's a pokeball. I want you to have it. Catch a pokemon. Make me proud," she responded.
"Wow… Thanks, man!" said Zack.
"Don' mention it," she said with a friendly grin. "C'mon, lets go to the pokecentre." They both walked down the street a bit and saw the glittering red roof of the pokecentre. They were about to enter, ten metres away, when they both saw a tall red haired man and a slightly shorter young looking woman talking intensely with each other. Rachael and Zack couldn't understand what they were saying at the distance that they were at, but they were talking very urgently. They were wearing red clothes that looked like a uniform, and they both had a strange emblem on them. Rachael and Zack walked closer and Zack bent over and pretended to tie up his shoelace. They were close enough to hear what the suspicious two were saying.
"… Yes, yes, yes. But what I am asking is why is it necessary to awaken it? I mean, it may cause to be lethal to our society!" whispered the lady loudly.
"I've told you, Tabatha. The monster is vital if we wish the land to increase! Lava and ground are excellent sources of living. All we need to do is locate the monster, and it is clear that it is right here, on our island of Hoenn!" said the man urgently and quietly. He had an unusually deep pitched voice.
"Okay… it might be best if I leave now… headquarters need me," said the woman named Tabatha. "Before I go, Maxie, where are we headed next?"
"Mount Ch…" said the man called Maxie, but Rachael and Zack could not here what else the man said because he lowered his voice so that only him and Tabatha could hear. Tabatha nodded her head and said:
"I must go… I will tell the grunts. Goodbye," she said. She then gave Maxie a kiss on the cheek, then reached inside her bag and pulled out a pokeball. She threw the ball on the ground and a human sized blue and white pokemon jumped out. He looked around, then to Tabatha , and nodded his head.
"Fly to Rustboro," said Tabatha sternly. She jumped on the pokemon, and they flew north. The pokemon made a low noise almost that sounded like a cat, and they departed.
"That was an Altaria!" said Rachael excitedly. At this, Maxie turned around to face Rachael and Zack.
"Will you mind your own business? My teams plans to increase – never mind… but why do you think that an infant like you should be involed?" said Maxie sharply. Rachael stood her ground and said back:
"I don't think I should be involved. My friend and I are just bystanders." She said this with such bravery it made Zack feel proud of her.
"Well, run along and go play with-" said Maxie, but he was cut off by a tall and grey haired man who had come along. He only looked young, and he was wearing black pants, and he had a black and purple shirt on. There was a white shirt underneath that, and he had a red tie on.
"Maxie. What brings you here?" said the man. He had an even deeper voice than Maxie.
"Shit… Steven, not you again. I told you to stay out of Team Magma's business!" yelled Maxie. Passers by stopped to watch the two arguing. "You are just a young misguided nineteen year old who has… let's say… ROCKS IN HIS HEAD!" He finished his sentence very triumphantly with a laugh. Steven's eyes narrowed. Rachael and Zack knew that at the moment these words had left his mouth, he had said the wrong thing. Steven looked gentle, but he wasn't the person you would want to mess around with.
"Are you insulting me about my interests?" stormed Steven. His face was red, and his hand was in his pocket, obviously about to pull out a pokeball.
"Yes I am insulting you, you dickhead! What else would I by doing? Asking you over for dinner? HA HA!" shrieked Maxie loudly. Many people around gave little 'oohs' when Maxie swore. There were loads of people watching the verbal brawl now.
"Ooh… the shit's hit the fan now! Hoo hoo!" said Rachael under her breath. Zack laughed quietly, but had to stifle it.
"Are you challenging me to a pokemon battle, Mr. Maxie?
"Why, yes I am!" retaliated Maxie, his face literally glowing with anger.
"Aggron, go!" yelled Steven. He had finally pulled his hand out of his pocket. A enormous rock and steel pokemon jumped out and made his screeching cry. He had two metal horn's protruding from his head. He was at least 8 feet tall – a good 2 feet taller than Steven and Maxie.
"Camerupt! GO!" screamed Maxie violently, and a smaller but brutal looking
monster jumped out and roared. It had two humps coming out of its back that looked suspiciously like boulders.
"Wow…" said Zack, amazed by the scenes that were unfolding in front of him.
"Camerupt, rockslide!" screamed Maxie.
"AGGRON, protect!" retaliated Steven. Rocks came down on Aggron from all angles, but a blue shield was around him. When it had subsided and the blue shield had disappeared from around Aggron, Steven shouted "Aggron, surf!" Camerupt was knocked backwards from a large tidal wave that just swept the area. Camerupt could barely get up.
"Camerupt, Earthquake, NOW!" screeched Maxie. The ground began to shake violently and Aggron got knocked around badly. Steven didn't have time to retaliate. Aggron's health was already 2 thirds gone.
"Iron tail, Aggron!" he yelled. Aggron's tail slammed Camerupt hard, but it barely made a difference. "Damn it…" Zack heard Steven say.
"Camerupt! Finish that thing off! FISSURE!" screamed Maxie. A massive crack appeared in the ground and Aggron fell straight into it. Aggron was down and out.
"Shit! This is not the end, Maxie. Good job, Aggron, return. GO! Metagross!" said Steven fiercely. Right then, a humungous steel pokemon appeared that was about 14 feet long and had four lethal looking metal legs. It had what looked like a steel cross on it's fae, and behind that, there where two red and black eyes.
"Meteor mash!" screeched Steven. Only two large rocks (or meteors) fell from the sky and pounded Camerupt. He was not moving.
"It is one all, Steven! Return! Crobat, go!" said Maxie. A much smaller bat like pokemon appereared from Maxie's pokeball. It was going to be no match for Metagross. Psychic was super effective against poison.
"Metagross! Psychic!" said Steven calmly, no hesitation in his voice what-so-ever. Crobat keeled over backwards, obviously fainted from the attack.
"Yes… here we go, good job Metagross. Good job…" said Steven. He was muttering under his breath.
"It is not over! You cannot use psychic attacks against dark pokemon! It is NOT over!" growled Maxie. "Mightyena, go!" A wolf like pokemon appeared, but once again – He was no competition for Metagross.
"Are you getting this on your pokedex, Zack?" said Rachael excitedly.
"Sure am!" he replied.
"Ha ha ha, Maxie. Guess what? I CAN do this! EARTHQUAKE!" said Steven with a smile on his face. The ground started shaking again, just like before. Mightyena had fainted before he could launch a single attack.
"Lost at ya' own game, didn't ya'?" said Steven. There was cheering all around him.
"Stay out of our business, Steven. This is not the end," said Maxie, as he stalked off to route 102.
When the crowd subsided, and when everyone had stopped talking, Zack and Rachael went up to Steven and said:
"That was amazing!"
"Thanks. That guy only wants to stir trouble," was what Steven said. "He really gets on my nerves.
"What is he trying to do?" asked Zack politely.
"I dunno, but it's not good," said Steven shaking his head.
"We overheard him and someone called Tabatha –" At this, Steven's head zipped around. "- and he says he is trying to awaken a monster. I don't have a clue what he means," said Rachael.
"Hmm… neither do I. But it sounds like Maxie though. Sticking his head in business that is too big for him manage. Maxie is the leader of Team Magma. They say that they are nature loving, but that is stupid. Every on knows that they would love nothing better to do than make more habitat for ground pokemon. You know, the pokemon that live on the land." Zack and Rachael looked at each other with their eyebrows raised.
"What about Tabatha? What could she be up to?" asked Zack. Steven heaved in a great lot of air, and then released one big sigh.
"Tabatha is the administration leader. She's only young, too. I grew up with her in primary school and High school… I don't know if you are the right people I should be telling…" said Steven. "I used to date Tabatha, and then one day she said she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her no good father. He was the old leader of Magma. She used to get rubbished in school because of it."
"Oh… we're sorry to here that…" said Rachael sadly.
"Oh, sorry for not introducing myself," said Steven, his normal and astonishingly deep voice back in place. "I am Steven Stone. Son of Mr. Stone, president of the Devon Corporation."
"Really?" said Zack, astonished by this information.
"Well, as I am a busy man, and I am off to find a Magcargo. Do you know where I could possibly find one?" asked Steven.
"Uhhh… no… sorry, Steven," said Zack.
"Oh well. Good luck on your pokemon journey. I hope we meet again. Good bye." He then through a grey pokeball on the ground, and he jumped on his deadly looking Skarmory, and flew off into the distance.
"Damn, I was about to tell him to tell his dad that ground balls don't work!" said Rachael, obviously annoyed.
