Electrifying Ploy, Chapter 59
It was just past midday when I finally arrived in Mauville City. To my surprise, the city wasn't exactly what I expected. Instead of the tall buildings and plentiful houses of previous cities, like Slateport or Rustboro, Mauville was more of a small town. The most prominent features were the city gym and local game corner, which I had every intention of avoiding. My previous experience with one left me at the mercy of Team Rocket. Come to think of it, David did say there was supposedly a secret entrance to Team Magma's base in Mauville City, so the game corner was the prime suspect. All the more reason to avoid it.
Despite the city's small size, it trafficked in quite the number of visitors. Walking all about town were trainers and everyday people. After some asking around, I learned that thanks to a man named Wattson, who was also the gym leader here, Mauville had become a central hub of Hoenn. Because of its position in the center of Hoenn, it was a gateway to all four cardinal directions. With the city being so tiny, I decided to conduct my business at the local gym and be on my way. I had the strangest feeling someone had instructed me to do just that.
First of all, though, I went to visit the local authorities. It had been some time since Yunie's disappearance, and I wanted to see if they had found some trace of her.
"Excuse me," I asked the young policeman tending the desk, "I want to know if you found anything out about my friend Yunie."
"I'm sorry? Who are you?"
"Oh, my name is Star, sir. I asked the officer in Oldale Town for help, and he told me he passed the message to you. It's about my friend Yunie, she went missing on Route 110 like two weeks ago?" To my surprise, the officer didn't even have to look through any records.
"Oh! That girl? As a matter of fact, we did find her! She turned up without a scratch just two days past. Said she had been in some strange forest with Pokemon. We asked her to tell us more, but she just left when we told her her Pokemon was in Oldale Town waiting for her." I couldn't believe my ears.
"Thank you, officer! Thank you!" I swooped Vulpix into my arms and ran out the door. The sunshine and cool air seemed more refreshing than ever.
"She's alright, Vulpix! And she's headed for Oldale Town! Let's get to the gym quickly, and we'll head back there. We have to catch up to her!"
~o~
Naturally, something had to come along and muck up my plans. The gym was locked up, with a sign posted on the door that it'd remain closed until further notice. Just what was it with gym leaders in this region? All the same, I knocked on the door a few times, hoping there was a janitor or something inside that could help me find out when the leader would be back. After a few minutes of hopeless knocking, a kid tapped me on my shoulder.
"Can't you read?"
"I can, stupid." I replied coldly. "I'm looking for the gym leader. I thought he might be hiding inside."
"Wattson? I saw him leave a little while ago. He was headed to the game corner. Didn't think such an old guy would be into games," the kid said, pointing out the other large building in town. Like it or not, my path was leading me right into another Team trap.
After thanking the kid, as well as apologizing for being rude, I made for the game corner. Inside it was pretty much identical to Celadon City's corner, without the menacing people in charge. I strolled up and down the aisles of machines, trying to spot anyone old who resembled a gym leader, if that made much sense. After trying a few incorrect persons, I took a seat at one of the machines. Could the kid have pointed me in the wrong direction?
"Want to play, little girl?" My attention turned to one of the corner's employees, who had in his hand two tokens.
"Oh, no thanks. I'm looking for the gym leader, Wattson? He told me to find him here."
"Is that so? He told you?" The man pocketed the two tokens and walked away, not giving me a chance to correct myself. He came back just a moment later with a key in his hands.
"I'm sorry, I meant to say-"
"Here's the key, you know the rest. Get behind the counter when no one's looking," he whispered, dropping the key in my hands. He moved down the aisles, checking in with a few of the other customers. Taking the key in my hand, I crawled over to the counter and snuck in under the door. I was tempted to take one of the prizes back there, another Pokemon doll, but I resisted and went through the door behind the counter.
In the back room, the walls were lined with shelves stocked with old prizes for exchange. Tucked away in the back was a door, almost concealed by a floor to ceiling high poster of a Pokemon I didn't quite recognize. I turned the key in the door lock, hearing an audible clank. The other side of the door was pitch black, but a nearby switch illuminated the room, which turned out to be a hallway. Vulpix barked, and started down the hallway first. I followed her, but forgot to take the key with me, and the door closed behind me. Of course, it was locked from this end.
I followed the tunnel for a while, a long while, all the while realizing this was surely a one way ticket to more trouble with Team Magma. If Maxie had made it here after what happened on Mt Chimney, and found me snooping about his base, I was as good as dead. Nothing like a little excitement to get my heart racing. At the end of the tunnel was another door, which was also locked. I pressed my ear to the door, trying to see if there was anyone on the other side. I could hear movement, but no voices. I took a deep breath, and knocked on the door twice before turning off the lights with the switch next to the door.
I pressed up against the wall opposite the switch, and left Vulpix standing in the middle of the hallway. After a moment, the door unlocked from the other side and swung open. As I expected, it was a member of Team Magma. He spotted Vulpix, and leaned in close.
"Well, what are you doing in here? Come on, I'm not gonna hurt ya," he said, reaching to pet Vulpix. She bit him in self defense, and I quickly swung by bag over his head. The blow was hard enough, probably thanks to some leftover eating utensils, to knock him out cold.
"Good work, girl! Quietly now." I dragged the grunt into the hall, snatching his hat and vest in the process. I slipped into the get up and closed the door slowly. It wasn't much of a disguise, but it would allow me to sneak around almost in plain sight. No grunt would look twice at a passing shadow wearing the same clothes, I figured.
The halls were littered with construction tools and loose electrical wires, yet little sign that it was a Team Magma hideout. Slinking through the halls, I stumbled across a number of rooms with grunts inside, but snuck by them without any hitches. Outside one of these rooms, I stopped to eavesdrop on a conversation between a few grunts.
"The boss was pretty mad yesterday," said one grunt. "Heard something went wrong on Mt Chimney."
"I heard from Donald that a pair of little girls came and scared Groudon off," said another grunt.
"I heard it was a gym leader!"
"Either way, with Groudon no longer at Mt Chimney, we're in big trouble. Team Aqua knows where Kyogre is, and they'll probably beat us to capturing a legendary Pokemon."
"If a legendary monster is all they want, I heard there's a few others hiding on the island," spoke a third voice. "Why's Maxie so intent on this Groudon?"
"You stupid or something? Groudon has the power to make land! We could take over the world with that kind of power. Imagine: shaping the land however you saw fit! No one would dare go against us! We could even topple the mighty Giovanni!"
"Too late for that now, Groudon's flown the coop. Wonder what we'll do now."
"That fat gym leader from Mauville is here, maybe the boss's trying to get some dirt on Groudon's whereabouts."
"I just hope we do something soon, I'm bored of sitting here all day."
After having my fill of useful gossip, I snuck by that door as well. David said he had been looking into the champion's own father, so the possibility that even a gym leader was in on Team Magma's plan was certainly viable. Just how deep did Giovanni's influence go?
At the end of the corridor there was another room. I peeked into it from the corner of the entrance, and saw Maxie and an old guy sitting at a table. Figuring it was the gym leader Wattson, I slowly crept into the room, taking cover behind a pile of electrical wires.
"You know very well I can't do that!" Wattson yelled, slamming his fist on the table. Maxie was unaffected.
"You bring me what I asked for, or Mauville disappears from Hoenn forever. In a few years, the place will be known as the Mauville Crater."
"I've cooperated all this time, done everything you've demanded, despite my better judgement. I can not- will not- endanger the lives of Mauville's people over this." Maxie was clearly losing his patience with the old man.
"I will offer you one-"
"Save your breath, I'm not doing anything," barked back Wattson, crossing his arms. Maxie composed himself, and rose from the table.
"Very well. You will remain here, if you try to leave, my grunts have been ordered to use any means necessary to stop you."
Maxie walked out of the room, just two feet away from where I was hiding. I remained frozen as he passed, not even breathing as to not give myself away. Once his footsteps dissipated down the corridor, I stood up from behind the wires and ran over to Wattson's side.
"What's this? An up-and-coming grunt?" Realizing I still had the hat and vest on, I took off the poor disguise and introduced myself.
"I'm Star, and this is Vulpix. We're here to save you, Wattson!" Rather than show relief, Wattson just let out a bit of a chuckle and patted me on the head.
"Oh, I don't need saving, dear! This is just business as usual between Maxie and I." My heart began to race. Was he admitting he was in league with Team Magma? I took a step back.
"You're working with Team Magma?"
"Guess you could say that, though it's not the best job in the world. Oh! Maxie!" My heart skipped a beat, and I spun around to meet Maxie's cold gaze. At his side were two grunts.
"You!"
"Vulpix, Flamethrower!"
On cue, Vulpix jumped on my head and blasted the three men with her fire attack. They ducked into the corridor for cover, giving me a chance to run back for Wattson.
"Wattson, we have to go!"
"Aren't we a bit on edge," he said with a chortle. "Very well, dear, lead the way."
"Vulpix, chase after Maxie and keep using Flamethrower!"
Vulpix ran ahead of us, turning the corner and blasting more flames at the unseen foes. With her constantly pushing them back, they wouldn't have a chance to release their own Pokemon. We drove them all the way to one of the rooms with other grunts inside, and continued past it to the exit. The grunt I had knocked out was still in the hallway leading back to the game corner, so I used him to block the door from opening.
"Wattson, why are you helping Team Magma?" I asked as we rushed back up the hallway. His response was just another obnoxious laugh.
"I'll explain when we get back, Star. There's absolutely nothing to worry about!"
After a short run, we arrived at the game corner. Wattson cleared everything up with the man working the counter, though it sounded like business as usual, and we left the establishment. Back outside, Wattson took in a deep breath and smiled.
"That explanation I promised: I set that Maxie fellow up." My eyes widened.
"What? How? Wasn't he threatening all of Mauville?"
"Oh, that young rascal. He thinks he could just snap his fingers and order me around? Joke's on him, let me tell you: that base of his is actually mine!"
"What?"
"I called it 'New Mauville', it was supposed to be a backup city in case Mauville ever became overcrowded. I sort of abandoned the plan when I realized the city wouldn't be growing much anymore. My surprise when I go down there one day, and I run into none other than Team Magma! Thought they had me under control, they did, but nothing in that old dump even works!"
"So, he can't actually do anything to the city?" I didn't think Maxie would be that stupid. At least, not to be fooled by Wattson. Guy looked like the most easy-going and gullible person in the world. Though I guess that's why Wattson's idea worked out so well...?
"'Course not! With that Groudon critter of his out finding a new home, not even all his Pokemon and his grunts can take over this city. I also led him to believe there was some sort of weapon in New Mauville; once he tries to activate it, he'll find out it only releases a horde of Electrodes and Voltorbs into the place! They'll be forced out by the self-destructs or take weeks to clean it up. By then, the police'll be waiting for them up top."
I had to admit, Wattson really did fool Maxie and Team Magma. I never would've believed him had I not witnessed him planning Team Magma's capture later that day. Right after he finished explaining the master plan, we went to the police station. The chief there called in for help from Slateport City and Verdanturf Town, and ran out to Route 110 right away. I even saw Gaby and Ty chase after him for the story. Once all that was done, Wattson gave me a pat on the shoulder.
"Your meddling allowed this plan to go through much faster, Star. Ruined my fun, though."
I sighed, still not grasping Wattson's train of thought.
"Can you go back to the gym, now? I want to challenge you already," I said, remembering my original reason for chasing after him. He let out a nice laugh.
"It's a bit late, and these old bones are tired. Tell you what: I'll let you stay at the gym overnight, and we can battle bright and early tomorrow morning. Sound fair?"
"Well-"
"Excellent! When you're done seeing Mauville, feel free to swing on by," he cut me off. Just as he made for the gym, he stopped short and yelled back one last message.
"Bring your own food!"
~o~
I'd go hungry that night.
No seriously: I didn't think Wattson was being serious. After wandering the streets of Mauville for a while, I stopped by the Pokemon Center to let Vulpix rest for a bit. While there, I also had to add in another Pokemon to my roster, to replace Mightyena. I went with Beedrill, who rarely let me down when it came to battles. After all this, the sun was setting on the town, so I started towards the gym, honestly forgetting Wattson's message.
"What do you mean there's nothing to eat?"
"I meant it, Star," he said with his usual chuckle. "I have nothing here to offer you!"
"Is there anywhere I can go now to find something to eat?" My stomach roared loudly, having been deprived of food since early that morning. When you're out on the road, or spelunking about underground bases, you tend to forget to eat.
"I'm sure the local market might be open," Wattson said, checking his watch. "Wait, scratch that. It closed ten minutes ago."
"That's okay," I said grudgingly, "I've gone this long without food in the past."
'Just pulling your leg, Star! Here, have something to eat!' That's what I was expecting Wattson to say, and magically produce something akin to a feast for me. Oh how I was wrong. At least the accommodations were nice: a large bed to sleep in, and TV access. The last time I saw anything on TV was probably while I was in Goldenrod, when I saw the League Tournament.
I flipped through some channels, hoping to find something worth watching. Aside from the usual boring shows about Pokemon friendships and coming-of-age tales, there was really nothing else on. As a bit of a side note, I did stumble across Gaby's interview from earlier, as well as her coverage of the apprehension of the Team Magma members. Something that caught my eye was the fact Maxie wasn't shown on TV. Either they wanted to keep his arrest secret, or he somehow escaped from New Mauville. If he did manage to escape, I had a feeling he'd make me his target.
Fortunately, this wouldn't keep me up that night. Between the fatigue and the hunger, I knocked out much earlier than I normally would. Tomorrow I'd have a battle with Wattson.
~o~
"Okay, Star," Wattson began that morning. "We each get use of two Pokemon. Whomever knocks out both wins this match and the badge. Are you ready?"
"I am," I said from across the arena. He gave his trademark chuckle and released his first Pokemon, a Magneton. Remembering my lessons from Violet City, I chose Vulpix to counter Magneton.
"Okay, the battle has begun! Magneton, Thunder Wave!"
"Vulpix, dodge with Quick Attack!"
The three-eyed critter aimed the magnets towards Vulpix, emitting three waves of electricity towards her. Vulpix vanished just before the waves hit her, and reappeared behind the airborne Pokemon.
"Now, use Flamethrower!"
Vulpix covered Magneton in flames, forcing the Pokemon to the ground. The battle was effectively over in one strike. Wattson recalled his Magneton silently, rather shocked. If he was a steel type user like Jasmine, this battle would be super easy! However, it was only after Magneton was off the field that I noticed Vulpix was paralyzed. The attack had managed to connect after all, which would make using Vulpix a risky move. Wattson released his next Pokemon, a green critter I didn't recognize. I told Vulpix to run back to my side, and scanned the Pokemon.
"Electrike, the Lightning Pokemon. It generates electricity using friction from the atmosphere. In seasons with especially arid air, its entire body blazes with violent showers of sparks."
"Well, Star? Using your Vulpix again?" Wattson called out, his jolly mood back in play. Vulpix wouldn't be able to keep up being paralyzed, so I had to use a different Pokemon. The worst part was my entire team was at a disadvantage to the electric type. All except for one Pokemon. I picked out his Pokeball, and released him. Smeargle emerged, the first time he'd battled in a while.
"Electrike, Quick Attack!"
"Smeargle, Sketch!"
The doglike Pokemon took his tail in one hand and began painting in midair. In the middle of his drawing session, Electrike crashed into him, but Smeargle didn't budge. Once his work was done, a shadow of Smeargle rushed Electrike, knocking the Pokemon back a ways.
"Electrike, use Leer!"
"Smeargle, Quick Attack again!"
Electrike locked eyes with Smeargle, knocking him off balance slightly. Because of this, Smeargle wasn't able to finish the attack, and gave Wattson a chance to order another attack.
"Shock Wave!"
Electrike planted his feet on the ground, and all around him sparks began to appear, drawn into the Pokemon. After a moment's charge, Electrike let out a roar, and with it a lightning bolt shot out towards Smeargle. Still off balance, he took the brunt of the attack twofold, and fell back, charred to a crisp. Forgetting my place, I ran over to Smeargle's side, checking to make sure he was fine. He'd need care at a Pokemon Center as soon as this battle was over.
"Come now, Star, we have a battle to wrap up," Wattson said with that chuckle of his. "Recall your Smeargle and bring out that cute lil' Vulpix!"
I did as Wattson asked, and told Vulpix to get back on the field. She was more than willing, but at the same time feeling really sluggish because of the paralysis. I'd have to turn the tables on Electrike in order to win this battle. Once Vulpix was back on the field, Wattson took the initative.
"Electrike, Quick Attack!"
"Vulpix, guard yourself!"
I was playing this one close, but it was the only way. Being paralyzed, Vulpix couldn't hope to keep up with Electrike, so I had to wait until he was right in front of her to issue attacks. Electrike charged her, while Vulpix covered her head with her front paws. The attack was repelled quite well, and Electrike bounced back a bit.
"Now, use Will-O-Wisp!"
Vulpix reacted quickly, and breathed dark flames on Electrike, who tried desperately to shake them off. The attack was successful, and he was burned quite badly. Wattson's grin vanished from his face again, which meant he was ready to fight back at full power.
"Electrike, Shock Wave!"
"Vulpix, Confuse Ray!"
The two Pokemon locked eyes, and right away Electrike showed signs of his confusion. Expecting this battle to win itself with Electrike's attack, I eased up a little. However, Wattson wasn't about to fall for such a cheap trick.
"Electrike, stop!" His Pokemon stopped the charging process, and remained idle. This was my chance.
"Vulpix, use Flamethrower!"
Unfortunately, the paralysis had set in entirely, and she was frozen to the spot. Unable to move, Electrike had a clean target to finish. Wattson saw this as well, and replaced his grin.
"Electrike, slowly now- use Shock Wave!"
"Vulpix, Flamethrower! Please!"
As if my pleading would help out. I watched as Vulpix tried her best to break free of that paralysis, but just couldn't. Meanwhile, Electrike, just a few feet away, was slowly charging up his next attack, also doing his best to keep the confusion from ruining the attack. If that attack connected, it'd all be over. Then it hit me.
"Vulpix, another Confuse Ray!"
Because it required less movement and effort on her body, Vulpix was able to lock eyes with Electrike. By now, it was too late for Wattson to call off the attack again, so it looked like it would explode in his face. Electrike released the attack, sending a lightning bolt straight for Vulpix. I closed my eyes, fearful of watching the scene. It was Wattson's gasp to follow that made me open them again. Vulpix was still standing, looking the same. Electrike was trying to keep his balance, but the lightning bolt he released was no where to be seen. I looked around the gym, and found the scorch mark on the wall behind me. It had missed Vulpix by no more than an inch.
"Electrike, snap out of that confusion!"
As Electrike worked to steady himself, I fumbled for my Pokedex. I scrolled through Vulpix's available abilities, trying to find something with which to fight back. Spotting a move I had never used, I gambled everything on it working.
"Vulpix, Payback!"
As if to answer my prayer, Vulpix shook off the effects of the paralysis for a moment, and charged forward with both paws out. She crashed into Electrike, sending the Pokemon reeling back to its master. The damage was staggering, and coupled with the burns he had sustained, Electrike was having trouble standing. If Electrike managed to get up for one more attack, it would signal my loss. The paralysis bound Vulpix once more, forcing her to the ground. It was a tense few moments, filled with Wattson's screams for Electrike to get up. Ultimately, Electrike got up, but just didn't have the strength to keep fighting anymore.
"Well, it looks like this battle's ended. Let's call it a draw, eh?" My mouth went agape, but I couldn't argue his ruling. Vulpix was in no better condition to battle, so it was perfectly in his power to call it a draw. However, when Vulpix heard this, she mustered every remaining bit of strength in her body to bring herself back to her feet. She stood proudly defiant of Wattson's ruling, who could only laugh heartily like he always did.
"I was only kidding! You won this battle, Star! Or should I say Vulpix? Come on over here and collect your badge!"
~o~
"So you've collected all the badges of the western side of Hoenn, eh? Fortree City should be your next stop. The leader there has your sixth badge." Wattson had accompanied me to the Pokemon Center, as his own critters needed attention as well.
"Sixth? I only have four badges, though," I said, looking at my trainer card. It only took a moment for me to remember the gym I had skipped over. "Norman."
"Hah! So Norman showed you up, did he? He's a powerful trainer, he is. Best go in with a good battle plan, he doesn't let up." I didn't need Wattson's word to know that. Norman had absolutely trashed me the first time we battled, so I didn't want a repeat of that.
"Actually, I may not collect that badge," I said softly.
"What? Aren't you planning to enter the League?"
"No, I'm not. I'm just collecting the badges for the sake of collecting them. I'm not going to put my Pokemon through those hard battles again just to win something I won't use after everything."
"Well, good for you, Star! I wish more trainers were like you. They continue to force their Pokemon to battle for these badges, then they forget why they want them in the first place. Rather, they've forgotten why the badges were made in the first place," Wattson lamented, looking at one of the many Dynamobadges he had on him.
"I heard something like that from Koga, of Fuchsia City," I said, remembering his lecture. It seemed like so long ago. Nurse joy arrived, holding Wattson's Pokeballs. She handed them over to Wattson, and went back to fetch mine.
"Good luck, Star. Be safe on your travels, and don't go messing with Team Magma or Aqua anymore, okay?"
After Wattson left, I left as well. I was about to depart towards the east, when I remembered something important. I was on my way to Oldale, to meet up with Yunie again. Turning south, I set out for familiar roads.