Disclaimer: Pokémon is owned by The Pokémon Company, which in turn is owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and probably others I forgot. The following fanfiction is me playing around in their sandbox, using characters they envisioned and created, except for the odd character that wasn't. I own nothing of this.

Chapter 13: Protection

The main part of Route 110 just after the Cycling Road ended was on a seaside levée raised high above the water level. A second, lower, levée was closer to the sea, but that, too, towered over the sea at this time of year. It hadn't when Max had been here with Ash, but that had been in April, not August. In the distance to the east, Max and Danny could see New Mauville: the island that had been turned into an underground power plant for Mauville and surroundings. To the north, they had a clear view of beautiful Mauville, Hoenn's second city and a place no trainer could really avoid, ever.

It was around ten in the morning, though both Max and Danny had been up and walking for a few hours already, helped by the prospect of thunderstorms coming in during the early afternoon. Danny had woken Max at six and told him to start moving so they could be inside before the thunderstorms hit.

Privately, Max thought Danny was overreacting: manectric could handle everything a regular thunderstorm threw around anyway, but he had to agree that being soaking wet for hours was a stupid thing. There was next to no cover on the levée.

They walked up to the entrance to Mauville's small harbour – meant for fishing boats, speedboats, small boats in general – planning to pass it by to get to Mauville itself when someone hailed them. "Max! Danny!"

The slightly hoarse voice belonged to Wattson, who was running towards them as fast as he could, which was faster than Max thought possible for someone in his late sixties. There were no Pokémon by Wattson's side, nor was his assistant Watt anywhere to be seen. "Wattson! What are you doing here?" he greeted.

"No time to waste. Come with me!" Wattson ordered, and he turned around, leading Max and Danny to a small boat with just enough room for a cabin and a deck that could probably hold about four or five people total.

"What's the matter, Wattson?" It wasn't like Wattson to be so serious, Max remembered. The Gym Leader loved to laugh, and often did so. "Trouble?"

"You could say that. Watt's missing," Wattson said as he started the engine and threw two life-vests to the boys. "Hop on!"

Danny looked like he was going to say something, but Max silenced him and pulled him on board. "Where are we going?"

The engine roared as Wattson opened the throttle, reminding Max that he hadn't put his life-vest on yet. "New Mauville!" Wattson managed to yell over the sound of the boat slicing through the calm water. "Sent him last night after strange readings. Didn't come back!"

"Why take us?!" Danny objected. "You're a Gym Leader!"

Max dragged Danny into the cabin and closed the door behind them, removing a lot of background roar. "Because I expect foul play," Wattson told them as he stared ahead. "I talked to some friends in the harbour. They said they saw a weird boat around the bay yesterday." He steered the boat around a buoy, veering right, then left. "An armoured boat. You might not know, but—"

Max let out a gasp. It couldn't be. "What? Team Aqua?" he interrupted Wattson, causing the Gym Leader to cast a glance at him. "They were disbanded, I was there!" That prompted Wattson to turn around fully, surprise written all over his face. "I was. Ask Ash."

"Ten year olds around a Legendary scuffle." Wattson sounded annoyed, and for a brief instant, Max wondered what Wattson would do when Max told him about jirachi and LaRousse. Probably crash the boat, which made him decide against it. "Regardless, whoever took Watt overpowered him. And if they overpowered Watt inside the power plant..."

"They're prepared for you as well," Danny finished. "Why us?"

"Honestly? You're the first here today," Wattson replied honestly. "But there are also rumours… Something in the mountains, two months ago." Before Max could react to that bombshell, Wattson started slowing the boat down. "We're nearly there. Keep an eye out, will ya?"

The boat floated up to the small pier, Danny jumping off to secure the rope and make sure the boat didn't float off. A small open motorboat had also been tied to the pier, but there was no sight of any other boat, or anything else, on the island as far as they could see.

A flash of light and the sound of a Pokémon appearing caused Max to turn around, but it was only Wattson sending out his manectric. The yellow-and-blue Pokémon gave a happy bark, and one more when it saw Max, recognising him. "Send out a Pokémon. We might get company."

Grovyle and Marshtomp accompanied the group as they walked a winding and paved path that barely held nature at bay. Sunlight barely filtered through the leaves overhead, and bushes crept onto the path every so often. It was the perfect place for an ambush, Max thought, but none came, not even as they crossed the relatively open terrain to the entrance of the facility.

The door had been forced open, they saw up close, but they couldn't hear anything, nor did manectric's sniffing result in raised fur. Wattson led them back, returning manectric for a luxray as he did. "As I expected. They're ambushing inside. A smart choice when dealing with electric-type Pokémon."

"Because electric attacks and equipment don't mix?" Danny asked.

Wattson nodded approvingly. "Not just those, but well reasoned. We'll have to use physical moves, and be very careful with other moves."

"Water Gun should be okay," Max added. "If you don't flood the place. Mud Shot too." He made a quick count. "You've got all the physical Pokémon. I can't use half my team." Bagon and clefairy were out, and his own manectric was with Danny's uncle. "So…"

"Hope we don't need all our Pokémon," Danny spoke softly. "Starting to sound like a bad idea." Then, to Wattson. "What's the plan?"

"We take an alternate path inside. Any ambush will be on the main path, so we'll dodge most of them." Made sense. "They might come at us from behind while we're in the control room, but the corridor is insulated."

"Meaning you can leave some of your Pokémon to guard!" Max exclaimed. "But what if they have a Pokémon with Lightningrod?"

Wattson grinned. "Not a problem. I'm putting the two strongest Pokémon I have with me on guard duty. They're part of my top tier team." He looked at grovyle and marshtomp. "I can only let luxray help in the control room itself. The other three are for retreating, if we need it. You think you're up to it?"

"Always."

Max heard, rather than saw, Danny take a deep breath. "Let's do this."

In they went, immediately heading right into a sort of break room with comfortable chairs, a sofa, and a TV. The door to it was locked, and when Wattson locked it again, to stop someone from following them, Max heard a sound from behind the sofa – a soft moan.

Luxray, grovyle, and marshtomp all took up guarding positions as Wattson walked up to the sofa. "Nelson!" he exclaimed. "Quick, get me a first aid kit." Max made to open his pack, but Danny saw a kit hanging on the wall, and retrieved it first.

The man, older than Max's father, with grey streaks in his hair, looked a mess. His face was swollen, and dried blood had dropped from a wound on his forehead, creating a small puddle on the floor and the cushion that his head laid on. Wattson quickly cleaned the wound, handing the man, who seemed to have woken up a bit during the Gym Leader's care, some painkillers afterwards.

"Thanks." The man's voice sounded terrible, even after swallowing one glass of water, and he feebly motioned for more water, which Max got him. "Good to see you."

"Who did this, Nelson?" Wattson pressed. "Where are the others?"

"Captured. I got away. Lost them. Made my way here. They tried breaking door. Didn't work."

"How'd you get… that?" Max asked.

"Norman's kid." Did everyone know who he was? "Hint. Ice Balls to face. Hurt." He managed to give a lopsided grin, which only made his face look worse.

"Why didn't you contact us?" Wattson asked, as he grabbed the Pokénav clipped on Nelson's belt, pressing a few buttons. "Oh. They're jamming. Clever."

"Tried twice. Didn't work. Don't dare go out. Thought they were guarding."

"They weren't. How many are there, Nelson? Who was it?"

"Team Aqua. Four or five, all men. Leader of the bunch looked familiar, crazy. He ordered the Ice Balls." Nelson tried to stand up, but failed, prompting Wattson to extend a hand and carefully pull him up. The man managed to get to his feet, but he wasn't exactly stable until Wattson and Danny both helped him to the sofa. "Thanks. I'll be okay. Go save the others."

They left Nelson, and Max and Danny's packs minus a few items – rope, tape, torches, Max's pair of insulated gloves – in the room, taking the other exit into a narrow corridor that was barely wide enough to let all three of them walk side by side. After Wattson closed the door behind them, again, he sent luxray forward to scout. The four-legged Pokémon did so dutifully, carefully scouting around every corner, but they encountered no Team Aqua members until the corridor's end.

"Control room is ten meters to our right. Ready to fight?"

Max released baltoy behind all of them while Danny did the same for snorunt, next to marshtomp. "Now we are," Max spoke for both of them.

Wattson motioned for them to step back, and after they did, he opened two pokéballs. "Electivire, magnezone, watch our backs," he ordered as the two powerful Pokémon materialised between the Gym Leader and Danny's Pokémon. "Let's go!"

The door opened inwards, but the moment it was opened, Wattson and luxray quickly, but quietly, filed out, followed closely by electivire and magnezone, then marshtomp and snorunt. All but the two powerful Pokémon went right, and Max did so as well, grovyle and baltoy following him into a wider corridor. Up ahead, they could see the control room, but nobody was visible in the small bit they could see.

"Hello Team Aqua," Wattson announced his presence as luxray rushed in, ducking under a Water Gun. "Before we fight, can we have us a little parley?"

"Nnnnrrrrg, granted," called out a deep, gravelly, voice from the control room. Max and Danny walked in after Wattson. Like before, their enemies had taken up position at one end of the room, and Max saw several hostages tied up behind the three Team Aqua members. Two of them were regular grunts, but the last one was familiar. "What do you want, Wattson," Archie, leader of Team Aqua, said.

"For you to release the hostages, or else." Beside Wattson, the luxray growled angrily.

"Or else what." Archie laughed his deep, hoarse laugh, head tilted back, and when the tanned man opened his eyes again, his gaze fell on Max. "You!" he roared. "I remember you! You helped stop us in releasing our GOD!"

Was that a glint of blue light in his eyes?

"Archie, I'm giving you one warning. Release them."

"Come and get them!"

Max had taken quick stock of the Pokémon at the other end of the room earlier. Two mightyena, two crawdaunt, a walrein, and a marowak faced them, and most of them shot off an attack immediately – ones that met a wall of Protects as luxray, marshtomp, and snorunt protected their trainers while they moved away from the fight. The Bubblebeams, Ice Ball, and Shadow Balls vanished, but then, the mightyena were on the Pokémon.

Marshtomp and grovyle each intercepted one mightyena: marshtomp with a punch, and grovyle with an attempted Leaf Blade. He missed, and the black and grey Pokémon forced him to the ground, but Max's Pokémon used his legs to lash out, kicking the mightyena in the belly, forcing it back.

At Max's feet, Baltoy suddenly flared into action, forming a dense shield that stopped an Ice Ball with a loud thud before creating rocks from nowhere and guiding them towards their targets: the crawdaunts trying to catch snorunt.

A cry of pain jolted Max to his grovyle, and he saw that one of the mightyena had managed to land a bite. In reply, grovyle gripped the mightyena by the neck, and drained energy through its fingers. A little help from marshtomp, jumping on the mightyena's rear, made sure that the Dark type couldn't escape, while luxray covered them with a Protect. Lastly, baltoy crashed one of its rocks into the canine's head, and with a whimper, the mightyena fell, to the dismay of one of the grunts.

Max whistled, calling grovyle back for a moment to see how bad the bite was, and snorunt covered his retreat with a perfectly executed Protect. Up close, Max saw that the bite had drawn blood, and grovyle's left arm looked off, but the wound was already closed, thanks to Mega Drain. He nodded, and grovyle leapt straight into the fight again, landing on a crawdaunt's back before being forced off by a Water Gun.

A loud thunk called Max's attention to baltoy, and he caught the tail end of a bone returning to marowak as baltoy wavered in mid-air. The ground-type made to rush the baltoy, but then an angry Water-type barrelled into him, delivering both a body check and a Water Gun follow-up before rushing away again, sending a glob of mud at a crawdaunt.

Green light lit up the room again, as snorunt, again, Protected grovyle from being hit – this time by an Aurora Beam from the looks of it – and grovyle took full advantage of the shield by shooting a Bullet Seed that hit the second mightyena right in the… Max winced, tensing his legs for a moment.

Five on four, and both the crawdaunt managed to disengage from marshtomp and snorunt, chasing luxray away from the walrein with threatening, but inaccurate, Crabhammers before taking up position aside the walrein, which forced the other Pokémon to move with a powerful Aurora Beam.

Grovyle met marowak on the right side of the room, bone clashing with blade in furious hand to hand combat. Luxray, marshtomp, and snorunt were all to the left side, out of position after dodging the Walrein's attack. Baltoy hovered near Max, but it still hadn't really recovered. "Get the baltoy!" Archie shouted. "Get them!"

Bubblebeam and Ice Beam launched. Luxray blurred in a burst of speed, appearing in front of them as the world went green once more, but the Protect wavered the instant it was hit by the three attacks, and luxray cried out in exhaustion.

Marshtomp reinforced the shield, making sure that the attacks didn't break through, and snorunt's Shadow Ball interrupted both crawdaunt before snorunt jumped in front of marshtomp, executing her own Protect, and allowing Danny's starter to immediately spit mud down the room, finally interrupting the Ice Beam.

The crawdaunt were back, though, and luxray took over the Protect again as snorunt's fell. She, too, fired an immediate attack down the room: a powerful Icy Wind that glazed the floor between the two groups of Pokémon with a layer of frozen, slippery, ice. A moment later, grovyle, with a little help from baltoy, flung the marowak into the Icy Wind, which knocked the Pokémon out.

Max felt a tap on his wrist, and a hand trying to open his clenched fist. Looking to his left, he saw, and heard, Danny shout another order to his Pokémon before giving Max half a look. Max opened his fist, and Danny put two cylindrical objects in them. What were…

Oh. Oh.

Wattson, too, got them, and Max saw the Gym Leader go for a pokéball, as did Danny, while the three Pokémon still rotated Protects in front of them, the ones not Protecting firing enough projectiles to keep the crawdaunt and walrein away. Max quickly returned baltoy – who was keeping itself upright, but touching the ground – and put the ear plugs in.

Moments later, whismur and electrode joined the fray. Max looked left, and though he couldn't hear a word Danny said, he had a good idea of what was ordered.

Three Protects flared into existence, green and blue light filtering Max's view of the other end of the room, protecting the trainers from the worst effects as whismur unleashed an all-or-nothing Uproar, loud enough to filter through the ear plugs. At the same time, the electrode rolled in, glowing slightly yellow with tightly controlled electricity. The Uproar hit home, as did the electrode, multiple times. Crawdaunts, walrein, and humans all went down to the floor.

The Protects fell, and Wattson's luxray knelt, in no fit state to battle, but the fight was over. Marshtomp's Torrent slowly receded as he, too, realised the fight was over, while snorunt joined electrode in standing guard over the fallen Aqua members. "… again, Archie," Wattson said as Max removed the hearing protection. "Seems you're going back to prison, hahaha!"

Archie tried to get up from his prone position, but snorunt jumped on his back, keeping him down. "You will pay for your crimes against Kyogre! You, and all of those opposing her!" he spat, loudly. His face was a mix of anger and pain – his two grunts skipped the anger and just laid on the ground, hands over their ears.

"You tried that two years ago," Max found himself saying as he walked up. "You lost."

Max was certain nobody except the rescuers could hear anything, and he didn't even know why he said it, but Archie apparently understood enough. "SHUT UP!" the former Aqua Leader roared with a definite flash of blue light in his eyes, and he shook off the snorunt, jumping up and lunging for Max, arms outstretched. He made it halfway when Max's starter barrelled into him. The Grass-type was lighter, but infinitely more nimble, and he recovered first, rolling back before standing over Archie, Leaf Blades lit.

It was enough to cow the Team Aqua leader.

Two hours later, after Mauville's police force and a couple of doctors had taken nearly everyone away to either prison or hospital for a check-up, the rescuers sat inside the room they'd found Nelson in, eating a simple lunch. "I suppose you want to challenge my Gym, boys. Last I heard, you were on six badges."

Max swallowed a bite of his sandwich. "Yeah. That's what we came here for. Before you..." Oh, what was the word?

"Conscripted?" Wattson offered.

"Thank you. Conscripted us," Max finished. "Not that I minded putting Team Aqua in their place," he added in a softer voice.

"What was up with that Archie guy?" Danny asked. "He was crazy."

"Villains always are a little crazy," Wattson said as he scratched his manectric's fur. "Although he did seem to have more than a few screws loose. Or should I say that he went off the deep end?" One booming laugh echoed through the room, followed by two softer chuckles. "Anyway, thanks boys. I couldn't have done it without you. You have great teamwork, with your Pokémon and with each other. I'm sure your parents will be proud of you."

"You're going to tell Mum and Dad?" Max blurted out. "Why?"

Wattson looked at Max like he was crazy like Archie. "It's not every day their son helps in stopping a hostage situation," the Gym Leader explained calmly. "You should be proud of that! Twelve, and already helping Gym Leaders!"

"I did that when I was eight," Max muttered. He shook his head. "Won't they be angry you conscripted us?"

"Why?" Wattson appeared genuinely confused. "You were involved with the groudon and kyogre scuffle, right? Surely they know about that." He took a careful look at Max's face as the trainer felt a blush creeping in. "Or do they?"

The blush on Max's face intensified as he tried to study a very interesting breadcrumb. "They don't," Danny said. "Nobody involved told Max's parents."

"But why? Shouldn't your parents know about what happened? To help you?"

Both Wattson and Danny looked at Max. They wanted answers, and as much as Max tried to resist their looks, he couldn't. "We were afraid," he began softly. "I don't know what May was afraid of specifically, but I was afraid I'd have to go home. Lose out on everything."

"I see." Max tried to read Wattson, but he couldn't. "It wasn't the only thing, was it?" Wattson asked, nodding when Max reacted. "I thought so. Those Team Rocket goons seemed the persistent type."

"They were," Max said. "Plot after plot. I lost count how many times they tried."

"Once is too many," Wattson said firmly. "Regardless, Max, we'll have to tell your parents this."

"Why?" said both boys, causing them to look at each other and grin.

Wattson smiled at their byplay. "Because there's probably going to be a press conference about this, and I won't be able to keep your names out. Our Officer Jenny loves to praise people that helped her, and we certainly did!" Wattson's face broke out in a big smile for a moment. "What we could do is stretch the truth."

"How?" Danny wondered, leading Wattson to explain his plan. "Sounds good."

Max nodded agreement. "Yeah."

"Well, that's settled." Wattson rose from his chair, stretching his muscles for a bit. "Boys, is there anything I can do for you? You helped me a lot, and I'd like to reward you if I can. Just no badges, okay?"

"Well..." Danny began as he, too, rose from his seat, marshtomp appearing beside him from under the table. "I saw a few magnemite when we were walking back..."

"And you'd like to catch one?" Wattson asked, breaking out in another wide smile when Danny nodded. "Oh, that's no problem. Let's go see if there's one that wants to join you."

~~§~~§~~

"And that is why we sit here now," Wattson spoke into the microphone. They were far underground, in Wattson's main battle arena, but the place hadn't stopped journalists from attending. Max counted at least fifteen, and five photographers. The flashes were really annoying, too. "Are there any questions?" Several people signed. "Ms. Dreyer."

A grey-haired woman stepped forward, her photographer by her side. "Why did you choose to take these two trainers? Aren't they… well… young?"

"Age is no guarantee of skill," Wattson told the group. "And they were simply in the right place at the right time. I'll let Mr. Maple explain."

Max adjusted the microphone stand a bit, thankfully without any screeching feedback. "We saw Wattson hurrying on the docks, and we decided to walk over and see what was up. When Wattson explained, we couldn't not help." He saw several journalists scribble something onto pads. "I'm glad we were able to help. Any day an escaped criminal is put behind bars again is a good one."

"Mr. Trim?"

A younger journalist, looking barely in his twenties, dressed in a similar casual style to Max and Danny, took a step forward. "Mr. Gym Leader, which of the boys was more useful in the battle?"

"Both of them were super," Wattson retorted immediately. "I could not have done it without them. Max provided valuable knock-outs on several Pokémon, and Danny made sure we all could continue the fight, and he came up with the plan that disabled the criminals." Wattson chuckled. "Quick minds, a good grasp of strategy, and well-trained Pokémon. I am certain both of them are a constant source of pride for their family."

"And what were you thinking, Mr. Birch? Wasn't it a thoroughly risky move to use Uproar in such a fashion?"

"Maybe," Max heard Danny say as he looked out into the arena. Wattson had coached them not to look at each other during the press conference. "But it had to stop. Too dangerous with people around."

"As I mentioned before, all the hostages were treated at the hospital, and with two exceptions, they are at home right now," Wattson added firmly. "Those two exceptions involve injuries inflicted by Team Aqua. While the method was unorthodox, the results were shockingly effective." Soft groans came from their audience. "Mrs. Stone?"

"Officer Jenny," the third reporter, a middle-aged woman with several bangles and bracelets around her wrists, said, "how is it that this Archie escaped? Wasn't he locked up thanks to the Pokémon G-men's efforts of two years ago?"

Mauville's resident Officer Jenny, who was standing behind Danny, stepped forward, speaking without the aid of a microphone. "He was. We are uncertain how he escaped. Rest assured that we will find out and make sure that it doesn't happen again."

"And what of his Team Magma counterpart?"

"He remains in prison."

The press conference wound down after several other questions, until only Danny, Max, Wattson, and a few people clearing the equipment away remained. The trainers left them to that, walking into what looked like a lounge. "Well done boys," Wattson complimented them as soon as he closed the door. "I'm sure you'll see your pictures all over the news tomorrow. Hahaha!"

"Thanks," Max said, unceremoniously flopping down onto the sofa. "Just what I wanted."

"Yes. Your father mentioned you didn't like your status." Wattson offered a fizzy drink, which Max gratefully accepted. "But you did this, on your own merit. You did great, and that's what makes people notice you." Max took a sip as Wattson sank into a chair. "Of course, they'll be expecting more of you now. It's a feedback loop, you see."

Max did. Unfortunately. "Great."

"Enough about that. Let's talk fun. When do you want to battle?" Wattson changed the subject, another wide grin on his face. "Oh, the battle's going to be shockingly super. Haha!"

Max met Danny's eyes, and he, and Danny too from the looks of it, had trouble keeping his laughter down. "As soon as possible?"

"Well… That's a problem," Wattson admitted as he took a small planner from a pocket. "I'm not here on Saturday, and tomorrow's booked full. Sunday is the first open slot. The second of September." He turned the planner over to Danny to prove his words.

An uncomfortable, hollow, burning feeling spread from Max's stomach. How could he have forgotten that day was so close? "No," he said, cutting across Danny, who was saying he was okay with that day. "I can't. Not that day." He drank deeply from the can, feeling the bubbles prickle and soothe his dry mouth. "Day after's fine."

"Sunday as a day of rest? I thought that was old when I was your age," Wattson remarked.

"Not that. Just..." Max's throat closed, and he gulped loudly. It didn't help his speech any, and he settled for a shrug.

"Well, Monday is fine by me. Danny?"

"Yeah, sure," Danny replied, but his eyes were on Max, who met them before ducking his head.

If Wattson noticed it, he didn't say. "Monday it is. Boys, let's have a battle to remember."

~~§~~§~~§~~§~~

Team Aqua Leader Archie was captured yesterday after taking several New Mauville Power Plant workers hostage for approximately 16 hours. Mauville Gym Leader Wattson led a raid to free the hostages, enlisting the aid of young trainers Max Maple, son of Petalburg Gym Leader Norman, and Danny Birch, nephew to Professor Birch of Littleroot. Seven members of Team Aqua were captured in the raid.

From: Hoenn Express, August 31st.