Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

Pokémon: Sinnoh no Isekai

Chapter Ninety-seven: Mauville Madness

Dawn and Kenny, having finished their business in Slateport City, made their way up Route 110 and eventually reached Mauville City, the location of their next gym battle in the Hoenn region. However, by the time they had gotten there, it was too late in the day, so they got lodging in the bunk room of the local Pokémon Center for the night. When they awoke the next morning, the reborn trainers had a bit of a light breakfast as they talked about how they'd go about earning their respective Dynamo Badges.

"So I was planning to lead off with Shadow," Dawn began as she talked to Kenny, "He knows Earth Power, so he'll be useful in facing the electric type Pokémon that Wattson will be packing."

Kenny nodded in agreement. "I just hope that Roshi can take whatever special attacks Wattson's Pokémon throw his way. His nature does stun his special defense growth, according to what you said about it."

"Roshi has a naughty nature, which is one of the natures that does impede special defense growth," Dawn confirmed, "But Roshi is also a Torterra which, in addition to being naturally bulky anyway, is part ground type. I doubt any Pokémon that Wattson will use can capitalize on Roshi's limited special defense."

Stretching his arms up into the air, Kenny went on, "Well in addition to Roshi, I'm also bringing Elay and Wigglytuff, who is a ground type and a Pokémon that I haven't used in a while respectively. Lastly, I got Android 21, Jibanyan, and Ban along to passively gain experience."

"Oh, did you use the Razor Claw that Steven supplied you with to evolve Android 21 yet?" Dawn asked.

Kenny, looking like he had just realized something, smacked himself in the forehead. "D'oh! I can't believe that I forgot about that!" Sighing, Kenny said, "No, but I still want to. Can you remind me when the time's right for evolving Android 21?"

"No problem," Dawn replied, "Just have Android 21 hold the Razor Claw and do some training with her starting at eight this evening. I'll remind you about it again at said time."

Kenny nodded once to Dawn in thanks before he downed the rest of his drink. "So now, my main man, I think it's time that we go banging on Wattson's door. We got badges to collect from him, after all." Dawn nodded once before quickly finishing the rest of her meal, then she and Kenny discarded their trash in a trashcan before heading out of the Pokémon Center to go see Wattson at his gym.

After a short walk of a few minutes, Dawn and Kenny made their way to the Mauville City gym. "So you challenge him first," Kenny said, "Meanwhile I watch and get an idea on what to expect when I later challenge him."

"That is the plan, yes," Dawn replied right before she and Kenny went into the Mauville City gym. Dawn's plan was to lead with Shadow, then if need be she'd use Albedo and then, if pushed into doing so, Germany. She remembered from her previous life, both from the games and anime, that the battle for the Dynamo Badge was a three versus three affair; she didn't expect things here to be any different. Dawn was banking on ground's immunity to electric to give her an edge here, letting her snag her Dynamo Badge without too much trouble hopefully.

...What Dawn and Kenny did not expect, however, was what they saw upon entering the Mauville City gym; Wattson, dressed as he was from the RSE games, issuing orders to gym trainers working at his gym. He was borderline barking the orders out, a firm and serious look on his face. "...Umm..." Dawn spoke up, getting Wattson to stop short and turn to face where Dawn and Kenny were standing, "...We didn't come at a bad time, did we? I was looking for the gym leader here so I could challenge him for the badge this gym awards to trainers who win here, but if-"

"Sorry if I gave you kids cause for alarm just now," Wattson interrupted, a sympathetic and mildly embarrassed look on his face as he relaxed, "But the gym trainers that I have working here are going through exercises to help prep them. You see, some old but very valuable machine parts are being brought in from New Mauville, and the local government here in Mauvile City believes that those heinous Team Scorn fellows might try to swing on by and steal the parts for who knows what reason."

"Team Scorn?" Dawn and Kenny immediately said in unison.

Wattson nodded once. "Aye. They're bad seeds, the lot of them. They first appeared, I believe, somewhere in Azalea Town over in the Johto region. At least that's their first act known to the public at large. I thought at first that they're a petty gang trying to imitate big time criminal names like Team Rocket, but then Team Scorn went and blew close to half of Blackthorn City into oblivion." Wattson shook his head. "...And now I got it that Team Scorn is here in Hoenn, with acts in Rustboro City and Slateport City. A good thing that I heard that Steven Stone is personally helping with the fight to push Team Scorn out of Hoenn!"

Dawn nodded once in understanding. "I know. Kenny here and I have actually been helping Steven ever since we first arrived here in Hoenn." Dawn and Kenny then proceeded to introduce themselves, and explain more in detail about how they've been fighting and will continue to fight Team Scorn, even if they must do so during the course of their gym challenge tour across the other regions.

The leader of the Mauville City gym gave a hearty, sincerely amused laugh. "Well I'll be a Mankey's uncle! The rumors were true after all! Sinnoh's new champion Dawn really did come to Hoenn to help Steven!" Calming down from his laughter, Wattson went on, "And about your goal of going around Hoenn to earn the gym badges. Although I got no doubt you'll tan my hide, I'll still accept your challenge as I've got a professional integrity to uphold." Wattson then winced slightly in his expression as he became a little apologetic. "...Or I would have accepted your challenge, but the situation I'm in prevents that."

"Getting Mauville City ready to receive those parts you guys fear Team Scorn will try to steal?" Kenny asked.

Wattson took a moment to think about it. "...Well that too, but what I was thinking about was how my party to take on challengers is wiped out from a battle that we had earlier today with a boy from Unova, and Nurse Joy over at the local Pokémon Center says the lickin' they took will put them out of commission for at least a week straight."

Dawn and Kenny were both interested by Wattson saying who had beaten him earlier. "...A boy from Unova, you say," Dawn remarked.

"Oh yeah," Wattson replied, "He defeated my Magnemite, Voltorb, and Magneton using just a blue and green Pokémon that he identified as a Gastrodon."

"Blue and green Gastrodon?" Kenny said in a confused tone, "I thought that they were brown and pink like the one Dawn here has."

Dawn rolled her eyes at Kenny's ignorance, not to mention how he did just reveal one of the Pokémon that she has in her party. "The brown and pink Gastrodons like Shadow are the West Sea variant, while the green and blue Gastrodons like the one Wattson says the Unovan boy used to wipe his party is the East Sea variant." Dawn then turned to look at Wattson. "...Speaking of that Unovan boy, did he by chance mention he started out in Sinnoh rather than his home region of Unova?"

Wattson looked surprised by Dawn guessing that. "How did you know?"

"Because Kenny and I have heard of that boy before," Dawn explained, "And we've heard signs of his traveling around the various regions. Kenny and I kind of wanna track this boy down."

Wattson shrugged. "Well I've got no clue as to where he's gone off to. I'm betting Lavaridge Town since he mentioned wanting to challenge the gym there." Wattson then held a hand to his chin, wore a contemplative look on his face. "...That boy must be very well informed if he knew about the Lavaridge Town gym ahead of time."

The Unovan boy who started in Sinnoh was now of greater interest to the reborn trainers, especially as he's apparently well informed. "We're gonna have to make a line straight to Lavaridge Town when we're done here, my dude," Kenny said to Dawn.

"We still need to go to Fallarbor Town because Professor Cozmo there might be targeted by Team Scorn," Dawn pointed out, "And that might take even longer because we're down a week to wait until Watt-"

"Actually," Wattson spoke up, getting the attention of the reborn trainers, "I have an idea that, if you kids are okay with it, I'll award you both Dynamo Badges after you're done."

Dawn and Kenny both perked up at that suggestion. "...That being..." Dawn said, trailing off in a manner showing she expected to be filled in.

Gesturing to Dawn and Kenny, Wattson explained, "A lot of the gym trainers that I have working here are greenhorns, hence why you saw me running them through the paces when you two had first entered my gym here. Even so, their numbers are limited, and since the shipment of those parts from New Mauville will be coming in later today, they won't be ready if a major group of Team Scorn members swings on by."

"You... want us to suppliment the forces to receive and guard the goods?" Kenny half asked half guessed.

Wattson nodded in a commending manner towards Kenny. "Yes, exactly. It'd also be nice if you worked with them. Given that you're both obviously skilled and experienced trainers, Champion Dawn especially so, I have no doubt that my new gym trainers stand to learn a lot from the two of you." Gesturing to both of the reborn trainers, Wattson went on, "After we're expecting to receive the parts from the shipment from New Mauville, we'll only have to hold onto them for about an hour or so until the secure transport from Devon Corporation in Rustboro City comes on by to collect the goods and bring them to the company."

"So those parts from New Mauville are ultimately bound for Rustboro City's Devon Corporation," Dawn surrmised.

Wattson nodded once in the affirmative. "A member of Devon Corporation's research team in charge of the machine that can revive Pokémon from fossils studied the parts coming in from New Mauvile, and confirmed that said parts can be used to upgrade the Pokémon fossil revival machine."

Again, the reborn trainers heard the fossil revival machine at Devon Corporation brought up. Given how keen Team Scorn in Hoenn has been on the Pokémon fossil business, Dawn saw it as highly likely for Team Scorn, if they had all of this info on the parts coming in from New Mauville, to try and steal said parts. "...You can count on us, Wattson," Dawn said, "And working with your gym trainers will give Kenny and I a chance to get some of our own Pokémon trained up." Kenny said nothing but his smile and nodding made it clear he was with Dawn on this one.

Returning the smile, Wattson said, "Excellent! Okay, I'll lead you over to where you can work with the gym trainers in the arena." Dawn and Kenny then proceeded to follow Wattson to more or less spar with the gym trainers working at his gym. For Dawn, this gave her the chance to train her Torchic Pakura and shiny Makuhita Zatch, the latter of which surprised Wattson as he wasn't expecting Dawn to own a shiny Pokémon. Wattson was further surprised when Kenny brought out his shiny Skitty Jibanyan, plus his Sableye Ban.

The training, for however long it would be, was going to be rich and fulfilling.

(FLASHBACK, UNKNOWN LENGTH OF TIME AGO)

Sasuke Hanzo occasionally sent his gaze of mildly piqued interest over where Sakura Senbon, the heiress of the wealthiest family around, was sitting on a poolside lounge chair. Sasuke, his long golden spikes of hair partly covering his gaze, was mildly interested by Sakura because the physical traits she had that commonly were associated with those who were 'geeky', mainly her signs of past acne and her large round glasses, were not what most would expect on a wealthy heiress, who normally could afford any beauty treatment they'd want. Sasuke was interested, solely out of curiosity rather than any actual romantic interest, by Sakura.

Saskue watched as Sakura held up her dark colored long hime-cut hair before binding it up with a scrunchie so that it wasn't in the way as her family's servant Kana put some sunscreen on over Sakura's back. "...She is interesting," Sasuke remarked as Goemon recalled all of his (Goemon's) Pokémon, "I will admit."

Goemon had a knowing look of amusement on his face. "So you like 'em nerdy, huh my man? I always figured that you'd prefer fat chicks, but I guess-"

"I'm not romatically interested in her," Sasuke clarified, "I'm interested because she's wealthy yet clearly doesn't bother springing for beauty treatments girls in her income bracket would commonly spring for."

Goemon nodded in agreement with Sasuke. "Yeah, I see what you mean. I mean, she could easily be as much as a bombshell babe as her family servant there with her, and yet she clearly chooses to look as nerdy as poss-"

"Vul!" Sasuke's Vulpix cried out suddenly, catching the attention of Sasuke and Goemon, before the two guys saw Vulpix run in a beeline right for where Sakura was lounging, prompting Sasuke and Goemon to go after him to give chase.

...

Sakura, now laying on the lounge chair face up, turned her head to where Kana laid face up on the lounge chair to Sakura's left. "Are... are you sure it's acceptable for me to lounge in public wearing only a swimming outfit, Kana?" Sakura asked as she blushed, with said blushing and her somewhat stammering tone making it clear that she was a shy, timid, easily embarrassed girl.

"Miss Sakura, you with all due respect underestimate yourself," Kana replied, both her tone and gently smiling expression being understanding, "This is a public pool. It's not outside of the realm of possibility for people to-"

"EEEEP!" Sakura cried out suddenly in alarm as she flinched up, "Something wet's rubbing against my ankle!" Sakura's eyes were winced shut tight out of fright, so it was Kana who saw that it was a Vulpix, who was wagging its tails, that was licking Sakura's outer side ankle on her right foot.

Kana got Sakura to relax, open her eyes to see the Vulpix. "...That Vulpix is the culprit, miss Sakura," Kana said with a mildly amused smile, "It was licking your ankle in what I'm guessing is its bid to get your attention."

Seeing that Sakura was now looking at him, Vulpix cried out before hopping up onto Sakura and walking right up to her face before licking it, wagging his tails all the while. Sakura relaxed, even smiled a bit and giggled before picking Vulpix up to hold him. She had her hands under the pits of his front legs, but Sakura saw that Vulpix was still trying to wriggle his way back right into Sakura's face while making licking motions with his tongue and wagging his tails. Sakura was about to say something, but she was cut off when she and Kana heard a male voice call out, "Vulpix, return!"

Sakura and Kana then saw the Vulpix get recalled to its pokéball, then looked over and saw a tall, handsome boy in Sakura's age group holding the pokéball that Vulpix was recalled to. He had deep, vibrant blue eyes and long, spiky yellow blonde hair. Sakura, despite herself, couldn't help but fall for his looks. "I am so sorry about how my Vulpix was bothering you just now," the boy apologized, looking honestly apologetic, "Seriously. He literally has never done that to any strangers before now. I have no idea what had gotten into him."

"He's wary of strangers normally?" Sakura asked. The geeky looking wealthy heiress looked at the pokéball that Sasuke held, which contained his Vulpix. Sakura, as she undid her scrunchie that held her hair up, letting the long dark hair flow back down, remarked, "Curious. He didn't seem wary of me. Which is odd as that was actually the first time that I ever saw a Vulpix in real life, all other times prior to now I saw the species only in photos in magazines, and on shows on TV."

As Sakura talked, Goemon who had stayed behind Sasuke stepped to the side to reveal himself. "Yeah, I can attest to how Sasuke's Vulpix takes a while to warm up to strangers. I needed a few days around the little dude before he was convinced that I was tight. And these two girls who constantly very obviously flirt with Sasuke get nothing but wary, mildly hostile growls from Sasuke's Vulpix. And yet the little dude felt you were chill enough to lick your face and wag his tails for you."

Curious, Sasuke called his Vulpix back out. "Vulpix," Sasuke said, getting the little fox Pokémon's attention. Gesturing to Sakura, Sasuke asked, "What are you trying to say about this girl?" Vulpix turned from looking to his trainer to looking at the geeky heiress. He smiled, small but cute, wagged his tails. He pawed against Sasuke's shin with his right front paw before going over to Sakura and do the same to her; she was now sitting on her pool lounge chair facing Sasuke, so Vulpix was able to paw against her right shin as well. He then turned away from Sakura, looked up at Sasuke, and gave off a happy cry.

"You..." Goemon began, "...Want Sasuke to give you to this girl?" Vulpix scowled and growled in a clearly negative manner towards Goemon, making it clear that he had guessed wrong. Kana, and even Sakura a little bit, couldn't help but giggle at Goemon's slip up.

"She..." Sasuke began, "...Is not like the other girls you growled at?" This time, Vulpix replied in a positive tone, even nodding a bit in the affirmative. Sasuke always knew that his Vulpix was a good judge of character, could tell who was and wasn't good for Sasuke to associate with. Vulpix's clearly very positive behavior towards Sakura, combined with how Sasuke accurately guessed that Vulpix was trying to say Sakura personality wise wasn't like the blonde girl or the pink haired girl, led him to guess that Vulpix was trying to tell him that Sakura here was the right girl for him.

...And as previously established, Sasuke always knew that his Vulpix was a good judge of character.

(FLASHBACK OVER)

Sasuke, dressed now in his unique Team Scorn officer outfit as Admin Ninja of the Kunai Sector, came out of his memories as he read through an old journal that he had kept, having filled it out a long time ago. The passage he was reading detailed the time he had just remembered, when his then Vulpix, who is now the Ninetales that laid on the floor in the office against the wall to his right, led him to Sakura Senbon and suggested that he think about making her his girlfriend. Ninja, with a somber look of melancholy on his face, sighed as he closed the journal and put it away. At around the time he did so, he heard a knock at the door leading into his office, where he was located at the moment.

"Enter," Ninja called out, and a moment later Goemon came walking in, leading Captain Ayumu and another specially dressed Team Scorn officer. This second officer, who is male, had dark brownish to blackish hair slicked back, and his outfit consisted of a dark blue suit with thin yellow lines going down it, matching dress pants, shiny dark blue or black (the light and angle made it difficult to tell from where Ninja sat), a yellow dress shirt under the suit top, a dark blue dress tie, and a pair of small round frame glasses. The Team Scorn insignia was on a breast pocket over his left pec.

Jerking a thumb to Ayumu and the other officer, Goemon said, "I brought Captains Katou and Ayumu like you asked."

Ninja nodded once to Goemon before turning to the two captains of his sector. "How goes the efforts to collect the parts that we got it are being moved from New Mauville to Mauville City?"

"We couldn't get them en route between New Mauvile and Mauvile City, Admin Ninja," the unidentified officer said, "And we don't dare get them while they're in Mauvile City now."

"What's going on, Captain Katou?" Ninja asked, a wry eyebrow arched.

The now identified Captain Katou proceeded to explain, "A number of trainers in Mauville City are guarding the parts from New Mauville until a transport from Rustboro City's Devon Corporation can swing on by to collect them. I advise that our best bet to collect the the parts before they reach Devon Corporation is to intercept the transport from Mauville City to Rustboro City."

Ninja kept his wry look on Katou and Ayumu, his eyes holding some degree of piqued interest. "...Either the quantity or quality of the trainers guarding the parts from New Mauville must be high enough to warrant such caution."

"Yes, sir," Ayumu replied, "Although most of them are Mauville City gym trainers, the gym leader Wattson, as well as Sinnoh Champion Dawn Berlitz and that Kenny Harris character who travels with Dawn, are among the guard."

Ninja's eyes went wide with a bit of surprise. "Yeah, good call on not going after the parts while they're in Mauville City," Ninja said, "Either Dawn Berlitz or Kenny Harris on their own is too risky to tango with on a moment's notice. And we're stretched too thin here in Hoenn to muster up enough forces to storm where the parts from New Mauville are being kept in Mauville City and take them by force." Ninja turned to look at Katou more fully. "Good call on the idea to intercept the transport from Mauville City to Rustboro City, Katou. I trust you'll be able to manage the interception?"

"I will take up the interception mission, sir," Ayumu volunteered, "Katou is getting ready for his roles in the plans for the Weather Institute on Route 119, and the Space Center in Mossdeep City, remember?"

Ninja nodded in understanding. "...Yes. He's especially needed for the plans on the Space Center. Very well, you'll take point here, Ayumu." The admin in charge of Team Scorn's Kunai Sector arched a wry eyebrow. "...Try to refrain from screwing up again."

Ayumu, sufficiently cowed by Ninja's gaze (Katou was similarly as cowed and he wasn't even being looked at directly), bowed his head in understanding and took his leave when Ninja shooed him out of the office with a gesture. Ninja turned to look at Katou. "What is it, sir?" Katou asked.

"Although Team Scorn's ultimate goals here in Hoenn lie with the Space Center, the Weather Insitute is still important," Ninja said, "So says the missive that I got on the matter from... him."

Katou, by sheer instinct, knew who his admin spoke of. "...What does he want with the Weather Institute, sir?" Katou spoke with hints of worried hesitation in his tone, as if he were fearful of disappointing whoever... he... was.

Ninja smirked a bit in amusement. "As it turns out, he's finally found someone to fill the position of his assistant. Said assistant only has one Pokémon right now. The Weather Institute on Route 119 is known for raising multiples of the Pokémon Castform, who the assistant had expressed an interest in. Our plans for the Weather Institute are simple, collect one of their Castforms if there are any and present it to his assistant." Giving Katou a wry look, Ninja went on, "But we aren't ready to carry out our plans for the Weather Institute yet. It'll be priority number one after we're done with our goals involving the Pokémon fossil revival technology."

"Yes sir," Katou replied, nodding his head once obediently. As there was no further business to take care of, Ninja dismissed Katou, who closed the door to Ninja's office behind him.

Alone once more save for his Ninetales who was still asleep, Ninja let out a breath. He looked up at the ceiling in his office, a look of longing melancholy on his face. His mind, he found, once again ad drifted to thoughts of Sakura Senbon, the girl that his now Ninetales had led him to. His heart ached for her, the one girl who proved to be of goodly nature for him, who saw him for more than just his good looks.

He let out a sigh, one that was more Sasuke Hanzo than Admin Ninja. "...Sakura..."

Late that afternoon over in Mauville City, Dawn, Kenny, Wattson, and all of Wattson's gym trainers saw off a small group of helicopters from Rustboro City's Devon Corporation, with one of said helicopters carrying the goods brought in from New Mauville. There was literally no trouble whatsoever, so the trainers one and all were able to safely get in some training for their Pokémon. During said training, Dawn was able to see to her Torchic Pakura evolving into Combusken. According to Kenny when Dawn asked him, he doesn't plan to evolve his Mudkip Husky.

When the Devon Corporation helicopters were out of sight, Wattson handed a Dynamo Badge each to Dawn and Kenny. "You said something about Fallarbor Town next, right kids?" Wattson asked.

Dawn nodded in the affirmative. "We have reason to believe that Professor Cozmo might be targeted by Team Scorn."

"Well then you kids ought to get going then," Wattson replied, "Ideally nothing ought to happen to Professor Cozmo, but if there's reason to believe that he might be targeted by Team Scorn, then you ought to look into seeing what's up."

"We intend to," Kenny declared. The reborn trainers said their goodbyes, then took off for the local Pokémon Center. There Dawn and Kenny rotated their parties for the gym battle awaiting them in Lavaridge Town, but even so they would swing by Fallarbor Town first to check up on Professor Cozmo. It was getting late, so Dawn and Kenny decided to bunk at the local Pokémon Center for the night, then get an early start in the morning for Fallarbor Town.

Where they feared Team Scorn will try to strike next.

END, CHAPTER NINETY-SEVEN

Author's notes;

I remember how, in the anime especially older episodes in the Kanto saga, Ash earned a few gym badges via alternative methods. I wanted to try that out here, even if it would only be once, and did so by having Wattson award the Dynamo Badges to Dawn and Kenny for them helping train up his gym trainers as well as help guard the parts from New Mauville which were safely collected by the Devon Corporation helicopters and taken straight to Rustboro City.

...But it's not all fun and games; more backstory is shed on Admin Ninja of Team Scorn's Kunai Sector, and a few hints are dropped about what's going on behind the scenes. Dawn and Kenny will be working hard in the next chapter, which will see a quick pop-in on Fallarbor Town before things get heated at the hot springs.

Dawn's Pokémon: (on hand) Chi-Chi (female Infernape), Shadow (male Gastrodon; west sea), Zatch (male Makuhita; shiny), Tsukune (Palkia), Lynn (female Floatzel), Argent (male Arcanine; Hisuian; alpha)

Kenny's Pokémon: (one hand) Kermit (male Politoed), Elay (male Sandslash; shiny), Goofy (male Houndoom), Godzilla (male Tyranitar), Ban (male Sableye), Black (Giratina)