For the first leg of the journey to Lavaridge Town, Summer and Weldon attended the Fallarbor Town Glass Blowing Festival on Route 113. The festivities were interrupted by some Skarmory who were affected by the local Spinda's Teeter Dance. The Trainers were able to save the festival by having the Spinda perform their dance accompanied by the confusion-cancelling Yellow Flutes. Afterwards, Summer and Weldon exchanged gifts, with the latter revealing the reason why he was occupied for the last few weeks. As they get closer to Lavaridge Town, they decide to take a detour to look at Mt. Chimney. What awaits them at the top?

Chapter 30- A Volcano Warning

I played my newly obtained White Flute as we walked on the southern part of Route 111. Zigzagoon walked beside us as Taillow flew overhead, mimicking the melodious notes from my instrument. Once we reached the base of Mt. Chimney, I stopped my impromptu concert and waved the wild Pokémon goodbye.

Lightning clapped. "That was really good, Summer. And to think you struggled with playing it a few days ago."

I chuckled. "Thanks, Lightning. But the credit has to go to my teacher, Weldon."

He glanced away. "D-Don't mention it, Summer. I'm just as impressed. Maybe you are musically gifted after all."

"I don't know about that. But thanks for the compliment."

We saw a long line for the Mt. Chimney cable car service while the direct path to Lavaridge Town was less busy.

"So, do you want to go to Lavaridge Town first or take a detour to Mt. Chimney?" I asked.

Weldon stroked his chin. "Although it would be nice to take a break at the Pokémon Center, I think it'll be best to get the Mt. Chimney visit out of the way. It shouldn't take too long, right?"

"No, it shouldn't. The main points are to see the magma in the volcano and views of the region."

"Oh good. I don't think I can take more heat than normal. And I just got used to the radiant heat coming from the volcano."

We stood in line and waited for about thirty minutes before we were able to board the iconic yellow cable car. I took several deep breaths, but with Weldon and Lightning close by, my fear of heights was somewhat lessened.

As we headed up, we heard the local gossip from two college-age girls.

"I can't believe we can finally go to Mt. Chimney! I don't know why the Hoenn National Parks Foundation wasn't able to open the volcano for months!"

"I heard it's because of those Team Magma people."

"The ones who want to expand the land? That makes sense for them to target Mt. Chimney. But why didn't the cops or even the International Police stop them?"

"Who knows? They seem to pick what cases they want nowadays. At least that Nuzlocker showed up."

"Oh yeah. What was his name…Lapis? I heard he took out the entire Team Magma group with help from Team Aqua."

"The ones who want to expand the sea? Ugh, I can't keep up with these villainous teams anymore. Next thing you know, there'll be a team that expands the sky."

As the two laughed, I whispered to Weldon, "Wow, Lapis must be pretty busy. We haven't met anyone from Team Magma or Team Aqua, but we've met Team Rocket members all the time back in Kanto and Johto."

"Don't worry. I know Lapis needs the battle experience more than we do."

The cable car then entered the endpoint station and we disembarked. The scent of volcanic ash and heat radiating from the center of the volcano welcomed us as we left the station. Nearby were small stands for Lava Cookie treats, hot and cold drinks, and foods you can cook over several pits fueled by the nearby lava.

Seeing Weldon and Lightning were panting heavier than usual, I ordered us some cold Lemonades and Lava Cookie ice cream sandwiches. After enjoying the delicious snacks, we explored the top by staring at the lava and observing the spectacular views.

Weldon crossed his arms as he scanned the Hoenn landscape. "Hey, Summer. Can you confirm something with me?"

"Sure, what is it?"

He pointed me to an area along the sea between Petalburg City Beach and Dewford Town. "Remember I pointed out a cave structure there? Do you see anything that resembles that from here?"

I looked in that direction, but all I could see was light patches of sand bars punching through the blue water.

"No, I don't."

"What about there? And there?"

I scanned the forest near Fortree City, the city of treehouses, and the desert we were stuck in more than a month ago. But all I could see was nothing.

"Sorry, Weldon. I don't see them either."

He sighed. "You don't need to be. I don't know if it's just me, or the heat playing tricks on me."

I crossed my arms. "It could be the heat, but you seeing the same structures at three different locations can't be a coincidence."

Suddenly, something red and black caught the corner of my eye. I turned around and saw someone dressed in those same color clothes sneak down the Jagged Pass hiking trail.

Curious, I followed the person.

"Summer, wait up!" Lightning shouted as she and Weldon ran after me.

We entered the pine forests of Jagged Pass, which were slightly more sparse than the forests we've been through before. It was quiet, too quiet.

Suddenly, a teenager in the red and black clothes leapt from a tree with a Beedrill by his side. The outfit was very strange, and the most noticeable thing was a black mountain shaped like an "M" on his shirt. I thought his eyes flashed with recognition, but he regained his composure.

"Looks like I was being followed after all," he muttered in a low voice, as if he was trying to hide his real identity. "Mercury, chase them away. We can't let them near the Team Magma hideout."

The Bug type buzzed, "Yes, boss," and raised his stingers.

So he's from Team Magma! But why does he look so familiar?

I hesitated giving Lightning a command, but Weldon summoned his Arcanine.

"Arcanine, Extremespeed!"

The Fire type interrupted his opponent by smashing into him at blinding speed.

"Weldon, wait!" I cried.

He looked at me in disbelief. "What for?! He must be a member of Team Magma!"

"I know, but he-"

"Double Team," the Grunt ordered.

The Poison Bee Pokémon duplicated himself into five copies.

The Kantonian waved his arm. "Charge through them with Extremespeed!"

Arcanine nodded and leapt at the illusions.

However, the Grunt smirked. "Mercury, use Pursuit."

The copies pursued the speeding Pokémon and were able to strike him from behind. Arcanine regained his footing and returned to Weldon's side.

That battling style…it can't be…

Realizing I was catching on, the Grunt motioned his Pokémon to stop. "It looks like I've been found out…" He glanced around and hid his eyes under his red hat with black points. "It's not safe here. I'll tell you everything if you follow me to my Secret Base."

Weldon, now more suspicious, questioned, "You're from a villainous team. What are you planning to do?"

"He's not going to do anything," I interjected, blocking my rival from approaching. "We can trust him. I don't sense any dangerous vibes from him."

He gritted his teeth, but returned Arcanine. "All right. But you better not deceive us."

The strange Grunt chuckled. "You're as cautious as they say you are. Don't worry, I can't betray a friend."

Though confused by his words, Weldon nodded.

We followed the strange Grunt and his Beedrill towards a thick tree that stretched towards the sky. A sturdy vine draped the bark. The pair climbed up first, and we followed, knowing he did that to gain our trust.

We entered a small yet comfortable square space. There was a sleeping bag, a table with a matching chair, and a small cabinet for food storage. But the most unusual item was a high-tech computer with a small radio dish.

When the strange Grunt took off his hat and revealed his spiky red hair, I gasped. "Magma! I had a feeling it was you."

He softly smiled. "It's been a long time, Summer."

Weldon's demeanor remained unchanged. "Who are you really?"

Magma brushed his hair back. "I'm Magma, undercover agent for the International Police."

After showing the Kantonian his ID and badge, Weldon's guard lowered. "I see. Sorry if I was being so cautious."

"No, it's good that you were. After all, I do have to keep my cover."

The agent motioned to Mercury, who flew to the entrance and proceeded to be a lookout.

"Sorry I don't have any seats for you," Magma apologized. "I don't have guests while I'm on the job."

"Oh no, that's fine," I said, and we sat on the floor.

"How do you know Magma, Summer?" Weldon asked.

"Well, he's one of Yuki's friends from the Orange Islands. But when I first met Magma, he was undercover spying on another villainous team that was threatening the islands a few years back. He's a pretty strong Trainer and gave me a hard time whenever we battled."

Magma laughed. "Well, you are a tough Trainer, Summer."

"But why are you spying on Team Magma this time? Though it does fit with your name."

"What a coincidence, right?" Then he became serious. "What I'm about to tell you is confidential, but I'll give you a brief public summary. Team Magma has a secret weapon to achieve their goals of expanding the land. Our intelligence found out that this has something to do with Mt. Chimney. That Nuzlocke Trainer stopped them from using an amplifier device to force the volcano to erupt, but he destroyed the device before we could study it. Lucky for us, the amplifier device is not Team Magma's secret weapon. I've been undercover for several months now, but have not much luck figuring out what it is."

To my surprise, Weldon reacted to something. "D-Did you feel that, Summer?"

"No, what-"

Suddenly, I felt a strong power emanating below us. It was firm yet yielding, almost as if the magma below was trying to rise from below. My necklace vibrated a little, and I knew the Legendary Beasts felt it too.

"Is something wrong, Summer?" Lightning asked as I touched my necklace.

"I-I think I felt what Weldon felt. It was like Mt. Chimney wanted to erupt on its own, even though it hasn't done so for a long time."

I agree, Summer. Kazan's words echoed in my mind.

Kazan. That's right. You know the best about volcanoes. Do you know what could've caused that sensation?

He paused, as if musing my questions. "My guess would be the creator of land and volcanoes, a beast known in the past as the Land Leviathan. He was the one who waged war against the creator of the ocean and waves, the one known as the Basin Behemoth."

Thanks, Kazan.

"The Land Leviathan…" I muttered.

Magma's ears perked up. "Did you say the 'Land Leviathan,' Summer?"

"Y-Yeah, why?"

"Maybe… Maybe that's it…" The undercover agent went to the computer and typed in those words. An image of Groudon appeared on the screen.

"Of course! That must have been what the ancient people called Groudon! No wonder I couldn't find that name anywhere in the ancient text."

Weldon looked at me. "Wasn't that one of the Pokémon shown on the mural in Granite Cave?"

"Yeah, and Kyogre."

Magma asked, "Do you by chance know Kyogre's ancient name, Summer?"

"Sure. It's the Basin Behemoth. Why?"

"My colleague is currently undercover as a Team Aqua Grunt. She's been trying to figure out the name for the longest time. This will definitely help in our efforts to stop both teams. Thanks, Summer."

"No problem, Magma."

The Orange Islander looked at his watch. "Oh, I better get back to the base. I should leave first to not arouse suspicion. After a few minutes, go ahead and leave. Mercury will leave last to make it look like he's been scanning the area."

I nodded. "Okay. I hope your mission goes well, Magma."

He smiled. "Thanks, Summer." He turned to Weldon. "It was nice meeting you, Weldon. It was good of you to be suspicious of me."

The Kantonian chuckled. "Nice meeting you too. Be safe."

After a firm nod, Magma put on his hat and leapt out of the Secret Base.

As we waited to leave, Weldon cautioned, "Magma's right, Summer. Why weren't you suspicious of him?"

"I guess it's because…I've met him before. Normally I would be, but I didn't get any dangerous signals from him."

The Kantonian crossed his arms. "Still, you should be cautious. You don't know people's intentions sometimes. I know…firsthand."

Sensing his sadness, I nodded. "I'll be more careful, Weldon."

With the go-ahead to leave, we returned to Jagged Pass and our trek to Lavaridge Town.

Summer's Pokémon:

Blaze (Blaziken, male): Brave Nature, Blaze Ability, moves: Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Blaze Kick, Sky Uppercut

Errol (Noctowl, male): Rash Nature, Keen Eye Ability, moves: Psychic, Confusion, Hypnosis, Air Slash

Aurora (Dewgong, female): Calm Nature, Thick Fat Ability, moves: Water Pulse, Ice Beam, Aqua Tail, Signal Beam

Lightning (Raichu, female): Adamant Nature, Static Ability, moves: Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Thunder Punch, Grass Knot

Rocky (Steelix, male): Lonely Nature, Rock Head Ability, moves: Stone Edge, Crunch, Dragonbreath, Iron Tail

Olive (Grovyle, female): Timid Nature, Overgrow Ability, moves: Fury Cutter, Screech, Mega Drain, Quick Attack

Weldon's Pokémon:

Venusaur (male): Serious Nature, Overgrow Ability, moves: Solarbeam, Body Slam, Sludge Bomb, Vine Whip

Fearow (male): Adamant Nature, Keen Eye Ability, moves: Drill Peck, Steel Wing, Fury Attack, Aerial Ace

Golem (male): Bold Nature, Rock Head Ability, moves: Rock Slide, Earthquake, Rollout, Double Edge

Gyarados (male): Sassy Nature, Intimidate Ability, moves: Surf, Ice Fang, Payback, Waterfall

Arcanine (male): Naughty Nature, Flash Fire Ability, moves: Hyper Beam, Extremespeed, Flare Blitz, Fire Blast

Electabuzz (male): Rash Nature, Static Ability, moves: Thunder, Mega Kick, Thunder Punch, Shock Wave

Questions for the Chapter:

What did you think of the outing on Mt. Chimney?

What did you think of Magma's return?

What is Team Magma's secret weapon?