Chapter 243: Electric Gym… Battle? (1) [Bonus]
~Third POV~
[Hoenn Region, Next Day, Route 110]
The next day, the group began to move out, nearing the end of Route 110. They had navigated the winding path, the sun climbing to its zenith, until the landscape opened, revealing a breathtaking vista.
Mauville City, a beacon of modern architecture, lay sprawled before them, a testament to human ingenuity. Sapphire gasped, shielding her eyes with a hand, "Wow! It's even bigger than Slateport!"
She took an eager step forward, her foot landing on a patch of grass that, even to Ruby's less battle-oriented eyes, seemed oddly out of place. It was a perfect, almost too-perfect circle, a shade darker than the surrounding emerald expanse.
Azure called out, a premonition prickling at his senses, "Sapphire, wait!"
But it was too late. The perfectly circular patch of turf vanished beneath her, replaced by an echoing void.
*PLOP*
Sapphire's scream cut short as she plummeted, her arms flailing, Chic squawking in alarm, and Rono letting out a surprised metallic clangor as they followed her down.
Ruby cried, his usual composure shattered, "Sapphire!"
Azure rushed to the edge, peering into the sudden, gaping maw in the earth. A chilling, perpetual darkness greeted him, swallowing the light as he shouted into the abyss., "Sapphire, are you alright?!"
From the depths, her voice, small and distorted, floated up as she yelled, "I… I think so! But I can't see anything! Where did I get to?"
The silence that followed stretched, thick with tension. Then, a scraping sound, a grunt of exertion, and with a sudden, desperate swing, Sapphire launched herself from the unseen depths…
Her body arced through the air, propelled by sheer adrenaline and an impressive display of core strength, before she landed with a jarring thud on her rear, several feet from the pit's edge, as she muttered, rubbing her backside, "Oof! Well, that was… unexpected. But at least that wasn't troubling…"
Azure offered a hand as Sapphire grabbed hold of it. Lifting her, he asked, concerned, "You okay there, Sapphire?"
She nodded her head as she cautiously looked at the hole, and she muttered in confusion, "Yeah… what was that? I couldn't see due to the darkness in there…"
*RTTLK*
*RTTLK*
*RTTLK*
But they stopped as they were approached by a mysterious-looking robot. Ruby muttered, baffled, "Hey! What's going on – "
*FOOM*
The mysterious-looking robot then proceeds to attack them with an array of punches. Pikachu lunged forward, deflecting them with Iron Tail as he muttered, "The heck? Wooden Robots? Pikachu! Iron Tail–"
*Squeek*
*Squeek*
Then, more robots emerge, surrounding the group, alerting them. Azure's eyes narrowed as Sapphire and Ruby recoiled in shock, but he sent his Poke Balls out, ordering, "Gardevoir! Golduck! Psychic, don't hold back!"
*Pop*
Gardevoir and Golduck materialized instantly following Azure's command swiftly. Both their eyes glowed a light blue as psychic energy veiled the robots as they began to be lifted up into the air…
*CRASH*
... Then they all crashed down hard, destroying them instantly from they're attacks. Azure sees the mysterious robot made of wood as he muttered, baffled, "The hell? Who uses wood to make these robots…?"
*DOOMP*
*DOOMP*
But suddenly, a huge robot disguised as a tree uproots from the ground, snatching Sapphire, Ruby, and Azure. Sapphire yelled, "Lemme go! Hey!!"
Ruby flailed around, being caught by the mysterious machine, "The heck?! Who made these atrocities?!"
Azure remained calm but was mildly panicked, flailing around, "Oh, you've got to be kidding me! Sigh… Golduck! Disable! Gardevoir! Telekinesis!"
*SHIII*
The Robot halted in place as Golduck's eyes narrowed at the robot. In the process, Gardevoir used its Telekinesis, grabbing all 3 of them to safety.
*BOOM*
Just as the three were safely on the ground, the robot broke down as joints of its joints broke down. The trio gazed at the machine with a deadpan expression as Ruby broke the silence, muttering, "Who in the heck created this…?"
*BLOOP*
As if answering his question, one of the robot heads popped open to reveal a box. The box soon opened as a robot head spoke out, "We'll be waiting for your next challenge!!"
*RSTL*
That was when Wattson came out of the bushes came out Wattson declaring proudly, "Hahaha! You did it, Tricky!!"
But Wattson didn't come alone as Tricky, a man riding upon wooden robot legs, clapped Wattson's hand in return, replied happily, "Yes, I did, Watty! Even that mischievous Donphan was no match for my gadgets!!"
Wattson began to celebrate their success in capturing Donphan as he declared happily, "We're so 'Gad' to 'Get' you, Donphan… Harharhar – huh?"
It was then that the two finally noticed the trio's deadpan expressions on they're faces along with the remains of the destroyed robot. Ruby asked dryly, looking towards Azure, "Do all your adventures end up with you battling robots?"
Azure dryly replied, having recalled his Gardevoir and Golduck, Ruby's question, "Nope. But there's a first time for everything."
Sapphire, on the other hand, looked a bit angrier as she growled, yelling at the two, "What is it with people thinkin' I'm a Pokémon?! I'm human, damn it!"
*SMASH*
Just as they finished saying their piece, the Donphan appears, and on a rampage, one of Wattson's robots. Wattson first began to apologize, "Ah… I'm sorry, terribly sorry."
Tricky did the same as he began to apologize to Sapphire that they're robots attacked them, explaining themselves, "We were only trying to capture that Donphan over there."
Wattson began to introduce themselves to the trio in a sheepish tone, "I'm Wattson. And this is Tricky. He's famous around here. People call him the 'Trick Master'."
Sapphire sighs as she informs the two of her predicament with the pitfall trap that seemed to grab they're attention, "Argh…! I don't get this town at all… I get attacked by whatzits and before that the ground flips over and I fall into an underground cave or somethin'!!"
Wattson and Tricky exchanged a glance with each other. Wattson scratched his head and asked in a confused tone, "Pitfall trap? No, no, that certainly wasn't ours. We only set the… Ah, the robot tree trap for the Donphan. The pitfall sounds like an entirely different, dare I say, unauthorized mechanism."
Tricky stroked his chin as he began to theorize something as he muttered out loud, "Hmm. A pitfall on Route 110, leading to a dark tunnel…"
Wattson's eyes suddenly lit up, an almost maniacal glint in them as he said excitedly, "Tricky! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?!"
Tricky clapped his hands together, his excitement palpable as he said happily, "By Jove, Wattson, I believe I am! What a shocking development!"
Wattson whirled back to Sapphire, his grin now stretching from ear to ear as he explained excitedly, "My dear girl, you haven't just stumbled into our little Donphan-catching venture. You've accidentally uncovered the entrance to the 'Phantom Underground'!"
The trio blinked as they all said, "What?"
Seeing their genuine confusion, Wattson began to explain further in an excited tone, throwing his arms wide, "New Mauville! The secret, subterranean city of the future! It's been hidden for generations! A technological marvel hidden beneath our very feet! Oh, this is simply electrifying! What a magnificent twist of fate!"
Hearing this, Sapphire couldn't help but ask her question curiously, "What's so special about it…?"
But her question just led to Wattson creating a terrible pun, much to the group's dismay, listening, "Not a clue… It's an underground city, so it's beyond our understanding!! HARHARHAR!!"
*SMASH*
The Donphan continued its rampage in the background, smashing another robot, while the group sighed at Wattson's bad joke. But then Wattson sheepishly says, "So uh… can you lead us to where it is?"
The group sighed as they led the duo to where they first located the entrance. Sapphire is looking for the entrance to the underground that she fell in earlier.
Wattson and Tricky are curious to know where she fell since they have been looking for it for a while. Sapphire slams the exact area on the ground with her fist, and the entrance opens up before them.
*SMASH*
*SPIN*
Revealing the entrance, Sapphire couldn't help but ask curiously, "But what's the story behind this underground city anyway?"
Wattson, listening, began to explain, "Well, it's…"
*FWIP*
*FWIP*
But before he could answer Sapphire's question, he was interrupted by a group of kids who wanted to battle Wattson as they declared, "Wattson!! We challenge you!"
Wattson accepts all their challenges proudly hurling 3 Poke Balls out, "Ah! Here you are!! Okay… come and get it!!"
*Pop*
Wattson sends out Electrike and two of his Magnemite. Wattson grinned as he ordered, "Take this! Thunder Shock!"
*Zzzz*
All three of the Pokémon sent out a jolt of electricity at the six challenger Pokémon. They all lost instantly as Azure noticed calmly, thinking, 'He went easy on them. They all have low-level Pokémon…'
*PZZZTT*
*FWOMP*
Wattson's Electric-types easily defeat the six challengers. One of them mentions that Wattson is a Gym Leader, which shocks Sapphire, "You're too strong, Wattson. No wonder he's a Gym Leader. He can't be beaten that easily."
Sapphire and Ruby exclaimed, "Huh?!"
Sapphire gazed at Wattson in shock as she yelled, "You're a Gym Leader?!"
Wattson confirms with a hearty laugh, "That's right! If you want to beat a Gym Leader, you're going to have to get a lead on me!! Harharhar!!"
Despite the challengers losing, Wattson rewards each of them with a Gym Badge since the attacks their Pokémon performed were very powerful, as he says happily, "But your attacks were pretty good. Here you go. Here are your Dynamo Badges!"
The kids yelled happily upon obtaining they're Gym Badges. But Sapphire yelled, upset seeing this, "Hey!! What D'you think you're doin'?!"
*GRAB*
Sapphire grabbed Wattson by the arm as he said baffled by her actions, "What…? I'm giving them Gym Badges as proof of their participation in a gym battle."
"HURRAY!"
The challengers left happily as they walked away, as Sapphire mutters, "… Gym Battle?! You call that a Gym Battle?!"
Wattson grinned as he rubbed his mustache and beard, proudly declaring, "That's right! I'm the Gym Leader of Mauville City. My motto? 'Challenge me anytime, anywhere!' Anyone may challenge me whenever they want to – and that counts as their Gym Battle!!"
Sapphire was baffled as she tried to argue with her arms flailing, "But… what about winning and losing?"
Wattson replied heartily to Sapphire's question in a joking tone, "By the authority vested in me by the Pokémon Association, I may give out badges as I see fit. Those kids had pizzazz. I don't see anything wrong with giving them badges. If you have the gumption to badger me… I'll be happy to badge you. That's a joke, by the way. Harhar… er…?"
Since Sapphire showed him to the entrance to the underground earlier, he rewards her with the Dynamo Badge as he said casually, "Do you collect badges too…? That's great! Here! You just earned your Dynamo Badge for finding the entrance to the underground city for us!"
*SLAP*
Sapphire rejects the offer by slapping it away as she declared fiercely, "Are you kidding?! I'm going to be a Master Pokémon Trainer!! No way am I gonna accept that badge without a proper battle! You might be okay with it, but I ain't!"
However, Ruby and Azure saw they're eyes were the badge located. Both muttered, seeing where it was going, "This is not going to end well…"
*STAB*
The Badge is revealed to have landed on a Donphan, which ends up angering it. Ruby couldn't help but comment, "You just had to piss it off, did ya, Sapphire…"
Just then, a thunderous snort echoed from a nearby thicket, "DOONPH!!!"
The Dynamo Badge, gleaming innocently, had landed squarely on the forehead of a massive Donphan unaware of the incoming badge. The sudden impact caused the Ground-type Pokémon to stir with an enraged rumble.
*RMBL*
Its eyes snapped open, blazing with fury. With a roar that shook the very ground, the Donphan lunged, a living boulder of pure aggression.
Wattson cried, his cheerfulness momentarily replaced by alarm, "Uh oh!"
The trio scattered, Wattson's rotund frame surprisingly agile enough as he dodged the Donphan's powerful roll. Sapphire and the Trick Master darted away, but the angry Pokémon was relentless.
It charged, aiming its tusks. In a desperate scramble, Wattson tripped, tumbling comically into the open hole. Sapphire, trying to help him, lost her footing and followed, a yelp escaping her lips, "Ehh!"
The Trick Master, seemingly trying to create a distraction, misjudged his footing and plunged into the darkness. Azure and Ruby were too far away to intervene and could only watch in stunned silence as the earth swallowed their companions. Pikachu and Eevee cried out in concern.
/////
A/N: Reach the goal of 100 PS to get a Bonus Chapter!