Pokemon - To Catch Them All - Exploring Mauville City

Story by soni050 on SoFurry

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#40 of Pokemon - To Catch Them All

Leo explores the surrounding area of Mauville City and then challenges Wattson the Gym leader


I headed North and entered Mauville City and was surprised at how large the city was and how many people were out and about working and shopping too. I knew there was a gym here in Mauville and the leader was Wattson and he specialised in Electric Type Pokemon and I thought I might need some extra training before I decide to challenge Wattson. The first step was entering the Pokemon Centre and having my team fully healed and then buying some Pokeballs to ensure I had enough to catch whatever was coming up. To ensure I was strong enough for the gym challenge I headed West and arrived at Route 117 and Rotom informed me that there were several new Pokemon that I could catch here and they were, Illumise, Volbeat and Roselia.

So, I decided to look for each of them and quickly found the first Pokemon being Roselia a Grass and Poison Type. "I need your help Combusken!" Combusken appeared staring down the smaller Roselia understanding what he needed to do. "Use Flame Charge!" Combusken charged towards Roselia surrounded by fire. Roselia attempted to counter by using Stun Spore but the flames that surrounded Combusken burned away the Stun Spore which then managed to score a direct hit against Roselia. Roselia stumbled and struggled to stand back up after taking such a powerful attack. "Pokeball go!" I threw a Pokeball at the stunned Roselia and watched as the ball shook once, twice, three times before the capture was confirmed. "Roselia has been registered to your Pokedex. Roselia the Thorn Pokemon a Grass and Poison Type. The beautiful flowers on its arms have toxic thorns. Don't even think about picking those flowers."

After catching Roselia I released him and healed him up, since he had been badly hit by such a powerful Fire attack. Roselia was grateful towards his new trainer for healing him and began understanding that perhaps this trainer would be a kind and powerful one. Roselia showed himself to be a surprisingly strong Pokemon as he relied on paralysing or poisoning his opponents to give himself an advantage. Roselia decided he would show his trainer his impressive skills in battle by challenging one of the Pokemon I was searching for, an Illumise.

"Roselia use Stun Spore!" Roselia released Stun Spore which floated towards Illumise who managed to dodge but only just before retaliating with Struggle Bug. "Counter that by using Magical Leaf!" Roselia rapidly fired Magical Leaf which collided against Struggle Bug with no clear winner emerging. Illumise decided to rely upon using her beauty and charm to try and make Roselia refuse to attack her and as such used the move Charm. However, the move lowered Roselia's attack, but since Roselia didn't have any physical attacks, the move didn't weaken Roselia at all.

"Roselia Stun Spore once again!" Roselia once more released Stun Spore and Illumise was to confused as to why and how Roselia was unaffected by her charm. Roselia however, just wasn't interested in Illumise only wanting to show his new master just how capable he was in battle. "Now use Magical Leaf again!" This time since Illumise was paralysed thanks to Stun Spore, Roselia also managed to land a Magical Leaf and even though it wasn't very effective. The attack still seemed to weaken Illumise enough for me to throw a Pokeball. "Pokeball go!" I threw the Pokeball and watched as it shook once. twice, three times before the capture was confirmed. "Illumise has been registered to your Pokedex. Illumise the Firefly Pokemon a Bug Type. With its sweet aroma, it guides Volbeat to draw signs with light in the night sky."

Illumise was healed up and when I mentioned more to myself that the last remaining Pokemon I was searching for was Volbeat, Illumise decided to show her new trainer that she could also be helpful. Illumise then released an aroma, that to humans had no effect but to Volbeat it was irresistable and attracted them in droves. Or it was supposed to, but surprisingly, only one Volbeat appeared. I didn't know why, perhaps the population of Volbeat here were lower than usual. Perhaps it was somehow related to the climate or weather, but still one Volbeat was what I needed.

Illumise had done her part in attracting a Volbeat and I thanked her extensively and she seemed humbled by the praise before I decided to bring out someone else to battle the lovestruck Volbeat. "Come out Ninjask!" Ninjask appeared darting back and forth with incredible speed which seemed to snap Volbeat out of his lovesick trance and he realised he was battling a trainer. Volbeat attacked with Struggle Bug but without needing to command Ninjask he dodged effortlessly surprising Volbeat who tried again and again to land Struggle Bug. I almost believed that Ninjask was simply playing with Volbeat but Volbeat seemed to find the whole battle rather frustrating judging from his facial expression.

"Ninjask use Aerial Ace!" With lightning speed Ninjask flew right towards Volbeat who attempted to counter with Struggle Bug once more but Ninjask struck first landing the super effective Aerial Ace and that decided the battle speedily. "Pokeball go!" I threw the Pokeball at the stunned Volbeat and watched as the ball shook once, twice, three times before the capture was confirmed. "Volbeat has been registered to your Pokedex. Volbeat the Firefly Pokemon a Bug Type. It communicates with others by lighting up its rear at night. It loves Illumise's sweet aroma."

I healed up Volbeat and apologised for using Illumise's aroma as a way of attracting him to battle me but Volbeat shrugged the apology off, he seemed to be happy at having been caught. While bonding with the new Pokemon I did some research on Illumise and Volbeat and was surprised to learn that they shared the same species of Pokemon that being the Firefly Pokemon and while they did look similar I had wondered why they did look so similar. After bonding for a little longer I continued on the route and was challenged by Teammates who sent out a Zigzagoon and I sent out my new Roselia. Roselia first paralysed the Zigzagoon slowing the Pokemon down before unleashing Magical Leaf defeating Zigzagoon before it could retaliate. The second Pokemon sent out was a Makuhita and I substituted for my Shedinja. Makuhita had no moves which could hurt Shedinja thanks to its ability and as such Shedinja finished the battle with a Aerial Ace, just not as fast as its counterpart Ninjask did.

A Triathlete then challenged me with a Doduo and I sent out my Electrike and had him use Spark which was super effective and defeated Doduo. The next trainer was a Breeder who challenged me with Wingull and I sent out my Electrike once again and used Spark defeating Wingull. The second Pokemon sent out was a Shroomish and I substituted for my Gulpin who used Acid Spray which defeated Shroomish. Next up was a Azurill and Gulpin used another Acid Spray defeating the part Fairy Type. Next up was a Budew the pre evolved form of Roselia, that was commonly found in the Sinnoh Region. I substituted Gulpin and instead sent out my Vigoroth, who quickly defeated Budew with a powerful Slash attack. Skitty was up next and I substituted for my Makuhita who used Arm Thrust defeating Skitty. The final Pokemon sent out was a Goldeen and I substituted once more for my Plusle who used Spark to defeat Goldeen.

I was then challenged by a Bug Catcher who sent out a Nincada and I sent out my Marshtomp who used Water Pulse defeating Nincada. The second Pokemon sent out was a Dustox and I substituted for my Combusken who finished Dustox off with a Flame Charge. The final Pokemon was a Beautifly who was also defeated by another speedy Flame Charge. The final opponent I faced off against was another Breeder who started out with a Whismur and I sent out my Grovyle having him use Leaf Blade to quickly defeat Whismur. The next Pokemon was a Zigzagoon and I substituted for my older Kirlia who quickly used Confusion defeating Zigzagoon. Next up was a Aron and I substituted for my Makuhita who used Arm Thrust defeating Aron. Next was a Poochyena and I substituted for my Nuzleaf who used Razor Leaf defeating Poochyena. Next was a Taillow and I substituted for my Minun who used Spark defeating Taillow before the final Pokemon sent out was a Makuhita and I substituted for the younger Kirlia who defeated Makuhita with a single Draining Kiss.

After defeating the trainers and their multitude of Pokemon I decided to continue on the route and eventually reached Verdanturf Town a town which compared to Mauville City was rather small and quiet and very underpopulated compared to Mauville City. However, that felt like a nice change, going from the bustling city to a quiet and slower paced town. As I explored Verdantuf Town I noticed there wasn't all that much here, I noticed that there was a Contest Hall here but at the moment it seemed there were no contests being held at the moment. Really the only thing I could do here, was go back and explore Rusturf Tunnel which connected to Rustboro City. I decided to explore Rusturf Tunnel once again and was happy to be challenged by a Hiker who sent out a Geodude and I sent out my Lombre who used Bubble Beam which was super effective against Geodude. The second Pokemon sent out was a Machop and I substituted for my Swellow who used Aerial Ace defeating Machop. After that I returned back to Verdanturf and healed up my Pokemon before I decided to return back to Mauville City.

On the way back I did do some extra training with the newer team members who were rapidly catching up with my more experienced and stronger team members. Now Roselia, Volbeat and Illumise were so strong it was hard to recognise that they were indeed my newest team members. As I went back through Mauville City I was surprised when I noticed I had walked right past the cycle shop but for the moment I didn't really need a bike and it would be difficult to travel around with a bike in future areas as well. But I would keep this in mind in case I ended up needing the bike for any future areas.

Next on my list of areas to explore before challenging the gym I headed East and arrived at Route 118 and there wasn't much I could do here since the main area of the route was separated by the ocean and I decided to wait on exploring the other side of the ocean. However, there were some trainers who wanted to challenge me to some battles. First was an Aroma Lady who sent out a Oddish and I sent out my Dustox having him use Gust which defeated Oddish. The second Pokemon sent out was a Roselia so I substituted for my Masquerain who defeated Roselia with a powerful Air Cutter. Continuing on a Guitarist challenged me with a Magnemite and I sent out my Marshtomp and won by using Mud Bomb which was super effective. The second Pokemon sent out was a Whismur and I substituted for my Loudred who overwhelmed its pre evolved form by using Stomp.

The final opponent was a Fisherman who sent out a Carvanha and I sent out my Grovyle having him use Mega Drain to avoid making physical contact and getting hurt by Carvanha's special ability being Rough Skin. Mega Drain was strong enough to defeat Carvanha and protected Grovyle as well, something he was thankful for. After all the battles I'd done I fully believed that I was now strong enough to challenge Wattson to a battle, though I fully expected the battle to be challenging.

I returned back to Mauville City and had my Pokemon fully healed and while they were being healed I did some research on what Pokemon Wattson used in his gym battles. Wattson used Magnemite, Magneton and a Voltorb. Magnemite and Magneton were Electric and Steel Types and therefore gained a extreme weakness to Ground Types but were also weak to Fire Types and Fighting Types too. Meanwhile, Voltorb was only weak to Ground Types.

That meant out of my Pokemon that I had caught so far, the Pokemon that were best suited to battling these Pokemon were, Combusken, Marshtomp, Breloom and Makuhita. I'd narrowed my choices down and decided that I would use Combusken for his powerful Fire Type moves, Marshtomp for his immunity to Electric attacks. Finally, using Makuhita since he was showing signs that he would evolve very soon and that evolution could be what I need to ensure I win against Wattson.

At that I grabbed the three Pokeballs that contained my chosen partners and entered the Mauville Gym. I could immediately tell that the gym was an Electric one simply because of the design of the gym. Electricity swirled everywhere and electric Pokemon enjoyed the electricity too. Progressing through the gym I came across who I believed was Wattson. "Excuse me I'm here for a gym battle." At that Wattson turned around and grinned happily at the prospect of a battle.

"Excellent, I'm happy to have a battle against a young'un such as yourself." At that we headed towards the battlefield where a referee announced the rules for us. "This will be a gym battle between Wattson the gym leader and Leo the challenger. This will be a three on three battle and whoever manages to defeat their opponents Pokemon will be declared the winner. Incidentally, the challenger may only substitute their Pokemon. Trainers please send out your first Pokemon!"

At that Wattson began "Magnemite come on out!" Magnemite appeared floating around and studied its opponent. "I need your help Combusken!" Combusken appeared and rapidly began punching and kicking in the air showing his enthusiasm and confidence for a gym battle. "Lets do our best Combusken!" Combusken turned towards me and nodded in agreement. "Battle start!" The referee declared and Wattson started the battle off.

"Magnemite Thunder Wave!" Magnemite charged up an electrical wave that it fired off at Combusken. "Jump over that and use Double Kick Combusken!" Combusken jumped over Thunder Wave and before Wattson could even retaliate Combusken managed to land a harsh kick against Magnemite, ending the battle with a single move. The referee raised one flag and announced the result. "Magnemite is unable to battle Combusken is the winner."

At that Wattson returned his Magnemite and smiled thanking his Magnemite for battling against such a disadvantage. "Well that was some Double Kick! You've definitely trained that Combusken exceptionally well." Wattson congratulated Combusken and me on such a strong bond. Combusken agreed punching and kicking the air to get warmed up once more.

"Well here comes Voltorb!" Voltorb appeared and rolled through the field at fast speeds. Combusken might be at a disadvantage against such a fast opponent. "Combusken Flame Charge!" Combusken charged towards Voltorb surrounded by flames but Voltorb simply rolled out of the way. "Good work Voltorb now use Spark!" Voltorb rolled on towards Combusken and managed to land a Spark before I could even counter or command a dodge.

"Combusken are you alright?" Combusken tried to turn towards me and raise his thumb up but suddenly began sparking signalling he had been paralysed and that meant he would be slower and may not even be able to move. Electric Pokemon sure were fast and tricky to deal with. "Return for now Combusken. Take a nice long break."

"My next Pokemon is you come out Marshtomp!" Marshtomp appeared and Wattson was intrigued. "Using a Ground Type which are immune to Electric Types is a smart move. Don't think that it will be easy though." I nodded in agreement and Marshtomp readied himself for a battle. "Marshtomp use Mud Shot!" Marshtomp threw mud in the direction of Voltorb which was intended to do damage and slow down Voltorb to make the battle easier for us but Voltorb was much to fast and dodged once again.

"Voltorb use Screech!" Voltorb suddenly stopped and unleashed a powerful shockwave which made Marshtomp cover his ears pained. Even I needed to cover mine too. "Marshtomp try and use Mud Bomb!" Marshtomp barely managed to hear me and unleashed Mud Bomb which forced Voltorb to stop and dodge the attacks as best as it could. "Voltorb use Rollout!" Voltorb rolled towards Marshtomp which provided me with a chance to end the battle as quickly as I could.

Just as Voltorb neared Marshtomp I made my move, "use Protect!" A transparent shield surrounded Marshtomp and Voltorb rain straight into the shield and bounced right off. Now stunned Voltorb was at a disadvantage. "Marshtomp now use Mud Bomb while Voltorb is stunned." Marshtomp took advantage and threw Mud Bomb right at Voltorb who couldn't avoid and was hit by the super effective move. When the smoke cleared the verdict was announced.

"Voltorb is unable to battle, Marshtomp is the winner!" Marshtomp briefly cheered at his victory before remembering there was still one more Pokemon he needed to defeat in order for his trainer to claim the win. Wattson returned his Voltorb congratulating it on a job well done. "Your quite the trainer aren't you. Well here's my last Pokemon come out Magneton!" Magneton appeared and looked much stronger than Magnemite.

"Marshtomp take a break for now I might need you for later." Marshtomp nodded and was recalled into his Pokeball. "Next up is you Makuhita!" Makuhita appeared battle ready as he glared down Magneton who floated observing Makuhita carefully. "Magneton use Magnet Bomb!" Magneton threw forward several Magnet Bombs at Makuhita who prepared himself to dodge or counter. "Makuhita counter those by using Force Palm then close in and use another Force Palm."

Makuhita followed the instructions perfectly and rapidly used Force Palm shattering each Magnet Bomb that came his way. Inch by inch Makuhita was getting closer to Magneton but Wattson wasn't going to stand by and let Magneton get hit by a super effective attack. "Magneton stop Makuhita use Screech!" Magneton unleashed a powerful and much stronger Screech than Voltorb had used.

"Makuhita keep going, I know you can do it." Makuhita heard my plea and pushed forward managing to ignore the Screech. Just as he got close to striking Magneton, Makuhita began glowing signalling he had reached his evolution. When the glow faded Makuhita had been replaced by a much larger and taller Hariyama who smirked confidently towards Magneton. Rotom registered the new entry to my Pokedex as I happily stared at Hariyama.

"Hariyama has been registered to your Pokedex. Hariyama the Arm Thrust Pokemon a Fighting Type. Hariyama's thick body may appear fat, but it is actually a hunk of solid muscle. If this Pokemon bears down and tightens all its muscles, its body becomes hard as a rock." Hariyama then gestured for me to continue the battle as he was confident he could now win easily. "Hariyama finish it by using Vital Throw!"

Hariyama jumped upwards with surprising speed for a Pokemon of that size and grabbed the equally surprised Magneton before hurtling the Steel Type down into the ground. When the smoke cleared and Hariyama landed with a heavy thud the referee announced the verdict. "Magneton is unable to battle, Hariyama is the winner and as such the victor of this gym battle is Leo from Viridian City!"

At that I happily ran towards Hariyama who ran towards me too. Eventually we embraced one another and Hariyama easily picked me up and twirled me around as he hugged me surprised at his new strength which allowed him to easily carry his trainer around as if he weighed nothing. Eventually Hariyama released me and we both approached Wattson who returned his Magneton and happily congratulated me.

"That was a very good battle, it's been a long time since I've seen a Pokemon evolve in a battle too. Your Pokemon must trust and love you to be able to battle with such vigour and determination. Since you've won this is your reward the Dynamo Badge." I happily accepted the badge and thanked Wattson before leaving and returning to the Pokemon centre to have my hard working Pokemon healed.

Once they were healed I released Combusken, Marshtomp and Hariyama and Combusken and Marshtomp were surprised to see Hariyama but congratulated him on evolving and finishing the battle. "Thanks to you all, you all performed brilliantly and I couldn't be happier." The three Pokemon cheered and I returned them all before continuing on my journey leaving Mauville City and heading North.