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[Pokemon] Chapter 38: VS Spinel
🕑 Added 2024-08-26 19:14:32 +0000 UTCAfter finishing their picnic and returning to the Brave Olivine, Jin and the others were about to start preparing for their journey to the Galar region again, but another problem had arisen.
"Haven’t the systems rebooted yet?"
Friede, upon returning from the picnic, checked the control room to see if the system was rebooting. However, the reboot hadn’t progressed at all since before they left, and on top of that, the system itself seemed to have gone down.
"Dot's looking into it now, so everyone, please wait until she finishes."
They couldn't ensure a safe flight in this state. With Dot in charge of investigating the system, the other members were free to do as they pleased.
“... What should I do?”
"Jin... can I go check on Dot?"
Liko, who had grown closer to Dot during the picnic, was now worried about how she was doing and couldn’t seem to relax.
(Their bond is really starting to deepen. It’s only a matter of time before Dot reveals her identity…)
Jin didn’t want to miss that moment at any cost. He was eager to see Dot’s embarrassed expression when she finally revealed her identity to Liko, and Liko’s shocked reaction when she found out that the person she had been talking to all this time was her idol, Nidothing.
"Of course. You don’t need my permission to visit a friend."
"A f-friend... Right! I'll go now!"
Friede, who was also concerned about Dot, and Murdock, who wanted to check the progress, headed to Dot's room together with Liko. Jin thought about joining them but realized there was nothing he could do to help. Plus, Dot had been slightly wary of him since the silhouette quiz earlier, so he decided it was best not to interfere.
"...Maybe I should go check on Roy."
Roy hadn’t returned to the ship yet. He seemed concerned about the Flying-type Pokémon Wattrel, who had stolen a sandwich during the picnic, and had gone to check on it before they left but hadn’t come back since.
"Rotom Phone... Still out of range, huh?"
Jin tried activating his Rotom Phone, but just like when they were in Arboliva's Forest, it was out of range again. There was no way to contact Roy like this.
"Guess I’ll have to find him myself."
Jin left the meeting room, moved to the deck, and released his Salamence from its Poké Ball. He was sure Roy was somewhere near the beach where they had their picnic, but walking there would take some time, so he decided to search from the sky.
“Salamence! Salal!”
"Hm? What is it?"
As soon as Salamence came out of the ball, it looked up at the sky and seemed to be trying to tell Jin something. When Jin followed Salamence’s gaze, he saw a total of seven Magneton floating above them.
"Magneton... No way! Salamence, use 'Flamethrower'!"
"Salalaaaa!"
Salamence unleashed a blast of fire from its mouth, hitting the Magneton. Struck by the attack, the Magneton scattered and fled.
"...It's back."
Jin checked his Rotom Phone again and saw that the signal had returned. Given the situation, there was no doubt that the Magneton had gathered and created a magnetic storm.
The last time Jin and the others were in Arboliva's Forest, a similar communications issue had occurred due to Magneton. This time too, it was clear that the Magneton had caused the Rotom Phone to lose signal, and it was likely that they were also behind the system malfunction on the ship.
However, the biggest problem lies elsewhere. The question is whether all these incidents are mere coincidences.
Magnemite and Magneton have a tendency to be drawn to electromagnetic waves. Given that Hakkou City, one of the most urbanized areas in the Paldea region, is nearby, it's not surprising that Magnemite and Magneton might inhabit the area. Thus, it’s not entirely impossible that the ship was just unlucky enough to be affected.
(But this seems too perfect to be a coincidence…)
As the Magneton scattered and fled, one of them was lagging behind. It was still within a range where Jin could pursue it.
(Is it trying to lead me somewhere...?)
That Magneton should have easily escaped by now, yet it remained in a place where Jin could still see it. Even now, as it started moving away, it seemed to be maintaining a slow pace, just barely keeping within tracking distance.
“...I’ll follow it.”
Jin knew full well it could be a trap. But if there really was someone going to such lengths to harass them, the only way to gather information was to take the risk and follow. With that thought, Jin mounted Salamence and began tracking the Magneton.
(That direction leads to Hakkou City... Could this really just be a coincidence...? No, I can’t afford to make assumptions. Better play it safe…)
Jin activated his Rotom Phone and contacted Friede.
“Jin, what’s up?”
"Friede, is Liko nearby?"
“Liko went shopping with Murdock. Why, what’s going on? Oh, and listen to this! Dot’s ecstatic because the communication issue suddenly cleared up, and now the system can finally reboot.”
(Just as I thought...)
The timing was too perfect. The moment the Magneton were driven off, the systems were back online. There was no doubt in Jin's mind now that the Magneton were responsible for the malfunction.
“Friede, here’s the situation…”
Jin explained everything to Friede: the group of Magneton surrounding the ship, how communication was restored once they were driven off, and that he was now tracking one of them.
“That’s... odd.”
“Yeah. And this Magneton I’m following... It doesn’t seem wild.”
At first, Jin had considered the possibility that they were just wild Pokémon. But after observing its behavior throughout the call, it became increasingly clear that this Magneton was trained, possibly by a trainer. If it wasn’t wild, this was undoubtedly an intentional attack.
And there was only one group that Jin could think of that would attack them.
“...Could it be the Explorers?”
“Probably.”
“It’s not Amethio… is it?”
“No way.”
If it were Amethio, he wouldn’t resort to tactics like this. While Amethio might stage an ambush, he’d challenge them to a battle head-on, without resorting to underhanded tricks. Despite being enemies, both Jin and Friede trusted in Amethio’s straightforwardness.
“Which means it’s someone else…”
“Most likely. I’ll keep following them, but Friede, stay close to Liko just in case.”
“...Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“No problem. I’ll manage somehow.”
Even if it turned out to be a trap and Salamence was defeated, Jin could always escape using Gardevoir’s Teleport. In that sense, Jin was the best one for this pursuit.
“Got it. I’ll keep an eye on Liko. Don’t push yourself too hard, alright?”
“Understood.”
With that, Jin ended the call and refocused on following Magneton. By now, they had left the forest where the ship was docked and were flying over Hakkou City, but Magneton showed no sign of stopping.
“...How far are you planning to go?”
As they reached Hakkou City, Magneton began to descend, heading towards a deserted back alley away from the bustling city center. Jin and Salamence both had a bad feeling, but they continued to follow down the narrow alleyway.
(A dead end... Could it be an ambush?)
Jin quickly dismounted Salamence and checked behind them. His instincts were spot-on—floating in the air behind him was a gray Pokémon, the Brain Pokémon, Beheeyem, already preparing for battle.
“Beheeyem, Dark Pulse. Magneton, Zap Cannon.”
Receiving commands from a hidden source, Beheeyem extended its hands forward and fired Dark Pulse. Salamence dodged by taking flight, but now Magneton was aiming its Zap Cannon at Salamence.
“Salamence, Dragon Claw!”
“Psychic.”
Before Salamence could counter with Dragon Claw, a pink aura surrounded it, immobilizing it completely.
“What!?”
As soon as its movement stopped, Magneton fired Zap Cannon at Salamence. Unable to evade or block, Salamence took the hit directly.
(That was Psychic… Their coordination is flawless. Could the trainer be giving remote commands…?)
Jin scanned the area but saw no sign of a trainer. There was only one possible explanation for this situation.
(A remote device... They’re being thorough, I’ll give them that.)
Even if Jin managed to defeat both Pokémon, he wouldn’t be able to capture their trainer. Whoever it was, they were not only well-prepared but also extremely cautious. Jin didn’t like to admit it, but he had to acknowledge that this was a troublesome opponent.
“Magneton, continue firing Zap Cannon.”
Magneton prepared another Zap Cannon aimed at Salamence. If they kept taking hits like this, Salamence would eventually be taken down. Realizing this, Jin quickly pulled out another Poké Ball and tossed it into the air.
“If they’re using two Pokémon, then so will I! Go, Manectric!”
“Manec!”
Manectric burst from the ball and placed itself between Salamence and Magneton, using its body as a shield to absorb the Zap Cannon. Though electricity surged around its body, Manectric took no damage whatsoever.
“Manectric, use Thunderbolt on Beheeyem!”
Manectric turned, generating a powerful surge of electricity from its body, and unleashed it toward Beheeyem. The attack was far stronger than an ordinary Thunderbolt.
"I see... Manectric’s ability, Lightning Rod, not only nullified Zap Cannon but also boosted its special attack."
The enhanced Thunderbolt hit Beheeyem, causing it to lose focus and cancel its Psychic. With that, Salamence regained its freedom. Manectric continued to target Beheeyem while Salamence locked its sights on Magneton.
"Salamence, use Flamethrower! Manectric, hit them with Thunderbolt again!"
"Magneton, Tri Attack! Beheeyem, Psybeam!"
Flamethrower clashed with Tri Attack and Thunderbolt collided with Psybeam, causing the resulting smoke to spread throughout the alley.
(What's their next move? As long as Manectric is here, Magneton can't use electric-type moves. The standard strategy would be to focus on taking down Manectric first, but...)
Manectric's ability Lightning Rod gives it a strong advantage against electric-type opponents. As long as Manectric was around, Magneton wouldn’t be able to fight effectively. Most trainers would prioritize taking out Manectric first.
Jin prepared for an attack on Manectric, but as the smoke cleared, Magneton suddenly fired an Electro Ball at Salamence. With Lightning Rod, it should have been redirected to Manectric, but...
"What!? Salamence, use Dragon Claw!"
The Electro Ball, which should have been drawn to Manectric, was heading straight for Salamence. As Salamence attempted to swat it away with Dragon Claw, the ball suddenly changed trajectory, avoiding the attack and hitting Salamence directly.
(That Electro Ball changed direction...! Could it have been altered with Psychic?)
Jin realized that they had used Psychic to manipulate the path of Electro Ball. This combination, a "Psycho Electro Ball," not only bypassed Manectric's Lightning Rod but also made it much harder to avoid. A highly effective strategy.
It wasn't a technique that could be pulled off by just any pair of Pokémon. The teamwork between Magneton, Beheeyem, and their trainer was impressive—Jin had to admit, under different circumstances, he might have admired their skill.
(Dragon Claw won't work against that attack. Flamethrower and Dragon Breath would be the same... In that case...)
"Magneton, use Electro Ball! Beheeyem, Psychic!"
Magneton fired another Electro Ball, and Beheeyem used Psychic to guide it toward Salamence once more.
"Manectric! Jump onto Salamence!"
Following Jin's command, Manectric leaped into the air and landed on Salamence’s back, holding on tight.
"Salamence, fly!"
Salamence spread its wings and soared up toward the rooftops. The Electro Ball followed closely behind. Once high enough, Salamence came to a halt in mid-air, facing the Electro Ball as it rose toward them.
"Hurricane!"
With a powerful flap of its wings, Salamence created a fierce wind that enveloped the Electro Ball. No matter how much control Psychic had over it, the raw force of Hurricane overpowered the attack.
“What!?”
At the same moment Electro Ball hit the ground, Salamence began a rapid descent, aiming for the still-recovering Beheeyem.
“Dragon Claw!”
Salamence’s forelegs transformed into sharp, powerful claws, and using the momentum from its dive, it delivered a devastating Dragon Claw attack to Beheeyem.
“Manectric!”
At Jin's signal, Manectric, who had been clinging to Salamence's back, leapt off and charged straight for the remaining Magneton.
“Tch... Tri Attack!”
“Use Overheat!”
Manectric unleashed a blazing fire attack far more powerful than Flamethrower. Despite not being a same-type attack, the boosted Overheat, amplified by Lightning Rod, overwhelmed Tri Attack and engulfed Magneton in flames, dealing massive damage.
Both Beheeyem and Magneton collapsed to the ground, clearly unable to continue the battle.
“The battle’s over. How about showing yourself now?”
Jin called out to the unseen trainer, but no response came.
(...No reply, huh. Well, I didn’t expect one.)
While his initial goal had been to confront Magneton’s trainer and gather information, it was clear that this opponent had no intention of appearing directly. Judging by their cautious nature, a face-to-face encounter was unlikely. Jin considered approaching the Pokémon to inspect their communication device, hoping to uncover some information, but as he moved closer, the fallen Beheeyem struggled to its feet.
He prepared for another battle, but instead, Beheeyem moved over to the fallen Magneton and activated Teleport. Both Pokémon vanished from the scene.
“They escaped... Great, this just got a lot more complicated.”
This opponent was clearly of a different breed than Amethio. They had no intention of fighting honorably and would use any means necessary to achieve their goals. In a way, this ruthless approach was exactly what one might expect from an organization of this nature.
(There’s no way this is over...)
Anyone willing to use a large number of Magneton just to slow them down wasn’t finished yet. This had only been a prelude, meant to buy time for a larger plan.
(I can’t just stay on the defensive. I’ll need a strategy of my own...)
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“It's not just his ace, Sceptile. All of his Pokémon are highly trained, experienced, and powerful. As expected, this boy is our greatest obstacle.”
Watching the battle unfold on a screen, Spinel had come to realize that Jin was the biggest threat to their mission. At that moment, with a soft swoosh, the injured Magneton and Beheeyem appeared behind Spinel via Teleport.
“Well done. Return.”
Spinel recalled the battered Magneton and Beheeyem into their Poké Balls.
“Well, no matter... We’ve seen the strength of his Pokémon. I’ll repay this debt... soon enough.”
// END
As much as I enjoy writing scenes with Liko, I have to admit, nothing beats writing battle scenes.
And also, this time, it's a double battle. Hehe~
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