Mount Chimney

The quiet cable car ride up to the top didn’t prepare me for what I’m seeing. So many poochyenas fighting each other under the command of dozens of magma cultists and aqua crew. Biting, scratching, kicking up dirt at eachother, and the pokemon are exchanging blows too!

I quickly run past as many of the combatants as I can without getting noticed but I bump into Archie holding off three magma goons at once.

This guy’s tough, Bill!

Just keep him occupied, Ben. The boss wants that thing awake! You hear me Bob?

I hear you, Bill. Oh! Poochyena, bite!

Yarr! Not even 300 o’ ye scallywags’ll ever beat me!

Archie spots me, waves me over to the other side and points to a machine placed at the lip of the volcano with large pipes feeding into the lava pool below. I see a man in red standing next to the machine.

I dart past and make a run for the machine, two more goons stand in my way.

I remember you from before! Hey Jen, let’s teach this guy a lesson!

I’m with you, Jim!

It doesn’t take long for the Colonel and Frank to deal with Jen and Jim’s pokemon. Before I can move on, Frank refuses to return to his pokeball. He takes a look at all the poochyena being pushed beyond their limits, turns to Jim and snarls at him.

- Frank return!

Call off your pokemon! I surrender! Call it off!

Frank slowly walks to Jim, baring his teeth.

- Frank, stop! We’ve got bigger fish to fry!

Please! Stop!

Make it stop!

Frank jumps onto Jim and bites him on the arm and won’t let go.

Aargh! I’m sorry, please!

- Frank! I’m ordering you to stop, now!

Frank refuses to listen and flings Jim overhead. He clears the lip of the volcano and his screams are cut off as soon as he hits the lava…

Toasty!

JIM!!

- I.. I’m sorry..

Frank growls at Jen.

Eek! Tabitha! Heeelp!

I manage to get Frank back into his pokeball just as another magma goon rushes up to us.

What’s going on? Where’s Jim?

Tabitha! He killed Jim!

- I…

That’s just not nice! Oh I’m super mad now!

I couldn’t talk him out of battling, I still make quick work of him without using Frank.

You’re such a bad boy. I’ll let you off just this once but I’m sure the boss will deal with you, cutie.

I rush past them to find the man who I presume is the boss of the magma cult standing by the machine, a chunk of meteorite plugged into the console.

I knew someone would come to stop me, I was expecting Team Aqua but you’re not wearing their colours. I am Maxie, who are you?

- I’m Caldar and I can’t let you set off this volcano!

You don’t even know why I’m doing this?

- You plan to use the volcano to make more land, right?

Exactly! Think about it. The world population is ever growing. Soon there won’t be enough space for anyone, not even pokemon!

Maxie continues to pontificate, talking about making more homes for the people of the future and people today making sacrifices blah blah blah. I take the opportunity to have LoafLoaf sneak behind him and snatch the meteorite from the machine and throw it to me.

I catch the meteorite in my left hand, it’s heavier than I thought it’s would be. I wonder if Steven would like to see it…

- So you plan to use this to make all that happen?

Why yes! It’s quite simple really. The machine here will channel the– hey wait a minute! Give that back!

Come get it, bitch!

Maxie battles me but LoafLoaf bubblebeams down all of his pokemon without much trouble.

Fine! You win this time. There’s more then one way to wake it up. Team Magma withdraws!

Maxie and the rest of the magma cult leave and the aqua crew chase them.

- Hm.. why did I want to come up here in the first place?

It’s the way to Lavaridge Town.

- Oh right!

Jagged Pass

There are certainly quite a few jagged rocks around here. I hop down dome ledges until I find a patch of grass. I figure this would be a good chance to recruit. A spoink! Pokeball go!

Spoink: This little guy has a spring for a tail? Well, it certainly likes to hop around.

- Welcome to the bench, Truffle!

Truffle ♂ Lv.20

Lavaridge Town

I barely set foot into town when an old lady steps out in front of me.

You! It’s you!

- Excuse me?

Yes you! I had a vision of this very moment!

- Um…

I’m supposed to give you this, it’s from an old friend.

She pushes a pokemon egg into my hands.

Another egg?

- Thanks?

The old lady shuffles away. I make my way to the pokemon center, after the team is healed I place Frank into the box. He’s just too unpredictable.

I waste no time in going to the gym next, it seems the sign naming the gym leader has been taken down. Inside it’s very hot and humid, there’s steam everywhere.

- It’s like a sauna in here!

It is a sauna!

I find the main arena and the gym leader leaning against a wall.

Oh! Hello, I’m Flannery the gym leader here.

- I’m Caldar and I’m here to challenge you for the badge.

Oh right! Um.. how does it go…

You have no chance at defeating me, puny trainer… I… um… the badge and… something…

- You’re new to this, aren’t you?

Of course not! How dare you suggest such a thing!

- I have 3 badges from Hoenn already.

Oh… I was supposed to ask that… so I use box 3 then?

- I guess so?

Right, Go Numel!

- LoafLoaf go!

- Bubblebeam!

Take down!

LoafLoaf sprays a beam of glowing blue bubbles that knock numel into a wall. Numel is knocked out cold.

Aw no, water types? No fair! Go Slugma!

- Bubblebeam!

Sunny day!

LoafLoaf sprays another beam and knocks slugma into the wall right next to numel, knocking slugma out too.

Camerupt!

- Bubblebeam!

Tackle!

LoafLoaf fires yet another beam, it pushes camerupt back slowly and gradually. Camerupt slumps to the floor and doesn’t get back up.

Well this is no fun, go Torkoal!

- Rollout!

Sunny day!

LoafLoaf curls into a ball, starts rolling at torkoal and bounces off. Torkoal spits a large fireball into the air, the fireball hovers high above the arena. The steam around us vanishes and the whole arena is lit up with bright light.

Attract!

LoafLoaf builds up some speed continues to roll around the arena and slams into torkoal. Torkoal puts on the greatest act I’ve ever seen and flirts with LoafLoaf.

Body slam!

LoafLoaf pauses and refuses to attack. Torkoal rears onto it’s hind legs and then drops itself onto LoafLoaf.

Before LoafLoaf goofs off again I decide to withdraw him.

- LoafLoaf come back! Go Glint!

Body slam!

Torkoal rears up on it’s hind legs again and then drops itself on Glint, but it just passes right through him with no effect.

- Leer!

Overheat!

Glint attempts to put torkoal off it’s game with a disturbing look but the white smoke that torkoal exhumes blocks his line of sight. Torkoal’s shell glows from within, black smoke billows from it and then it blasts Glint with huge and intense flames. Once the smoke clears there’s no sign of Glint besides a scorched emerald on the floor. Looking a little weakened from the effort, torkoal eats a white herb it had stashed and now looks better than ever.

- Glint…

Maybe it’s the intense heat in here but I’m starting to feel drained, I’ve got to keep going.

- Go LoafLoaf!

- Rollout!

Body slam!

LoafLoaf curls back into a ball and rolls at torkoal, bouncing off it’s shell. Torkoal rears up on it’s hind legs again and waits for LoafLoaf to roll by and drops downto him.

Body slam!

LoafLoaf builds up more speed and rolls directly into torkoal’s face. Torkoal is flipped backwards and lands upside down on it’s shell, the white smoke stops being exhumed from it’s shell.

Aw… my first battle as gym leader and I lose?!

- Well… sorry about that?

I said I’d make my grandfather proud.. I’ve failed…

- Don’t say that, you’re not here to crush every trainer who walks in here. You’re here to teach us, prepare us, and test us. The battle for the badge is the final test you administer, defeating you means we’ve passed the test which means you did a good job!

You’re right! That makes me feel a lot better, thank you!

- Great, now just the matter of the…

Hm?

- The badge?

Oh! Of course.. I… um… award you the Heat Badge!