Passing through the final stretch of Route 117, the pastoral scenery abruptly gave way to steel, glass, and neon. Mauville City. It was the heart of Hoenn, a sprawling metropolis where the air hummed with static electricity generated by the massive underground power plant, New Mauville.
My goal was clear. I adjusted my backpack and marched straight toward the northern district, where a building resembling a high-tech power station stood. A giant yellow lightning bolt insignia marked the door.
The Mauville Gym.
"Alright team," I whispered, touching the Poké Balls on my belt. "Stay sharp. I've heard this Gym Leader is... eccentric."
I pushed open the automatic sliding doors. Instead of a lobby with a receptionist, I stepped into a dark, metallic corridor.
Suddenly, a spotlight slammed on.
ROOAARRR!
Standing right in front of me, eyes glowing red and electricity crackling around its mane, was a Raikou—the Legendary Beast of Thunder.
My heart hammered against my ribs. "A Raikou?! Here?!"
I instinctively reached for a Poké Ball, stepping back. But then, I paused. My analytical side kicked in. Why would a legendary Pokémon be guarding a door? And why was the electricity crackling in such a repetitive pattern?
I narrowed my eyes. "Sableye, check it."
"Sab?" Sableye popped out, unfazed. It walked up to the roaring beast and tapped its nose.
Clank.
It sounded like a hollow tin can.
"WAHAHAHAHA!"
A booming, jovial laugh echoed through the corridor. The 'Raikou' suddenly stopped roaring, its mouth falling open on a hinge to reveal a speaker system. A hidden panel in the wall slid open, and a short, stout old man with a white mustache and a bomber jacket walked out. He was wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. Behind him trailed a younger man in a lab coat, looking slightly apologetic.
"Oh, that never gets old!" the older man bellowed, slapping his knee. "You should have seen your face, youngster! 'A Raikou? Here?!' Wahahaha!"
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Gym Leader Wattson, I presume?"
"That's me!" Wattson grinned, his mustache twitching. "Welcome to the Mauville Gym! I like to test my challengers' hearts before I test their Pokémon. If you can't handle a little shock, you can't handle my voltage!"
Sableye, who was usually the one doing the scaring, looked at Wattson with wide, sparkling eyes. It ran up to the mechanical Raikou, inspecting the gears, and then looked at Wattson with pure admiration.
"Sab! Sab!" Sableye chattered, pointing at the machine.
"Oho? You like my little toy?" Wattson leaned down. "It's a prototype! But come, the battlefield awaits! Watt, send him through!"
The young assistant, Watt, nodded politely to me. "Please brace yourself," he warned with a faint smile.
He pressed a big red button. The floor beneath me lurched—it was a conveyor belt. It zipped me through a tunnel of flashing strobe lights and Tesla coils before depositing me onto a steel platform on the other side.
The battlefield was industrial, with conductive metal plates for flooring and giant dynamos humming in the background.
Wattson stood on the opposite platform, looking completely at home amidst the machinery. "I am Wattson! I've been working with electricity since before you were born. Now, let's make this official!"
Watt walked onto the sidelines, holding a set of red and green flags. He adjusted his glasses and took a professional stance, acting as the bridge between Wattson's chaos and the League's order.
"Welcome to the Mauville Gym," Watt announced, his voice projecting clearly over the hum of the generators. "I am Watt, the Gym Assistant. I will be serving as the official referee for this match."
He raised the flags.
"This is an official Gym Battle between the Gym Leader Wattson and the Challenger Stephen."
"The battle will be a three-on-three match."
"Only the Challenger is permitted to substitute Pokémon during the battle."
"The match concludes when all three Pokémon on either side are unable to battle."
Watt looked at his mentor. "Leader Wattson, are you ready?"
"Born ready! Wahahaha!" Wattson grabbed a Poké Ball. "Let's start the show! Go, Voltorb!"
The ball sphere Pokémon materialized, sparking with energy.
Watt turned to me. "Challenger?"
"Sableye, you're up!" I commanded. My ghost appeared, grinning at the new opponent.
Watt raised both flags. "Battle... BEGIN!"
"Let's start with a bang!" Wattson shouted. "Voltorb, use Sonic Boom!"
The ball Pokémon spun rapidly, firing a visible shockwave of compressed air directly at Sableye. Sonic Boom deals fixed damage—usually enough to knock out weaker Pokémon early.
I didn't move. "Sableye, stand your ground. Taunt it."
"Sab!" Sableye stuck out its tongue.
The Sonic Boom slammed into Sableye... and passed right through it like a breeze. The Ghost-typing rendered Sableye completely immune to Normal-type attacks.
"Oho?" Wattson blinked, then slapped his knee. "I forgot! That little imp is a Ghost type! Sonic Boom is useless! You did your homework, youngster!"
"I studied your roster," I said calmly. "Voltorb relies on Normal-type moves like Sonic Boom and Self-Destruct. Against a Ghost, half your moveset is gone."
"Sharp! Very sharp!" Wattson grinned. "But electricity hits everything! Voltorb, Shock Wave!"
Voltorb began to glow with blue electricity. Shock Wave locks onto the target—it never misses.
"Sableye, Confuse Ray! Use your speed!"
This was the power of the Prankster ability. Even though Voltorb was naturally faster, Sableye's status move took priority. Before Voltorb could release the electricity, Sableye's gemstone eyes flashed with a chaotic, multi-colored light.
The beam struck Voltorb instantly.
"Voltorb!" Watt shouted from the sidelines, leaning forward.
The Voltorb stopped its charge. The blue electricity sputtered. It began to roll erratically, wobbling left and right, its eyes spinning in circles. It slammed into the ground, discharging the electricity into itself.
"Voltorb is confused!" Watt announced, raising the flag for emphasis. "It hurt itself in its confusion!"
"Now, Night Shade!"
Sableye didn't hesitate. It projected a black, ghostly silhouette of itself that stretched across the field, slamming into the dazed Voltorb. The fixed damage rattled the metal ball.
"Voltorb, snap out of it! Use Spark!" Wattson commanded.
Voltorb shook its body, trying to focus. It managed to gather a yellow aura and rolled forward, picking up speed.
"Sableye, Detect."
Sableye's eyes glowed faintly. It stood perfectly still until the last fraction of a second, then side-stepped with supernatural fluidity. Voltorb zoomed past, crashing into the metal wall behind us.
"Finish it! Night Shade!"
Sableye fired another blast of ghostly energy into the reeling Voltorb.
Voltorb spun to a halt, smoke rising from its surface. Its eyes were swirled.
Watt raised the green flag toward me. "Voltorb is unable to battle! Sableye wins!"
Wattson recalled his Pokémon, laughing even harder than before. "Wahahaha! Outstanding! You turned its own speed against it! No cheap shots, just pure tactical disruption!"
He grabbed his second ball, the air growing heavy with static.
"But the real shock comes now! This next one has no confusion to exploit!"
He threw the ball high.
"Go! Magneton!"