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Mission Name: Malfunction Under Mauville
Difficulty: 1
Objective: Any Team Aqua member is asked to go to New Mauville and turn off the generator.
Obtainable Pokemon: Voltorb, Magnemite, Electrode (if allowed at your rank), Magneton (if allowed at your rank)
Reward: 500 PD

Notable items: Lucky Egg, held by Honedge, EXP. Share, held by Whirlipede, Amulet Coin, held by Charmeleon

indentRei blinked away the drowsiness from his eyes as he pored over his notes. The sun cheerily shone its way through the small window in the man's unimpressive hotel room, beckoning him outside. With a grunt, the man pulled the blinds, answering the call with a snap of his wrist. Now was not the time for fooling around outdoors. He looked from his diagrams to his TADS, the screen still glowing.

indentA few days ago, Rei received a message from the mayor and Gym Leader from Mauville, Wattson. Every person in politics made one massive mistake during their time in office, it seemed. Wattson's was New Mauville. Rei pushed his notes aside and pulled out a blueprint of the site. It was a noble idea: a city dedicated to building communities that integrated Pokémon homes and human dwellings. Parks that were Pokémon-friendly. Even a central plaza was planned for the area. As Rei scanned the blueprints, he couldn't help but wonder over the possibilities of the place. Situated mostly underground, the city would have been quite the social experiment. The scientist in him sighed; what a good research opportunity wasted by inefficiency. For New Mauville was a mess of a design in Rei's eyes. So much electricity was required to have an entire city underground. An artificial sun was decided upon by whatever idiot designed the place, and the massive generator was not sufficient. Besides that, there was electricity wasted everywhere: air filtration systems, fake stars at night, a river that needed pushing around, all could have been eliminated if the blueprints were for an above-ground city.

indentRei's eyes glanced over the TADS, its screen still illuminated with Wattson's request. He sighed deeply; why was Team Aqua taking the job? New Mauville should have been destroyed the second the architects realized it was financially impossible. Instead, the incomplete work sat underground, its generator dormant, deep beneath the soil of Route 110.

indentExcept the generator was far from dormant. Someone had activated the place and was using the now-unstable machine. For what, Rei didn't have a clue. Was it a hideout for criminals? A cult place of worship? He could only guess. Rolling up the blueprints, he exited the shoddy hotel in Slateport and headed out to Route 110, a sense of foreboding settling in his stomach.

indentThe river seemed more hostile than usual, Rei thought as he walked to the water's edge. The entrance to New Mauville was in the middle of the river, a small entryway that dropped steeply into the ground. As he walked to the door, Rei realized that the lights were flickering on and off at random intervals. The door was locked.

indent"Of course," he muttered to himself. Wattson said in his message that the door was rusted shut, but upon closer inspection, the knob looked shiny and new.

indent"I suppose someone's been making this place their home," he said to his companion over his shoulder, a Zubat. She squeaked in reply; the cavern underground intrigued her, but something was just wrong about it. She gripped onto Rei's clothing more tightly. The little bat couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong with the place.

indentRei pulled out a Poké Ball and sent forth his Honedge.

indent"Muramasa, cut the bolt on this door. I need to get in." The Honedge nodded and glowed blue for a moment. With an air-cutting slash, the living blade sliced through the weak lock like a hot knife through butter. Muramasa laughed, eager to cut the whole door down as a display of strength, but was recalled instead.

indent"I swear, that Honedge is a nut," Rei muttered as he pushed the heavy door open. Light from outside spilled onto the concrete stairs, reflecting off the shiny metal railings. The Aquan took a few cautious steps down, doing his best not to fall. Flourescent lights from above flickered occasionally, giving the whole stairway brief intervals of light. The further Rei went down, the more he was convinced it was a doomsday shelter. The thick steel doors at the end of the stairway only further proved his point.

indent"Perhaps New Mauville was supposed to be something more than a city, Countess," he said to the Zubat. Rei opened the door, and his Zubat flew from his shoulder and took point.

indentTo say that the area was large would be an understatement. The chasm that spread out before Rei was a more fitting home for giants than people. The underground city spread out for miles, each street perfectly perpendicular to each other. The homes looked like a grid more than a cozy suburb, each house a shell of itself. Some lots were empty, save for a few concrete slabs, while others looked complete, save for a roof or a second floor. In the center of town, a gigantic statue of the city's founder, Wattson, stood half-completed, the man's grin rather unsettling on a statue with half a leg and arm missing.

indentRei pulled out the blueprints, the paper's crinkling piercing through the silence. He did not want to stay in the place for long.

indent"I'm surprised we don't make this our base," he commented as he searched for the easiest way to the generator. "All it needs is a better power supply and a few updates in technology, and this place could've become reality." Finding his route, he rolled the blueprints back up and continued walking down the deserted streets.

indentIn the shadows of the homes, numerous pairs of eyes followed the stranger as he walked away.

indent"Should we tell the boss?" one voice asked in a whisper.

indent"No need. The man set off the alarm when he opened the door. She knows someone's here."

indentThe first voice grumbled for all to hear. "Then where is she?"

indentThe hidden creature shrugged in reply. "I dunno, but she'll be upset when she sees the broken door." The unblinking gaze of the third member said nothing and hurried away to the generator.

indentRei's Zubat turned her head to face the stucco homes. Something was there. She knew better than to investigate alone, especially in unfamiliar grounds, so she did the next-best thing: with a squeak, she used her ultrasonic waves to determine the source of the whispering. What came back to her ears confused her. Spheres?

indentRei finally reached the generator room, its lock infinitely more complex than the entrance, with a keypad set into the wall. Rei pulled out a paper-thin screen and placed it against the keypad. His computer turned on with a start, already cracking the twenty-digit combination with relative ease. Rei smiled as the door clicked open.

indent"You're getting better and better every day, computer," he remarked with satisfaction. It seemed that his research was beginning to pay off; the computer was an ongoing project of his. Capable of learning, Rei hoped it would reach full sentience by the end of the year. AI capabilities were not uncommon in this day and age (just look at Porygon), but Rei's algorithms were creations of his own, and he had no intention of creating Pokémon artificially.

indentHe put his computer back in his bag and pushed the door open, poking his head in cautiously. The bright room was in stark contrast to the gloomy exterior structure, the tile glimmering in the bright lights. In the center of the room was a towering piece of machinery, humming away as it gave life to the city. Rei frowned upon seeing the generator.

indent"That's not even close to what the schematics said it would be," he said, suspicious. It seemed to be a replacement for the old generator, which sat in the background, obsolete and unresponsive. Rei walked closer to the generator, turning on the computer connected to it. The machine's screen blinked once and set itself to the main screen. As Rei figured out how the operating system worked, he realized with a start that the generator was far different from what it should have been.

indent"This is... a reactor," he said with a mix of awe and apprehension. Nuclear power was an outdated form of energy, pushed aside for more efficient, Pokémon-powered forms of energy. Rei quickly pulled out his computer once more and set it against the computer in control of the reactor, his computer already copying data and safely shutting down the reactor. Not wanting to be anywhere near the thing, Rei quickly took his belongings and fled the area.

indent"A time bomb indeed," Rei cried out as the door locked behind him. "There's no way Wattson knows about that thing. But who would put it there, Countess?" he asked more to himself than to his winged companion. The lights in the cavern suddenly shut off, their power source now dead. From the darkness, an ear-splitting shriek filled the air. Rei winced, putting his hands to his ears, and the Zubat pulled out a Poké Ball from Rei's belt in response. Something was coming!

indentA yellow glow filled the immediate area, the lights nearby flickering back on. As the street lit up, Rei saw the source of the sounds. Glowing Voltorb were everywhere, charging up for a massive explosion. In the center of the street, a large Magneton wearing an over-sized pink bow and lipstick smeared on its screws charged at Rei, its body crackling with electricity. The Voltorb giggled with glee; their boss was furious, and the stranger would pay for shutting off their food supply.

indentThe Countess tossed the Poké Ball out from her grasp, sending out Rei's Honedge. Rei grimaced; he wanted to get the hell out of the place, and fast.

indent"Muramasa, Sacred Sword! Hurry!" The Honedge glowed a brilliant blue and swiped away at the steely opponent, cutting a few screws off. If this hurt the Magneton, it didn't show; with a glare, bolts of lightning rained down on the Honedge, dealing considerable damage to the Pokémon. The attack enraged the blade, setting it into a frenzy. It hacked and slashed at everything nearby, leaving a small path of destruction in its wake. The Magneton dodged the majority of the attacks, sending more and more charges at the Honedge until it fell, defeated. Rei recalled his Honedge, sending out his Charmeleon to finish the battle quickly.

indentIn the distance, an explosion was heard. The Voltorb were beginning to set themselves off, the cavern shaking with all the destructive power. The ceiling began to crumble, and the streets were torn apart.

indent"Scipio, Flamethrower, now!" The Charmeleon sent forth a rolling wave of fire at the Magneton, melting the magnets off of its body and setting the bow ablaze. Rei was fully prepared to defeat the Pokémon when his computer blinked on. He looked down at the screen and read the message glowing on the display.

indent"Keep that one," the screen said. Rei blinked in disbelief.

indent"Really? Now? You pick NOW to send me messages?"

indentYes, was the screen's reply. The ground at Rei's feet split. Now wasn't the time for arguing against his newly sentient computer. Rei pulled out an Ultra Ball and sent it zooming at the Magneton, who was captured without much resistance. He almost made it out unscathed, an Electrode at the entrance blasting Rei all the way into the river. He quickly swam onto the embankment, coughing out water on the way. His rather miserable Zubat flopped at his side, wet and tired. She didn't understand Voltorb. Why the fascination with exploding?

indentRei picked himself up after laying on the cool grass for an hour. There was a lot of work to be done, but first, he had a person to meet in Mauville The Aquan arrived into the city at dusk, exhaustion tugging at his consciousness. With a considerable amount of effort, Rei made his way to the Gym.

indentWattson was waving goodbye to his last Trainer of the day when he saw a cloaked figure approach him at the Gym's entrance. The old man gave out a bellowing laugh as a greetings to the Aquan.

indent"Wahahaha! Sorry, the Gym's closed for the night. Come again tomorrow if you want to battle me." The voice from within the cloak's hood cut the man's laugh abruptly.

indent"New Mauville is destroyed. We need to talk." Wattson's smile disappeared, replaced with a frown and narrowed eyes.

indent"So you're the Team Aqua scientist they gave the job to." The hooded man nodded. Wattson huffed, turning around and opening the Gym's doors.

indent"Well, come on in, then. We have a few things to discuss," he said, closing the door after his unwelcome guest. The Gym's lights flashed back on, the building unusually quiet compared to the usual flow of traffic. Wattson walked past his booby-trapped gym layout and gestured for the Aquan to follow. Compared to the rest of the Gym, Wattson's office was rather boring. A small desk sat at a corner, accompanied by two plain chairs. The Aquan sat down without a word, staring at Wattson. The man's gaze was unsettling, Wattson thought as he sat down on a chair and chewed on a peppermint.

indentRei pulled out the blueprint of New Mauville and spread it out on the desk.

indent"The reactor was not what you said it would be," he began, breaking the uncomfortable silence in the room.

indent"What do you mean? I put that generator in myself."

indent"Unless you meant to put in a nuclear reactor capable of powering half of Hoenn, I did not shut down your generator." That caught the old man's attention.

indent"Nuclear?" The very word was an insult to Wattson, who took pride in the generators he created. "Wasn't mine. Not a chance," he said gruffly. The man sitting opposite him pulled out a thin screen and swiped his hand over it. The screen flickered to life and displayed images of the reactor the Aquan had just shut down.

indent"Do you recognize it from anywhere?" Rei asked, his tone level despite his building anxiety.

indent"...No," Wattson replied after a few moments. "And if I don't recognize it, it's older than me." He pushed the screen back to Rei, who turned off the computer and set it aside.

indent"Well," Rei said with a deep sigh, "whoever owns that reactor is now responsible for radioactive waste. Voltorb and Magneton were all over New Mauville. The Voltorb blew the place up when I shut the reactor down. It might have buried itself in the collapse, but you should still send a team to ensure the safety of the city and the Pokémon who make that river their home. If you can't find the person or company responsible for that thing, you'll be the one to blame for not destroying New Mauville sooner," he told the Gym Leader, his tone making it clear that Team Aqua wanted nothing more to do with the place.

indentIt was Wattson's turn to sigh. "I suppose so," he said, pulling out his phone. "Thank you for shutting the reactor off, at least. Things could have been much worse." Rei nodded in agreement.

indent"Indeed." With that, he rose from his seat and exited the Gym, leaving a trouble-stricken Wattson to clean up the mess he had unwittingly created.

indentAs Rei walked back to Slateport, his computer flashed another message to him.

indent"Do you know who put the reactor there?" it asked. Rei shook his head.

indent"No idea. But it doesn't make sense. Why would it be there if it was older than Wattson? Was there something going on in the place that I just didn't see?" The computer typed its response on its screen.

indent"Perhaps the Magneton knows the answer." Rei nodded, glad his computer suggested capturing the Pokémon. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, his Zubat now holding the screen at eye level.

indent"I need to get to work on building a machine that can translate Pokémon languages." The computer typed its concern.

indent"Many scientists have attempted the same thing. Would it not be easier to have a Psychic Pokémon relay the information?" Rei shook his head before he even finished reading the text.

indent"No. It's something I want to solve on my own. There's a lot of profit that can come from creating a Pokémon translator, and I don’t have a Psychic Pokémon I’m comfortable with probing around people’s brains,” he said with a shudder.

indent“Very well,” the screen stated before turning itself off. Rei shook his head in wonder; he had a large report to fill out for his boss.

Thanks so much! Time to work on a new one.