As a highly developed city, Mauville City consumes an enormous amount of energy every day.
In fact, its electricity demand ranks first among all cities in the Hoenn region, even surpassing Ever Grande City, where the Pokémon League headquarters is located.
The reason for this lies in the urban redevelopment project initiated by Wattson.
While the project brought great prosperity to Mauville City, it also placed a massive burden on the city's energy supply.
Because of this, many old power plants were abandoned, while new, high-output power plants were built one after another.
Among them, the most famous was the enormous underground power facility built several years ago-
New Mauville.
According to rumors, constructing this underground power plant required enormous amounts of manpower and resources.
Its design was inspired by other famous facilities such as:
Kanto Power Plant
Valley Windworks
At the time, Mauville City even promoted these three locations as the "Three Great Power Plants of the Pokémon World."
For a while, New Mauville attracted huge attention.
However, Wattson later halted the project abruptly, stating that it had begun to negatively affect the surrounding Pokémon ecosystem.
Although construction stopped halfway, New Mauville still generates a considerable amount of electricity for the city every year.
Meanwhile, the older power plants were gradually abandoned.
Over time, they became habitats for many wild Pokémon,especially rare Electric-type Pokémon.
As a result, these abandoned facilities eventually turned into popular exploration sites for trainers.
...
The Abandoned Power Plant
In a forest surrounding one of these small abandoned power plants, a dark bird circled high above the trees.
Sharp eyes constantly scanned the area for danger.
It was Murkrow.
Below, Silas sprinted through the forest.
His agile movements kicked up fallen leaves as he quickly climbed onto a large boulder.
"That Emolga runs ridiculously fast… slippery as an eel!"
Silas looked toward the small abandoned power plant in the distance, breathing slightly harder.
Ever since finishing his Gym battle yesterday, he had been researching interesting places around Mauville City that attracted trainers.
These abandoned power plants, filled with rare Electric-type Pokémon, immediately caught his attention.
After all, he was currently raising five Pokémon.
The cost of training them was rising rapidly.
The financial pressure was definitely growing.
Now he finally understood why most trainers usually had no more than three Pokémon.
Training Pokémon required not only time and effort, but also a huge amount of money.
Making money was unavoidable.
.....
The Rare Pokémon
Earlier that morning, shortly after entering the forest, he had encountered a rare Pokémon–
Emolga.
This Pokémon was primarily found in the Unova region, though small populations existed in Sinnoh and Hoenn as well.
Because of its rare Electric/Flying typing and adorable appearance, it was very popular among certain trainers,especially wealthy women.
Some rich ladies liked to keep cute but relatively weak Pokémon like Emolga as pets for social gatherings.
Bringing one to a tea party would immediately attract admiration and envy.
Silas naturally didn't want to let such a Pokémon escape.
After all, people could become surprisingly obsessed with the things they loved.
Selling it on the black market or exchanging it with the Pokémon League for reward points would both be profitable options.
Originally, Murkrow's speed should have been enough to catch it easily But the Emolga had used Tailwind.
Combined with its base speed of 103, the little Pokémon was incredibly fast.
Furthermore, Emolga's small body and ability to glide through trees made it extremely agile in the forest.
Murkrow was unfamiliar with the dense forest terrain and also had to stay close enough to protect its trainer.
As a result, the Emolga managed to escape.
....
Inside the Power Plant
"So it ran into the power plant… that makes things troublesome."
Abandoned power plants were usually filled with residual electricity.
That lingering energy attracted many Electric-type Pokémon.
The narrow interior spaces also made them dangerous places to explore.
Wild Pokémon could ambush from any corner.
For this reason, most trainers avoided entering them.
Over time, more and more Electric-type Pokémon gathered inside.
Eventually, these locations became danger zones for humans.
Although this particular plant was small, Silas suspected it might still contain elite-level Pokémon.
Enter or not?
After a moment of consideration, he decided to go in But he would proceed carefully.
Silas took several items out of his spatial storage ring:
a small reconnaissance drone
a field navigation device
Both were products from Devon Corporation.
Their quality was reliable.
They could even withstand attacks from Pokémon around Level 20.
Their main advantage was their small size, allowing them to conduct reconnaissance easily.
Silas ordered Murkrow to stay nearby on guard while he focused on operating the drone.
Flying such a device wasn't difficult, but it required concentration.
.....
Exploring the Ruins
"The electrical energy here is really dense…"
"No wonder Electric-type Pokémon gather here."
Silas walked through the abandoned corridors of the old power plant.
Rust-covered steel walls and exposed concrete structures showed the marks of time.
Once, this place had been a massive machine producing enormous amounts of electricity.
Now it was nothing more than a silent ruin.
Occasionally, a faint sound echoed in the distance.
Clink…
Silas immediately reacted.
"Murkrow, Tailwind, then Wing Attack!"
Wind swirled around Murkrow, boosting its speed.
Its black wings glowed white as it swooped toward a yellow shape.
"Emo! Emo!"
The Emolga was struck and slammed into a nearby steel wall.
This time, Silas wouldn't let it escape again.
"Umbreon, Dark Pulse!"
Umbreon released a surge of dark energy.
The attack struck the fallen Emolga directly.
Boom!
With a small explosion, Emolga lost its ability to fight.
Silas quickly threw a Poké Ball.
A Great Ball clicked shut.
"Ding!"
Capture successful.
Silas's mood improved slightly.
He had to admit, Emolga was indeed incredibly cute.
The electric sacs on its cheeks, the black "cloak-like" fur on its back, and the yellow gliding membrane connecting its arms made it look almost like a tiny flying cape.
But just as Silas continued scanning the power plant interior with his drone, something appeared on the screen.
A small shadow moved inside the facility.
Silas stared at it carefully.
"…Is that…"
"A shiny Pichu?"
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(End of chapter)