Weathering The Storm... (A Pokemon OC Story)

Chapter 72: Abandoned: New Mauville...

"Alright guys. Here we are.", Ellie announced to the duo, who were still very confused on why Ellie had decided to take this particular route. And, looking at what appeared to be a metallic valve beneath them, shaped like a dome with a wheel on top, they weren't sure why there was any reason to be excited. Seijo let out a small cough, hoping Lucas would be the first to break the silence. And, like always, he was,

"So, this is the reason you brought us out here? Some valve?"

"Its not just a valve. It's what is underneath that matters.", Ellie said as she tried to pull the valve with great difficulty. But, to say the valve was rusted beyond repair would be an understatement. After years of not moving, the valve was completely stuck, meaning it couldn't be opened up. Ellie tried and tried, but it just would not budge. Seijo let out a sigh and released Crobat out of its Pokeball, the Pokemon instantly going at it with its razor-sharp wings. And, within one swipe, the domelike valve was no more, only an open hole. Lucas and Ellie watched in awe, and Seijo rolled his eyes,

"Believe it or not, I am still a gym leader. My Pokemon are pretty strong."

Ellie nodded and immediately made her way through the hole, climbing down the rusted ladder into the middle of the room. Lucas and Seijo followed soon after but weren't able to see anything because of just how dark the room was.

"So, how are we supposed to see if there are no lights?", Lucas asked and Ellie reached into her bag, bringing out Ralts' Pokeball and releasing it into the room, "I'm one step ahead. Ralts, use Flash!"

Ralts let out a cry and a sudden light beamed out from the Pokemon, illuminating the once pitch-black room very clearly. Now, they could see clearly in front of them, a sign above that was decrepit and very clearly had not been touched for a very long time.

Welcome to New Mauville! We hope you enjoy your stay!

"New Mauville?", Lucas asked, hoping Ellie had more answers. And, she did. A whole heap of them.

"Yeah, it was a project a while back to help with overpopulation in Mauville City. Plus, after the attacks of Groudon and Kyogre, they figured that a city underground would save a lot of lives. But, the project was shelved for unknown reasons. So, I figured we could have a look down here for ourselves!"

"Well, it does look like it'll have some history behind it.", Lucas said, inspecting the room around and finding many different crates and boxes of various resources. Canned food long out of date, building work material, nuts and bolts of various sorts. All resources, just left to rot, abandoned. Ellie was eager to explore though. To figure out the truth of why this place was abandoned when it seemed to be going along so well.

With Ralts to guide them, they walked through the various passageways of the building, noting the modern look and aesthetic of everything in New Mauville, similar to how Mauville looked in the present day with its clean white aesthetic, with yellow hints here and there. But, it still had the marks of age. Paint chipping, bugs becoming infested in the cracks in walls, and even a couple of vines overgrowing from corners. Firstly, they entered what appeared to be a receptionist's office, where there was an old computer sitting atop a modern-day desk. There was a name tag sitting on top of the table, but it was so dusty and destroyed the name was impossible to make out. A coffee mug lay to the side of the keyboard, still dirty and unclean after being kept there for so many years. Ellie inspected the computer, seeing if it would turn on after all these years. But, the power leading to the computer was completely gone. There was nothing. So, Ellie decided to move on through the double doors to either side of the desk, approaching what appeared to be a drop-down to another floor through a ladder. They heard some scuffling down the ladder, and with curiosity as their guide, they made their way down the ladder and to the left, where there appeared to be a rare semblance of light.