Seas of Magma

Archie finds out what happened.

The sun was out over the beach near to Lilycove City. Archie, along with several members of Team Aqua, had gone out to soak up the sun and catch some waves. After a good hour surfing, the Aqua Leader was relaxing with a cold smoothie in one hand, chuckling at his teammates. "Ya shoulda seen the wave I caught right there! I had it right on!"

"So you did, boss," mused a female grunt as she disappeared into the tent they'd pitched to change out of her bikini. The other grunts chatted amongst themselves, bragging about the waves they'd caught. Archie took another sip of his smoothie, watching the other surfers out at sea when he heard the familiar sound of Fall Out Boy coming from his Pokénav. After finding out that Maxie enjoyed the band, he'd set his ringtone to Uma Thurman so that the number would play whenever the Leader called. Slowly he swiped on the screen to answer.

"Yo, Max. Ya wanted somethin'?" The Aqua boss grew concerned as he could only hear strained sounds at first. It sounded as if he was struggling to breathe. Listening more carefully, he could make out that Maxie was saying his name.

"...n-need help... at... at Lavaridge..." Maxie was faint as he spoke.

Archie was concerned. "Sit tight. 'M on me way." He heard a thud at the other end of the line and he jumped. The grunts turned to face him but he quickly shook his head. "You guys carry on without me. I gotta run. Somethin' I gotta sort. Max is in trouble or somethin'..." Snatching up his car keys, he headed out to the old truck that was parked just above the beach and climbed in, starting the engine.

As the truck roared into life, Archie reversed out and drove into the street, gritting his teeth when he saw the traffic. Trying to remain calm was not easy for him, especially while he was concerned for the man he loved. Fortunately the traffic was moving, but not fast enough. Taking off his bandanna and putting it on the passenger seat, he ran a hand through his short black hair before he saw that the cars were clearing up. It seemed to be just around the mall.

Driving down the main roads was easy enough for the most part, but as someone cut him up just as he was about to turn onto Route 111, he let out a low growl. "Asshole!" Puffing out a breath to calm himself, he drove up the rugged mountain path and finally made it to Lavaridge. He parked up outside Maxie's house and got out of the truck, digging out the spare key he'd been given and unlocking the door.

"... Max? Yo, Max, ya there?" At first no sounds could be heard, then the Aqua boss heard a faint creak from upstairs. Setting down his keys on the table by the front door, he made his way up the stairs. The creaks seemed to be coming from the bathroom, and as he opened the door, he gasped at the sight that lay before him. His lover, transformed into one of the merfolk of legend. "Dammit, Max. What happened?"

There was no response from Maxie. Slowly Archie picked him up, noting how limp and weak he was. Thinking quickly, and noticing that she shower was still running, he lifted the redhead up and placed him in the shower cubicle to hopefully keep him wet while he ran a bath of warm water. While under the spray, the Magma Leader stirred briefly, but he couldn't stay awake for long. His lungs were burning and his chest was heaving. He gasped and spluttered, coughing weakly. Archie heard the sound and gritted his teeth, focusing on trying to fill the bath up. Once it was full, he wasted no time in picking the merman up and lowering him into the bath, making sure he was as submerged as possible.

It took a short while, but eventually Maxie began to stir more fully, the gills either side of his neck working to oxygenate his body so that he could sit up slightly. "... Sorry to make you worry, Archie."

"It's all good, Max. But... how'd this happen to ya?" He eyed the tail, almost a little bit envious. "I ain't never seen nothin' like it."

"I have no idea. I was fine last night and this morning, but it all happened so suddenly. All I remember is feeling as if my legs were sticking together, then I thought I cracked my spine and passed out because of the pain. When I woke up, I felt as if I couldn't breathe..."

Making mental notes, Archie nodded. "Dunno, maybe we should ask my science team ta have a look. Surely they've gotta know at least somethin', right? But first, maybe we should get ya inta a bigger place where ya can actually swim about, 'cause I'll bet it's cramped there."

Maxie chuckled humourlessly. "You're not kidding. Though getting me there might be an issue."

"Could be, considerin' ya gotta remain wet."

"Hmm... Did you come up in the flatbed truck you have?" Maxie noticed the nod that Archie gave him. "In that case, I may have an idea."