Scorched Seas

Surprise Meeting

In the port city of Slateport, the weather was close to the same as Lilycove. The temperature was slightly cooler, and the wind was kicking up.

This was not Maxie's idea of perfect weather. He preferred the warmth of the sun, not the coldness of the breeze. He would rather be in a nice field next to a mountain, not near the the beach. Beaches and the sea surrounding it always sort of terrified him.

The idea of being completely surrounded by water was an unsettling thought, given that the life substance could easily turn into a huge storm of destruction and death at the drop of a hat.

  That was one of the reasons why Maxie and all of Team Magma sought after land expansion, along with improving the life of the human race. After what happened, they all realized that both the continents and the oceans were equally important to the survival and progress of humans and Pokemon alike.

  Even with this, Maxie still felt afraid of being near the water. Yet here he was, on one of the many piers in Slateport, observing the cityscape. It was really the only place he can go without much of the judgmental stares and whispers of the deeds he and the rest of Team Magma has done. It was ironic that a city bordered by something he hated in the past was now his safe haven for the time being.

Maxie hummed, and turned away when he spotted a jet of indigo sped on the waves towards him. It was too fast and too small to be a Wailmer, so it had to be a Sharpedo, Maxie thought.

  That's when he noticed a a male figure hanging onto the Sharpedo. A darker skinned man clad in a blue skin tight suit.

Archie.

  Maxie almost gasped, but he quietly took a few steps back, mouth agape. What was he doing? His mind processed the many possibilities on why his former rival was barreling towards him. Does he want to talk? Does he want to restart the rivalry? What if he wants to talk about their past life together?

His thoughts were interrupted by a large shout.

"Yo, Maxie!" Archie cried, now just yards away from the pier.

Maxie sighed aloud, not daring to respond.

Archie was now right at the edge, and he climbed off of his Sharpedo onto the dock. He returned his Pokemon back in its Pokeball, before turning to the former Magma leader.

"'Ello, Maximillon." he said, bearing a toothy grin.

  "Greetings, Archibald." Maxie finally responded. "What is your reason for coming here?"

Archie was taken a back, Maxie sounded peeved that he visited him. He cleared his throat.

"Just wanna see how my former rival and lover is doing."