PS202

← PS201 : Slugging It Out with Slugma

Ruby & Sapphire arc

PS203 : I'm Your Biggest Fan, Donphan →

Slugging It Out with Slugma II
Illusion of Flame

VS マグマッグII

VS Magmag II

Info

Shogakukan full volume	Chapter 202 in Vol. 17
VIZ Media full volume	Adventure 202 in Vol. 17
Series	Pokémon Adventures

Other

Location

Submarine Explorer 1 Stern's Shipyard

Slugging It Out with Slugma II (Japanese: VS マグマッグII VS Magmag II), titled VS Slugma II in the Chuang Yi translation, is the 202nd chapter of the Pokémon Adventures manga, and the 22nd chapter of the Ruby & Sapphire arc.

It is subtitled Illusion of Flame (Japanese: 炎の幻影 Illusion of Fire) in the VIZ Media translation and Shadow of Fire in the Chuang Yi translation.

Plot

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

The Submarine Explorer 1 sinks on autopilot while inside Blaise demands to know who Ruby is. Blaise's Slugma spits fire at Mumu, who counters, and Blaise orders Slugma to cover the floor in magma, so that the temperature skyrockets. As the heat builds, Ruby's vision distorts, and he tries to snap himself out of it, to no avail.

Blaise tells Ruby the story of the 'Little Matchstick Girl', a penniless little girl who sells matchsticks. When she lights one of her matches to try to keep away the winter cold, an illusion appears before her, and Blaise explains that he can do the same thing—use heat to create illusions in his victims' minds. As a demonstration, a formless monster appears and attacks Ruby, and Blaise brags to the shaken boy that he is known as the "Shadow of Fire."

Outside, Captain Stern, Dock, and the Pokémon Fan Club Chairman search for a way to bring the submarine back to the surface. Stern wonders why Team Magma is after the submarine in the first place. The Pokémon Fan Club Chairman suggests that since the strange people want the submarine and it can't work without its special component, they should stop the component from being produced. Stern says it's too late, the Devon Corporation has already finished it, and it was stolen from Mr. Stone a few days ago, who is still in the hospital. Since Mr. Stone alone knew about the component, no one in the world knows where it is now that it's been stolen, except the thieves themselves.

Inside the submarine, Ruby struggles in the sweltering heat. A vision appears before him of his father, Norman, looking cold and stern, and a younger Ruby runs up to him, begging his father to teach him about Pokémon battles. Norman does not respond, and the illusion shatters, bringing a gasping Ruby back to reality. Blaise taunts him, asking whether the illusion he saw caused him pain, and claims his illusions force people to relive their worst memories. Ruby, in turn, defiantly says that it's Blaise's unlucky day. He might have seen his worst memory, but that same memory is what inspires him to stand up again. He calls to a weakened Mumu to use Earthquake.

The force of the attack rocks the submarine, and Blaise angrily asks whether Ruby's trying to drown them both, but Ruby just orders another Earthquake before recalling Mumu and crawling over to the side of the cabin. He tells Blaise that he was able to tell Blaise's Slugma's Nature simply by observation—that any Pokémon can be understood if you pay attention to its behavior and unique characteristics, and that he learned that from his father. Ruby activates the escape pod he has managed to crawl into and shoots toward the surface, leaving Blaise behind in the sub.

With Ruby gone, Blaise steals the submarine, sailing it out into the ocean, and calls Maxie to tell him of the mission's success. He also explains that they need a special component from the Devon Corporation in order to make the submarine fully functional, and that once they have it, they'll be able to reach the Seafloor Cavern.

Major events

• Ruby is hypnotized by the flames caused by Blaise's Slugma.
• Ruby escapes from Blaise.
• Blaise obtains the Submarine Explorer 1 for Team Magma.

For a list of all major events in the Pokémon Adventures manga, please see the history page.

	Spoilers end here.

Characters

Humans

• Ruby
• Norman (illusion)
• Blaise
• Mr. Stone (flashback)
• Captain Stern
• Pokémon Fan Club Chairman
• Dock

Pokémon

• Marshtomp (Mumu; Ruby's)
• Slaking (Norman's; illusion)
• Slugma (Blaise's)
• Lombre (Shelly's; flashback)

Trivia

• The story Blaise refers to, "The Little Match Girl," is a short story by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, first published in 1845.

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		VS 熔岩蟲 II (Taiwan) VS 熔岩虫 II (Mainland China)
European French		Illusion thermique
German		VS. Schneckmag (Teil 2)
Italian		VS Slugma II
Korean		VS 마그마그 II
Brazilian Portuguese		VS Slugma II
Spanish	Latin America	VS Slugma II
	Spain	Contra Slugma (2ª parte)
Vietnamese		VS Magmag II - Ảo ảnh của lửa

← PS201 : Slugging It Out with Slugma

Ruby & Sapphire arc

PS203 : I'm Your Biggest Fan, Donphan →

This article is part of Project Manga, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each series of Pokémon manga.