PS201

← PS200 : Tripped Up by Torkoal

Ruby & Sapphire arc

PS202 : Slugging It Out with Slugma II →

Slugging It Out with Slugma
Submarine Explorer 1

VS マグマッグI

VS Magmag I

Info

Shogakukan full volume	Chapter 201 in Vol. 16
VIZ Media full volume	Adventure 201 in Vol. 16
Series	Pokémon Adventures

Other

Location

Stern's Shipyard

Slugging It Out with Slugma (Japanese: VS マグマッグI VS Magmag I), titled VS Slugma in the Chuang Yi translation, is the 201st chapter of the Pokémon Adventures manga, and the 21st chapter of the Ruby & Sapphire arc. It is subtitled Submarine Explorer 1 (Japanese: 潜水艇かいえん１号 S.S. Kaien 1) in the VIZ Media translation and S.S. Kaien 1 in the Chuang Yi translation.

Plot

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

Ruby wakes up to find himself and the Pokémon Fan Club Chairman tied up in a closed room. He wakes up the chairman, and the two of them remember that they had been making Pokéblocks in the Contest Hall before they were knocked out. They wonder what happened to the other two men, and peer out of a window slit in the door to see Blaise holding one of the missing men in the air by his throat.

Ruby instantly recognizes the Team Magma uniform from the incident on the Abandoned Ship and realizes that Tabitha and Courtney did not recognize him because on the ship, his face had been covered with Berry Juice, and he was wearing his glasses. He also realizes that the man Blaise is threatening is Captain Stern of the Oceanic Museum, and the chairman deduces that they've been taken to the shipyard on the outskirts of the city. The chairman also reveals that Stern designs the submarines used for underwater research, and so the other man with him must be Dock, his research assistant. As Blaise continues to threaten Stern, Ruby and the chairman argue over who should try to battle Team Magma.

Blaise throws Stern against a door, demanding to know what else is needed to make the submarine work, and raises the submarine to the surface inside its tank. Dock tries to intervene, but Blaise sends out his Slugma, using it to injure Dock to pressure Stern to talk. Unwilling to let his subordinate suffer, Stern finally explains: while the Submarine Explorer 1 will travel underwater at normal depths, it will not be able to reach the Seafloor Cavern without a special heart component, which they have already ordered from the Devon Corporation. Blaise calls Tabitha and Courtney to report this information, and Ruby and the Pokémon Fan Club chairman, listening through the door, hear the entire thing.

When Stern demands that Blaise let Dock go, an angry Blaise pulls him, which causes the door to be opened in their struggle, causing Ruby and the chairman to fall out. Blaise realizes they've been eavesdropping and sends Slugma after Ruby, who runs away, saying he does not know anything, Pokéblocks falling from his bag as he dashes in a panic towards the submarine, Mumu right behind. Slugma follows, though Blaise had not ordered it to, and Blaise himself dives into the submarine behind Slugma, his suspicions aroused. The safety latch on the submarine hatch closes, and the sealed sub begins to sink once more.

Inside the submarine, Blaise confronts Ruby, saying he lured Slugma into the sub on purpose by dropping bitter green Pokéblocks, which are its favorite because of its Quiet Nature. He demands to know how Ruby knew Slugma's Nature and who Ruby is. Ruby's stance suddenly toughens as he stops pretending it was not a trap.

The counter of the bet continues at 60 days.

Major events

• Blaise interrogates Captain Stern about the Submarine Explorer 1.
• Ruby lures Blaise onto the Submarine Explorer 1.

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

	Spoilers end here.

Characters

Humans

• Ruby
• Pokémon Fan Club Chairman
• Blaise
• Courtney (flashback)
• Tabitha (flashback)
• Captain Stern
• Dock

Pokémon

• Marshtomp (Mumu}; Ruby's)
• Swellow (Blaise's)
• Slugma (Blaise's)
• Ninetales (Courtney's; flashback)
• Torkoal (Tabitha's; flashback)

Trivia

• This chapter shares its VIZ Media name with another chapter in the previous story arc.

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		VS 熔岩蟲 (Taiwan) VS 熔岩虫 (Mainland China)
European French		Grabuge au Chantier Naval
Korean		VS 마그마그
Brazilian Portuguese		VS Slugma
Vietnamese		VS Magmag - Tàu ngầm Kaien số 1

← PS200 : Tripped Up by Torkoal

Ruby & Sapphire arc

PS202 : Slugging It Out with Slugma II →

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