Team Magma

Team Magma grunts
Team Magma
Prominent Members	Tabitha, Courtney
Founder	Maxie
Debut	Pokémon: Ruby/Sapphire Versions

Team Magma is one of the two potentially criminal organizations featured in the third generation Pokémon games (Ruby, Sapphire and [[Pokémon: Emerald Version|Emerald) and their remakes (Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire), along with their opposing rivals Team Aqua. Their exact role is different depending on the version, as Team Magma acts as the primary antagonists in Ruby and Omega Ruby, while they and Team Aqua share secondary antagonist roles in Emerald, and they have a minor supporting presence in Sapphire and Alpha Sapphire. They are associated with the earth and fire.

Background

Team Magma was formed by Maxie as a group that revered the earth, as they believed it allows humans and Pokémon alike to grow. Their ultimate goal was to revive Groudon and cause an expansion of the world's land masses.

Ruby/Omega Ruby

Team Magma had a base hidden within Lilycove City's cove. Their first plan revolved around obtaining the Devon Goods, which contained the blueprints for Captain Stern's Submarine Explorer 1, so that they could use it to access the underwater cover where Groudon was sleeping. A grunt was sent into the Petalburg Woods to steal the Devon Goods from a Devon researcher, but Brendan/May was able to fight them off. At Rustboro City, a Team Magma grunt was able to steal the Devon goods from a different researcher only to be caught and beaten within the Rusturf Tunnel by the same trainer. Two grunts showed up at Slateport City and attempted to get information out of Captain Stern about the Devon Goods until Brendan/May fought them off as well.

They also launched a secondary plan based on the local volcano, Mt. Chimney. They manipulated Professor Cozmo into bringing them to a Meteorite at Meteor Falls and then took it for themselves. They used this Meteorite to power a machine at Mt. Chimney that would trigger a massive eruption, ultimately resulting in expansion of the land mass. Team Aqua showed up in an attempt to stop their plan, but Maxie was still free to operate the machine until Brendan/May arrived. This trainer was able to defeat Maxie, and Team Magma retreated in defeat. Part of Team Magma then attacked the Weather Institute to find information on Groudon and attempted to steal Castform. This group was also defeated by Brendan/May, but they continued to make progress in their attempt to revive Groudon. They attacked Mt. Pyre, and although the trainer tried to defeat them once again, Maxie was ultimately able to steal the Blue Orb. They also hijacked Stern's Sunmarine Explorer 1 from Slateport City upon its completion.

Brendan/May managed to infiltrate the Magma Hideout, but he reached Maxie just as Maxie escaped in the submarine. At the Seafloor Cavern, Maxie finally revived Groudon, but he could not control it, and it went on a rampage. Brendan/May ultimately had to subdue the creature by defeating or catching it. In the aftermath of this, Maxie reformed, and Team Magma seemingly disbanded.

Some elements of the story were altered in Omega Ruby. Team Magma not only wanted to revive Groudon, but they also wanted to make it undergo Primal Reversion in a plan known as Project AZOTH. Their actions at Mt. Chimney were changed into an attempt to turn the meteorite into a Mega Stone. Team Magma also stole the Red Orb instead of the Blue Orb, as it was the key to triggering Primal Reversion. The rest of the story played out similarly, with Groudon just being revived in Primal form instead of its original form. In the aftermath of the crisis, Archie made an offer for Team Aqua and Team Magma to work together to build a better future. Maxie initially declined due to considering himself unworthy of redemption, but Tabitha offered to help him on a path of atonement.

Although Maxie was left remorseful about his actions, Courtney sought to avenge his loss and activate Projecr AZOTH during the Delta Episode. She led members of Team Magma and attempted to steal Wally's Key Stone, before ultimately obtaining one from Meteor Falls. They then attacked the Mossdeep Space Center, where Courtney planned to use her Key Stone to commandeer a rocket that was filled with Infinity Energy and destroy it, which would cause mass destruction. Brendan/May and Steven Stone were able to defeat them before Courtney could set her plans into motion, and Zinnia stole her Key Stone. Zinnia proceeded to attack the Magma Hideout and stole Maxie's Key Stone after defeating him in battle. Maxie and Tabitha then tried to help Brendan/May by entrusting them with a Mega Stone (Cameruptite). In the epilogue, Courtney apologized to Maxie, who forgave her and also claimed responsibility for inspiring her actions. It was then that Maxie decided to rededicate Team Magma on a redemptive path based around creation rather than destruction. It was implied that Tabitha became the new leader, and he claimed that his new rank was Chief Admin.

Sapphire/Alpha Sapphire

Team Magma played a helpful but ultimately minor role in Sapphire. They made several appearances working against Team Aqua and their attempts to revive Kyogre. They were first seen at Meteor Falls, where they failed in an attempt to prevent Team Aqua from stealing the Meteorite. They then tracked Team Aqua to Mt. Chimney and battled them there in an attempt to prevent Team Aqua from draining Mt. Chimney with their weapon. Team Magma wound up distracting all of Team Aqua's grunts while Brendan/May defeated Archie and stopped the threat.

In Alpha Sapphire, their role was similar to the original, but it was made clearer that they still had their own villainous intentions. At the end, Archie and Maxie considered working together to create a world were everyone could coexist peacefully.

Emerald

Within Emerald, Team Magma was instead based within a cave at Mt. Chimney's Jagged Pass, with a long Magma Grunt as the guard. Groudon was imprisoned within the volcano, and Maxie had made his base there to watch over the sleeping Groudon. Maxie first had Team Magma steal the Meteorite from Meteor Falls and used it in a special device which amplified its power, which would in turn intensify the volcano's activity. However, Brendan/May engaged him in battle (at Archie's urging) and defeated him. Maxie conceded to this defeat and decided to pull back for the time being.

Team Magma sought the Blue Orb next. After stealing it from Mt. Pyre, Maxie brought it to Mt. Chimney and used it to rouse Groudon from its slumber, only for Groudon to retreat. Maxie was confused by this and seeing Brendan/May nearby, thought they were somehow responsible and battled them again. After being defeated again, Maxie retreated. With Groudon not heeding to his demands and having no more use for Mt. Chimney, Maxie led several Team Magma members in a raid on the Mossdeep Space Center to steal rocket fuel for use in igniting the volcano. However, this time Brendan/May and Steven Stone were able to defeat Maxie and Tabitha in a double battle. After being defeated, Maxie began to think that he was misguided in his notions of attempting to expand the land mass, and that Team Aqua was equally misguided in their own quest, so he left to think this new epiphany over. They somehow found their way to the Seafloor Cavern later on, where Maxie scolded Archie for making the same mistake that he had.

Maxie and Archie were last seen returning their orbs to Mt. Pyre, both apparently reformed, and Team Magma was seemingly disbanded afterwards.

Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire

In the post-game of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, one grunt from each organization (a male Team Magma member and a female Team Aqua member) can be found together in a cottage. They deserted their teams due to having formed a relationship together. They were soon found by one fellow grunt from each team, who told them of the newfound peace between the two teams. The two grunts decided to work to keep improving relations between their teams, and they each offered a Pokémon to Brendan/May: a Sharpedo from the Aqua grunt and a Camerupt from the Magma grunt.

Members

Team Magma consists primarily of grunts who wore red hooded uniforms that had ear-like protrusions. They usually used common Pokémon that were tough but ultimately weak like Zubat, Poochyena and their evolutions, as well as Pokémon with types matching their team's aesthetic such as Numel and Baltoy.

Led by Maxie, Team Magma also had two prominent admins who appeared throughout the storyline: Tabitha and Courtney. In Omega Ruby, Zinnia also infiltrated their organization as a Magma Grunt and provided Maxie with information on how to awaken Primal Groudon.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• In the Pokémon anime, Team Magma made several appearances throughout the Hoenn-based series, where they searched for a way to revive Groudon. Along with Maxie, only Tabitha made appearances, and a new member named Brodie also being introduced. Team Magma clashed with Team Aqua several times, which built up to a two-part episode in which both Groudon and Kyogre were revived and batted. The fight was broken up and, as Maxie learned the error of his ways, Team Magma presumably disbanded. Additionally, the villain of one anime movie was a former Team Magma scientist named Butler.
• In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Team Magma appeared throughout the Ruby/Sapphire arc. They seemed to be more lower-class compared to Team Aqua, as Archie controlled the media and made sure Team Magma was blamed for the criminal activities of both teams. Courtney and Tabitha were both used, and a new Admin named Blaise was introduced, with the three of them also being known as the Three Fires. During the latter portion of the arc, Maxie and Archie revived Groudon and Kyogre to make them clash, and even after Groudon and Kyogre were stopped, Archie and Maxie continued to fight each other as well as everyone around them in an inhuman rage due to the orbs' effect. Tabitha became crazed as a result of touching Kyogre's orb, while Courtney wound up being killed by Maxie. After Celebi saved everything, Courtney was restored to life. Tabitha went missing for a while afterwards but turned up seemingly reformed at Flannery's hot springs. As for Maxie, he wound up trapped in the Cave of Origin with Archie, but Archie was implied to kill him in order to earn special armor from Sird. Team Magma was later returned as Neo Team Magma during the Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire arc, where they worked to awaken Primal Groudon. New versions of Courtney and Tabitha appeared in this arc, and it was retconned that their names were codenames that were assumed by Magma Admins.
• Team Magma was featured in an episode of Pokémon Generations, where Brendan infiltrated the Magma Hideout and battled Courtney while Maxie and others retreated on the Submarine Explorer 1. Courtney experienced a vision of Team Magma being attacked by Primal Groudon in the process.

Trivia

• Tabitha and Courtney's positions seem to be switched between versions. In the original games, Tabitha stayed behind at the Magma Hideout while Courtney went ahead to join Maxie at the Seafloor Cavern for the revival of Groudon. In the remakes, it was instead Courtney who stayed behind while Tabitha was with Maxie, and Maxie even referred to him as his number two. Tabitha was also more prominent in Emerald, where Courtney made only a cameo appearance.