Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to its affiliates-Nintendo, Game Freak, Warner Entertainment, etc.
"Prepare for trouble!"
It was an ordinary day in the life of the two Rockets. Today, they were staging a heist at a laboratory for Dr. Namba's research. There wasn't much to get in their way, either, just a wimpy doctor and his teenage assistant. Butch and Cassidy easily subdued the doctor, and now it was the assistant's turn.
The girl was reacting like scared prey, she ducked behind the desk and pressed a panic button.
Cassidy watched the girl like a hungry animal and calmly gave a play-by-play.
"Oh, I think you'll find calling for help isn't going to be that easy..." Cassidy said as she held up the severed wires.
The doctor's assistant hid under his desk; she was visibly shaking. Her hand grasped a Poké Ball and enlarged it.
Out popped a Pikachu.
Cassidy looked at it and laughed.
"If you think that will beat us...I think you've got the wrong Rockets..." Cassidy said as Butch stopped what he was doing to give a confident laugh. Cassidy and Butch spent a second silently shared their little inside joke and exchanged knowing glances at each other. Those three were so stupid and incompetent, but at least they were good for a laugh.
"Pikachu!" the girl began.
Swiftly, Cassidy pulled out a Poké Ball, and Drowzee appeared.
The girl was so shocked to see the huge psychic Pokémon that she almost forgot to yell her command.
"Th-Thundershock!" the girl yelled, her voice shaking.
"Disable!" Cassidy said calmly.
As Pikachu was charging, it was enveloped with a strange blue light. The Pokémon had a shocked and scared expression on its face.
"Psychic attack; drain its energy!" Cassidy commanded.
Within seconds, the little Pikachu was completely drained of energy. The lab assistant watched in horror as her Pikachu struggled to stand. She shakily called it back.
Cassidy studied her nervous expression.
"If I were you, I would quit while I were ahead," Cassidy said.
Shakily, the girl readied another Poké Ball.
Cassidy confidently walked up to her, high heeled shoes clicking as she walked.
Wordlessly, she directed her Drowzee to take the Poké Ball from the young woman using another disable attack. Cassidy smiled when she heard the assistant let out a surprised yelp.
Cassidy knelt down so that she was eye level with the crouching assistant. Her cold piercing violet eyes met the large fearful doe eyes of the assistant.
"Looks like I won this round," Cassidy said as she snatched the Poké Ball away and shrunk it.
"Give me back my Raichu!" the assistant yelled.
Cassidy turned put her finger to her chin and briefly looked thoughtful, like she was seriously considering.
"Um, let me think about that...um...no." Cassidy said sarcastically as she walked back to help Butch with the rest of the raid.
The doctor's assistant Sonya Clearwater's mind was racing. She just sat under the desk in a fetal position, clutching her knees and wailing. Her fear was more than visible, as she was shaking, sweating, and crying like she was being tortured.
Cassidy walked over to the girl and kicked her in the knee. It was a hard sharp kick, and Sonya felt a burning pain. It made her cry all the more.
"Keep that up and we'll give you something to really cry about!" Butch threatened as he continued to take the lab apart.
"Oh, I think I know how to handle crybaby here..." Cassidy said as she flashed the girl a wicked smile. Her tone was confident and dangerous.
Sonya heard the cocking of a pistol and felt the cold metal pressed against her forehead. She struggled to stop sobbing and comply but her body just wouldn't allow her; she was so afraid. She felt her assailant leaning in closer; she felt her hot breath on her skin and tried to break contact with the piercing gaze of her violet eyes.
"I don't blame you; I would probably be reacting the same way if I were in your little situation, but try to keep it down, okay?" Cassidy said in a tone that was almost playful.
Sonya heard her walk away again. She finally got the courage to look around. She couldn't believe what she saw.
She left the gun! Sonya thought, a feeling of elation sweeping over her. Shakily, she took it in her hands.
She released the safety on the gun with a click. She didn't want to chance confronting the Rockets and instead opted to escape. She crept away as silently as she could, leaving the doctor tied up. She just made it to the door when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She swallowed hard.
"Uh-uh-ah...I can't have you running off to the police while we're in the middle of a heist, now, can I?" Cassidy asked in the same calm playful mocking tone she had used earlier.
Predictably, the girl pulled the gun and held it up to Cassidy.
Cassidy laughed and snatched it away. Then, she calmly pressed it to the girl's temple. The girl heard her squeeze the trigger. She crouched down and shivered, just waiting for the inevitable end.
"Bang!" Cassidy said, squeezing the trigger.
Instead of a deafening blast and sharp pain, Sonya felt a little bop on her head. Sonya dropped to her knees and started sobbing again.
"Come on! Do you really think I'm dumb enough to leave you with a loaded gun?" Cassidy scolded.
The assistant looked up long enough to see Cassidy carelessly toss the weapon aside.
Sonya hugged the corner of the desk she was hiding under; they were toying with her like a Meowth with a Rattata. She bit her lip and tried to hold back her tears.
Cassidy was kind of hoping that her playful attitude would relax her hostage at least a little. After all, you can only feel like you're in danger for so long before you kind of get the point.
She looked at her shattered victim with a puzzled expression and then hid another smile. There was something amusing about her frightened overreaction. Part of Cassidy wanted to calm her down, not just for the sake of the heist, but for her own sake as well.
This poor kid; she's acting like this is going to be her last day on earth. If she keeps it up, it may very well be! Cassidy thought.
She paused and heard the labored sobs and heavy breathing.
Cassidy knelt down again and gently put her hand over her victim's mouth.
"Look, if I wanted you dead, that's what you'd be now..." Cassidy said in a disinterested matter-of-fact way.
Her victim whimpered in response.
"...so...try to calm down, okay?" Cassidy said flatly.
Cassidy walked away only to be greeted by the sound of frantic wailing once again.
Okay...that does it. This time, it's just melodrama. Cassidy said to herself with an eye roll and a sigh. She quickly searched the lab for a vial that could probably remedy the situation in a cleaner fashion.
Her gaze fell on a sparkling blue and white powder, and she smiled when she read its label.
Ah, sleep powder... Cassidy said to herself with an inward purr.
Sonya tried to comply with the criminal's request to stay quiet, but so many horrible thoughts were racing through her mind that she just couldn't get herself to cooperate.
She knew she had to somehow escape or she might not make it out alive. She was certain they wouldn't want to leave a witness to their crimes. She bit her lip and waited, her heart was pounding. She let out more loud labored sobs, completely losing herself in her fear. She decided to scramble for the door again.
Once more, just as her fingers touched the handle, a strong arm pulled her back, fingernails lightly dug into her skin.
This time, her captor just sighed and quickly grabbed her by the wrists.
"Come with me..." Cassidy said sweetly, fiddling the little vial in her free hand.
Sonya was led to the doctor's private office and told to take a seat on the couch. She nervously complied.
Her captor made a dramatic pose, almost like a dancer, as she opened the vial and threw its contents into the assistant's face.
"Nighty night!" Cassidy cooed.
The assistant held her breath and kept crying. Cassidy watched the tears form and the look of absolute terror on the girls' face. At first, Cassidy rolled her eyes, but then the girl's struggling started to get to her.
Sonya caught a mischievous look in the eye of her captor. She soon felt herself being tickled. Panicked, the assistant started laughing, gasping, and unintentionally breathing in the powder.
Cassidy dusted herself off; the deed was done.
"Like I said earlier, nighty night!" Cassidy said, flashing another mischievous smile.
Sonya had no idea what she inhaled and she again feared the worst. She started shaking and sobbing in a panic.
Cassidy walked over to her and gave her a firm slap.
"Quiet!" Cassidy whispered. The crying stopped for just a few seconds, while Cassidy was trying to retrieve the keys the doctor kept in his office.
There was soon more helpless whimpering coming from the assistant.
Cassidy took her shaking victim by the hands and just held her there.
"Shhhh..." Cassidy shushed her in a low soft voice. It was almost motherly, and it sent little chills over Sonya's skin. She appeared to calm down.
Cassidy continued searching for the keys, occasionally noticing her non-sleeping victim whimpering on the couch. The crying was terribly distracting, each tortured whimper piercing right through her. There wasn't much of that she could stand. The sleep powder should have already taken effect.
She walked over to her victim and sat next to her.
"You're pretty needy, you know that?" Cassidy asked, the same playful tone in her voice.
Sonya felt herself being pulled close to her captor. She flinched and shook.
"Just relax...I'm not doing anything bad..." Cassidy said with a laugh as she stroked her victim's hair and gently massaged her shoulder.
Sonya was surprised at how well she was taking to it. Even though she didn't trust the situation, she felt herself relaxing. Her shivering subsided as she felt the gentle touches and listened to the soft voice of her captor.
"That's it; deep breaths..." The voice in her ear was low and soothing. Sonya felt herself yawning and getting sleepy. She suddenly went limp and felt herself falling into her captor's lap. She met Cassidy's soft violet eyes and yawned again.
Cassidy laughed, but this time it didn't sound nearly as scary as it did earlier.
Lazily, she removed a lock of hair that fell into her victim's face.
Drowsily, Sonya continued to regard her captor.
"Like I said, it's nap time...don't keep fighting it..." Cassidy said in a whisper, continuing to stroke her scared victim's hair.
The thought of running never crossed Sonya's drowsy mind. Soon, she was struggling to keep her eyes open. She continued to feel someone gently stroking her hair as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
"There, that's not so bad, is it?" she heard her captor whisper. The voice was low and lilting, almost musical.
Sonya felt herself being gently shifted as her captor got up. Moist lips briefly pressed against her forehead, and she heard a soft, "good night." She also felt the gloved hands of her captor against her skin as she pulled something warm over her. Sonya couldn't move at this point; the sleeping solution had already caused her to slip mostly out of consciousness, but she could still hear her captor singing softly and walking around in the office; she was still getting little chills from the sound of her soft voice.
"All done here..." the soft playful voice said.
After she heard the door open, she felt someone take her hand and stick something in to it. It was round and heavy, like a Poké Ball.
"I really didn't need this," she heard her captor say.
Finally, Sonya heard the door close. A smile crept on to her face as the last traces of consciousness faded away. She somehow knew that everything was going to be okay.
As Sonya awoke feeling peaceful and refreshed, the world slowly came back into focus.
Her Raichu was on the floor anxiously babbling about something. A quick check revealed that she still had all of her Pokemon, but the lab was a mess. The doctor and several research items were nowhere to be found. She promptly notified the authorities and was informed that someone already called in a lead several hours ago. She sat rubbing her temples, breathing deeply, and thanking her lucky stars she was still alive.
Sonya sat up and clutched her Raichu tightly in her arms.
"Team Rocket..." she said after a shocked breath.
"Raichu,"
"We...we're lucky to be alive..." Sonya said as the full realization of what happened hit her.
"Chu..."
Sonya immediately checked herself into the emergency room and checked her Pokemon into a Pokemon center. The doctor informed her that she had inhaled pure sleep powder and she was going to be okay as long as she didn't make a habit out of it. She was also treated for some minor cuts and bruises.
Nurse Joy informed her that her Pokemon looked weak and tired and needed some vitamins and a good rest.
They eventually found the doctor, too. He was a little roughed up and shaken, but other than that, he was okay.
After they were sure the police were doing everything they could, things returned, more or less back to normal, at least from Sonya's perspective. The Rockets stole equipment that was easily replaced.
The doctor Sonya worked for, on the other hand, was extremely concerned about the theft, even though they recovered most of the software and equipment and were able to resume running tests. Security was strengthened. A special pass code was now required to get in or out, and security cameras lined the perimeters and halls of the lab.
They also had a wireless panic button installed.
The rest of the week passed without incident, but Sonya couldn't stop going back there in her dreams.
They weren't nightmares, exactly. They were oddly pleasant dreams. She was spared by someone who could have easily taken her life, and she replayed the incident again and again, trying to imagine her motive for letting her go.
Cassidy's sweet voice and piercing violet eyes became a source of comfort in the young girl's imagination. She had dreams of being caught, kissed, and spoken to with motherly affection. She started to view the Rocket not as some criminal but more like some kind of strange protector lurking in the shadows.
She must lead such an amazing life. Sonya thought to herself, as she imagined Cassidy, with her confident smile and cool Pokémon moves.
Raichu cooed, oblivious to the thoughts his master was having, as Sonya petted him.
So much different than what I'm doing. Sonya thought with a sigh as she fetched a broom to sweep the lab.
"Rai! Rai!" Raichu cooed as it grabbed a sponge and tried to help out.
There were days where she felt like some kind of odd version of Cinderella out in the lab. She imagined someone in black with piercing violet eyes and a mischievous grin taking her away to a land of delight and adventure, if such a life existed at all.
Of course, like almost everyone else, she wanted to become a Pokémon trainer, but her family thought it was too dangerous. Plus, she didn't get chosen in the lottery anyway, and even though she could probably pass the test, and skip the lotto, now that she had been working in the lab for a year, there was still the matter of convincing her parents.
It's too dangerous to go out hunting for Pokémon in the wild! You don't know where they've been or what diseases they might carry. You also don't know if they won't just turn around and attack you. She heard her dad's voice say.
She quietly fantasized about being kidnapped and forced to train Pokémon. It was better than the life her parents were making her live.
I wish I wouldn't have been so scared when they came to the lab. She thought.
Sonya's thoughts suddenly turned dark, as she remembered all of the news reports, the destruction and terror that Team Rocket created in the region. She shook her head.
What am I thinking about? That's no place for me. It's far too dangerous...the Rockets are really bad people, but, if they weren't? Sonya thought.
Sonya let out a sigh. Raichu said its name in response.
Sonya let the idea fall back into her subconscious along with all of her dreams of becoming a great Pokémon trainer and all of the other goals she had for herself that she felt like she would never accomplish. She would have completely forgotten about it, if it wasn't for one fateful day.
She was running an errand for the doctor in Cerulean City, and she came across a robbery in progress. Team Rocket, decked out in their black uniforms with red "R's" were openly robbing one of the Poké Marts. Sonya knew she should probably mind her own business, but she just could not look away from this train wreck, not this time. They were carrying things out of the store as one huge unit, and no one was trying to stop them.
She watched with fascination as they loaded items onto one of their big trucks.
"Raichu!" her Pokémon growled, its cheeks sparking and teeth bared.
She had almost forgotten that she took him out earlier to get some exercise.
"Shhh..." Sonya said, trying to calm him.
"Chu..." the Pokémon cooed.
Suddenly, Sonya heard the bushes she was hidden behind rustle.
"Well...well...what do we have here?" a man in a black uniform with the unmistakable red "R" asked.
Sonya noticed the black mask he was wearing over his eyes to conceal his face.
Raichu, sensing danger, started sparking its cheeks.
"Now, now...I wouldn't do that if I were you..." the man said as he pulled a gun and undid the safety.
Sonya gulped hard and clutched Raichu, stopping its attack.
"Hand over the Pokémon, and no one gets hurt," the Rocket grunt growled.
Sonya's mind and heart were again racing. She broke into a sweat and started to panic.
"I...I...I...can't..." Sonya finally managed to say.
"I'm not here to play games, girlie, hand over the Pokémon or eat lead! We're Team Rocket; if you got what we want, we take it!" the man growled.
Sonya hesitated, and that won her the piercing sound of gun shot at close range. She winced as she heard the bullet bounce off a nearby rock.
"That was a warning shot; the next one's going to be right between your pretty little eyes!" the man threatened.
"Raichu...go...go with...the...man," Sonya stammered.
Raichu looked at her with confusion.
"Rai?"
"Go-go with him!" Sonya ordered.
Raichu stepped forward and cautiously walked to the man's side.
Once Raichu was at his side, the man laughed.
"Doesn't this thing have a Poké Ball?" The man asked impatiently.
Sonya pulled it out and gave it to the man, who then promptly recalled her Raichu and put the Poké Ball in his pocket, all while still pointing the gun at the girl.
"Now, give me your other Pokémon!" the man demanded.
"Hurry it up, and don't try anything funny!"
The man waited anxiously with one gloved hand out and the other firmly on his gun.
Sonya nervously pulled out her other Poké Balls and put them in the man's hand.
"Good. Now, empty your wallet!"
Sonya nervously complied; she didn't have very much money with her.
The man looked over the pile and took some loose Poké Dollars, her credit cards, and her picture I.D.
"Got a Pokémon training license?" the man asked.
Sonya shook her head.
"Too bad..." the shady Rocket grunt said as he looked through his newly acquired "treasures."
He finally lowered the gun, apparently disinterested. Sonya let out a sigh of relief and tried to leave.
Before Sonya could move, however, he had his weapon back out, pointed at her temples.
"On second thought, I think you know too much. I'm not sure I should let you leave..." the man said, his eyes narrowing.
Sonya drew a sharp breath.
"Get in the truck..." the man said.
Sonya swallowed hard. This was the end. How could it have come to this?