Author's Note:
I of course do not own Pokemon or any of its licenses and properties.

The editor is a bit frustrating, I apologize. I will attempt to maintain readability in the future.

Subsequent chapters will unveil more as I write them.
It's been a long, long time since I've written anything, so this has been an exercise for me, but it feels rewarding.

Thanks for bearing with me,
and thank you for reading.

Chapter I
_ _ _ _ _

Lawrence

The broken carcass of a Flying Palace sank at a glacial pace off the coast of Lightning Island. Propped vertical against the coastal cliff, support beams bent and tore beneath the weight of the huge aircraft, occasionally losing a turbine or support structure to the water below. If any Pokemon inhabited the area, they may have relocated to escape the pollution.

Lawrence III sifted through two arm-fulls of metal and technology that had been scattered along Lightning Island's coast. Many of the fragments appeared to be a part of his Flying Palace's command chair interface - to his dismay, a GPS module was not among the pieces. Undeterred, he rummaged as many scrap piles as he felt safely possible, inevitably foraging closer and closer to the sinking palace as his search turned up empty.

Nearby, the Ancient Mew card that had been Lawrence's first treasure touched down, having been swept away from the Flying Palace. He was quick to forget about the GPS and walked over to the small parcel. Nostalgia held his gaze to the card as he held it in his hand.

"How it all began... And how I'll begin again," he muttered to himself, looking up from the hieroglyphs into the sky. He recalled the numerous artifacts he had acquired as a collector before his sights turned to rare Pokemon. In his defeat he was humored enough to smile.

"Giving up on your dreams so soon, Lawrence?" came a snide, male voice from behind him. Lawrence turned about to face the stranger, whom continued, "Given your ambitious family, that seems out of character."

The newcomer was a tower of a man. He wore a jet black suit fitted perfectly to his broad shoulders, standing straight and tall, almost military in appearance. The hair on his head looked young and healthy, a reddish brown with no signs of graying, belying the age lines on his face that were only just forming.
Lawrence didn't recognize the man from memory or media, but the bright red "R" on his breast pocket told a clear enough story.

"My, my, don't you look important," Lawrence taunted, displeased with the man's approach, "and just how do you know me?"

"I don't yet," the man said calmly as he started towards Lawrence, "but that could change very soon. Given your current situation," he gestured to the deserted island and sinking airship, "I'm sure you'll find it's in your best interest."

Lawrence grew evermore unimpressed by this display.

"You know my name, you speak of my family. If you want any of my interest, your next few words will be more forthcoming."

The suited man pulled out a card. The familiar red "R" was visible on one side before it was offered to him, revealing what looked to be a business card. Lawrence barely looked at the writing before the man began to speak.

"My name is Giovanni. I am Chief Executive of Team Rocket and our goal as the foremost criminal organization in the world is to steal and capture powerful Pokemon. Your hunt for Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres and Lugia may align perfectly with Team Rocket's vision."

"You're going to have to do better than that," Lawrence nearly chuckled. "As tempting as a quick rescue is, I'm not interested in a debt. My genius simply can't be wasted on grunt work. Besides, you look about as stranded as I do."

"Initially, I thought you were merely a grunt," Giovanni confessed, "and I thought you might have been suited for a place in my criminal network, but the cages that restrained Moltres and Zapdos were impressive. They need to be researched and improved upon. Team Rocket has interest in funding these projects.

"Moreover, this technology didn't exist when your family's estate was helmed by your mother. Such a development in so little time-

Having had enough, Lawrence ripped the card that had been given to him. The cold expression that had claimed his face gave way as he regained his calm.

"You'll need to excuse me, Giovanni. The cages are indeed my innovation, but it seems you know too much not to know that my mother is recently deceased," Lawrence pushed past him, making way for a pile of scrap he was confident he hadn't checked, "I expect even the head of Team Rocket can show respect there."

"I am aware," his voice was as cool as ever, "though I meant no disrespect. I was simply surprised to see your family's technological advancement in just a few, unrecorded years," he nearly had to call out to Lawrence, whom was still walking away.

Giovanni's use of the word 'unrecorded' unnerved him, but Lawrence offered no response.

"Very well then," Giovanni didn't have to search long for the remote in his pocket - he depressed its lone button.

Two blue serpents thrashed beneath the water and swung their enormous heads out into the open air, splashing and spreading huge waves in either direction. Water crashed into Lightning Island's coast and the airship's metal strained under the ocean's titanic force, but soon all fell quiet to the simultaneous roars of the two Gyarados.

Lawrence was in suspense. Yellow-orange energy filled the still-gaping maws of the giant serpents almost immediately after roaring. Small columns of energy rotated and burst from their mouths in every direction as the two Hyper Beams reached a critical level. A white flash filled Lawrence's vision and his eardrums popped soon after. Seconds lapsed before he noticed he was holding his eyes shut tight. He also couldn't seem to hear anything.

Lawrence pried his eyes open against the fading flash of the two Hyper Beams. Plumes of smoke, dust, and noise still encompassed everything around him, but he could just barely see that his Flying Palace was no longer there. The two Gyarados, likewise, couldn't be made out behind the smoke and ash.
Giovanni also wasn't anywhere to be found.

Lawrence thought to turn around and run, but his legs were stiff with fear. Locked in hesitation, Lawrence remained perfectly still - except for a small tremble that racked his whole body.

The smoke had completely subsided. Lawrence could see some of the broken and melted ends of the palace's main girders breaking the water's surface. If any of the main dome remained, it had collapsed into the ocean. Lawrence stepped toward the skeletal remains of his Flying Palace when yet another explosion came from the water behind him.

A massive whale bigger than both Gyarados combined climbed high into the sky. Lawrence was again locked in fear, knowing there would be no way for him to avoid the enormous Pokemon about to crush him.
To his chagrin, the whale bewildered Lawrence by floating in mid-air.
Walls of water fell to the ground and ocean as the Pokemon flapped its huge fluke and flippers, appearing to swim in place overhead. Grey stormclouds dragged through the sky and began to snake and swirl, churning around the whale to form a thin veil of wind and water. Sporadic lightning flashed inside the maelstrom.
The monster screamed. Lawrence thought he heard a sky of diamonds shatter, echoing across the horizon.

"Today you are witness to a true prize, Lawrence - the legendary Kyogre!"

Giovanni's megaphone barely had enough boom to carry his voice through the developing storm. A rope ladder, which carried Giovanni, fell to Kyogre's back. Lawrence caught a glimpse of a helicopter sneaking out of the storm under the cover of the accumulated clouds. He couldn't believe that the small aircraft was barely affected by the storm's turbulence.

Giovanni and his pet were descending now. Lawrence was struck with fear at this point, despite realizing that this was all likely just a display of Giovanni's power. Lawrence was probably never in any real danger, he figured. Thus, he stood his ground and looked as defiant as he could - still, he trembled.

Riding steadfast atop Kyogre, Giovanni looked perfectly in control of the absolute chaos around him. Lawrence had expected some sort of inhibitor collar or control device on the massive whale, but that would have been obvious on a Pokemon of Kyogre's size. Lawrence saw nothing of the sort. Nothing he could exploit or sabotage.

The winds slowed as Kyogre nestled down into the water, still managing to send a large wave in every direction. The huge beast turned and made a makeshift bridge with its tail. Giovanni started down Kyogre's dorsal side, headed for Lawrence.

"As you can see, Lawrence Stealthius the 3rd, I have power far greater than you have ever even dreamt of. Lugia is a truly rare and powerful Pokemon, but it could never hope to best Kyogre, the god of the sea."

Kyogre bellowed, noticeably softer but still profoundly loud.

Lawrence hadn't replied by the time Giovanni had reached him. The CEO retrieved a second business card from his suit. Lawrence took it without hesitation, knowing well Giovanni had shaken him into submission. Giovanni smiled like the crooked businessman he was.

"You'll be briefed on the card later," he cut straight to business, sparing Lawrence any gloating of breaking his will down, "for now, we stand upon the Island of Lightning. I have witnessed your resolve and your potential, young collector," Giovanni trailed off and threw two Pokeballs into the air, summoning the Gyarados twins that had all but vaporized the remnants of Lawrence's ship. The two Pokemon dove from the sky into the water, escaping Lawrence's sight as quickly as they had appeared. Kyogre, too, dove into the sea and vanished.

"Now witness my power, my ambition, as I capture the legendary bird of lightning - Zapdos!"

Kyogre resurfaced some distance away, immediately launching a massive Hydro Pump into the broadside of Lightning Island's largest mountain. The side of the huge mound broke and folded before scattering into smaller pieces against the water's immense pressure. Huge rocks, mud and trees similarly washed away in Kyogre's relentless torrent.

The Hydro Pump ended. Both Giovanni and Lawrence searched the skies in case they had somehow missed Zapdos taking flight. Neither saw any sign of the bird.

At this point, Lawrence pocketed the card he'd been given. He thought on the Gyarados that he could no longer see, wondering what Giovanni had instructed them to do.

"Perhaps Zapdos has taken refuge elsewhere," he proposed over Giovanni's shoulder.

"Team Rocket has had eyes on the Islands of Fire, Ice and Lightning long before your Flying Palace entered the Orange Islands airspace. The three birds returned to their respective islands after their clash with Lugia. We never lost telemetry duri-,"

Giovanni cut himself short and turned about, signaling for Kyogre with a whistle. The Pokemon extended its tail to Team Rocket's leader, whom traversed its backside to the top of its head. Lawrence had thought to say something to him, but was beginning to understand that the man enjoyed being simultaneously dramatic and enigmatic. Giovanni pulled a Pokeball from his pocket and tapped its button to expand its size. He wound his arm up and threw it hard into the air, high above Lawrence's head. It disappeared into the sky.

"Zapdos has likely fled the island. It's possible it escaped by staying close to the water and behind the island, away from the vantage point of my intelligence agency," he only sort of lied, as this was potentially true. He did withhold the more likely theory that the smoke from Lawrence's destroyed ship allowed Zapdos to escape to the clouds unnoticed.

Kyogre started out for the sea. Lawrence saw the silhouette of one of the Gyarados bolt through the water beneath Kyogre, presumably providing guard.

"I've left you a Pokemon that will deliver you to our remote base of operations in the Johto region. I suggest you take care in how you handle it," Giovanni yelled to Lawrence as Kyogre carried him away.

The Pokeball that had been thrown fell fast into Lawrence's vision, but he was sure to catch it. He studied the ball and reflected on the past two days, which he'd surely remember for the rest of his life.

"Well... seems I've been conscripted into something," he mulled to himself, still puzzled by Giovanni's constant mention of his family. He faced the growing suspicion that his mother, at the least, was in league with Team Rocket. Lawrence could hardly judge her after his campaign to capture and cage rare Pokemon. He did find it hard to believe that his mother, the key figure behind their family's success, would work outside of their own company after essentially building their estate from the ground up.

It wasn't hard to excuse the cooperation as a business venture. Lawrence recalled his mother was often a bold businesswoman and Team Rocket clearly had financial assets worth investigating, at the least.
Lawrence also wished to know how Giovanni managed to control Kyogre and those Gyarados.

He was done considering these thoughts, though. Lawrence held the Pokeball firmly in his hand, ultimately uncertain of why he was going to Giovanni's hideout in Johto - to catch rare Pokemon? To learn of his mother's involvement with Team Rocket? Or maybe he sought easy success in the face of his recent failures. No matter, Lawrence threw the Pokeball toward the edge of the water, unsure of the Pokemon that would emerge from the round chamber -

The ball hit the ground and rolled off the coast. It never opened and never released a Pokemon, instead dropping down into the deep, dark water with a small splash.

Lawrence didn't have time to feel betrayed - the water that swallowed the Pokeball bubbled before spitting the ball back onto the ground in front of him. He leaned down to pick it up and the second Gyarados emerged from where the Pokeball had been ejected back to him.
Startled, Lawrence fell backwards onto the ground.

"Of course," he was appropriately irritated, "why would I expect to be left anything else?"

It took some time for Lawrence to get Gyarados to cooperate with him. It spent the first half an hour ignoring him completely, backing away and diving into the water whenever Lawrence came too close. He suspected Gyarados was thoroughly enjoying itself.

When Gyarados had enough of playing, a hesitant Lawrence was allowed to climb onto its back. He found himself gripping two small dorsal fins for dear life as Gyarados raced toward Johto in the same line that Giovanni took, needing no input or instruction from Lawrence.

Huge waves occasionally threatened to knock him off Gyarados' back, but he managed to trek miles of ocean without ever falling into the water. Feeling as though the journey was a test of Giovanni's and with the coast of Johto's Azalea Town in his sight, Lawrence found new confidence as the morning sun beamed brightly off to his left.

Determined, Lawrence now conspired on how best to bring Giovanni down to his level, having decided that no matter what his goals were, Team Rocket might be an organization worth investing in, or possibly buying, regardless.