Once upon a time there was a trainer named Archie. He trained in Slateport and gained a great love of the sea. So he made the team now known as Team Aqua.
A trainer named Giovanni had trained with Archie, and they had become inseparable friends.
When Archie made Team Aqua with its cool logo,
they had to part ways, which made Giovanni sad and also very, very angry.
So Giovanni made his own team, Team Rocket.
Officially, Team Aqua's nemesis was Team Magma, but underneath the surface, Rocket and Aqua were feuding. But underneath THAT, Giovanni and Archie were still friends…
One day, Ash was walking to Slateport, when Jessie, James and Meowth appeared, trying to steal Pikachu (again).
They were confident that they could beat Ash, for since the last time they had stolen a Hitmontop.
The battle went like this:
James: Hitmontop! I choose you!
Ash: Pikachu! Thunderbolt!
Pikachu: Peeeka…CHUUU!
Hitmontop collapsed on the ground.
James: Hitmontop, return!
Jessie: Go, Seviper!
Ash: Pikachu! Use Iron Tail!
Pikachu: Pika-pika-pika-chuuu!
Seviper fainted.
Jessie: Return, Seviper!
Ash: Use Volt Tackle, Pikachu!
Pikachu: Pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-PIKA!
Jessie, James & Meowth: Team Rocket is blasting off
again!
When they had landed, they immediately called The Boss (aka Giovanni) via their newly stolen Pokénavs.
"Boss, Ash beat us – again," said James.
"WHAT?! I ask you for one Pikachu – one teeny, tiny Pikachu, and that same Pikachu keeps defeating you?!"
"Uh…" Meowth began.
"Don't interrupt! I wasn't finished speaking! Did it SOUND as though I had finished speaking?"
"Actually…" that was Jessie.
"Again you interrupt! You morons – you are fired!
F – I – R – E – D! Fired!"
"But Boss, you can't fire –"
Beep. Giovanni had hung up.
At Giovanni's house, he was pacing up and down the long, empty hallways.
"Those idiots are useless. I'll set out tomorrow to beat this 'Ash' myself." He smiled. "I am going to…"
Beep. Beep. Beep. Giovanni's Pokénav rang.
Annoyed at being interrupted yet again, he answered it – and it was ARCHIE!
"Someone named Gary just defeated Team Magma. Now only Rocket and Aqua are left."
Beep.
The next day, Giovanni set out to challenge Ash to an Epic Battle, confident that he would win.
"Ash. It is I, Giovanni."
Ash looked confused. "Who?'
"Giovanni."
"Who?"
"The ultimate Pokémon trainer, former leader of Viridian Gym, and Boss of Team Rocket, Giovanni!"
"Former gym leader?"
Giovanni groaned. "Don't ask."
Ash grinned. "Team Rocket's Boss? Finally! A real challenge – I need one, after being able to defeat Jessie and James so easily. Bring it on!"
The Epic Battle:
Giovanni: Persian, go!
Ash: Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!
Persian was hit, but remained standing.
Ash: Wow! I'm so used to Thunderbolt inducing a
one-hit KO!
Giovanni: Fury Swipes!
Persian clawed violently at Pikachu, leaving him scratched and bleeding profusely.
Ash: Pikachu, are you strong enough to do a Bolt Tackle?
Pikachu nodded.
Pikachu: Pika-pika-pika-PI!
Persian collapsed with a loud thud.
Giovanni: Persian, return!
I choose you, Nidoking!
Ash: Use Shock Wave, Pikachu!
Nidoking took the full force of the attack and staggered backwards, but recovered quickly.
Giovanni: Poison Gas!
Pikachu gasped, coughed and staggered around for a while, before standing upright once more.
Ash: Let's finish this. Thunderbolt, Pikachu!
Nidoking fainted.
Giovanni: Nidoking, return!
There was an awkward silence that lasted a few minutes before Ash finally broke it by saying, "Aren't you going to use your other Pokémon?"
Giovanni mumbled under his breath, "I don't have any more Pokémon."
Ash was shocked. "What?!"
Giovanni glanced at his watch.
"Oh, would you look at the time. I have to go."
And he started to run. Fast.
Just as he turned around the corner he was hit by the tail end of a Thunderbolt.
He came away unscathed, except that his hair was singed and standing on end.
Back at his house, Giovanni was standing in front of a mirror trying to smooth his hair back down – and failing.
Discouraged, he sat down at his desk with his head in his hands. After a while, he decided that he needed to share his misery with someone, and he could only think of one person – Archie. He picked up his Pokénav and dialled Archie's number.
"Giovanni? Why did you call me?"
"I just got beaten," Giovanni replied, sounding melancholy.
"And to top it off, his Pikachu messed up my perfect hair!"
"Who is this person, who can defeat the indestructible Giovanni?" Archie asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Ash."
"Ash? Oh I could beat him easily."
"Bet you can't."
"You'll see."
Beep.
When Archie fought Ash, he lost. Miserably.
On the first Thunderbolt, even the Pokémon still in the Pokéballs fainted! On the second one, Team Aqua was blasting off for the first time ever.
As he flew through the air, Archie thought, "That was silly of me – trying to beat a Pikachu with Water-type Pokémon."
And then the only thing he could think was, "AARGH! Wet! Cold!" as he had just splash-landed in Slateport's ocean.
On the way back to his house, Archie met Giovanni. Giovanni was surprised to see Archie.
"Archie! Why are you all wet?"
Archie groaned. "Ash."
"He beat you, then?"
Archie nodded. "I hate Ash."
"I hate that twerp even more!"
"Even though I hate you –" Archie began.
"And I hate you," Giovanni interjected.
"We should team up –"
"Just this once –"
"Once and only once –"
"To beat Ash."
"Let's do it!" they shouted simultaneously.
"Do you have to use Water-type Pokémon?" Giovanni complained.
"No, but they are my speciality, so I won't fight as well with any other type – what type do YOU suggest, anyway?"
"We need a Pokémon that is immune to Electric attacks."
Archie rolled his eyes.
"Obviously, but what type is immune to Electric?"
"Rock, I think."
"There is only one place I can think of to find Rock-type Pokémon – the Safari Zone."
"There is NO WAY we can get in there – the security is far too tight."
"You know, there actually is a way we can get in."
"How?"
"Legally."
Giovanni was shocked. "You mean to say that Giovanni and Archie, leaders of Team Rocket and Aqua; of which Team Rocket is the coolest –" Archie glared at him, "–must do something LEGALLY?!"
"Yip."
"Well, if it's the only way to beat Ash," Giovanni shrugged. "Okay."
"Hello, welcome to the Safari Zone – wait a second – you're Archie and Giovanni! Help! Police! Robbery! EEK!"
She dived under her desk and lay there quivering.
"Get up. We're not here to rob the place, we're here to – pay." Giovanni's tongue stumbled over the unfamiliar word.
The receptionist peeped over the edge of her desk. "Pay?"
Giovanni nodded.
"Well, in that case," the receptionist said, regaining her composure, "the entry fee is 500 Poké."
Giovanni paid her and received 30 Safari Balls. He moved towards the entrance and Archie began to follow him.
"Not so fast," the receptionist said, "You'll have to pay too," she continued, motioning to Archie.
Giovanni turned around. "We'll share the Safari Balls."
"But that's never been done before," the receptionist pointed out.
Archie didn't say a word; he just glared at her with his ice-cold eyes.
"Then again, there's nothing wrong with sharing," stuttered the receptionist, promptly diving under her desk again.
After she was sure that they had left, she sat up again, nervous and shaking.
After a while, her boss walked past and he noticed that she looked skittish.
"Rough day?" he asked sympathetically.
She shook her head. "You have no idea."
Meanwhile, Archie and Giovanni had managed to catch a Rhydon. They decided to challenge Lightning Surge, the Electric Gym leader, to a one-on-one battle to test Rhydon.
Surge: Rotom, go!
Giovanni: I choose you, Rhydon!
(Archie was sulking in the background, because Giovanni was battling, and not him.)
Surge: Use Thunderbolt, Rotom!
The attack hit Rhydon. Rhydon's only response was to blink.
Giovanni: Haha! Rhydon is immune to Electric-type
attacks!
Rhydon, use Earthquake!
Rotom fell to the ground with a thud and fainted.
Giovanni started doing a victory dance.
"And that's the way uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it! And that's the way –"
"Good for you," Archie interrupted.
"Now let's go challenge Ash to a battle he'll never forget!"
When they challenged Ash to a battle, he laughed.
"Sure. I can use the money."
They had agreed that Archie should battle this time, as Giovanni had fought against Lightning Surge the previous day.
"A one-on-one battle, Ash. If I beat Pikachu, I win."
"Sure."
Archie: Rhydon, go!
Ash: Thunderbolt, Pikachu!
Of course, it didn't affect Rhydon.
Archie: Rock Blast!
Pikachu fainted!
Ash gasped and stared at Pikachu.
"You win. I suppose you want Pikachu now, Giovanni?"
"No! It sucks! Rhydon is so much cooler!"
Ash picked up Pikachu and ran off.
"We make a pretty good team." Archie told Giovanni.
"We do," Giovanni agreed. "We should merge teams."
They started walking back into Slateport.
"But what will we call it?"
"Team Rocket Aqua."
"No! Team Aqua Rocket."
"Rocket Aqua!"
"Aqua Rocket!"
Just then, Giovanni saw an advertisement for Gamma Ray Guns.
"Team Gamma Ray?"
"That actually sounds very cool. Team Gamma Ray!"
AND THAT IS HOW TEAM GAMMA RAY WAS FOUNDED.