A/N: This story is my first attempt at a multi-chapter fanfiction. It takes place in Team Rocket's beginning, when they only targeted fairly rare wild Pokémon, four years before they were taken down. They were still a legitimately new name, although the time when everyone knew of their threat would come… soon. Enjoy the story and thanks for reading!
"Ok Raticate, just like we practiced. Hyper fang!"
The rat bit into the Pokémon's hard skull, yelping in pain as its large teeth chipped with contact.
"If you want to do something right, I suppose you have to do it yourself," the man mumbled, leafing through his large bag. He adjusted his black hat and pulled out a hand gun, running his finger along the shiny surface. The Raticate shrank away, covering its eyes with its skinny hands.
"It's not for you, moron," the man said with a roll of his eyes. "It would be a waste of bullets."
With a firm smack, the guy took the butt of the gun and whammed it into the right side of the Cubone's head. The brown Pokémon moaned, even in its unconscious state.
"I just hope that worked, Raticate. But either way, that Cubone wouldn't have lasted."
"Rat! Raticate!"
The man grabbed the Cubone and hurled it out the window. Then the duo melted back into the shadows, as if they were never there.
CHAPTER ONE
I woke up, blinking owlishly in the early morning light. A terrible pain bored into my left side, and there was a slight pounding on my head. Large buildings towered over me, and I could make out human feet rushing by. A few inches away from me my bone club resided on the ground, miraculously unscathed. I crawled towards the bone and grabbed it, bending my weight on it like a crutch. Limping, I retreated behind a bench, trying to ignore the steady pound of injury.
"Look Jake, a Cubone!"
"There's no Cubone in Viridian City, stupid," a deeper voice answered.
"But Jake, look under that bench!"
In front of me were two human boys, one significantly older than the other. They both had frizzy red hair and freckles that stuck out so much it hurt my eyes.
"Well," said the one named Jake. "I'll catch it!" He released a red and white sphere, and a Gloom popped out, a strand of salvia dripping out of its mouth. Upon the command of its freckly trainer, it released a dusty shower of green. I scrambled to get away, groaning with effort. The emerald powder fell all over me. Immediately my muscles tensed up, and it became harder to move than it already was. I took a sluggish step forward and collapsed on my own weight.
Jake smirked at me, green eyes reflecting my face. "Pathetic," he said.
With a snap of Jake's bony fingers, the flower Pokémon approached me, preparing for the final blow. It rushed at me head on as I sprawled helplessly on the floor. Then, with the last of my strength, I raised my bone and clubbed the Gloom square on the head. The enemy's eye's glazed over; she kneeled on the ground… and fell flat on her face. In a beam of red light, the Gloom vanished. I got up and glared at Jake, leaning on my bone crutch with a countenance of loathing.
"That Cubone is crazy strong," Jake whispered, "Let's get out of here." He grabbed his brother by the arm and dove into the safety of an apartment building.
I grinned, then fell to the ground once more. My aches were slowly depleting my health, and electrical shocks caused my muscles to spasm, the side effect of the Stun Spore. My vision started to double and I used the opportunity to take one last look around the town. The place had strange sense of déjà vu, yet the thought was blurry. In fact, every thought was blurry. My heart raced as I pieced together the unthinkable. Just like in every corny story I've heard of, every unoriginal movie… I had developed amnesia. Details of my memory were missing, but I remembered the basics. As the red flag of falling health overtook my brain, one thought stood out.
I am Team Rocket's Pokémon.
Then I fainted.