Ever since my first memory I've known my destiny. It was my best friend Dr. Creature telling me "You were born for this" and then getting a lick on the cheek from his Houndour. Every day of my life I've roamed the halls of this Team Rocket facility and trained to be the best Pokémon trainer to ever live. I'm so close to being ready to go out into the real world and face actual trainers.
For the first few years of my life I wasn't treated with any compassion. Most of the staff here believed I needed to be hardened like a Metapod so that I could become a ruthless competitor. Dr. Creature was really the only one who showed me any sort of kindness. The other Doctors and workers taught me different Pokémon types, weakness, training techniques, and attacks, I had to train the entire day and I'd be punished if I made a mistake. Usually just this would be a shock from Electabuzz. Only Dr. Creature ever gave me breaks and play games with me - I always loved to play with his Houndour.
After thirteen years I finally won't have to face off against simulations with computer generated Pokémon, trainers, and environments. I'll get to feel the bark on a tree, grass, and what a Poke ball feels like in my hand. I think that's what I'm most excited about.
"Today's a special day Rocket. " Dr. Creature said to me as we walked down the dark halls on the way to the simulation room. I walked by doors that I've never been allowed into and sketchy disheveled men and woman walked by in black uniforms with red R's on their shirts.
"Why is it special?" I asked. We passed the corridor leading to the simulation room. "No simulations?"
"No, today we start your actual training."
"You mean with an actual Pokémon?" I asked with my eyes wide and full of excitement. I would've started jumping up and down if there weren't so many people staring at me with sour grimaces.
"Yes and I'm going to get to watch you fight for the first time." We walked to a bolted door where Dr. Creature pressed a red button and I heard the metal gears inside, the door creped open letting in light from the passage beyond. When my eyes adjusted I could see a brown floor with white lines marking a battle area and trainer boxes for me to stand in. It was an exact replica of the battle stadium that the simulator used. "Ready to go my friend?" He said as we walked into the arena.
I looked up and saw windows where all the other doctors were gazing down at me with clipboards in hand. I stared around at all of them and while I recognized some, there were new faces in the crowd as well. Another door slid open to my left and a bright white frown and red glowing eyes peered from the darkness. It was terrifying until I saw it walk out with its hands tied by a member of Team Rocket, it was a Gengar. The Team Rocket member kicked Gengar out into the arena towards me. "Gen-gar, Gen-gar!" It cried out in pain.
"You listen to everything this trainer tells you, understand?" The member said as the Gengar shook his head in agreement with the same frown on his face. The member cut the tie from his hands and it began walking towards me. I hate watching some of the other members treating Pokémon so terribly – that's not how Dr. Creature taught me to be though.
"Good luck Rocket." He said with a warm smile as he exited the arena.
The Gengar approached me with the frown still on its face. I felt a chill as he arrived beside me. I kneeled down beside it and he flinched when moved. "I'm not gonna hurt you - I'm sorry that guy kicked you." The Gengar looked at me with a perplexed look. "How about we kick someone else's butt instead?" His frown turned into a giant smile that I knew Gengar's were known for. He has that fighting fire in his heart, just like me, I could tell.
"You ready to go kid!" A voice yelled form across the arena. It was a woman with jet black hair tied into a giant bun and wearing her Team Rocket uniform. She flicked a Poke ball with wrist and unleashed a giant Beartic who roared once it was released from its Poke ball.
I know that Beartic is an Ice type Pokémon so there isn't a type advantage on either side between it and Gengar. Beartic is going to be more aggressive though, so I need to use Gengar's speed to my advantage.
"Beartic use Icicle Crash!" The other trainer yelled. Beartic's beard lit bright white as sharp icicles started rushing into the air. I watched as they rose to their peak and then started to plummet to Earth.
"Gengar dodge it!" Gengar bounced around the floor dodging every crash. My go to move with any ghost or psychic type it to start with a confuse ray. Starting the opponent out disoriented is always a strong start to a battle. "Confuse ray now!" Gengar held out his hands and a wave shot out hitting Beartic, who started to stammer around.
While he's still confused I need to hit him with a full attack. "Gengar use Shadow Punch!" Gengar ran up to a confused Beartic and a dark ball of energy surrounded his fist he uppercut Beartic in the jaw and with a flash of darkness piercing the arena. Beartic flew off his feet and landed on the hard ground, unable to get up.
"Beartic return." The woman called as she retrieved her Pokémon with a red beam of light. Gengar turned around and looked at me with his giant smile and I gave him thumbs up. He was having just as much fun as I was, fighting with a real living and breathing Pokémon was so much more exciting than a simulation. Knowing that your decisions were real was a completely new feeling.
I felt a surge of power watching her recall that Beartic. It's the same rush I feel in the simulator, but different too. Seeing her face turn red with anger fueled me. I enjoyed beating her, because that's how they've trained me to be, show no mercy to your opponent. It gave me sense of joy, but also a sour feeling in my stomach.
"Go Abra, use Psybeam!" The woman called suddenly as the sleepy eyed Pokémon burst from its Poke ball emitting a purple beam of light at Gengar. It clashed against him with a flash of purple light as Gengar tumbled to the floor and rolled to my feet. I looked into Gengar's eyes and he could barely open them. I knew Psychic attacks were super effective and I could tell he was hurt. I was so unprepared for her to attack straight out of calling her Pokémon. I had never seen that technique used before.
"Are you okay?" I asked as he struggled to lift himself off the ground. It made me angry watching him in pain, just like how I watched that man kick him. "Use sludge bomb!" Gengar produced a ball black toxic and launched it at Abra.
"Abra use levitate and throw it back." Abra stopped the sludge bomb mid-air and with a flick of its finger he threw it back at Gengar.
"Quick dodge!" I yelled. Gengar reacted as fast as he could, but the blast from the bomb still hit him in the back, launching him across the stadium.
"Can't handle the pressure kid?" The woman asked with an evil smirk on her face. I ignored her and looked over at Gengar who was still lying on the ground. I started to raise my hand to forfeit when I heard the door that I entered in open again. It was a doctor that I recognized, but can't remember from where. He was wearing a black lab coat and giant red glasses.
"Giovanni" Were the only words he said. Suddenly my entire body tensed up and I felt my heart rate rising. I became enraged for no reason and my only desire was to see that Abra lying on the ground. I looked over at Gengar who had finally gotten to his feet. When I turned around the man was gone.
"Gengar get to your feet and use Curse!" Both Gengar and the woman looked at me with shock on their faces. Curse willingly takes away Gengar's power but will add on more damage to Abra. Gengar reluctantly developed a black aura around him and I saw the painful grimace on his face. I didn't feel sympathy though, I only cared about winning and if Gengar was hurt in the process than so be it. The aura then surrounded Abra so I knew the curse was in effect, "Sludge bomb now!" Achingly Gengar mustard up a sludge bomb and sent it at Abra. "Explode it before it hits!"
Gengar released his arms and the bomb burst in front of Abra before it could get to its destination. Black sludge spewed all over the arena and distracted Abra.
"Lick!" I ordered and Gengar quickly ran over and with his giant tongue and covered Abra in toxic saliva that paralyzed it. "Fire a Shadow Ball directly at him!" I demanded. The woman gasped and even Gengar hesitated at the request, but obeyed jumping back a few feet and summoning the Shadow Ball. Once released from his hands, the ball only took a split second to reach Abra where it erupted in a direct hit to his face.
Darkness filled the arena and Abra went flying passed his trainer and slammed into the wall. Abra was defeated. The woman retrieved Abra back into his Poke ball and walked out of the arena.
All the anger started to fade away as I lost strength in my legs. I kneeled down to the ground and tears started filling my eyes. I didn't know what happened to me or why I acted so recklessly. I felt a cold chill and when I looked up Gengar was in front of me with fear in his eyes.
"I'm sorry Gengar." I could have hurt him with that curse and I knew the win wasn't worth that. Just like beating that Abra wasn't worth calling for a Shadow Ball so close. I could've significantly injured both of them.
I put my head back down and Gengar put his hand on my chin. "Gen-gar." He said softly and then looked up into the windows with anger shining through his red eyes. The man that kicked him came back out from the same door "Come here ghost!" He yelled. Gengar lowered his head and started to walk towards the man.
"Gengar no!" I yelled. The door behind me then swung open and Dr. Creature came running in and stood in front of me with his arms spread.
"You're not going to take him!" He yelled at the man in black that I had seen before and he had a group of Rocket members behind him.
"Move Creature, he's our property. You knew what this was. It's not our fault you got attached."
"You've brainwashed a little boy who has no idea what's going on. Please stop Kyle" Dr. Creature said. That's when I remembered the man in blacks name. He was the head doctor, Dr. Kyle. I didn't know how I could've forgotten that.
"Well then why don't you tell him what's going on? Tell him how you've been helping us train him since birth to be an unstoppable force on the Pokémon world!" The man yelled. The echo from the arena shot through my ears twice.
"What's going on?" I asked wiping my tears and looking up at Dr. Creature.
"You're a science project!" Dr. Kyle yelled. "We created you to be the greatest trainer in the world. You have a power deep inside you that we can use to have you control the strongest Pokémon. With that kind of power, we could hold the Earth in our hands!" He said clutching his fist. All I could do was look at Dr. Creature, but he wouldn't even make eye contact with me. That's when I knew it was true.
"I won't do it!" I yelled, but they all started laughing at me.
"You think you have a choice?" He growled with a sinister grin. "Giovanni." He then whispered. At first I was confused, but then my body tensed up again and I no longer understood who I was or what I was doing. "Come here boy!" I started walking to the group and went right by Dr. Creature. I didn't want to do it and I felt my heart trying to pull me away, but my legs just kept moving. I couldn't even speak.
"I won't let you do this!" Dr. Creature yelled as he threw his Poke ball in front of me and out came his Houndoom that had evolved since my young childhood. "Houndoom use flamethrower." The Houndoom opened his mouth and a large burst of fire came erupting straight towards the men who dodged it but the blast caused a massive explosion that disoriented everyone, including me.
Dr. Creature tackled me to the ground and I struggled to lift him off, still entranced by whatever spell I was under. He held me down with the full force of his body. "Red! Red!" He yelled and I felt like a breathe of dark heavy air had been expelled from me. I felt normal and in control. I was weak though and my body was exhausted.
"Get them!" Dr. Kyle yelled as I heard a group of feet stomping towards me quickly. I looked up to see men dressed in Team Rocket gear heading towards me when a large black ball exploded on top of them and when I looked over it was my wounded Gengar that was breathing heavily. I went to run over and help him when Dr. Creature grabbed me by the shoulder.
"Rocket you have to leave, Houndoom will take you out, but you have to run away and never come back!" He handed me a picture of a girl my age with dark blue hair. "This is my daughter Kasey, the last I heard she was in Ecruteak City challenging the Gym leader. She's training to become a champion." He paused for a moment and took a deep breath holding back tears. "I think she was right about this…about me. When you find her, tell her I'm sorry." He picked me up and placed me on Houndoom's back and handed me his Poke ball. "Take care of them." He took out another poke ball and recalled Gengar into a red beam of light and put it in my pocket.
"Where will you go?" I asked. I wanted to get more questions out, but my body was so worn out and I couldn't express the fear and anxiousness that I felt.
"I'm going to stay and hold them off. They created another Pokémon Rocket – one that they intended for you to lead us with. They'll stop at nothing to see that come to fruition, so you must stay away and go live a normal life. Do this for me please," He said as the Team Rocket members were stammering back to their feet and opened their poke balls ready to fight.
"Get them!" Dr. Kyle yelled.
"Go Houndoom!" Dr. Creature yelled as he threw another poke ball into the air and released a massive Salamence onto the battlefield. "Use Dragon Rage!" Blue fire erupted in the arena as Houndoom ran me around the men.
I held onto his dark fur as he sprinted through the hallways. He was taking me down halls I wasn't allowed into growing up, but all I saw was streaks as Houndoom ran passed. The darkness turned to light surrounded by green and for the first time I smelled natural air and pine trees. I wanted to stop and take it all in so badly, but Houndoom just kept running.
He ran for twenty more minutes until we reached a road where Houndoom - out of breathe -finally lied down beside the road. I climbed off him and looked at the black concrete road. I reached down to touch it and felt the sting of the burning pavement and that's when I took my first look at the sun.
I was only able to look for a split-second before burning, but to close my eyes and feel the sun's rays tingle on my skin felt so relaxing. Once I was able to open my eyes again I looked over at the trees beside the road. I felt the bark against my fingers and traced along the rough brown edges. It was an odd feeling, but so satisfying.
"Houn-doom!" The Pokémon barked as a truck drove up to us.
"You alright son? Your Houndoom looks pretty pooped, need a ride into town?" A man with a burly white mustache asked. I knew that hitching a ride with a stranger was dangerous, but I needed to get as far away for Team Rocket as I could. I didn't have much choice since I had no idea where I was.
"If you wouldn't mind sir." I said as I hopped into the passenger seat. "Houndoom take a rest." I recalled him to his ball. "What town were you talking about?"
"Azalea Town, where that famous Slowpoke well, trainers like you should know all about it." He said as he started driving.
Trainer? I thought to myself. That when the reality of the situation hit me. I just escaped a home I had known my entire life and might've lost the only friend I'd ever known. It stung to think of the situation, not just Dr. Creature, but what my whole life had been leading up to. They used me like some kind of weapon and I sat in ignorant bliss and let them. I clinched my fist and held back tears that would've been shed for the thirteen years I wasted.
"So what's your name son?" The man asked.
I unclenched my fist and thought for a moment. My natural reaction was to say Rocket, but the idea of being associated with Team Rocket sickened me. That was the name they gave their project, but I'm gonna make my own identity.
"Rocky."
[An adventure starts for a young new hero as he starts off on a Pokémon journey unlike any other. What secrets have Team Rocket placed in his psyche and what is this mysterious Pokémon that they've created? And what about Dr. Creature's daughter? Stay updated for more chapters telling Rocky's story!]