So! I figured that this fic needed a little more backstory so I took the liberty of writing the prologue. It probably doesn't reveal a lot of things, but hey, what's done is done.
There's some graphic violence in here, just throwing that out to you. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
Chapter 1: Darkness Rising! The Elimination of Cipher!
A Manectric and its rider sped through the rocky landscape of Route 3. The rider cursed the several rocks strewn about the field, knowing for certain that there would be a collision if his Pokemon wasn't careful. But it would be worth it; finally, after years in that desolate desert, he would be recognized for his work. Truly, it was an honor working for Team Rocket.
At last, his journey had come to an end at a broken-down building near some cave named after the moon. It was very frustrating; due to his lack of knowledge of the Kanto region and the letters that were carried by various flying Pokemon notifying him of the change in locations of "headquarters" between several towns and whatnot. The rider dismounted, revealing a briefcase from one of the travel packs and headed towards the entrance.
He wore a sinister-looking white coat over purple pants. The man's hairstyle was a ponytail and a twisted bang hanging from the front of his head. And, to complete the outfit, he donned a pair of horn-rimmed black sunglasses. From the look of him, it's quite obvious to see that he is a scientist. A diabolical scientist, as a matter of fact.
From the shadows of the doorway, two men clothed in black with a large red "R" on their fronts stepped forward and blocked his path.
"State your name and business," rasped the Rocket on his left.
The scientist rolled his eyes. "Blast off," the scientist murmured.
The phrase seemed to be some sort of password because when the scientist uttered those words, the two guards twitched as if a bad itch had come upon them. They parted and he was free to enter. He passed through several doors, some required eye scans; others passwords. Finally, he reached the final room which was brightly-lit and very tiny; barely enough to fit three people. A downward jolt told him that this "room" was an elevator.
Few seconds passed as the elevator traveled underground. The doors opened to reveal a long table with shadowy figures already sitting in it in a dimly-lit room. A voice spoke from the far end of the table.
"Well then, now that Ein has joined us at last, shall we begin?"
The voice was female, seemed to be young, but there was a certain sinister and commanding tone about it. However, she wasn't sitting at the far end of the table; in fact, her face was hidden in shadows on a large screen connected to the ceiling in front of the table. Ein took a seat and sat down.
Several hours later as the meeting dragged on, Ein was bored out of his brilliant mind. The hidden female would ask questions and many members would answer.
"Viridian Forest is once again restocked filled with our experiments."
"New trainer statistics have dropped considerably."
"Team Righteous' location is still unknown but they are still a major threat; as they have been attempting to sabotage our projects for the past months now."
"Archie and Maxie still have not replied to our messages. That's why they're not here."
"But Team Galactic is interested in joining forces and they have sent messengers."
The meeting passed by smoothly until they came across a particularly touchy subject.
"Red, Blue, and Green are still missing. Their locations are unknown. Gold and Crys are also nowhere to be found. And Sil-"
Everyone jumped at a loud noise from the screen. The woman had slammed her fist on her desk with incredible force.
"Don't you dare say his name again…" She hissed with venomous rage. The member visibly shook as he sincerely apologized. No other significant incident passed after that. Ein was barely awake now. Various snatches of the subjects reached his ears but he paid them no mind until...
"Wes, Rui and Michael including all associates are now dead."
At this, Ein sat up. "They're dead?" he asked. "When did this happen?"
An old man with sinister glowing yellow eyes on his left chuckled. "You should pay more attention to the news, Ein."
"I have better things to do than to keep track of the news, Greevil." Ein snapped. "And, the last time I checked, Cipher was defeated again by those children."
"And now they are dead." Greevil snarled.
"By what? Some huge weapon just blasted them into oblivion? Or perhaps you just cornered the brats as they made a last stand? Numbers never win a battle."
"No, but they certainly help. You weren't one of them."
Ein jumped from his seat, seething with rage. "You insignificant little midget. I should be the leader of Cipher!"
Greevil stood on his chair and puffed out his chest. "Like you ever will!" he snapped. "You may be our top scientist, however, you're going have to perform better if you want to move up!"
"That's pretty big talk from someone standing on his chair." Ein shot back.
Suddenly, Pin Missiles hit the wall behind them. Everyone turned just in time to see a Cacturne being recalled into its ball belonging to a figure who had also stood up from his place, enshrouded in the darkness. "Gentlemen, can you kill each other some other time?" The young man smoothly said. Ein and Greevil silently sat down, not taking their eys off each other. "Thank you. Shall we move on?"
Later, when the meeting had finished, as everyone exited the room through a different doorway into a hallway filled with fluorescent lighting, Ein was taken aside by the very same Rocket who was the owner of the Cacturne.
"Excuse me, Ein, there is a message waiting for you." The rocket said. Now that there was some light, Ein could see the Rocket member's face. He had a pale complexion, as if the member had never been out of the sun and had stayed in the hideout all his life. His gray eyes seemed forlorn yet stormy. A closer look revealed freshly clipped blond hair underneath his black cap. The young man had the face of a model and would have been quite good at his profession if only he hadn't chosen the life of a criminal.
"Where?" Ein asked.
"I shall escort you to a room."
Ein was taken to a small private room with a TV and a small desk. The Rocket followed while releasing a Magneton. Ein saw the magnet Pokemon but did not think much about it.
"So what's this message about?" Ein asked. The Rocket wordlessly tuned on the TV with a remote. Ein watched and his jaw dropped in horror as soon as it played. Live gruesome videos of his fellow comrades' deaths played on the screen. Other than Greevil, Ein wasn't aware that the other administrators of Cipher were here as well. Why were they silent during their "reunion"? That question was pushed out of his head as gory images flickered across the screen. Greevil was crushed to death by a Tyranitar, eventually flattened. His organs and blood splattered the floor. Venus was being forced to drink from a Blastoise's Hydro Pump. Miror B's ears were bleeding from Exploud's Hyper Voice. Dakim was being gored by a Tauros.
Ein shook his head in disbelief. "What's going on?" He then felt rain drops on his head. Rain? Indoors? He turned around.
"What's going on?!" Ein repeated. "I don't understand, my work in Cipher – no, everyone from Cipher should be Team Rocket now! Why turn against your own members?!"
The Rocket stared coldly at Ein. "You never were a part of Team Rocket. We're only doing this so that Team Rocket can accomplish our goals without competition, without resistance, and without mistakes. Every person that was a part of Cipher was lured here to their death. As for your work, we never needed it; it was a facade. As soon as you're done here, we will be taking care of them."
By now both the Rocket member and Ein were soaked from the rain. Ein smirked. "It'll never work. You'll never be able to purify the Shadow Pokemon. They'll never change."
Now it was the Rocket's turn to grin. "Oh, I didn't say anything about 'purifying', professor. I meant that since we really have no use for them, they will be destroyed. It's just a shame that you won't live to see them again." He jumped onto the small table and shouted, "Thunder!"
Ein opened his mouth to scream as the Magneton glowed. A huge lightning bolt struck Ein; he didn't even have time to cry out. As soon as the flash was gone, all that was left of Ein was a charred and blackened corpse. Blood and pus seeped out through the cracks of the burnt skin. The Rocket member produced a cell phone and dialed a number.
"It's me," he said. "…Yes. Ein is the last one. Team Rocket now stands alone. By the way, send someone to clean up the mess here."
Edit: I took out the steak sauce bit because I was originally to introduce either a bloodthirsty pokemon, or a cannibalistic rocket. Ultimately, I opted for neither of them.
Review!