"Wake up Tal." a feminine voice ushered him. "We don't have much time before sunrise. We'll miss them."
Tal grunted as he turned on the forest floor, with only a thin blanket seperating him from the dirt. Luckily the night wasn't cold, so he didn't need another one.
"It'll be a big haul this year judging on the migration patterns of the Beedrills." the feminine voice said as it's owner turned towards the dark, enveloping forest. "Remind me why I volunteered for these early morning and late night ops again." Tal said as he sat up, rubbing the sleepyness out of his eyes and yawning. "Because of the raw cash. Each of those wings will shovel in heaps of cash from the boss."
Tal stood up, stretched his back and looked up to see Yosha's beautiful eyes staring straight at his. Now I remember why I volunteered for this op. Her silky brown hair was tied back behind her head and was allowed to fall in one big, straight ponytail down to her waist. She carried herself in a way that Tal had never seen any other woman carry herself.
She snapped him out of it. "I'll give you a minute to wake up before we head off to the nest. I left some orange juice for you. It's in your backpack." "Thanks." "No problem."
As Tal finished waking up, he checked his rifle to ensure it was fully locked and loaded. He did the same for his handgun. "Do you still have the shock trap?" "Of course." She muttered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Tal reached down to pick up his belt of pokeballs and secured it around his waist. A rifle could only do so much. Pokemon could protect you far better than any weapon. He checked to make sure all sure all six pokeballs were still in their place. All checked out. "Alright, I'm ready." Tal told Yosha. She looked back at the campsite once more before taking a step. "Don't forget your hat." "Oh! Right."
Tal rushed over to his hat which matched his uniform. It was dark gray, embrazioned with a large red "R" on the front. He secured it on his head.
"Look at how many there are!" Yosha marveled as they peered through the soupy darkness at the massive tree. Hundreds of Butterfree purched atop the branches and leaves of the gnarled oak. Small glints of all the Butterfree's wings showed in the darkness, their crystaline apperance proving to sell very well on the black market. The sight was so beautiful.
"Get the trap out of my pack." Yoshia ordered him. Tal went around behind her and unzipped the backpack.
A moment of strange emotion struck Tal. Are we really going to do this? Hurt all of these Butterfree? Tal looked up at the tree and saw the beautiful natural glimmer of the Butterfree. Mother nature had provided them with this dazzaling, happy, pure display of life...and they were about to turn something untouched, ugly. "What are you waiting for Tal?" "Oh...yeah, sorry."
Tal reached in the bag and pulled out a small but heavy metal box and handed it to Yoshia. "Ok we'll plant in here, then make our way around the tree to the other side." "Alright."
Yoshia set the box on the ground and hit a button on it. She then pulled a trigger out of the size zipper of the pack. "Let's go."
They made their way stealthily around the tree to the other side and hid behind a bush. Yosha pulled out two Pokeballs. "Primeape, Zubat, I choose you." Light flung out of the pokeballs and Yosha's Primeape and Zubat appeared. "Stay quiet!" she ushered them. "On my mark, I want you two to make as much noise as possible, aimed at that tree." She pointed towards the Butterfrees. Primeape grunted, Zubat just hovered in place. She took that as an agreement.
She turned towards Tal "When I give my mark, fire a shot into the tree. Got it?" Tal hid his emotion and nodded. He needed the money...and Yoshia. He couldn't let her down.
Yoshia readied the trap trigger in her right hand. "Ok. Ready?" Tal and Primeape nodded. Zubat continued to hover. "On three." Tal readied the rifle, aimed at the tree. He couldn't tell if he was aimed at a Butterfree or not. He tried to not aim for one but what was the difference? They were about to hurt so many of them anyway.
"One"
Tal took a deep breath in, steadying himself.
"Two."
Fogive us Butterfrees
"Three."
Primeape screamed at the top of it's lungs while Zubat used screech. Tal squeezed the trigger and blasted a bulled straight into the leaves, the gunshot echoed around the small hollow. The night sprang to life. Countless Butterfree scattered into the sky, away from the offensive sounds. Tal was captivated and awestruck as most of his vision was filled with wings, glinting off of the just rising sun. It was like thousands of cut crystals held up in sunlight.
He lowered his rifle as happiness filled him. It was so beautiful. His mind flew back to his childhood when his mother used to tuck him in at night. When he couldn't fall asleep, his mother would say to imagine a million Butterfree flying off into the sunset, to let their glints put him to sleep. Tal immediately got filled with peace as he snapped out of reality.
Tal jumped as an arc of lightening shot into the sky, hitting countless Butterfree, rendering them immobile, making them fall to the ground, smacking their delicate bodies against the earth.
As the electricity dissapated, the remaining Butterfree flew off high into the sky. Smoke curled up from the heaps of immobilized Butterfree lying on the ground.
"Yesss!" Yoshia's voice made Tal jump. "We're rich!" She then pulled a large bag out of her backpack before unsheathing her large knife from her belt. She hopped over the bush and ran towards the disabled Pokemon.
Tal's stomach lurched as he looked at the situation he had caused. He slung his rifle over his back and followed Primeape and Zubat who followed their trainer. As he got closer he heard a sound that made his heart break. Small squeaks of pain emmitted from the Butterfree. Most were still alive and looking around frantically, squealing in fear as Tal passed them. Their charred bodies made a terrible smell... But the sheer number that had gotten caught in the trap was outrageous. Atleast 150 Butterfree laid on the ground, thrown away like waste.
"Here" Yoshia turned and tosshed Tal her knife before drawing another one. "Start cutting." she said with a smile. Tal looked down at the knife to see that his hands were trembling. He heard a loud squeal of pain as Yoshia hacked an entire wing off of a Butterfree. It's tiny legs wiggled sightly as tears formed in its eyes but was helpless as she turned it over onto its face and hacked its other wing off. It made a sound unlike Tal had ever heard a Butterfree make before.
Yoshia took the wings and carefully slid them into the bag. She left the wingless Butterfree, wasted, facedown on the ground left to endure it's own torment, knowing that all of its kin will follow the same fate.
Tal's partner turned to the next one and, once again, started maiming it. The squeals and squeaks of all the Butterfree intensified each time one of its kin screamed in pain.
Yoshia turned around and glared at him. "This is no time to second guess your morality, Tal. You're team Rocket, this is what we do." Her eyes wandered down to his feet. She pointed with her knife. "Get that one. The one with that thing around it's neck. C'mon, hurry, we musn't take more than an hour. We don't want the authorities to find us red handed." She went back to her current Butterfree.
Tal looked down at his feet to see a fairly old Butterfree lying there. But strangely, it had what looked like a yellow scarf wrapped around it's neck. It stared back up at Tal, with the knife in his hand, glinting in the newly risen sun. There was a sadness in its eyes. A sadness unlike any he'd ever seen in a pokemon ever before. It almost seemed...human. It uddered a small noise: "freieieieie" A tear fell from Tal's face. This must have been some trainer's Pokemon at some point.
I can't do this. Tal dropped the knife into the grass. It stuck straight up. Tal looked to his left. Atleast ten butterfrees had already been permanently mamed. They lied in the bloodied grass, dazed, some dead. Then his gaze fell upon Yoshia. Her beautiful form showed as she bent down to cut off another Butterfree wing. She had a charasmatic aura round her that seemed to put Tal in a soothing place. The carnage around him was so potent though. He could hardly think of her.
Then again...he's been going after her for three years. He couldn't just blow this opportunity to make her so happy. If he joined her in this terrible chirade, maybe he could get Yoshia to look at him as more than just a friend. He blinked as he looked back down at the knife stuck in the ground. The ungodly sounds of injured butterfree sounded behind him. Tal pursed his lips as he took a deep breath in.
He picked up the knife. He turned to a random Butterfree on the ground. It was trying to get away. It was shaking it's head relentlessly. I must do this. For Yoshia.
He grabbed the Butterfree's wing and turned it onto it's face. It was already very injured. As Tal put his boot on it's back, it stopped struggling and just gave up. It knew it's fate.
Maybe this is why Team Rocket denounces the evil of love. He thought before bringing his knife down upon the Butterfree.