"You're sure they came this way?" Bright green eyes flicked around under a dark brown newsboy cap while studying the grassy fields of Route 1 intently and making sure they were alone. A very well-dressed male trainer in a tan pea coat, dark brown slacks and tan wingtip shoes was walking side by side with a Meowth that was also scanning the area intently in spite of the darkness of the evening. "I really wish they hadn't spooked on us. They were both in absolutely horrid shape."
"Exactly why I told ya t' not bring th' Pokéball out, James," groused the male Meowth in reply so quietly that it would have probably been inaudible if James hadn't been waiting for it before Meowth turned his nose upward and sniffed deeply while he swiveled his head around a bit, trying to better catch the scent of the Eevee and Pikachu they were seeking. "Hmm, they've been here, though it is pretty faint so it's been a bit...an' they're headin' straight south for Pallet if my nose ain't lyin'."
Well, shit. Pallet Town meant possible people potentially discovering the wayward pair, and that could lead to...issues, like people getting attacked or people panicking about finding unattended Pokémon and calling in the League- which could in turn lead to the League poking their noses into places James and the organization he worked for would most definitely prefer they not. "We'd better pick up the pace then. We need to try and get to them before anyone else does, so let's make things quicker shall we?" James undid his coat and reached for one of his five Pokéballs attached to a holding belt, plucking a Luxury Ball from its usual slot and tossing it. An Arcanine with a large vertical scar running above, below and through its permanently shut left eye phased into existence in a flash of red light, the massive canine-like Pokémon wandering over to James and licking his face affectionately after realizing that there was no immediate danger, tail wagging happily as James snapped the ball back onto his belt and offered him a few head scratches before re-buttoning his coat. "Heya, Growlie. Meowth will explain what we need to do."
"Right." Meowth then turned to look up at Growlie as James carefully swung his leg up and over the Fire-type's back, slowly lowering himself onto the Arcanine's back. "[Hey, can ya follow that Eevee and Pikachu that are headin' south, please? We need to find 'em right away so step on it, okay?]"
Growlie's eye narrowed as he sniffed the air while Meowth also got onto Growlie's back with James's help, Growlie's ears twitching as he picked up the trail before his head snapped downwards as he fully locked onto the pair of scents, letting out a low chuff. "[Got 'em, but the trail's fading fast. Ready when you both are.]"
"On your signal, James." Meowth then secured himself inside of James's coat because they'd found it way easier a while ago after almost losing Meowth on a few similar trips, poking his head out so it was resting just under James' chin before James gently tapped Growlie's sides and the Arcanine took off like a shot, following the scent while James used one hand to hold onto his hat and one hand to gently grip Growlie's mane. Luckily in spite of Growlie's speed, his gait was smooth enough to not jostle James and Meowth at all while they made their way, now much more rapidly, skirting the edges of Viridian City before a sudden hard turn south towards Pallet Town. Growlie suddenly stopped, his head popping up and looking around in confusion as they hit the quiet, moonlit outskirts of Pallet Town proper a few minutes later.
"[Lost them right here...it's like they went into water, the scent's totally gone. Hmm.]" The Arcanine sniffed intently and frowned as he fruitlessly tried to re-pick up the scent while James got off his back.
"Growlie totally lost th' trail alla sudden right at this spot...weird." Meowth frowned as he examined the area while he freed himself from James' coat before a pair of blurs on wheels making rapid clicking sounds went flying down the main path and made a beeline for the largest house in the small town. "Whoa...what th' heck was that?"
James quickly returned Growlie to his Luxury Ball, not wanting his large Pokémon to potentially be spotted, before he looked down at Meowth. "What say we go do some investigating? That sounded and looked like a pair of bicycles, and it's awfully late at night for people to be out riding." Meowth nodded wordlessly before they wandered into town and in the direction of the large house, keeping in the shadows. They started hearing an excited voice when they drew closer.
"...and she said we can have them if we can get a license and register them with the League!" A raven-haired boy wearing a red and white hat was talking rather animatedly to someone on the other side of the house's door that James had no way of seeing, looking very excited and gesturing wildly, almost hitting the sandy-haired boy next to him though the other boy seemed to expect it and rather artfully dodged around the gesticulations. James quietly took out his PokéNav and snapped a few pictures of the pair once he realized that they had to be speaking about the Eevee and Pikachu they'd been searching for, deciding that this should probably be reported to his boss to see how they wanted to handle the situation.
"Hmm. So neither of them had chips, eh? That's quite interesting, though not unexpected considering the shape they were both in. Why don't you both come in and we'll discuss this some more over some cocoa?" The pair of boys vanished inside the house after an older-sounding man had issued the invitation, the door closing behind them.
James immediately fired off the pictures he'd taken to a number that he'd long ago memorized along with a text as he and Meowth slipped back out of Pallet Town and started heading towards Viridian City again. Things went a bit sideways with the job in the Plateau tonight and a couple Pokémon fled the scene- call me when you can please. Also need to know who these two are, both likely from either Pallet Town or Viridian City- they're the ones that found the Pokémon.
Calling in twenty or sooner, came the almost instant reply. James knew that normally the call would have been immediate, but his boss was likely going to spend a bit of time reaching out to their contacts to see what they could find out about the boys. James just hoped that things wouldn't turn into too much of a mess to clean up.
"S' what's the plan for now?" muttered Meowth under his breath as they headed back north. "Hang around th' Center an' see if they come back?"
"Probably. We at least know where the Eevee and Pikachu are at now, so there is that, and I'm sure those boys will be heading back to the Center sooner or later. I'm expecting a call in a bit here as well, so we'll probably get our marching orders then after I fully fill them in." Neither needed to mention who the call would be from.
"Yeah. Next time I say a Pokéball'll freak 'em out, though, listen t' me," quietly replied Meowth with an eye roll. "Tha' Eevee was about ready t' tear it apart, injured an' starved or not. Took all m' persuadin' skills t' have 'em not try an' tear your face apart instead, might I add."
James frowned and nodded. "I know, but well...I think we can both agree there were some extenuating circumstances at the time. I wasn't expecting them to just suddenly turn tail and run off, though."
"Yeah, I tried t' ask 'em t' stay with us s' we could get 'em t' a Center, but they were determined t' do things on their own." Meowth sighed and shook his head. "Jus' glad that someone that cared found 'em. Wors' case I guess they'll wind up in one o' the trainin' arenas, or with those boys if we don't get put under orders t' steal 'em back from th' Center." The two let the conversation drift off after that, quietly heading to the north until they re-arrived in Viridian City and headed into the Pokémon Center, finding that they had company in the form of a boy with a Scyther by his side. Eh? That's weird. Where's his guardian at? The Center's Nurse Joy was giving the boy a sympathetic look while an Officer Jenny was explaining something to him, the boy looking a mixture of confused and upset.
"I do apologize and I know it's quite the trip here from the Orange Islands, but per Kanto and Johto laws since you're under sixteen you can't stay unless you find a guardian that's of legal age to accompany you for your trip. Having a Pokémon with you will make you a target for thieves especially if you're travelling alone, so it's for your own safety."
The boy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Shoot. Wish I woulda known that before I made the trip out here. We don't have to do anything like that out on the Islands, and I made the trip out here by myself. But I mean, isn't the whole registration thing supposed to stop thieves?"
Jenny gave him a grim, if apologetic look. "In theory, yes. In practice, thieves have several methods of getting around our systems up to and including entirely removing chips. It's an ongoing battle."
James processed the scene before settling on an idea, wandering over with a smile. He could definitely try to turn this situation to his advantage. "Hello there- couldn't help but overhear what was going on." Meowth quickly gave him a Look, but James would explain later. "I'm James. Sounds like you could use a travelling companion, or rather a guardian, for your stay with us?"
"Seems like it." The boy and his Scyther turned to James with somewhat wary looks, and James noticed that the boy seemed expertly packed for a long trip, his backpack almost bursting before the boy blinked. "Oh, I'm Tracey, by the way."
"Good to meet you! Are you here for the Gym Challenges, or-?" James raised an eyebrow, leaving the deliberately leading question hanging.
Tracey laughed. "Oh, no. I only have a Companion License, and Scyther. I just kind of wanted to travel around for a while and see Kanto and Johto, really. I do like watching Pokémon, though, so I was also planning to check out some of the Gyms and Training Centers, maybe try and catch a tournament or two."
Perfect. No one would bat an eye at a guardian accompanying an excited kid on a journey- exactly what James was hoping Tracey would agree to. It would be an even better mask for his and Meowth's work than his current wandering-trainer shtick, and if this Tracey kid only had a Companion License it meant that he couldn't participate in any of the Gym Challenges- all the better for being able to help point the journey to places that James needed to go for his work. "Nothing wrong with that," James replied with a shrug. "I do have a Trainer's License myself, though I've only done half of the Kanto Gym Challenge and I've never found myself in Johto long enough to make any serious headway on that side of the mountains. Maybe we could travel together for a while?" James could feel the assessing gaze of the Scyther on him as he focused his attention on Tracey, knowing that the Pokémon was likely fiercely protective of the boy. He gently tapped Meowth with his foot and tilted his head at the Scyther a tiny fraction, their long-established code for asking Meowth to run some interference. "I'd be happy to show you my license if it would put your mind at ease."
Of course. Annoyed, Meowth stepped forward and put on his 'cute act,' approaching the Scyther as non-threateningly as possible. "[Heya. What are you guys doin' tonight?]" As was his usual practice around most everyone except James and James' other Pokémon, Meowth pretended like he couldn't understand much 'human' at all and had no idea of the situation at hand, trying to get on the Scyther's good side with some light conversation. Something he dearly hoped he could do because the Scyther acted like they had previous battle experience, constantly facing Meowth with their weight shifted ever so slightly forward in anticipation of either dodging or performing an attack, and they could probably do some serious damage with those blades of theirs if they put their mind to it. Meowth had zero combat training, and he knew he didn't stand a chance if the Scyther decided that they didn't like James and him enough to get ugly. While he got busy chatting up the Scyther, he half-listened to James and Tracey talking. Meowth wasn't sure what exactly James had in mind aside from that he was really trying to become the boy's guardian for some reason, but he knew James would explain things when he could safely. After a bit James' Pokénav went off and Meowth knew that that had to be their mysterious boss calling.
"Ah, if you'll please excuse me I really need to take this call. Be back as soon as I can." James then quickly stepped outside of the Center and answered the device, putting it to his ear though not speaking, as per established protocol while he looked for a more private location.
"The black-haired one in the hat is Ash Ketchum, a Pallet native who lives there with his mother Delia. The one in the purple shirt is the one I'm really interested in- he's another Pallet Town resident named Gary. Gary Oak," his boss's always digitally disguised, sexless voice finished with emphasis. "Apparently he's been living there with his grandfather since the Verdanturf Incident six years ago. And yes, his grandfather is exactly who you think he is." There was the sound of a door opening and shutting. "Needless to say, for that reason I want you staying very close for now and seeing what those boys decide to do. If they make the choice to register them and start training to take on the League Challenges, you are under direct orders to do whatever is necessary to get yourself appointed as their guardian for their trip. This is to take priority over your normal duties, though naturally if any...opportunities present themselves, I expect them to be fully taken advantage of." James could hear his shadowy boss settling into a chair. "Speaking of your duties. What precisely happened tonight that 'went sideways', as you so eloquently put it, and led to this situation?"
James knew the question was going to be asked, nodding to himself and quietly imparting what he'd already mentally rehearsed. "Our intel was correct- kudos to our little birdie there, though the facility was a little more well hidden than anticipated and I had to be a bit more overt than normal due to that. Ultimately I did shut the facility down after releasing all the Pokémon and getting them into Pokéballs before getting them over to our usual contact here for medical assistance, but this time there was a pair that didn't want to come with me even with Meowth's help, an Eevee and Pikachu that were both in pretty rough shape. They both refused aid and then decided to wander off on their own while Meowth and I were distracted. Meowth and I had to finish our work at the facility so we couldn't follow them for a while, and by the time we managed to track them down that pair of boys had already found them and taken them to the Viridian Pokémon Center."
"I see. Well, I would like to use this little event to our benefit now that it's mostly contained, if at all possible, so keep an eye on the situation and keep me apprised of how it develops. We could potentially gain a pair of very valuable tools in those children if we play our cards correctly. You now have your orders." With that his boss ended the call and James tucked his Pokénav away, dearly wishing he could call the woman that had trained him, Jessie, and pick her brain about what was going on, but he knew that he couldn't risk calling her since she was currently deep undercover. By policy they mostly worked alone except when training a new member that had joined them, a scattered group of like-minded people of all ages and genders across the world that had all been scarred in one way or another (or in James' case, quite literally stumbled onto the truth in the form of Meowth) by the group that they were now seeking to destroy with the aid of their shadowy benefactor carefully orchestrating their work. They'd never formally given themselves a name, but those they were pursuing certainly had, and it seemed to be catching on with the group themselves. James smiled at the thought, subconsciously tucking his hand into his pea coat and curling his hand around a thin white business card exactly like the one he'd left at their now-destroyed facility earlier, seeing the simple, printed text in his mind's eye.
TEAM ROCKET SENDS THEIR REGARDS.
