Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Telepathy"
Author Notes:
Last Revision: May 13th, 2018.
Chapter 9 – New Pokémon, New Friend and New Trainer
It was a cool and silent night in the Petalburg Woods, dimly illuminated by the soft and gentle silvery moonlight. Occasionally the sounds of squeaks, chirps and other cries originating from the local Pokémon that made their homes in the forest broke the peaceful silence momentarily before the eerie quietness of the night settled back into the environment.
Located in a rather sizable clearing adjacent to the dirt road running through the forest was a large human-built structure. It was a large spherical metallic silver-colored construction with a large cream-colored dome adorning the rooftop. Just above the main door was a large red-colored 'P' painted on the surface of the dome, signifying it as a Pokémon Center. The building was devoid of any activity at this time at night. Most of the structure was dark, save for a pair of exterior lights and the main reception lights that were still on to provide a sufficient source of illumination. This particular Pokémon Center was situated in the middle of Petalburg woods to provide necessary assistance and aid to those that had just started their adventures as Pokémon Trainers, as the route that ran through the forest was a path frequented by beginners.
The almost uneventful stillness that had befallen the clearing and night was interrupted as the bushes next to the Pokémon Center rustled softly, a small Pokémon appearing from them. Smeargle poked her head out of the leafy cover the bush provided. She looked around inquisitively and examined the view that greeted her cautiously, and after seeing that there was no danger and that everything was quiet, her eyes sparkled joyously. She looked at the manmade structure that she had finally found. If her memory served her correctly, this was where that group of nice humans and Pokémon that had so kindly helped her were heading to; at least, it was what they had mentioned before they went on their own way.
After sharing a tasty meal and spending a rather carefree afternoon with them, she had returned to the forest to resume her regular life, or at least that's what she thought would happen. To her surprise, she found her mind had started heavily pondering a rather tempting option ever since she had left the friendly and welcoming group. Even after being let out of the Pokémon Trainer's Academy, she had never exactly found a stable home within the woodland that satisfied her or made her happy. The presence of so many hostile and troublesome Pokémon, like the highly aggressive Taillow flock she despised so much, had certainly made her decide it was a better idea to perhaps move to another place of habitation. It was clear to the Painter Pokémon that that place was not going to be Petalburg woods.
The problem was that she had no idea where to go or how to navigate around the region since the Normal-type knew she was extremely distant from her original home in the Johto Region. It was a dangerous decision to travel through the unfamiliar region without knowing what awaited her on the path or where she should go. However, a new solution was presented right there for her, and that was the human girl who had proven herself to be a good friend and also a talented artist. After pondering on the choice for several restless hours, the Pokémon finally decided that she'd go with the human group. 'I'd get peaceful art, free food, good friends, protection, and a chance to travel and get away from this forest. What do I have to lose?' she thought to herself happily, steeling her decision with a positive nod. 'Well, of course, if they allow it. But they're trainers, so they'd like a new Pokémon to complement them, right?' she added as an afterthought to further convince herself.
Smeargle carefully walked towards the Pokémon Center, blinking as she looked up at the sizable building. She leaned down and sniffed at the ground, her sensitive nose easily picking up the scents of the particular group she wanted to find. She walked towards the treatment center while following the scent and after a couple minutes of examining the area, she began to round the building while trying to find a point of entry or an area that would lead her to the origins of their scents.
"Right there!" she squealed happily when she came across a window that had their scent firmly imprinted on it. She examined the window closely; it was a couple feet above the ground and had a very slim ledge underneath it which she hoped she could use. Smeargle took aim and hopped upwards towards the ledge, landing right on it and barely managing to retain her balance on the slim surface. After she managed to stabilize herself on the window sill, she surveyed the interior of the room.
The room was pitch-dark, but the soft glow of the moonlight barely allowed her to make out the shapes of the sleeping Latias and Latios in the middle of the floor, laid out on what seemed to be a large blanket. Aside from them, she could make out a couple of outlines on the sides of the room, but nothing too clearly. She pushed at the window and tried to open it, but it didn't budge, causing her to pout disappointingly. Much to the Pokémon's dismay, the action of trying to force the window open made her foot paws slip. "Ah, ah!" Smeargle yipped as she lost her balance and started falling backwards. As she desperately attempted to grab anything to support herself, she managed to get a slight grip on the window's frame, but it didn't work and she fell. She landed roughly in the dirt with a rather heavy thud, letting out a pained yelp. "Ow," the Painter Pokémon murmured as she winced, but her eyes lit up in contentment when she looked up. The window had opened. 'Not the most dignified way of opening a window I'll admit, but eh, I'll take it,' she thought cheerfully to herself.
Smeargle leaped up once more and without the window impeding her this time, she easily climbed into the room. She looked around silently, noting that thankfully the noise she had stirred up while trying to open the window hadn't woken anyone up. With the moonlight behind her dimly illuminating the room and now with her inside it, she was able to analyze the features of everyone. The younger male trainer whom she recalled was named Ash as well as his Pikachu were sleeping on the bottom of a bunk bed, while the older one that had healed her, whom she remembered was named Brock, was sleeping on the top. On the other side of the room in a single bed the object of her interest, Bianca, was sleeping peacefully. Smeargle noticed that her bag was positioned on the floor, leaned on one of the bed's posts. She slowly tiptoed her way towards it, feeling pleased that she hadn't woken anyone in her little stunt.
"Hello there," Latias whispered in a barely audible voice, her action making Smeargle yelp and leap up in fright. This prompted Smeargle to quickly silence herself as the Pokémon's paws went to her mouth. The Dragon/Psychic-type couldn't help but giggle quietly at the frightened Painter Pokémon as she shook her head in amusement. This brought some old although not-very-good memories as the red eon dragoness remembered that faithful night at Alto Mare, when Latios had been kidnapped; she had entered Ash's Pokémon Center room through the window, much like how Smeargle just did.
"Oh… uh… hello… uh, miss Legendary Pokémon… Latias! Uh…" Smeargle stammered in a low tone of voice, as she was nervous and wasn't sure of what to say in the very awkward situation she had been caught in by the dragoness.
Latias shook her head once, a soft smile present on her gentle-looking visage. "It's okay. Don't worry, I'm not mad or anything. Well, maybe a little grumpy about being woken up in the middle of the night, but…" she yawned softly. "What's with the nightly visit?" she asked sleepily.
"It's just… that I…" Smeargle began shyly. "Sorry?" she stammered uneasily, still keeping her voice as quiet as possible.
Latias slowly levitated, very careful not to wake up her brother, who was still soundly sleeping. She knew very well that both of them were very light sleepers. The red dragoness floated closer to Smeargle, getting in the rays of moonlight that came through the window and thus giving Smeargle a much better view of her. "Well?" Latias pressed, stopping a couple feet from the Painter Pokémon. Her appearance was anything but threatening, but her voice was firm as she was curious to know why the Smeargle was there.
Smeargle frowned. "Okay, long story short… basically, I'm tired of living in the forest. I guess I got too accustomed to human care back at the Pokémon Trainer Academy, so I decided to come along with you guys, especially with Bianca," Smeargle whispered, explaining her situation as briefly as she could. "Of course… if it's possible to begin with," she added as a means of proving that she wasn't trying to force them to accept her.
Latias nodded once, humming in thought at the Smeargle's explanation. "Oh, well that's most certainly interesting," she admitted. "Why did you come in the middle of the night though? Why not wait until sunrise?" the Eon Pokémon asked.
Smeargle frowned sadly at her question. "I didn't know when you'd leave this place and I feared I might lose you in the morning if I didn't come as soon as possible, so this was my best bet," she answered quietly.
"Ah," Latias said simply, accepting her explanation. "Well, we can't make any decisions with everyone sleeping. Why don't you just reside with us here and we'll decide in the morning?" she suggested while stifling a yawn, her tone sleepy and tired.
Smeargle nodded, agreeing to her point. "Yeah…" She looked towards Bianca's bag. Slowly, she opened it and pulled out a sketchbook. She opened it with a sense of curiosity, hoping she'd see the drawings inside in the moonlight and frowned; it was impossible to make out the pictures in the darkness with the moonlight providing meager illumination. Then, Smeargle blinked in surprise as a sudden red and white glow began to filter through the room, letting her see the drawings a bit better.
Latias smiled kindly at the Normal-type. "Is that better?" she asked in a whisper, floating behind Smeargle and letting her red and white body produce a dim glow in the fashion of a nightlight.
"I didn't know you had the ability to glow in the dark," Smeargle commented with amazement. She then paused when she gave a bit more thought to her earlier statement. "Scratch that, more like… I don't know anything about you," she added, clearly feeling embarrassed.
Latias stifled a giggle. "I can glow in the dark. In fact, both my brother and I can glow very strongly in the dark, easily enough to make this room seem like it was daytime. Of course, I'm keeping it this dim so it doesn't wake up anyone." Occasionally, Latias spared glances to Pikachu and Latios, as she knew she could wake them up at any possible second given their natures of light sleepers.
Smeargle nodded, and proceeded to leaf through Bianca's sketchbook, going through some of the drawings and marveling at them, enjoying the sheer quality and effort the artistic girl had placed in the creation of each and every one of them. "I… like them," she whispered, a smile plastered on her face.
Latias smirked at the Normal-type. "Bianca's a dedicated artist. Now, let's go to sleep. I can sense you are very tired yourself," she said calmly, snatching Bianca's sketchbook from Smeargle's hand-like paws and then putting it carefully back inside its owner's bag.
Smeargle sighed in dismay. As much as she'd love to continue examining the drawings further, she agreed with the dragoness, and when daytime came in the morning, further details could be discussed with the group. The Painter Pokémon turned to look at Latias just as she ceased glowing. "Well, I looked for you guys all night… so yes… I am," she admitted, trying to stifle a yawn herself, her eyelids feeling heavy and drooping down.
Latias nodded. "Very well," she whispered in a kindly tone. She focused her attention at the window and closed it with her mental powers. "Good night," she told the Painter Pokémon.
Smeargle nodded and made her way to the wall where the window was and curled up, closing her eyes to catch some sleep herself. Latias looked at her for a couple of seconds and then returned to Latios' side. She curled up beside the much larger dragon, hiding under his wing and sliding her neck under his. With her curled up with her brother, going back to sleep was a rather effortless action.
…
The next day…
"Ash, wake up! We're going to be late!" Pikachu yelled boisterously, shaking Ash's head roughly with his paws in an attempt to wake up the sleeping trainer.
Ash's face wrinkled in annoyance as he shifted to his side. "…Five more minutes, Mom…" he mumbled sleepily, shoving Pikachu off the bed with a quick push of his arm before falling straight back to sleep.
"Hey!" Pikachu shouted in irritation as he landed painfully on the floor next to the bed. He growled as his cheeks began to sparkle with electricity. It was time for plan B and most definitely his favorite one. "I'll-"
"Wait, my turn," Latios interrupted him, grinning deviously. His eyes glowed as he began to exert his formidable mental powers. He turned the bathroom's faucet on, accumulated some water in a large sphere held together by his mind, and then proceeded to close the tap. The bathroom door swung open as the orb of water levitated out of it. Trying to hold his laughter back, he flung the orb of water straight at Ash's face.
"Aaaahh!" Ash screamed in surprise as the water splashed all over him and woke him up instantly. He jolted straight up from his sleep violently while shaking his head rapidly as his face and hair were soaked by Latios' antic. "Hey! I was having a nice dream!" he complained, glaring at his Pokémon.
Latios chuckled with delight, satisfied with his tactic of getting Ash out of bed. "Well, I didn't know dreaming about winning some lame food contest was supposed to be a nice dream of any sorts," he commented sarcastically, a little amused at Ash's protest.
Pikachu hummed as he gave it some thought. "So, what was he eating?" he asked inquisitively.
"Cookies," Latios answered, rolling his eyes. "Odd pick, isn't it?" he asked, barely stifling a giggle. Pikachu nodded in agreement with the Eon Pokémon, also holding back giggles in the process. "This never gets old."
Ash shook his head rapidly to clear the sleepiness out of him and shake off the water. He grabbed his blanket and proceeded to rub his face dry. "What time is it?" he asked his Pokémon.
"Ten in the morning, Ash," Latios answered his trainer. Ash opened his mouth to speak, but was unable to utter out a single word as the Dragon/Psychic-type interrupted him. "No Ash, ten in the morning is by no means 'early,' so don't complain," he added sharply. Ash pouted and closed his mouth in response.
Pikachu turned to look at the door of their room. "Come to the lobby, Bianca's got a new friend that you'd probably like to meet," he informed him, smiling.
Ash blinked in surprise. "Oh? What do you mean?" he asked, wondering what the Electric-type meant with that statement.
"You'll see," Pikachu answered back as he turned around and then ran out the door.
Latios nodded. "Don't be late, Ash. We'll all be waiting for you downstairs," he said as he flew out the window to round the Pokémon Center and enter through the main door, as the hallway was too small to accommodate his size. Ash sighed tiresomely and leaned back on the bed, looking up at the roof while wondering what was going on. Slowly, his eyes began to slip closed as his mind inevitably began to shut down once more in slumber. "…Ash! This is serious! Get down here immediately!" Latios yelled harshly in his mind.
"Aaahh! Okay, okay, I'm up!" Ash shot back as he quickly leapt out of bed, his mind jarred slightly from Latios' message. He went to the bathroom to wash his face to rid himself of the last vestiges of sleepiness. Once he was fully awake, he proceeded back to the bed and sat on the edge so he could quickly put on his sneakers and get dressed. Once he was ready, he stood up, grabbed his backpack and any other belongings that were his, and proceeded to make his way out the room and towards the reception desk.
"Good morning, Ash," Brock greeted him as the young trainer got to the Pokémon Center's reception. "I got to say, I missed your constant silly problems when it came to waking up," the older breeder mused nostalgically as he shook his head in enjoyment.
"Ha ha ha, very funny Brock," Ash said in a playfully sarcastic manner, rolling his eyes. "Hello to you too and good morning everyone," he said, smiling at his friends. They all greeted him back with warm gestures. "So, who's the surprise friend here?" he asked curiously.
"We got a late night visit," Latias answered casually. "And Bianca has a new Pokémon."
Ash's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, how did that happen?" he asked, wondering when Bianca had the time to get a new Pokémon seeing as they had all been sleeping, and it wasn't that late in the morning for her to get one while he slept.
"Her new Pokémon got in through the window in the middle of the night," Pikachu answered. "Which is quite weird if you ask me," he added.
Ash smiled cheerfully. "Congratulations, Bianca!" he beamed excitedly at the prospect of a new friend joining them. "So, who is it?" he asked the girl with a cheerful voice.
The young artist smiled softly at her friend's enthusiasm. "You'll see Ash, and thanks for the praise. I'm very happy about it," she said as she leaned over the counter, waiting for Nurse Joy to come out.
After five or so minutes, the Pokémon nurse came out from the hallway behind the counter while pushing a small cart, on top of which was Smeargle. "There we go, Bianca. Your Smeargle is okay. While not in the most perfect state of health due to some minor details but aside from that, she is mostly okay," Nurse Joy informed the group kindly. She rounded the counter, stopping the cart just in front of Bianca.
Bianca smiled, reached forward and scratched behind Smeargle's floppy ears, eliciting soft noises of pleasure from the Pokémon. "That's good to know," she said softly.
"I already gave her all that she needed to be in optimal shape," Nurse Joy informed them. She motioned for Smeargle to jump down from the cart, which the Painter Pokémon complied with immediately. Once Smeargle was off, the Pokémon nurse turned and pushed the cart back behind the counter and into the small hallway. A few seconds later she returned to the counter and typed some details on the computer that was positioned on the reception desk. "Okay, I'm done with your registration, Bianca."
Bianca grinned. "Thanks!" she said gratefully. Smeargle blinked up at her while Ash stared wide eyed at her with surprise that she, of all people, was now an official Pokémon trainer.
Nurse Joy nodded and motioned Bianca to come towards the counter. The young artist complied and Nurse Joy pointed towards the monitor. "Check your information to make sure it's all correct," she instructed while tilting the monitor to make it a bit clearer for Bianca to see.
Bianca leaned over the counter and began examining her information. "Bianca… eighteen years old… born in Alto Mare…," she mumbled as she began to read the personal information registered on her profile. After reading over several more lines she nodded. "Yes, it's all correct."
Nurse Joy nodded in confirmation and rapidly typed a few more details on the keyboard. A couple of seconds later, the sounds of a printer starting up began to echo for a couple of moments. Nurse Joy leaned down and picked up a small piece of paper, which she handed to Bianca. "There, all finished. That's your Pokémon Trainer ID number, you've been registered. Make sure to memorize it."
Bianca smiled as she checked the number printed on the paper. Nodding once, she stored the paper inside her bag. "Thank you, Nurse Joy."
Nurse Joy handed her a pair of standard Pokéballs. "This is a small gift from me. One's for Smeargle and the other is a spare; if you want more you'll have to buy them. They're available at most Poké Marts," the Pokémon nurse explained kindheartedly.
"Thanks again," Bianca returned appreciatively, taking the two items into her hands. She looked down at the devices for a few moments, examining the two red and white spheres in the palms of her hands.
"You guys said that Smeargle came to us late last night. Did she really do that?" Ash asked, looking down at the small Painter Pokémon and then at Bianca, wanting more details on the rather curious matter.
"Yeah, when I woke up Smeargle was in the room already. Latias told me that she came in last night through the window. It appears she really liked us from yesterday's meeting, so she decided to come with us, well, me in particular," Bianca answered the young trainer. "We spent the last hour talking and getting to know each other a little better."
"I guess that's very lucky of you, Bianca, and a good way to make a new friend," Ash commented in amusement. "Pokémon are usually captured through long hard battles."
Pikachu rolled his eyes at the absurdity of his trainer's statement. "Ash, most of the Pokémon you've captured are either befriended or raised, not captured in an outright battle. And the few times you capture a Pokémon through a battle it's because you befriended him or her before the battle, hence why they accepted the battle in the first place."
Ash sighed and facepalmed. "Yeah, I know. But it's not like it's a bad thing!" he protested with agitation.
Latios hummed, and then nodded. "I have to agree there. I'd prefer to go with a trainer that I became friends with, like you Ash, than one whom I didn't like and just captured me by sheer force."
Bianca giggled with amusement. "Oh, Ash," she said while shaking her head slightly. "Well, it seems like I follow the group's customs very well then," she joked while holding back a laugh. "Anyway, ready for this Smeargle?" she asked, looking down at the Painter Pokémon. Smeargle nodded in confirmation once. Bianca reached down and tapped the Pokéball to Smeargle's head. The Painter Pokémon began to glow and dematerialized into red-colored particles of light as she was sucked into the Pokéball in a bright red flash of light. The Pokéball shook a few times and then beeped; signaling that Smeargle had been captured without resistance. "I'd never have thought in a thousand years that I'd be a Pokémon trainer," Bianca admitted with a soft and spaced-out voice. Of all the things she thought that she would be, she was now a trainer.
Brock smiled at her, patting her shoulder as a sign of friendship. "Well, you are one now. Congratulations, Bianca," he said kindly.
Ash pouted. "What? No awesome pose and line?" he asked, urging her on. "I love doing that."
"I'm not going to do that, Ash," Bianca said flatly, narrowing her eyes. Ash scratched the back of his head, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"Well, congratulations for having a new Pokémon, Bianca," Latias said cheerfully, grinning widely.
Bianca let out a soft sigh. "I have no idea what to do, though…" she said uneasily. "I never really placed much thought in regards to becoming a trainer, so I'm in the dark on this one."
"Think you'll try out the gyms and the League?" Ash asked curiously, wondering if he had to share their time in gym battles with her.
Bianca shook her head before explaining her original intention on registering. "No, I'm not really interested at all in that. I just registered so I could carry Smeargle around without bothering you or Brock with your team slots."
"We'll assist you anyway in the art of raising a Pokémon," Brock told her, smiling with reassurance. "We'll help you raise her and be a trainer."
"Thanks. I definitely appreciate the help, guys," Bianca said, feeling very glad to have her friends' support in this new responsibility she had taken on.
"So, when do we leave for the next gym?" Ash asked, turning his attention to Brock. "Rustboro City, right?"
Brock pulled out a map from his bag, examined it for a few seconds, and then nodded in confirmation. "There's an easy road towards Rustboro from here, so yep, we'll head that way. But first I suggest we have a meal. We can't travel on an empty stomach, after all!" Brock advised before he folded up the map and stored it back in his bag.
Ash grinned happily. "I definitely agree to the meal," he spoke up with eagerness.
Pikachu snickered at his remark. "Of course you do. All you think about is filling up your stomach," he taunted snidely. Ash promptly ignored him, much to the Electric-type's amusement.
Latios chuckled. "And despite that, Ash started this journey with zero food provisions," he commented, earning more stony silence from his trainer. Brock shook his head once in amusement, thinking about how much he missed all this.
Bianca clicked the Pokéball, releasing Smeargle from it. "Welcome back," she said, leaning down to pet Smeargle. The canine-like Pokémon pressed into the delicate touch fondly.
Ash grabbed three Pokéballs and released the remainder of his team. "Hey guys, meet our new friend, Bianca's new Pokémon!" he called out as he dropped the three Pokéballs. The rest of his team appeared in bright white flashes.
Larvitar, Phanpy, and Pidgeot glanced at Smeargle the second they had been released from their Pokéballs. "Well, technically we already met her," Pidgeot said, giggling softly.
Ash rolled his eyes at her statement "Yes, but back in the forest it was just us helping her. Now she'll actually travel with us, isn't that nice?" he said cheerily, the joy of having a new friend clearly present in his hyperactive attitude.
Pidgeot nodded in response and then turned to look at Smeargle. "Pleasure to have you aboard the group, Smeargle," she greeted the female Painter Pokémon with a pleasant voice.
Phanpy squealed happily. "Yay! Yay! New friend! New friend!" He skipped over to Smeargle and nuzzled her chest with his head and trunk, making sure not to do so too roughly as to accidentally push his new friend over. "I'm Phanpy! New friend! New friend!" he kept repeating over and over happily as he ran in circles around the confused Normal-type.
Larvitar shook his head in amusement, but nonetheless also greeted the Painter Pokémon. "Nice to have you join us," the young Pokémon greeted.
"Uh, hello," Smeargle responded uneasily, taking a step back from the overeager child Pokémon. "Nice to meet you too," she added. The Ground-type squealed back happily.
Brock stared at the scene, holding back chuckles. "They get along well. Guess your Smeargle's making friends fast," he commented.
"Yes, seems that way," Bianca agreed with a soft smile.
As the group kept celebrating the inclusion of a new traveling companion, the front doors of the Pokémon Center slid open, and Nurse Joy turned to see who it was. When she saw that one of the people who entered had a large bloodstain on his shirt, she gasped in horror. "Oh, my!" Nurse Joy exclaimed.
Ash and his group of friends turned to see what was going on, and they too gasped when they saw Team Rocket standing at the door. "Team Rocket!? Not you three again!" Ash yelled, glaring at them and preparing for the inevitable scuffle.
Latios blinked blankly in a state of mixed confusion. "I find it very odd that they didn't enter through the roof with a robot, or through the wall, or simply smash their way in… or from underneath the floor. I mean, they actually used the front door for once!?" he asked, clearly shocked at Team Rocket's oddly… normal way of appearing before them.
Brock winced. "Oh my, they look terrible," he said, examining the poor condition of the two villains. "And where is Meowth?" he wondered curiously. It was a strange sight to see that the talkative Scratch Cat Pokémon was nowhere near any of the two Rocket operatives.
Jessie panted heavily as she tried to regain her lost breath. She had bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep and exhaustion was clearly visible on her; her normally clean white uniform was saggy and dirty. "Prepare for an earnest plea of help…" Jessie said tiredly, her voice wracked with pain.
James gasped for oxygen, leaning on the door's frame for support. Like Jessie, his Team Rocket uniform was torn up and filthy from dirt and dust. His shirt was also stained with blood, the result of a nasty-looking wound slashed across the middle of his chest that was slightly visible through the large tear in the man's shirt, and his face looked extremely exhausted and rather pale from the lack of sleep and the excess effort used to get to the Pokémon Center. "Make sure… to hear us yelp," he continued tiredly.
"To ask help from our greatest enemy," Jesse began, her eyes half lidded as she struggled to remain standing.
"To hopefully forget our mutual enmity," James continued, dropping to his knees while still using the door's frame for support.
"To denounce the evils of thieves who aren't us," Jessie said, stifling a cry of pain at the horrible memory of her beloved Pokémon being forcefully seized from her.
"To beg of you… please help us!" James pleaded with a desperate and loud voice.
"Team Rocket, swallowing our pride at the speed of light," Jessie said, wincing regretfully and with shame at saying that line.
"We're surrendering now, help us win the fight," James finished, sniffing tears as he remembered there was no Meowth to end the motto anymore. The wind whistled by hauntingly, making a tumbleweed roll behind the two beaten-up thieves, echoing the lack of the motto's ending painfully. James swayed dizzily for a few seconds and then fainted, crashing into the floor harshly with a loud thud.
Ash gasped. While it was good that there wasn't going to be any fighting or an attempt to steal his Pokémon, he wasn't particularly glad about what he was seeing. "What happened?!" he asked, worried about the obviously horrible condition the two were in.
Jessie glared at him with bloodshot pupils. "Didn't you pay attention, twerp!? It was all in the motto!" she yelled angrily, clearly irritated.
Ash winced and took a step back. "Hey, sorry! It's not like your mottos are good for saying anything anyway," he argued, crossing his arms in annoyance.
Latias cringed at the emotions she felt coming off from the two thanks to her empathy. The state they were in was absolutely horrifying; it almost made her sniff. "Whatever happened, it was terrible," she said, shaking her head to try and dissipate it.
Nurse Joy turned to look at her Chansey assistant. "Bring the first aid kit for humans, Chansey," she said sharply. The plump pink Pokémon nodded and immediately rushed away to gather the necessary medical supplies.
Ash blinked before turning to Nurse Joy. "You have a medical kit for humans? I thought Pokémon Centers only treated Pokémon," he queried in confusion.
"Well, that's usually only in Pokémon Centers that are away from cities or towns. Nurse Joys there are trained in basic human first aid, just in case a trainer is wounded on the road or while traveling. This way, we can provide basic aid until emergency services arrive from the nearest city," Nurse Joy explained as she walked over to James. "Do you know these people?"
"Sadly, I do, but for the wrong reasons," Ash answered with a disheartened frown. "I have no idea why they're so beat up, though."
"Once again, it was in the motto, darn it! Didn't you pay attention!?" Jessie yelled at him again, making Ash leap up in fright. "We need your help, twerps! Please!" she yelled desperately.
Ash blinked in confusion at her request. "You do?"
"Yes!" Jessie exclaimed. She struggled over to the group while Nurse Joy and her Chansey worked on cleaning James's wounds as well as bandaging them up. James had suffered a large cut, but fortunately it was nothing potentially fatal. Jessie sighed tiringly. "We got badly out-crooked. Some green-haired idiot with a really bad attitude and temper stole our Pokémon… we lost Arbok, Weezing… and even Meowth!" Jessie continued, looking down in an effort to stop the tears forming in her eyes.
Ash gasped. "That's horrible!" he spoke, clearly shocked. "No one should ever have their Pokémon stolen, it's simply terrible!"
Bianca snorted at the irony. "Serves them right for trying to steal ours," she said off-handedly, not really impressed or interested in aiding Jessie. The female Team Rocket operative glared venomously at her, but the girl from Alto Mare couldn't care less.
"So, let me guess, you want us to go and find whoever stole your Pokémon and get them back for you?" Brock guessed, finishing for Jessie.
Jessie nodded once. "Pretty much," she answered simply, drawing quick breaths to recover from all the strain her body had taken recently.
"Of course we will!" Ash said immediately, nodding. Jessie smiled as a glimmer of hope lit up again in her, glad that the twerp she had chased and annoyed all these years was actually going to help her.
"No, we won't," Bianca interrupted with tense disagreement, putting her hands on her hips. "Why should we help them after all the trouble they put us through? Don't forget, they destroyed the last gym you battled in, Ash."
Ash frowned sadly, not happy with what she said. "But Bianca… we need to help…"
Brock looked at the condition Jessie and James were in, and sighed. "I'm a bit torn. I'm not sure if I really want to help or not…I mean, they've given us a lot of trouble in the past, but…"
Pikachu shrugged, clearly not interested one bit. "Meh, I don't particularly care. Let's let them cry and wallow in the own suffering, I've had enough stress from them trying to capture me that I don't want to help them. Give me one good reason why we should help these troublesome misfits," he said, crossing his tiny arms over his chest.
Latios nodded. "I agree with Pikachu," he joined in telepathically.
"I want to help them," Latias announced, looking at her friends. "I feel what they are feeling, and with that knowledge in me, I desire to aid them. No one deserves this kind of misery, even if they are criminals," she told them firmly.
Latios sighed. "Sister…" he mumbled, shaking his head. Latias glanced at him unhappily.
"Oh, come on, I'm asking your help for real! Our Pokémon were stolen and only you can help us!" Jessie protested.
"I want to help," Ash spoke to her. "The thing is, most of my friends don't," he said sadly, glancing at them. Pikachu and Latios shook their heads while Latias glared at them.
"I am not positive about it, I mean, I would normally want to help someone get their Pokémon back," Brock began. "But after all the times you've tried to rob us so ruthlessly, let's just say that I have my doubts…" he finished, shaking his head as he tried to sort out his feelings on the matter.
Bianca shrugged indifferently. "I don't want to help at all," she said. "It's about time they learned a lesson about how bad it is to steal Pokémon. And suffering through what they always try to do to us is a good way to start. Plus, they're from Team Rocket, the same group who almost killed Latios and doomed my hometown," she stated with palpable venom, glaring pointedly at the striking red 'R' emblazoned in Jessie's Team Rocket uniform. "Why should we help someone that's clearly not on friendly terms with us?"
Latios nodded in agreement. "I agree with her completely," he voiced his position telepathically.
Jessie whimpered, tearing up. She hadn't heard Latios' comment due to being unable to hear his telepathy, but Bianca's was enough. "Oh, come on! We really need help right now! Think of all the times we've helped you! Like… uh…let's see…" Jessie paused, thinking hard for one of the rare occasions they were the good guys for once. "Oh, I know! Lugia! We risked our lives jumping off him so he could fly perfectly and get to the island in time, we helped you there! Remember?" she claimed with a nervous smile.
Ash shook his head. "Well, no, Lugia was rather pissed about that. He felt offended that you guys thought he wasn't a good enough flyer to carry two humans and a Meowth," Ash corrected. "He said it didn't really matter and even with you on board, it'd have been the same. All you accomplished was insulting him."
"But it's the intention that counts!" Jessie argued desperately. "Come on twerps, just help us out this one time!" she said urgently, already on the verge of tears.
"I told you, I wanna help!" Ash said immediately. "But my friends aren't too convinced, and without them there's not much I can do. I'm in the minority here Jessie, sorry," he said, sparing a few glances to Bianca, Pikachu and Latios.
Bianca nodded. "No, we should not help. This isn't our problem Ash, and running off to fight a dangerous criminal might not be the best of ideas. It could be dangerous. And aside from that, they can't be trusted," the artist said. Jessie began to cry loudly upon hearing her statement. Bianca facepalmed.
"I do feel sorry for them," Brock said, shuddering at the guilt he was feeling from turning away from the thieves in their hour of need.
"I'm not, seeing her cry like this for what is a big slap of karmic irony is actually kinda fun. I say we let them suffer while we enjoy their misery," Latios said, chuckling at Jessie's despair. Latias smacked him in the head psychically. "Hey!" he yelled, glaring at her. His sister simply glared back angrily.
Ash frowned. "Who was it that stole your Pokémon? Was it some lone thief or another Team Rocket guy? I remember that Cassidy and… what was his name? Cliff? Bill? Beak? Whatever, I remember that they had a rivalry with you guys," he said curiously, idly wondering who the criminal that had hurt Team Rocket so badly was.
"No, it wasn't them. This guy was evil beyond explanation!" Jessie cried out, sobbing. "His Pokémon were creepy, he was such a powerful guy… He was a poacher…and had a gun…"
Ash frowned sadly. "I hate poachers."
Jessie nodded tearfully. "I hate them too, this Rico guy is just crazy…" Ash, Brock, Latios, Latias, Pikachu, Larvitar and Phanpy froze the instant the name had been mentioned. Jessie sniffed. "Uh, did I say something wrong?" she asked, shrinking down in hurt at their reaction.
Bianca blinked at their unexpected expressions. "What's wrong, guys?" she asked, confused at the collective reaction when the name had been mentioned.
Brock gasped, gaze hardening in anger instantly. "Wait a minute… wasn't that the poacher…" he began.
"Who has Larvitar's mother!?" Ash finished, just as surprised and angered as the older trainer.
Larvitar's face immediately lit up in joy at the prospect of reuniting with his mother. "Daddy! We're going to save her, right!? You promised!" he asked loudly, running in front of Ash. "I want my mommy! Please!" he cried out, tugging at his trainer's jeans.
Ash nodded firmly. "Yes, we'll go find this guy," he declared. "And get your mother back."
"Well, I guess that changes the situation. We're definitely going after this guy," Bianca said, looking down at Larvitar. She didn't interact much with the child, but she did know of his terrible backstory. And she wanted him to find the joy that he pursued.
Jessie blinked. "Wait… so you'll help us!?" she asked, eyes suddenly lit up with bright hope and happiness.
"Yes, you really should have just said his name from the start," Brock answered bluntly. "We're doing this more for personal reasons than helping you, but yeah, we are," he added. "Now Jessie, when and where did this happen?"
Jessie swallowed to clear up her voice before answering. "It happened in the northern edge of the forest, near the end of the road that leads to Rustboro City. That was yesterday afternoon… and after stealing our Pokémon, Rico had said that he was done with his job," she explained, adding in all the details that she found relevant.
Brock hummed at the dilemma at hand. "That is going to be a problem…" he said, looking down at the floor while thinking hard.
"Uh, why is that?" Ash asked, turning to look at him.
"Because Jessie said that after Rico finished with them, he said he was done. That was late afternoon; he's had what's left of yesterday and this morning to move. It'll be hard to find him," Brock explained. "He could have moved a lot between the time he robbed Team Rocket and now, so he could be anywhere."
Latios looked out the door towards the forest. "If he camped in the woods to spend the night in the cover of the forest, he should still be in the forest, or at least, in the outskirts. Me and Latias are fast and have extremely good eyesight, so he'd have to try hard to evade our detection."
Jessie looked at Ash, eyes pleading with worry. "Please, get Arbok, Weezing, and Meowth back too…," she said, voice shaky.
Brock interjected before Ash could answer. "We'll get them back, but on one condition. I really hope that this has served as a lesson for you two. We'll have a talk before we just freely hand over your Pokémon. Assuming we get them back, of course."
Jessie nodded sadly. "Okay…," she muttered in a tiny voice.
Nurse Joy, who had been listening in on their conversation while treating the wound on James's chest, looked up at them. "Rustboro City's Officer Jenny has been staying here in the Pokémon Center, hunting Pokémon Hunter Rico. I'll ask her to come over so she can hear the information you have."
Bianca nodded. "Very well, that would be the most prudent thing to do, call the police."
Nurse Joy examined James, and after determining his basic treatment was done, she nodded. "Okay Chansey, put him in a good place to rest," she ordered. Chansey nodded and took James away. Nurse Joy walked over to her counter and picked up a radio. She pressed the talk button and spoke into it. "Officer Jenny, Officer Jenny, come in, this is Nurse Joy," she said in a clear and neutral voice, and then she released the talk button.
A few seconds passed, and then a small static sound was heard, followed by Officer Jenny's slightly distorted voice. "This is Officer Jenny, what is it Nurse Joy?" she asked.
Nurse Joy pressed the speech button again. "Come to the Pokémon Center immediately. I have two victims of Pokémon Hunter Rico, as well as important leads on him."
Silence followed, and then Officer Jenny's voice sounded again. "Roger, I'm close. I'll be over in five minutes," she said, and then the radio went silent.
Brock squealed in joy as he leapt into the air. "Oh, bliss! That gorgeous angel who shall one day marry me is about to come! This is perfect!" he gushed happily, and then quickly shut up when Bianca and Latias scowled at him in an unpleasant manner and he realized how badly out of place his reaction was.
"How are we going to find Rico, though?" Ash asked, glancing at the group. "I really want to beat him up for daring to buy Larvitar's mother, and for hurting Team Rocket."
Latios glanced towards the windows of the Pokémon Center. "I can fly at high altitudes. Like I said, Latias and I have extremely sharp eyesight, not to mention our psychic detection abilities. If I search hard and fast in the general area, I could probably find him," he suggested.
Brock nodded in agreement. "I guess that is our best bet for finding him," he said before turning to look at Jessie. "Did he have any kind of transportation?" he asked.
"He had a green jeep," Jessie answered. "And several trailers attached to it. They were cages."
Brock lowered his gaze, a thoughtful look on his face as he analyzed the situation. "So, he has a vehicle and is dragging a lot of weight in an area that lacks paved roads. Assuming he camped in the night instead of moving, he can't be that far away... but considering the situation, he most likely got up first thing in the morning to move. That gives him a couple of hours. With some luck, right now he is either in the forest borders or has just left them."
Bianca nodded. "That's logical, but if he did move under the cover of the night..." she paused and glanced at Larvitar sadly before adding, "Then I doubt we'd have any chance at catching him." The Rock Skin Pokémon winced and looked down, terrified at the idea. Bianca knelt and petted the Pokémon softly as a method to comfort him.
"Then we just have to hope for the best then," Ash said. He crouched down and petted Larvitar's head tenderly as Bianca took a step back. The Rock/Ground-type closed his eyes and pressed into Ash's touch a lot more willingly than Bianca's.
"Don't forget to get back Arbok, Weezing, and Meowth. Also, Rico had another twenty or so poached Pokémon with him. It'll be nice if you could free them too," Jessie said with a trace of hope, looking at Ash.
Ash smiled at them. "Don't worry, I won't forget it," the Pallet Town Pokémon trainer answered. The sound of a car's engine could be heard in the distance, making everyone turn to look towards the front door. Latias and Latios immediately cloaked themselves.
"That must be Officer Jenny," Nurse Joy informed the group, gazing towards the double door.
The front door slid open as the police woman stepped in. Standing at her side was a very strong-looking and well-disciplined Arcanine. "What is the information you have on Pokémon Poacher Rico?" she asked, getting straight to the point while walking towards the group. "I've been on Rico's trail for over a week now with no luck."
"I have two victims of his actions," Nurse Joy answered. "And these three here seem to know something regarding his past activities." She pointed at the group.
Officer Jenny nodded and turned to look at Jessie and Ash's group. "Well?" she asked impatiently in a no-nonsense tone. She stared for a few seconds at Jessie and at the red logo on her shirt. The officer could've sworn she's seen it before, but there wasn't much information regarding it in Hoenn. She made a mental note to check up with Kanto and Johto authorities as to what that red 'R' meant; she was sure it wasn't a good sign at all. Though, right now, her priority was the investigation behind Rico.
Brock was tempted to hit on the hot beauty standing before them, but her excessively serious tone and hard attitude clearly indicated know it was not the time for it, so he remained serious as well. "They were attacked by poacher Rico yesterday afternoon near the north edge of the Petalburg woods. We know Rico moves in a jeep with several cages attached to it," he answered.
Officer Jenny growled softly, clenching her fists tightly. "Dammit, that far and yesterday? I hoped that the information would be a bit more recent, by now Rico could have moved anywhere," the officer said, clearly dismayed. "Did Rico mention or give any indication that he would stay in the forest or leave?"
Jessie weakly nodded once. "He said we were his last poach in the area and that he was done, so he is leaving. He didn't tell us where though…not like he would," she answered in a heartbroken tone.
Officer Jenny nodded back at her, and then turned to look at the group in general. "Thanks for the information. I'll head to the area where you reported his last poach was and continue from there. I need to go; time is of the essence if I have any hope of catching him."
"Wait!" Ash called out, stopping her as she turned her attention towards him. "We want to go with you to help catch this guy, we have a problem with him too," he called out in determination as Pikachu nodded in agreement with the trainer.
Officer Jenny shook her head. "No. First of all, why would I let a kid tag along with me when I am tasked with the objective of hunting down a dangerous criminal? This is a serious matter and you're just a child. I mean, look at you! You barely look like you're ten, eleven at most," she criticized harshly.
Ash growled as he felt slightly offended by her words. "I'm twelve years old, and I am a stronger trainer," he argued to justify himself. "I placed third in the Silver Conference."
"So?" Officer Jenny replied. "That is still no excuse to expose a kid to such danger." She turned to look at Brock. "I believe you are a Kanto Gym Leader. As such you would be qualified for something like this. How many Pokémon do you have?" she asked him.
Brock sighed with disappointment. "I am a former Gym Leader, but I only have one Pokémon with me right now. The rest are back at my home in Kanto."
"Useless for the situation it seems," Officer Jenny huffed starkly, but she was realistically taking the situation. "Sorry, but I'm not going to take anyone with me. And, I need to go now if I have any hope to catch Rico… if it is possible to find him with the advantage in time he has over me."
"That's another thing I can help with," Ash said stubbornly, determined to make her trust him. "I have a very good way to locate Rico. I have a Latias and Latios, with their powers finding Rico will be easier! They're super-fast and psychic, and I have a full team of six Pokémon, including my two Legendaries. I really wanna help fight this bad guy!" he exclaimed determinedly. On cue, Latias and Latios dropped their invisibility, letting themselves be seen and immediately making the police officer focus her attention on them. "I ranked third in the Silver Conference, I can handle myself!" Ash added.
Latios snorted. "Well, if she says we can't go, we'll just go ourselves when she's out of sight, it's not like she can stop us. We'd probably have Rico taken care of and she'd still be wandering aimlessly in the forest by the time we're finished," he said telepathically. Ash, Bianca and Brock sweat dropped at the eon dragon's comment, but none doubted that it was more fact than fiction.
Officer Jenny hummed as she pondered this. She did not like the idea of taking such a young trainer with her on an operation against a criminal like Rico, but he was strong, as was proven by his possession of two Legendaries and his claimed third place in the Johto League. As much as Jenny hated to admit it, without the red and blue dragons' assistance it might be impossible to find Rico before he escaped well beyond their reach. She sighed. "Fine, kid, but I hope you realize what you're getting into," Officer Jenny said, not sounding very convinced or happy with the decision she was being forced to take. "But, since your friends don't have Pokémon for the task, only you are allowed to come along. The others stay."
Ash grinned and nodded. "You won't regret it. Ready, guys? Time to get Larvitar's mother back!" he declared. Latias, Latios, Pidgeot and Pikachu nodded with confidence while Larvitar and Phanpy looked at their trainer with admiration and hope.
Officer Jenny turned towards the exit. "Let's go, then. Every second we are here is another second Rico gains on us," she spoke authoritatively as she made her way to her vehicle.
Ash winced but understood why she was like that. He grabbed three Pokéballs and returned Pidgeot, Larvitar and Phanpy back to them. Pikachu jumped on his shoulder, nodding at him and signaling that he was ready for this. "I'll be back soon, guys," he said as he made his way to the door. Latias and Latios followed him.
Brock nodded. "We'll take care of these two. Don't take long, Ash!" he called out. Ash raised his hand and waved at him as he boarded Jenny's jeep.
"And be careful!" Bianca added, her voice filled with concern. "You too, Latias and Latios!"
"Oh, we will Bianca. Don't worry, we will," Latios promised, a determined and very angry look on his features. He looked towards the sky. The hunt was on. "Time for the hunter to become the hunted…"
…
Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location in the ocean off the southern coast of the Hoenn Region…
A massive armored fortress cruised steadily across the surface of the open sea. The waves beat against the hull harshly, but the titanic machine barely even rocked at the force inflicted. The only parts visible above the water level was a massive hull spanning at least one thousand and five hundred feet in length with several towers and structures rising from it. It was mostly painted a dull blue color, with a skull-themed logo proudly emblazoned on its sides. Despite its huge size, it was clear that there was much more of the machine below the water. Beside the floating fortress were a few comparatively smaller ships, some floating on the water and some flying steadily in the air. Several smaller submarines were also scattered around the fleet as they escorted its parent vessel.
On the bridge of the floating fortress, a man calmly looked outwards to the endless ocean through the windshields. All around him, countless grunts and officers worked around the numerous controls of the massive structure, all of them wearing the same uniform consisting of blue pants with black and white striped shirts and blue bandannas tied on their heads. As he continued to focus his gaze across the sparkling blue waters, three distinctively dressed personnel slowly approached him.
"What news do you have for me, Shelly?" the tall, muscular man looking out the window demanded in a low and gruff voice. He was dressed in a black, long sleeved, deep cut, and high collared coat with dark grey pants. He had a thick beard framing his face and a blue bandana covering his head. Both his shirt and bandana were imprinted with the logo of the villainous Team Aqua, a white circle with two bones sticking from the underside. He turned his attention towards the three newcomers in the control room.
"I've confirmed it, Archie. Team Magma initiated an attack against the Oldale Ruins not too long ago," the only woman of the three answered in a firm and confident voice. She was a tall young woman with ruby red eyes and vibrant red wild-curled hair that flowed down her back up to her waist, with a blue bandana wrapped on her head with the Team Aqua logo up front. She had long blue bell-bottom pants with red circle runes running down the side, and she wore a black sports bra with a blue crop vest on top that was opened up. Her name was Shelly, Tactical Commander, Admin and second in command of Team Aqua.
"I suggest we investigate them in that case, Boss," a dark-skinned burly man responded. He was the tallest of the group by a good margin. He was completely shirtless, revealing his extremely well built and muscular body to everyone. He had thick golden chains around his neck and waist and had the logo of Team Aqua painted in white across his chest, showing his deep commitment to the team. Unlike the rest, he was not wearing a bandana, letting his short dark brown hair to be seen. He was wearing thick blue pants and large, heavy boots. "If Team Magma was there, it's bound to be valuable," Matt, the second Team Aqua admin, said. He growled and smashed his fist into the palm of his other hand. "And if we find them, we can crush them with a no-holds-barred beatdown."
"No, Matt," the last one objected. He was the shortest of the three, and looked amusingly small next to Matt. He had a slim face with a thin jaw and an overall scrawny body shape. Unlike the others, he wore a striped white and black undershirt with a blue vest slung on top of it. Like almost everyone else associated with Team Aqua, he had a blue bandanna tied over his head with no visible hair escaping it. "I don't think they'll be there," Amber, the third Team Aqua admin, said. "They should be long gone by now."
Archie hummed in thought. "I heard they were captured. Is that right, Shelly?" he asked, turning to look at her.
Shelly nodded in response. "Yes, Archie. Several members of Team Magma were captured by law enforcement at Oldale Town. I don't have knowledge of the details of how that happened, but they were. According to the news and my sources, part of their group escaped… along with whatever they retrieved from the chamber at the ruins. Also, the chamber is now open and being investigated by a local professor while under constant police surveillance. We don't have the exact details of what was captured, though."
"That means we need to do something and fast," Amber noted with a neutral voice. "Team Magma has a lead over us. And, we don't know what it is or its importance. It could be something small and insignificant, or it could be a massive step forward for them."
"Damned Team Magma…always a step ahead of us," Matt mumbled, shaking his head and growling lowly. "I'm going to pummel them so hard next time I see them."
"Yes, I know!" Archie hissed angrily. "That blasted Maxie… anyway, we need to move quickly if we are not to fall behind in our pursuit of Lady Goddess Kyogre and the Blue Orb. We must obtain them as fast as possible, before Team Magma finds that disgraced false god Groudon and the Red Orb first."
"The members of Team Magma that were captured are probably undergoing interrogation now," Amber noted. "That means that the police and governmental forces are now focused on them instead of us. Their supposed lead does have a double-edge. This is the perfect time to move, as they have the law tailing them while we are free to operate without interference."
Shelly nodded. "Yes. And, I've got interesting information that we can use in order to gain a lead over Team Magma. One of my most trustful contacts in my spy network has informed me that the Devon Corporation is working on several interesting devices. One of them is a fossil scanner and restoration machine that uses several complex chemicals of their creation to potentially make it possible to restore the fossils or obtain intimate data from them. We have fossils of skin cells shed by Lady Goddess Kyogre long ago. If we got a hold of that machine and the exact formulas of their chemicals, we could take a huge step forward in finding a way to acquire her whereabouts and track her down."
Archie lowered his gaze, thoughtful. "Interesting…" he trailed off.
"Also, Devon as a whole has been doing many studies on the origin of Pokémon to help them develop diverse technologies to aid in Pokémon training and understanding Pokémon in general. Things like seeing a Pokémon's mind or building the worldwide coveted Pokémon translator are all examples of what they've wanted to do for years now." Shelly paused for a moment to catch her breath before resuming her explanation. "From what I know, they believe that understanding the origin of Pokémon and their differences from humans will aid them in that. It's widely accepted that Pokémon originate from Legendary Pokémon, so they are studying them. That includes Lady Goddess Kyogre and that fake Groudon. Their information may be useful. After all, Devon has economic and technological resources far out of our reach."
Archie hummed as he thought it over. "Team Magma acquired information from an ancient source. We, however, shall look for information from a more… modern source," he noted with a small chuckle.
Shelly chuckled. "Indeed. Acquiring information about Hoenn's Legendary Pokémon, including Groudon or Lady Goddess Kyogre, might be useful. We should focus on what Devon Corp. has researched on those two, but we shouldn't throw away the rest of them. They may be beneficial, and we're certainly not going to let Team Magma get ahead of us," she said determinately.
"Think we can sneak an agent into the corporation to steal what's needed?" Archie asked, looking over at his faithful Admins to hear their opinions.
"No, it's bound to have formidable security," Amber interjected, shaking his head. "Acquiring anything from them is not going to be easy, especially not for a lone agent. And, if their fossil machine is large, we can't simply steal it with a single spy. Stealing anything from them will definitely require…" A hint of glee could be seen in his eyes. "…A large-scale operation."
Shelly nodded and then frowned. "I agree. Devon's massive growth in commercial strength has turned them into an economic and technological empire of unmatched power. Stealthily stealing anything from them will take ages. If we are to follow up on the leads I have, I agree with Amber. A more aggressive strike will be needed. We should take what we want by force instead of stealthily, since force takes way less time. It may be risky, but we can lose a few grunts for such a luxurious gain."
Matt grinned savagely. "I like the way that sounds. I'm in."
"But, I did just mention we had the advantage that the police forces were against Team Magma because of the grunts of them that were captured," Amber argued. "If we do such an action against Devon Corp. without stealth then we'd shift the attention back to us, again."
Shelly sighed. "That's the downside. We'd be putting the eye of the hurricane over us."
Archie growled, tightening his fists with anger. "Time is against us. Whatever Team Magma acquired in Oldale Town, they are most likely already working on it. We need to take our own leads." He turned to his three operatives and issued new orders. "Shelly, you're now in charge of organizing a full-scale attack on Devon's HQ in Rustboro. Matt, Amber, help her with it. Your objectives are simple. I want you to steal their fossil scanning and restoration machine. Also, I want you to infiltrate their database and extract an entire copy of it. I want to know what goodies they have in there."
Shelly nodded. "Understood, Archie. It will be done."
Archie grinned darkly. "And, finally, kidnap their president, Mr. Stone. He's bound to know secrets that might not be in his database and have knowledge of future projects that could be useful to us. Having a one on one chat with him is priceless. And, his safety might prove to be a valuable bargaining chip should something go wrong. Failure is unforgivable!"
"We'll need a large attack force to do that," Amber said in an almost excited tone, clearly surprised at Archie's sudden decision to do such an action. The short admin was definitely pleased with the direct approach. He was sick and tired of hiding and doing nothing.
Archie smirked. "Forget stealth. I need to regain ground against Team Magma. I want the three objectives I asked for completed. We need to hurry and catch up to Team Magma, because as stupid and undeserving of respect as Groudon is, he is undeniably strong. If they get him first, we are doomed if we lack Lady Goddess Kyogre's support."
Shelly stood firmly. "As you command, Archie, we shall carry out the mission," she replied obediently. Matt and Amber both looked clearly excited at the prospect of such a savage and brutal action. Shelly, on the other hand, looked much more cautious.
Archie gave a short nod to Matt and Amber. The two men nodded back and then turned around to leave. "I expect success, Shelly," Archie said to the lead admin.
"Success you will have, Archie. What resources am I authorized to use to execute this mission?" Shelly asked curtly. "Devon has tight security and close ties to law enforcement, and most importantly, remember that Steven Stone is highly likely to be there, considering Mr. Stone is his father. After all, Steven resigned from his position as Champion of Hoenn a couple months ago, he has free time now. Steven spent his entire reign as champion, an entire decade, completely unbeaten. That speaks volumes of the quality of trainer that he is. If he is there, he will be a gigantic obstacle."
"Take the First Legion of Aqua grunts and Pokémon," Archie said, turning around and walking in direction of the windows. He stopped and looked out towards the ocean, and the parts of his sea fortress that were visible from there. "And take the Sea Titan warship. You have my authorization to use as many of its armaments and attack assets as needed."
"Alright." Shelly walked to Archie's side, gazing out the window along with him. The two gazed towards the specified Sea Titan vessel, which was right in front of the main fortress they were currently on. "I'll order the ship to be primed and ready for assault."
The ship the two were gazing at was a multipurpose combat vessel roughly eight hundred feet long that was capable of acting as a submarine, airship, and carrier with formidable weapons and armor. With a Kyogre-colored scheme adorning its exterior, Team Aqua's Sea Titan warship was designed to be a versatile and an effective fighting machine at the same time. This was evident with the long, sleek design of the vessel that was coated and shielded with heavy armor all around. The command bridge was located at its forefront and center; this was where all the necessary communications and operational equipment was located while its officers would oversee battles. The warship was equipped with a pair of impressive-looking very thick Kyogre-like armored 'fins' that were located at the lower starboard and port sides. Several large hybrid engines were located inside them. The 'fins' and engines aided the huge submarine-and-airship hybrid's ability to go airborne or glide through the ocean depths. On the rearmost aft of the ship, a large array of steering fins that oddly resembled Kyogre's tailfins were located, along with a pair of engines to further boost the vessels' movement capabilities. All of its weapons were hidden in various compartments of the warship that looked like marked indentations until the time to deploy them for combat became necessary. In addition to its impressive arsenal, it also possessed a complement of smaller helicopters that could be used to deploy grunts quickly.
"Go and execute your mission," Archie ordered simply, eyes narrowing.
"Yes, Archie, leave the rest to me," Shelly said before she turned around and headed away from the bridge. Archie sighed, and walked to his seat to relax, all that was left now was to have faith in Shelly and his Admins.
Unknown to any of them or the other personnel working in the command room, a very small Pokémon was intently watching them from the shadows. Below one of the many consoles and controls, a very tiny yellow mite-like Pokémon was spying on them with curious intent. The Joltik nodded slightly when he saw that all the important information had been discussed, turned around, and slowly crawled his way towards a ventilation shaft, being careful so that no one noticed him.
The Joltik gave the room one last glimpse and entered the ventilation system. As if he knew the path by memory, he quickly navigated his way through the massive ship's ventilation tunnels. After several long minutes of quick traveling and moving around, the Joltik came to an opening, which he quickly went through. Upon exiting, he was greeted face-to-face with a typical gruff, manly-looking Team Aqua grunt.
The Aqua grunt, dressed with the team's typical blue bandanna, horizontal-striped white and grey shirt, and blue pants, nodded once. "Do you have anything important?" he asked the Joltik once. To his joy, the Joltik nodded instantly, an almost devilish look glinting in its tiny eyes. "Perfect. Share it with me then," the grunt said eagerly.
The small Pokémon nodded and began to glow in a sparkly pink hue, melting into pink goo until all of its physical details were completely lost. Slowly, the Pokémon began to grow larger and drastically started changing shape. Four feline legs began to be clearly noticeable along with a forked tail and long, cat-like ears. When the glow disappeared, an Espeon was standing where the Joltik once was. "There, that's better," the Espeon spoke, not in Pokéspeech, but in actual human tongue. "I hate how as most Bug-types I can't talk like this, ugh," he complained.
The Team Aqua grunt laughed softly. "Well, it's very hard to edit the according vocal chords into them, right, Varian?" he asked, smiling slightly.
"You have no idea, Brodie," the Espeon said, shaking his head slightly. "Even if I'm old and powerful, it doesn't mean I can do things that are practically impossible. I might be able to do it with a large Bug-type, but not with the small ones. Anyways, you'll like what I heard just now."
The Team Aqua grunt, now identified as Brodie, nodded. "Well, let's hear it," he urged impatiently.
The Espeon's eyes glowed softly, his now psychic mind reaching out and connecting with Brodie's, before slowly playing back in his head what he had spied in the control room while hidden as a tiny Joltik. "There it is," he said daintily.
Brodie nodded as the events played out in his mind. He couldn't help but snort softly. "Ah, that Archie, losing his head and cool so easily. Maxie's gonna love this," Brodie said, shaking his head in amusement.
The Espeon's eyes stopped glowing as the mental connection ended. "Yep," he agreed as his body began to glow a sparkly pink again, slowly morphing into a formless pink blob with a plain-looking face. Brodie lowered his arm, letting the Ditto climb up it until he rested on the human's shoulder.
"Well, Varian, let's report this to Maxie at once," Brodie said as he turned and walked down a hallway.
The Ditto on his shoulder nodded. "These Team Aqua idiots think they're safe from surveillance. They'll have no idea what hit them," he taunted, smirking.
Brodie nodded, returning the smirk. He reached a door in a secluded corridor and opened it, entering one of the many crew dorm rooms, where several of the Team Aqua grunts stationed in the vessel slept. He gave the room one quick glance to make sure no one was there, and then he locked the room's door. He walked to the lockers and opened the one that was his, or, more correctly, previously owned by the Team Aqua grunt he had disposed of discreetly so he could impersonate his victim without any suspicions. He pulled a heavily armored case out of the locker, which he put on the floor gently. The case was dull gray, lined up with three different keyholes. "Varian, hand me the keys," Brodie requested, tilting his head to look at his shapeshifting companion.
The Ditto nodded, extending one of his barely-identifiable arms forward. From his arm, three small blobs of pink goo fell, which started glowing and transforming into three very oddly shaped metallic keys. Brodie grabbed them, inserted them into the locks in a certain pattern, and twisted them in the correct order to unlock the container. The case's locks opened, allowing Brodie to fully open the case, revealing it to be a computer of some sorts. The screen flashed as nine squares appeared, along with a red blinking light. Brodie calmly introduced the correct password that'd deactivate the self-destruction of the device should it be opened by someone else.
The screen flashed again as all the security measures were correctly deactivated. Brodie grabbed an antenna from the side of the case and pulled it up, waiting patiently as he accessed a protected line of communications. Seconds later, Maxie's face appeared on the screen. "Brodie, is that you?" the leader of Team Magma asked, eyes narrowing.
Brodie, still in the Team Aqua disguise, chuckled. "Well, of course dear, who else would it be? I told you, I can't be discovered at all. There's a reason I'm known as Brodie the phantom thief, or the man of the thousand faces, whichever you pick. Both sound cool and are very true. I leave no trace. I am perfect."
"Enough chitchat. Prove it, just in case," Maxie ordered with a sharp voice. He admitted that Brodie's disguises were so good, sometimes it was hard telling if it was really him or a counter-ploy by Team Aqua.
The hired Magma operative rolled his eyes. "Fine, I told you I can't be discovered, but if you are so paranoid on me being here all alone in Team Aqua's headquarters…" he said in a half-mocking voice that made Maxie glare at him. "Vita, you can come off."
"Okay," a third voice said softly. Suddenly, it seemed as if Brodie's body began to glow. The Team Aqua bandanna and his Team Aqua shirt began to turn into pink goo, and what seemed to be a thin layer of pink goo began to slither from his face and neck. All the pink goo began to collect into a single glob on Brodie's chest. The Ditto, named Vita, hummed once she had fully assembled herself and then dropped down to his lap.
Brodie smiled. "Happy, Maxie? I may cheat and lie to get what I want, but here I am," he asked now that his true self was revealed. He was wearing a plain gray shirt and his face was now more feminine than the previous rugged sailor-like appearance provided by his Ditto. His real hair was now uncovered, revealing a messy purple haircut with a couple of front flecks dyed orange. Under his right eye was a linear green mark.
Maxie grimaced. Every time he saw that he couldn't help but think it was a bit unnerving. He quickly regained his composure. "Don't act so hurt Brodie. While I trust your stealthy abilities, I can't be too sure if it'd be a trap set up by Team Aqua to provide me false information in case they did discover you," Maxie said, his voice fairly neutral. "One has to be careful with these kinds of operations."
Varian rolled his eyes while Vita snickered. Brodie nodded, accepting his reasoning. "I understand, sir. Very well." He still felt offended that his spying abilities were put to question, even if he admitted the Team Magma leader had a good reason to be wary.
Maxie's tone turned a lot more serious as he shifted the subject to more serious matters. "What have you called to tell me about, Brodie?" he asked, going straight to the point.
"Team Aqua is preparing a full-scale attack on Rustboro City with a substantial force. Their main objectives are to kidnap the owner of Devon Corp., steal valuable machines, and also hack their databases. They believe they have useful information to reach Groudon or Kyogre," Brodie answered. "They will initiate their assault soon."
Maxie hummed, deep in thought. "Do you know what stirred this… very outgoing and sudden command from Archie?" he asked curiously. He knew Archie was very hot-headed, but not this much.
Brodie nodded. "It was the attack you made on Oldale Town. Team Aqua believes we are several steps ahead of them and that they need to recover the lead as soon as possible no matter what," the master spy answered, keeping his voice low.
Maxie nodded. "Okay, thanks Brodie. Your next assignment is to board the ship that will participate in the assault against Rustboro City and tag along. If you have a chance to obtain either of Team Aqua's own objectives like the Devon Corp. president or their databases, then by all means go ahead. I will make sure to add a bonus to your next paycheck if you do."
Brodie nodded with a sinister smile. "Very well, sir. Anything else?" he asked.
"Don't fail," Maxie bluntly added, and suddenly the screen went blank. Brodie lowered the antenna, turned the computer off and closed the case. Grabbing the keys, he proceeded to lock up the container again. Once the armored case was locked, the keys dissolved into pink goo that traveled up his arm and rejoined with Varian the Ditto.
"What a rude individual," Vita complained. "That head honcho of ours is annoying. Why do we work for them anyway? This Team Aqua versus Team Magma thing is silly beyond comprehension," she affirmed.
Brodie shrugged. "They're the highest bidder, that's why. We work for those who are willing to offer the biggest paycheck, simple as that," he answered to his second Ditto. "We better board that other ship and get ready," he suggested, standing up and walking towards the door. "Vita, transform back into a Team Aqua disguise at once," he told her, briefly glancing at her.
Vita nodded. "Okay!" She began to melt into Brodie's shirt, becoming thinner and spreading herself out, quickly coating his chest, arms, neck, and then moving up to enclose his head. Once he was completely covered in a thin layer of the Ditto's pink goo-like body, she began to glow, morphing into different objects that quickly changed Brodie's appearance completely, rapidly hiding and changing his extravagant hair and effeminate looks into a bald and tough-looking Team Aqua sailor, coupled with the according uniform and bandanna.
"Thank you, Vita," Brodie said gratefully once his change of appearance was completed. Knowing that a change of ship was approaching, he grabbed whatever possessions he needed to keep as he prepared to leave no trace of his presence. "Let's go," he announced as he stepped out of the room once he was done. "Varian, a Mightyena," he ordered straightforwardly. Varian nodded and slid off his arm. As he landed on the floor, he began to glow pink, quickly assuming the form of a Mightyena.
Brodie then walked calmly towards the docks of the submarine fortress he was on, getting ready to change ship and proceed with his orders, all the while presenting himself as a typical Team Aqua grunt…
Author Notes: Just wanted to remind you all, since it's been tough for me to tell apart the individual personalities and aspects of the Team Aqua and Magma Admins that are exclusive to the manga (mainly because I don't think they give enough information for me to draw an accurate characterization of them), I've decided to personalize them myself, so it's a lot easier to write them and gives me more space to work with. The game-exclusive admins I will base them off Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, and the main admins and leaders I will use the main series anime as reference.
I've also decided to go into a more unique characterization with Brodie and an expanded team, since I felt the anime was too shallow and Brodie could have been a much better character. He'll make a lot more appearances, so be wary, he could be anywhere.
Anyway, I hope you all like my decisions!
