Chapter 10
The lobby of Silph Co. was large enough to hold two massive granite fountains, complete with Golden Magikarp statues that spurted bubbly crystal-clear water from their puckered lips. The walls were simple walls, plastered with a dull green paper that gave the sense of elderly innocence as you entered. The front desk was an immaculate and simple wood-framed box with a stained oak countertop that wrapped around the secretaries' work space, save for a small lifting flap that granted access and exit to all the workers. It was brightly lit by floor-to-ceiling plate glass windows that allowed a flood of natural sunlight pour in from outside and illuminate the white tile floor. A single staircase led the way to the second floor, but the door that blocked the entrance was guarded by a large, bald, seemingly nameless guard in aviator sunglasses. Two secretaries sat gossiping in fully reclined rolling chairs.
From an unmarked black work van, a portable monitor was displaying video from inside the building; a hacked feed courtesy of Team Rocket's inside man. Leon watched from his swivel chair, his heavy body sinking deep into the leather, his head rested on his meaty fist. Four monitors were situated horizontally across the wall of the van. The first displaying Silph, the second and third were cycling through traffic cameras following the caravans of Team Rocket soldiers driving in from the East and the West, the final was displaying the local news; the station that would undoubtedly be first to report on the attack. Two Rocket Admins occupied the front seats, both with their eyes and ears glued to the building. Another Admin sat beside Leon, his head close to the monitors on the opposite side of the van, his head encased in obnoxiously large, flashing headphones. In his hands was a black controller adorned with an Electric symbol between a joystick and two large buttons. Soon he would direct a small Pikachu-sized delivery bot to roll into the foyer and detonate a Weezing level Smokescreen attack, leaving the lobby vulnerable to the horde of eager Rocket Grunts.
A staticky voice screeched over the intercom.
"Master Leon, come in, over."
Leon grunted and slammed his fist onto the intercom button, growling as he spoke.
"What is it?"
"This is Vanguard 7, location Silence Bridge. We have secured the meeting point between Vermillion and Lavender. However, it seems we were not the first through here, over."
"What do you mean not the first?! Explain yourself!" He hissed, spit flying from his mouth as he spoke. The intercom went silent. Leon glanced to his subordinates who return his look with a confused shrug. After a few minutes of awkward silence, the intercom squawked again.
"Master Leon, you need to say over when you finish speaking, over."
Leon's face smashed against his open palm. Calmly he pressed the button and leaned his mouth against the speaker.
"Can you hear me, over?"
"Roger that, over."
"TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED NOW OR I WILL RIP YOUR THROAT OUT THROUGH YOUR ASS AND FEED IT TO MY ARCANINE, YOU BUMBLING IDIOT!"
Silence again. Leon sighed.
"Over."
"Yessir! Our scouts had reached up to the gate between Silence Bridge and Lavender. There was significant structural damage to the building. We questioned the guard, but he claimed not to know anything. We didn't have any petty cash for a bribe, so we set up a sentry and left, over."
"Vanguard 7, I need you to do one thing for me, over."
"Yessir?"
"JUMP OFF SILENCE BRIDGE AND GET ME SOMEONE COMPETENT WHO CAN FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED! I DON'T NEED ANYONE HINDERING OUR TAKEOVER! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME, VANGUARD 7?!"
Silence. The tech Admin giggled.
"Over." Leon said dejectedly.
The intercom squawked an affirmative, and Leon shifted back to the monitors. White work vans with floral decals had weaved their way in and out of the foot traffic and established blockades that disguised themselves as deliveries. Inside Grunts were huddled up, Pokeballs ready, waiting for the signal. The tech Admin pressed a switch and monitors 3 and 4 had switched to the security feed from the gates surrounding Saffron. Inside each building a Rocket in a government uniform stood behind the greeting desk, eyeballing each visitor, staying silent, and keeping the flow moving. Illusion of normalcy was key to their success.
Leon's van was situated across from Silph along a group of curbside cars parked crookedly next to the row of parallel meters. Leon gave a raised fist to his tech Admin who proceeded to pull a steel container from behind the driver's seat. He keyed in the code on the pin pad lock. With a beep and a click it flipped open. A mecha-Pika was strapped in, its belly, a square chamber with open flaps, was filled with multicolored wires and a digital clock. The tech Admin flipped a small switch at the top of the clock which activated the Pikachu, sending yellow light coursing through the wires and red bulbs on its cheeks.
Leon kicked the backdoors open and set the Mecha-Pika on the tiny wheels hidden in its back-paw pads. The tech Admin flashed a thumbs-up. They were ready to go.
"Initiate Mecha-Pika." Leon said.
The tech Admin, at this point let's just name him Scientist Bill, so Scientist Bill pressed the Electric symbol on the controller and began playing with the buttons. The two interior monitors flipped to and eye-cam that streamed live video from Mecha-Pika's line of sight. Mecha-Pika responded to the controls, spinning slightly, rolling back and forth, and eventually reorienting itself to face the Silph Building. The two Admins in the front seat gave affirmation that the coast was clear. Scientist Bill moved the joystick forward and Mecha-Pika was officially on its way.
Mecha-Pika rolled silently along the asphalt, dodging mini potholes and ducking around parked cars. When it hit the sidewalk two metal prongs popped from its undercarriage sending it up onto the ledge. Closer and closer it rolled and soon enough it was mere meters from the door.
"Hold, aim for the rotating doors. The guard should see it and try to shoo it out. The minute he touches that door, set it off. Got it?" Leon said.
"Roger that, Master Leon." Scientist Bill replied through a cheeky smile.
As they turned back to the monitors, they noticed a small shadowy figure standing next to the robot.
"Wait, zoom in, who is that?" Leon said.
"Zoom in? It's a security camera. This doesn't zoom."
"JUST GET ME EYES ON WHOEVER THAT IS!"
Scientist Bill rotated the joystick and camera panned towards the figure. In a bright pink floral dress and long black pigtails, a little girl stood awkwardly staring at the Mecha-Pika. Her face was hidden behind her fist which was being pressed into her mouth. Her eyes, big purple half-moons mirrored across a button nose in a morose arc, looked on in curiosity.
"Where the hell did she come from?" Leon said.
The two front seat Rocket Admins shook their head. The driver said through a stammer:
"I...I don't know. The coast was clear!"
"What the hell is she doing?" Scientist Bill said.
The girl stood, both hands now balled up into tiny fists fell by her sides. Her eyes had grown into large saucers revealing their true glittering glow. She smiled.
"IT'S A PIKACHU!" She screeched. The girl ran and grabbed the Mecha-Pika and held it firm, her arms wrapped around its ticking waist. The Rocket crew watched on, eyes wide and mouths agape, as the little girl took off down a random alleyway, disappearing with their smoke bomb.
"Can...can you deactivate the bomb remotely?" Leon asked.
"Well...no. But once it leaves the frequency and gets far enough away from the remote it should just switch off. Or blow up. I don't know honestly. We never planned for this." Scientist Bill replied.
"...Detonate it."
"What?"
"Detonate it. Set if off. Hit the switch."
"But...sir...she's just a child."
"And now she's a distraction. Detonate the bomb."
"...Yes, sir."
Scientist Bill pressed the giant green button on the remote. A bright light emitted from the Electric symbol, undoubtedly sending radio waves to the activator inside of the Mecha-Pika. The sat patiently waiting, their eyes frozen on the monitors which had been switched from the static that overtook it when the girl ran into the alleyway to security cameras near the building. There was nothing but a dark alley and bright shadows, the girl was gone but the hope remained; at least for Leon it did. The symbol flashed red, the bomb had been detonated but no smoke had been seen billowing into the sky. Scientist Bill mashed the button a few more times, but the light remained red.
"Enough of this!" Leon yelled, he leapt from his chair and forced his way out the rear doors, knocking Scientist Bill over as he charged the street. He pulled a Pokeball from his belt and called forth his mightiest Pokemon; the Superpower Pokemon, Machamp! His Machamp landed heavily on the sidewalk leaving deep cracks in the concrete and sending dust flying high above him in the air.
"Machamp! Hyper Beam! Take out the lobby!" Leon roared.
Scientist Bill fumbled with the receiver on the intercom, eventually catching it in his hands and slamming them hard on the button below.
"All troops, move in! Leon is leading the charge! No time for cowards! Today is a beautiful day to die! Cliched battle cry! Yolo! Go, go, go!" He screamed.
Machamp puffed out his chest, flexing his sinewy muscles as tight as they could go, and released an intense beam of bright destructive light. The concussive blast struck the windows and the doors sending shards of glass raining down on the employees trapped inside. Alarms triggered inside. Sirens screeched through the building with flashing red lights. Swarms of Rocket soldiers rushed from the alleyways and streets and stormed the building. Hordes of Golbats, Zubats, Koffings, and Meowths followed close behind. Leon stood with his Machamp outside watching his plan finally come to fruition. An evil grin spread across his broad face.
"It won't be long now, Stone. You have nowhere to run."