Chapter 13
Big Trouble
Silver charged into the Game Corner, with Sneasel by his side. He was shocked to see no sign of Team Rocket, but instead a bunch of people playing slot machines.
Something's not right here... Silver thought. I'll talk to that guy at the counter… he has to know something.
Silver walked up to the counter. The man working there seemed to be fearful of something, just from his body language, but he kept up his usual jovial attitude.
"Are you ready to win?" the man asked Silver. "We've got all kinds of winners here at the Game Corner! I'm sure you'll win too, because you look like a winner to me!"
"Let's talk turkey," Silver sneered at the man. "I know Team Rocket's headquarters is in this building. How do I get there?"
The man gulped. He was already nervous enough after he accidentally let two non-Rocket females into the Team Rocket underground headquarters by mistake, as they managed to sneak in with a bunch of other Rockets, including Butch and Cassidy. Now this guy somehow knew about their underground hideout?
"I… I… don't know… what you're talking about," the man stuttered.
Sneasel jumped up onto the counter, holding out its claws.
"Okay, okay… I hope I don't get fired for this…" the man muttered, running over to a poster and pushing a button behind it. A passage to the underground headquarters opened up.
"Thanks," Silver said, running with Sneasel down the passage. The man quickly pushed the button again, closing the passage's entrance behind Silver.
"Okay, who wants to win?" he announced to the many gamblers, who nonchalantly continued pulling the slot levers.
Silver and Sneasel ran full force into the underground hideout of Team Rocket. It looked like a giant warehouse, with lots of rooms scattered around the place. They were both surprised not to see any Team Rocket members coming out after them.
"What's going on?" Silver asked. "It's as if they all went off chasing someone else."
Silver then began to hear a faint "Help" coming from a room nearby.
"That must be Jasmine!" he exclaimed. He rushed over to the room, seeing a button next to the door of the room. He quickly pushed the button, and the door opened up. Silver then saw Erika sitting on the floor.
"Thank you," Erika said.
"Who are you?" Silver asked.
"I'm Erika, gym leader of this city," Erika responded. "I got trapped in here while trying to figure out what Team Rocket was doing in here."
"Well, I didn't come here to rescue you," Silver grumbled. "I want to find Jasmine, and I'm awfully sure she was brought here."
"We'll find her, then," Erika said.
Silver and Erika began walking through the warehouse, trying to find Jasmine. Silver went over to several rooms, but found no way to open the doors to them. They continued to press on, finally finding a large room with a door that Silver opened with the push of a button. When the doors opened, the two trainers were in shock.
"Is this… real?" Erika asked.
Before the trainers was a large laboratory, with scientists working at computers in front of large machines. Pokémon were standing in the machines.
"What's happening to that Hitmonchan?" Erika whispered to Silver, pointing at the fighting Pokémon.
Silver and Erika gasped as the Hitmonchan began to flash, then suddenly began to grow larger and larger. Within seconds, the Hitmonchan was giant-sized.
"That must be how they were making those Electrodes so large," Silver commented.
"Huh?" Erika asked.
Suddenly, a few scientists turned around and noticed Silver and Erika standing there.
"Who are they?" a scientist asked. "After them!"
The gigantic Hitmonchan began to chase Silver and Erika, who began to run through the warehouse, finding it to be like a maze.
"How are we going to get out of here?" Erika wondered.
"Get out of here? I'm not leaving until I find Jasmine!" Silver shouted.
Silver and Erika darted down one hall, losing the Hitmonchan, but finding more unpleasantries.
"Well, well, well," Butch snickered. "If it isn't the loser boyfriend of that girl we captured."
"Where is she?" Silver demanded. "I must know!"
"We don't know," Cassidy replied.
"Don't lie to me!" Silver screamed. "I know you're hiding her somewhere!"
"You can choose not to believe us," Butch said. "I don't care. Right now, you've got bigger things to deal with!"
Butch and Cassidy sprinted away.
"Wait!" Silver called. "I know you have Jasmine somewhere!"
"Um… we're in trouble…" Erika told Silver.
Silver turned around in horror to see the giant Hitmonchan about to punch him and Erika.