The first time I'd met you, it was at the Lake of Rage. You had easily took care of the red Gyarados, and caught it. As I slowly took on the surroundings, you'd approached me with your curious gaze. That very day, I was there to investigate the Team Rocket, since they seemed to be the center of the rumors that someone was tempering with the Pokemons' evolution process. I had asked you, if you, too were there to investigate them. You've said, no, that you were there to catch the red Gyarados which was in pain, to take away the pain and heal it.
Having taken a slight liking to you, I'd asked right away if you had seen anything out of ordinary at the Mahogany Town of the Lake of Rage. You seemed to hesitate, and mentioned that on the way, you'd come across some Team Rocket grunts who were taking passage tolls. You then added that while avoiding them, you had to go through tall grasses, where there were few people around. And you'd smiled brightly, saying that you had run out of money, having spent them all on revives. I'd asked if you had gone up against Team Rocket before, and you answered, yes, since they were everywhere. At the Slowpoke Well, in front of the Radio Tower, also on the stage of the Kimono Girls...
You seemed to dislike Team Rocket, and you nodded gladly, to my plans of messing with their plans. You mentioned that, even your rival who always tries to pick on you, hates Team Rocket. You asked me to go ahead and investigate, and that you'd be soon be following. I answered yes, and took off with my Dragonite's Fly, back to the Mahogany Town.
I'd been eyeing a strange shop at the Mahogany Town, a meaningless place with cheap potions. As I entered, the shopkeeper greeted me with an inviting smile. Whatever that smile was hiding, I wanted, and was about to, find out. Not with words, though. I called on Dragonite. The shopkeeper stepped backward in shock. I warned him that if he spoke up, quickly, it'll end peacefully. However, even as the shopkeeper trembled in fear, he kept his mouth shut. I went to my last and final move.
"Dragonite, Hyper Beam!"
I was just trying to scare him a little, but at that moment, you came in and that distracted me and my Dragonite. It missed, very fortunately, since it came out more powerful than I had intended, slamming the shopkeeper into the wall with its shockwaves. Strange. With Hyperbeam this much power, the wall should have crumbled into pieces. However, this building's wall stands firm. The team Rocket must be using this place as a safehouse.
You looked, no, almost stared at me in shock. I nonchalantly shrugged and asked why you were so late. You gave me 'that' smile again and told me that you were caught by a hawker selling Rage Candy Bar. What stopped us from talking more was another Rocket grunt. He took out a Poke ball, as if to call up a pokemon. However as he met the Dragonite's gaze, he slowly put the ball back into place. As he stepped back, the sound of his feet hitting the floor seemed peculiar. There must be a secret room underneath. I pushed him aside and pulled up some floorboards. As I thought there was a ladder to the cellar. Leaving the shaken up rocket grunt aside, I took the ladder downstairs.
We decided to split up to investigate. You headed to the Persian statue while I took care of a half-asleep grunt. I went toward a suspicious looking place. It seemed like a shortcut. I hastened my pace to give you and your pokemons who were sure to be tired. Your words of using up all your money on revives were still lingering on my mind.
Something crunched under my foot, slightly tingly. I felt eyes on me, and so did Dragonite. It stood alert, and readied itself for onslaught. And with no warning, there was an explosion.
"Barrier!"
Through the thick, dark smoke, I thought I'd seen a swarm of Voltorbs. I had fallen into a trap. The explosion was strong, strong enough to send me and Dragonite spinning toward the staircase. I tried to land safely on the floor, but my hand slipped, and I fell. Dragonite pulled me up. I felt pain around my right arm but otherwise, I was unhurt. Think about it later. I came through the shortcut, only that the process was a bit strange…..
I went downstairs. I didn't see any other grunts. However, what I did see was a huge machine which was locked by an electronic door lock. Since there was no combination keypad, I figured that it was activated by voice. As I went closer, I saw a grunt guarding the machine. As I was about to approach him, I heard you coming downstairs. You seemed to have avoided the trap I had fallen into, having no marks of being in an explosion. Good. You seemed very proud , saying that you'd found a hidden switch to turn off the Persian statues. Also, you added that you had, in the way, you had beaten a researcher with a Magnemite. However, Typhlosion beside you seemed quite tired. When I asked if your pokemons were okay, you brightly replied, "two of them fainted!" Stopping you from taking the potions from your backpack, I gave you my max revive and full restores. Even though you hesitated from taking it, half at loss, you healed your pokemons. You told me that you would take care of the grunts on the second floor, and asked me to go to the third floor an find a way to open the locked door. I answered, yes, and left you to deal with the second floor. I was slightly worried, but now, I had faith in you.
After beating a grunt on the third floor, and under Dragonite's threat, he told me, is defeat, how to open the doorlock on the second floor. Only the voice of Petrel, one of the executive in team Rocket, could open the door. He added that Petrel was in his office, and the office door was also locked with passwords. When I asked him what the password was, he said that he didn't know anymore. I was about to go deeper, to find a grunt who knew the passwords, you had already defeated every single grunts on the second floor. You had so much potential, I was shocked. It made me want to fight you in the future. I told you what I had found out on the third floor. You fearlessly approached the group of gathered grunts, saying you wanted to find the passwords yourself. I wanted to see you fight. I would have fought beside you, but the desire to see your strength was greater. I was watching you from a distance, out of sight, when someone came up to me. A boy, with impressive red hair.
He stared at me and said that I didn't look like a Rocket. I said, no, I was not. Then he suddenly demanded me for a pokemon match. I had some spare moments so I accepted his challenge. However, since I was busy, I suggested a short one-on-one match. The boy said yes, and sent out a Feraligatr. His skill was, quite remarkable. If Dragonite was slightly slower than it actually was, it would have been done for by Ice Punch. Yes, almost skilled as you were. It was quite enough for me to think, maybe this boy was the rival, who keeps trying to pick on you whenever you come across. However, the boy was too cruel to his pokemon. When Feraligatr was beaten, he severely glared at it and called it back to his poke ball. The boy must have a story of his own, I thought, but I advised him that he could win matches even if he went easy on his pokemon. He looked at me with a pissed off expression, and wordlessly went up to the second floor. Before that moment, you had cleared the third floor and went up to the second floor, too. If the boy was the friend you spoke of, you two might have a word or two.
When you were in Petrel's office, I searched the third floor for any leftover grunts who might get you from behind. As I expected, there was a dozen of them in hiding. They seemed to be a group of elite grunts, and Dragonite alone couldn't stop them all. I put my partner into a pokeball to rest for a while, and I went against them with my other five pokemons. The grunts went for me, instead of concentrating on the match. When my four pokemons went down and only Charizard was left, three Rockets were remaining while I thought there was two left. I was off guard. When Charizard's Flamethrower took care of two Rockets in front of me, I heard the remaining one give order.
"Double-edge!"
A Radicate was rushing toward me. I couldn't avoid it, so I covered my face and took on the full force of the attack. It hit me straight on the arm I had hurt a while ago. I was pushed backward, slamming into Charizard in the way. Charizard attacked Radicate with face full of rage. I was in too much pain to give orders, but it fought well by itself. Now all grunts was disabled, and I found a HM with Whirlpool in it from a grunt's pocket. They were planning to use it to trap the red Gyarados in a Whirlpool and catch it. It was a very good thing that you took the Gyarados.
I went up to the machine on the second floor with heavy steps. The grunt who was guarding it wasn't there, maybe you'd taken care of him or her. I looked around for a switch to turn it off, but I couldn't find anything. Or maybe there was, but I couldn't find it with my loose concentration. If I meet any Rockets in this situation, it could end badly for me, so I hid myself between the machine and the wall. Soon I heard footsteps approaching. I held the last pokeball with the Dragonite in it tightly. The footsteps stopped in front of the machine's door.
"Hail Giovanni!"
Someone spoke, and the door opened. That seemed to be the code. But the voice wasn't yours, but an unfamiliar mature man's. What happened to you? Hundreds of thoughts flew through my mind, but as a Murkrow flew past, I realized what was going on. You had herded the Murkrow to the room and it had mimicked Petrel's voice. You went through the door and inspected the machine. No, you were about to when you encountered another executive Rocket. The executive had a grunt beside her. The executive's evil-eyed Arbok was threatening you. They seemed strong, and I coulden't let you face them alone. I fought down the pain and holding my breath, I ran toward you.
"Hold it!"
Two against one, how shameful they were, I spoke, and you smiled faintly. You were covered in black ashes, and you seemed to be having a hard time breathing. Petral's koffings seemed to be poisonous. I glanced worriedly at you, but you told me not to worry. I found a lot of antidotes, you said, and turned back to face the executive. The executive introduced herself as Arianna, and said if we gave up, she would spare us our lives. You shook your head and called up Typhlosion. Your rage could be felt from here. I, too, called up Dragonite. I hoped you wouldn't notice my throw was weaker than usual. I pretended to fold my arms and hid my injuries from you. Fortunately, you were concentrating on the battle too much to notice.
Arianna and the grunt beside her were easier opponents than we thought them to be. You fought with skill, but we worked together well. Even though I had only one pokemon left, you showed the other five, no, maybe even more, strength. After losing to us, Arianna left, saying that the experiment was a success, and that she didn't need this hideout anymore. I told you since I couldn't find the switch to stop the strange electric signals so we had no choice but to knock out all the Electrodes. The Electrodes wasn't to be blamed, but we had no choice. We knocked out all the Electrodes on both sides, and I gave you the Whirlpool HM I found. You hesitated and asked if you could really have it. I already have it, I said, and wrapped your hands around it. You already have six badges, and soon, you would go against Clair. Considering her strong pride, she won't give up her badge easily, facing a strong trainer like you. The HM would come in handy.
"You said you wanted to be the Pokemon Master. The journey to becoming the Pokémon Champion is long and difficult. Knowing that, will you keep going? ...I see. No, you're right. If you would give up that easily, you would have never chased that dream in the first place.
You stood still, listening to me. I was the champion, but did I have the right to give advices? Me, who didn't have an inkling of who, or what was the Pokemon Master? Maybe the boy who gave up the Champion's position and left on a journey to Mt. silver found the answer. But you were yet to find the answer. You said you wouldn't give up. There was a strong will in your words. I turned back to face you once, and exited the Rocket's hideout. If I see you again, I felt it would be at the Indigo Plateau.
Fin.