Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Pokémon or any of its parent companies. I am merely a humble storyteller. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this journey with me.
Note: I am English, so some of the wording, spellings, and expressions will be those commonly used in England.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Stop Thief!
Red strutted through Cerulean City, his Pokémon with him, the world his oyster. And why wouldn't his Pokémon be out their Poké Balls this fine day? Just a quick walk as a team and as a family as they made their way to leave Cerulean.
They were still on such a high after the previous day's victory over Misty. Well, except Charmander that was, who looked on enviously as Beedrill regaled him with the tough battle that had taken place, being filled in by Pikachu where needed. Cleffa gurgled and giggled from Red's arms, trying to contribute too before being lulled to sleep under the balmy sun.
Two Badges down, six to go. Now, six might have seemed like a large number – would you believe that's three times the amount of his current Badge total? – but things would only get easier, right? Red's Pokémon would gather experience and evolve and learn new moves and all that cool stuff that would enable them to compete with the best.
However, when Red thought back to his victorious battle, he could not help but feel a twinge of regret that Leaf was not there to witness his conquering of the Cerulean Gym. Their separation after Mt. Moon did come a bit sooner than he expected, and he was hoping to show her how well he could battle without the threat of a crime syndicate wanting to make them sleep with the Magikarp.
What was she doing now? Did she reach Bill's house safely? Was she out capturing hundreds of Pokémon at that moment?
And not only Leaf. Where was Blue now? Had he moved ahead of him yet again with another Gym Badge? Or was there still parity between them in that regard?
Red was so deep in his thoughts that he hardly paid attention to a ruckus going on…
o~o~o~o~o
"Wow!" Leaf gushed, her face flushed. "I don't think I can ever get over how gorgeous they are!"
Leaf was on her hands and knees, her nose a couple of centimetres away from a four-legged Pokémon that appeared similar to her Eevee. And that would not be surprising because this Pokémon was an evolution of Eevee, an Eeveelution as it were. It was twice the size of an average Eevee, and equally as fleecy. It had Eevee's long ears, but its fur was a reddish-orange and its tail, mane, and tuft of fur on its head was an incredibly fluffy yellow.
Flareon, a Fire-type Pokémon and the evolved form of Eevee. It has a flame chamber inside its body. It inhales, then breathes out fire that is over three-thousand degrees Fahrenheit.
Leaf petted Flareon and found her eyes wandering back over to Bill's other Pokémon, Pokémon that were, too, part of Eevee's evolutionary tree.
There was a light blue one with darker blue ridges lining its back and more of the same colour upon its head. White fins surrounded its neck like those ruffs Galarian royalty used to wear, and three more were set on top of the dark blue upon its head, where two of them gave it the appearance of ears, much like its pre-evolution and its Eeveelution brethren. And, unlike Eevee and Flareon, its tail was not fluffy, instead having a fin at the end that split.
Vaporeon, a Water-type Pokémon and the evolved form of Eevee. Its cell structure is similar to water molecules. It melts into water and becomes invisible.
Vaporeon, what an exceptional Water-type Pokémon. The ones that could manoeuvre through water and across land always were. Oh, and let's not forget…
Jolteon, an Electric-type Pokémon and the evolved form of Eevee. A sensitive Pokémon that easily becomes sad or angry. Every time its mood changes, it charges power.
From its appearance and its Pokédex entry, Jolteon did seem like quite the prickly customer. Its fur was yellow and spiky and around its neck was an equally spiky white ruff, an electric version of Vaporeon's fin one. It shared ears with Eevee and Flareon, but had no tail, unlike the others.
Apparently Bill had the other Eeveelutions (namely: Espeon, the Psychic-type; Umbreon, the Dark-type; Glaceon, the Ice-type; Leafeon, the Grass-type; and Sylveon, the Fairy-type) but they were not with him, instead left at his family's home in Goldenrod City, in the Johto region. "If you really have an interest in Eeveelutions," Bill had said, "then you might want to head on to Ecruteak City one day."
So many evolutions to choose from. What path would Eevee end up taking? Any one of them would do, Leaf was certain of that.
"Just think," Leaf said to Eevee, gazing at the trio. "Just think that one day you could be like one of these guys. That would be awesome, right?"
Eevee mewled uneasily but Leaf did not notice.
"We'd have to capture more Eevee to complete the Pokédex, though," she went on. "Just think: they'll be more Pokémon just like you whom you can get along with."
Yes, so many more Pokémon to capture and evolve. But they would get there in the end. Speaking of which…
"Let's go, Eevee," Leaf said, rising to her feet. "We need to do some training when we can; Spearow's not going to evolve otherwise, is he? Hmm, and I do think Bulbasaur might be nearing it too. I hope so anyway. Besides, Bill's still locked away having those discussions – with Lanette and Celio was it? – so we'll probably be back before he finishes."
And with that, Leaf darted out Sea Cottage, ready to fill her Pokédex even more.
o~o~o~o~o
Pinsir hissed as it took a hit from Voltorb, an Electric-type Pokémon that looked like a Poké Ball with an angry face.
Voltorb was fast, quite fast indeed. But that attack did not do enough damage to truly worry Blue. Then again, it was the Pokémon the Gym Leader chose to lead off with, so he should not have been too surprised.
The Gym Leader – a blonde-haired, muscular giant of a man – barked out another order for Voltorb ("Rollout!"), and the sentient Poké Ball sped towards Pinsir, ready to deal super-effective damage to the formidable Bug-type.
Now, what was a good way to stop a living pinball from smashing into you. You could bind it, didn't you? And how would one do that? They would… er… well, use Bind. That was not exactly rocket science, was it? Hopefully not. It sounds complicated. Anyway, this is veering off into nonsensical territory, so let's get back to the battle.
Voltorb bounded at the last second, still rolling in the air, aiming for the space between Pinsir's eyes. And that was where Bind came in.
Voltorb was too low to be caught by Pinsir's horns, so the next best option was Pinsir's arms. It caught Voltorb with one hand, snarling as the Electric-type's body burnt into its palm. Then, it held Voltorb in its arms and squeezed. It squeezed harder and harder, giving its horns a run for their money, the poor sentient Poké Ball squealing as it tried to free itself.
"Selfdestr –" the Gym Leader started to roar, but Blue's next order came too quickly:
"Seismic Toss."
Pinsir jumped into the air and spiked Voltorb into the Gym floor, so hard it did not bounce, so hard it became embedded into it, as done as dinner. The first obstacle had been overcome.
Blue grinned at his Pokémon, who screeched to the heavens, or at least the Gym lights. The Gym Leader muttered something under his breath and pulled out a second Poké Ball. But there was nothing to be worried about; Blue Oak was going to win his third Badge.
o~o~o~o~o
"What's going on?" Red asked the police officer, whose badge told him that his name was Officer Jerry.
Officer Jerry narrowed his eyes at him. "That's none of your business, kid."
Red pouted and looked beyond the officer at the house surrounded by the police tape, where the sounds of a man angrily shouting unprintable words echoed from within. The rest of the crowd Red was part of shared grimaces with each other.
How frustrating it was. There was something going on and Red was in the dark. Granted, it did not involve him in the slightest, but wasn't curiosity good for a child? He was asking questions like a responsible one should and was getting zilch. Maybe he should try asking again?
Red cleared his throat. Officer Jerry raised an eyebrow. Red opened his mouth to speak to (or annoy) the police officer when a Pokémon popped out of nowhere, a small, white feline Pokémon with dark ears and a tail that was brown and curled at the tip. Four whiskers (two at each side of its head) stuck out like tree branches and another two stuck out from the top of its head, like classic television antennae. Around its neck was a police badge that it wore like a collar: Tom. It stared at Red with its slit-like eyes as he took out his trusty Pokédex:
Meowth, a Normal-type Pokémon. It adores circular objects, and it wanders the streets on a nightly basis to look for dropped loose change.
It unsheathed its claws. Red took the hint.
Well, looks like there was nothing for him to do here. He beckoned for Charmander, Pikachu, and Beedrill (Cleffa was fast asleep in her Poké Ball) to follow him so they could make their way to leave Cerulean and head on to the next city, which so happened to be Saffron.
However, a bellow enticed Red and his Pokémon and they turned back, spying a man with bushy eyebrows and an even bushier moustache rounding on Officer Jerry.
"You still haven't found them!" the man shouted. "What's taking you lot so long? They can't have gone far!"
Officer Jerry held out his hands and Tom mimicked him. "We have our best on the job. But it'll take a bit of time. Have patience."
"Patience?" the man blustered. "Patience? No, I want that scum who ransacked my house and robbed me to face the music and return my TM back now!"
TM? Red shared puzzled looks with his Pokémon; Pikachu frowned, as though stating, "What? There are TMs? Since when?" Red's puzzled look became a question he asked the TM man, who answered, ignoring the scowls the officer and his partner were giving the young boy.
"TMs are items used to easily teach Pokémon certain moves," he explained. "While, yes, you can train a Pokémon to learn techniques they are capable of utilising, TMs simplify the task tenfold. When a TM is activated, it reacts with a Pokemon's body and their brainwaves, allowing them to learn and perform the technique at though they've always known them. I'll admit techniques are better off being taught to Pokémon through old-fashioned training, but TMs are useful in a pinch. Which is why I was going to teach Dig to my Diglett, new to this world. Speaking of which," he rounded on Officers Jerry and Tom, "when am I going to get my TM BACK!"
As Officer Jerry spluttered out a response, Red decided it was time for him to leave. Well, he could not help in this situation, but at least he obtained new information for his journey. TMs sounded like such remarkable items!
"A TM would be kind of cool," Red said to his Pokémon. "We've already had Mint help us, and Evan too, with practicing and learning moves, but it would be awesome to test out a TM. Hmm, I wonder what kind of TMs you guys can learn?"
The winded their way through the city centre, not a vehicle to be seen, plenty of other people and Pokémon enjoying the nice day.
Red took out his Town Map. "Okay, guys, we've just got to keep heading south – I think – and then we'll reach… er – what does that say? – erm, oh yeah, we'll reach Route Five. Is that a five? I think it says five. And then we'll – guys? Hey, what are you doing?"
Red stopped in his tracks, his Pokémon having done the same thing, staring in the same direction. They were in another Cerulean park, of green, green grass, flowers, wild Pokémon, concrete paths ideal for skating, and a telephone booth. And while the path was gorgeous, it was the telephone booth that held the Pokémon's intrigue. More specifically, it was the person inside it that gave them cause for pause.
The person was female, and she was facing away from them, wearing a brown coat. She appeared to be talking to someone on the phone.
"Er… what are you guys looking at?" Red asked. "Come on, we've got to get to –"
Pikachu silenced him with a mild jolt. He tapped his nose and pointed at the woman.
"What are you trying to say?" Red said, taking off his cap and giving his noggin a good scratch. "You can smell that lady?"
Pikachu gave him a so-so and mimed digging into the ground. He tapped his nose again. Charmander and Beedrill joined in, aiding with Pikachu's pantomime until it hit Red. Well, that and the acorn a random Pidgey dropped on his head.
"She's the thief?" Red whispered.
The trio nodded.
Red grimaced. He trusted his Pokémon implicitly; there was no reason to doubt their heightened senses, with a sense of smell strong enough they could gather the thief's scent from where they were standing outside the victim's house.
But what should they do? This was a police matter, so would it not make sense to call for them? He was not an officer of the law, simply a travelling child. What was point of trying to stop lawbreakers when it meant nothing to him? He did not go out of his way to track her down, it was just a freaky bit of bad luck. This did not concern him.
But… he was here. Could he at least win back that man's TM? It was not as though he was fighting against Team Rocket after all.
Oh no. He had to make his decision quickly. She was exiting the telephone booth.
Biting the bullet, Red hurried forth, his entourage of elemental creatures close behind.
"Hold up!" Red shouted.
The supposed thief flinched and turned around slowly. Her brown coat was not done all the way up; it revealed the top of a red letter. Red hoped it was not an 'R'. And if it was, he hoped it represented his name and she was part of a secret fan club of his he knew nothing about. Something told him it was not, however.
"Team Rocket," Red muttered. His stomach sunk.
The thief looked him up and down. Her eyes widened as they took in his Pokémon, and her jaw jutted out, as though eager for a scrap which would end with her winning and claiming Red's party for Team Rocket. She obviously decided against it and began to walk away.
"Wait!" Red said.
The thief hesitated before carrying on.
"I said WAIT!" Red bellowed, strength filling into his voice. "You've got to give back that Dig TM you stole!"
"I stole nothing, kid," the thief said, not even looking back.
"My Pokémon know you did," Red stated. "They've got your scent. Just return the TM and all will be good, okay?"
The Rocket thief swivelled around, drawing a Poké Ball. "You're being a pain. Fine, if you want it, then you're going to have to take it, kid."
From the Poké Ball came a Pokémon Red recognised from the children's fables from his youth. It was a bipedal creature, its top half yellow and its bottom half brown, except its feet which were also yellow. Its eyes were droopy and it had a trunk on its face.
Drowzee, a Psychic-type Pokemon. Puts enemies to sleep, then eats their dreams. Occasionally gets sick from eating only the bad ones.
A Psychic-type, eh? This was Beedrill territory, then. Although, Beedrill's Poison-typing did leave her susceptible to Drowzee's Psychic-type moves. Wait! He could give Charmander a chance! An opportunity to have a battle after being unable to be used in the Cerulean Gym.
"Go on, Charmander," Red said to the fire lizard. "It's your chance now."
Charmander trotted forth, claws at the ready, breath burning. He could do this.
His body became engulfed by fire, ready to ram into Drowzee. But the conflagration dispersed when the Rocket woman called out an attack: Hypnosis.
To Red, Pikachu, and Beedrill, Drowzee was simply gazing into Charmander's eyes whilst waving its hands… in a hypnotic fashion. But to Charmander, his world began to spin and merged into a mess of colours. Suddenly the sky was above him and his eyes closed against his will, transporting him to a slumberous realm.
"Char… Charmander?" Red said weakly.
No reply. Drowzee simply sent him flying back first class to Red's feet with a Confusion. Charmander did not seem to be too damaged, but there was no point to keeping him out. Red returned him to his Poké Ball.
"Bad luck, buddy," Red said, sighing. "Don't worry, there's always next time." He turned to Pikachu. "Let's go, Pikachu."
Pikachu leapt forward. Beedrill buzzed her support.
"You do know it's just going to go the same way," the Rocket thief said lazily.
"I don't think so," Red retorted. "Pikachu, Zippy Zap!"
With lightning speed, Pikachu darted forward and crashed his body into Drowzee's, knocking it several metres away.
"What the heck*?" the Rocket thief spluttered. "Drowzee, get back up! Now!"
(*Note: she did not say 'heck'.)
Drowzee laboured to its feet, pushing itself up on its three-fingered hands, its droopy eyes now mere slits. It was an obvious effort in futility, proven by an immediate Thunder Shock that rendered it unable to battle.
The Rocket thief's jaw hit the ground. "No. How on earth? Urgh, I've got no one else."
Red marched up to her. With Pikachu and Beedrill flanking him, he would confess he felt quite cool. "You've lost. Please give back the TM."
The Rocket thief glared at him, but Red had Limber and would not be paralysed. The cards had been dealt and it was Red who had the winning hand. The Rocket thief reluctantly handed a disc to him.
"Huh? So this is a TM?" Red said, inspecting it.
"What's going to happen next?" the Rocket thief asked.
"Next? What do you mean?"
"You've defeated me and got the TM back. You going to do a citizen's arrest now? Make your Beedrill go bring the cops?"
"Er… no."
"No?"
"I mean, I got the guy's TM back," Red said. "I don't want to be a – what's the word again? – a vigilante and arrest people myself. Besides, it's not like you've done anything to me, even though you are Team Rocket. Honestly, I wouldn't have done anything if you weren't nearby. I didn't go hunting for you."
"You're letting me go, then?" the Rocket thief said.
"I guess I am," Red said. "I really don't like coming across you guys and I'm tired of it – and this is only the second time I've had to do so."
"You've faced us before?"
"Yeah. At Mt. Moon."
Pikachu and Beedrill bristled, and the former gave his Trainer a slight shock and a look that said 'Dude. Stop spouting your mouth off'.
"Mt. Moon," the Rocket thief repeated. A strange expression came over her. "Mt. Moon. I see. Interesting."
With Drowzee stowed away, she gave Red a mocking bow. "Well, nice meeting you, kid. Good battling and all that."
"It was a good battle, wasn't it?" Red said, cheerfully oblivious to the sarcasm. "Hey, maybe you should leave Team Rocket and travel around like me. It's loads of fun!"
"As great as that sounds," the Rocket thief said, "my place is with the mighty Team Rocket. Oh, I'm sure my comrades would just love to meet you."
Red scrunched up his face. "Er… thanks, but I don't want to meet any more Team Rocket guys again."
"I'm not sure you'll have a choice in the matter, Mr. Mt. Moon," the Rocket thief said, smiling viciously. "See you."
Thus, the Rocket thief departed the park, unbeknownst to Red already going over in her head the best way to detail this information to her fellow Rockets.
Red watched her until she gone from sight before setting his attention back on the TM. "We did it, guys. Easier than I thought it was going to be to be honest. I just wish Hypnosis would've missed Charmander."
His Pokémon did not respond.
Red turned to them. They were just standing there, heads hung in… was that embarrassment? It was, wasn't it? Why were they embarrassed?
"Er… guys?" Red said. "Did I do something wrong?"
Pikachu and Beedrill chose not to dignify that with an answer.
It appeared things were going to get a lot more… exciting.
And not the good kind of excitement.
