o0o
As the rosewood faded and meshed with creme colored hues. Missy stepped back from ninetails and bumped into something soft. She and faced a four post bed frame, it had been carved from a dark walnut like wood.
She observed a finely polished walnut nightstand topped with a stained glass lamp. Her stomach dropped as she experienced a brief moment of disappointment. Her emotions were starting to get the better of her, a result was this error of thinking.
She needed to do better, she could not allow herself to make assumptions. Thinking they had arrived in Giovanni's office was a serious matter for her at the time, and she needed to be more careful in the future.
Giovanni's eyes narrowed as his eyes spied on her, the look in his eyes was almost calculating. He took a seat on the bed. "I can only imagine what they would say about this."
" Where did we end up?" Missy asked.
She looked at the coordinates on the vortex manipulator. Surely enough, they were at Team Rocket Headquarters.
" My quarters," he dryly replied.
She shook her head at the thought of her actually being his room. "Oh my gosh."
Ninetails looked up to her. You know very well that it's not that way Mistress.
I would never want it to be, she replied.
Missy looked back at him. "Why rosewood?"
" For status, it lets anyone who passes this room know who's inside," Giovanni replied.
"It's such a common wood," she said.
" Not in these parts," Giovanni replied. "It's a rare wood from the Region of Johto."
Ninetails looked up at a picture of the Johto countryside. He certainly has a lot of nice things Mistress.
Missy looked over to a dresser with an elegantly carved jade statue of Rayquaza placed on top. She leered past it, hung above the statue was an old painting of a city in a clearing of a forest. She looked at the roads and winding paths of the city and thought of a familiar place.
" Is that Viridian?" she asked.
" Yes," Giovanni gingerly replied.
She peered up at the painting and noticed the fine stroke marks of the picture. Every detail from the violets blooming the grass to the smallest shop windows had been accounted for by the artist. She spied the artist signature, it was more of a scribble than a legible piece of handwriting.
" The painter is Sean Claude," he said.
" Let me guess another status symbol," she mused.
" Not really, I just like his work," he said.
" Remarkable artist," Missy replied.
Missy turned around and noticed Giovanni's eyes divert. Persian had jumped up onto the bed. He sat on the bed and reached over to the cat and began to scratch in between his ears. Being out of danger she noticed he had relaxed quite a bit.
Her eyes wandered as she looked around the room she didn't find much more than a bookshelf and elegant glass lamp, and a plain oak wood desk.
The door in front of her was a mystery, she decided not to pry into the matter, instead said, " I thought your place would be more glamorous."
" This isn't," he replied. " Your right, it's mundane compared to my other homes."
Other homes, he had other homes, she hummed before she asked, "Other homes, are you some kind of billionaire or something?"
Giovanni ceased to scratch persian's ears. The cat meowed in protest.
" So what if I am," he replied.
Persian says he misses he playroom Mistress, Ninetails said.
She smiled at the idea, he was successful for a human she had no doubt about that. " I suppose it doesn't make much of a difference. I just thought figured you were completely dedicated to the team."
" I am, that doesn't mean I don't need a place to be on my own," he said as he began to pet persian. "Sometimes I'll venture to my penthouse in Goldenrod Tower, but normally on Sundays, I can be found at my home in Viridian Heights relaxing by my pool."
She crossed her arms curios about how he got along with other humans. " You must be a mystery to your neighbors."
His eyebrow raised as his eyes spied her. " Not really, I hold family barbeques from time to time, I really hit it off with the local Professor Samuel Oak and his friend Delia, we just love talking about pokemon and his research. They're from Pallet Town, but my other neighbors do fancy them."
She recalled the book on his desk from a few days previous. "Samuel Oak, the author of The Complete Pokemon Reference Guide?"
" Yes, he recently sent me that edition," he said.
" You're certainly very social for a criminal," Missy mused.
Giovanni smiled at her, but his leer had a vibe of curiosity, not the kind she liked. " I'm not public about it."
Missy placed her hand on her hip and exchanged the look. "How do you go about getting away with it?"
"That's a team secret," he playfully replied.
Missy's jaw dropped as she gawked at him. " A secret, I thought we were past that?"
He let out an annoyed sigh. "Well if you must know, I own multiple properties and run legitimate operations outside of Team Rocket."
Ninetails leered at him. Something more legitimate then trafficking and experimenting on pokemon.
It's money laundering Ninetails, she stated.
" Figures, that's a popular method universally," she said.
Giovanni's glanced down at the book clutched in her hand. "Right."
She looked at the binding of the journal and resisted the urge to open it. "I'll have to let the tardis have a look at this."
" When do you think we'll be able to know what's inside?" he asked.
Missy glanced at the cover and decided to teleport the book to the tardis control room. " Shouldn't be any later than tomorrow morning."
He nodded. " Alright, eleven am my office?"
She pondered the capabilities of the tardis briefly then agreed. "Should be ready by then. See you tomorrow."
She turned and prepared to leave, as she faced the door she realized she was on the fourth floor. With the understanding that others might be watching the outside through the surveillance system, she stopped herself there.
The last thing she wanted or needed was to hear the rumors that would incur about her leaving their boss's personal quarters. She turned to Giovanni, he seemed impressed with her efforts.
His smile was gentle. "You're learning."
She scoffed at the notion of her learning to be more human. "I just don't want to deal with the rumors."
She looked down and punched in the coordinates to her lab. Ninetails brushed against her as she prepared to teleport. " So long."
With the press of a button, she vanished in a brilliant white light. She scoffed loudly as she arrived in her lab. Learning to be more human. I would have never taken up his little challenge if I had known he would apply it to everything.
You have improved a great deal Mistress, Ninetails replied.
She took the tardis from her bag and placed it on the floor. In what way Ninetails?
You helped Butch and Cassidy, you take his life into consideration now, you released the rattata Mistress, she said.
The tardis transformed into a black door. She stepped up and twisted the doorknob, together they entered the control room.
She let ninetails enter before she slammed the door behind her. Ninetails I'm working with a team.
Ninetails turned around and cocked her head, the fox seemed to be uncertain with her gaze.
As Missy looked back she pondered if her state was obvious to others. She wasn't from this world, she longed to return to the vastness of time and space. This hadn't been her first time with a human companion, her most recent was Lucy. She let out a sigh as she remembered how that affair had ended, with a bullet through one of her hearts.
I was just a bit too rushed in the beginning, she said as she walked over to the fox. Ninetails smile became gentle as Missy scratched between the fox's ears. " I just didn't take the time to get to know my companions."
Ninetails nuzzled her hand and headbutted it, something she took as a sign of affection. For a brief time longer, she allowed the pokemon the time to give her that affection. She knelt down and ran her hand along the foxes long spine, gently, and soothingly, while she caressed the fox.
As the minutes passed Missy's mind began to wander. She spied the journal resting on the tardis counsel. She wanted to get closer to her pet, at the same time she had other business to attend to. With the future in mind, it was time for her to deal with her priorities.
She rubbed her hand through the foxes fur before she stood up. Alright, we should get back to work.
Ninetails frowned with disappointment, but got up and followed her master to the council. How will you go about reading it Mistress?
Missy picked up the book then stepped over to the computer. Simple, we're gonna let the tardis take care of this one.
She tapped the tardis book reader button, a small drawer below her popped open with the action. She placed the journal inside and pushed the drawer shut. On the screen, a data inquiry loaded up.
She opened a new search bar and typed in any reference to herself or Giovanni that she could think of. Search for The Mistress, Warlord of the Rose, Champion of Arceus, The Man in Black, Shining Ninetails, The Leader of Team Rocket, persian, and anything else she could think of that might refer to herself or Giovanni.
She also started a search to mark anything that might refer to The Professor, Lysandre, Malva, Team Flare, The Ultimate Weapon, Vampires, and anything else that would be relevant for the time.
She pressed the start button and a loading bar came onto the screen. The computer informed her that its search would be complete in just under six hours.
For a moment she considered jumping ahead but decided against it. There was more work that needed to be done, she grimaced at the thought of retiring. She and her pokemon would have to rest to be ready for tomorrow.
She stepped over to another drawer and opened it. She looked at the collection of crystals inside. She looked at the radiation crystals and carbon filled diamonds. She brushed the stones aside and to her dismay, she found a tiny arton crystal inside.
She picked up the small crystal and leered at it. " If I had known I had had one of these I wouldn't have taken one from the tardis."
What's wrong with finding one now Mistress? Ninetails asked as she peered at the stone.
" I was certain that I didn't have a spare when I took it from the panel for that Arton Crown, I was certain this didn't exist," Missy slowly replied.
You were in such a rush Mistress when you made it. Is it possible that you simply forgot about it? Ninetails cautiously asked.
She reached into her pocket and snatched her screwdriver. She scanned the small crystal to confirm its age, the device pinged as it informed her that the stone had sat there for nearly five hundred years.
She placed her screwdriver back into her jacket. "It's been there long enough."
How long Mistress? the fox asked.
" Long enough for me to forget that I had one," she said, the Arton Crystal wasn't powerful enough to meet her purpose at the time, it barely had enough energy to meet what she required of it now.
She clutched the stone before she stepped away from the council. "No matter, it's just my age I suppose. It's perfect for what we need to do now."
Ninetails yawned as took Missy's lead. What are we doing now Mistress?
" Creating a screwdriver for Professor Sebastian," she replied as she walked over the fabrication dispenser.
As she prepared to place to stone inside her eyes wandered over to her companion. Small black circles were starting to form under the ninetails eyes. The fox slumped slightly as she sat down.
Missy frowned as she took her companions state to mind. "You look tired."
I'm just resting Mistress, she replied.
"It's been a long day for the both of us," Missy replied.
Ninetails gazed up at her. It has been Mistress, bothersome day, that Professor woman, I don't like her, I don't like the things she's doing.
" She's troublesome," Missy replied, she didn't want to get into the subject of her own misdoings. Ninetails, just wouldn't understand her philosophy. "Why don't you get some rest, we'll have plenty to do in the morning. I might still be at this for a while. "
Ninetails wearily looked up at her. I'm worried about you. Are you sure you won't be needing me Mistress?
Missy pointed to the hallway. " He's nothing I can't handle, he'll probably be so captivated by his new toy that he won't bother to pry. Run along."
Ninetails head dropped slightly as she nodded in approval. Goodnight Mistress.
" Nighty, nite," she replied.
As the fox walked off Missy turned her attention to her work. She placed the crystal into a port on the console, then set it to modify a screwdriver. She stepped back over to the computer and got to work calculating the crystals power.
She went ahead and set the new screwdriver capabilities to the lowest settings. It would take the team more than five minutes to bring a pokemon to its maximum potential. She changed to programming and modified the sonic frequency to be twenty seconds behind her own.
Even with this change, she doubted anyone in Team Rocket would have the capability of using the feature. A human would have to have a tremendous amount of focus to perform a task such as hacking or dismantling objects.
Missy took the many members of the team into consideration as she programmed the screwdriver to accept all users. She left the scanner alone, she thought it might be better for them to learn quickly, but left an altered code in the memory bank that could override those functions. She didn't want them to be able to use it against her, with these measures in place, she was sure they wouldn't be able to.
With the press of a button, the prosses of creating the new screwdriver began. The computer informed her that it would take a couple of minutes. With his request for a schematic in mind, she printed one, with all of her modifications in the design.
While she waited she pondered calling Professor Sebastian and having him meet her here. She decided against it, she might find herself stuck in an interview that she wanted no part in. She had no desire to tell them anything more about the tardis, it was her objective to keep it that way.
A ding chimed through the tardis as the fabrication despensor informed her that the screwdriver was ready.
She snatched the newly created screwdriver and looked over its outer body. It was short, plated with black enamel, stripes of red defined the creases, and the slider was slender and outlined by a bright red case. The crystal inside was encased by a red globe of glass. It was stylish for a screwdriver and would look good in the hand of any member of Team Rocket.
She made her way to the printer and snatched the schematics. After placing the screwdriver and documents into her bag she made her way to the door. When she stepped out and locked it behind her.
As she exited her laboratory she reached for her wallet. She fished through her business cards before finding Professor Sebastian's. She reached into her bag and snagged her black remote. She fumbled through a few of its other features before she found the phone.
She dialed the number and listened as it began to ring. There was a click followed by an answer, "Hello."
" Professor Sebastian, it's Missy. I've got that proto-type ready for you," she said.
" I am impressed by your persistence on this matter," he replied. Something shifted in the background, it sounded like glass on a steel table. " Would you care to meet me at my laboratory?"
" Sure, where is your lab located?" she asked.
" I'm in the main laboratory," he paused, she listened to what sounded like a button being pushed. " Do you have a key card to access the door?"
It was a strange question, she had informed him that the screwdriver could hack into any system. "No one's given me one."
" I'll meet you at the door shortly," he said before hanging up the phone.
She pivoted as turned right in the hall. She briskly made her way down the empty corridor and found the lack of human presence pleasing.
As she carried along she wondered why Professor Sebastian would even bother to get the door for her. She supposed it was a formality since she wasn't an official team member, but an ally, the action was nothing more than a courtesy, a gesture of good faith.
As she passed the firing range she thought once more of Giovanni's challenge. Be more human, just acting human was something different to her. Manners, punctuality, was one thing, but she still couldn't grasp all of their complicated inner workings of emotions. That's what it meant to be human, that's what made them monsters. She rolled her eyes, she was learning more from this world then she would have thought possible.
While she carried on she wondered what these new skills could bring her in the future.
She approached the double steel doors, like clockwork the nearest to her began to open. Professor Sebastian opened the door out for her as she approached. "I'm glad we can have our meeting now."
" Meeting," she inquired.
Professor Sebastian took her and began to walk the balcony, Missy took his lead. She knew he wanted an audience, she had been right about him, he had an insatiable need for knowledge.
Much like Giovanni, everything she had shared wouldn't be enough for him, as she carried along she kept her mind ready to counter any of his prying questions.
" Yes, I've been looking forward to an audience with you for some time," he replied.
" What is it that you want to know?" she asked.
He leads her past the medical lab and the balcony. Abruptly they turned left and continued into a hall. Many entrances were on both sides of them, closed steel doors, the rooms beyond were all dark.
If ninetails had been around she wondered what the pokemon would say, she'd talk about the pokemon. She listened for a moment but still could hear nothing.
" There's so much, but tonight I'd like to see the prospects of the screwdriver," he replied as he stopped at a door. He took his key card from his pocket and gave it a slide. "Please before anything, I'd like to see your craftsmanship."
She could tell this was going to be a long night, she didn't like the forward knowledge. She bit her lip as she stepped into the moderately sized laboratory.
It was typical of what she could tell. Filled with tables, with various pieces of machinery, rows of vials filled with fluids of every color assortment, broken pokeballs, rows of various colored shards, and a pair of thick work gloves.
"What kind of work do you do?" she asked as she looked over the different components.
"My specialty is pokemon evolution, lately I've been working with items that can create stronger pokemon," he said as he stepped past a work table.
She lightly scoffed, his fascination with powerful pokemon, it was something the whole of Team Rocket desired. Powerful pokemon didn't make for powerful people.
At the opposite end of the laboratory, a bright light that came from an observation window, next to that was a door.
She and Sebastian approached it, he stopped and seemed slightly surprised when a young man briskly walked past the window.
" I'm sorry for this interruption, one of my assistants has arrived early," he said.
" Early?" Missy inquired unsure if this interloper was supposed to be here.
" Yes, I will explain this to you shortly," he replied.
The man outside hurriedly opened the door. He was a bulky, young, brown-haired man, dressed in a blue shirt, and grey rocket vest. He was slightly taller then she was. His dark brown eyes peered into hers as he stepped into the laboratory.
He saluted, before he addressed them, " Sir, your agents have just returned from Wayward Cave, they have retrieved the pokemon you requested."
Professor Sebastian got ready to say something but hesitated before he looked at her. " Missy this is Officer Tyson of from the Team Rocket Johto Division."
Missy smiled at this, she had managed to get him to acknowledge her over the business. She nodded before she put her hand out and introduced herself, " Missy."
He took it and gave it a quick shake, " We appreciate your help."
Missy noted that he didn't seem very appreciative of anything. Instead of bringing up this fact she decided to go along with it and see how things would play out. He released her hand then turned his attention back to Professor Sebastian.
" The team ran late," Professor Sebastian dryly said.
" We had some difficulty with the transport," Tyson explained.
" Everything else is in order?" he asked.
" The specimen meets every specification that you've asked for Sir," Tyson replied.
He relaxed as Professor Sebastian nodded. "Excellent, do you have it with you?"
He nodded before he reached into his jacket. He pulled out an ultra ball and presented it. " Yes, sir."
Professor Sebastian's eyes lowered as he took in the information. " I see, this is good timing." He turned and walked into the laboratory, she turned and followed him as he stopped at a nearby table. "Let's see how well our new screwdriver works."
She didn't need to be asked, Missy took the newly created screwdriver and handed it to him. She took the schematic from her bag and placed it on the table. She frowned as she watched them both gaze at the screwdriver. Tyson's eyes widened as he marveled at the creation.
" The slider is what you'll use to level the pokemon, everything else is telepathic, think about what you want and you can make it happen," she explained she leaned into the table. "It might take you a bit of practice to do that considering your, well, human."
Professor Sebastian leered at the device for a moment before he asked, " Can anyone on the team use this?"
Missy nodded as she replied, "I've programmed it to accept any and all users."
He nodded with appreciation. "The more privileged members of the team will put this to good use."
He aimed the screwdriver at the button and frowned briefly as he watched it lite up to a dull shade of red. A beam formed as its energy entered the pokeball.
Together they waited and watched. Slowly the ball rocked back and forth as the pokemon inside began to level and then evolve. She imagined the pokemon growing inside, and wondered if they got larger when they increased in level the shakes became more violent.
After a few minutes, the beam stopped. Professor Sebastian released the slider and leered at the device. " Is it finished?"
Missy drew her screwdriver from her jacket and gave it wave. It informed her that the pokemon was the ground and dragon type garchomp. The pokemon inside had reached its maximum level of one hundred, the pokemon's physical attack stat was nearly perfect along with its speed.
She placed her screwdriver back into her jacket and replied, "It's ready, whoever's getting that beast is in for a treat."
"It's for the boss," Tyson replied.
Missy rolled her eyes at this. Giovanni just couldn't help himself when it came to powerful pokemon. She liked the fact that he stuck with his principals when it came to both of his team.
" I'm sure he'll be enthralled," she replied.
"We're certain of it," Professor Sebastian said. " I would like to know how it compares to your pokemon."
Tyson scoffed at his remark then said, " A trainer with no badges has no chance of beating that pokemon."
Appalled by his remark Missy gawked. "Excuse me, but I've already defeated your boss."
Professor Sebastian cleared his throat and intervened, "That's not how we treat our allies Tyson."
Tyson glared at him for a moment, before he replied, " Sorry sir, I won't let it happen again."
Slightly upset over the insult, she wondered what provoked such an attack. Missy placed her hand on her hip and said, " Not mi fault he didn't give me a badge, but if you really feel that way I'm not offended since that's the way your world works, I'm miffed, but I do understand these things. Humans are so attached to their ways and don't seem to know the difference between shiny objects and experience. I can't blame you for your short-sightedness."
Tyson nodded showing her that he understood. " I'm sorry Ma'me, it's easy to forget your place in our history and your achievements in such a short-"
"I'm not a Ma'me, I am the Mistress," she said.
Tyson's breathing quickened, he seemed unsure of what to do. " I'm sorry Mistress," he slowly but steadily replied.
Professor Sebastian let out an annoyed sigh. "This whole thing could have been avoided with a request and an order. I am sorry for my officers behavior Missy," he said.
She leered at him briefly. "I'll accept your apology, but don't let it happen again." An awkward silence filled the room. It bothered her so she broke it and said, "You were saying?"
Professor Sebastian gave a nod and acknowledged her wish. "In our society when two trainers have a difference of opinion sometimes they have a pokemon battle to settle their differences." His eyes leered over to Tyson, the young man froze as he looked back.
" I was going to politely ask if you two could demonstrate your abilities, seeing as theirs a conflict between you two, and under normal circumstances, I would expect one." He looked at Missy and his eyes softened. "Would you be willing to demonstrate your pokemon's capabilities in battle?"
Missy nodded as she took everything into consideration for herself. Tyson could have easily avoided a conflict, she might have demonstrated her abilities for them. Strangely she found herself determined to teach him a lesson in power and force.
She pondered over the pokemon that remained on her team, emolga, vespiquen, would be of little use to her, pidgeot still needed to be healed, hydreigon was a dragon type that could match the strength of this pokemon, absol was her best special attacker. She came to the conclusion that her odds of winning the match were fairly good.
" I suppose if you want a battle, then I can show you what my pokemon can do," Missy said, she noted the quietness in her own tone.
Once again her emotions were coming into play, but her logic dictated that this would be a decisive move. Once she defeated him other team members would not be as quick to challenge or her in the future.
Tyson nodded in agreement. " There's a pokemon arena just outside that door since this is a-" he paused, she could tell he was choosing his words carefully. "-since this is a demonstration battle neither of us should hold back. Since you are the challenger, you may choose the rules that you see fit."
She had done an incredible amount of research on the subject of pokemon battling. There was one on one, double battles, and even triple battles. She found those to be uncommon.
Curios and slightly confused by what he meant she asked, "What rules do you normally go by?"
" Rocket Rules," he replied. " In a Team Rocket battle nothing is held back, the pokemon on my team are equipped with Rocket Technology that amplifies their attacks."
Missy smirked at the idea, she would get to see some of the technology that was used on the field. She wondered if it would make things more challenging for her and her team.
" Nothing is held back?" she asked.
" Nothing," Tyson dryly replied
She slapped her hands together with glee. "Well if that's the case then I'll play by your rules, I would prefer a two on two in a single round match. I'm down a couple of pokemon from the battle your boss and I shared earlier today."
" Two verses two it is," he said.
" Good, let me show you to our arena," Professor Sebastian said as he stepped away from the pair. Missy noted that was clutching a clipboard and pen.
Missy followed him to the door and was pleased that he had opened it for her. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the brightness of the room as she began to look around.
The steel floored balcony wrapped around the pokemon arena. A stairway was nearby, she looked across the arena and noticed an open hallway on the other side.
She peered down at the grey floor of the battlefield as she made her way to the stairs.
The layout was simple, a large rectangle outline was painted white and split in the middle by a circle that resembled a pokeball. On the far ends of the arena where drawn in boxes for the opponents to stand in.
She made her way to the closest box to her and stood inside. Professor Sebastian positioned himself a few feet from the center of the arena.
She noted that he had a bit of distance from himself and the closest wall. Tyson cut through the battle space and was hastily making his way to the opposing side.
When he reached his destination Professor Sebastian shouted, " This is a two on two pokemon battle, with no rules and no time limit, for the sake of our team and our progress neither opponent is expected to withhold anything, all items and tactics are considered fair!"
Missy rolled her eyes, humans took these matter far too seriously for her taste. Then again, this was a Team Rocket officer. Giovanni had said that the team liked to gossip.
She didn't want to underplay her own abilities or experience, the last thing she needed was to lose a pokemon battle to an Officer. That loss would be something the team would talk about.
In a bid to end the fight with a victory she readied hydreigon's ball, sure that her pokemon could take out whatever he used and then the garchomp. On the opposing side, she could see that Tyson was also just as ready.
Professor Sebastian readied his pen before he shouted, "Begin!"
" Fearow!" Tyson shouted as he tossed his ball out and into the air.
The bird that manifested was enormous. The pokemon's brown feathered wings took up a quarter of the field. Its tail was spread out, its neck slender and long, almost like a swan, but its beak had no resemblance to the elegant bird, its length was outrageous. On top of the pokemon's head was a silver crown with a red crystal.
She leered at the crown and wondered what it was, not wanting to dally she tossed her ball. "Hydreigon."
The dragon spread its wings as it roared. The pokemon hovered as it waited for a command. She thought this would be an easy battle as she took her pokemon's level into consideration.
She didn't let the fact of him being an experienced trainer deture her. The others she had fought were too, they had lesser pokemon, but they also lacked talent and creativity. Up until now Giovanni, Marcel, and Lysandre had been her most difficult opponents.
A flying type versus a dragon dark type. Neither of them had a type advantage, she was going to have to do the best with what she had.
" Dragon pulse," Missy ordered.
" Quick attack," Tyson countered.
She was taken aback by his use of such a weak priority move. The red gem in crown lit up with the bird's wings. The pokemon charged in flight and dealt stronger blow then she thought was possible.
Hydreigon was knocked back as it took the blow. The pokemon grunted as it regained its poise. She noted the scratches on it purple skin and knew the damage was great.
Fearow swooped past the dragon and turned, keeping itself above the arena. Hydreigon roared as it opened its jaws. A purple orb of energy had formed, it became a beam of energy as it unleashed the attack.
Fearow spread its wings and reared itself up in preparation. The bird screeched as it took the blow that knocked it upward. The attack ceased, the fearow had taken minimal damaged as well.
The pokemon's level was high enough to content with her pokemon, with this realization she found herself impressed, she shook off the emotion.
She quickly thought over hydreigon's move pool, dragon pulse, hyper voice, scary face, and outrage. She had never bothered to train any of her pokemon. Her screwdriver had done it for her, she found herself regretting this decision.
She was a powerful trainer, she didn't usually find herself thinking too much about the battle she was in, this was yet another flaw she learned about herself in the heat of a moment.
Missy grimaced as she set the matter aside. She could hold off another priority move, but she couldn't hold out forever, she needed a plan, but first, she needed to know what this pokemon could do. She decided to slow it down, his pokemon had to know more than just priority moves.
" Scary face," she ordered.
" Quick attack," Tyson countered.
The crown on fearow's forehead lit up once more. The pokemon's wings glowed in conjunction with the device. The bird slammed into the dragon with great speed knocking it back once more. Hydreigon grunted as it took the blow.
Missy took a second to examine the item, it was clearly making the attacks stronger then what they should have been.
The pokemon's eyes turned purple as a red aura manifested like a mask it covered hydreigon's face and snout. Fearow let out a cry as a downward aura overtook it, after a few seconds the bird's movements slowed down.
The pokemon stared at one another as they waited for their trainers to give another command.
Tyson's grin twisted, his eyes narrowed at the dragon. Fearow cried out as its trainer did this, it seemed as though they were synchronized with one another.
She was perplexed by this behavior. She recalled her second battle with Giovanni, his persian, the way he shook off his confusion at a command.
It occurred to her that he was very close to this pokemon. She wondered how that would affect the battle
" Hyper voice," she ordered.
Hydreigon spread its wings in preparation for the attack. The pokemon's screech was ear piercing. A circular aura, the power of sound smashed into the bird. The pokemon shrieked as it was knocked back.
The bird regained its poise immediately after the attack finished. Its movements had slowed, the bird had a considerable amount of scratches and missing feathers.
" Fearow!" Tyson shouted. The bird growled at its trainer's call. "Let's put that dragon type to rest sky attack!"
On his command fearow soared up. The bird growled and shrieked as it soared higher and higher, as it did the pokemon built up power for an attack.
Missy recalled what she had read about the move. The attack took one turn to set up, the second would result in a strike. The damage that was taken was due to the drop and the build-up of power.
That crown was going to boost the attack, possibly knock out her pokemon. She couldn't allow for that. She reached into her jacket and drew her screwdriver. With a wave she disabled the crown, her screwdriver informed her that the device was a rage crown.
She had seen enough, this was a legal action according to the rules so she decided to make another move.
With a wave of her screwdriver, she turned off the lights in the arena. With her action, the room became pitch black. The tip of her screwdriver lite up in the darkness, its bright yellow light elegantly showed her figure.
Hydriegon and fearow both let out confused cries, both pokemon were hadn't the slightest concept of what had happened. If she had the dragon take a shot in the dark, hydreigon's attack might strike the bird down.
Not wasting a moment more, Missy gave another command, " Now Hydreigon use dragon pulse!"
The room lit up with purple shades as the dragon readied itself. She glanced over to Tyson, his arms were crossed as he glared at her. Upon him noticing that she was looking at him, his eyes diverted to the battle.
" Fearow, sky attack now!" he shouted.
The bird closed its wings as it fell into a dive. The pokemon became a streak of white light as it dived at hydreigon.
The dragon roared as it unleashed a brilliant beam of purple energy. Fearow screeched as it continued to charge through the beam.
When they met, the light disappeared as they crashed into one another.
Silence overtook the arena, as she listened she couldn't hear wings flapping, or grunts or any cries for that matter.
Professor Sebastian's cold voice cut through the silence, " Missy could you please turn on the lights?"
With a wave of her screwdriver, the blinding lights of the arena turned back on. As she surveyed the area, she found both pokemon on the ground.
Fearow lay in the center of the arena, its wings were spread out like an angle. Its eyes were closed, its body had deep wounds, and even more, scratches from the damage it had taken.
Hydreigon laid close by. The dragon grunted as it lay on its side. The pokemon's skin was covered in scratches, it's belly was red, the gash stared at its neck and ended at the base of its tail. It roared as it lurched forward. To spite the pokemon's injury's it attempted to get up and pushed itself up with its arms. The dragon grunted before it fell to the floor once more.
Tyson leered at her, his discontent was unmistakable. " When I said items, I meant for the pokemon," he slowly said.
Slightly frustrated by this new rule, Missy placed her hand on her hip and replied, " You said any all items so I made the best with what I could."
" Tyson, her use of the screwdriver was well within the perimeters of Team Rockets rules," Professor Sebastian coldly said his cold black eyes shot over to Missy. " Since this is also a battle to test the effectiveness of Team Rockets Screwdriver, I would like to request that the lights not be turned off again."
Once again his request felt like an order. She didn't appreciate it, but she could understand why he wanted it that way. He needed to evaluate the battle, he needed to see what the screwdriver could do for himself.
He was such an inquisitive scientist that he might be up all night calculating the potential of other pokemon. That would end their meeting shortly after the battle.
Missy looked his way and nodded, showing him that she understood. He nodded back in acknowledgment.
She looked at hydreigon, she decided that later on, she would make improvements to it attacks based on her pokemon statics. She had nearly lost this battle, she would not so readily make the same mistake. With the though tucked away in her mind, she pointed the ball forward and recalled the pokemon.
As the red energy returned inside the ball she looked at it and whispered, "You did great."
She placed hydreigon's ball back into her bag and snatched absol's. Tyson did the same before he took the ultra ball from his belt. He tossed it forward. In a burst of energy, the dragon garchomp appeared.
The pokemon was tall, its skin was scaly and blue, its beaked snout and forward-pointing horns vaguely resembled a sharks head. The massive fins that came from below its claws and protruded from its back resembled the animal more than a sharpedo.
Unlike the previous pokemon, this one held no items. She took both pokemon's levels into consideration, she realized absol statistically out sped garchomp. They should be evenly matched, absol had an excellent move set, perfect for blocking and quick attacks.
Absol leaped onto the field. The wolf-like pokemon snarled when it looked at its opponent.
" Dark void," Missy ordered.
Absol's eyes began to glow a dull shade of violet. The floor below garchomp became a black void, before pulses of dark energy shot out from it. Garchomp's jaw clenched as it bore into its own teeth. The pokemon roared after the energy dissipated.
" Garchomp, dig," he countered.
The dragon snarled as it used to its claws to rip out the floor of the arena. The pokemon made quick work of the ground.
" Absol follow it," she commanded.
The wolf ran to the hole, the pokemon barked out in confusion, she eyed the area, the dragon had vanished.
She surveyed the area, that pokemon could come from anywhere on the field on its next turn.
The dragon had an incredible physical attack stat, her absol might not hold up for very long. With this in mind, she gave the order for her next move," Future sight."
A small orb formed in absol's eye as it readied a future move. The pokemon then braced its self when the floor the arena began to crack and split. The pokemon charged underground the arena above split and parted. The ground fractured as it charged out of the ground.
Absol stood firm until the dragon crashed into it. The wolf was knocked into the air from below. The ground jetted upward with the pokemon. Absol fell to the floor when it took damage. The pokemon readily got up, its eyes narrowed at the dragon.
Since the beast was at absol's feet, she decided to blast it away. "Shadow ball."
An orb of dark energy formed in front of absol. The pokemon's eyes narrowed as it launched the attack forward. The ball of energy crashed into garchomp and caused the pokemon to step backward.
From what she could tell, the dragon had taken a sufficient amount of damage. It was unphased and had plenty of energy left to fight.
" Garchomp, dragon rush," he ordered.
The dragon's body erupted with a fiery golden energy. The pokemon rushed forward and slammed into absol's chest. Garchomp grabbed the wolf and carried it before it crashed to the ground.
Absol got up and began to back away. Its movements were slower than usual, the pokemon stumbled around as it regained its bearings.
" Dark void," she ordered.
" Dig," he countered.
Once again garchomp ripped out the floor from where it stood. The pokemon disappeared into the hole it had created.
The next couple of moves would decide the victor of the battle, for her the next move was a simple decision. " Protect," she ordered.
Absol's hind legs bent slightly as a clear shield formed in front of the pokemon. The arena floor cracked and warped as garchomp approached.
The dragon burst from the ground and attempted to strike absol with its head. Its attempt yielded no damage, the pokemon was quick to take a step back.
Small orbs of light surrounded the pokemon as the move future sight came into play. The orbs of energy shot at the dragon from all sides of the arena. The pokemon moaned as it took an incredible amount of damage before it keeled over.
The pokemon was starting to lose some of its steam. She smirked, both pokemon were weak, either one could be taken out at any moment. Now it was time to give her's an extra boost.
She fished out the mega stone from under her shirt. She touched the stone, then said with great confidence, "By the power of my hearts, and our everlasting bond, absol, mega evolve."
Absol's body was overtaken by a brilliant white light. The opalescent glow was brief but glorious. The rainbow symbol for mega evolution appeared above the pokemon before it dissipated into the surrounding energy.
Tyson's eyes widened at the sight, his breathing became heavy, but he was still calm and ready to fight. " Garchomp dragon rush!"
" Absol dodge it," she countered.
The winged wolf lowered itself as the dragon rushed at it. What once was a brilliant shade of golden energy had become nothing more than a bitter effigy of its former glory. Absol kept its body as low as possible while it dashed to the left of the charging dragon.
Garchomp's clawed heels dug into the arena floor, the dragon started to turn in pursuit.
The pokemon lurched forward and brought as its maw forward, driving its claws into the earth then launching itself forward. The pokemon roared as it charged at absol again.
This was it, she made her final command, " Finish it, use shadow ball!"
Absols eyes became a deep shade of purple as the orb formed above it. The pokemon leered at its opponent as it got ready to launch the attack.
" Dig!" Tyson shouted, his order was desperate.
The pokemon lurched forward, in an attempt to dive into the ground. All of its efforts were in vain.
Absol leaped forward and with the shadow ball. The attack cut through the air before it crashed into the dragon. The force of the attack knocked garchomp backward.
The dragon's roar was agonizing to listen to. The pokemon's shriek was ghastly and wretched, it stopped abruptly as the dragon hit the arena floor. Its blue scales marked the path of its slide across the grey floor of the arena.
Missy watched it start to slow, and eventually come to a halt not far from her feet. The pokemon grunted in defeat before it closed its eyes, its body collapsed in surrender.
Absol leaped over the fallen dragon and dashed to her side. As the pokemon yelped, she knelt down and caressed its backside.
For a second she wanted to ask ninetails what it was saying. She supposed it didn't really matter what it said, the pokemon was clearly pleased with the outcome and it appeared to her that absol had a good time.
The pokemon leaned into her, she smiled as she wrapped her arms around the wolf. Its embrace became warmer as it devolved in her arms.
She held the pokemon awhile longer before releasing it from her hold. Absol's eyes lowered, they were so loving and tender, she scratched the pokemon's head once more before she faced her opponent.
Tyson had run over to the garchomp. He was busy examining the damage of the fallen pokemon when Professor Sebastian stepped into the arena. He jotted a few things down in his clipboard before he placed the pen back onto its holder.
" You both have outperformed any Officer or Admin," he dryly said. "If I had the time I'd ask you to challenge an Executive Missy, your pokemon meet the ideal specifications and level."
She nodded, but the truth was she didn't know how she would fare against an Executive. It was something ninetails had said, Team Rocket only got more powerful over the years. She wondered what else the team and their pokemon were truly capable of.
Tyson huffed before he recalled the garchomp. " The boss isn't going to be pleased with these result."
Professor Sebastian shook his head no. " I disagree, I think with a better move pool this pokemon will be the best addition to his team to date."
Tyson stepped over to him and offered Professor Sebastian the ball, he readily took it. He casually placed it into his pocket. " I'll have the team heal it up, we'll prepare a set of T.M.'s for him tomorrow." He turned to Missy then said, "Thank you for your assistance, the screwdriver you have provided will prove more than useful."
She nodded back and wondered what else he might want. "Glad I could help. I'm sure you'll have loads of fun tinkering with your new toy," she said.
She hoped that this was the end of their little meeting, she felt her hearts beat slow and cringed at the fact that her own body was relenting to her growing need for sleep.
Professor Sebastian coldly looked at Tyson. " Could you prepare those technical machines for the boss?"
Tyson took a deep breath, for an instant, Missy wondered what was bothering him. He shook his head then saluted. "Sir," with those words he hastily made his way out of the arena.
Professor Sebastian eyes examined her face, both his brows raised before he said, "You look tired."
Missy scoffed at him and caused him to look away. "It's been a very long day."
" Shall I see you out?" he asked.
Her eyes wandered over to his, she was becoming more annoyed by his courtesy. She set the emotion aside and replied, "Sure."
With those words, she recalled absol to its ball. Together they climbed up the stairs, then strolled through his laboratory. When they entered the main hall, a small team of scientist stepped in behind them.
Professor Sebastian said a few remarks to them about returning shortly as they passed.
She wondered what else he did, Doctor Zager said he was working on a project with ditto and now seemed as good of a time as any to inquire about it.
" How was the ditto project going before this mess?" she asked.
Professor Sebastian's eyes became cold as he leered ahead, he replied, "That, that's nothing compared to what you've given us."
" Of course it isn't," she said recalling what Giovanni had said about his work. " Should have seen the breeding project Team Flare was operating, now that was on its own scale. You said that you were working on a breeding project, and well when I asked Giovanni he said that had no resemblance to yours," she explained.
" I've seen the report from their lab, the pokemon were genetically engineered and then bread to near perfection. I've never seen anything like it before," he said.
" If not genetic modification, then what on this world were you trying to achieve?" she asked prying deeper into the subject.
They strolled past the medical lab once more. Professor Sebastian's pace hadn't changed, but his tone had. " The creation of the strongest pokemon, the ditto, the experiment that was on hold, those pokemon have nearly flawless individual values. Those pokemon are so rare that the team had to take them from breeders in two different regions. Out of the hundreds of ditto we have created from breeding, they remain the strongest specimens on record."
" So why not create others?" she asked, noting that ditto had the potential to breed with almost any pokemon.
" It's not that simple, breeding takes time, unlike you, the rest of us are short on the commodity," he replied.
She glanced over his eyes were still trained ahead, she rolled hers for the team. " Oi, I'm short on time too, if we don't figure this out soon we're all done for."
The reached the door, once again he opened it for her. As he showed her out he dryly said, "Time travelers don't run out of time, they just lose space. Good nite Missy."
Missy turned to reply to him, but he quickly shut the door. She scoffed before she turned away.
Time travelers don't lose time, that was absurd if she had a working tardis she could have visited all of time and all of space to visit. She could travel for a hundred years and still be back three days from doomsday.
With that though she took her remote from her bag. She looked at the time and date 12:02 A.M. Kanto Standard Time, Tuesday, September 13th, 2016.
It was getting late, being miffed by his standardization of her reality, but he was right in a way. They were running out of time, even if she went back to gain more of it, the outcome would still be the same. She'd still be in a fight to save this world and her lives.
She shuddered as she made her way down the vacant hallway. Her pace quickened as she walked back to the tardis, back to her ninetails, and headed to bed.
Three days remained, in seventy-two hours, this place and the rest of the world would be in a frenzy.
She shook her head, an entire population of panicked humans was not something that could easily be dealt with. She shrugged off the thought as she re-entered the tardis.
When she passed the control panel she teleported all of her pokemon back to their box, reassured that they would be taken care of. She strolled down the hallway and entered her room, then hurriedly got ready for bed.
She slipped under the covers, next to her ninetails, before she got comfortable. As her mind drifted, and her body relaxed. The room became darker as she drifted into the void of slumber. She wondered what if anything would haunt her dreams tonight. Fearlessly she entered that abyss, that odd and ever-evolving place that was her mind.