Chapter 4: Team Rocket
As soon as they had entered the Pokemon Center's main lobby, the Brawlers were greeted by a pink-haired woman that was clad in a nurse's uniform as she stood behind a large counter. Alongside her was a pink egg-shaped Pokemon that had a nurse's hat on its head.
"Well hello there - welcome to the Viridian Pokemon Center! My name is Nurse Joy and I'm the head nurse of this establishment. Now then, how can I be of assistance to you today?"
"Well, I was wondering if you had a place for my friends and I to stay for the night."
Nodding, Joy replied "We do have one vacant room available for you to use." before reaching into one of the pockets on her apron and taking out a small key. Handing it to him, she adds "You'll be staying in Room #6. Now is there anything else I can assist you with?"
Pocketing the key, Lincoln asks "Well...can you tell us about what kind of services a Pokemon Center has to offer? We're kind of new to this whole Trainer business and could use an introduction on how a place like this works."
"Of course! As head nurse of the Viridian Pokemon Center, I would be happy to assist you in learning about our many services." replied Joy with a nod. "For starters, as you may already know, we do provide free boarding for Trainers that stop to rest."
"So this place offers free rooms, huh? Sounds like my kind of place." replied Dan with a smile.
Pointing at a machine behind her, Joy adds "We also provide a healing service for Pokemon that are both wild or belong to Trainers - we use this machine in order to tend to any damage they may have. Like with the rooms, this service is completely free of charge, though some injuries or illnesses tend to be too severe for the machine to fix and further treatment may be required."
"Speaking of healing, I've got some Pokemon myself that could use a little treatment." said Lincoln as he placed Fearow's Pokeball on the counter while Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder and landed right beside the red and white-colored orb.
"Of course. If you would be so kind as to recall your Pikachu back into it's Pokeball, I can..." started Joy, only for Lincoln to shake his head as Pikachu leapt off of his shoulder and onto the counter. "No? May I ask why?"
"He...uh, doesn't like Pokeballs very much, Nurse Joy." replied Lincoln sheepishly with Pikachu nodding in agreement. "Even to the point of threatening to zap me if I ever recalled him back into one."
"And I'm still holding you to that."
"Ah, I see. He's one of those Pokemon that prefer to be outside of their Pokeball. Understandable." answered Joy with a nod before turning to face the pink Pokemon beside her. "Chansey, can you go get a stretcher for the Pikachu, please?"
With a smile, the Chansey nods before walking away from the counter and towards a pair of double-doors. As it started to go through them, Lincoln took out his Pokedex and pointed it at the egg-shaped Pokemon.
'Chansey, the Egg Pokemon, a Normal Type. This Pokemon lays nutritionally excellent eggs on an everyday basis. The eggs are said to be so delicious, they are eagerly devoured by even those who have lost their appetite.'
"Well, while we wait for Chansey to come back, I should continue my explanation." said Joy before pointing over to a series of kiosks with VideoPhones set up inside them. "Over there are our VideoPhones, which are free for anyone to use."
Hearing this, Lincoln thought 'Huh...I should see about giving Professor Oak a call to let him know I made it here safe and sound. He's probably worried.'
"Finally, we also have a PokeMart here as well for all your shopping needs - we adopted the idea of having one in the Center from the Unova region." finished Joy as she pointed at a pair of smaller counters with several clerks manning them.
"Shopping, huh?" mused Lincoln as he gave the counters an interesting look. "What kind of stuff do they sell?"
"Pretty much anything you can think of that would be of use to a Pokemon Trainer - medicine, Pokeballs, clothing...if it's of any use on a Pokemon journey, they'll be on sale."
"Do they sell food, by any chance?" asked Lincoln before pointing at Pikachu. "I promised him I'd get him a treat earlier and I don't want to go back on my word."
Tapping her chin in thought, Joy replied "I believe so." before snapping her fingers as an idea hit her. "Say, why don't you go and check out the shop for yourself while we get your Pokemon treated? Maybe you might find what you're looking for there."
"Sounds good to me, Nurse Joy. We'll go take a look." answered Lincoln before giving Pikachu a glance. "We'll be back as soon as we can, so try to behave yourself, okay?"
"Please, I know better than to act up in a place like this. I'll be good." retorted the Electric-Type with a roll of his eyes. "Just don't forget my ketchup."
"Welcome to the Viridian PokeMart - how may I help you today?" asked one of the clerks with a smile as the Brawlers approached the counter. Before he could respond, the white-haired boy noticed an assortment of different colored USB sticks sitting inside of a nearby display case with the names of different moves printed on them.
Pointing at them, Lincoln asks "What in the world are those supposed to be?"
"Ah, you have a good eye - those would be Technical Machines, sir." replied the clerk before taking one of the sticks out and showing it to him. "Technical Machines - or TMs, for short - are special items that allow Trainers to teach their Pokemon the move coded on the TM as long as the two are compatible."
"Really? It's that easy?" questioned Runo, now interested. "How does it work?"
"It's quite simple, really - to use a TM, all you need to do is install the move onto a device called the Move Tutor, which is a device that is able to connect wirelessly with a Pokeball. Once you have a connection, simply select the option to teach the move to the designated Pokemon and it'll do the rest."
Giving the TMs a wary look, Lincoln asks "So...they pretty much upload information on how to use the move into a Pokemon's brain? Is that safe?"
"Don't worry, the process is 100% safe and completely painless. If it wasn't, we wouldn't be selling them." answered the clerk with a reassuring smile.
"Well...alright, if you say so. Just one thing though...are they reusable?"
"Yes, they are. Unlike the older ones which expired after a single use, these newer models are coded to have unlimited usage, so unless you end up losing it or breaking it yourself, you'll never need to worry about having to get a replacement." answered the clerk with a smile. "Are you interested in purchasing one, by any chance?"
"Maybe later." replied Lincoln before remembering why he stopped by in the first place. "Do you happen to have any bottles of ketchup in stock?"
"We do, as a matter of fact. Hold on a moment." answered the clerk before walking away from the counter. A few minutes later, he returned with a single bottle of ketchup in hand. "Here we are - one brand new bottle of ketchup."
"Great! How much?"
"A bottle costs two-hundred Pokedollars, sir. Would you like to buy it?"
Eyes widening at the price, Lincoln asks "Two-hundred? Isn't that a bit much for one bottle?"
Before the clerk could answer him, a familiar female voice says "Actually, you're getting a pretty good deal with that price, squirt." The Brawlers turned around and saw Misty leaning on the counter beside them. "In fact, if I'm recalling correctly, that's pretty much the equivalent of two of your American Dollars."
"So it's one-hundred Pokedollars to every American dollar? Let's see here…" Dan said to himself, before he started to try and calculate how much he had after Professor Oak had converted the three-hundred dollars Marucho had given Lincoln.
"That would mean he has about thirty-thousand Pokedollars, you nitwit!" Runo shouted, making Dan flinch.
"Sir? Are you going to purchase the ketchup or not?" asked the clerk, giving Lincoln a questioning look.
"Huh? Oh...yeah. Hold on a moment." replied Lincoln before taking out his Trainer Card and handing it to the clerk, who looked it over carefully before scanning it. Once he had finished, the clerk smiled before handing back the card along with the bottle of ketchup.
"Thank you for shopping with us, sir. Will that be all for now?"
"For now. Thank you." replied Lincoln before he and the Brawlers, walking away with Misty following after him a few seconds later.
"You certainly took your sweet time getting here, squirt - what kept you? Did you end up getting lost or something?" inquired Misty as Lincoln sat down on a nearby couch in order to wait for his Pokemon to finish getting treated.
Giving her an annoyed glance, Lincoln replies "No. If you really must know, Pikachu and I had ended up getting caught in a fight with a flock of Spearow while heading here."
"That explains the scratches and tears in your clothes. So what happened next?"
"After we took down several of their numbers, their leader showed up and challenged us to a battle." answered Lincoln before placing his hands behind his head as a grin appeared on his face. "Pikachu ended up learning Electroball, won the fight and I ended up with a new Pokemon."
"So you caught the toughest Spearow of the lot then? Not bad for a newbie, squirt." replied Misty, only for the grin on Lincoln's face to widen. "What?"
"It wasn't a Spearow."
"It wasn't? But that would mean..." started Misty before she realized what Lincoln was implying. "A Fearow?! You actually got into a fight with a Fearow of all things and won?"
"And ended up catching it on top of that." replied Lincoln smugly.
After a few seconds, the redhead shook her head and chuckled slightly before saying "And here I was thinking that you were going to have a rough time here in Kanto. Maybe you might end up being a decent Trainer after all."
"Glad to see I have your confidence." remarked Lincoln dryly, causing the older girl to roll her eyes at the response.
As she was about to open her mouth to issue a retort of her own, the Chansey from before waddled over to Lincoln and said "Pardon the interruption, but your Pokemon are finished healing. Please come to the front counter at your earliest convenience to collect them."
"Will do. Thanks." replied Lincoln with a nod before getting off of the couch and to his feet. "Well, it was...uh, kinda nice talking to you again, but I've got to get going. See you around, Misty." He said as he walked away.
Blinking in surprise, Misty simply turned to Lincoln's friends and asked, "...Did he just understand what that Chansey was saying?"
The only response she got from the Brawlers was a smug grin before catching up with Lincoln.
Upon re-arriving at the main counter, Lincoln noticed that there was another person standing there as well, chatting with Nurse Joy. Recognizing her appearance right away, Lincoln asked, "Leaf? Is that you?"
"Oh, hey Lincoln. Were you needing to talk to Nurse Joy?" Leaf asked.
"Yes, but if she's already helping you, then I can wait my turn," Lincoln replied.
"It's alright, I've finished up what I was taking care of," Leaf replied, as she stepped to the side.
As soon as Lincoln had stepped in front of her, Nurse Joy smiles and says "Ah, there you are - I have both of your Pokemon right here." before placing Fearow's Pokeball on the counter while Pikachu jumped off of a nearby stretcher and onto Lincoln's shoulder.
"So how're you doing, pal? Are you feeling better?" Lincoln asked.
"Aside from a little fatigue, I'm just fine. You get my ketchup?"
In response, Lincoln hands over the bottle and replies "There you go, just like I promised.", causing the Electric-Type to squeak with joy before grabbing the bottle and hugging it tightly.
"...He must really like that stuff, huh?" commented Leaf in amusement as Pikachu quickly opened up the bottle and started to lap up the ketchup with gusto.
"Yeah, apparently. So, what brings you here, Leaf? I would've thought you'd be heading to the next city," Lincoln asked.
"I spent most of the day doing some shopping. I really came here before heading to the Motel I'm staying at so I can register for the Pokemon League," Leaf replied.
"That's right, trainer's need to be registered to take on the Gyms in Kanto," Lincoln remembered.
"If you give me your Trainer ID and Pokedex, I can help out with your registration," Nurse Joy commented.
"Oh, ok," Lincoln replied, as he gave the nurse the two items. She inserted both of them into the computer, and typed a few keys on the keyboard.
"Lincoln Loud of Royal Woods, Michigan, Pokemon Kanto League registration complete. Number of Badges: 0. The best of luck," a computerized voice said, before Nurse Joy gave back Lincoln's ID and Pokedex.
"Alright, you're all set. And here are some things to help you out," Nurse Joy said, as she set out a tray with what appeared to be a belt with six circular sockets on it, a metal case, and an odd-looking machine with a USB port.
"I can assume that's the badge case I'll be using, but what about the other two things?" Lincoln asked.
"The Ball Belt makes carrying your Pokeballs easier, and provides easier access to them. As for this device," Nurse Joy said, holding up the machine, "This is a Move Tutor device. You can plug it into your Pokedex and use TMs as you see fit. The Silph Co. made them as a means of addressing some issues the older models had," she explained.
"One of those issues being that they break after one use?" Lincoln deduced.
"Precisely. With the newer models, trainers don't have to worry about TMs ever breaking. Of course, the Silph Co. still does make the older models, but they're referred to as 'Technical Records' or TRs," Nurse Joy explained.
"I see. How can one tell if it's a TM or a TR?" Lincoln asked.
"Simply by plugging it into the Move Tutor. It'll scan the coding on the device and tell you if it's a TM or a TR," Nurse Joy replied.
"Alright, that's useful information," Lincoln commented.
"Especially since now that we're both going to participate in the Pokemon League, that makes us official rivals," Leaf commented, a competitive look on her face.
"I guess it does." answered Lincoln with a challenging look of his own.
"Now that's what I like to see - nothing like a little friendly competition between rivals to liven things up." responded Leaf with a grin before turning to walk away. "See you around, Lincoln. I hope we can battle against each other the next time we meet again."
"I'll be looking forward to it."
"Nurse Joy, you said the Videophones were free to use, right?" Runo asked.
"Indeed they are. There's a list of phone numbers on the side of the cubicles, including Professor Oak's laboratory," Nurse Joy replied.
"Great! I gotta make a call and check in with him," Lincoln replied, as he went over to the cubicles.
"Okay, so now we've got the number to Professor Oak's lab…" said Dan before staring at the terminal-like machine in front of him.
"...you don't even know how this thing even works, do you?" Drago asked.
"Not a clue." Dan replied.
"Here. Let me handle it." Marucho said, walking up to the device.
Meanwhile, at Professor Oak's Laboratory,
The Professor has just sat down for some dinner, while his thoughts were on each of the trainers who left his lab earlier in the day, especially Lincoln, "I do hope Lincoln made it to Viridian City without issue," he said to himself. Just then, the videophone began ringing, "A call? At this hour?" he commented, as he went to answer it. Upon picking up the receiver and answering, he was greeted with the Brawler's on the screen.
"Hello, Professor?" Lincoln said.
"Ah, Brawlers, I was wondering when you were going to call. I trust you all made it to Viridian City without any trouble?" Professor Oak asked.
"We got caught up with a flock of Spearow somewhere near Route 1 and we ended up getting in a fight with them." answered Lincoln before blushing in embarrassment. "Then when we finally got here, it took us about five or so minutes to figure out how this thing was supposed to work."
"You were attacked by a flock of Spearow? Are you alright? Did any of you get injured?"
"We're okay, Professor. A little tired and beat-up from the experience, but we're okay." replied Lincoln before taking out Fearow's Pokeball and showing it to him. "On the plus side, I managed to capture the Fearow that was leading them. Pretty cool, huh?"
"Very impressive. Most Trainers don't encounter, much less capture, a Fearow this early in their journeys." responded Oak with a grin. "Still, it's good to know that you all are safe."
"Yeah. I've registered for the Pokemon League Challenge, so tomorrow, We're going to head out to my first Gym," Lincoln replied.
"I see. Well, the Gym up in Pewter City can provide a challenge, especially for a new trainer such as yourself," Professor Oak suggested.
"That's the plan. I'm hoping to catch some more Pokemon along the way," Lincoln replied.
"Well, the Viridian Forest should provide quite a plethora of Bug Type Pokemon that you can try catching," Professor Oak stated.
"I'll see what I can do," Lincoln replied.
"Splendid. And now, I'm going to touch on a rather sore topic, but have you made contact with your family since you arrived?" Professor Oak asked.
"Not yet. I'm giving them some time to install the Videophone you gave them. That, and I'm hesitant to call them," Lincoln replied.
"I see. Well, if it'll help, I'll be giving them a Progress Report in a few days. I'll try my best to get through to them that their actions could potentially have dire consequences," Professor Oak replied.
"What do you mean?" Dan asked.
"Well, you see, Dan, what Lincoln's family did was not only cruel and unusual, but it was also highly illegal. His family could face serious criminal charges if word got out about their actions," Marucho explained.
"You aren't going to call the authorities, are you? I mean, while my family are boneheads for jumping on the whole 'Lincoln is Bad Luck' bandwagon a little too eagerly, but they're still my family, and I would rather not see them get separated. For the twins, that could be really cruel to them," Lincoln replied.
"You needn't worry. While I feel I SHOULD call them, I will respect your wishes, and give them a chance to redeem themselves," Professor Oak replied.
"Thanks, Professor. I'll see about calling when I get to Pewter City," Lincoln replied.
"That's all I ask of you. Now, is that all you wanted to talk to me about, or is there something else on your mind?" Professor Oak replied.
"Not at the moment. We was just calling to check in with you," Marucho replied.
"Very good. I look forward to hearing about your journey's the next time we talk," Professor Oak stated.
"Yes sir. We'll talk to you later," Lincoln said, as he hung up.
"Sounds like Lincoln has been quite busy with his first day as a trainer. I wonder what'll be in store for him," Professor Oak wondered, as he sat down to eat his dinner.
Loud House
As she lounged on the couch in the living room, Lori was partaking in one of her favorite pastimes - texting her boyfriend Bobby. As she prepared to send another affection-filled message to him, the sound of someone knocking at the front door could be heard.
Grimacing, she returned her focus to her phone in an attempt to ignore whoever was at the door until they went away. Unfortunately for her, it would seem that whoever it was had no intentions of leaving. After several minutes of constant knocking, she couldn't ignore it any longer.
"Ugh...some people can be so inconsiderate..." grumbled the blonde before putting the phone down to go answer the door. Upon opening it, she noticed that there were two people standing at the door - Ronnie Anne Santiago and Clyde McBride.
Giving the two an annoyed look, she asks "Alright, what do you two want? I'm kind of busy right now."
"Right, because texting my brother takes up that much of your time and effort." muttered Ronnie with a roll of her eyes, causing the blonde to frown at the response.
"Look, do you want something or not?"
Trying his hardest to keep control of himself in front of his crush, Clyde asks "Is Lincoln home, by any chance? We were going to head to the arcade today and wanted to see if he wanted to come with us."
Crossing her arms, Ronnie adds "That and we want to talk to him about something."
"And that would be...?" questioned Lori with a raised eyebrow.
"Namely where he's been over the last week - we haven't seen him since." replied Clyde with a look of concern on his face.
At this, a look of unease appeared on Lori's face - not out of concern for her brother, but out of worry that Ronnie and Clyde would start asking questions about Lincoln that she didn't want to answer. Questions that could possibly end up damaging her family's reputation beyond repair.
That and she was certain that if word got out about what happened to her brother, her parents would most likely end up serving time while her sisters would be separated from each other. She couldn't allow that to happen.
'However, I can't exactly keep quiet either, otherwise those two will think I'm trying to hide something from them.' thought the seventeen year-old, conflicted on what she should do.
"Uh...Lori? Are you alright?" asked Clyde, concerned.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Lori quickly replied "Uh...yeah, I'm fine - I'm just a little worried about Lincoln myself. Even I don't even know where he is at the moment, nor do I know when he'll be back."
In a way, it was kind of the truth - she didn't exactly know precisely where Kanto was, nor did she know when Lincoln would be coming back home. And, though she would never admit it out loud, a small part of her was a bit worried about Lincoln being so far away from home on his own.
Though she was still miffed that he had three-hundred dollars all to himself, costing her family the chance to go to the beach.
With a sigh of disappointment, Clyde asks "Well...if you see him, will you let one of us know?"
"Yeah, sure." replied Lori before shutting the front door and returning back to the living room.
As soon as the door had closed, Clyde let out a sigh of relief before muttering "Oh man, that was a close one...I was worried that my nose was going to start bleeding there for a second..."
His words went unheard by Ronnie Anne, who narrowed her eyes in suspicion as she watched Lori return back to the living room through a nearby window.
Something about Lori's actions and words seemed incredibly off...almost as if she knew exactly where Lincoln was and what caused his sudden disappearance.
Pokemon Center
Upon returning back to the main counter to speak with Nurse Joy, Lincoln found Misty there, apparently waiting for him. Crossing her arms, she says "About time you finished up your call, squirt."
"What do you want now, Misty? It's been a long day and I want to get some rest." replied Lincoln tiredly, not wanting to deal with the older girl's attitude.
"Well...I just happened to find out that you guys got the last room the Center had available. Any chance you'd be willing to part with it?"
"Nope - if you wanted that room so badly, you should've asked Nurse Joy about it first." replied Lincoln with a shake of his head.
"Then I guess I'm going to be bunking with you guys for the night, then."
"...Say what now?" asked Lincoln with a disbelieving tone. "I must have misheard you - did you just say that you were going to be staying in our room tonight?"
"Did I stutter?" retorted Misty, crossing her arms. "You've got the last room and there's no way I'm going to sleep outside or on the floor tonight. So I'm staying in your room."
"Absolutely not! It's bad enough that I find you incredibly annoying, but having you stay in the same room as me overnight? Not going to happen!" snapped Lincoln with a glare as he pointed at her in anger.
With a glare of her own, Misty snarls "Quit being such a brat about it! It's just for one night!" before getting in his face.
"And I said no!" answered Lincoln as he had gotten into her face in return, not backing down an inch.
Just as Misty was about to yell at Lincoln again, a loud explosion rocks the Pokemon Center, blowing a large hole into one of its walls and knocking everyone in the lobby to the floor.
This had included both Misty and Lincoln, with the older girl landing on top of Lincoln, accidentally ending up locking lips with each other.
"...Oh my." muttered Tigrerra as her cheeks flushed slightly at the sight, forgetting about the explosion for a brief moment.
Preyas simply looked on with amusement as he thought "Looks like that Rainbow Wing's working out for him already."
The two stared at each other for a few seconds, wide-eyed and blushing heavily...before Misty pulls away and slaps Lincoln across the face. Hard.
"What is wrong with you, you little brat?! You just kissed me!"
Rubbing his cheek with a scowl on his face, Lincoln retorts "You're one to talk - you're the one that landed on me! If anything, you kissed me!"
"What was that, you little white-haired midget!?"
"You heard me, carrot-top!"
Before the argument could escalate further, the sound of a female voice says "Aw, how cute...a quarrel between lovers. Isn't it just precious, James?", causing the two to stop arguing long enough to see where it was coming from - the hole created by the explosion.
With a chortle, a male voice replies "It is, Jessie. Though I think they should be more concerned about us instead of each other."
The smoke from the explosion starts to clear away, revealing Jessie and James standing side-by-side with their arms crossed, both with sinister smirks on their faces.
As he starts to get to his feet, Lincoln glances at the duo and asks "Just who the heck are you two? Did you cause that explosion?"
"And if we did? What are you going to do about it?" replied James nonchalantly. "And as for who we are...allow us to introduce ourselves."
Turning to face his partner, he asks "Shall we, Jessie?"
"Let's do it, James." replied Jessie with a smirk before she quickly strikes a pose, much to everyone else's confusion. "Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!" responds James, striking a pose of his own.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
As the two continued to recite whatever it was they were saying, Lincoln and Misty simply stared at them with looks of bewilderment on their faces.
"Jessie!"
"James!"
In unison, Jessie and James dramatically point at Lincoln and Misty before preparing to finish off their motto.
"Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
As if on cue, Meowth jumps in front of the two goons, exclaiming "Meowth! That's right! Now den, we'll be taking all of the Pokemon off your hands!"
"...Wow. Just...wow." muttered Runo with a confused look on her face.
"That was...what the heck was that?" asked Dan as he gaped at the trio, completely dumbfounded.
"That was the official Team Rocket motto, boy." replied James condescendingly as he played with his rose. "It's meant to strike fear in the hearts of any Trainer that hears it."
Crossing her arms with a smirk, Jessie adds "And based on the looks on both of your faces, I'd say that it worked."
Everyone gave each other a questioning look before the white-haired boy turned back to the two Rockets and answered "Uh...not really - that was possibly the dumbest thing I've heard so far during my time here in Kanto. Did you guys rip that off from some cheesy kids show or something?"
Upon hearing Lincoln's response, Jessie snarls "You're calling us rip offs!? How dare you! We're members of Team Rocket - the premier criminal organization in the region of Kanto!"
"Team Rocket, huh? So you're the crooks that Professor Oak warned us about." replied Marucho, giving the Brawler's a glare as Pikachu leapt off of his shoulder, cheeks sparking threateningly with electricity.
"Dat's right, brat! And if ya know what's good for ya, you'll hand over all of da Pokemon ya got on ya right now!" responded Meowth, extending his claws menacingly in an attempt to intimidate the boy.
Instead of scaring him however, Lincoln's eyes narrowed as he replied "Not happening - I think I'll take my chances and just kick your butts instead." before turning to face Pikachu. "Are you ready, pal?"
The Electric-Type nodded once before returning his focus back to the three Rockets.
"So you're actually going to face off against these guys, huh? That's pretty bold of you." said Misty with a somewhat impressed look on her face. "Then that makes two of us. Let's go, Staryu!" conceded the redhead before following suit and releasing a Pokemon of her own - an orange-colored Pokemon that resembled a five-pointed star with a yellow core that held a red spherical gem in its center.
As she took a Pokeball of her own out of her pocket, Jessie asks "So you two think that you'll be able to stop us from completing our mission?"
"There's no way we're going to let you guys steal any of the Pokemon here - you're going to have to get through us first." replied Lincoln defiantly with Misty nodding in agreement.
"Then we'll just have to crush you quickly before we swipe every Pokemon this place has to offer, including yours." replied Jessie with an evil smirk before throwing the Pokeball. "Get out here, Ekans!"
Taking out a Pokeball of his own and throwing it, James adds "You too, Koffing!"
The two red and white-colored spheres open up, revealing two purple-colored Pokemon that appeared in front of the two Rocket grunts, ready for battle.
The first one had a spherical body with numerous 'craters' that looked to be emitting smog from them while the other was a serpentine Pokemon with yellow eyes that had a yellow band around its neck and a similarly-colored rattle at the end of its tail.
"So we're facing off against an Ekans and a Koffing..." muttered Misty as she glanced at the two Pokemon cautiously. "Both of them are Poison-Types, so try not to let them poison that Pikachu of yours, squirt. Got it?"
"Got it." replied Lincoln with a nod before returning his focus back onto Team Rocket, "So how are we going to do this - are we going to take them both on at once?" he asked as he watched Jessie, James and Meowth, ready for any surprise attacks they may try to attempt.
"I'm thinking that we should divide and conquer, squirt - you handle the one with the Koffing while I'll take on the red-haired hag." replied Misty as she pointed at Jessie, who fumed at the insult.
"Red-haired hag?! How dare you! I'll make sure to put you in your place, you little brat!" snarled Jessie before pointing at Lincoln. "You deal with the other one, James - I want to crush the boy's little girlfriend myself!"
"Hey! She's not my girlfriend!" exclaimed Lincoln in irritation, only for his outburst to go ignored by the two Rockets.
"Are you sure that you want to face her on your own, Jessie? Wouldn't it be easier to..."
"I SAID THAT I'M GOING TO CRUSH HER MYSELF, JAMES!" snapped Jessie furiously, causing James to cower away from her.
"Okay, okay - I'll take on the other brat!" whimpered James before turning to face Lincoln again, only to notice the pitying expression on his face. "What's with that look?"
"...So you have to deal with a bossy girl too, huh? I know exactly how you feel."
"You...do?" replied James before pointing at him accusingly. "Wait, stop trying to distract me! We're supposed to be enemies with each other!"
"Dat's right, Jim - don't let him mess with your mind like dat!" chimed in Meowth as he pointed at Lincoln, only for the white-haired boy to give him an odd look. "What's wit dat look, brat? Aintcha ever seen a Meowth before?"
Pointing at the Scratch Cat Pokemon blankly, Lincoln asks "...You know how to speak?"
With a look of pride, Meowth replied "Dat's right! I'm a real one-of-a-kind Meowth, ya know - da only one to know how to speak da human language!"
"Interesting..." mused Lincoln as he took out his Pokedex, much to James' annoyance.
"Hey, what about our fight?!"
"Meowth, the Scratch Cat Pokemon, a Normal Type. It likes shiny objects, and can't help but pick up anything that sparkles. It becomes more active at night time."
"...So, Meowth...you don't have an actual Trainer, I take it?" asked Lincoln with a grin as a plan to get Meowth out of the way started to form in his mind. He had a strong feeling that the feline-like Pokemon would try to interfere during either one of the two battles in order to turn things to Team Rocket's advantage.
He couldn't let that happen.
"Nope! But...uh, why're ya askin'?" asked Meowth, not liking the grin on the white-haired boy's face.
"Pikachu, change of plans - I want you to focus your attention on that Meowth while I take on this guy's Koffing."
With an indignant look on his face, James shouts "Hey, I have a name, you know!" while Meowth gave Lincoln a wary glance.
"Uh...why're ya having dat Pikachu of yers focus on me?"
"Well, it's not every day that you get a chance to catch a 'one-of-a-kind' Pokemon like yourself." replied Lincoln as he acted like he was taking a Pokeball out of his pocket, making the Normal-Type nervous at the sight. "And since you're technically a wild Pokemon..."
Eyes widening in horror, Meowth mumbles "Y-you wouldn't...dey're ain't no way I'm gonna let ya catch me!" before running away from the scene of the soon-to-be fight.
"...You're not really going to catch that Meowth, are you?" Leonidas said.
"Not at all - I only said that to keep him away from the fight so he doesn't try to interfere. I had a feeling he'd try it if things didn't go their way." Lincoln whispered
Giving the retreating Meowth a glance, Pikachu asks "You want me to go after him to make sure he stays away?", getting a nod from Lincoln in response. "Alright then, I'll keep him busy while you take care of business here. Are you sure you can handle it on your own?"
Nodding, Lincoln replies "I'll be fine, just go."
Watching as Pikachu ran off after Meowth, James says "I don't exactly know why you want to catch Meowth so badly, brat - the only thing he's good for is translating Pokemon speech."
"You actually think I wanted to catch that thing? Please." replied Lincoln before a cocky grin appeared on his face. "I just wanted to keep him from interfering with our battle."
Giving Lincoln a speculative look, James says "So you only said that to get Meowth out of the way?"
"Pretty much. Considering that he's with a pair of criminals like you two, I couldn't take any chances."
"Very crafty of you, brat. However, it won't be enough to stop Koffing from crushing you and whatever Pokemon you're planning on sending out."
"You sure about that?" asked Lincoln as his grin widened. "Then let's see how that Koffing of yours fares against my Fearow."
"It doesn't matter what Pokemon you use - the end result will still be the same."
"We'll just see about that." replied Lincoln before throwing Fearow's Pokeball into the air. "Alright, Fearow - come on out!" he said, as the large golden-brown Flying-Type had taken form in front of Lincoln, "Alright, let's get this show on the road! Use Fury Attack!"
"Got it!"
As the Beak Pokemon starts heading towards Koffing, James smirks and says "My, you're eager to lose already, aren't you?" before pointing at his Pokemon and ordering "Koffing, use Tackle!", causing the Poison-Type to charge towards Fearow with its body.
The two Pokemon collide upon meeting each other, but after a few seconds, Fearow manages to break the deadlock and knocks the surprisingly light Koffing away with a hit with one of her wings, followed by two more strikes after the first blow.
Frowning, James says "So that overgrown bird of yours is a lot more than just show after all - we just might have to steal it from you once this is over."
"You're not stealing anything - not from me or anyone else here!" snapped Lincoln with a defiant glare.
"So you say. But let's see how you handle this - Koffing, Sludge!"
Quickly coming to a stop from the earlier blows, the Poison-Type puffs up slightly before firing several small globs of black sludge from its mouth towards Fearow.
"Dodge it and counter with Pursuit!" ordered Lincoln, prompting Fearow to easily bank past the globs of sludge before heading towards Koffing, ready to strike it once again with her wing.
Before Fearow could smash into Koffing with the Dark-Type attack however, James smirks before ordering "Use Smokescreen, now!", causing it to puff up once more before releasing a thick black-colored smog from its body, engulfing the area.
With the cloud of smog starting to grow in size, Lincoln, not wanting to get the potentially harmful substance in his lungs, quickly covered his mouth with his shirt. Upon entering the thick cloud of smog, Fearow halts her attack and starts coughing violently.
"This...I...*cough*...can't...breathe!"
Realizing that the situation was not in his favor, Lincoln orders "Get out of there, Fearow!", prompting the Flying-Type to take off into the air above the smog.
As she looked around the area trying to find Koffing, the Flying-Type muttered "Where did it go? I can't see it anywhere..."
"Koffing, use Tackle on that Fearow now!" ordered James, causing Koffing to quickly shoot out of the smokescreen and slam its body hard into Fearow, damaging her. Before she could retaliate however, the Poison-Type quickly retreated back into the thick smog.
Pointing at James with a look of anger on her face, Runo shouts "Hey, that's not fair, using a cheap tactic like that! You're fighting dirty!", only to get a smug smirk in return from the older male as he toyed with his rose.
"Of course it is. I'm the bad guy here - I'm supposed to fight dirty." replied James condescendingly. "It's a strategy I developed just in case I ever ended up facing off against a Trainer with a powerful Pokemon - as long as Koffing keeps hidden within that cloud of smog, there's no way your Fearow is going to find and attack him."
"So that's it? I get the advantage and you pull something like this? You're just going to hit and run like a coward?!"
"Call it what you will, but you can't deny that it's certainly effective." replied James with a smug smirk.
Misty vs. Jessie
"I hope you're ready to taste defeat, you orange-haired brat. I'm going to make you pay for that 'red-haired hag' insult." said Jessie with a sneer.
"You're the one that's going to get stomped flat, grandma." retorted Misty confidently. "You have no idea who you're facing off against, do you?"
"Why should I be worried about a brat like you?" replied Jessie before an evil smirk appeared on her face. "If anything, you should be more worried about me. But I'm a merciful person - surrender your Pokemon now and I'll let you go."
"Hmm...nah. I think I'll take my chances and just kick your butt instead."
"Your funeral, brat." snarled Jessie before pointing at Staryu and ordering "Ekans, Poison Sting!", prompting Ekans to open its mouth to fire a volley of poisonous needles at Staryu.
"Staryu, use Water Gun now!"
With a cry, Staryu fires a powerful jet of water at the Poison Sting attack, easily punching through it and still having enough force to hit Ekans in the face, knocking the Snake Pokemon back.
"Well now, looks like you were nothing but a bunch of big talk - my Staryu is definitely stronger than that Ekans of yours." mused Misty with a smirk. "What was that you were saying about me losing again?"
"Shut up, brat!" snarled Jessie in anger before ordering "Ekans, Bite attack! Take that Staryu down now!"
Hissing, Ekans sprung forward towards the Water-Type Pokemon, preparing to clamp its mouth down onto it. As the attack got closer, a grin appeared on Misty's face as she prepared to issue an order to her Staryu.
She was going to enjoy making this annoying redhead eat her words.
Pikachu vs. Meowth
"Hold still!"
As he narrowly managed to dodge another Thundershock attack fired at him, Meowth thought 'And here I was thinking' that cats were the ones supposed to be chasin' mice, not the other way round! This is ridiculous!'
His job tonight should have been simple - raid the Pokemon Center and bring back any Pokemon of value to the boss. This would in turn lead to his teammates possibly getting a promotion while he would replace the boss' Persian as his favorite Pokemon.
But now? He was getting chased by a Pikachu around the Pokemon Center, trying his hardest to avoid getting zapped by it.
'Wait...why am I running' from this thing? It's just a Pikachu - I can beat it!' thought Meowth before quickly coming to a stop. Turning around to face his pursuer, he added. "Alright, ya overgrown rat - dat's enough runnin'!"
"You're the one running away, coward."
"Shut it! I don't know who ya think ya are, but now it's my turn ta be doin' da chasin'! Taste my Fury Swipes, rat!" snapped Meowth before pouncing towards Pikachu, claws outstretched.
As Meowth got closer and closer, Pikachu smirked and replied "Oh, this is going to be good." before starting to channel electricity into his tail, creating another Electroball.
Once he felt that he had built up enough power, the Electric-Type leapt into the air and launched the electrical sphere at Meowth. "Electroball!"
Eyes widening as the attack sped towards him, Meowth only had enough time to scream in terror before the Electroball connected with his body, electrocuting him and giving anyone nearby that was watching a look at what the skeletal structure of his species looked like.
With his body charred by the electrical attack, Meowth fell to the ground with a 'thump'. Coughing out a bit of smoke, he weakly muttered "...I shoulda just kept my big mouth shut and kept running'..." before passing out.
Blinking owlishly as he glanced at the knocked out Meowth, Pikachu said "Wow...that was it? I was expecting more out of him, to be honest." before leaving the Scratch Cat Pokemon behind. "I should go check on the others and see if they're doing alright."
Lincoln vs. James
"This hit-and-run stuff is really starting to bug me." said Lincoln in irritation as Koffing had once again retreated back into the smokescreen after hitting Fearow with another Tackle attack.
Recovering from the blow, Fearow grumbled "You're telling me - I can't tell where that thing is going to come from next. It's times like this that I wish I was born with Keen Eye instead of Sniper..." in agreement, just as annoyed with the cheap tactic as her Trainer was. The fact that she hadn't gotten the chance to retaliate didn't improve her mood either.
"So much for your big talk earlier, boy. You should've just handed over your Pokemon when you had the chance."
"The only reason you're winning right now is due to this stupid hit-and-run stuff you're doing." countered Lincoln as he glared at James. "Why don't you try having that Koffing fight Fearow face-to-face, huh?"
"And why would I want to do something like that? This isn't some official battle between Trainers, boy." replied James condescendingly. "Besides, like I said before - I'm the bad guy here. I don't care about the rules. But enough talk - it's time to finish this! Koffing, use Tackle!"
Once again, Koffing had shot out of the smokescreen and towards Fearow, slamming into her with its body. As it was starting to head back into the smog, Fearow's eyes gleamed before she swung one of her wings wildly at the Poison Gas Pokemon, barely missing it as it retreated once again into the dark cloud.
"Ooh...so close. But close just doesn't cut it." mocked James with a smirk.
Seething in anger at being hit once again and narrowly missing her own attack, Fearow snarled "Alright, that's it - smokescreen or not, I'm going to hit you one way or another!" before diving into the smokescreen with both of her wings outstretched, covered in a shimmering white aura. "Eat this! Aerial Ace!"
"How reckless - diving into such a thick cloud of smog without any idea on where my Koffing is hidden." mused James mockingly, only for his smug look to fade upon hearing the sound of a blow landing within the smokescreen.
Seconds later, much to the shock of both Lincoln and James, Koffing had popped out of the dark cloud with a look of pain on its face.
With a surprised look on his face, Dan asks "Whoa...she actually managed to hit that thing?"
"What!? That overgrown bird actually managed to hit my poor Koffing!? That's got to be cheating somehow!" exclaimed James in disbelief.
"And here you were saying that you didn't care about the rules...not so fun when things aren't in your favor anymore, huh?" mocked Lincoln with a cheeky smirk.
"Shut up, brat!" snarled James before ordering "Koffing, back into the smokescreen, quick! We can't afford to lose our advantage!"
"Oh no, you don't! Fearow, whatever that move was, use it again!"
"Got it!" replied Fearow before dive bombing towards Koffing just as it was about to re-enter the smokescreen. Before the Poison-Type could dodge or counterattack, the Beak Pokemon had managed to land another successful blow with Aerial Ace, sending it crashing to the ground.
"That move...that's the one Fearow tried to defeat Pikachu with earlier. What is that?" asked Lincoln curiously before taking out his Pokedex to find out more.
"Aerial Ace - a physical Flying-Type attack. This attack will always hit the opposing Pokemon without fail, regardless of how much the user's accuracy has been diminished."
"...So this move never misses, no matter what?" said Lincoln, interested, before a wily grin appeared on his face. "Sounds like my kind of move."
Overhearing what the Pokedex had said, James grimaces and mutters "A move that never misses? Great...I spent weeks coming up with this strategy and some brat manages to find a major weakness in it." before moving to call Koffing back into its Pokeball. "Koffing, return!"
Before the Poison Gas Pokemon could be recalled back however, Fearow said "Oh no you don't! Pursuit!" before quickly diving towards Koffing and slamming her wing hard into its body, knocking it unconscious.
With her opponent lying defeated on the floor, Fearow flew back over to an amused Lincoln who asked "Feel better?"
"Much. It felt really good to knock that thing out after such an annoying battle."
After recalling his defeated Pokemon, James gives Lincoln a dirty look and says "This isn't over, brat! One day, Team Rocket will make you pay for your meddling!" before running away.
"Hey, get back here!" shouted Dan as Lincoln quickly recalled Fearow before giving chase.
Misty vs. Jessie
"Staryu, Rapid Spin!"
Watching in dismay as the spinning Water-Type smashed into Ekans' body and knocked it to the floor, Jessie asks "You're just a brat! How in the world can you be so strong!?"
"Like I said before - you have no idea who you were facing off against." replied Misty before a smirk appeared on her face. "Then again, there's no way some crook like you could ever be any match for the Gym Leader of Cerulean City."
"A Gym Leader?! You?" exclaimed Jessie in disbelief, prompting Misty to take out a blue tear-shaped badge from her pocket with a cocky grin.
Upon seeing the badge, a worried expression appeared on Jessie's face - had her opponent been an ordinary Trainer, she would have been more confident about winning the battle.
But facing off against one of the Gym Leaders of Kanto on the other hand...it was no wonder she was getting wrecked so easily.
Shaking her head to clear the doubt away from her mind, Jessie thought 'No, I can't let that brat rattle me! I'm a member of Team Rocket - I can - and will - beat her, no matter what it takes!' before pointing at Misty and ordering "Ekans, forget about that Staryu! Use Poison Sting on the girl instead!"
"What?! You're actually going to have your Ekans attack me now just because you can't win? That's low!" exclaimed Misty in disgust as Staryu moved to shield her with its body.
Smirking evilly, Jessie replied "If I can't beat you in a Pokemon battle, I'll just have to make sure that I win in another way - namely by taking you out."
After taking a few seconds to shake off the damage taken from Rapid Spin, Ekans glares at Misty before opening its mouth to use Poison Sting on her. Before it could get the chance to fire the toxic attack however, a blast of lightning surged towards the Snake Pokemon and into its gaping maw.
After a few seconds of being electrocuted, Ekans fell to the floor, slightly blackened and completely unconscious.
"Ekans! No!"
While Jessie started screaming in dismay over Ekans' defeat, Misty noticed Pikachu walking over to her with a satisfied smile on his face. Picking the Electric-Type up, she asked "You're the one that saved my bacon there, weren't you?"
"Yep, that was me. Couldn't afford to let anything happen to my Trainer's mate, now could I?" replied Pikachu, grinning.
"Well...I have no idea what you just said, but thank you nonetheless."
After recalling the KO'ed Ekans back into its Pokeball, Jessie glares hatefully at Misty and Pikachu before saying "Don't think this is over, girlie - one day I'll make sure to crush you beneath my feet!"
Waving her off dismissively, Misty replied "Yeah whatever, grandma.", causing the older redhead to fume at the insult before running off. After watching her run off for a few seconds, Misty chases after her.
"Oh geez...my everything hurts...neva expected a rat like dat ta be packin' dat much power..." mumbled Meowth as he slowly started to stand up. Once he was back on his feet, he looked around the area before asking "Speaking of which, where did dat Pikachu go? I don't see it anywhere."
Before he could think further about where the Electric-Type had gone, Meowth spotted both Jessie and James running away towards the hole they had created earlier. Hobbling right after them, Meowth screams out "Hey, wait up! Don't leave me behind!"
'Just a little further and I'll be able to make my getaway...I just hope James and Meowth had better luck than I did.' thought Jessie as she ran towards the hole. As she continued towards it, she spotted James heading towards it as well, looking just as upset as she was.
Upon seeing Jessie, James asks "Jessie, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to deal with that orange-haired girl?"
"I could say the same of you - why are you running instead of battling that white-haired twerp?"
"Both of you need to quit gabbin' and start running' - we've got some trouble heading our way right now!" shouted Meowth as he hobbled over, pointing behind him. Turning to see what he was pointing at, Jessie and James spot Lincoln, Misty and Pikachu heading towards them.
Glaring at the three, Jessie snarled "Looks like we'll need to retreat for now, James."
Nodding in agreement, James answered " Agreed - let's get out of here!" before moving to make his escape through the hole, followed by Meowth.
While her two teammates make their escape through the hole, Jessie stops long enough to turn towards Lincoln and Misty. Pointing at them threateningly, she says "Don't think that you've won, you two - with your actions tonight, both of you have officially declared yourself as enemies of Team Rocket."
After making her threat, Jessie turns around and heads through the hole herself, following after James and Meowth. As soon as all three were outside, they started to run down the street in hopes of making their getaway.
Pointing at the three retreating Rockets, Lincoln orders "Pikachu, use Thundershock to stop them! Don't let them get away!"
"Got it!" replied the Electric-Type before jumping into the air and discharging a Thundershock attack at the three Rockets. Unfortunately for him, the attack had missed and the three managed to make their getaway.
Disappointed with the trio's successful escape, Leonidas mutters "They got away..."
Lincoln said nothing, as he let out a sigh.
"On the bright side, at least we foiled their heist plan," Dan replied.
"True," Lincoln replied as they went back inside, and made their way over to the front counter.
"Thank you, both of you. Because of you, all of the Pokemon at the Center are safe from harm!" Nurse Joy exclaimed.
"No problem, Nurse Joy, but do you think we can leave our Pokemon in your care again?" Lincoln asked.
"Sure. Just leave everything to me!" Nurse Joy replied, as the trainers handed off their Pokemon to the nurse.
"I'll see you in the morning, Pikachu," Lincoln said to his partner.
"Likewise. Have a good night," Pikachu said.
"Well, now I'm ready for some much-needed sleep," Lincoln commented.
"Chansey, could you show them to their room?" Nurse Joy asked.
"Of course! If you all will follow me," Chansey said, as they followed the Egg Pokemon, eventually arriving at a room, "This is Room #3. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to come and ask," Chansey said, despite the fact that Lincoln was the only one who understood what she was saying. Swiping the key card he received from Nurse Joy, Lincoln opened the door into the room. True to what Nurse Joy had previously said, there were in fact two sets of bunk beds.
"Oh boy." Lincoln said, realizing something. There were five of them.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Kanto, in an dark office room,
A man in a fancy orange suit with slick, combed hair sat with his legs crossed, glaring disapprovingly at the trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth. He was stroking a fairly large, cat like Pokemon with a red jewel in its forehead, "Words cannot even begin to describe my disappointment with you three. You had a task so simple, even you could've done it with ease. So, what happened?" the man asked.
"Well, you see, Giovanni, sir, some twerps got in our way and sent us packing," Jessie nervously explained.
"You mean to tell me that you allowed a couple of kids managed to drive you away?!" Giovanni yelled, causing the three to flinch.
"To be fair, sir, they were quite strong. One of them was a Gym Leader, even," James replied, hoping to calm the tension in the air. Giovanni turned to one of the other grunts.
"Bring me the surveillance footage. I want to see these trainers," Giovanni ordered.
"Yes sir," the grunt replied, typing something into a tablet device, as the footage from the battle came onto a nearby monitor, showcasing the battle at the Pokemon Center.
"I recognize Misty, the Cerulean City Gym Leader, but what of the others?" Giovanni asked, intrigued by what he was seeing.
"Sir, we have information on them. They call themselves the Bakugan Battle Brawlers, from Royal Woods, Michigan, in the United States. They only started out on their journey this morning," the grunt explained.
"You mean I was beaten by some newbie?!" James screams.
"The girl I can understand, but how could some newbie have beaten us?!" Meowth exclaimed.
"Be silent, insolent fool!" Giovanni yelled, causing Meowth to tense up. It was then that he made an important decision, "I'm giving you three a new assignment- You are to follow these 'Battle Brawlers, and monitor everything they do, from the people they contact, to the Pokemon they catch, and to the places they go," he ordered.
"Um, sure thing, boss, but might I ask, why?" Jessie asked.
"You see, defeating a member of Team Rocket, even the lowest of the lowest ranked grunts, such as yourselves, is no small feat. I want to see about recruiting him to our cause," Giovanni explained. 'Not to mention it would keep the three of you clowns out of all of the big operations I have planned in the future,' he thought.
"Recruiting him as a Team Rocket member? Really?" James asked.
"Indeed. In addition to your normal duties, you three are to battle him every now and again to assess his prowess as a trainer, to see if he can make the cut. And I cannot stress this enough when I tell you NOT to fail me again. Because if you do…"
"ROGER! WE WON'T LET YOU DOWN, GIOVANNI, SIR!" the three grunts exclaimed.
"Good. Now then, get out of my sight before I change my mind about you three," Giovanni ordered. The three of them quickly ran out of his office, while Giovanni looked at the orange clad boy, "Yes, I'm almost certain that you'd make a fine member of Team Rocket."
Author's Note:
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