This chapter includes Lawrence's Pokemon from Professor Elm, Giovanni's discussion about Lawrence and rivals galore who have a common connection to the Venemas. Well, enjoy!!!
Chapter 5
Pokemon, Rockets and Rivals
Lawrence entered the lab. Now he was deciding what Pokemon he would get. With three pokemon, this would be harder than just to choose only one pokemon. Maybe he would have an all fire team or an all grass type team or an all water type team. Maybe he would have a team that includes a fire, water and grass pokemon but they would be not from the same country. Like he would have a grass type from Kanto, a water type from Johto and a fire type from Houen. My head was spinning with excitement and confusion.
"As you know, you can get the starters from Kanto, Johto and Houen but ... you can also get more." Professor Elm said when pointed towards some other pokemon in the room.
There were usually starters but there were other pokemon besides them. There were Phanpys, Dratinis, Pikachus, and even a Jigglypuff. Lawrence looked for a pokemon to be my first pick and there it was. It was an Eevee whose light brown furs glistened in the light. It looked at me and Lawrence looked at it. Lawrence smiled at it and it smiled at him. It was the perfect choice for my first choice. An Eevee evolved into five evolutions. Plus it was definitely would be a good companion.
"I'll take the Eevee." Lawrence said.
"Excellent choice. Now, choose your next pokemon." Professor Elm said.
There were a lot of pokemon to pick from. Lawrence didn't know which pokemon he would pick next. When you were able to choose only one pokemon, the choice was easier. But having to choose three pokemon, it wasn't that easy. If Lawrence picked the wrong pokemon, he would have to suffer through the journal if my pokemon didn't like him. Lawrence looked around to find another excellent pokemon. Lawrence looked and saw a Houndour Lawrence didn't know why but he guessed it was the Venema instinct. We always liked dangerous pokemon so Houndour would be the perfect choice.
"I'll take the Houndour." Lawrence said to Professor Elm.
"It figures. Dangerous pokemon and Venemas are a good match up," He said back to me, "Choose your last and final pokemon."
Lawrence laughed silently as he heard his statement. We Venemas enjoy being with dangerous pokemon. Lawrence knew it was when the first Venema joined up with Team Rocket. His lack of a fear of danger was passed on to every Venema including me. Lawrence started to look for my last pokemon. It had to be something powerful but something that my pokemon wouldn't have a problem with. That's when Lawrence saw Scyther. Its green scythes were glistening in the lab light. Its stance was like of a warrior. Lawrence knew he had to have it.
"For my last pokemon, I will take Scyther." Lawrence said to Professor Elm.
"Scyther is an excellent choice. I thought you would choose Scyther."
He gave me each of the pokemon balls and recalled all of them. He gave me a black pokedex to match my personality. Of course black would somewhat match a Venema's personality but not mine. Lawrence asked for a dark purple pokedex. He asked why. Lawrence said it reminded him of my newest and rarest pokemon. He gave him the black pokedex for a dark purple pokedex. Then he told Lawrence to wait in the waiting room. He had a couple of announcements to the trainers. But just before I left, Lawrence heard him say something about my rare snake pokemon. Lawrence knew he just wants the chance to study it. Lawrence said that it was okay to study it right after everyone has gotten his or her pokemon.
"Hey, is it my turn?" One of the trainers, which was standing outside a minute ago, said to me.
"George Rucatso!!! It's your turn!!!" Professor Elm called.
"If you heard that, then yes it is." Lawrence said while heading to the waiting room.
The boy, whose name was George Rucatso, ran into the laboratory. Lawrence sat down on a coach and waited for all the trainers to come in. So Lawrence was finally achieving the impossible. Well, the standards of pokemon journeys are not even possible for Venemas. So Lawrence was doing something never been done before. Lawrence was going to make sure his generation followed by his example. I waited for the rest to come in. I could hear George's excitement in the lab. Lawrence though he heard the boy was shouting something about a Rattata. Lawrence never understood Rattata or Raticate. It is not that there is anything wrong with either pokemon but they are not pokemon that get powerful. Not many normal type pokemon are powerful with the exceptions of Tauros, Miltank, Snorlax, and of course Eevee. A Yanma passed through the window and landed on top of the door. Lawrence didn't mind if a horde of Scythers passed through nothing would ruin my day.
Meanwhile at a Rocket headquarters somewhere outside of Viridian City, Giovanni was sitting in his executive cheer waiting for the meeting to begin. He had a lot of plans to discuss but Lawrence Venema was his top priority. This Venema was not going to ruin his winning streak. The Venemas were the key portion of Team Rocket. Team Rocket existed back then but under a different name. His father started it and it did very well but not as well as today. When his father started up Team Rocket, the very first Venema brought Team Rocket up to high standards. It has been that way ever since ... until Lawrence decided to break the tradition.
"People, it is time to discuss today's agendas" Giovanni said, "Flora, will you begin with the record of last meeting's agendas?"
"Yes, Giovanni. Well, last time we discussed what to do about the lack of trainers joining Team Rocket. More and more people hate Team Rocket so that leaves us with a problem. We also discussed on the health of Mewtwo and how he is fairing. Our last discussion was about how to celebrate the newest Venema into the ranks of Team Rocket." Flora said but then she turned to Giovanni, "so Giovanni, where is our newest Venema?"
"That is the main discussion for today's meeting. We must get Lawrence Venema to join Team Rocket." Giovanni growled as his hand hit the desk.
"I don't understand, boss. I thought every Venema joined Team Rocket. It is a tradition." Cassidy said.
"Well, Lawrence has decided to break tradition and go on a pokemon journey. Right now, he is not being feared by his name. He is being embraced. He is being called 'A Venema without the Rocket Cause.' We must stop this. The Venema and the Team Rocket reputation are on the line." Giovanni growled as his hand hit the desk again.
Butch and Cassidy looked at their boss. He was never this angry. The only time when he was angry was when Jessie, James and Meowth did something to irritate him. And it wasn't that hard for them. Sure, they did rejoin Team Rocket but they still were the bumbling members she knew a year and a half ago. Speaking of members, they should been here by now. Giovanni called a meeting of top rockets and those three landed on the list. Suddenly, the door burst open and there they were. Jessie was holding a sack but her hair was black. James fell to the floor with Meowth beside him.
"So you arrived. What took you?" Giovanni asked Jessie.
"We had a bit of trouble with Officer Jenny and her Arcanine in Olivine City but we got you the pokemon." Jessie explained.
"I am confused. Why were you sent to Olivine City? And why didn't you send Cassidy and I to Olivine City?" Butch asked his superior.
"Well, I need someone to attend the Rare Pokemon Convention. I knew I had to give those two one more chance. I do not actually like Jessie, James and Meowth but they deserved a second chance anyways." Giovanni explained.
"And it was a success. Thanks to some Meowth ingenuity, we were able to steal the rarest pokemon from Arcanines to Dragonites to even a Mew!!" James exclaimed.
"A MEW???" Everyone but Giovanni shouted.
"I had expected at least one legendary pokemon to be there. Now take your seats!!" Giovanni said while smiling.
"What are we talking about?" Meowth asked.
"I think we are talking about the newest Venema crisis."
Everyone turned around and saw Domino standing in the doorway. She had her rose baton in her hand. Jessie, James and Meowth snickered because they knew something that she or anyone on the team did not. Even though Team Rocket had recaptured Mewtwo, it took them a while to find him. Mewtwo had erased every rocket's memory except for them, back at Purity Canyon. So while Jessie, James and Meowth knew the location of Mewtwo, the rest of Team Rocket including Giovanni, did not.
"Yes, and that's why I called you all here. You all have been selected for a chance to bring back Lawrence Venema." Giovanni shouted as he pounded the table.
"Bring him back? What's the problem? I should get him back in a day or two!!!" Domino laughed.
"Don't underestimate Lawrence, Domino. Remember he has his siblings and family guarding him. It won't be that easy!!" Giovanni growled.
Giovanni started to explain how serious this mission was. This Lawrence kid was ruining the Venema name already. It was going to be hard with both the Venema siblings and Lawrence's pokemon protecting him. Fortunately, Giovanni couldn't reveal the ideals of the Twin Terrors or Trevor's hybrid identity. He knew that Dharma and Greg knew the true identity of the Twin Terrors and Trevor's Hybrid Identity. Fortunately, they were unconscious due to a powerful attack, which his scientists examined to be a double hyper beam attack.
"I don't expect anyone to actually finish this mission. You might even fail. I do not like failures but this is the hardest mission that I have ever given you. Assemble your pokemon and weapons!! Plan your diabolic plans!!! I expect a report from each of you next week from today" Giovanni said to all the summoned Rockets, "and Domino, I want you to come here."
Every other rocket headed for the door to plan their attempt to capture Lawrence while Domino headed for Giovanni. She didn't know what Giovanni wanted with her. She was a trustable agent for Team Rocket but she didn't know why Giovanni wanted her. Maybe he had a secret mission for her. That was it, she thought. Giovanni handed a folder to her. She took it and looked at it. The title of the folder was called "The Venema File."
"What is this about?" Domino asked.
"I want you to go after Lawrence after a certain failure happens. I also want you to be prepared for the Venemas. Here is everything about every Venema sibling including The Twin Terrors." Giovanni explained.
"The Twin Terrors? You mean that group of duo thieves. You mean that two of the Venema siblings form this diabolic group." Domino said while trying to comprehend the situation.
"Yes, that group. When the Venema brothers came to me with a plan to increase the popularity plus the fear of Team Rocket, I agreed. So on a certain day, I founded the group known as The Twin Terrors." Giovanni explained.
"And you have been keeping this group from us because why???" Domino asked.
"The Venemas make up a major portion of Team Rocket. I keep their files classified in case of special missions." Giovanni explained once more.
Domino nodded to Giovanni and headed towards the door. So this was her ultimate mission. This mission wouldn't be a cakewalk. With his siblings in the way, it would be hard to capture Lawrence. Unless .... Yes, she had a plan. She knew a way to capture Lawrence while not alerting the other Venema siblings including the twin Terrors. She headed back towards her room to read up on information behind the Venemas. Maybe she would be able to counteract any Venema siblings from interfering. She pressed a button on her intercom. It was to the kitchen.
"Cook, could you make me a Italian Chicken Sandwich, A Caesar salad with croutons covered with Ranch and a Raspberry Lemonade?" Domino asked.
"Yes, Domino. It would be sent up shortly." The cook said.
"Thanks, Butch!!!!" She snickered.
Butch was Team Rocket's Personal Chef. In fact, Butch was the only surviving chef who made food that Giovanni actually liked. She liked the food he made. Butch had a way with food. She heard from rumors that it was a way to get away from Cassidy and Domino could understand. Cassidy could be a little annoying and aggressive. It was a good idea for Giovanni to not pair her up with anybody. If he didn't, she would be stuck side by side with aggressive Cassidy. Domino plopped down in her hammock and started to read. So Trevor is a Pokemon/Human Hybrid. This file about the Venemas might not be so bad after all. Domino continued to read and her eyes glared at the information. She might find a way to get Lawrence into the Rocket Ranks and no one would stop her.
Meanwhile, back at Professor Elm's Lab ...
"So Lance, that would be all the pokemon left."
"You mean I am stuck with these PATHETIC POKEMON!!!"
Lawrence turned to hear the yelling. What pokemon were left to aggravate this Lance kid? He turned to listen to the conversation more.
"But Pikachu, Marill and Wurmple are excellent pokemon." Professor Elm explained.
"Pikachu??? Any trainer knows that Pikachu and Marill are for trainers who only like to dress up their pokemon. And as for Wurmple ... even Caterpie is better than Wurmple." Lance growled.
"I am sorry, but your name was last on the list." Professor Elm said while standing his ground, "so no exceptions, either take this pokemon or leave."
"Wasn't there a Eevee, a Houndour, and a Scyther?" Lance growled.
"Yes, but Lawrence Venema took them." Professor Elm explained.
"Then I want to see this Lawrence Venema!!!" Lance growled.
The conversation ended and Lawrence knew what was going to happen next. Lance? Wasn't that the name of the Elite Four Leader? Lawrence hoped that this trainer wasn't related to Lance. Then the kid walked in. His hair was the color of fire, which wasn't that unusual. Many trainers today believe it was fashionable to have red hair. His clothing matched his attitude. He was impatient, angry and dark person so his clothing consisted of a mixture of red, black, and a little white. He almost reminded me a human version of an Ariados. He stepped up to me and breathed down my face.
"Are you Lawrence Venema?" Lance asked
"Yes, I am. And who are you?" I said boldly.
He stepped back. He was probably expecting Lawrence to shake in fear. Lawrence knew that he was not going to be afraid of some kid who has a bad temper. Lance scanned Lawrence and looked at him closely. This Lawrence person was either very brave or very stupid. He turned to Professor Elm and back to Lawrence. Now it was time to barter, Lance style.
"Here is the plan; you give me your pokemon and you get the POKEMON that I was supposed to take. Oh, my name is Lance Venemosa."
"Venemosa??? Now where have I heard that name before? Hmmm!!!!!" Lawrence wondered.
"Lawrence, the trade has to be dealt now!!!" Lance Venemosa said angrily.
"Then no!! Although you did arrive early, there was nothing to do to change the list order. You are stuck with those pokemon, which I believe will help you change your attitude!!!" Lawrence growled.
"You are giving ME attitude lessons? That's it!!! Let's have a pokemon battle!!!" Lance growled!!!
"How can you have a pokemon battle if you won't use of the pokemon in the lab?" Lawrence asked.
"Because I got a special present for my trainers journey. I got a pokemon just in case so I would have four pokemon to achieve my goals of becoming the world's most powerful trainer!!!" Lance laughed.
So Lance was one of those types. He just wanted pokemon to get his way to glory. He probably didn't even care if they needed attention. He would use them to gain a higher title. Lawrence wasn't going to stand for it. He was raised to treat Pokemon as individuals. He turned to Professor Elm and then he turned back to Lance. Lance was about to regret messing with him.
"Okay, Lance!! You will get your battle!!!" Lawrence shouted.
"Okay!!! Since I can't stop you two, then follow me!!!" Professor Elm said.
Both Lawrence and Lance followed Professor Elm out of the lab. They passed many different of species of pokemon. There were some that existed in the Johto Region. There were some that came from the Kanto Region and Lawrence thought he saw some that came from the Houen Region. They arrived at a Pokemon Battle field complete with an official Scoreboard. Lance stood at one side and Lawrence stood at the other side.
"This battle will determine who gets which Pokemon. If Lance wins, Lawrence will trade his pokemon to Lance. If Lawrence wins, Lance will keep the pokemon that was supposed to win. This is a one on one battle. There is no time limit!!! Let the battle begin!!!" Professor Elm announced.
"I choose you, Mr. Mime." Lance shouted as he threw the pokeball.
The mimish Pokemon appeared on the field. It seemed well enough to battle so it seemed fit to battle. Lawrence pulled out Adnocana's pokeball. This would be an excellent chance to test it out and have Professor Elm study it at the same time. Lawrence also had the advantage. Since Adnocana was a Poison/Dark type pokemon, Mr. Mime's psychic attacks wouldn't affect him. Now Lawrence was going to test Lance's knowledge of Pokemon.
"Okay, Professor Elm, here is a pokemon that is worth noting." Lawrence shouted as he threw the pokeball.
With a flash of light, the giant snake appeared on the field. Professor Elm almost fainted at the sight of the snake. Professor Elm couldn't believe that a pokemon like this could exist. It beat the record for the longest pokemon. He got out a notepad and jotted it down. Lawrence turned to see Professor Elm jot down details of his Adnocana. Then he turned to see Lance's expression. Lance wasn't even scared. He was not even amazed. It was like this pokemon didn't mean any threat or anything to Lance.
"Ohhhhhh, a big scary snake. I don't know if Mr. Mime can handle this big scary snake!!!" Lance said as he mocked Lawrence's pokemon.
"Mock my pokemon all you want, Lance. This is Adnocana, the evolved form of Arbok due to the process of friendly evolution. It is ... " Lawrence explained but Lance interrupted.
"I didn't come here for a Pokemon lesson. I came here for a battle!!!" Lance shouted.
Foolish Lance, Lawrence thought. He should have listened to the rest of what Lawrence said. That way that Lance will actually know what he will come against. Lance sneered and ordered his Mr. Mime to use a Psychic attack on Adnocana. Lawrence told Adnocana to stand still. The Psychic attack was fired at Adnocana and Adnocana didn't feel a thing. Professor Elm was recording this but he smiled at Lawrence. Lawrence smiled back and grinned at his opponent. Right now, Lance was scratching his head.
"Adnocana is a poison type and they are weak against psychic types or attacks. So why didn't Psychic work on Adnocana?" Lance wondered.
"Because Adnocana is a Dark/Poison Type, Lance. Don't you know that Psychic Attacks don't harm Dark Types?" Lawrence chuckled.
"How was I supposed to know that? You never said anything ... you should have said something." Lance growled.
"I was about to give you an clue about Adnocana but you interrupted me. So it is your fault that you didn't hear my clue. Now it is time to end this battle!! Adnocana, use your Squeeze Attack on Mr. Mime!!!" Lawrence shouted.
"Don't think so!!! Mr. Mime, use Teleport!! Teleport away from Adnocana's grasp." Lance shouted.
So Lance did know a few things about Pokemon but he didn't know enough. Lawrence was going to teach this trainer a lesson he would never forget. He ordered Adnocana to use his tail to hit the ground. Adnocana whacked the ground with its tail. The ground started to shake and suddenly Mr. Mime lost its concentration in the earthquakes Adnocana was causing. Perfect, Lawrence thought. Now that Mr. Mime is losing its focus, I can attack.
"Adnocana, wrap your tail around Mr. Mime and use your Squeeze attack." Lawrence shouted.
Adnocana used its massive tail to grab Lance's Mr. Mime. Lance saw this and tried to recall his pokemon. It was no use since Adnocana's massive tail blocked all attempts to return Mr. Mime to his pokeball. Adnocana began to squeeze Mr. Mime. Both Lawrence and Lance could see Mr. Mime's colors were changing. In the background, Professor Elm was jotting things down. Mr. Mime's skin became a dark purple when Lawrence ordered Adnocana to release Mr. Mime for a Slam Attack. Adnocana slammed Mr. Mime into the ground so hard that it shook the entire area. Adnocana unwrapped its tail to release Mr. Mime. Lance ran up to his Mr. Mime and recalled him. Then Lance glared at Lawrence.
"This isn't over, Lawrence. I will take my pokemon but you won't get away with this. I will bug you until the ends of this planet ... as your rival." Lance snickered.
"He can't do that, can he?" Lawrence asked as he looked at Professor Elm.
"I am afraid it is perfectly legal. Excuse me, Lawrence. I have something to attend to." Professor Elm said.
Both Professor Elm and Lance headed for the lab as Lawrence stood outside. Adnocana slithered over to its trainer. It rubbed its body against Lawrence's. Lawrence patted Adnocana but he wasn't happy. Lance as my rival? Why couldn't he get a rival who didn't care about becoming the world's most powerful trainer? He could have had a rival who liked the same interest that Lawrence had but nooooo ... he had to get stuck with the worst choice of a rival ever. Lawrence could hear the door slam and watch Professor Elm walk out. He saw the Professor was angry.
"Lawrence, I have to say that it is the most disrespectful trainer I have ever met." Professor Elm growled.
"Well, I will have to deal with him the whole way. First, Giovanni sends his grunts after me ... and he probably won't stop. Now, I get the worst choice of rival. What next? I am arrested just because of my name?" Lawrence questioned.
"Who knows, Lawrence? Who knows? By the way, here are your pokeballs." Professor Elm said.
I took the pokeballs and we started to chat about Adnocana. I took out my Pokegear and looked at the time. It was almost afternoon and I had to start my journey soon. I walked through the lab and waved goodbye to Professor Elm. Adnocana slithered around the lab and I finally remembered that I probably should recall him. I was about to do that when she showed up. Her hair was the color of the sea and so was the clothing. She looked at me and then looked at Adnocana.
"Nice Pokemon, Lawrence. Oh, sorry for my brother's attitude?" she said.
"Wait, you two are related?" Lawrence asked.
"Yes, Lance is my brother. I am Aquaria Venemosa." She said.
"Aquaria? Doesn't that mean Bubbly?" I asked.
"It means many other things." Aquaria said.
"Venemosa? Wait, aren't the Venemosas supposed to related to the Venemas?" I asked.
"I can't see how. We aren't evil." Aquaria sneered.
"Wait a second!!! Venemas aren't evil. That is the modern myth but we are kind to our pokemon. It is when we join Team Rocket our evil side shows." Lawrence explained.
"So why aren't you joining Team Rocket?" Aquaria asked.
"Didn't care about Team Rocket. Now Giovanni is sending his goons after me." Lawrence sighed.
"That is too bad!! Hey, how would you like if I was your rival?" Aquaria asked.
"But Lance said he was going to be my rival. Boy, how horrible that will be?" Lawrence sighed.
"How about if you have two rivals? There are no rules against it, is there?" Aquaria suggested.
"I don't think there are." Lawrence said.
"Then it is agreed. Don't think I will go easy on you, Lawrence." Aquaria said.
"Fine, because you don't want to mess with me, Aquaria." Lawrence said back.
Aquaria turned around and headed down the path towards Cherrygrove city. Lawrence recalled Adnocana to its pokeball. Despite that Giovanni was trying to bring him back to Team Rocket and he had the annoying Lance following him, maybe things wouldn't turn up so bad. Aquaria seemed like the perfect rival. Lawrence's phone rang. He picked it up. It was his mother. She was asking about what had happened at Professor Elm's Lab. He sighed because this was going to be a long story.
"Better, sit down Mom because this is going to be a long story. It all started when I learned trainers could receive three pokemon. I was ... "