Tinted With Evil

Chapter 3: Job Offer

A/N: This little note might not be as short as I would like it to be, but I feel the need to address something raised by a reviewer recently. First off, if they do continue to read this fic and see this note, I would like to thank them for their advice. I will keep it in mind for future reference. But, I would also like to say something back to them. How can you judge what is realistic in a make believe world? This is a part of fanfiction that is very important. Taking something and adding your own personal spin to it. That spin might not be technically correct or stay true to the original source, but that's what makes it unique. Without it, we would all just be creating the same mindless droll and that wouldn't be much fun, would it? Well, enough of my little speech, on to the next chapter!

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What a rush! Tint couldn't get over the pure euphoria of what he had just done. It felt… good… Who knew that stealing could provide someone with this feeling of pleasure? But, this isn't right. Stealing is still wrong, even if it is from bad guys. Tint stopped himself at the base of the staircase, so engorged in thought that he didn't notice the red haired girl that he had seen fishing the previous day storm past him. I am one of the bad guys now… and bad guys are supposed to do bad things, right?

Clearly,his conscience was still working. After all, he was still an average guy with a rather strange past who just wanted to live out his dream. The fact that he was willing to do some shady things to succeed only showed his determination. Just call me a vigilante… no, that's not quite right… more like… revolutionary. Yeah, that sounds good.

During his thoughts, he had inadvertently wandered away from the Pokemon Center. That turned out to be a lucky thing for him, because the trio of strange individuals had left the Center, apparently in search of him. Tint watched as the three crept through the shadows away from him, heading towards the outskirts of town. They were none of his concern anymore; he had done his part to stop them.

"Hey, kid." The sudden sound of the gruff voice shocked Tint. He spun around to face whoever it was that was talking to him, his fists raised to defend himself with. There stood one of the largest men that Tint had ever seen. The guy looked like he was a professional wrestler, with his huge muscles threatening to tear through his suit jacket. He stood almost a full foot taller than Tint, who was no slouch in the height department himself standing at five foot ten. But this guy was a giant.

Tint wisely unclenched his hands, knowing that a fight against this man would only get him snapped in half. "Yeah, what?" Tint challenged, trying to sound tough enough not to be taken as an easy target, but not so tough to be at a suicidal level.

A tiny smile crept across the big guy's monstrous face. It was more of a smirk than anything, but it was a good sign nevertheless. "Da boss wants to talk to you." With that simple statement the big guy turned his back to Tint and began walking down a nearby street. There was probably less harm in following the big guy than risk angering him. Tint had no clue who this "boss" person was or what he wanted with him, but it couldn't hurt to find out.

He found himself growing tired as he tried in vain to keep up with the larger man. It had been a long day for him and he needed rest. Finally the big guy came to a stop in front of a very large building, even bigger than the Pokemon Center was. Tint looked up and was surprised to see that this was the Viridian City Gym. Was the boss the gym leader? That would be so cool.

The big guy reached into his suit pocket, producing a tiny key which he used to unlock the doors. With one light push, the doors swung open, revealing the inside of the gym. Tint looked around in awe. This was Tint's first time inside of an actual gym. There was a tiny welcoming area with a single hallway leading deeper into the building. The big guy nodded his head in the direction of the hall, telling Tint to go on ahead, "Da boss is waiting for you."

Tint wisely followed the implied order, walking towards the pitch black hall. The building was oddly devoid of any sign of other living beings other than Tint and the muscle head who trailed behind him. After a few seconds of fumbling his way thru the darkness, Tint found himself step into a large auditorium. Nearly instantly after he entered, a flood of lights snapped on, making him shield his eyes. It took him a couple of moments to regain his vision, but when he did, there was company awaiting him. Directly in front of him, no more than five feet away, stood a massive Rhydon, looking like it was ready to run him over. "It is not often that I allow visitors," someone stated from behind the creature.

Only now did Tint realize that he was standing at the end of a battlefield surrounded by stadium seating. A few random individuals sat in the seats, each one dressed in a black outfit with a blazing red R adorning it. "Team Rocket…" Tint nervously took a step back, but found himself bumping into the brute that had led him here. "What do you want with me?" Tint shouted out.

"How does it feel to be a thief?" The man at the opposite end of the stadium asked. Tint got his first good look at the man. He was wearing a striped suit and had short, slicked back black hair, giving him the appearance of a classic crime lord. Crouching at his side was a Persian, happily rubbing its head against the man's leg.

Tint shook his head, "I'm not a thief."

"Oh, but you are. I've seen otherwise." All around the stadium large view screens came to life. On the screens played a short movie of Tint back at Professor Oak's laboratory at the exact moment that he had acquired Silence. Right after that, another clip showed him taking the Pokeballs at the Pokemon Center. Team Rocket must have had cameras like these placed all around the world. The boss continued speaking once the videos finished playing. "We've had our eye on you for quite some time now."

"But why? What's so important about me?"

A sly smile crossed the face of the man standing on the other side of the field. "As you have probably guessed by now, we are Team Rocket. We are always looking for new agents to recruit and it just happens that you have impressed us with your actions today. How would you like to join Team Rocket?"

"Do I have a choice in the matter?"

"There is no pressure on you to join us. You can turn around and walk out of this building if you wanted to. But that wouldn't be a very wise decision on your behalf. We both know that the police are looking for you, so you can't go to them and rat us out without incriminating yourself. If you do leave, then you will have made an enemy of Team Rocket. You would become an outcast from both sides of the law, hunted everyday for the rest of your life. You don't want that, correct?"

The boss of Team Rocket raised a good point. Either way he was going to be an outcast from normal society, always being a wanted criminal. If he joined with Team Rocket, it would only cause that gap to grow. But that was one of the risks that he had decided to take when he started this entire thing. He sighed heavily as he looked directly at the boss, "Alright, I'll do it."

Tint's answer came as a surprise to everyone else present. They must have been expecting more of fight out of Tint before he gave in. Even the boss seemed a little taken aback by the decision. "Welcome to Team Rocket, Tint." The Rhydon suddenly disappeared as the boss reclaimed it as he walked out of the stadium in the opposite direction.

"Wait! How did you know my name?" Tint called out after the man, but he was already gone.

A pair of Team Rocket members had hopped over the railing and was approaching Tint while everyone else was making their exits. One of them was a blond haired woman and the other was a man who had wavy green hair. "Hey, I'm Butch." The man declared, extending his hand towards Tint.

"And I'm Cassidy. We're going to help set you up so that you can start your work as soon as possible!" The woman stated shaking hands with Tint after Butch released his grip.

Tint was still rather stunned that he had made the decision to join Team Rocket. Butch and Cassidy noticed that the new member was deep in thought, but decided to continue on with their tutorial. "Come with us." Butch said with a smile, leading Tint towards one of the many exits of the stadium. Tint mindlessly followed, engorged in his own thoughts.

The pair from Team Rocket had taken Tint into a locker room. "You're very lucky, you know. It's not everyday that the boss personally invites someone to join Team Rocket." Cassidy claimed as she unlocked one of the lockers. Inside was a folded up stack of clothes, the red R clearly visible on top. "Don't worry; you don't have to change into this. What you are wearing is just fine for the job the boss wants you to do."

"What is it that I'm supposed to do?" Tint asked, slowly returning to his normal state of mind. The more he had thought about it, the more he liked the idea of working for Team Rocket.

Butch calmly removed the backpack from off of Tint's shoulders and placed it down on a bench beside them. As he opened up the bag, loading in the uniform, he explained, "The boss wants a trainer on the inside. Someone who has gone through the Pokemon challenge legitimately. All you have to do is travel the country, winning badges and catching wild Pokemon. But, since you're now part of Team Rocket, try doing a little lying, cheating, and stealing here and there."

"Is that it?" Tint was shocked to learn about his mission. He had been expecting to do some dirty work. Now, it was just like he was going to carry on as a regular trainer.

"That's it. We're even going to hack into the Pokemon League registration system and put you in as a new trainer." Cassidy announced, handing Tint a small red machine that he instantly recognized as one of Professor Oak's Pokedexs. "Now, why don't you show us your Pokemon. Both of them."

"What do you mean both of them? I only have my Sandshrew."

Butch shook his head, reaching into Tint's bag and pulling out the seven Pokeballs. "Trust those fools to screw up with something as simple of taking empty Pokeballs. Watch." Butch tossed two of the balls into an open area in the locker room. Instantly they popped open, releasing Silence and a trembling group of little pink eggs, an Exeggcute.

"One day and you've already stolen two Pokemon. That's a good start to your career with Team Rocket." Cassidy threw a friendly arm around Tint, who could only stare at the agitated Exeggcute in disbelief.

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A/N: Yay! Now he's part of Team Rocket. I wonder if that means if Tint and Jessie might run into each other again? And when is he going to get in his first battle? Stay tuned for the answers!