Tinted With Evil

Chapter 4: Capture and Challenge

A/N: After this, I'm not sure when the next update will come around. I'm heading home this weekend and it's a guarantee that I'll be swarmed by friends and family. Best guess is either next Monday or Tuesday. Until then, I hope that this chapter is enough to satisfy you guys.

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Tint was walking with a newfound air of cockiness. It was the day after his inception into the Team Rocket organization. At first, he had felt somewhat uncomfortable about being associated with criminals. But, after a good nights rest, he had begun to take a liking to the idea. After all, he had already committed himself to a life of crime, so why not gain the benefits that the Rocket group offered?

A smirk crossed his face as he thumbed the string of Pokeballs that lined the shoulder straps of his backpack. To him, being able to proudly display that he was a trainer was one of the greatest accomplishments he had ever strived to meet. Youngsters ran past him on their way to school, pointing at him with admiration. It was a shame though that he wasn't a shining example that they should be looking up to.

Yes, there was still a large part of him that regretted the path he was taking to become a great trainer. This was the part of him that still housed the soul of his childhood. He remembered watching his friends leave Pallet Town to start their own journeys. "Why can't I go with my friends?" He had asked his mother.

She had just smiled back at him. "The world is a dangerous place, way too unsafe for someone like you. Your friends can go because they are strong and healthy. I can't allow myself to let you go out there on your own, knowing full well that it would be my fault if anything happened to you. With your condition…"

Tint gently pushed up his glasses, almost an unconscious movement caused by the memory of those early times. He had been wearing tinted lenses for his glasses for as long as he could remember. From an early age, his eyes had become weakened by the bright glare of the sun. He suffered terrible migraines any time that he forgot to wear the shades. Now, he had outgrown the need to wear the dark lenses for medicinal purposes, but chose to keep wearing the glasses as a memento of what he had been through.

Today was another one of those days when he didn't really need to be wearing the sunglasses. The veil of the leaf canopy overhead blocked out almost all light coming from the midday sun, yet allowing the forest to stay dimly lit. Everything about the weather was perfect, especially compared to the freak thunderstorm from the previous day. Yet, the forest was deadly silent except for the occasional crunch of a twig under Tint's feet.

He had expected to find the forest bustling with wild Pokemon. During his time working with Professor Oak, the lab had received many reports from new trainers telling of their experiences in Viridian Forest. Most usually caught two or three Pokemon by the time they arrived in Pewter City on the other side of the forest. Given, the wild Pokemon here were rumored to be fairly numerous and varied, but generally weak.

Tint had his eyes open, scanning the treetops and the dirt forest floor for any sign of movement. He even had let Silence and his new Exeggcute out of their Pokeballs to help him search. The unexpected acquiring of the Exeggcute still came as a huge surprise to him. Had the trio of thieves carried out their plan back at the Pokemon Center, at least the victim would have some consolation, although not enough to compensate for the loss of an entire team. Yet, Tint was happy to add the jittering group of eggs to his own party.

Exeggcute appeared to have found something interesting. The six eggs were jumping about frantically, trying to draw Tint's attention. It wasn't until Silence joined Exeggcute that Tint noticed. Tint stood over his two Pokemon, who were in a conversation of there own. While the Exeggcute explained itself, Silence merely nodded in understanding before passing on the message to Tint using gestures. Apparently, Exeggcute had seen a tiny Pokemon run into the bushes near here and wanted to flush it out.

Silence had already moved itself around the large bush, awaiting Tint's orders to jump in. Exeggcute moved itself to the left of the bush as Tint stood to the right. They had the wild Pokemon surrounded. Tint nodded towards Silence, who instantly dived into the bush. Nothing seemed to happen, aside for the rustling caused by Silence.

About five seconds later, Silence emerged from the bush. He motioned for Tint to come closer and see something, so the trainer listened. Tint pushed aside the tangled mass of branches. Lying on the ground was a Spearow, very clearly injured and in bad shape. Its right wing was folded awkwardly to the side and it was covered in bruises. It looked like someone or something had attacked it and left the injured bird to fend for itself.

Tint felt the good half of him telling him to take pity on the Spearow and capture, if only to take to a Pokemon Center to get treated. Meanwhile, the other part of him told him to leave it alone, seeing that it was a weak creature that would prove useless in battles. Nevertheless, Tint removed an empty Pokeball from his pack. "A Pokemon is still a Pokemon," he told himself as he gently tossed the ball towards the Spearow. The Spearow appeared thankful as it disappeared into the Pokeball, not ever attempting to put up a struggle.

"That's sort of pathetic for a thief such as yourself; reduced to capturing Pokemon that another trainer left behind for them."

"Three meetings in two days. I'm starting to get tired of you." Tint replied, knowing that it was Gary who had spoken to him without even taking a look over at the red haired boy.

"How dare you steal that Sandshrew from Gramps! He's done nothing but treat you with the utmost respect and acceptance, more so than you ever deserved. And how do you repay him? By stabbing him in the back, that's how!" Gary sounded upset, and judging from his accusations, he had been in contact with Professor Oak.

Tint motioned for Silence and Exeggcute to move closer to him, sensing that a battle was nearing. "It's your grandfather's fault that I did what I did. If he had just let me become a trainer when I asked, then things might have been different."

Gary had plucked a pair of Pokeballs off of his belt, following the same sense that Tint had. "Look, Gramps just wants you to head home so that he can sit you down for a chat. He said that he understands how you feel and that he isn't seeking criminal charges. Lucky for you that Gramps is so generous."

"What if I don't want to go back? I'm perfectly happy with the course that I'm taking right now." Tint challenged.

"That's what I'm here for," Gary replied with a smirk, "Let's settle this with a battle. Two on two, team battle. If I win, you head home and return that Sandshrew to Gramps."

Tint nodded his head in agreement. "And if I win…"

"You won't." Gary interrupted.

"Cocky, aren't we?" Tint smiled, "When I win, I want you to go back to Professor Oak and tell him that you lost to Team Rocket."

Gary's hands tightened around the Pokeballs. "You were working for them all along weren't you?"

"Nope, just recently. Today's my first day on the job."

"Then, it's my job to report you to the authorities."
"Bring it."

"Go! Squirtle! Nidoran!" Gary tossed forward the two Pokeballs, releasing his Squirtle and a bristling pink Nidoran, the male version of the species. Tint didn't even need to say anything for Silence to step forward to greet the challenge. Exeggcute hesitated slightly, as if waiting for the order. The eggs looked up at Tint, who merely nodded, signaling them to follow Silence's lead.

Tint knew that this battle could easily go either way. Depending on which way you looked at it, both trainers had the type weaknesses of their opponent's Pokemon exploited. Silence had the advantage over the Nidoran, but well up short against Gary's Squirtle. But, the Squirtle was weak against Exeggcute, but the Nidoran had the one up on the eggs. It was going to be a battle where the first Pokemon to buckle would lose it for their trainer.

"Squirtle, use bubble on the Sandshrew! Nidoran, use poison sting against the Exeggcute!" Gary quickly ordered, seizing the opportunity that Tint had presented while he had been thinking.

The Squirtle opened up its mouth, releasing a clear gaseous bubble towards Tint's Pokemon. At the same time, the Nidoran was rushing forward, pointing its sharp horn directly at the pink eggs.

"Silence, dodge the bubble and absorb Nidoran's attack!" Silence was already carrying out the order, jumping swiftly out of the way of the incoming attack and in front of the charging Nidoran. Silence braced itself, preparing for the incoming impact. Just before the Nidoran reached Silence, it suddenly veered to the right. As Silence stepped over to block the path, a flying Squirtle came out of nowhere, tackling Silence to the ground.

Giving orders would be useless. A Pokemon's instincts would be enough to carry them through any battle. Exeggcute bounced up into the air, effectively dodging Nidoran's attack. The Nidoran forced itself to stop, looking up at the hovering Exeggcute in surprise. Now was the perfect chance for Silence to attack, but he was too busy involved in a grapple with the Squirtle. The Squirtle was about to spit out another bubble right into the face of Silence, who was defenseless to avoid the attack.

Exeggcute came crashing down on top of Nidoran, slamming into it from six different directions. A pair of the eggs quickly bounced towards Squirtle, striking the unsuspecting turtle in the back of the head. The Squirtle halted its bubble attack momentarily to look at the Exeggcute, a mistake that he would soon realize. Silence pounced forward, tackling Squirtle onto its back.

As the Squirtle attempted to roll back onto its feet, its partner was wildly stabbing at the multiple eggs. With each thrust that missed, the other eggs took the opportunity to jump forward, taking cheap shots at the legs of the Nidoran. While each individual blow was relatively weak, the combined efforts of the six eggs were causing noticeable damage to the Nidoran. But, the Nidoran kept on fighting, trying to make contact with at least one of the eggs.

Silence had stepped in, intercepting the charge. With a sudden motion, Silence managed to actually pick the Nidoran up off the ground. The Nidoran was struggling valiantly, crying out for help. Squirtle had regained his footing and headed straight towards Silence. In a surprise move, Exeggcute rolled into the path of the tiny turtle, slowing it down just long enough for Silence to slam the Nidoran to the ground.

Gary quickly recalled the Nidoran, who was gasping for air. Silence and Exeggcute turned their focus towards Squirtle, who attempted to look strong in the face of the two attackers. "Charge!" Tint shouted out, causing the Squirtle to withdraw its head and limbs into its shell. Tint laughed at the sight, while Gary grudgingly recalled his second Pokemon. "Looks like I win."

"Don't sound so proud about it. My Pokemon were already weakened from battles with other trainers. If they were at full strength, you wouldn't stand a chance."

"Then, go heal them and come back here for a rematch." Tint challenged, but Gary had already stormed off into the depths of the forest. Silence and Exeggcute had returned to Tint's side, both seemingly unscathed from the fight. Tint smiled at his pair of brawlers, patting them both. "Let's keep going towards Pewter."

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A/N: So, how's my battle description? Give me some feedback and I'll try to make some improvements. Well, until next time, see ya.