Shuffling his papers, the man stood up and tucked the folder into his suit. He already knew the procedure for these things and picked up his pace, not wanting to be late. He strode confidently down the hall, hands at his sides, as he looked at the door in front of him. While not everyone in the building knew exactly where this was located, everyone knew the man behind it. Reaching the door, his gloved fingers wrapped around the knob and turned.
The room was the same as Archer remembered it. The large screen on the back wall, the serviceable lounge in the corner of the room, and of course, the ever-imposing desk and chair that was positioned dead ahead of him. Said chair began to spin, and the blue-haired executive steadied himself.
Archer found his eyes locked with his superior once again. Hardly a second went by before Giovanni began to speak.
"Report." A single word, brief and to the point.
"Sir. There are a few things on today's agenda. First, an incident in Johto. Our executives in the field inform me that they have lost Subject 04. Intel suggests that the subject was kidnapped by a boy with black hair."
Giovanni's eyes narrowed slightly, and even Archer barely caught their movement. "What information do we have?"
"Not much yet, sir. Initial reports say that Subject 04 visited the Lab and was led to the park as scheduled. Afterwards, the retrieval team arrived at an empty park. No nearby security cameras have shown anything, and they are currently searching for the subject now.
"Do we know anything about the culprit?"
Archer reached into his jacket and pulled out the first paper from his folder. He slid it across the desk, where Giovanni's hands arrested it's movement.
"This is the only picture we could get before the police presence became too serious. It was taken from a storefront about an hour before the subject arrived in New Bark Town."
Giovanni looked the paper over. It wasn't much to look at, as the figure's face was facing mostly away from the camera, leaving only a sliver of the boy's face visible. The boy was wearing a dark-blue jacket, and his hair was a jet black color.
Archer watched as Giovanni put the picture into a drawer on his desk, before he crossed his arms and rested them on the redwood desk. "I want to be informed of any developments in this situation. We both know that a noticeable amount of funds has gone into this project."
"Yes sir."
Giovanni waved his hand, indicating that he could continue.
"The second thing to discuss is the raid that I have arranged. You know of it already, so I won't bother to reexplain it. However, our RD division has recently come to me with some interesting information." He slid the rest of the folder to Giovanni, who leafed through the pages."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Interesting indeed. Is this information sound?"
"It came from some of our more recent research ventures. If it turns out to be false, I will direct the project head to you."
He nodded slightly. "I assume you want to reschedule the raid around this event."
It was Archer's turn to nod, and Giovanni hummed in thought.
"When is the…" he trailed off, as he read through some of the finer details of the report. "...I see." Another pause, before this folder vanished within Giovanni's desk as well.
"Approved. I expect to see results."
Archer put forward a small, calculated smile. "Of course sir."
~0~
A few hours had gone by since leaving Pallet town, and he was feeling good about his chances of getting there before nightfall. At the moment, Charmander was sitting on a log, using his tail flame to help him cook lunch. He was heating up one of those instant noodle cups that he brought from home.
It was earlier in the day when he realized he hadn't packed food for Charmander. He knew that Pokemon food was specifically created to help Pokemon grow stronger, and he wanted to make sure that his Pokemon would be getting superior food. When he got to Viridian, he would be buying some.
But for now, Charmander would eat noodles with him. He wasn't about to starve his Pokemon, so he shared with the fire-type. Unwilling to use two cups, Red ate his fill, before handing the cup over to Charmander, who happily chowed down.
The duo sat in relative silence, allowing the ambience of the forest fill their ears. Lots of wild Pokemon lived in the area between Pallet and Viridian, but he only realized what that meant earlier, when they had stopped for a short rest earlier. It was there, at the deepest point of the route where the forest felt alive. Throughout the trek he could hear various calls of wild Pokemon playing, fighting, doing whatever it was they did. Just walking through the forest, listening to this with his partner; it had been magical.
It was then he realized that he wanted to travel not just through Kanto, but the world. He wanted to go out and see the various regions and the secrets they held. He wanted to see every species of Pokemon there was.
He looked over to Charmander, who had put the cup back down. Red picked it up and threw it into his bag, not wanting to litter. They had been standing around for long enough, it was time to continue forward. He started cleaning up the area, being careful not to leave any proof that he was ever there. Once his partner stood up as well, they continued forward.
They had been walking for about another half hour before they encountered their first major obstacle. A large river split the ground before them, with the well-walked path on the other side. The bridge that was supposed to connect the two sides was clearly out, with both sides ending on jagged pieces of wood. He walked up to the edge to see how deep it was when he heard a voice.
"Hey trainer! Are you looking to cross the river?"
Red looked back up to see a girl with orange colored hair that had appeared out of nowhere. He looked around and pointed at himself.
"Yes I'm talking to you." She yelled, her voice being drowned out by the rushing water. "Do you need help getting across?"
Red didn't really have a way to cross the river, so he nodded.
"Alright hold on, I'm coming over to help." A pokeball flew out of her hand and a Dewgong appeared, landing in the water with a loud splash. She wrapped her arms tightly around its neck and held on as it swam across.
While he waited for the trainer he turned to Charmander and held up his Pokeball, offering to return him so he didn't get wet. Charmander gave him a look and shook his head vehemently.
If that was the case then, Charmander would have to ride high seas not to get soaked. And by high seas, Red meant high above himself. Grabbing the lizard, he picked him up and allowed the Fire-type to clamber onto his shoulders. The girl was waiting on the edge of the water. He climbed aboard carefully, making sure that he wouldn't slip off the Dewgong, and the girl began ferrying them over.
"My name's Misty. The league sent me here to help the new trainers cross, since the bridge is out."
Red nodded at the explanation. Misty looked back at him for a moment, before continuing.
"Y'know, that's when you're supposed to respond with your name. It's going to be hard getting through the league if you're too shy to say anything."
He gave a quiet sigh. "I'm Red."
Misty smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you Red."
He hopped off the Dewgong and looked back at her. He could've sworn he'd seen her face before, but he couldn't quite place it. Misty. The name sounded very familiar. He had definitely heard it before, but he just couldn't place where it came from.
He left those thoughts for another time. He waved goodbye and turned tail, heading down the path. He still had a long way to go.
What he could look at was his team, or lack of one. Granted, it had only been a few days, but had Misty been a different person, his Charmander could've been swept away by the Dewgong and then he would have a problem.
So for the next leg of his trip, he decided to think of possible team members. He needed water coverage, so an electric or grass type was needed. He also needed a water type of his own, so if a similar scenario occurred, he would be able to handle it himself.
Down the rabbit hole he went, entertaining as many different compositions as he could. From laughable to ludacris, he tried to cover every Pokemon he could think of.
He was so caught up in his thoughts that he nearly trampled his own partner. He stopped and looked at him. The lizard's arms were outstretched in an attempt to stop him from continuing, but his size betrayed him. Nonetheless he got the message and stopped walking for a moment.
Red looked was trying to tell him something, but he didn't know what. He was suddenly very aware of the movements he made. Something was wrong, and he hadn't realized it.
The road ahead outstretched through a large field, and in the distance behind it, Viridian City. If he kept walking at the same pace, he would make it with daylight to spare. But why did his partner stop him?
It came to him after a moment. It was quiet. Way too quiet for a place like this. The forest should be bustling with movement, and the fields should be full of Pokemon. But instead, there was silence. Nothing was in the area that he could visibly discern, besides him. The world was holding its breath, and he was about to be blown away.
He wasn't about to let that happen. Not waiting for the problem to show itself, he scooped up the Charmander and began booking it across the field. His partner relocated itself onto his shoulder and looked back. He didn't risk looking back, his eyes glued to the poorly made trail. He kept running and running, and the sight of the city growing steadily closer filled him with hope.
But those hopes were dashed along with the silence, when an ear splitting screech rang out. As more and more started screaming, he realized what he was in for. Spearows started flooding the area seemingly out of nowhere. He heard deeper calls, and he looked forward, seeing he was headed right towards a swarm of what looked like Pidgey and Pidgeotto.
He wasn't about to turn around and get gored by a Fearow, so he had no choice but to keep running. Both sides flew faster than he ran though, and the flying types ended up starting a clash right over his head.
His ears were bombarded with screeches as the birds above him waged war with each other. Occasionally, his partner would try to swipe at any that got too close. Then something hit his leg and he went tumbling forwards. He hit the ground hard and rolled before he landed on his back. Trying to stand, another flying type hit him again, this time on his back. He heard his Charmander fighting nearby, but he wouldn't last in these conditions.
"Charmander, to me!"
He got to his feet successfully this time, and put his arms up in an attempt to protect his face. He caught a glimpse of orange, and he staggered towards his partner.
Escape from this would be tricky, and likely painful. He considered having Charmander throwing up a smokescreen, but decided against it as he needed to see in order to get away. He reached his partner and grabbed the lizards Pokeball, holding it in front of the Pokemon.
Once again the fire-type refused, and he scowled loudly. He grabbed the lizard in one hand, and covered his face with the other. He tried to keep going but another bird hit his leg and he went down again.
It was getting more difficult to stand, but he managed. He was vaguely aware that he was bleeding profusely, but he ignored that fact and pressed onwards. He collapsed again and stopped moving, his body making a shield for Charmander. Suddenly, a new sound greeted his ears.
"Dewgong, Ice Beam!"
Overhead, birds started falling out of the sky and the temperature in his immediate area dropped. However he didn't dare more from his position, his body wrapped around Charmander's, protecting him.
"Red, don't just stand there! Follow me, we need to go!" He ran towards his savior, and he became face to face with Misty again. She was also scratched up a bit, but judging by his shift in expression, he looked a lot worse.
"Arceus, Red we need to get you outta here." She grabbed his hand and started pulling him away from the carnage. "Why haven't you recalled your partner?"
"He didn't want to be returned."
"Return him, it will make him easier to carry and let you run faster."
Charmander shook his head again and Red agreed, understanding the need for extra firepower. They needed all the help they could get.
"Arceus's sake, c'mon Red. Stay close to me."
Red was planning on doing just that, and together, they hobbled out of the chaos. Dewgong didn't dare stop firing Ice Beams into the air, and Charmander kept swinging at anything that flew too close. At one point, Red realized that his Charmander had graduated from swinging with his claws, and he could feel the heat from what must be an ember attack fly over his head. If the circumstances had been better, maybe he would've had the chance to congratulate the lizard.
But getting out of this swarm took priority, and the two pushed forwards. Eventually, the ratio of birds in the air became less dense, and they cleared the worst of the clash. They didn't risk it though, moving as far as they could, putting distance between themselves and the birds, until their legs gave out and they could hardly breathe. Only then did they sit down and rest.
Red took out his first aid kit and started treating Charmanders wounds. He wasn't nearly as bad as Red, but he didn't want the young Pokemon getting an infection. "Arceus." Misty panted. "I heard the birds have been acting strange around here, but that was insane."
"Mhmm." Red hummed in agreement.
"Still quiet? You spoke to me earlier, I know you can talk." A worried look flashed across her face. "Were you hit in the throat?"
"No."
The look went away. "Well obviously you're not shy. Why don't you talk to people?"
"I don't like to."
Misty was getting nowhere with this conversation. She was about to have another go at Red, when she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Flying on a shaky trajectory towards them was a Pidgey.
Dewgong stood up and began charging another Ice Beam when Red tackled it to the ground.
"Don't shoot, It's injured!"
Sure enough, the Pidgey wasn't here to attack and Misty watched as it tumbled onto the ground, unable to maintain its altitude. Dewgong shook Red off and he ran over to it with Misty following close behind. When they got closer they could see the extent of the damage.
Its feathers were matted in dried blood, and there was a large gash running down its back. It looked at the trainers and tried to stand up, but failed. Red looked at Misty.
"How far is the city?"
"It's still at least an hour away from us."
Red looked at the city lights in the distance, then to his injured leg, before huffing angrily.
Ignoring his wounds, Red picked up the Pidgey and started moving towards Viridian City. All he could manage was a hobble, but he continued towards Viridian. Misty caught up to him, and Red began to lean on her for support.
They kept going for a few minutes before they heard the distant sound of a motor running. After a moment, a speck appeared on the horizon, kicking dust in its wake. It got closer and it turned to approach them.
It pulled up to them at speed, kicking up dirt as it braked. When the dust settled, they saw it was a policewoman on a motorcycle. She leaned into her radio and spoke.
"I found two more injured, bringing them to medical." She looked towards them and spun the cycle around, revealing the sidecar.
"Get in."
They both scrambled into the sidecar. Once they were secure, they sped off towards Viridian City. Trees flew past them as their trek turned into a quick ride. Eventually, they entered the city
She kept driving through the town. The late afternoon streets were packed with people enjoying the cool Autumn afternoon. Everywhere they looked as they raced through the city, people were enjoying their day, oblivious to what happened outside the city.
They pulled into the hospital and were driven right to the front door. They stepped out and the woman turned to them.
"Get yourselves taken care of, I'll be back to interrogate you."
"Do you have to do that?" Misty asked.
"Yes."
Misty pressed her. "If you have to, why don't you just stay?"
She scowled for a moment, before saying "Understaffed. Don't go anywhere, I'll be back."
She sped off before Misty could respond. She huffed and turned around, helping Red through the door.
When they walked in, the first thing Red saw was the divider. On his left, the hospital for humans. Nurses shuffled about in the hallways. The receptionist was patiently talking to a blue-haired man. On the other side was the Pokemon Center. Multiple Chansey bustled about and there were trainers lined up at the counter. Red walked this way first.
One of the nurses saw them approach and looked down at the bundle of Pokemon in his arms. She ran over and gave a preliminary check.
"It looks like your Charmander has only minor cuts and bruises, so I can just put him in the healing unit, but this Pidgey is in serious condition. I'll have to take it in to see the extent of the damage." She took the Pokemon out of Red's hands and looked him over. "In the meantime, you should check yourself in on the other side because you look terrible. Can you give me some ID so I can keep you updated?"
He retrieved his Pokedex from his bag and handed it to her. She scanned it and gave it back to him. "You're all set. Now go take care of yourself."
After making sure that his Pokemon were getting treated, Red followed her advice and went to the other side. He got himself checked in while Misty spoke with the receptionist. He sat down waiting to be called and Misty walked over to him.
"We're in Room 224. Follow me."
Red was vaguely confused. "We?"
"Yeah, I, uh, know someone here. Pulled some strings. We both need a room and the place is packed. We weren't the only ones caught out there. And I don't want to be with a total stranger."
He gave her a deadpan look. "I am a total stranger."
"Yeah, well let's work on that. C'mon."
Misty grabbed his hand and Red reluctantly got up and followed. Misty walked over to the nurse waiting for them, and she led the two to their room, saying that she'd be back to get a better look at Red's leg. She left the room and left the two alone.
Misty looked at Red, with a face of what looked to be curiosity. The corners of her mouth scrunched up and she spoke. "So, what's your deal Red?"
"Hmm?"
"You hardly talk, but you're nowhere near skittish. I found you sprawled against the ground protecting your Pokemon. Then, you tackled my Pokemon to save that Pidgey from being iced. Literally."
"So?"
She sighed loudly. "So? I mean…" Her voice cut out as she searched for the correct words. The words didn't come to her fast enough, so she switched gears. "Nevermind. But here's a better question, how did you survive out there for that long? You were in the center of that mess and yet you came out relatively unscathed. I saw some other injured people walk in while you were getting your Pokemon checked, and they were much worse off than you."
"I don't know, luck? Why are you interrogating me?"
"Would you answer my questions if I wasn't interrogating you?"
He groaned internally.
She continued to press him. "Alright fine. Let me try asking nicely. Red, who are you?"
"I'm Red."
"Where are you from?"
"Pallet Town."
"When did you start your journey?"
"3 days ago."
"Why did you want to go on your journey."
A glint appeared in Red's eye after hearing that question. "I want to become the greatest trainer ever. And since your way of asking nicely sucks, I'll ask some of my own questions. Why are you even here? Sure, you helped me on the bridge, and yes you helped me with the swarm of birds, but I hardly know your name! Why did you assign yourself to this room with me?"
"I...I just.."
"Just what, Misty?"
She stuttered trying to formulate her thoughts, but failed to miserably. She looked back towards Red silently. With him staring back, she squeaked out an "I don't know."
"Exactly. Misty, please leave me alone. Leave me alone, find a new room, and on the way out tell the nurse standing outside that she can come in."
Misty just continued to stare at him. Red watched as her eyes became slightly watery, and she sat down heavily in one of the chairs. He looked at her expectantly.
"...I'm sorry. I shouldn't be like this. I guess this is why I'm out doing fieldwork instead of being stationed at home." She stood up to leave. "I'll, uh, see you around."
She walked out the door without looking back, and the door hadn't even closed fully when the nurse standing outside walked in.
"I suppose you must be Red then. I didn't want to interrupt, because it sounded like you two were sorting some things out." Red groaned slightly. "Don't be like that. Now let me see that leg of yours."
Red pulled up his pant sleeve until his wound was visible. The nurse took a close inspection and simply nodded. "Well you certainly are lucky. This is a puncture wound, from what I would guess to be a Spearow. It was quite close to hitting an artery." She took another look at the injury before saying," Hold still, I need to clean it." Red watched as she swabbed it with what he assumed was antiseptic. It stung a little, but he kept himself still.
"Now normally I don't intrude on others personal business, but why did she run out looking sadder than a Magikarp outta water?"
He groaned some more. He didn't want to talk about it.
The nurse continued her work. "If I had to hazard a guess, she was just trying to make friends with you, but you seem to be too stubborn for your own good."
She stopped cleaning and took out the stitching kit. His response went unsaid, and she readied the needle in silence.
"Don't like talking, huh? That's fine, as long as you know you can't stay quiet forever. Could you move your leg a little so this is a bit easier for me?" He paused for a moment before complying, shifting his leg slightly so that she could work.
"I'm asking because I know her personally. Misty's a good friend of mine, and she used to live here before she moved to Cerulean City. We still keep in contact. And I'll tell you this, it's because she's not good at making or keeping friends. Anyone that she tries to speak with just gets weirded out by her."
"It's definitely nice to see her again at least, but I can tell from her tone of voice that she was, at the very least, just trying to make small talk. She's just...not very good at it." She put her tools down and he looked at his now stitched leg, nodding approvingly at her handiwork. Her attention fell onto Red once more. "The point I'm trying to make I guess, is to try being a bit more tolerant of others. You seem to be traveling alone, but you'll find that you have the most fun if you're with friends. And it seems to me that you need to start making some."
She pointed to his recently patched limb. "That should heal nicely in a couple of days, give or take. Try not to put too much strain on that leg if you can. The stitches will disappear as the wound heals, so don't worry about them." She pulled out a tablet off of her work cart, her eyes scanning it's contents briefly. She turned back to Red. "Your Pokemon have finished healing. Would you like me to help you down to the other side?"
Red shook his head, he was very much capable of making it himself. He shifted to a sitting position, and as the nurse didn't break out in panic, he assumed he was okay to walk.
"Thank you."
"Not a problem. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go find Misty. Talk to the receptionist and you should be cleared to leave" She tidied up and pushed her cart out the door, waving to Red.
Red himself hobbled out of his room, trying not to put too much weight on his leg. It didn't hurt too bad, but he didn't want to be stuck with a hole in his leg longer than necessary.
He continued down the elevator to the bottom floor. Back in the spacious lobby, he shuffled over to the other side. The receptionist looked up as he approached the counter.
"Hello sir, how may I help you this evening?"
Evening already? Today went by fast.
"I'm here to pick up my Pokemon."
"May I have your ID?"
He rummaged through his pockets before pulling out his Pokedex. He handed her the Pokedex and she scanned it, before giving it back to him.
"Alright Red, I'll be right back." She turned away and retreated into the back room. In the meantime, he put his Pokedex away and considered getting a printed ID card. He didn't want anybody touching his stuff.
"Here we are!" She announced as she came through the doors again, pushing his thoughts away for now. "The nurse told me that your Charmander is currently in exceptional health. Your Pidgey, on the other hand, is still healing. She suggests that you don't push it too hard for the next couple of days and no flying for a week. After that, bring it back in for another checkup."
Red nodded at the information and took the Pokeballs from the tray. It hadn't really occurred to him until now that he technically caught the Pidgey, but he wasn't too bothered by it. A Pidgeot could be a very powerful flying type.
Clipping the Pokeballs to his belt, he headed back to the other side to get himself cleared by the hospital. He had almost made it to the receptionist when someone put a hand on his shoulder. Whirling around, he was met with the face of the officer from earlier.
"Glad to see that you're still in one piece. Do you mind if I could get that statement from you now?"
He nodded, then added, "Let me just get cleared by the hospital."
She nodded in understanding and walked with him. Once again, Red was being followed by someone else. He walked over to the counter and gave his ID to the receptionist, who handed it back and gave him the all clear.
"I already got your friend's statement. We're just gathering information about the incident. We don't want it to happen again, so we need to figure out what exactly riled up the Pok-
BOOM!
A huge explosion filled their ears, and the two hit the deck, taking shelter behind a couch. Glass rained all around them, the shockwave blew out all the windows around them. There were screams coming from multiple directions. The place began to fill with smoke.
Red ventured to take a peek over but he was pushed down by the cop. She had drawn her gun and was looking for the source, but the smoke moved faster and her vision became obscured. Red stayed low and pressed his face into his sleeve in an attempt to keep the smoke out of his system. He couldn't hear anything, his ears ringing from the explosion.
By now, most of the place had been enveloped in a thick black fog. Red poked his head up again and he wasn't stopped this time. He could hardly see anything, but shouts were still ringing out. She quickly wrapped her kerchief around her face as a makeshift mask, then frantically pulled Red to his feet. They both stood up and Red put a hand on her back for support. His leg was throbbing from hitting the ground, and the two made slow progress as they walked through the lobby.
The ringing in his ears wouldn't stop. They walked towards what he thought was the direction of the entrance to the building. What he saw told him that something was very wrong. All the windows on the ground floor were covered in a wall of rock. Someone was trying to lock them in.
Fighting to keep the smoke out of his lungs, he kept following her until she reached the main door. But after a quick glance, the steel door had been chained shut. She glanced back towards him, and from the look in her eyes, Red knew she had an idea what was happening. Once again she started walking through the smoke, which had yet to settle. Why was the smoke not fading? They kept inching forwards, Red glued to the cop.
They reached what had to be the waiting area for the human side of the hospital. A part of a couch was blown into pieces and the rest charred black. The officer shook her head quickly, and grabbed Red's arm. She circled back to where they originally were, over by the reception counter. Red felt her tap on his shoulder and he looked to her. She made a wave motion with her hand and he understood. They simultaneously hopped the counter and crouched low. She looked around for a moment before grabbing a notepad that wasn't totally incinerated. She scribbled on it for a moment before handing it to him. She hopped back over the counter and he looked at the note.
I'm going to Poke side to investigate.
Try to break through the rocks or the chain.
That's all she wrote. Red looked around, but was still unable to see anything. The smoke refused to fade, instead choosing to linger and obscure his vision. Perhaps a pipe was broken and was spewing the inky darkness into the air.
Maybe a Pokemon was refreshing it.
Red took a moment to focus and figure out what was happening. There was a large explosion, maybe multiple. The place had been flooded with smoke. The doors were locked, and the windows walled off. The officer had her sidearm drawn.
This was no accident. Something hostile locked people inside and caused an explosion. He needed to get out. His brain kicked into overdrive as he rifled through the various things under the desk, hoping to find something that could help him. He tried thinking of various ways to escape.
Perhaps he could make it to the roof and climb down the fire ladder?
Was the back door locked too?
Deciding to look around, he opened the door behind him. The amount of smoke in the room was much less, and he uncovered his mouth. The lights were still on and he could see the room was just a small break area for whatever employees were here. He also saw the receptionist from earlier, staring right at him.
"You work here, do you know a way to get to the roof?"
Her mouth opened, but no words came out. She was still entirely in shock. Trying to find her voice, she tried again."
"I-i-it's down the hall, bu-but we need a key for roofside access."
"What about the back door?"
"T-they were locked. You can see them on the cameras." She pointed to the desk in the corner, where a computer sat open. He could clearly see a repeat performance of the front doors, the chains wrapped around the handles.
He swore under his breath. These attackers didn't want anyone leaving.
"Is there a place where we can find a bolt cutter or something? Maybe a janitors office?"
"I-I don't know."
Red sighed. They were trapped. He peeked his head out the door but he couldn't see anything. He ducked back inside. He needed a way to break the chain on the door. He took a quick inventory of what was on and around him.
Idea. He threw out his Charmander and motioned for it to be quiet once he materialized. It looked around and inhaled deeply before looking at him.
"Yeah, there's smoke everywhere. I don't have all the details, but we've been locked in the Pokemon Center. There's a chain wrapped around the door handle that we need to break. If you can heat the chain up, I think I can break it off with my hatchet."
The Fire-type nodded, and the three opened the door and crept out of the room. He put his sleeve against his face and they crept towards their objective. Smoke still obscured their vision, but Charmander seemed to be able to orient himself and led his trainer to the door. He reached towards the chains an-
A series of loud bangs became the next thing to make his ears ring. Gunshots.
Red whipped his head around towards the source of the shots and he could see occasional flashes through the smoke. The noise echoed through the building. They came from the other side of the hospital, but from where exactly, he couldn't tell. All the more reason to get out faster.
He placed his partner down and the Charmander inhaled deeply, before spewing a weak jet of fire that started melting the chain. The woman followed close behind and kept an eye out.
"Won't this take forever? We can't just wait for it to melt."
"I know." He set his bag down, and he pulled out his hatchet. "It just needs to be hot enough for me to break it myself."
They sat there for many pain-staking moments waiting for the chain to weaken from the heat, and hoping to Arceus that they weren't spotted. A Charmander's ember was only so powerful on its first day of use. He could see the flashing red and blue lights of police cars through the little gaps in the rocks on his left.
Making a decision, Red deemed the chain hot enough and told Charmander to back up. He took a firm grip on the axe and brought it down onto the chain. Sure enough, It broke off with little resistance and he pulled the rest of it off the door handle. Sliding the axe back in his bag, Red swung the door open and they ran outside to safety.
Multiple cops swarmed towards their direction, pulling them to safety. Behind him he saw more stack up at the door he just opened, before they ventured into the smoky building. Once he was behind the safety line, he was taken to the medical station that, judging by appearance, was hastily set up. The paramedics sat him down and took a thorough look at him.
They checked him for any injuries he might have sustained, and checked his lungs for traces of smoke inhalation. After a bit, they declared that besides a tad of smoke inhalation and his prior injuries, he was miraculously in full health.
He wasn't leaving just yet though. Once the medics were done with him, he was off to the police to give them details.
"All exits were locked?"
"From what I saw, both the front and back doors were chained shut."
"How did you get through the front door?"
"My Charmander heated the chain enough for me to break it with my hatchet."
Nearby, his Charmander and Pidgey were also being questioned by an Abra, who then translated for the nearby recorder.
"You used ember to melt the chain, but your trainer said he broke it with a hatchet. Which is it?"
"Both. I'm still new at battling, so I couldn't melt the chain on my own. I weakened it enough for my trainer to break it open."
"And you were in your Pokeball the whole time?"
"Yeah."
Interesting. His Charmander just admitted that he was still weak. Maybe the fire-type wasn't as prideful as he'd first thought.
The recorder repeated what they said in a low monotonous voice. Red found himself glancing over at it constantly. He would kill to have a way to effectively communicate with his team. Perhaps he could get a psychic type of his own? Having a psychic on the team would be incredibly useful, not only for battle but in terms of practicality as well.
The police finished speaking to him and he was let go. He still hadn't seen the officer that was with him when the explosion happened. He didn't even know her name.
Right as he stepped outside of the tent, he spotted it. The police were still surrounding the building, locked in a stalemate with the aggressors inside. But up on the roof, just for a moment, he saw a man silhouetted against the little bit of moonlight that was poking through the clouds.
No one else seemed to notice but him. The man was lit up for only a moment, before the clouds swallowed the moon once more, casting the figure in darkness. Red watched the man's face light up again as multiple Pokemon were released around him. He could only discern one shape, which looked to be a Fearow.
And he watched as multiple people flew off the roof and into the cloudy skies above. He looked around. No one else had seen it, and had the moon not been there, he would have missed it as well. He turned towards the police tent, ready to tell them what he'd seen, but he wasn't allowed to get close. The officer at the door wouldn't let him back in.
Frustrated, he turned towards the medical tent, hoping to see any familiar faces. This time, he saw someone he knew. The officer from before was in one of the cots, awake and looking around. Their eyes locked and he shuffled over.
"You're alive."
"Yeah, they gave their best shot. Too bad I'm better."
Red realized that she was acting very disoriented, before noticing the sizable hole in her shoulder. She must be on some serious painkillers.
"Ouch."
"Should've seen the guy that did it. I heard you managed to get the door open."
"Yeah."
"Good on you. You helped a lot of people today."
He nodded.
"Not even going to ask what happened?"
He took the bait, eager for answers. "What happened?"
She looked both directions and decided no one was listening before motioning for him to get closer. He obliged, and heard her whisper "Team Rocket."
Team Rocket. He had only heard of them on the news before. A dangerous group of criminals who saw Pokemon as tools. All Red knew about them was that they were thieves that try to steal Pokemon from their trainers.
"What were.."
"Shhh. It's not public knowledge yet, it probably won't be for a few days. They were stealing Pokemon from the back room. You're lucky you got your's back.
Red took a moment to process the situation. He had gotten his Pokemon back mere moments before the attack began. He had been that close to losing his partner. "Shit."
"Yeah, it wasn't pretty. They're still getting the count for what's missing but from what I heard, it's pretty bad."
"Arceus.."
She hummed in agreement. "Hey, I never got your name."
"Red."
"Jenny. You should get some rest, Red. You've had one helluva day. Here, take my number. Call me if you have any trouble."
Red pocketed the card and said goodnight. He headed into the city and realized that there was nothing more that he could do tonight. After wandering for a bit, he found himself at a sleepy little motel on the edge of town. He paid for the night and headed inside.
There wasn't much to the place, just a TV, bed, bathroom and drawers. He didn't bother with the TV, he had already been at the center of today's events. He washed up in the bathroom and got ready for bed.
Team Rocket. A group like that shouldn't exist. Red was annoyed, he wasn't able to defend himself properly. Had one of them attacked when he was waiting for the chain, he would've been in a cot next to Jenny, or worse. He had to get stronger, and fast, because he didn't know the next time something like that would happen.
He would worry about it tomorrow. It had only been a few days after all. He was exhausted from the day, and his leg was still sore. Hoping it would get better soon, he hopped into bed and was asleep in seconds.
~0~
For the second time today, Archer found himself approaching the door to Giovanni's chambers. This time, he was in much better spirits.
Opening the doors, he met the man in charge of Team Rocket with a wide smile. Giovanni, of course, knew about everything that happened in his town, but Giovanni was also a very thorough man.
"Report." The same words once more.
"Sir. The raid was successful. Thanks to the unusual actions of the nearby flying-type populations, the Pokemon center was much fuller than usual. This resulted in a much larger haul on Pokemon than we expected. I'll have someone get you a detailed list of what was acquired once we've examined everything."
"Resistance?"
He cringed internally, how did he know? But he kept a straight face. "There was an officer inside the building when we began the attack. She managed to spot us and opened fire. We suffered only one casualty, who is currently in our ICU. Returning fire, we hit the officer. Her fate is currently unknown."
Giovanni nodded, and let the information sit in the air for a moment. "Normally, Archer, I would have you follow up on this officer, and should need be, eliminate her. However, that task will fall to another member of the team."
Archer blinked in well-hidden surprise. Where was he going with this?
"Instead, Archer, you are being reassigned to Johto, along with a few other Admins. I will have the details sent to you."
"Sir, does this have something to do with Subject 04's disappearance?"
"Subject 04 is a secondary objective during your excursion to the other side of the mountain. Should you come across it, get it back. However, our need for the subject is no longer an issue of ours. Your primary objective in Johto, is to cause chaos.
This time, Archer wasn't quite able to keep his shock hidden. "Sir, what is this for?" He said, not quite understanding what the boss was asking of him.
"We have had a breakthrough in our cloning project. A large breakthrough. Our researchers tell me that we can proceed with the next phase of the project much earlier than expected. Your job, Archer, is to be a distraction. You and a few other admins are being sent to Johto for the sole purpose of bringing the police presence away from our facilities in Kanto. You will take command of our members in Johto and have them do whatever you deem necessary to thwart the authorities.
Archer took a second to process the order. Then, a minute. After almost two minutes, he was able to speak once again.
"Sir, with all do respect, are you certain that this is what you want me to do. If we portray ourselves as an even bigger threat than usual, it is entirely possible that the league will get involved. Interpol too. You remember the last time we had to deal with them, it was a nightmare. Are you certain?"
"I am certain, Archer. Soon, we will no longer be able to keep up the pretense of a simple criminal group. It is only a matter of time until the league gets involved, and I would much rather be able to choose when the authorities come knocking. I expect you in Johto by tomorrow, and you will give me daily reports of any and all events."
"I…." The admin had to take a moment to compose his thoughts. "I understand sir. I will have a report for you tomorrow."
Giovanni waved his hand, and Archer took the chance to leave the room. He had a few things to pack.
~0~
AN: Hello again readers! I am still actively working on this fic, and the next chapter shouldn't take nearly as long as this one did to upload. A few things to note, that I didn't really mention before. This fic will take elements from various different Pokemon media. The main source will be the games, but there will also be some stuff from the manga and the anime (as seen in this chapter). The chapters, as you can see, will be much longer than the first few, as those were mostly for introduction purposes.
Feel free to fav, follow, review, if you're enjoying the story. See you next chapter!