Please note that I do not own Pokemon, or any other characters mentioned in this story.

Originally when I wrote this story, Team Rocket consisted of Jesse, James, and Meowth. However, I have found that the story works much better, at least to me, when I use more generic Rocket grunts then the specific bumbling trio. So if you read of a Meowth talking English in this or any other chapter, let me know so I can change it.

Once again, thank you for reading, and I hope that you enjoy the story.

Chapter 3: Team Rocket

The four boys rushed through some tall grass and into the clearing where the shouts were coming from. The girl they had just battled was there, her arms held behind her back by a woman with long green hair wearing a black jumpsuit with a red R on the front.

Close buy was a man dressed in a similar uniform and spiky black hair. He was placing a pokeball into a clear shoebox-sized container filled with all sorts of pokeballs. "It looks like we'll have something extra to add to our delivery. The boss is going to love this."

"Give me back my Jigglypuff," the girl protested, struggling against the woman that was holding her.

"Get over it, kid," the woman said with a nasty laughed. "Your pokemon belongs to Team Rocket now."

"Who's Team Rocket?" Jason whispered.

"Criminals, thieves, low-lives," Joshua replied. "They're a big gang that steals rare pokemon among other things."

"Charmander, attack," Caleb shouted, throwing out his pokeball.

The thieves jumped a bit, startled by the shout and the sudden appearance of a pokemon. Charmander charged towards the man with the case.

"Jerry, use one of our stolen pokemon," the woman said to him. "They're all powerful pokemon."

"The boss will have a fit if he finds out we tried to battle with one of them," Jerry replied, pulling a pokeball out of his pocket. "Our own pokemon should be good enough for these kids, Trixie. I send out Koffing!"

"Alright then," Trixie shoved the girl aside and drew out her own pokeball. "I'll use Ekans!"

Joshua pulled out his pokedex to scan the two purple pokemon. "Ekans and Koffing are both poison pokemon," it said. "Ekans attacks by wrapping its body around a victim or using its poisonous bite. Koffing sprays poisonous gasses out of its oddly-shaped body."

"Charmander, use your Ember attack to keep them from getting too close," Caleb shouted.

Jason ran over to the girl. "Do you have any more pokemon to fight with?"

The girl shook her head. "They stole all four of my pokemon, even though they just wanted my Jigglypuff."

"Wrap attack, Ekans," Trixie shouted. "Hold that Charmander still."

Ekans darted around Charmander's tail and wrapped its body around the fire pokemon, keeping it from attacking any more.

"Now Koffing, hit it with a Tackle while it can't get away," Jerry ordered. Koffing smacked Charmander hard on the head.

"I need help, guys," Caleb shouted. "Charmander can't handle two pokemon at once."

"Then we'll just have to grab some reinforcements," Daniel said. "Magikarp, hit him with Splash!"

Daniel threw his pokeball high over Koffing and Ekans. Magikarp popped out and fell into Jerry's arms, flopping about like crazy. The startled Team Rocket grunt dropped the container of pokeballs, and they all scattered about.

Jason, being the closest, dove for a green and white one. Inside was a yellow mouse-like pokemon. He opened it up. "Whatever you are, I hope you can fight."

"It's a Pikachu, Jason," Joshua shouted, reading the pokemon's data from the pokedex. "It uses electrical attacks Thunder Shock."

"Oh no. Our rare pokemon!" Jerry started grabbing at the dropped pokeballs and putting them back into the container. "The boss is going to kill us if we lose them."

"You little brat," Trixie growled, running up to Jason and slapping him hard across the face. "Give me back that pokeball."

She reached down for the pokeball in Jason's hand, but the Pikachu jumped up on her head. Its cheeks sparked for a moment, and suddenly Trixie's whole body lit up with an electrical attack.

Ekans, seeing its master under attack, released its hold on Charmander and darted towards Pikachu.

This gave Charmander a chance to hit Koffing with a Scratch attack. The poison pokemon floated up out of reach, waiting for its master to give it another command. But Jerry was too busy trying to get every last pokeball he'd dropped back into the container.

Jason noticed that the girl they were trying to help had grabbed three pokeballs and was searching frantically through the others as Jerry kept picking them up. "If you have time to look, then use one of your pokemon to help us!"

"Jigglypuff!" the girl cried, picking up the pokeball with her final pokemon. She cradled the pokemon for a moment; then she ran off without so much as a thank you.

But Jason didn't have time to be bitter. He had noticed the Ekans. "Behind you Pikachu!"

Without looking, Pikachu jumped just in time to avoid a Poison Sting from the snake pokemon.

"I don't think the boss is going to miss one Pikachu, Jerry," Trixie said uneasily, trying to shake off the shock of getting zapped. "Maybe we should just grab the rest of our balls and get out of here."

"Good idea Trixie," Jerry agreed. "Koffing, use your Smoke Screen."

Koffing spewed a thick black cloud all over the clearing, leaving the four boys blinded and coughing. When it cleared, Team Rocket and their pokemon were gone.