Velvet walked into the meeting room of Team Serpentine's secret base, nervously. She knew that the other admins as well Team Serpentine's head scientist would be there, but he had summoned her to the meeting today. She knew he wasn't happy with what had happened as the police from Covolt City had publicized the existence of Team Serpentine after the incident in the library, which she knew that he did not want to happen.
"Nice of you to show up, Velvet." The blonde woman sitting next to Velvet's seat remarked.
Velvet rolled her eyes as she sat down. "I'm surprised you can see with those sunglasses on, Vanessa."
"I don't have to see to know that you're here. All I have to do is sense failure. And I can see through these actually."
"Why do you wear those sunglasses twenty-four seven then? Is it because they remind you of your home region of Alola?"
"You better hope he isn't too angry with you, Velvet, because I'm…"
"Knock it off, you two." The suited man sitting directly across from Velvet commands. "We don't want him to be even angrier when he arrives."
"I don't think he can get any angrier, Vladimir." Vanessa remarks as Vladimir adjusts his white masquerade mask. "He's already very angry."
The dark haired man next to Vladimir chuckled.
Vladimir looked at him. "I wouldn't laugh if I were you, Shadow. If what I heard was true, he will be even more angry."
"What did you hear, Vlad?" Velvet asks. "And where's Stein?"
A balding man wearing glasses and a lab coat entered and sat down. "I'm right here, and he is on his way. Velvet, I'd walk on eggshells around him if I was you. Vladimir, what did you hear?"
"I heard that the Champion has taken interest in investigating us after she heard about the incident." Vladimir quietly comments.
"The Champion?" Vanessa asks with concern.
Vladimir nods. "Yes, Champion Marina herself. The same woman who played the biggest role in taking down the original Team Plasma in Unova a decade ago."
"This isn't good." Velvet mutters.
"No, it's not good." Vanessa comments. "And it's all because you got thwarted by three teenagers."
"I wasn't thwarted by three teenagers. The grunts who were with me got distracted by three teenagers. I still brought all the books he wanted."
"And that may be the only reason you haven't been demoted back to grunt."
"Hush." Stein gestures for Velvet and Vanessa to be quiet. "I hear footsteps. He's coming."
Stein, Shadow, Vladimir, Vanessa, and Velvet all looked towards the door as it opened. A tall man wearing all black walked in and harshly shut the door behind him.
Velvet found him quite intimidating. He was very muscular and tall, probably about six and a half feet tall. He wore all black, including a face mask to conceal his identity. The only thing about him that wasn't completely intimidating were his bright green eyes. However, Velvet did find those eyes intimidating today because they looked angry and they were directed at her.
He sat down at the front end of the table. "Why are we suddenly the main topic of every news outlet in Rasun? Why have we gone from being able to work undetected in the shadows to being wanted in every part of the region? Why have we gone from having a foolproof plan to being thwarted by a few teenagers who have barely started their journeys? Explain that to me, Velvet! How do you mess up that horribly?"
Velvet bit her lip as she avoided eye contact with him. "We weren't fully thwarted by the teenagers. We brought back every single book you asked for."
"That isn't what I asked you to explain."
"The three grunts with me were supposed to just make sure that they could sneak out the books undetected without anyone being there. Nobody anticipated the presence of the three teenagers. The three grunts were distracted by the teenagers and were subsequently defeated in Pokemon battles by the teenagers."
"You mean to tell me that three of our own, that were trusted with a task of high importance, were defeated in Pokemon battles by children just starting their Pokemon journeys?"
"Yes, sir."
"How does this happen?"
"I didn't not witness the battles, but Eric claimed that one of them had a really strong Eevee. When I saw the teenagers, one of the girls had a mega bracelet. She looked familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I think maybe she's related to a powerful trainer and has a lot of experience with Pokemon battles already."
He rolled his eyes. "Stop concerning yourself with children, Velvet. I'm giving you one chance to redeem yourself, but Vanessa is going to be watching over you to make sure that you don't screw things up. I need a couple things taken care of in Drizzleton City. Don't screw up this time. That's all."
"Actually, sir." Vladimir says. "There is something of concern that I would like to bring up."
He gave Vladimir a questioning look. "Go on, Vladimir."
"I don't know if it's the truth or not, but I've heard rumors about the Champion being the one to lead the investigation into us."
He softly chuckled. "The Champion? That isn't something worth much concern."
"But she took down the original Team Plasma." Vanessa commented.
He nodded. "She did play a role in that, Vanessa. However, she didn't do it by herself, and the legendary Pokemon Reshiram helped her significantly. It was a decade ago, and Reshiram is still in Unova. With our plans, Reshiram would be under our control anyway. Don't overworry about this."
"Sir," Stein spoke up. "Are you sure that you aren't taking the Champion too lightly? She is a powerful trainer."
He looked down at Stein. "Our target has been confirmed to currently be here in Rasun. Marina has not fought off a villainous organization in a decade and is without Reshiram to help her. I do not see her being much of a problem, Stein. All I want is for everyone on Team Serpentine to be a bit more careful, so we can continue our plans with no more problems."
He stood up to head out of the room as the admins and Stein exchanged confused looks. He knew he was safe from Champion Marina. He had one thing that could guarantee that.
However, he was curious about this young trainer who had a mega bracelet that Velvet mentioned. Despite the fact that he had one, which he had gotten in the Hoenn region, and the admins and Stein all had one, mega bracelets were rare to come by in Rasun, and a trainer with a mega bracelet before even having a gym badge was unheard of. That girl must be significant in some way. While he didn't want those teenagers involved with Team Serpentine anymore than they already had been, he wanted to know who this girl was and how she got her hands on a mega bracelet so quickly. He was going to figure that out asap.
He exited the room, harshly slamming the door once again.
"Sewaddle, use Razor Leaf on Electrike!" Leo ordered.
"Electrike!" Daniel shouted. "Dodge it!"
Electrike tried to avoid Sewaddle's Razor Leaf attack, but Sewaddle managed to hit the move. Electrike fainted.
"Electrike is unable to battle, meaning the winner is Leo of Nimbus Town." The referee declares.
Daniel has Electrike return to its Poké Ball before walking over to Leo. "Congratulations."
Leo nods. "Thank you."
Daniel hands Leo a gym badge that looked like a thunderbolt. "This is the Power Badge. Take care of it."
Leo accepted the gym badge. "I will."
Daniel looked at Arabella and Arianne, who were standing off to the side. "Let me go heal my Pokemon real quick before the next battle. Arianne, you're next."
Arianne nodded. "Okay."
Leo approached Arabella and Arianne as Daniel went to heal his Pokemon. "Are you going to be okay, Arianne?"
"I hope so. I'm hoping Eevee can get the job done because Sobble won't battle."
Leo puts the Power Badge in his badge case. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Good luck."
"Thanks."
Arianne headed out to the battlefield as Daniel returned.
"Ready?" Daniel asks.
"Ready." Arianne replied.
"This battle is between the Covolt City gym leader Daniel and the challenger, Arianne of Nimbus Town. The battle is over when two Pokemon on one side are unable to battle. Battle begin!" The referee announced.
Daniel tossed a Poké Ball in the air. "Pikachu, let's electrify them!"
Arianne tossed a Poké Ball as well. "Eevee, time to shine!"
Pikachu appeared in front of Daniel while Eevee appeared in front of Arianne. Arianne used her Pokedex on Pikachu.
Pikachu, the Mouse Pokemon. It keeps its tail raised to monitor its surroundings. If you yank its tail, it will try to bite you.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Daniel demanded.
"Eevee, use Quick Attack as well!" Arianne responded.
Both Pokemon caught each other with Quick Attack. Both stumbled but were still able to battle.
"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Daniel shouted.
Pikachu started to create a ball of electricity at the end of his tail to throw at Eevee. Pikachu was about to throw the ball of electricity.
"Eevee, use Dig!" Arianne ordered.
Just as Pikachu hurled the ball of electricity, Eevee dug underground. Pikachu tried to detect Eevee, but Eevee still caught him off guard when she dug back up and attacked him. Pikachu fainted.
Daniel returned Pikachu to his Poké Ball before tossing another in the air. "Go, Electrike!"
Arianne used her Pokedex.
Electrike, the Lightning Pokemon. It generates electricity using friction from the atmosphere. In seasons with especially arid air, its entire body blazes with violent showers of sparks.
"Eevee use Dig again!" Arianne shouted.
Eevee dug underground once more.
"Electrike use Thunder Fang when Eevee digs back up!" Daniel orders.
Eevee digs back up and catches Electrike with the attack before he can use Thunder Fang. Electrike fainted.
"Electrike is unable to battle, meaning the winner is Arianne of Nimbus Town." The referee declares.
Daniel returns Electrike to his Poké Ball before handing Arianne the Power Badge. "Congratulations, Arianne. This is the Power Badge. That was one of the most decisive victories against me ever."
Arianne grins as she takes the gym badge. "Thanks, Daniel."
Daniel nods. "I'm going to go heal my Pokemon. Be ready, Arabella."
Arabella went onto the battlefield while Arianne joined Leo to watch Arabella's battle.
Daniel reemerged. "Let's get things going!"
"This battle is between the Covolt City gym leader Daniel and the challenger, Arabella of Nimbus Town. The battle is over when two Pokemon on one side are unable to battle. Battle begin!" The referee announced.
Daniel smiled and threw out a Poké Ball. "Pikachu, let's electrify them!"
Arabella tossed a Poké Ball. "Bulbasaur, let's go!"
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"
"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!"
The leaves from Razor Leaf hit Pikachu just as Pikachu caught Bulbasaur with Quick Attack. Both Pokemon took damage, but could still battle.
"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"
"Bulbasaur, counter with Razor Leaf!"
Pikachu hurled a ball of electricity at Bulbasaur as Bulbasaur sent leaves flying at Pikachu. Both Pokemon took more damage, and Pikachu was struggling to stand.
"Bulbasaur, finish it with Tackle!" Arabella ordered.
Bulbasaur tackled Pikachu. Pikachu fainted, but Bulbasaur couldn't move very much and had electricity coming off of it.
"What's going on with Bulbasaur?" Leo asked Arianne.
"I think Bulbasaur is paralyzed." Arianne responded. "This isn't good for Arabella and Bulbasaur."
Arabella looked at Bulbasaur with concern as she didn't understand what was going on.
"Pikachu's ability is Static." Daniel told Arabella as he had Pikachu return to his Poké Ball. "That means there's a chance that the opponent Pokemon gets paralyzed when they make physical contact with Pikachu. That is what has happened to your Bulbasaur, Arabella."
"Oh." Arabella muttered.
Daniel threw a Poké Ball out. "Go, Electrike, and use Thunder Fang!"
Electrike bit Bulbasaur with electricity. Bulbasaur fainted. Arabella had Bulbasaur return to her Poké Ball.
"Starly, let's go!" Arabella threw Starly's Poké Ball.
"Electrike, use Thunder Fang!" Daniel commanded.
"Starly, use Quick Attack!" Arabella responded, worrying since Starly was weak to electric types.
Electrike got to Starly first and used Thunder Fang. Starly immediately fainted.
"Starly is unable to battle, meaning the winner is Gym Leader Daniel." The referee declares.
Daniel looks at Arabella as she has Starly return to its Poké Ball. "It's alright. Not everyone wins on their first try. I'll schedule a rematch for tomorrow."
Arabella nods. "I know. Thanks."
A dark skinned man clapped as he was standing in the corner. "That was impressive nonetheless. All three of you were quite impressive. Daniel, are these the kids?"
Daniel nods. "These are the kids. I'll leave you in privacy."
Arabella looked at the man in confusion as Daniel left the room. She could tell by his accent that he was from Ember Island, but she didn't recognize him from anywhere. Daniel seemed to trust him, so he must be a good guy.
"Sorry to interrupt whatever you three had planned for after your gym battles today, but I need to have a discussion with all three of you." The mysterious man explained to the three trainers. "You three were the teenagers that encountered Team Serpentine yesterday, correct? My name is Ricardo, and I'm…"
"The fighting type specialist of the Rasun Elite Four and the founder of the Battle Dojo in Ember Town on Ember Island." Leo answers. "You studied at the Master Dojo on the Isle of Armor under former Galar Champion Mustard before returning to Rasun and founding the Battle Dojo. Sorry…I'm a big fan of your work."
Ricardo laughs. "It's alright. Glad to know that you already know who I am. It makes things a lot easier for me. Let me take you three back to the Pokemon Center, and we can discuss things there."
Ricardo waited on the three trainers' Pokemon to get healed up. Once they were healed, Ricardo ordered and bought food for himself and the three trainers as well as Pokemon food to feed his and their Pokemon.
Ricardo looked at the three teenagers. "So…what are your names? I'd like to know the names of the three kids that encountered Team Serpentine and that I'm buying lunch."
"I'm Leo, and this is Arabella and Arianne." Leo replied.
"Nice to meet you, Ricardo." Arabella responded.
"Thanks for lunch." Arianne commented.
"It was no big deal." Ricardo replied. "I do need to have quite the serious conversation with the three of you however. Usually something like this would fall into the duties of Champion Marina, but since she is busy trying to find a replacement Elite Four member at the moment, she asked me to come talk to you three."
"Alright." Arabella answered a bit unsure. "What's going on?"
"Yesterday, you three came into contact with members of Team Serpentine. This led to Officer Jenny encountering them. Despite the fact that the four individuals got away, you three are witnesses and helped get a police report made. Team Serpentine is now on the headlines of most major news outlets in Rasun. They've been exposed to the public after their encounter with the three of you."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Leo asks.
"For the most part, yes. However, since you three were involved in getting Team Serpentine exposed to the public, Champion Marina believes that there's a chance that they may target you. I am inclined to agree with her. None of the news reports used your names for safety reasons, but the four members of Team Serpentine who you encountered could easily expose you to the rest of them, and we don't even have a clue what the size of Team Serpentine is or what their intentions are other than it probably has something to do with legendary Pokemon, based on the books they stole. Team Serpentine could target you, so I have been told to warn you three to be careful. Champion Marina is leading the investigation into Team Serpentine and has contacts in the International Police that can be called for help if it gets to that point. Until everything is known though and hopefully Team Serpentine can get shut down, Marina wants you three to be as careful as possible. She doesn't want anything to happen. She has already asked for the three of you to be identified to all the gym leaders, so each of them can keep an extra eye on things to make sure no harm will come to you three while in each respective gym leader's areas. This is a safety precaution. I'm just keeping you three informed. If we know Team Serpentine is fully taken care of, you three will be the first to know. Any questions about this?"
"Not from me." Leo answers.
"Me either." Arabella responds.
"Nothing from me as well." Arianne agrees.
Ricardo nods. "Good. Everyone understands. Anyway onto other topics, Arianne, is your Sobble afraid of battling?"
"Uh…yeah a little bit. I want to help him, but I don't know how."
"Well, sometimes you've got to ease a young Pokemon into battling. You've gotta slowly work him into battling. That's one of the things we work on at the Battle Dojo. I want you to work on that with Sobble, Arianne. If it's still a problem when you get to Ember Island, stop by the Battle Dojo and explain your problem to my brother Antonio, who runs the Battle Dojo in my absence, and tell him that I sent you. Understand?"
"Yes, sir. I'll work on that."
"Good." Ricardo looks at Arabella. "And you, Arabella, both Daniel's Pikachu and Electrike have Static as an ability. You'll need to develop a strategy that involves avoiding physical contact with them as much as possible to help in your gym battle rematch tomorrow. Will you need some help with that?"
Arabella nods. "Yes, I would appreciate some help with that."
"Once you're done eating your food, join me on the practice battlefield. I'll help you with your strategy."
"Okay. Thank you, Ricardo."
Arabella's Team: Bulbasaur , Starly
Leo's Team: Litten , Sewaddle
Arianne's Team: Sobble , Eevee