Raiders of the Pokemon Chapter 1: In the Lab, a pokémon fanfic

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The year is 2205. By that time, the world had become a very different place. Originally, it was filled with many different plants and animals. There were seven continents of the Earth, too.

But the landmasses were breaking apart, creating many smaller regions, ever-moving and shifting. Furthermore, the realm of the animals was beginning to change. The plants and animals had begun to transform into strange and wonderful creatures.

These creatures have become known to man in a small part of the world. They have also been given the name that many people would soon enjoy – Pokemon, which is derived from "Pocket Monster". There are many kinds of Pokemon. They range from small bugs and mice to humanoid psychics and mythical legends. It is unknown exactly how many there are. Currently, one hundred and fifty have been identified.

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Fear. Pain. Suffering.

Charmander had horrible memories of scientists injecting chemicals into his body. He still felt pain from last week's shots beneath his orange scales. The lizard looked down at the flame on his tail. What if scientists dumped water on him, thereby causing the flame to go out? That would be a fatal action. He knew that if this flame ever went out, he would soon die. That fire was his lifeblood; it was his essence that allowed him to survive, and he cherished it like any vital organ.

Another cage held a Squirtle, hiding in his shell, not willing to see those "bad people" again. The cage also felt extremely uncomfortable. Squirtle knew his shell was much more comfortable; therefore, he hid inside. But the shell was beginning to decay; he worried about losing his last line of defense against attacks. Due to his dehydration, he was unable to use any water-type moves that he knew. The tiny turtle didn't think that water would get him out of the cage, anyway.

A third caged Pokemon, a Bulbasaur, shivered, freezing from the coldness of the room and her cage. As a grass-type Pokemon, she knew that she would not survive if she continued to live in this laboratory. The seed on her back nourished her with energy she needed to survive. But the seed was beginning to dry up as she had been given less water lately, making her very hungry and thirsty. She felt that she could go for some food and water right now. She craved the most for water. If this seed were to die, she may die as well.

The farthest they could remember before was in this exact same lab a year ago. During that time, they never were able to leave the lab and see what was outside. All they ever did see was out the window, which couldn't show much except for some plant life and a bright circle of some sort during the day. At night, another silver-gray pockmarked circle occupied the sky. Maybe some day, these Pokemon would be released to see more of what was out there. But they could only hope for the best.

The room had an asphalt floor and metallic walls. The aluminum ceiling contained stacks of florescent light-bulbs; they were the only source of light during the nighttime. The bright lights that illuminated the room, however, hurt the Pokemon's eyes. Many gray empty cages surrounded the room; a few of these cages contained Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle.

A scientist entered the room. Oh, no, not more experiments. But the lab-coat-clad man pulled out three red and white capsules, and called in the three Pokemon. As the three became beams of energy, they wondered what would happen next. Are they going to be released? What was beyond the laboratory that they were confined in? What was their purpose in life? These questions burned in their minds as they entered the red-and-white capsules. Then, everything went black. They felt weightless, flying through a dark void.

"This is Gideon," said the scientist as he pulled out a cellular phone.

The voice of an unknown man then asked, "Are the Pokemon ready to be delivered to our headquarters?"

"Yes, sir. We'll send the three Pokemon tomorrow."

"Very good, sir," said the unidentified man in triumph. "There can be no mistakes."

Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle were just more Pokemon to be used and abused by Team Rocket as mere tools of war. Could this be their fate? A life of crime? Were they born to fight and die for Team Rocket? What in the world was this so-called "Team Rocket" which these scientists have been talking about anyway? The three had absolutely no idea what to expect.

And so, they waited patiently, wondering where their next destination was.

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A fifty-year-old man, whose face was hidden in shadow, held two pieces of paper in his hand, which showed that two Team Rocket Elites had been promoted to Administrators; thus, they became his sub-ordinates. In addition, he had other plans up his sleeves; they were almost entirely confidential and only released to certain people. Grinning, the man placed the two papers into a fax machine.

But what were these plans? Why were they classified information? That was exactly what this unknown man didn't want anyone outside of Team Rocket to find out about. He preferred confidentiality and anonymity; it protected him from any crimes that his minions did for him. An ordinary Kantoan citizen living in Viridian City as its Gym Leader during the day, this mysterious person led Team Rocket during the nighttime.