Second chapter. And the debut of some old friend from the anime.

by lord Martiya

X C2-Chikaru: not exactly, this fanfic is on a my interpretation of Silver. This Silver is partly based on the manga, yes, but he's more my version of the videogame character.

TALE 02: VS JIGGLYPUFF

When I arrived in Mahogany Town, I immediatly encountered the principal of the academy, a woman with a mean appearance.

''So, you're the Boss' son?'' she asked. ''Good. If you think to be treated like a king, you're wrong: I only value the personal ability, not the family.''

I smiled relieved: I found very annoying the adoration reserved to me in Viridian City bec... I was just saying it: I want be treated for what I am, not for what my father is! What did you think, that I was one of these annoying and snobbish people who believe to be gods only because their relatives are important?! Returning to the principal, she then said: ''You'll have a test, now.''

''What kind of test?'' I asked.

''Uh uh... The most terrible of all imaginable test.''

I thinked about things like feed a rampaging Gyarados or wet the flame of a baby Charmander with his Charizard mother looking at me, but I was wrong, the test was worse, for most people: it was a WRITTEN TEST. Yes, a written test, to verify my basic knowledge about all types of Pokemon.

Sadly, even I'm one of the ten or twenty people in the world who love written tests I have to admit that the test was nightmarish: who the hell in the world cares about the weight of Magikarp's eggs and similar things, apart Pokemon Breeders?! And, to make the thing worse, the principal eliminated all questions about Ground-type: because I'm Giovanni's son the principal deduced that I was really prepared on Ground-type Pokemon (I even know the medium weight of every Ground Pokemon's egg), so she eliminated all the relative questions.

After I completed the test, she corrected it immediatly, and stated: ''Better than I tough. Normally people fail 80 of questions, you failed only the silly questions about Pokemon's eggs weight and similar... Male Nidoran egg's weight, now!''

I responded right, and she commented: ''The boss is an hars teacher, right? Well, you have the second best scores of ever, and you're qualified for the pratical test. Viper(1)!''

A man entered in the room, and the principal tell him: ''He's the fourth. Ah, he has a Pokemon.''

Viper guided me to an helicopter, where I found a girl with a Jigglypuff, a girl with her face covered by a book and a bully-like boy. The boy was the one who talked me first: ''So, another one made it. Greetings, I'm Andreas, the geek is Domino(2) and the trainer of the Jigglypuff is Rose. And you?''

''I'm Enrico.'' I responded, coldly.

''Oh, my... Another applicant for the Peevish of the Year Contest... Are you and Rose relate...''

''ATTENTION, PLEASE!'' Viper shouted. When all of us looked at him, he said: ''You four passed the test with adequate scores for A Rank Agent training. But Team Rocket pretends not only theorical abilities but also pratical ones. So, you now will be transported in Kanto, to our special reserve near Route 22 and Route 23. Wild Pokemons in that reserve are fairly strong and know every possible move for their species, thanks to the efforts of a selected breeding team. Your pratical test will be capture one of those Pokemon in 24 hours. For this task, you'll use only one Pokemon. Roberts, Harvey, you have no Pokemon, so you'll borrow one each for the task. Come here and chose.''

While Andreas and Domino chose their Pokemon (respectively a Nidorino and a Diglett), Rose recalled her Jigglypuff in the Pokeball and glared at me, and then smiled.

During the trip, Andreas said: ''That girl is apparently mad at anyone. I wonder why...''

''Hey, do you have a problem with it?'' she said angrily.

''Oh, it's your problem...''

''Exactly, so don't go in my own business.''

''Spoiled girl...'' I commented.

She angrily glared at me, then picked up a journal and read it.

When we arrived in place, Viper sent us out. I quickly found, frozen and caught a Male Nidoran with the Poison Point ability who I nicknamed Federico(3). Then I heard clapping: Rose was behind me and was cheering at me.

''You was amazing!'' she said. ''You beated that Pokemon with such skills...''

''Weren't you supposed to caught a Pokemon?'' I replied.

''Just done.''

She took out a Pokeball and showed me her prey, a Female Nidoran.

''See? A Nidoran...'' she said, but then stopped and, after some second, exclaimed: ''Incredible! We caught Nidorans! This is a sign of the destiny! Oh, I was so mean on the helicopter...''

I was shocked for the change of attitude: on the helicopter she was mean and mad at everything, but now she was cheerful and happy. And even really cute. This saved me from being fooled: at the elementary school I was almost scammed by a cute girl (that time I was saved by my big sister), and I learned the lesson (and even the cute girl: she has still nightmares about Rhyhorns). So I replied: ''And now you're about to get worse, aren't you?''

She grinned, and then said: ''Rollout!''

Snyer and I narrowly avoided her Jigglypuff's attack.

''Good, you're not a simple study-nerd, you're really a bit smart and fast.'' she commented. ''We really could be a good couple... What a pity that you insulted me in that way.''

''What insult?'' I asked.

''Spoiled girl. Goodbye, cutie!''

Rose bowed her head, and a boulder flyed over me. Luckily, Snyer reacted with an Ice Beam, freezing the boulder, and a Cut, with obvious results. Rose and her damned Jigglypuff, who used Strengt to launch the boulder, were a bit disappointed.

''Ice Beam, now.'' I ordered.

The Jigglypuff was hit and frozen, but managed to freed himself from the ice. Too late: Snyer managed to deliver him a Dynamic Punch. Then, Snyer kneeled in pain: before being sent flying, that Jigglypuff managed to hit with Mega Kick where human and Pokemon males don't want to be hit, and Snyer is male. While Rose went to retrieve her Jigglypuff, I recalled Snyer in my Pokeball and returned to the helicopter to heal him.

When Rose returned, Viper said: ''You both returned before your companions, as expected from the two best grades ever. I'll leave you alone, probably you will be paired.''

''So, you were the one with superior grades.'' I said.

''Yeah, yeah...'' she replied. ''But what was he saying?''

''Strange, I assumed that you knew it: Team Rocket's field agents work in duos and are trained to work in duos.''

''WHAT?!''

''Duos from the training are used as first assignment of the agents and endure until one of the members is somehow incapacitated to work for long periods.''

She cryed for desperation.

''Ehi, I also hate the idea, but I'm not crying...'' I said.

''SHUT UP, YOU!'' she replied, angrily. Then she calmed and said: ''OK, maybe we will really end up as couple, so let's make a deal: I will not attack you anymore and you will not insult me anymore with 'spoiled' and similar words. OK, brat?''

''OK. But why are you so mad at that word?''

''It's not of your business, and you can't understand. Nobody can't.''

I didn't try again. Some hour after, Domino returned with a Mankey, who she nicknamed Tulip, and we finally managed to see her without a book covering her face. What a pity that she wore an ice-look alike mask... Why? Oh, well, she's a bit crazy, and loved a certain novel from the moment she learned how to read. Yes, the novel is The Mask of Ice, of the Heroes Saga(4). Returning to Andreas, he was the last to return with a Sandshrew, who he nicknamed Gaara. Some time after he revealed that he wanted a Sandshrew, and chosed Nidorino to have no advantage on him. After Andreas' return, we all were declared A-class trainees and returned to Mahogany Town.

Then the training began under the direction of the principal herself: an incredible torture, with physical training based on evading her Weavile's Cut attacks while wearing human-sized Macho Braches, lift bouders, fight against Fighting-type Pokemons and similar things. How did we managed to survive? Oh, simple: Karen, Viper and the others were training us, not trying to kill us, so they attacked us with power and speed adequate to stress us but not to really kill us if we used all our abilities, even if in the first months we were too busy in escaping to note it.

After this time, during wich I and Rose argued in every occasion and Domino had the silly idea of her infamous 'black tulips' from the title of the novel The Black Tulip(5), our training shifted to stealth abilities under the responsability of Viper and alongside the aspiring B-. For this we got green uniforms similar to the blue and dark red of the other trainees and passed various time with the others. It was at that time that I met Jesse, James, Cassidy and that idiot for the first time. Who's the idiot? Butch, obviously. Yes, I'm one of the few people in the world who can tell its name right, but I refuse to call it right in its presence. In the period James managed to impress me and Rose being the only one able to stop our fights without risking a beating from Fairy, Rose's Jigglypuff. And this characteristic caused a trouble.

That day in the spare time I caught a Murkrow that I nicknamed Aureliano(3), and in the mess Rose heavy criticized the nickname calling it dumb, specially in comparison to the nickname of the Ditto she caught in her spare time, Ditty.

''I have imagination, a thing you clearly lack.'' I responded.
''Imagination and horrible taste are different things!'' she replied.

''Hey, guys, am I invited to your marriage?'' James asked, shutting us up for the surprise. ''You know, you are like a married couple...''

The only one who didn't laugh were Rose, me and the damned idiot Butch. I and Rose said, at the same time: ''Tell me a reason to marry this idiot! AND DON'T COPY ME!!''

''Oh, well, you have various characteristic in common, like a similar reason to be always in bad mood...'' he said, being then interrupted by Butch.

That idiot was from Viridian City, and shouted: ''Are you dumb or only ignorant?! How could the boss's son have something in common with her?!''

Domino then commented upon the thing with three words: ''Biff, you idiot.''

''THE NAME IS BUTCH!! BUTCH!! BUTCH!!''

''Whatever you are named, you're still idiot.''

footnotes

(1)The Team Rocket Academy instructor and Drill Sergeant from Training Daze. He's guilty to have paired Butch and Cassidy at Team Rocket Academy, but then redeemed himself pairing Jesse & James. It's not known what's happened to him after Jesse, James, Cassidy and Butch graduated.

(2)Yes, this Domino is the same Domino from the Mewtwo Returns special. Her surname here come from Domino Harvey, a female bounty hunter died in 2005. Apart this, there's no relation between my Domino and Domino Harvey.

(3)Apart for Snyer, there is a common theme in Silver's Pokemons nicknames. If you can find it you can ask a spoiler and I will answer without horrible jokes like Togepi is the lord of darkness and want to conquer all dimensions (yes, I know Pokemopolis).

(4)Novels existing in this fanfiction, they're very old adventure books very well-knowed and readed but ignored in schools. If you want to know the plot of the Hero Saga, read Pokémon Adventures: the novels of the Heroes Saga are basically a novelized version of the various chapters of the manga. The novels, who took their names from the respective foes, are: The Earth Master (Red&Green&Blue Saga, namesaker Giovanni), The Dragon Tamer (Yellow Saga, namesaker Lance), The Mask of Ice (Gold&Silver&Crystal Saga until the battle at the Lake of Rage, namesaker Pryce/Mask of Ice), The Chosen Children (Gold&Silver&Crystal Saga from the Lake of Rage to the end, namesakers Will, Karen and Team Rocket Executives), The Landscape Changers (Ruby-Sapphire Saga, namesakers Archie and Maxie), The Searching Man (FireRed&LeafGreen Saga, namesaker Giovanni again), The Insane Waterlover (the ongoing Emerald Saga, namesaker Archie/Guile Hideout) and The Conqueror of Space and Time (the ongoing Diamond&Pearl Saga, namesaker Cyrus). Obviously all the characters have their name changed (don't ask me how, I don't know even I), with the exception of Silver, who's always called in this manner until The Searching Man.

(5)This is a real world novel by Alexandre Dumas, père.