Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Team Rocket or basically anything in this story. Which saddens me. The only thing I own is the plot, my OC, and...yeah that's it. Now read!
Also thank you to guitarfreak888 for the review: It's gonna pick up the pace soon. I promise
Chapter 2: Professor Panic!
A wild Pidgey appeared from a patch of waist high grass, fluttering furiously past JT (he swore and recoiled in surprise) and into the sheltering woods that Route 29 wound through. He pulled his cap tight as he sheepishly re-gathered himself – the wild pokemon around Newbark and Cherrygrove were merely an annoyance at worst. JT continued onwards while Zero, who always enjoyed the forested route to Cherrygrove, dove in and out of the scraggy grass that hemmed the track, spooking unsuspecting flocks of frantic Pidgeys into the air.
After just a little over half an hour's walk, JT reached Route 29's final stretch which unfurled before him and Zero and into the lively silhouette of Cherrygrove City. At this sight, JT keenly picked up his pace as the colourful hum of the town drew nearer – the heaving, grinding water wheel tower stood at the centre of the town, peering above the tiled, crimson rooftops.
JT checked the time on his Pokegear and raised his eyebrows in surprise:
"We made good time getting here… sweet!"
"Scizor" replied Zero, nodding encouragingly at his companion before starting off in the direction of Cherrygrove. The twosome quickly covered the remaining ground and within ten minutes they were standing before the river and water wheel at the centre of the quaint town. Cherrygrove was a familiar place for the pair; they had come here on several occasions on jobs for Professor Elm.
Jt stretched out, yawning, as he removed his cap and took in the heady scent of the town: a heavy mixture of berries, flowers and saltwater permeated the town air. JT sighed in contentment.
"I love this place. Much better than boring New Bark" he mused, Zero nodding in agreement.
Unfortunately, JT knew that he couldn't enjoy the busy roll of Cherrygrove for long – he had to make for Mr. Pokemon's house to the north. JT sighed as the pair moved on past the Poke Centre and Poke Mart. On the water's edge several fishermen bode their time. They reached the trail going north and set out, picking up their earlier pace now that they were out of Cherrygrove City.
Meanwhile, back at the lab
"So that's the rare pokemon? I think I might just have to grab them…"
The teenage boy mused to himself whilst peering through the window into the lab.
"Sneasel?" A dark shape detached itself from the shadow of the trees and joined it's master's side.
"Go distract them."
They continued on down the barely used track – JT followed in Zero's wake as he cleared a path through the long grass that had overtaken the route. The only signs of life on the track were the unseen rustlings of wild pokemon and a very awkward battle between two young, rookie trainers and their fragile Rattatas. Emerging from the suffocating scrub, the pair came in sight of a modest house, sitting in the middle of a clearing. "Looks like this is the place" he said, taking a moment to study the place. Someone had obviously put quite a bit of effort into clearing the area so that the house wouldn't be overgrown. A loud buzzing sound rang through the air behind JT; it rapidly increased in volume as he whipped around. Zero spun around, spreading his claws and dropping into his battle stance, one claw held out in front of his body, the other held next to his body at chest height. Suddenly a large wasp-like Pokemon burst out of the long grass, wings buzzing frantically; the Beedril extended it's needle arms and shot towards the pair.
JT jumped to the side, calling out as he leapt, "OK Zero let's go! Metal Claw!" Zero crossed his large claws in front of his body, they gained a silvery sheen and he uncrossed them just before the Beedril reached him. He quickly flicked his claw out, deflecting the Beedril's attack, sending it flying past the pair. From his position on the sidelines JT yelled encouragement, "Good job Zero! Hit it with a counter attack on the next pass!"
The Beedril swung around, needles once more extended towards Zero; Zero held his claws out defensively and waited as the Beedril shot towards him. In a flash of red Zero blocked the Beedril's attack and struck out, catching the Beedril in the back with a silvery claw, sending it flying away in a panic. Zero relaxed, dropping his claws; the sound of clapping came from the direction of the house.
"Bravo, bravo! That was excellent indeed! I see that Elm was right about you" a hearty voice rang out through the air.
JT turned around to greet the voice; standing on the porch was a man with grey hair and a trimmed grey beard. "Come on in!" he said, withdrawing keenly into his house - JT shrugged at Zero then followed him.
"Well. Here it is" Mr. Pokemon said, handing JT a large egg with a strange pattern on it. JT looked at it with a complete lack of wonder.
"Uh, cool. Thanks I guess" he said, awkwardly shaking the man's hand. With a polite tip of his cap JT turned to go and meet Zero (who had waited outside so as not to crowd the small house). Suddenly the awkward silence was shattered by the ring of his Pokegear - JT jumped and quickly activated the phone function of the Pokegear.
"Hello?"
"Jordan! Get back here now! We've been robbed!" Professor Elm's voice emitted from the speaker sounding panicked.
JT quickly hung up and sprinted out the door, Zero catching him almost instantly, the egg wrapped protectively in his arms.
JT darted back to Cherrygrove City, forcing his way through the tall grass - Zero slashed through the tougher areas with his sharp claws. They covered ground quickly, forcing frightened Pokemon out of their hiding places as they ran for cover. As they ran, JT kept a firm hold on the egg in his arms. They sprinted past the place where the two youngsters were battling earlier; the battle was still raging (or limping).
They entered Cherrygrove City at a sprint, drawing startled looks some of the townsfolk. JT stopped to catch his breath, panting heavily. Then, after a quick rest, he set off at a comfortable speed - he could keep up a brisk jog for an hour or more so he would be fine at this pace until they made it back to New Bark Town. They jogged through the town, dodging people as they went, leaving surprised townsfolk in their wake
The pair were just leaving Cherrygrove City when a teenage boy came running at them with a Sneasel by his side. He had shoulder length red hair that fanned out behind his head as he ran. He wore dark pants and a shirt with red lining along the seams. Zero instantly dropped into a defensive stance and JT, having learned to trust Zero's instincts long ago, stepped alongside him and blocked as much of the road as he could. The teen slid to a stop and glared at JT.
"Get out of the way" the boy growled.
JT just smirked cockily at the teen. "Whatcha runnin' from?" he said, calmly rocking the egg in his arms. The red-haired teen clenched his jaw angrily and narrowed his eyes.
"I said get out of the way," he snarled, slowly drawing a pokeball from his pocket, "or I'll make you". JT just raised an eyebrow at the teen and nodded to Zero, who stepped forward and raised his claws aggressively.
"Give it a go if you want" he challenged.
The boy narrowed his eyes. "I don't have time for this. Go Sneasel! Let's go pokeball!" he growled, throwing the pokeball into the air as his Sneasel stepped forward. The pokeball burst apart with a flash of light and a small mole-like creature materialised on the ground with a mewling cry. The Sneasel stopped abruptly and stared quizzically at the pokemon.
"The hell?" the teen growled.
Quickly he drew out two new pokeballs and threw them into the air. With another flash of light two new pokemon materialised next to the small mole pokemon. The first pokemon was a small pale green pokemon, with a necklace of green buds, and a dark green leaf atop its head. The second one looked like a small blue crocodile stood on two legs, with red ridges down its back and along its tail. It had large jaws and narrowed its eyes at Zero. A large grin slowly grew over the teenage boy's face as he spied the crocodile.
"Ahh that's more like it. Go Sneasel and the blue one! Attack!"
Zero leapt forward and engaged both attacking pokemon with lightning fast strikes - the other two pokemon quickly ran out of the way of the pitched battle that suddenly erupted in the road.
Zero, Sneasel and the small crocodile traded blows. Zero mostly defended himself from the two attackers. Sneasel seemed to be the more dangerous of the two, it was faster than it's smaller compatriot, but the small crocodile held it's own in the battle, landing a few glancing blows on the embattled Scizor. Zero suddenly took a heavy blow from Sneasel's glowing white claw, his Scratch attack, and was knocked back towards JT.
"OK Zero let's finish this. Metal Claw!" JT called out.
Zero growled and crossed his claws in front of his body. The teen laughed coarsely.
"I can't let you do that kid," he said mockingly. "Go you two! Attack it now!"
The two attackers leapt forward at Zero just as a silvery sheen covered his claws - in a flash of silver and red he lashed out with both claws, stopping both attacking pokemon in their tracks. Sneasel and the blue crocodile strained against Zero's claws and Zero pushed back, struggling with everything he had. The three pokemon stayed in a deadlock until finally the teen growled in frustration.
"We don't have time for this!" he snarled.
He pulled out a pokeball and called the blue crocodile back before throwing a small white ball onto the ground; a massive burst of light blinded JT, Zero and the other two pokemon (who had retreated to the side of the road). By the time the pair could see again, the teenager had gone, leaving behind the two pokemon he had thrown out first. The whole group looked around in confusion before it sank in.
"Dammit he's gone!" JT yelled in frustration.
He turned around and looked at the two pokemon who were looking lost at the side of the road, "Guess I'd better take you two with me huh?" he said, studying the two closely.
Back at the lab
"I can't believe this! Who would do this?" Professor Elm cried, pacing around the far end of the laboratory wringing his hands. Lyra stepped into his path and stopped his incessant pacing, "Professor you need to calm down. When JT gets back we can sort something out. Whoever they are, they won't get away with stealing innocent pokemon".
"But what if we can't figure out who did it? The police are too busy for us and..." his panicked rant was suddenly cut off by Lyra. "Professor! We will figure it out! Stop panicking!" she said firmly, quieting the panicked professor.
"Just wait for JT..." she muttered, leaning back against the desk behind her. The Professor resumed his pacing, muttering wildly to himself.
"Ok last one. Hup...hey!" JT said as he dropped the five or six feet from the ledge onto the ground below, the green pokemon held firmly in his arms. The mole pokemon landed just next to him, closely followed by Zero landing gracefully on the other side of JT. Using the ledges cut a good half an hour out of the journey between Cherrygrove and New Bark but people had been known to twist an ankle when 'ledge hopping' (as it was popularly known). JT had remained twist-free however, and set off at a brisk jog towards Newbark.
The group entered the town and stopped abruptly at the sight of the lab. Papers were strewn all over the ground near the entrance to Professor Elm's lab; lab assistants were frantically gathering them up before they were blown away by the wind (or devoured by the Miltanks). The front window of the lab was smashed as if something had been thrown through it; glass was strewn beneath the window. Frowning at the carnage around the lab, JT quickly led the group into the lab where he was met with looks of relief from the Professor and Lyra (and the warm smell of cooking pop tarts…)
The Professor stopped his pacing and, upon seeing the green pokemon in JT's arms, let out a cry of joy.
"Oh you saved her!" he cried as he quickly covered the ground separating them. As he reached JT the mole pokemon stepped out from behind JT's legs eliciting another excited yell from the relieved professor. He gently took the green pokemon from JT and crouched down next to the mole pokemon.
"Looks like you two are OK at least" he said, before looking up at JT with renewed worry. "But where's Totodile?"
JT scratched his head in confusion. "Uh, who?" he asked, thoroughly bewildered. The Professor smiled.
"Ah yes, of course. Well I had three rare pokemon that I was studying. Cyndaquil here" - he pointed to the small mole pokemon - "Chikorita, the green pokemon, and Totodile" he said. He drew a picture out of his pocket and pointed out the blue crocodile-like pokemon Zero had fought. JT stared at the picture in silence for a few seconds before he answered.
"That guy has him!" At the Professor's quizzical look he continued. "Red hair, bad attitude, Sneasel. He has Totodile."
The Professor stood slowly, gazing at JT, "How do you know?" he asked. JT frowned, deep in thought.
"We ran into him as we left Cherrygrove City. He was running away from something, I guess you guys, and he threw out these pokemon" JT explained. "His Sneasel and Totodile fought with Zero for a while and then he threw down some sort of flash bomb and got away." The Professor frowned worriedly.
"We need to get Totodile back from that thief. I haven't completed my research on it's evolutions and besides...he's extremely rare" he explained exasperatedly.
Lyra walked forward from where she had been leaning, observing the conversation, and interrupted.
"So we'll go get him back then. Seems pretty straightforward" she said bluntly.
JT nodded. "Yeah I'm in" he said, looking at her from across the messy laboratory. The Professor looked back and forth between the two determined teens.
"But...you can't! It's dangerous past Cherrygrove!" he said incredulously.
Lyra and JT exchanged an amused look. "It's not like we can't handle ourselves" JT said amusedly. Seeing the Professor about to object, Lyra interjected.
"Look Professor, we're gonna go whether you agree or not. You may as well just let us go" she said impatiently.
The Professor hung his head in defeat. "Ok. If you're that determined to go after him then I have no authority to stop you." JT and Lyra nodded in appreciation and made for the door.
"But at least talk to your parents before you go running off. They deserve to kn-"
A tinny pop cut him short and Elm chuckled and gestured to Cyndaquil and Chikorita, who followed the lean man to the back of the lab – his pop tarts were done.