The Year of Rocket's Revenge
Session: April, Part 3 (04.11.06/07.24.08)
"Wait a minute! Are we allowed to do this?" Amber asked.
"Of course we are!" defended Stephanie. "We can do anything!"
"But doesn't this go against the continuity of the anime?"
"We gave up following the anime from Day One, remember?"
"That was in 1999, and this chapter takes place a little over a year before they're introduced in the anime!"
"Well, we're not going to be around in a year, and plus, we promised those two were going to get a cameo!"
"This isn't a cameo! It's more like they're guest stars!"
"Don't you know that at the end of Johto, we disappear from the series, never to be seen again?"
"Well, yeah, but..."
"Do you want that to happen? At least in this fanfic, Johto hasn't ended, and we still have time to convince Gary to have us by our side!"
"But wouldn't that be a little... awkward?"
"Hey, if it wasn't awkward when we started two-and-a-half years ago when Gary-poo was ten, then it's not awkward now!"
"Um... point taken."
"Anyway, enjoy this unexpected filler chapter starring Amber, me, and Gary!"
"All except the last part..." Amber squeaked meekly.
"GREAT GOING, YOU JUST RUINED IT FOR EVERYONE!"
Stephanie then stomped out of the introduction segment.
"Wait! I thought I was supposed to say that!" Amber defended herself as she followed her fellow cheerleader out.
Thursday, April 18th, Cianwood City Gym
The front door swung open, and three teenagers walked out of the gym. They were waving farewell to the gym leader as they departed, the lone male of the group doing so while holding the Storm Badge in his hand.
"Thanks for the hospitality!" he exclaimed.
"Best of luck getting your next badge!" shouted the gym leader, Chuck.
With that, Chuck went back inside to prepare for the next challenger. As he did, the young man pulled out his badge case and placed his newly won prize inside to join the other five Johto League badges he had already collected.
"Glad that's over," he breathed a sigh of relief. "That Machoke of his was really tough to beat."
"We knew you could do it, Gary!" the younger girl shouted.
"Who was the one crying when Gary-poo was on the ropes, huh?" asked the older female.
"Hey! That was y..."
The older one then squealed with delight for some unknown reason.
"Ooh! I just figured out what we can do to celebrate you getting your sixth Johto badge!"
"It better not be another trip to a department store, Stephanie," griped Gary. "We barely have enough money for the ferry back to Olivine City, much less for restocking for supplies."
"It's even better! Come on!"
Before he knew it, Gary was being dragged off by Stephanie. The younger girl sighed as she begrudgingly followed.
"Sure. Go ahead and ignore Amber, the third wheel. Makes me wonder why I'm still here sometimes..."
"WHATTTTTTTTTTTT?"
Stephanie was in shock upon arriving at her planned destination.
"You dragged me all the way out here to a photo studio?" queried Gary as he dusted himself off. "And it's not even open?"
Stephanie collapsed down to the sandy ground in defeat.
"Just... great..."
Gary shook his head in disgust as Amber came bolting in, having finally caught up to them.
"So... you guys finished leaving me out of the fun already?" she asked, a bit irritated of being abandoned.
"Nah," Gary replied. "Just Stephanie being... Stephanie."
Amber looked over and saw Stephanie crying with her face buried in the sand. Or, at least that's what it looked like from her perspective.
"Can I make a victory celebration suggestion then?"
"WHAT KIND OF VICTORY CELEBRATION IS THIS, AMBER? YOU SUDDENLY SCROOGE MCDUCK OR SOMETHING?"
The trio were at a Pokémon Center, where they were enjoying a complimentary glass of lemonade, courtesy of the local Nurse Joy.
"Didn't you hear Gary?" Amber retorted. "We're low on money right now. Now's not the time to be splurging at some fancy restaurant."
"But I've always wanted to eat at the Auburn Kingler!" Stephanie whined. "You pick out the live Kingler from the tank and they pluck it out right in front of you and take it to the kitchen to be cooked!"
Amber sweatdropped. "I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that, 'cause that sounds disgusting. Eating Pokémon... revolting."
"Settle down, you two!" Gary told them. "We got to figure out what to do about our money situation, or we'll never get off this island!"
"I don't think that's so bad," Stephanie cooed. "After all, summer's just two months away, and it's already starting to get warm outside. Swimsuit season is just around the corner! We can enjoy daily walks along the beach without a care in the world!"
"No."
"But Gary-poo!"
"Amber? Any ideas?"
"Uh... why are you asking me, Gary?"
"Because, miss flavor-of-the-month, you can't seem to go a week without changing what the heck you wanna grow up to be!" Stephanie chided. "So how about figuring out what you haven't tried to be yet?"
Amber thought for a second, then came up with answer.
"Well, there's..."
Half an hour later, a small area just outside the Pokémon Center had been roped off. A makeshift wooden sign had been nailed into the ground nearby, which read 'Babysitting - 250 Poké/hour.'
"Pokémon babysitting," Stephanie said with a smile. "Glad I thought of it!"
"But I..." Amber cut in, before deciding otherwise.
Gary groaned. "Why do I have to be a part of this?"
"You're the one who said we needed money. We just opened our own business. We'll be raking it in in no time!"
Three days later...
"I don't understand it!" Stephanie cried. "We haven't made any money!"
Most of the residents walked by without batting even an eye, despite Amber's attempts to drum up business by having her Horsea swim around in a man-made wading pool.
"In fact, we've even lost money! If we don't get at least one customer today, we'll have to close up shop!"
"You could help by bringing out your Pokémon, you know," Amber suggested.
"M-m-m-m-m-my Pokémon?"
"Uh huh. You know, the one you caught at Tin Tower?"
Two months ago...
Gary and Amber watched embarrassingly as Stephanie ran circles around them on the fourth floor of the Tin Tower, being chased by infatuated Gastly. At some point, she tripped over a loose floorboard and fell to the ground, unaware that a Pokéball that she just happened to be holding onto at the time. Seeing his opportunity, Gastly flew over and started rubbing himself against Stephanie's face.
Not loving this display of affection, she pushed Gastly away... and right into the Pokéball. Gastly was sucked in, and the Pokéball shook violently for a few seconds before settling down.
Present time...
"I was going to give him that Pokéball to Gary as a Valentine's Day present. Then Gastly got caught, and when I tried to give that Pokémon to Gary... he attached himself to me and refused to let go! And now I'm stuck with him..."
"I think it's cute that he's so affectionate for you," stated Amber matter-of-factly.
"Then why don't you have him?" Stephanie said as she took the Pokéball out and offered it to Amber.
"But he refuses to be with anyone but you."
"I'm never going to unload this thing," the elder girl wept.
"You're offering a babysitting service, huh?" a man asked.
Stephanie stopped her crying as she and Amber turned their attention to a blue-haired man, who looked to be in his early-to-mid-30s, standing there. Stephanie quickly gathered herself and introduced herself.
"My name's Stephanie Applegate, the woman-in-charge of this little establishment. And that girl fondling the Horsea over there is my assistant, Amber!"
"Hey!" Amber yelled, taken aback by the over-exaggeration of her having Horsea cradled in her arms.
"My business partner, the great Gary Oak, has stepped out, but I'm sure he won't mind if I take this transaction by myself. By the way, did I mention how dreamy he is?"
"Well... no, you didn't."
"Well... sigh... he is. But more about him later. You need a babysitter?"
The man nodded. "I need you to take care of two. A 9-year old and a 6-year old. And I'll pay triple for you to watch them for a few..."
As soon as the man took his wallet out, Stephanie grabbed it and instantly took out the exact promised amount without even counting it.
"Deal!"
Twenty minutes later, Gary returned with a yellow duffel bag hanging from his shoulder. And he had a look of displeasure on his face. Not from where he had come from, but rather, what he had come back to.
"Um... I know it's impolite, but... how old are you again?"
Gary was referring to the fact that Stephanie had not Pokémon, but human children running around as she knelt down on the sand. To her right, a 9-year old girl with chestnut brown hair shaking in fear as she grasped the side of Stephanie's dress. To her left, a 6-year old boy with blue hair and glasses jumping up and down excitedly as he tugged at the elder cheerleader's arm.
"I wanna see it, I wanna see it, I wanna see it!" shouted the boy.
"No!" squealed the girl. "Please, no!"
With Stephanie too busy dealing with the kids, Amber, who was about 80 feet away preparing lunch, spoke up.
"They're not her kids, they're not siblings, and no, she didn't suddenly out of the blue decide to adopt so she and you could feel like a real couple."
Gary sweatdropped. "Sorry I asked... or even thought of those as plausible explanations for this. Yeesh... so, tell me what's really going..."
Before Gary could finish, he took a step back in astonishment at what Amber was doing. She was making rice balls... of odd shapes and sizes. Those included one big enough for a Rattata to live in, one small enough to balance on the tip of her fingertip, one as flat as a pancake, and one bloated up like an overinflated Jigglypuff... just to name a few.
"Alright, tell me what else is going on," Gary finished, deciding not to inquire into Amber's latest flub.
"Stephanie promised to babysit for a man dropping off two, immediately after he promised to pay triple. Five minutes after he walks off, he returns and drops off not Pokémon... but those two kids."
Amber pointed at them, as they were still crowding Stephanie.
"Don't tell me you don't wanna see it!" the boy said to his sister.
"No! I freak out whenever I see it!" replied the girl.
"You're not gonna see it because I'm not gonna take it out!" yelled Stephanie.
Gary observed the situation as Amber identified the two children.
"The girl's name is May, and the boy's name is Max. The guy who dropped them off, who I assume is their father, said he was only going to be gone for a few hours."
"Wait... a few hours?"
"Yes, Gary. Why?"
With that, Gary dropped the duffel bag he had been carrying and reached for the zipper. Amber squatted down for a closer look as he pulled a pair of jean-like overalls and a hard hat out of the bag.
"I figured out how to get back to Olivine City! The three o'clock ferry had a couple of people quit, so they're short-staffed. I'm going to be working down in the engine room, shoving coal."
"You mean all of us will?"
"No," Gary replied, as he pulled out a pink frilly dress and a green waitress outfit. "One of you will work as part of the on-board entertainment, the other serving guests during dinner."
"Hey!" Stephanie objected, overhearing the conversation over May and Max's arguing. "I want the performance gig! If you think I'm risking breaking a nail carrying a trap of food..."
"Sorry," Amber said, holding up the dress. "It looks a little too small for you."
"No way! Gary-poo!"
"Hey, no objections! I didn't know either of your dress sizes, so I had to take a guess! Besides, we only have to work the one trip, and the pay actually serves as our ride tickets. So don't complain!"
"But... we can't just leave these kids! We were entrusted to a job!"
Gary stood up and clenched his fist. "Then I suppose we find their father and give him his money back. It's the only way."
"So, where do we start?" questioned Amber.
"Well, you remember what he looks like, right? You lead the way."
As Amber and Gary started to run off, Stephanie protested again.
"Hey, what am I supposed to do?"
"Watch the kids, what else!" Gary shouted.
With that, the elder cheerleader was left with May and Max.
"You know he's right," Max told her. "You promised our dad that you'd make sure nothing happened to us."
Stephanie sighed. "I guess a promise is a promise."
"Great! So... can we see it now?"
"NO!" Stephanie and May yelled in unison.
"Awww, come on!"
"NO MEANS NO!"
As Max continued to plead to see whatever 'it' Stephanie had that both she and May didn't want to reveal, little did they know that they were being watched by a young couple in the process of putting ski masks on to hide their identities.
They weren't both black ski masks, though.
"Uh... Christina?"
"Yes, Christian?"
"Why do you have a flower-print ski mask on?"
"So they can tell which one of us is the girl, silly!"
Christian slapped himself on the forehead. "When someone's stealthy, the enemy's not supposed to instantly recognize if you're a guy or a girl!"
"Then shouldn't we have bought the skin-tight Lycra suits that came with them?"
"You darn know that it chafes my skin!"
Christina gasped. "Mine too! We're soul mates!"
Christian slapped himself again. "This is why I told mom I had reservations about marrying someone I have way too much in common with."
"So... why are we trying to kidnap the kids again?"
"Because it's their father that makes the huge money! If we kidnap the father himself, you think his wife will shell out the money for his ransom?"
"I don't know... the latest issue of 'Plebes' said in a recent poll that they were the least likely Pokémon League couple to break up in the next ten years. And everybody reads 'Plebes.'"
"The point IS that if we kidnap his kids, then he'll willingly pay anything to get them back!"
"So we can finally afford that mansion overlooking the Olivine Lighthouse I've always dreamed about?"
"Yep, and the one butler and one maid that comes with it!"
"Alright! Let's do this!"
The two focused themselves and took one last peek around the corner. Sure enough, Stephanie and May were still arguing their case against Max. The couple bolted into sight and laughed maniacally as they introduced themselves.
"Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Seeing the masked couple, May and Max immediately tried to hide behind Stephanie's skinny frame, but neither could get their entire bodies out of sight. Stephanie didn't help matters when she decided to stand up.
"Masked men," she groaned. "Father told me this day would come."
"I am the angst that croaks when the sun is gone!" proclaimed the black masked one.
"I am the exquisitely decadent umbrella that will keep you dry to the bone!" the flower-print masked one declared.
"We are... Chris and Chris!" the two finished in unison.
"I knew you were coming for me!" Stephanie yelled at them. "I may be a cheerleader, but I'm not as vapid as... uh, vapid as... well, whatever vapid means. But I'm not stupid enough to not carry protection on me!"
"So, that's what it comes down to," stated Christian. "Just as expected."
"Prepare yourself," Christina began, reaching for a Pokéball out of her blouse pocket, "for the ultimate defen..."
"Take this!" Stephanie yelled, producing... a small black canister and aiming it at Christine. "Pepper spray!"
"Argh!" Christina yelled as the pepper spray went into her eyes. "That's for self-defense against guys, you idiot!"
"Sorry, honey, but I don't swing that way."
"That's not fair!" Christian yelled. "We thought you were challenging us to a Pokémon battle!"
Stephanie suddenly had a look of fear on her face. "A... Pokémon battle?"
"Never mind... Chris, grab the kids!"
Christina immediately ran past Stephanie, despite the fact that her eyes were still burning, and reached out to grab one of May's arms. Instead, she ended up grabbing May's hair and tugging on it, causing the young girl to cry out in pain as both of them fell to the ground.
"Lemme go!" May cried out between painful bouts of tears.
"I'm not even pulling that hard!" yelled Christina, not aware of where she had latched onto.
"Get your hands off my sister!" Max squeaked defiantly, stomping his foot down on Christina's arm.
"Owwww! Hey, is that quite necessary? You'll leave an unsightly mark there!"
Seeing the kids were in danger, Stephanie tried to run over to help. But she was stopped when a Furret materialized in her path.
"Meet Christino the Furret!" Christian said, introducing his PokИmon. "But we just like to call him Chris."
"A Furret? Are you kidding me?"
"If you won't let us kidnap those kids, then we'll take them from you as a prize for defeating you in a Pokémon battle!"
"And I'm gonna help!" Christina announced, trying to get to her feet as she rubbed the last of the pepper spray out of her eyes.
At this point, she had let go of May's hair. Max, though, was looking for revenge, as he reached up for the hair Christina didn't hide under her mask. He pulled on it, causing her to scream as she was pulled down to the ground once again. May started to lightly pound her fists on Christina's shoulder as Max continued to tug at her hair.
"Stop being such a meanie!" May and Max shouted.
"Owww!" screamed Christina. "You know how it long it takes to do my hair in the morning!"
Christian slapped his forehead. "Okay, I'll take them from you. Now, let your Pokémon out so we can battle!"
"But... I can't..." Stephanie hesitated.
"Just do it!" Max shouted. "I wanna see it! Use it to protect us!"
But Stephanie ignored Max once again, refusing to let her Gastly out into the open. Christian was getting visibly annoyed with her refusal to fight, so he motioned to take it one step further.
"Fine! Furret, use Fury Swipes... on the little girl."
"What?"
"You forced my hand. If you won't fight by choice, I'll force you to do so... by doing the cliché thing and attacking a pure innocent child!"
"I don't see how that statement's helping your portrayal of a serious bad guy," Christina commented before being silenced by another painful hair tug.
Furret followed orders, albeit a little reluctantly, and charged towards May with his claws bared. But just as he was about to pounce, he found himself blindsided by Gastly, who chuckled as he extended his tongue out of his mouth... and licked him.
Both Stephanie and Christian were flabbergasted as Furret lied on the sandy ground, twitching oddly as he had been paralyzed by the lick. Gastly was doing mid-air loop-de-loops in celebration as Christian recalled his Pokémon and ripped off his ski mask in frustration.
"Unbelievable! I thought this would be a whole lot easier!"
May and Max tugged Christina's mask off before she could stop them. Not wanting to deal with them anymore, she scrambled to her feet and ran to her boyfriend's side.
"They know who we are now!" Christian said to her. "We must flee!"
Christina reached for her Pokéball again, this time succeeding in doing so.
"Time for you to meet Junie!"
But as she was about to toss it and release whatever Pokémon was inside, Gastly appeared between the two of them. He gave Christina a quick lick, then Christian. In seconds, the two of them were both paralyzed as they dropped to their knees, unable to move.
"I guess we really should've gone with naming her Christine," Christina admitted.
"Did I ever mention how much I can't feel my legs?"
"Really? Me too! Soul mates!"
"Hey, you, useless chick who beat us! Can you smack my forehead for me?"
"Wow, Gastly!" Stephanie rejoiced with excitement while simultaneously ignoring Christian's request. "You really did it! And I didn't have to do a thing! Way to make me look good!"
Happy with the praise of his trainer, Gastly did what he thought would be the best way to show his appreciation.
Gastly tried to lick her.
Not knowing how to respond without hurting Gastly's feelings, Stephanie did the only thing she could think of.
She ran away from Gastly. Ran away in circles, that is, as Gastly chased Stephanie around and around May and Max, who just sat there on the sand and watched.
"Wow!" an entranced Max cheered. "What a cool Pokémon!"
May, on the other hand, was so frightened of Gastly that her face got bluer and bluer and bluer...
Until she fainted out of consciousness.
A little later, the rascally couple were in handcuffs and being taken away by the local police force. May and Max had clung onto their father's legs, ecstatic to see him again, as Gary, Stephanie, Amber, and Officer Jenny looked on.
"Don't ever go away again, daddy!" May pleaded.
"Yeah!" added Max. "We missed you!"
"I'm just glad you two are safe and sound," their father said with relief.
"Those two kids are glad you were there to protect them, Stephanie," Jenny told the elder cheerleader. "You're their hero, it seems."
"Imagine that," Amber said aloud. "Who would've guessed?"
"I have to admit... even I'm shockingly impressed," commented Gary.
"Oh!" swooned Stephanie, leaning over and wrapping her arms around Gary. "That means so much to me, Gary-poo!"
"What did we say about calling me that in public?" the trainer growled.
"Officer Jenny, they're not really bad people," Stephanie said to Jenny, in defense of the two would-be kidnappers. "They just seem a little... lost, if you know what I mean."
"Don't worry. I'm sure the judge will go easy on them. That is, once the two of them are taught of an easier way to make money legally."
"Whew... that's a relief."
"Speaking of making money legally... do you happen to know, young lady, that it's illegal to run a child daycare in Cianwood City without a license? That's a 150 Poké fine for the first offense!"
"But, Officer Jenny! It was supposed to be a Pokémon daycare!"
Jenny gasped. "That's even worse! It's a 1500 Poké fine for that!"
Two of the local officers walked over to the cash register and took it away, much to Stephanie's dismay.
"It wasn't even my idea..." she said truthfully, though not believably.
"Maybe you'll know better next time," Jenny said as she walked off with her fellow officers.
Stephanie sighed, then turned to face May and Max's dad.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to deceive you or anything. Me and my friends were just trying to earn enough money for a ferry trip to Olivine City. You see, Gary's a Pokémon trainer..."
The man raised hand up to stop Stephanie from apologizing any further.
"You don't have to apologize. I know hard it can be to travel around to gyms around the region with very little money. Trust me... I was a trainer once myself. In fact, I was almost like Gary. Just as talented, if I do say so."
"I was surprised when we found him and he identified himself as Norman, the gym leader of Petalburg City," Gary said. "I had heard plenty of stories about him... he's quite the challenge."
"Long story short," Amber cut in, "Norman said that he'd be willing to give us a ride to Olivine on his own private yacht... for free!"
Stephanie went all googly-eyed at Norman, enthralled by his generosity.
"Did I mention how dreamy you are?"
"Well... no you didn't. But I'm married with children."
Amber sweatdropped. "Stephanie likes embarrassing herself, doesn't she?"
"More like embarrassing us," Gary stated, shaking his head.
That evening, as the sun was beginning to set, Norman's private yacht departed from Cianwood City. On board, Gary was on the bridge, getting some advice from Norman. Up front on the bow, Amber and May were gazing at the clouds, noticing a few odd shapes that were forming. And back in the stern, Stephanie was relaxing on a beach chair as she watched the sunset.
"I wish Gary were sitting here next to me, watching this beautiful sight," she sighed.
Suddenly, Max came running over from the starboard side.
"Uh, Stephanie, right?"
"Uh, yeah," she replied, a bit annoyed that he had interrupted her observation of the end of the day.
"Why don't you like your Gastly? It's a great Pokémon!"
Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Ugh. It's not even worth counting off the reasons!"
"C'mon! Yours already learned Lick, which can paralyze people! It can learn Mean Look and Night Shade! Plus I heard that Destiny Bond is really great as a last resort!"
"How do you know so much about Gastly?"
"I study Pokémon move sets and watch hundreds of battles on TV! I hope one day to become a Pokémon trainer just like you!"
"Well, let me tell you something, kid. It's not all it's cracked up to be."
"Why not? It's obvious Gastly likes you a lot, and you like Gastly a lot, too."
Now Stephanie's interest was piqued. "What made you think that?"
As if on call, Gastly phased out of the cabin and licked Stephanie across the cheek as if he were a slobbering dog. Stephanie froze, then fell out of her chair and landed face-first on the deck. Gastly laughed with glee, and Max was on the verge of busting loose himself.
"No matter how many times he does it, you do your best not to avoid it! Ha!"
Gastly and Max broke out in hysterical laughter as the others on the yacht walked over, a little baffled as to what the hubbub was about.
But who really cares? For once, Gary and his girls got permission to 'kindly freeload' for themselves.
Speaking of 'freeloading,' let's check on a trio who have since given up on it...
"Well, well, well, look who's here!"
"We're pleased to be by your side always, Dragon Master!"
Former Team Rocket members Jessie, James, and Persian, now dressed more plains-clothed, were bowing before the gym leader of Blackthorn City, Clair. She smiled, knowing exactly why they had come to her this day.
"It always figures that on paycheck day, you three are always the first ones here."
"You know what they say," Jessie explained. "Paychecks pay the bills!"
"And the bills aren't cheap!" added James.
"You know what amazes me the most about you three?" Clair said to them. "That just a few months ago you guys were down on your luck, as if you had given up on life. And then I found you..."
"And you nursed us back ta good health," Persian chirped.
Jessie and James both grabbed the back of Persian's head and slammed it into the wooden floor.
"Don't talk when the mistress is speaking!" they yelled.
"Sowwy," he managed to muffle.
"I can't believe that you'll be leaving tomorrow," Clair said, apparently saddened by this fact.
"We appreciate everything you've done for us, Dragon Master Clair," James said, bowing before her.
"But, alas, we don't want to be a burden," Jessie admitted. "We thank you for all you've done for us, but for us to truly be reborn... we have to move on and fend for ourselves."
Clair nodded. "I understand. But just know... as honorary members of the Dragon Clan, you may call on us should you ever need help again."
"Thank you," the trio said once more, bowing one last time.
They then got up and departed, leaving the gym and heading to their small house in Blackthorn City, where they had to beginning preparing for the long journey ahead as the street lights began to come on.
Little did they know, though, that someone was spying on them from afar, atop of one of the ledges on a part of a surrounding mountain.
Or rather, two someones.
"So it really is them?" one of them asked, a male.
"Sure enough!" confirmed the other, a female, as she lowered the binoculars.
The two stared at each other, as if in some sort of contest.
"Tomorrow..." they both proclaimed, "a winner will be declared."
The two stepped out of the darkness just enough that the glow of the lights of some of the higher city buildings were making them visible. It turned out the two spies were...
"Agent 009, the Black Tulip... Domino!" the female said with a smirk.
"I always get my... Mark!" the male said, flashing his pearly white teeth.
"Tomorrow..." they both exclaimed, "I will become... THE NEW DIRECTOR OF TEAM ROCKET OPERATIONS IN JOHTO!"
To be continued next week in Part 4!
