Pokemon Saga: FireRed and LeafGreen
CHAPTER 12: WATCH OUT FOR THE SQUIRTLE SQUAD!
-Rocket Hideout-
It was a busy day. The project was nearing its completion. The men in black uniforms all worked on their task for their contribution to the project. Scientists were testing out numerous chemicals as well. Some of the grunts also stood by numerous test tubes with different Pokemon in them, testing experiments.
One man in a white lab coat and dark shades stood by a bunch of other grunts by a rather large test tube in the middle of the room. He had a clipboard in his hand to which he was writing notes on. The grunts were working on the tube, which had a large Pokemon inside. Only half of its body was floating in it, however.
"Sir, the production's almost complete! We just need to add a few more chemicals in it and then we wait!" one of the grunts said to the man. The man in the lab coat nodded.
"Good. See to it that this project is completed. Our boss will be pleased when Project Mew 2.0 is finally finished!" the man in the lab coat exclaimed. He finished writing down the notes and wheeled around, his coat flapping. He then walked out of the room, muttering to himself.
"It will be finished all in due time. The world will see to our power and it will be cleansed!" the man exclaimed. As he walked down the dark hallway, the light from the ceiling shined down on him, flashing the red R on his chest. The man tipped his glasses, which had fiery designs on each side, and walked out.
-Vermilion City-
"Finally!"
Red took a deep breath at the sight of a new city. He was so happy to be out of the route, especially after the encounter with Zapdos. Red shuddered on that thought. He had nearly died out there and he probably would have if it weren't for his luck. After what had happened, he had been traumatized. That was something he never expected to happen.
"Alright, time to find the Pokemon Center and rest for a while. And then, it's time for my third Gym Badge!" Red exclaimed. He walked around the city for a while, admiring its sights especially the harbor, which gave off a peaceful vibe, something Red liked.
He turned a corner and saw the big, bright orange building just by a large building. He walked over and went inside, frowning at a man smoking right outside the door.
"We hope to see you again!" Nurse Joy exclaimed as she returned Red's Pokemon, who thanked her and left. Once outside, Red headed over to the Poke Mart to pick up what Brock had asked him to. Walking inside, he saw a man in a green uniform standing with a package in his hand by the counter.
"Hello. You must be Red based on the picture I received", the man greeted.
"Yes I am", Red answered noticing the package was a small box. The man handed it to him and made him sign a paper.
"Have a good day!" the man exclaimed before walking out. Red headed out as well and decided to sit on a nearby bench.
"I wonder what this mystery fossil is", Red said. He opened the box and found a small, orange orb. Inside was the small shape of a dragon like Pokemon.
"Wow, this is really cool! I have to thank Brock-o for this!" Red took out his Pokegear and dialed up Brock's number. The Pewter Gym Leader picked up on the other end.
"Yello?"
"Brock-o! I got that amber thing you asked for!"
"The 'Old Amber', Red. And thanks for doing this", Brock said.
"No problem! If Team Rocket is going to try to steal this fossil, they'll never find it!"
"Hehe, yeah. Well, I gotta go now".
"Okay, bye!" Red clicked the Pokegear shut and stared at the Old Amber, which was in his hand.
"I wonder what this Pokemon is. Brock said it was really powerful, so that definitly means to keep this away from Team Rocket...Ah well, I shouldn't worry about that. Right now, I need that Vermilion Gym Badge!" Red exclaimed. He put the Old Amber away in his bag and stood up, ready to head onto the gym.
"Hey, stop that!" a voice suddenly called out.
"Huh?" Red turned around to see a middle aged man trip over and fall down. Beside him, his briefcase was carried away by something. Upon looking closer, Red saw that it was a Squirtle...and it had some wierd looking sunglasses on. Red thought that was probably the most strangest thing he had ever seen, but still. That Squirtle was causing a problem and he needed to put an end to it.
"Hey!" Red called out, walking over to the commotion and standing over the Squirtle. The Tiny Turtle Pokemon didn't seem the slightest intimidated by Red at all. Rather, it crossed its arms and stood tall, looking up at Red.
"You need to stop what you're doing. That's called stealing right there and it ain't right", Red sternly said. Arceus, he sounded like his mom. The Squirtle just snorted and turned around, grabbing the briefcase and started to walk away.
"Hey! Come back here!" Red exclaimed walking after the Pokemon. Squirtle sighed and turned around.
"Give that back right now or els-", Red was cut off by a stream of water colliding with his face, startling him and causing him to crash down on his rear. The Squirtle laughed and held the briefcase with both hands before darting away.
Red was shocked at what happened. That Squirtle had just ignored his order and blasted him in the face with a Water Gun and now it was running away.
Oh hell no.
"Pika, get him!" Red exclaimed calling out his Pikachu who had seen the whole thing and gave chase. The Squirtle glanced back to see Pikachu following him and sped up. However, that was pointless as Pikachu easily caught up with Quick Attack.
"Pikaa!" Pikachu shouted tackling the Squirtle to the ground. The two Pokemon began to wrestle each other, rolling out and shouting out numerous cries. Red had caught up and saw the battle was underway.
"Pika, knock it out with Thundershock!" Squirtle had heard Red and fear immediatly took him. With a loud cry, Squirtle kicked Pikachu off and took off in the road, moving too fast as it dissapeared behind a building. Red was about to give chase when a voice stopped him.
"Don't bother. It's gone already". Red turned around and saw it was the same man whose briefcase had been stolen. And something seemed familiar about him as well.
"Thank you for retreiving my briefcase. You have no idea how much important information this contains", the man said smiling as he picked up his briefcase. Red then recognized the man.
"You! You're that same guy from Pewter City! The man I asked directions for a nearby hotel!" Red exclaimed. The man chuckled. "Wow, you figured it out quick. But I have a name you know. Looker, pleased to meet you". The man extended his hand out for Red to shake, which he gladly did.
"Red. What are you doing here?".
"Ah, well I had some important work in Vermilion, so I've been staying here for the past week. You see, I'm a lawyer so I'm very busy", Looker said.
"Oh okay. Well, glad you got your briefcase back but I missed to catch that Squirtle!" Red exclaimed.
"That's the problem. That's no normal Squirtle. You see, in the past week there have been some...mischeifs, if you say, happening around the city. After a while, it didn't take long to find out that Squirtle were behind this", Looker explained.
"Huh, I guess that makes sense-Wait, did you say were behind this?" Red asked. Looker nodded. "That's right. There's a band of shady Squirtle wearing those sunglasses and terrorizing the city for the past week. In fact, citizens have dubbed them as the Squirtle Squad, the bothersome little band of bratty Pokemon".
"Wait, if those Squirtle are terrorizing the city, then why won't the Gym Leader do anything about it?" Red asked. "I even heard that he uses Electric types, so it shouldn't be a problem for him".
"That's not the case. You see, Lt. Surge is a well known hero in Kanto. He served the military for ten years and even fought in the war. People have even dubbed him as "The Lightning American", because of his Electric type tactics. And he won't bother with these Squirtle because he feels they aren't even a threat, but a minor nuisance that the Pokemon Rangers should handle", Looker explained.
"The Pokemon Rangers? I thought they dealt with big criminals in case the police weren't enough", Red said.
"Yes and they also serve as Animal Control because they have more experience in catching wild Pokemon".
"But why are the Squirtle Squad attacking?"
"The authorites managed to find out that they all had trainers that abandoned them and therefore they all believe humans are bad, so they do anything to get payback. But the things they usually do are usually vandalism and robberies. That's why Lt. Surge is leaving the job to the Rangers", Looker said.
"Ahh, okay. But how come they haven't caught the Squirtle yet?" Red asked. Looker sighed. This boy asked too many questions.
"The thing is that those Squirtle are clever. Everytime they manage to escape from the Rangers by skill. Not to mention, they are pretty powerful too".
Red understood. This Squirtle Squad was not a nuisance, but a threat to him. And if the Rangers couldn't catch them, then he would try. Or at least try to make them understand.
"I've made up my mind. I'm going to stop those Squirtle from causing trouble to this city!" Looker was surprised at Red's words.
"Listen, Red. Don't be so reckless. Those Squirtle are stronger than you think! It's too dangerous!". Red grinned.
"I'm willing to take the risk. Besides, you said they don't harm people physically, only steal or vandalize so I'll be fine!"
"But-". Looker sighed. Red had already run off.
"That kid is so energetic and determined. It makes him seem so reckless. Yet, I can sense the kindness in his heart and that's what makes him a good trainer", Looker said, watching Red running off. "Ah, there I go. Off my task again".
Looker turned around and walked towards the north exit of Vermilion City. He had his Pokegear in his hand and dialed up a number as he stood near the exit. On the other end, an energetic male voice answered.
"Yo!"
"Dear Arceus, where the hell are you? You were supposed to be here an hour ago!" Looker shouted in his phone, earning several looks from people.
"Whoa whoa, calm down Looker. I just got tangled up in a fight with a wild Swellow, and let me just say those things are terrifying!" the other person answered.
"I have no time for excuses. Hurry up and get here, we have so much work to do!"
"Heh, on it! Keep on the lookout, Looker! Peace!" the call ended. Looker's eye twitched from the pun the other guy had just pulled. He shook his head and sighed, looking at the watch in his hand.
He's always this late. How is he one of the finest Pokemon Rangers ever? It makes me wonder...Looker sighed and put his hand over his forehead.
"Arceus, you give me a headache sometimes, Kellyn".
Red dashed through the city, looking for any sign of a Squirtle. Luck was on his side when he saw one cornering a woman, demanding the purple purse from her.
"Hey, leave her alone!" Red exclaimed holding Pikachu's Poke Ball. The Squirtle smirked and got in a battle stance, letting Red know he wasn't going down easily.
"Pika, let's go-huh?" Red said suddenly feeling a rattling of a Poke Ball. He found out it was Charmeleon, who seemed to have a pissed off expression on his face.
"Char, what's wrong? You want to take the Squirtle?" Red asked. His starter nodded in return. Red guessed Charmeleon was still pretty sore after his loss to Blue's Wartortle, so beating up the first evolution stage of his rival would help him feel better.
"Alright then. Go Char!" Red exclaimed, bringing Charmeleon out of the Poke Ball. Charmeleon roared as he glared at the enemy Squirtle, who still had the smirk on its face.
"Squir!" the Squirtle exclaimed. It suddenly charged at Charmeleon and leapt towards him, only to miss as Charmeleon ducked under it. He suddenly wheeled around and slashed the Squirtle in the face, sending the turtle flying back into a wall.
"Squir!" the Squirtle exclaimed in annoyance. It got up and dashed towards Charmeleon again and this time spat out a stream of water. Charmeleon easily avoided the attack by springing up and spitting out an Ember right in the Squirtle's face. The Squirtle was knocked onto its back by the attack and Charmeleon took the opportunity to finish it off with a Scratch.
"Good job Char!" Red complimented. Charmeleon roared in response and glanced around, eager to find the other Squirtle. Red took out a Poke Ball and tapped it against the unconscious Squirtle's head, successfully capturing it. He put the ball in his bag and decided to find the other Squirtle members.
Luckily, that wouldn't be too hard as Red heard another scream from around the area. He recieved a thanks from the woman before dashing off to the sound of the voice. Upon reaching the spot, Red saw another Squirtle cornering a girl. By her age, she looked like someone who was studying in a college. Lying in front of her was an unconscious Pachirisu.
"Somebody help!" the girl cried out as the Squirtle menacingly advanced on her. It beckoned for her fancy looking Pokegear to handed over. Red immediatly stepped up and called out to the Squirtle, making it turn around.
"Leave her alone!" Red ordered. Of course, the Squirtle didn't seemed fazed by his threat, so it got in a fighting stance. Red called for Charmeleon to step up, making the Squirtle grin over the type advantage it had.
"Oh, I don't think you want to underestimate Char here", Red said with an evil tone. Charmeleon snickered in response, angering the Squirtle. Oh, it would show them. Yelling out a battle cry, Squirtle shot a Water Gun forward, only for Charmeleon to easily avoid it by jumping over it. He landed right in front of the Squirtle's face and gave the Pokemon a solid punch to the face. Squirtle was knocked back by the force of the punch. It got up, the attack only fueling its anger.
"Squirrr-tle!" Squirtle retracted in its shell and shot forward, nailing Charmeleon in the gut. The Lizard Pokemon howled in pain as he was knocked onto the floor by the sheer force of the attack. Now, he was angry as well.
Getting up, Charmeleon roared in fury at the opposing Squirtle. "Char, finish this with Ember!" Red exclaimed.
Squirtle attempted to get away, but Charmeleon quickly shot it in the back with an Ember, knocking it out immediatly. The Tiny Turtle fell on the ground, unconscious.
Red walked over and tapped the Poke Ball on its head, successfully capturing it.
"Thank you so much!" the college girl exclaimed. Red nodded and the girl walked off. He looked at Charmeleon, who seemed eager for another fight.
"Two down, few more to go", Red happily hummed. The Squirtle Squad weren't as tough as they sounded. Maybe because the people were too afraid to confront them or something. Oh well, Red didn't mind. He knew this little Squirtle hunt would be over in the next five minutes.
Just then, Red heard a loud crash a few miles down the path. "That's our cue!" Red then took off with Charmeleon, following the sound of panicking people.
-Route 8-
Looker sighed as he tapped his foot impatiently on the ground. He stood by a tree, looking around waiting for someone.
"What's taking him so long?!" Looker excaimed, tired of waiting. Ever since he left Red to deal with the Squirtle Squad, he had been waiting in Route 8 for about half an hour. It was pretty boring and annoying if you asked him.
He sighed. This had gone on long enough. Taking out his Pokegear, Looker dialed the number of the person he was waiting for. The screen showed a picture of a young boy with blue eyes and spiked hair in the back smiling. Looker held the Pokegear close to his face and spoke in it.
"Kellyn, where are you? You say you'll be here in a few minutes and its been thirty! You're really testing my patience right now!" On the other end, a loud voice was heard.
"Whoa, whoa. Calm down, man. I'm already there!" the voice on the other end exclaimed.
"What?!" "Yeah, look above you".
Looker looked up and saw a boy wearing a red jacket and black shorts kneeling on a large Staraptor. The bird flapped its wings, letting it hover over the ground a few feet. Kellyn hopped off and grinned at the dumbfounded Looker.
"Yo", he greeted to the older man.
"What took you so long?!" Looker angrily exclaimed, getting up in Kellyn's face. The Pokemon Ranger immediatly put both hands to his face in a defensive manner.
"Hey now, calm down! I told you, I had to save a few Pelliper from poachers!" Kellyn exclaimed.
"That's not what you told me over the phone!" Looker retaliated. Kellyn sheepishly grinned and nervously scratched the back of his head. Of course, he couldn't tell Looker that he stopped by an ice cream vendor and taken a small lunch break.
"Starrr!" Kellyn and Looker turned around to see the Staraptor flapping its wings, asking if it could go now.
"Oh sure, you can go now. Capture Stylus, return!" Kellyn commanded. At that moment, a bright blue ring of light surrounded the Staraptor and swirled around going down. The Predator Pokemon yelled a powerful cry and flapped its massive wings, flying away.
Kellyn turned around and grinned at Looker. "So, what's up? Why'd you need me here?"
"Kellyn, you really didn't forget what I told you over the phone, did you?" Looker asked. Kellyn nervously laughed. He hadn't been paying attention to what Looker had told him. Looker sighed and continued.
"As you know, there have been reports of a new criminal organization sprouting in Kanto". Kellyn nodded. "Team Rocket, right?"
"Right. Anyway, reports say they have been stealing Pokemon from people and causing havoc in the region. I assume you've had your share of experience with such organizations?" Looker said. Kellyn nodded, remembering the time he encountered Team Dim-Sun back in Almia.
"So, what's the plan? What do they want us to do?"
"The director has asked us to investigate and stay in Kanto undercover. We are tasked with helping to bring this organization down, seeing how much trouble they are", Looker explained.
"Alright, sounds simple to me. But what about the other Rangers? Solana and Lunick could be good help", Kellyn said.
"They have been tasked with other missions in Johto. And I'm sure you know your friend is here to help too, right?" Looker said.
"Oh yeah! Kate is also here!"
"Yes. Although, she's somewhere else at the moment".
"That's right! She's busy investigating that new Safari Zone in Fuchsia!" Kellyn exclaimed.
"My my, you sure know alot about her. Is there something going on between you two?"
"N-no! Why do you say that?!" Kellyn immediatly flushed. Looker smirked. Children these days. He then turned around and motioned for Kellyn to follow.
"Anyway, our job is to find out what Team Rocket is up to. We don't know exactly what they plan to do, but whatever it is it can't be good!" Looker explained.
"You can bet that right! Stealing Pokemon from people means only one thing and that's power!" Kellyn added. Looker nodded. Despite being young, Kellyn definitly had the brains and knew the status of the situation.
The two continued walking through Route 8, discussing their mission. Apparently, they had to go to Celadon and investigate there.
"You're saying that the reports say there's a number of them there?" Kellyn asked. Looker nodded.
"Yes. Our spies say the number of Team Rocket members in Celadon are greater than in any other place in Kanto, so our first stop is over there!"
"Alright, this won't be too bad! We'll just find out what they're doing and BAM! bust them right there!"
"It's not going to be so simple Kellyn", Looker groaned. "We don't know how big of a threat are these people. We can't let our guard down no matter what!"
"You say that like it's a big deal! Calm down for once, Looker!" Kellyn said.
"Well, I'm sorry if I take my job seriously! You know as well as I do that we can't fool around in this kind of situation!" Looker angrily fired back.
"Yeah, but no need to be so pessimistic about it!"
"I am not being pessimi-" Kellyn silenced him by ushering him to shut up. The ranger had heard something. He noticed it was coming from the right, where a bunch of shrubs and bushes lay. Walking over to it, Kellyn crouched down and peeked through. What he saw surprised him.
"What is it?" Looker asked, crouching over. Kellyn told him to see for himself and Looker gasped. There, standing in a clearing and in a heated discussion, were Harry, Ken, and Al, the highest ranking grunts in Team Rocket. The three seemed to be in amassive discussion, arguing over something. Kellyn and Looker moved closer to hear what they were saying.
"We need to hurry up and give these records to the boss! That way, we can carry on with our plan!" Harry exclaimed.
"Exactly. But we also need to steal more Pokemon from the people in Vermilion! Remember about our army? We need as much as Pokemon we can find!" Ken countered back.
"But we can do that later! Right now, we have Mew's summary right here, its attack and power in these papers! We should deliver them to the boss so that Project Phantom 2.0 can commence on!" Harry countered back.
"I agree with Harry. The Pokemon here can wait. Besides, we have our sleeper agent in the city as well and he's monitoring what's going on", Al said. Ken wanted to argue more, but decided to give in. "Fine, let's go".
Meanwhile, Kellyn and Looker had heard the conversation and knew this was they're chance. The two immediatly leapt out of their hiding spot, startling the three grunts.
"Stop right there! You three are under arrest!" Kellyn exclaimed.
"Gah! A Ranger! What are they doing here?!" Harry exclaimed. Looker stepped up.
"As an Elite member of the International Police, I demand you tell me everything you know about Team Rocket!"
"That's right. What is this Project Phantom 2.0?" Kellyn further interrogated.
"Oh man, what do we do?!" Al exclaimed.
"Simple. We don't tell them shit! Go, Bagon!" Harry shouted, releasing a blue dinosaur like Pokemon from its ball. Ken and Al both respectively released a Slowbro and a Beedrill from their Poke Balls.
Harry smirked as the three approached the two officers. Looker and Kellyn looked at each other and nodded before taking out a Poke Ball each and tossing them forward.
"Coragunk!" Looker exclaimed.
"Cranidos!" Kellyn shouted. The two Pokemon shouted determined battle cries and stood in front of their trainers, glowering at the opposing Pokemon.
"Heh, this will be quick", Harry snickered.
"You bet it will. We'll be hauling your sorry asses to jail in a matter of minutes!", Kellyn said.
"Hah! We got you outnumbered kid! There's no way you two will beat us!" Ken exclaimed.
"Don't underestimate us!" Looker countered. "Croagunk, Poison Sting!" Croagunk shot out purple darts at the three Pokemon as they charged forward.
"Bagon, Ember!" Harry retorted. Bagon shot out a fireball that engulfed the Poison Sting and charged towards Croagunk, proceeding to take him down.
"Brick Break!" Croagunk's left hand glowed white and he slammed it onto Bagon's side, making the Dragon type go flying back.
"Slowbro, Icy Wind!" "Beedrill, Pin Missile!"
Slowbro and Beedrill shot their attacks at Croagunk, who stood his ground.
"Cranidos, Double Edge!" Kellyn shouted. Cranidos sprinted forward, his whole body glowing yellow as he tore through the enemy attacks and slammed the two Pokemon with the powerful attack, knocking them back.
"Grr, you'll pay for that! Bagon, Dragon Rage that Cranidos!" Harry shouted.
"Push back with Flamethrower!" Kellyn retaliated. Bagin blasted a blue-purple flame at Cranidos, which the latter easily countered with a massive plume of fire. The attacks collided and stayed in the middle, neither Pokemon giving up.
"Bagon, more power!" Harry urged. Bagon strained as it tried its best to overpower Cranidos, but no luck as Cranidos held up pretty well.
"Slowbro, help him out!" Ken exclaimed. "You too, Beedrill!" Al added. The two Pokemon rushed towards Cranidos and attempted to lash out on him, but were stopped by Croagunk who nailed them in the gut with a double Brick Break.
"Finish that Slowbro off with Rock Smash and use Fire Punch on Beedrill!" Looker exclaimed. Croagunk did as he was told and slammed him fist down on Slowbro, burying it into the ground a little. He then lashed out with his other fist, which was encased in fire, and nailed Beedrill point blank with it, knocking out the Bug type.
"Oh come on you two!" Harry shouted. Right then, Cranidos overpowered Bagon and the Dragon type was engulfed in fire before falling to the ground unconscious. The three Rocket grunts gaped before returning their Pokemon and facing the two in front of them.
"Now you can quietly come with us or we make our Pokemon escort you personally", Looker said with menace in his voice.
"Croaa...", Croagunk added, holding up his fist. Harry glared at them, shuddering along with his two comrades. "We'll never submit to you lowlifes!"
"Oh yeah, and what are you going to do? You can't escape since we have you cornered", Looker challenged.
"Oh yes we can and we will. Koffing, Smokescreen!" Harry shouted, surprisingly bringing out a Koffing which let out a plume of black smoke, blinding Kellyn and Looker. The two heard the padding of footsteps and sure enough when the smoke cleared, they were gone.
"Damn it, they got away!" Kellyn shouted. Cranidos joined his trainer, kicking the ground in frustration. Looker put his hand on his shoulder.
"Now's not the time to mope around. Right now, we have to tell HQ about this. Project Phantom 2.0 doesn't sound good to me". Kellyn wanted to argue and chase the grunts down, but Looker gave him a stern look telling him not to.
"Fine", he reluctantly agreed. Looker nodded and took out his Pokegear. He dialed up a number and put the phone close to his face.
"Yes Looker. Did you find out anything?" a voice said on the other end. Looker quickly explained what happened, leaving the person on the other end concerned.
"Very well. Keep investigating. Try and find out what this project is. I'll tell Kate to help you guys out in Fuchsia".
"Thank you sir", Looker said. He put his Pokegear away and looked around the environment.
Team Rocket...whatever you're doing, we'll make sure to put an end to your plans. You won't get away with this.
TO BE CONTINUED
Here you go, another chapter down. This one introduces the Squirtle Squad, one of my favorite aspects of the anime. I had been waiting for this moment. And Pokemon Rangers? What are they doing here in Kanto? Just to make things clear, the Ranger games have happened before the main series, keep in mind. Also, someone asked earlier in a PM about the appearances of the characters. All of them (the main characters at least) appear in their manga forms. Google them if you wish too. Updates are still slow as well.
Next time, Red takes down the Squirtle Squad and finally faces the Vermilion Gym Leader! What will be the outcome of this epic battle? Find out next time if I don't take long to post the next chapter!
EPIC Out!