"Maybe, at least now you will tell me what are we doing?" Leaf asked me impatiently while I try to fix the lens on my right eye of glasses.
Two last days I spent on collecting information about our target, the whole area around us, the additional hideout and possible ways of retreat, also buying some tools for the operation and instructing the main interested party – Bill. This will help me to thank both Bill and Leaf for their help and also do much more…
But no one than me knew the whole plan. I never write my plans on paper or desks… It`s my Rule #4 – 'Keep you plans in head and just in head for keeping them secret for the frigging foes until the time needed.' It`s better this way.
I was standing on the roof with eyes closed and replaying the whole operation in my head, again. If Bill and Leaf both succeed in doing their roles it will be all right.
Firstly, to get all the information we need, me and Leaf moved into the one room right above out target. Bill came and searched the whole area with his Magneton to find energy sources. The main control switch is situated in the machine room, which is prohibited to unauthorized personnel. That means, only nurses and service workers can enter here. But the only one pokeball with a prepared guy inside can enter there too…
Leaf will take care of the reserve substation. A training accident will be… unexpectedly convenient in a situation like this. Of course, we don`t want to make risks for the pokemon that are treated in this PokeCenter right now, so we will turn the electricity off just for ten minutes. With the help of Leaf`s Jolteon, of course. She will look like a hero after this.
Bill takes the control from the distance. We have rented a room in nearby hotel to make it our center of operations. We brought all the needed equipment here which we actually need a lot. Modern technologies let us control our pokemon from the distance using a small device on their heads with a camera and a dynamic. When everything ends, Bill will take care of this place and uses another of his experimental devices to transport the target to a safe place.
As for me, I`m getting the hardest role, as usual. That was pretty tough to get Team Rocket`s uniform, but Leaf helped me with that. My rude hands are not used to sewing. Anyway, in the end I got a nice black suit with large 'R' signs on chest and on the back. All dirty work lays on my shoulders – both obtaining our target and framing Team Rocket. When all newspapers headliners will show how these bastards committed such a strange crime, Giovanni will get that I`m really serious about this.
And now the moment has come. We are ready to begin.
"You know everything you need to know." I finally answered to Leaf. "Move to the position and wait for my signal."
"I just can`t believe we are going to steal a trading machine!" She doubtfully said.
"So do I, girl. So do I…" I replied her mysteriously. "But believe me, this is not the biggest operation I was in. Not the biggest one that I planned myself. This is one of the simplest, actually."
"Oh, what did I drag myself into…" She just quietly said and headed away from me.
I pressed the small button on a device in my ear and contacted Bill.
"Are you ready?" I asked him.
"The hell yeah!" Inventor sounded extremely pumped up for this.
"So we begin in five minutes. Right from…" I looked on my watch to keep the moment and wait for the hour hand making the end of circle. "…now."
"Roger that." Bill replied and turned off the connection.
I sighed and looked up the sky. Everything looks so calm and quiet. No clouds in this dark night sky… Nothing foretells the troubles.
"Okay, the final preparation." I took my Dumpling`s pokeball and released the pokemon outside. He is already instructed about his job, and now he looks at me with determination. I nodded and took a small folding carcass that I put on Dumpling`s head. The camera in front will let Bill see everything my pokemon sees and the dynamic will let him give commands.
I clicked fingers before him to activate the device.
"I see you. Everything`s fine." Bill said very quietly from the device.
"Okay. Then let`s go." I made a step away and looked at Dumpling. "Behave yourself well and do everything Bill tells. I`m counting on you, big boy!"
He barked in reply to show me that he`s ready for anything.
"Great, now return and wait." I beamed him back inside the pokeball and pinned a small chip on the bottom of capsule. After that I fixed pokeball on my shoulder belt and headed downstairs to the nurse.
Down the floor I saw Leaf waiting for the command over the corner outside the building.
"Oh? Your Graveler is evolving!" I quietly said her through the mic. She nodded, released her Jolteon outside and quickly headed into the building and to the nurse. That`s a good sign this is not the nurse that registered me two days ago.
"Welcome back to PokeCenter!" The lady behind counter greeted her. "Do you want us to heal your pokemon?"
"Yes, please. This guys." Leaf collected the capsules from her bag and handed over to nurse. After taking the pokeballs nurse also looked at Jolteon.
"And your Jolteon?"
"No, thanks. I want to train with him some more." Leaf replied and smiled.
Now it`s my entrance.
I made a small circle around the ladder through the second door and went inside through the first one, quickly heading to the PokeCenter nurse.
"Hello there!" I greeted her first.
"Welcome to PokeCenter. Would you like us to heal your pokemon?" She repeated the earlier question.
"Yes, please. This was a tough battle." I gave her all my pokeballs except for one that I earlier hid in my pocket.
"So, five of them. Okay." The nurse took my pokeballs and put them on the tray. "But they will have to wait a bit in the queue."
"Oh, don`t worry about that. I think I`m done training for today. Good night!" I waved at her and headed straight into my room. There I quickly switched into Team Rocket uniform and put on a cloak to cover 'R' signs for now. A toy but very realistic gun in it will do the trick. Also the new black glasses and bandana will cover my shameless face so no one will ever recognize me.
Meanwhile Leaf said goodbye to nurse and headed outside with her Jolteon to train somewhere near the substation and on her way to look at the pokeballs store through the window.
Right at this moment nurse carried the tray with my pokeballs to the store where they will wait in line. When woman left them and walked back to the counter, Leaf gave the command to Bill.
He got the best part. With a single button he activated small chip on Dumpling`s pokeball to open it and release my pokemon outside. The flaming infiltrator looked around thus giving a good lookout to Bill on the other side of camera.
"Good, now head straight until I tell you to stop." He gave the command, and my Dumpling moved forward. Maybe it`s good he didn`t evolve yet – performing something like this with huge Charizard would be problematic. Right now he easily crossed the room until Bill commanded him to stop.
"See that box on the wall?" Dumpling raised his head up and saw an electrical panel. "Open it carefully with your claw."
Charmeleon pokemon touched the pretty weak lock with his claw and easily broke it, opening the insides. "He can become a nice picklock." Bill thought.
"Okay now, let me see…" Bill analyzed the circuit from his place. "Yes. Now even more carefully tear that red wire… You can distinguish colors, right?"
Dumpling snorted like that sounded too offensively for him, and tore the correct wire. This immediately turned off the lights in the whole building.
Leaf saw that and after a quick look around commanded her Jolteon to strike a Thunderbolt into the transformer vault. Nice charge caused it to explode colorfully.
"Oh my god, Volt, no! No!" Leaf shockingly scolded her Jolteon and immediately ran to the nurse.
Finally it was my turn.
I quickly jumped from the window and climbed down the tree on the first floor. Moving along the wall, I reached the backdoor that usually was magnet-locked, and now is completely opened without the energy. This let me enter the building and sneak up on the nurse talking with Leaf right now.
"I`m sorry! That was the accident!" Leaf explained to the PokeCenter lady.
"Don`t you understand that without the power the lives of pokemon in machines are under risk?" Woman scolded Leaf. Girl tried to express her sorry as much as she could until I showed up from the shadows.
"Look out!" Leaf warned the nurse, but it was too late. I grabbed woman and put the toy gun to her head.
"Stand still, girl." I said with a hoarse voice. "You don`t want problems, do you?"
"Who are you?" She asked in return.
"Ha… We are the strongest organization in the whole world! Team Rocket!" I cunningly smiled and laughed evilly. "Now move away and don`t make anything stupid with this yellow thing of yours!"
I kinda enjoyed this role of a shameless criminal. The evil laugh is literally the best part of it. Too bad making the hoarse voice makes my neck scream. But I don`t have much time to enjoy it more.
"What do you want from us?" The nurse asked very scared.
For a second I thought that this is a really stupid question. Everyone knows Team Rocket steals pokemon and makes money, that`s what newspapers tell.
"We want to protect the world from devastation and unite all people within our nation! Shut your damn mouth and follow me." And I carefully dragged her to the trading machine.
"Release her!" Leaf shouted to me.
"You shut up too, stupid!" I temporarily released poor woman from my grip to take the greatball in my pocket. "Deal with her!"
My Reaper in a role of evil pokemon appeared on the place of crime. He threatened Leaf and her Volt with large stings. Both had to retreat back.
"Good girl… Now move that damn machine!" I gave another command to Reaper. He flew to the trading machine and began to push it in the direction of main hall. Even though this thing had wheels, it was quite heavy, but I know that a couple of Rattatas trained by Bill and invisible Loser that was released from his pokeball too are helping him now.
"What are you trying to do?" The nurse shockingly asked when the large device rolled into the room pushing by Beedrill alone already. I think now I began to feel her shiver. I wonder is this from the fright or my Loser is playing games already. He must head back to his pokeball right now, according to the plan!
"You`re not the smartest woman, are you?" I sarcastically asked her.
When the trading machine was moved exactly under the glass window on the ceiling, I returned Reaper back into his pokeball. Leaf was trying to quietly move closer to us thinking I`m not seeing this.
"I would return back if I were you, girl." I paid her attention and shook the gun near poor nurse. "Don`t do stupid things, yeah?"
She had to retreat back. On her face I could see that she doesn`t like this game anymore. And I could understand her – the scared woman in my hands feels wrong. I think I will somehow compensate this to her later…
And suddenly the ceiling window crashed, bringing the shower of glass debris down. The silhouettes of four flying pokemon appeared above, sending down ropes with hooks.
And after that my Charmeleon appeared from behind the counter and ran to the descending hooks trying to fix them on trading machine. A Raticate literally jumped off the roof to us to help my Dumpling.
"You use pokemon in your crimes…" The nurse quietly said. "This is just disgusting!"
"This is how we work, lady." I answered her.
Suddenly when I tried to turn to the right, my hurt shoulder reminded about itself, and my hand shook. The nurse used this chance to escape from my grip and ran to Leaf.
"Damn it… Plan B, plan B!" I gave the command to our pokemon and to Leaf too.
"Come here! Jolteon will deal with him!" Leaf tried to calm down the woman and take her away. Her Volt jumped before me and launched a pretty strong electric charge into the wall near me. We didn`t practice aimed missing for nothing…
And right at this moment some noises reached us from above. Looks like we woke someone and they are heading right there.
I rushed to the device and helped Dumpling and Ratz in fixing the ropes to trading machine. I hope Bill wasn`t overestimating his pokemon transporting abilities.
Suddenly Leaf ran back to me, very worried and angered.
"She called the police!" Girl warned me.
"Then it`s two minutes or two hours… Let`s not waste time. Lead her back there in three minutes." I gave the command and continued my work.
The time is running. Just in a minute I could already hear the sirens approaching. This is too early!
"Base, retreat! I`ll finish the job. See you at the meeting point." I said him through the headset and fixed the final rope. "Let`s go, guys!" I shouted to the pokemon above and jumped on the trading machine. Ratz and Dumpling followed me up.
We slowly took off. The bird pokemon tried their best to lift the large device, and they were succeeding – Bill didn`t lie.
I looked down and noticed how Leaf and the nurse returned to main hall. Time to become Vengeance again.
"Continue ascending!" When we get to the height of ceiling, I jumped on it and quickly headed to the conveniently opened air shaft and got right into my room where I changed my clothes to normal. Yep, I`m fast all right!
And then I rushed back to the main hall until meeting with Leaf again. Some other guests came out their rooms too.
"What`s happening?" I shockingly asked Leaf.
"Rockets attacking!" Leaf quickly explained. "They took the trading machine!"
Leaf`s Volt launched another thunderbolt at the flying away machine and missed again.
"Damn it, and all my pokemon are on treatment!" I jumped down the ladder and headed outside right to the police approaching. Three cars full of cops blocked the road and were just looking how four flying pokemon are stealing the trading machine with two more pokemon aboard.
"Stay away!" One of the policemen ordered me. "We will deal with it. Everyone, ready!" And he released the large flaming pokemon on the street. All other cops did the same releasing their Growlithes of Arcanines too. Just one of them had Wartortle.
Oh no… Are they going to shot down our machine? They are crazy!
"Stop it! You will kill them all!" I tried to stop these mad guardians of law, but they just pushed me away.
"On my mark… FIRE!"
All pokemon at once began to shoot at our flying party. The burning embers and lone water pulse were heading straight at the machine itself and pokemon near it. Some were hitting it, most of them missing – our guys were already pretty high up.
"Fire again!" The cop commanded again. Another launch struck at our machine, damaging it pretty badly and shaking. I began to worry for the machine itself but more for Ratz and Dumpling sitting on it.
"You idiots! You will destroy what they`re stealing!" I tried to convince the policemen again, but they ignored me.
They just were continuously shooting at the machine. I already didn`t care about it, I just wished my Dumpling to land safely. This is NOT what was in my plan.
"Shit!" I ran towards the flying party trying to escape other people`s attention. I don`t know what I was thinking at that moment – I just was running.
And then the worst thing happened – after another volley of pokemon shots the trading machine turned aside so dangerously that a lone figure divided from it and slowly headed down.
My Dumpling.
"NO!" I hopelessly cried out to him. I could hear his frightened scream even from there. This just can`t be true! He can`t die right now!
It was… the miracle. In the fall he began to shine brightly. The figure of falling Charmeleon lighted the whole quartile as he began so suddenly… evolve!
The body of my Dumpling began to change. He became bigger, the neck lengthened even more, and a couple of two large wings spread behind his back.
Finally my Dumpling evolved into a mighty Charizard… Right before his own death.
When the lights faded, he began to flap his wings furiously. This didn`t let him fly, but at least it slowed down his falling speed. He crushed into a tree and fell down in someone`s garden.
Damn, I hope he is okay. All I want now is him being okay!
I was running as fast as I can to the point of his fall. Soon the cops will come here too, and I need to do something: take him away or hide, maybe. I climbed over the high fence and then jumped down. The pain in my shoulder returned, but I didn`t care.
My quick glance at the sky noticed how the rest of pokemon slowly fly away from this place. The machine was beaten pretty badly, but Ratz on top of it looked fine. At least, we did it. I just don`t want the cost be too big.
Finally I got to the place where my Dumpling fell. He was lying here, on the ground, barely moving but alive! I immediately rushed to him.
"Dumpling! You`re alive!" I gently petted his new face. "And you`re Charizard now. Can you… can you go?"
He tried to get up, but the condition didn`t let him. Dumpling just fell down again and roared in pain.
Damn it. What could I do now? I tried to pull him aside, but now this guy was like a hundredweight! That is not a thing I can lift that easily. I gave everything I`ve got, but it was no use. I felt my wound on shoulder opening again and soaking my shirt with blood. But I couldn`t think about it right now.
"What`s going on here?" Someone`s voice sounded from the side. I turned to see a man approaching with the torch. Must be a host or a security guard or someone like that.
Damn, I can`t be seen there! He will call for the police, and then we are finished. The whole operation is finished.
But the strange salvation came from above in a form of Pidgey. He was carrying a small device in his paw, something looking like an amulet.
When pokemon approached us, he threw the amulet on the ground. I took it and noticed a small writing on it: Press.
Another invention of Bill. He didn`t tell me anything about it earlier – must be experimental one. I have no idea what`s going to happen, but I have no choice but to trust Bill and science.
I cuddled to Dumpling on ground and pressed the button on it. The world around us suddenly became blue and distorted, moving somewhere far away. This made my head feel very dizzy, and I literally blacked out once more.
We fell out of this crazy space-time thing right in the middle of Bill`s lab. Yes, it was exactly it – no doubt. Looks like this thing was a teleporter I heard a little, a very strange one.
I barely got up and looked at my Dumpling. He was still unconscious after all that happened. At least, he is alive – I`m happy with this.
Suddenly the music played somewhere in the room. I looked around to find the source that appeared to be a laptop. Looks like someone is calling Bill.
I slowly approached this thing, but the caller was very persistent. When I focused my vision and finally saw the screen, I realized it was Bill himself calling from his mobile phone!
So I pressed 'Enter' and answered the call.
"Ven? Oh my god, you`re all right!" The inventor sighed with a great relief.
"Looks like your device saved our asses."
"Yes, yes… Is Dumpling okay?" Bill asked me.
"Well… He is injured. Do you have any Revives and potions here?" I hopefully questioned him in return.
"Yes! Look in the blue box under the table!"
I rushed under the table to look for a couple of potions and a revive crystal. And a couple of them I actually found, even a super-potions. So I grabbed three bottles and a revive and ran back to Dumpling. I was fast to use them all, carefully spraying every place on Charizard`s body that looks bad, and very soon he came back to senses.
"You scared me, Dumpling…" I was so glad to see him alive again I could almost cry. He quietly growled in return and went to sleep. "Yeah… Have a rest, big boy."
"Everything all right?" The device behind me called again.
I left him alone and returned back to Bill`s laptop.
"Yes, he is fine now. We are fine now, thanks. What`s the status?" I reported.
"I closed the command center and now on my way back. Trading machine is somewhere over the bay, in some hours away from you. Leaf is helping to restore the energy with her Volt. Seems like she`s counted as a hero that protected nurse from Team Rocket."
Looks like everything is over. I can breathe calmly now.
"Tell her to take my pokemon, please? Both Reaper in our room and the rest in the Center itself. I doubt the nurse will have time to check them now." I asked Bill.
"Okay. I will take her and your pokemon with me. Is that all?"
"That`s all, thanks." I said with almost fainted voice.
"See you in the morning." Bill replied and turned off the connection.
I didn`t touch anything. I just headed back to my Dumpling, quietly snoring in the middle of room, and laid near him. I could feel the good warmth of his body and couldn`t just think anything other than…
"It`s so damn good to be alive."