"How old is he?"'
"Just a few minutes old. He will serve well to the trainer who demonstrates true kindness and knowledge."
In Dratini's first moments of life, figures surrounded him. Black boots stood in front of cracked eggshell remnants. The man keeled down, smiling.
"He's beautiful."
The memory was a blur, fleeting... like awakening from a dream. Dratini stayed quiet, drawn to the man he secretly followed. Lance was oblivious, too focused on his own matters. Dratini was confused over this strange closeness. His attachment toward Lance was hard to reject - like tied by some string. This connection dragged him to the path of mischief, and danger.
Underneath the blowing trees and harsh rain, Mahogany Town's souvenir shop popped in. Lance ordered Dragonite to land to a complete stop around the back of the store. Once at the ground, Dratini slipped away from the tail… hiding in the damp shrubs and bushes. Lance hopped down, mud staining his boots. His spiky hair and attire were soaked, but unfazed by the harsh weather. The shop had been renovated since the radio incident, but a different design wouldn't sway him from finding the new entrance.
Dragonite sniffed below. The brief gesture turned to a huff, pointing a claw to the ground. Beneath was a large fresh patch of grass - newly planted. Lance stooped down and touched the grass – a plastic-like texture brushed his fingers. He plucked a grass blade to examine.
It was fake.
He stood up to locate the perimeter. He drew a rectangle in the mud with his feet and urged Dragonite to lift. Together, they threw the giant rug of grass near the bushes. Dratini jumped.
The cover exposed a steel door tight shut. Dragonite clutched the lock with its claws, ripping it off and crushing it flat. He slung it into the muddy ground, Lance opened the door. There remained a long tunnel, dark but with a glimpse of light below. He jumped in, his ace following after.
Dratini slid through and followed a pursuit.
The tunnel was fast - Lance was swift to land, running in. Dragonite flew next to him.
Interior architecture seems to be the same, just the outside that is different, Lance thought.
The hall brought them to another door. It appeared to be the main room, designed as a warehouse. The once Team Rocket facility was an underground mezzanine. Almost maze-like in its design, making it difficult to navigate through.
"I was wrong." Lance heard voices, prompting him to hide behind a couple of heavy crates. Dragonite crouched down, peeping with his partner in the direction of the voices.
"Only a matter of time before that damned lunatic and his dragonite meet their downfall!"
A young man was dressed in the infamous black uniform with the red R symbol - a black cap covering his eyes. Lance confirmed his suspicions, Team Rocket had returned.
"Bastard is gonna pay for what he did to Team Rocket! Maybe have the corpse of that dragonite be fed to the muk! Then, we'll go after the stupid kid he worked with and her typhlosion..."
They marched passed the crates. Lance looked up, several grunts on the upper floor. There was an enclosed room guarded. Someone had arrived there with a couple of files. She was another grunt, with short green hair and stoic brown eyes.
She asked, "Has Executive Petrel arrived, yet?"
The warden shook his head, and she sighed. "If he won't even show up to talk further about plans, then what is the point of this? I feel I have picked up new recruits for nothing."
"Patience Wendy, he is on his way." A voice from the shadows emerged. His curly blue hair and olive eyes brought the woman to speak his name out of familiarity. "Pierce… where is he?"
"As I said, on his way. Let's wait in the office." He opened the door, leading Wendy inside.
Lance made a final glance before turning to Dragonite. They nodded in understanding.
Jasmine's skarmory landed on the outskirts of Mahogany Town. Her trainer was surprised by the steel-winged pokémon tracking Dratini's scent around this area. "Mahogany Town? Are you sure this is it?"
Skarmory nodded, sniffing the ground. She guided Jasmine to the souvenir shop.
"But this place is closed… How could Dratini be here?"
She entered around the back of the store, running to the opened door from underground. Skarmory lowered her head to sniff, then back at Jasmine with a low grunt.
"What… is this?" She looked down. She felt unease glancing into the dark void, had Dratini been dragged down there? It seemed unfathomable that he was stolen, but she mounted on Skarmory. Out of her own carelessness that Dratini had gone missing, now she had to find him.
Skarmony took the plunge, flying her trainer through the void - then landing on the long corridor. She kept guard while walking cautiously.
"This doesn't seem to be the nest of a wild pokémon…"
She gasped when two Rocket grunts spotted her. "Hey, intruder!" Jasmine turned back, skirting another passage to the left.
The grunts threw out pokéballs, commanding their pokémon to capture the trespasser. They yelped and slipped backward from spikes thrown all over the floor. Jasmine and Skarmony found an open door and entered the room - shutting it quickly. They hid under a table, hearing profanity and yelling outside. Then, heard footsteps run in another direction… they were gone.
A strange aroma filled the air, Jasmine covered her nose and mouth. "Augh, what is that smell?!" It reeked of rancid flesh - making her nauseous. She crawled away from the table, hearing low cries before turning on the light.
There were prison cells locked through glass. Muk trapped in them respectively. Several of them appeared darker than normal, with red eyes that for some it rolled down their face, a deformity. Others appeared in a more liquid state, devoid of their slick texture. Some appeared despondent, dead, and left to rot in their cages.
"My goodness!" Her eyes widened from the horrid sight, tightening her hand over her mouth.
The door clicked. In the blink of her eye, Skarmory was struck by a net, crying out in restraint.
"Well, well… what's a pretty lady such as you doing here?"
Through the mezzanine, a Rocket grunt patrolled through. He kept his hand deep in his pocket for the handgun in case of defense. It proved fruitless. He had no time to react to being plucked from above, Dragonite shoved him to Lance. His master fastened his grip on the grunt's collar, holding him at the foot of the ledge.
The grunt panicked, and his feet dangled from the height. "Ahh!"
"I want answers," Lance whispered. "Why is Team Rocket back?"
"Ack! Oh no..." The grunt quivered as sweat raced through his forehead. A sense of panic from Lance's precarious glare. "Please no – it can't be!"
"Now."
"Let me go, please! I – I don't know anything…"
Lance tightened his grip.
"Please! I swear, I'll tell you – just!"
"Then talk."
"Okay! There's… an experiment…"
"Go on."
"And… Arceus, that's all I know! I just signed up! I didn't… I thought it wasn't true… you are a monster!"
Lance's frown softened. He moved a few steps back, releasing his grip. The grunt coughed harshly, the grasp was hard enough that he felt his vocal cords were torn. To his dismay, he made a final weak plea. A scream for help. The grunt's voice only rose for a few seconds, Lance cupped his mouth and pulled him into the shadows. The silent move leads the grunt now on the floor, unconscious. Lance rubbed his elbow from hitting the man's nose to knock him out. Unfortunately, the cry was heard by nearby grunts who ran in the direction where Lance was. He escaped with Dragonite – taking cover.
When the grunts arrived to find the unconscious teammate, they scrambled around. "Shit! He's here! We need backup. Max security stat!"
Alarms ring out, with Wendy and Pierce alerted of the intruder. "I'll deal with him," Pierce said.
"Not necessary, let him have his fun."
The computer on the screen changed to a different room within the base. A purple-haired executive walked in with a slouch. His mouth marked a sloppy grin.
"I see the Champion has come to ruin the party, I am sure it won't last long when he sees we have hostages." Petrel held up Dratini, trapped in a net. He whined and struggled to leave the close confinement while he exerted his smug look.
"A dragon?" Pierce asked.
"Found him while coming here, along with this pretty lady." A grunt presented Jasmine with her hands tied behind her back.
"I must say," Petrel chuckled. "Thanks for the present. I am sure your dratini will make an excellent test subject for our latest project."
"What will you do to him?!" Jasmine cried out.
"He'll be a toy for our poison types. Maybe we can use your skarmory to see if the toxins will be strong against steel types too."
"You wouldn't!"
"Heh, it was just an idea. We're mostly focusing on dragon types anyway. They're already dying thanks to our plan. Isn't that right, Gideon?"
A scientist pressed forth, holding a briefcase and documents. He placed them down on the table. "I didn't expect to see the Gym Leader of Olivine here of all places. Welcome."
He opened the briefcase, showing several medical tools. What stood out most were several syringes. Next, vials of unknown contents adjacent to them. Jasmine stared down at the case.
"You must wonder what we have conjured," said Gideon. "It took quite a while due to limited budget, but even without the sapphire I longed for three years ago in exchange for money... it was worth the wait."
"For what?" Jasmine asked.
"Destroying the hindrance to our existence," Gideon explained in a low tone. Almost out of anger. "By eradicating his source of strength, and for vengeance."
He motioned the briefcase. "These have been the key to the slow death of Dragon's Den and Blackthorn City. By kidnapping muk and grimer from Celadon's polluted waters and using them as experiments to make them a bigger threat… we have succeeded in causing substantial damage. Dry ice crystals managed to grow through their slimy bodies, which have been very effective against dragons. Of course, effective typing and being able to cut off their oxygen supply due to its quick dissolution and its availability burn the skin. Added with some other dangerous elements to make our experiments more potent…"
"How cruel!" Jasmine cried. "You're killing innocent pokémon!"
"He wasn't going to get away with it," Petrel added, shaking his head. "Lance has had his fun, now it's our turn."
"But to think he would infiltrate our facility again so swiftly," said Gideon. "It's almost aggravating. Such a pest to Giovanni. It is no wonder he never returned if that man continues to roam our territory."
Petrel let out a snort. "Hey Gym Leader, heard about what happened recently? The Radio Tower incident at Goldenrod?"
"What - what about it?" Jasmine asked.
"I heard from one of our subordinates that your friend… the girl with the pink hair, what's her name? Whitney? She put up a good fight, against us but ultimately failed. Pretty disappointing for being a Gym Leader. Then again... with her main pokémon being incapacitated by Pierce, she stood no chance. Everyone in the tower was shaking their boots, and you carried her injured self out of the place. You surely remember that, at least?"
"I do…" On the day of the incident, it was only to pay a visit to a dear friend. Only to quickly turn into a calamity. While Whitney's injuries were minor, she was Jasmine's priority. She had no other time to act in retaliation to Team Rocket, but to save Whitney's life. Regardless, the act of terrorism brought nothing but sorrow and whenever mentioned… tears would fall. It was out of guilt from failure, that Jasmine would hug Whitney close. But what did it have to do with Lance?
"Fortunately for your little friend, we met our demise in Mahogany Town later that day," said Petrel. "Must have heard news reports about our base being wiped out clean by some vigilante. Beaten grunts that were taken into custody were traumatized. Pokémon with injures that only a dragon's claws could inflict. Chilling news, right? Most would see it as justice for the terrorism we did but it was under one man. A dangerous one at that."
"What?" Jasmine inquired.
"C'mon, you don't know? It was Lance. Who else could have anticipated this? It's no wonder he is the Champion, he is ruthless. He destroyed our entire base with that damn dragonite. He trashed several grunts with broken bones. Just before we could bring back our beloved boss…"
"He was not alone," said Pierce. "He had that young trainer as well, although she was fairer in her battles…"
"She is quite strong, but not our objective right now. After what he has done, we're going ensure Lance sees a permanent end to everything he cherishes," Petrel finished, with a devilish grin. "For the sake of our leader! Giovanni will return again! Now, take her away." The grunt shoved Jasmine to move.
Yet, the Gym Leader had a trick of her own sleeve. She wasn't going to let this assume further. Jasmine bashed her head into the grunt's chin. A collision to the jaw - the grunt tumbled down. Petrel rushed at Jasmine to restrain her, but she jumped away - knocking Gideon. The suitcase dropped, spilling vials to the floor.
"Oh no!" The scientist shouted. With Petrel's net out of his hands... Dratini crawled out of the opening to Jasmine. It bit off the rope to free her hands. Swiftly, she picked him up and ran. Now, to retrieve back her skarmory that was locked somewhere else.
A grunt fell to the floor, Lance's hand was clenched into a fist. A good chunk was beaten through close combat, but more sprinted through the doors.
Several armed, but to Lance… this wouldn't be an issue. One charged at him, bad idea.
He jumped to drop a kick on his face, striking him down. Next, a direct punch at another grunt's face. Another tried to stun him with a taser, but Lance used his cape to blind him. The grunt, confused by the apparent darkness - struggled to find the Dragon Master. Lance pulled his wrist, sweeping the taser from his hand and kneeling him to the stomach. He finished him with a kick - lunging him to another grunt who dashed as back up. Dragonite fiercely flapped his wings, whipping up a vicious twister at incoming grunts with pokémon. The spinning vortex slammed them into the nearby wall. When a grunt's raticate jumped to attack with hyper fang – the dragon used his arm to take the hit, before slamming it down.
"Damn it!" Wendy yelled, banging the keyboard. The havoc beatings occurred outside the office, while Jasmine had just escaped with Dratini. The possibility of another humiliating defeat was on the rise. Pierce sighed, opening a door toward another hall. "We leave no choice, I'll handle Champion Lance."
"Can you even defeat him?! He has knocked out most of our security!"
"There is a reason why I received a high rank in Team Rocket. Not as high as Executive Archer, but I am getting there."
"Wait, where are you going?! Wrong door!"
Jasmine ran through the halls, desperate to find her skarmory. "We have to get out of here Dratini!" She held him tight. "I can't believe you were captured and thrown in here! How did this happen?!"
Dratini whimpered, a twinge of regret over this. Endangering himself and his trainer was a careless act, but his own curious desires won over. His trainer ran to another room – where she recalled Skarmory was thrown in along with other captured test subjects. The door was locked, secured with only a card key to open.
"Oh no…"
"Stay right there Miss," a voice said. "You must come with me."
Following the male voice, was a snarl. Jasmine turned, eyes widening at Pierce cornering her with a three-headed dragon pokémon. Its eyes were a deep red, with thin black wings. It roared at her and Dratini.
"Make another move and I'll have my hydreigon attack. So, put that poké ball right back in your pocket."
Feeling back to the wall, Jasmine surrendered. Not one for her to back down as she would have brought out her steelix – but to protect her baby pokémon from the risk of getting hurt...
"Pierce!" A voice called out from his Pokégear. "He's in here – ah!"
Wendy's voice cut off from the transmission. Followed by static, loud bangs, and Wendy cursing. "Release me, you bastard!"
Lance's voice picked up. "You have two minutes before I take this place down. I want every single piece of information you have. Now."
"Are you sure you wish to blow up the area? Not when we have a hostage?" Pierce asked through the speaker. "I'm sure you wouldn't want this young lady and her dratini to be caught in the crossfire. It would mark such a bad reputation on your prominent status, Champion Lance."
There was no response, but a clunk was heard. The dispatch ended.
Petrel was angry.
Absolutely shameful, an embarrassment. He felt disgraced, to think a simple Gym Leader could escape under his grasp. Not a proud moment, and was sure Giovanni would never return under these pretenses. Gideon was distraught, his creation wasted through the floor. "That wretched woman… I worked hard on these!"
Petrel rose up, fixing his messy hair from the crash earlier. Then, placed his hands on his hips. "Ugh, you still got more back at the other base?"
"It took a long time to create the formula, trying permutations of elements was stressful enough. Along with scarce resources and our limited budget, it will be difficult to reconstruct it again."
"So, you only made a limited batch? How pathetic!"
"Silence, it can be reconstructed… it will only take time. Perhaps we should leave and regroup, besides, we left the message. A good percentage of dragon pokémon in Johto are already infected, we have yet to see if it has any long-term effects. Let's stand back and see where it goes from here out."
Petrel sneered, pulling out a remote. "Hehe… it's only just begun. Very well, let's destroy the base and get out of here. We got more work to do… and while we're at it... I wonder if he can make it out alive."
He pressed a button, an alarm rang throughout the base.
Lance and Dragonite raced the halls in pursuit. The Champion was in disbelief, the revelation felt maddening as he felt his heart sinking. Did what he hear through the Pokégear, true? How on earth did Jasmine get involved in the first place? Was she abducted due to staying in Blackthorn City?
Perhaps it was a ruse. But his self-righteous heart refused to let that possibly be true. Someone's life was in danger – not just one, but two. It was solidified when Dragonite picked up a familiar scent, leading Lance to believe Pierce's words.
The alarm went out, releasing a robotic announcement. "Countdown to detonation, ten minutes. I repeat, the countdown to detonation, ten minutes."
"Attention all members of Team Rocket! Evacuate!" Wendy announced. She was released by a Rocket grunt after being retained to a chair with a rope. Others scurried to take any important items. "This place will blow up in ten minutes! Use the following exits to evacuate – doors will shut and you will be trapped if you do not act quickly!"
"So they'll resort to cheap tactics to avoid confrontation and sacrifice their own men. Cowards," Lance growled.
Grunts called out for escape, leading their squads out of the vicinity. Doors shut throughout hallways. A few unfortunate grunts were locked out - missing the opportunity to escape and banged the door. "Get us out of here!"
The door behind them started to emit heat, the grunts panicked and backed into the corner. Cracks raced through the door, followed by an explosion. The smoke cleared, and a shadowy figure of a dragon with his trainer not far behind entered the smoke like phantoms.
"Stay away!" one grunt said, panicked.
"Hyper beam," Lance ordered.
Jasmine was being escorted out through the corridor, hands under electric cuffs. Her mind wandered regarding Skarmory, still under Team Rocket's capture. Dratini was under arrest in a portable cage being held by one of the Rocket grunts. When the alarm sounded, Pierce received a communication from Petrel.
"Is that so? Huh, well I managed to recapture her…"
Jasmine attempted to hear the conversation but it wasn't within reach. The least she took was Pierce's words.
"I see… understood."
He stopped running, prompting the rest to do the same. "Release the prisoners," he commanded.
"What?" A grunt asked in disbelief.
"My orders are clear, now!"
The handcuffs came off Jasmine's wrists with a key. She was stupefied by this. Dratini's cage opened and he jumped out, slithering to her.
The Gym Leader caught Skarmory's poké ball thrown at her. "I believe this is yours," Pierce murmured.
"You're letting us go?" Jasmine asked.
Pierce did not answer. Instead, he urged everyone to get behind. His hydreigon stood alongside him.
In the darkness of the hall, they heard screams, and a roar tore through. A few seconds after, several grunts escaped from the shadows in terror. Most with cuts and bruises, along with limping, and injured pokémon such as raticates, golbats, and arboks. A few fainted, with the grunts under Pierce's wing wanting to assist, but the leader halted them.
"But Sir, they're injured!" One grunt shouted.
Eyes widening, Jasmine had witnessed the horrid state these grunts were in. She wasn't accustomed to such violence but hadn't seen much since the Radio Tower Incident when the people of Goldenrod were helpless. This time, it was the reverse. Those among Team Rocket were in dismay - karma?
The last grunt from the darkness cried out, "Lieutenant Pierce – ah!" He was swept back in, then came silence.
The grunt emerged again, but only with a thud to the floor - unconscious. Pierce's eyes narrowed while his squad pulled out weapons - from guns to poké balls. Yet, they would render useless against their opponent. The man who had been tormenting Team Rocket for a long time, and would not stop until they are gone.
Pierce had been waiting for this confrontation. Lance appeared with Dragonite. The Champion's face was stoic but stood tall with an intimidating presence.
"So we meet," Pierce said. "Champion Lance, do you believe your methods are correct within the law?"
"Team Rocket, you have caused enough harm to the people of Kanto and Johto," Lance said in a dark tone. "It's time to put an end… to all of it."
"Is that so? What gives you the right to enforce your beliefs of justice? When this young lady and her pokémon look horrified to see how you do it?"
Lance's expression changed. He went from fiercely determined to dismay, it was worse than he thought. "J - Jasmine? Oh no…"
His confidence was slipping, never had he ever expected any civilian to see his vigilante work. Especially a close colleague of the Pokémon League. He knew this could cause a major uproar if this were found out. An image he did not want the public to see. It was one of his worst fears come to life, even more so when he saw the amount of dread on Jasmine's face. Especially the heartfelt conversation he had with her earlier in the day. What was on her mind now that she knew?
"Does anyone know?" Pierce asked. He prompted the same question to Jasmine. "Did you know?"
Jasmine said nothing, instead slowly digesting what she had seen.
"I'll take that as a no then." Pierce smirked, now was the perfect opportunity. "And this is the Indigo League Champion? To think the prestigious members of the Pokémon League could commit barbaric acts for the sake of justice. You are no better than us, Champion. Now… Hydreigon, use Dragon Claw!"
The command was straightforward. The dragon pokémon rushed with its glowing claws toward the Gym Leader. Jasmine, was still lost in her thought and reacted with delay. "Ah!"
"No!" Lance shouted, jumping in front as a shield. The attack came as a direct hit, toppling him to the floor. Jasmine froze from the impact, eyes widening over what was done. Her mouth agape, while Dratini cried in dismay.
Out of rage over his master being assaulted, Dragonite charged up hyper beam. The blast zipped toward Pierce and his squad. It proved futile when a grunt's sandslash used protect, creating a barrier around the beam and blocking it. "We're finished here!" Pierce shouted. "Unleash the smoke screen and recover the wounded!"
Blasts of smoke whipped through the air, Dragonite coughed and was losing sight. His eyes burned red and he was ambushed by Hydreigon, - lunging him to the wall. Jasmine covered her mouth as she coughed. She heard yelling and murmurs. Shadows of people carrying others on their backs, and pokémon being taken away.
As the smoke cleared, Jasmine noticed the last of Team Rocket had left. The building around them started to crumble.
"Estimated time to leave... 1 minute and 25 seconds," The voice said through the speaker.
Jasmine continued to cough, struggling to breathe. Dratini slid to Lance. The Dragon Master lay on the floor with injury and torn clothing, including his cape... but was breathing very slowly. Dratini whimpered as he tried to pull his head up.
Jasmine stood up. Time was running out, but she was not going to leave Lance behind. Not after what he had done, nor she could leave him in such pain. Dragonite limped, reaching his claws to his trainer. He was pushed away by Lance's weak hand. He rose up, groaning. Jasmine rushed to him as aid.
"You... shouldn't be here..." Lance breathed out. "Leave... while you can..."
"I am not leaving you behind!" Instead, she help lift the injured champion to Dragonite's back, who would fly him out. In addition, she brought out Skarmory to fly her and Dratini out.
"Estimation time – 45 seconds."
Dragonite and Skarmory flew their trainers toward the exit. Explosions blew throughout the facility. Throughout the escape, a voice rang through the speakers.
"Enjoy being cooked along with your damsel, Champion! Hahahahaha!" Petrel laughed manically. Jasmine frowned, finding his comments grotesque. Nonetheless, they were almost out.
They flew with precise speed, explosives pursuing them until the very end. Once out of the secret entrance, the final explosion went through – causing the entire secret shop to blow. Debris and ash mixed with the rain, and nearby homes turned on their lights in response.
Jasmine had landed in a safer area, with Dragonite following through. She slipped off of Skarmory and went to Lance in panic. "Hang in there! I'm taking you back to Blackthorn City!"
"Damn them..."
She heard Lance mutter, despite being injured… he was still conscious. He struggled to leap off of Dragonite. He winced in pain, breathing heavily. He started to limp while his hand pressed on his chest.
"Don't force yourself!" Jasmine grabbed onto Lance as he moaned from the pain. "Please, let me help."
Her hands felt something wet. The Gym Leader pulled them away and drew in a breath. Blood gushed through the fresh claw marks that tore Lance's uniform - onto his flesh. "You're bleeding!"
Lance pushed her away. He continued to walk but was losing balance. He felt lightheaded. The sudden fatigue was making him lose consciousness. His speech was sluggish.
"I'm... sorry..."
He fell to the ground in defeat, landing on the muddy trail. Jasmine scurried to assist, kneeling down.
"Bring him."
An elderly man had crept through the harsh rain. His cane stopped in front of Lance's head and fixed his white scarf. A glare fixated upon the fallen Champion.
"Stubborn fool."
A/N: Sorry for the long wait for an update.
I felt adding anime only Team Rocket members such as Pierce (from the Unova series) and Wendy (a minor character from the Johto saga) would help enhance Team Rocket. Gideon is from the games, however. The Pokémon franchise has such a huge cast from all media forms!
Thank you for the faves, follows, and comments so far! I really appreciate them! Stay tuned!