Hello again! There is a lot of action in this chapter I promise! I know you guys will find it to be great.

Chapter five: Surprise battle at Viridian City!

I feel rays of sunlight hit my face as it starts to get hot. This causes me to turn away on my uncomfortable bed and cover myself with the torn blankets; however, somebody begins to shake me relentlessly. I open my eyes and see a girl standing next to the bed, it's Km. This morning her long brunet hair is in a short but beautiful crown-braid. She adds character to it by putting several small white flowers on each side. She smiles, "Rise and shine handsome, we got work to do."

I groan, "Somebody's feeling better today." I mutter as she grabs the blankets and throws it onto the floor, "I was in a bad mood yesterday. I feel a lot better, now come on!" She jumps frantically like a spoiled child.

"You're always in a bad mood…" I retort. I get out of bed and put on my black shirt.

"Today we're going to Viridian City."

I frown, "Is this another delivery job?" I cross my arms, "Let me guess, dirty laundry?"

She copies my pose, "Afraid to get your hands dirty?" I laugh, "If they're clean then yes."

"Boss doesn't want us going to Viridian with colors, so we go wearing our casuals."

"That's fine with me. I've been itching to wear my gear again anyways." I say. I grab my gym bag, which always stays here at the base, and I take out my jeans, brown boots and a belt with 3 Poké balls. I walk to a mirror by the door. I change into my jeans, clip on my belt, and strap on my boots. Hanging on a clothes rack is my black/green jacket, and the great thing about this particular wardrobe is that it's extremely durable. It has survived countless encounters with the natural elements, yet it refuses to tear apart. Two years. Two years I've counted so far in which I have had close calls with this jacket. Two years of being a part of Team Rocket. I put on my jacket and I yawn afterwards.

I stretch my arms and crack my knuckles as I see my reflection, I forgot something. Sitting on my nightstand is my black military hat that I take and place effortlessly on my head. My gear shimmers as the rays of sunlight coming from the window hits me.

"Are you also bringing your guitar?" Km asks. I nod, "Yea, we could mess around a bit after our work is done."

"Good. I'll wait in the jeep, don't take too long or I'll leave you behind." She kisses me in the cheek and my face turns red, "See you there." I choke nervously.

She winks at me as she leaves the room, and I go ahead and grab my guitar. I decide to tune it to drop D. Afterwards I adjust the strap and then sling it on my back carefully. The last thing to do is to get my messenger bag on the clothes rack. The bag itself is completely empty for obvious reasons because I only keep necessary things like cans of food and water inside it. As for the guitar, which weights about a good 20 pounds, I'll keep inside the jeep during the mission. This way, I'm fast on my toes in case something goes wrong.

After I'm done getting everything I need I leave the room.

The drive to Viridian City takes about two hours. Km and I decide to stop at the nearest gas station to get snacks, water and fuel before we get there. Afterwards, we continue to drive down a long dirt road for another thirty minutes. Finally, we reach the city. Needless to say that it's already midday and the traffic is cranky. The Viridian Gym is in sight and we park adjacent to it. The guards automatically recognize us as members and let us through the tall golden doors. I do the talking as we meet up with Giovanni's representative. I exchange a bag full of Poké balls. Inside them are very strong Pokémon. They have been tested and shown to be effective in combat thanks to Dr. Bartoli, and now they will be processed here to be sold or traded.

"Take this as a reward, both of you." He says. Km and I receive our daily payments and we smile contently, "Let's go shopping!" Km jumps for joy. I put an arm behind my back in embarrassment, "Sure. We got time."

"Have fun you two." The old man grins.

Several hours pass and Km has spent almost all of her money on new merchandise. I don't mind, a woman needs her daily shopping spree or else she'll surely go mad. We leave the parking lot and store everything we bought today in the back of the jeep. In order to get out of the city faster we take a street that leads through the suburbs,"So, do you think the trip to get here was worth it?" She turns toward me and giggles, "The two hour drive to get here is always worth it." She says before I chuckle at her remark.

I continue to drive down the street until we once again stop at a traffic light, "I'm kind of hungry, want to get some ice cream before we get on the open road?" I ask.

"Sounds good, let's go."

We stop by a local ice cream joint and we decide to order inside. It has a 1950s décor style to it with numerous chairs that are adjacent to the bar. We sit down by the bar and look at the menu. The employees and customers look at us suspiciously and I start to get anxious. Km seems fine however. She's completely oblivious of the fact that almost everybody is giving us odd stares. Unfortunately, I narrow my eyes at one of them, "You got a problem?"

"You two look familiar…"

"In what way, I didn't know we were famous around these parts!" Km exclaims jokingly.

Then my heart stops because I immediately see a wanted poster hanging by the restroom area. Not just any wanted poster, but a poster which has our exact faces copied in the paper. It looks like the city finally caught on to us, "Km…we should leave, now."

I hear a voice cry out in the crowd, "I can't believe what I'm seeing right now! Those two are the ones who stole my Pokémon!"

"And mine as well!"

"Me too!"

"Let's get them!"

"Someone stop them before they try to escape!"

With our cover blown, Km and I nod at each other as I reach into my pocket and throw a metallic ball on the floor. It explodes into white gas as it spreads quickly across the entire store. We make a run for it toward the jeep; however, by the time we get to the door, we hear a Poké ball scream as white light appears and blocks our only exit.

"Ekans, come out!" A man shouts.

"I'm not jumping out the window." Km says. I remove a Poké ball from my belt, "Then let's give them a show they'll soon never forget."

"Ekans, use Wrap!"

I click on a small metallic button which causes the ball to grow in size. I then throw it towards the door.

"Diglett, dig under the earth!" I command. Just like the man has done, my ball sends forth a bright light which turns into a brown creature. It buries beneath the store to safety. The Ekans fails to use its move on my Pokémon and just as I wanted Diglett suddenly bursts from underground and hits the snake with powerful force. It's enough to bring it to low health.

"Oh man, Ekans return!" I see a red laser touch the creature causing it to disappear into the smoke once again. Attempting to apprehend us, several people without Pokémon surround our every direction. Km grins mischievously as she too throws a metallic ball into the air, "Pidgeotto, whirlwind!"

Pidgeotto, a bird Pokémon, begins to flap its wings which then create powerful gale-force winds. This gives us the opportunity to leave the store in haste. All four of us are now outside while Km's flying rat keeps on using its move until…

"Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" I suddenly hear.

"Piiikkkaaaccchhhuuu!"

It's too late because Km's flying type is rendered unconscious by the surprised attack. Her face is swollen with rage.

Across from us stands one young trainer: he's wearing a blue/white jacket, jeans, green fingerless gloves and a white/red hat that has a green semi-triangle sign in the middle. He is almost as tall as I am which makes me wish I had ancestors who were tall because this boy looks at least ten years old. Standing alongside him, of course, is a Pikachu…what a surprise. Km calls back her fainted Pokémon in frustration.

"That was my Pidgeotto you hit punk!"

"You deserve it. You're a crook!" The boy shouts back.

Km narrows her eyes, "And just who do you think you are, chump?"

"I am Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and you chose the wrong place to steal Pokémon!" The trainer proudly explains. He is cocky and every sense of the word, but just in case, I get ready to use Diglett against his Electric-type.

"We were just going to have some ice cream you brat!" She retorts, "Stupid kid, why don't you go play hopscotch with your puny Pikachu."

"Let's just steal his Pokémon, I bet he'll beg for us to give them back like all the others have." I suggest, "Then he's going to cry like a baby!"

The trainer curls his hands into a fist with irritation, "You're quick to judge people by their looks, why don't we settle this with a real battle?"

"I'm going to send your Pikachu to the Pokémon center in a million pieces!" Km laughs with both amusement and anger.

I cross my arms, "Want me to do the honors?" I ask.

"No, he's mine." She removes the crown-braid hairstyle as her long natural hair falls down her shoulders. She then grabs a ball from her belt.

"Go ahead then. His Pikachu won't be able to do much against your Ground-type." I yawn as I sit down on the concrete floor next to my Diglett.

Ever since Km and I formed a duo, we are unstoppable. For two years we have successfully defeated all opposition. It has actually become a weekly routine and sometimes a daily activity for us: wake up, crush Pokémon Trainers, and steal their Pokémon. This is why we were so successful amongst our peers and especially in the eyes of certain high-ranking officials. Who was to say that we would be defeated by a ten year old boy, who has barely grasped the concept of Pokémon battles? If this kid, this…child…thinks he can beat us then he's wrong.

The crowd from inside the store watches silently as Km throws the Poké ball toward the trainer, "Rip him apart Sandslash!" and out comes a creature with beige-colored scales. It is a pholidote Pokémon with sharp brown spikes protruding from its back. Its claws are sharp and they glimmer in the sunlight. Sandslash suddenly jumps toward the boy with incredible speed as it gets ready to use Slash.

"You got this Km." I yawn again.

"I know." She responds.

The trainer's yellow mouse seems ready to respond without hesitation, "Pikachu…agility!" Ash commands his Pikachu. It nods in agreement as it also reaches unbelievable speeds. By now, both Pokémon near point of collision; however, just as Sandslash strikes, Pikachu sidesteps easily to avoid the attack, "Pikachu, Quick-attack!"

Much to my surprise, it manages to overwhelm Km's Ground-type as it takes considerable damage. I start to get nervous again as I see the look on Km's face: pure disbelief.

Damn it...I should have kept my mouth shut, I think to myself.

"Sandslash! What are you doing! Tear it to pieces!" She yells. Once again, it tries to damage its enemy but only manages to miss by a few inches as the Electric-type dodges with great speed. Once more, the Pikachu uses the same strategy which results in Sandslash fainting. Km calls him back quickly, "Darn him! I'll show him!"

"No, let me. You only have one Pokémon left, you're going to need it for emergencies," I stand up and wipe sweat from my forehead, "You're good kid. We've underestimated you, but that doesn't mean you're going to win this fight." I slap myself mentally: shut up! You're only encouraging him!

"Is that a promise?" He smiles which makes me narrow my eyes in silent frustration.

I point my finger towards his Pikachu, "Diglett go…use scratch!"

As instructed, Diglett uses its attack and it actually hits its opponent. Thankfully it does considerable damage, but the Pikachu also hits my Pokémon with reasonable force. This catches me off guard: Damn, his Pikachu is at a much higher level than my Diglett. Dig has to work or else...

"Hang on Pikachu! Use quick-attack one more time!" He shouts as the mouse gains speed once again. Just before it's ready to strike I shout, "Use dig!"

Diglett vanishes as the Pikachu's attack misses completely. It checks the ground with confusion. It then looks towards its master for advice.

"Pikachu use agility again!"

"Pika!" It nods in response.

Meanwhile, Km shouts from behind me with anxiety, "Don't let that punk beat you!"

"He's not going to win I assure you!" I retort. Sweat continues to fall from my temples at a rapid pace. My hands are shaking and my breathing is very shallow from the battle that is taking place in front of me.

"Stay on your toes Pikachu! He could be anywhere!" The boy says. He is also experiencing extreme anxiety just like me.

Suddenly everyone, including myself, standing on the parking lot feels the earth shake beneath us.

"Too late! Your Pikachu is history!" I laugh just before Diglett emerges from under the electric mouse.

"Jump Pikachu!"

Unfortunately, my hope of winning suddenly dies as my face darkens. The Pikachu dodges the surprise attack and quickly responds by using its tail, or rather the move Slam, which hits Diglett with such powerful force. It causes my Pokémon to utterly faint in defeat.

"I don't believe it!" I shout.

Suddenly, Km and I hear police sirens in the distance which causes Km to scramble towards the jeep. I call back my Pokémon as I give one last glimpse at the Pokémon Trainer who had apparently defeated us, "Sorry to end this party so suddenly, but this is where we get off!"

"H...hey! You can't just-" I hear the boy shout from behind me.

I run toward the jeep that is already making a 360 degree turn toward the street. The ten year old boy pathetically tries to stop me from escaping but I manage to jump into the jeep in time, "Go!" I shout. Km doesn't hesitate. With the sharpest turn we get on the road that leads to the base again. The last thing I see is the trainer holding his Pikachu. He looks at us as we drive off with a worried and uncertain expression on his face.

...

Unfortunately, by the time we do get on the road back to the base, several police cars have already began to tailgate us. The narrow dirt road means that they could ram us from both sides very easily which is what they're intending to do.

I have one more smoke bomb on me, so I have to make it count. Our jeep, which had a soft removable roof before we left to Viridian, keeps rocking back and forth uncontrollably as a result of the uneven pavement. Because of this, I have to time this shot very carefully in order for it to work. I position myself in the back of the jeep. First I check to see which police car is closer and then I throw the metallic bomb into the air. It explodes and causes one of the cars to swerve off-course toward a tree while the other one slows down to avoid collision. Since I'm out of bombs and there are still three police cars just a few hundred feet from us, I decide to use my next Pokémon: Fearow, another bird Pokémon. I throw the Pokéball into the air, "Use Razor Wind on their tires!" I demand.

As expected, it flaps its wings which cause several bright crescent-shaped blades to penetrate the rubber tires on one of the police cars. This causes the cop car to swerve out of control and eventually crash into another cop car.

Behind me I hear screams. When I turn around, I gasp very loudly. Beedrills are attacking Km! We must have disturbed a nest nearby! I quickly turn toward Fearow, "Get them off her!" It flies toward the bugs and pecks them all into remission. They all flee back to their nest with significant injuries as a result. I move toward the front of the jeep to inspect Km, "You okay?" I ask.

"Yes, make sure we're alone!" She shouts to me, her voice hints to me that she is in pain which worries me, but I nod slightly for a second before I hear the sounds of a rotor getting increasingly louder. The jeep turns toward a section of the Viridian forest where a large field that stretches for fifteen miles is present. Now in the open, I turn to see a police helicopter catching up to us! A man appears from the side of the vehicle with a bull horn. He is desperately trying to stay in the aircraft because it is making sharp maneuvers to keep up with us, "Stop your vehicle or we will open fire!" His voice echoes.

Fearow is still following us at great speeds and looks at me, expecting me to give my next order to it, "Don't kill them. Just make them have to land." I say. The bird nods and flies toward the cops. It uses Razor Wind again but it aims toward the helicopter's tail rotor. The damage is significant but it's also not life-threatening for the passengers. As long as the fuel box remains intact the helicopter will not explode.

"Damn it! Fall back. the officer yells." The helicopter steadily makes a descent toward the ground as smoke seeps from the tail. Just as it lands, everybody safely runs for cover.

We're okay now. I call back Fearow and sigh heavily. For about three minutes we enter a large section of the forest again, but Km parks to the side of the road abruptly which confuses me. It's a bad idea to stop for too long because we still have two more hours of land to stretch across and it's getting dark. She struggles to get out. I jump off from the jeep and ran toward her door. She exits the vehicle in my arms, but she collapses into the floor all of a sudden, "Km...Are you okay?" I ask her.

"I've…been poisoned." She explains to me.