Chapter 11: Prisoners of Team Rocket
June and Trace had been taken up to the top floor where they were now on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs and Team Rocket's boss towering over them with cruel, empty, narrow eyes. His Rhyperior stood behind them, keeping a very close watch on the kids. An elderly man with a grey beard and receding hair line dressed in a black suit and red tie sat nervously behind his desk. He looked worried for the two despite not even knowing who they were. June assumed he was the Silph Co. president. Tricia had also arrived in the room. She'd been tempted to use her Gyarados to attack her boss but upon seeing June and Trace's current position, she was forced to keep up the pretence for now. If she tried to attack her boss, Rhyperior would kill June and Trace. The boss would also likely see it coming anyway. He was coiled up like a spring with his eagle eyes watching everything in the room for the slightest sign of anything wrong. It was safer to play along for now and wait for an opportunity.
June felt a tremendous surge of shame over what had happened. How could she and Trace have allowed this to happen?! They'd been doing so well and now they'd gotten captured! She was sure the boss was going to kill them both once he was finished with them. She didn't dare imagine what was about to come. She tested her binds. Both June and Trace's hands had been bound together with tough ropes that bit into their wrists. They only made them sorer if they tried to struggle. They weren't going to be able to use their hands anytime soon. Their bags had been confiscated along with all their Pokémon. A grunt on guard duty had taken them and the boss had ordered him to keep them together with Ray and Eevee to take back to their hideout when their mission was finished. The power had since been turned back on and every Rocket grunt the teens had taken out were cured of paralysis and back on their feet again. Team Rocket's mission was back in operation as if nothing had happened.
The terrified teens looked back up at the man in charge of Team Rocket. The boss was an imposing looking man with very short grey hair, narrow black eyes and a wrinkled face. He looked to be in his late 50's to early 60's, yet he still had an impressive looking muscle structure. His black suit hid most of it but they could see from his large shoulders and slender frame that he was very fit for his age and likely much stronger than they'd anticipate. June thought he was the scariest looking man she'd ever seen. The boss folded his arms. A couple of rings he wore on two fingers on his left hand glinted in the light of the office.
"You two are not the first time I've had to deal with bothersome children." he purred, his voice dark and dripping with venom, "Somehow, Team Rocket always seems to find itself with pesky kids sticking their noses in where they don't belong. You two are now going to pay the price for your interference."
June swallowed heavily. Her heart was in her throat. Her insides felt like jelly. Trace loomed to be keeping it more under control but deep inside, he was equally as terrified. June wasn't surprised to see anger on his face too. This was the man whose organization had destroyed much of his life after all. She imagined Trace was having to use all his mental strength to keep himself from trying to attack the man.
"My name is Giovanni." the boss introduced, "You've no doubt figured out that I am the man in charge of Team Rocket. All those grunts you've beaten up? They answer to me. Speaking of, you've very much upset me by taking them down so brutally and leaving them paralyzed on the floor like so. I wouldn't have thought a pair of children could be so…ruthless." he purred, quiet amusement edging his words.
He then glared at Tricia.
"I'm disappointed in you Tricia." he muttered, "You're one of my best operatives and in ownership of a Mega Gyarados, and yet these two managed to give you the slip and break in? Maybe I overestimated your capabilities."
"Sorry sir. They took me by surprise, that's all. I was powerless to stop them. I have no other excuse for my failure to secure the building." Tricia said grimly.
June and Trace looked to her sadly. Even if she was only keeping up the act, they still felt a little responsible for making her look bad and earning her a lecture from her boss. They had to hope that Tricia would be able to do something to get them out of this mess. They turned back to Giovanni.
"A-a-are you g-going to k-kill us?" June whimpered, sounding on the edge of tears.
Giovanni shook his head. He looked incredulous as if he couldn't believe June had asked that question.
"No. It may seem strange to you as the leader of a criminal organization, but I have my limits." he said, sounding almost kind as he spoke to her, "Child murder is one of those lines I will not cross. Even someone like me would never go so far as to senselessly waste young lives such as yours. There is nothing to gain from killing children."
"So what are you gonna do? Hold us hostage?" Trace demanded, "We won't let you use us as bargaining chips!"
Giovanni smirked at his prisoner.
"And what makes you think you can stop me?" he sneered, "I can do whatever I wish with you two and not even your Pokémon will be able to help."
He then turned to June with a suspicious glare in his eyes. June flinched in fear.
"Speaking of your Pokémon…I'm very curious as to how your Pikachu is still alive given Tricia reported it deceased to me a few days ago." Giovanni muttered, "I assume you managed to fool her into thinking it was dead?"
June allowed herself to relax for a brief second. She was worried Giovanni would've figured out the ruse and would suspect Tricia was a traitor but luckily, he'd come to the wrong conclusion. She had to play along for now.
"Y-y-yes sir! It was all a lie to get you guys to stop chasing me for him!" June lied, "I had Ray hide under the rock pile and pretend he was crushed and then I pretended he was dead when Tricia found me."
"Oh so that's your game, is it?" Tricia growled. She could see where June was going and thought she'd go with it to further keep her boss in the dark, "You tricked me real good and made me look bad in front of my boss! Permission to slap her real hard, sir?" she asked, saluting Giovanni.
June grimaced. Tricia seemed to be playing her part a bit TOO well for her liking!
"That won't be necessary." Giovanni dismissed, "We have the Pikachu in our hands again anyway. I thank you very much for delivering him to me, little June. You have no idea how valuable he'll be to Team Rocket as a Pikachu with abilities beyond the average species. We'll make good business with that Pikachu! But as valuable as it is to us, I'm after a much bigger prize." he purred.
He turned to the Silph Co. president as if remembering he was still in the room with him.
"And I thank you very much Mr. President for providing the resources necessary for me to obtain it." the Rocket boss crowed, "Your Master Ball project will make catching and selling Pokémon even easier than before now we'll have a Pokéball that captures anything without fail! With that ball in our hands, I'll hunt down and capture the legendary Mewtwo and its power will make Team Rocket more than just a criminal organization…we'll be a global powerhouse with the power to rule over everything!"
"Giovanni, by the power invested in me, the Silph Company will see you and your organization behind bars for this heist!" the president growled, "There'll be someone out there strong enough to take you down and not only save my company, but those children too!"
Giovanni dismissed the man's threat.
"If anyone tries to stop us now, they'll be forced to give themselves up." he sneered, "After all, nobody wants to see innocent little children get hurt…"
He knelt down in front of June and grabbed her by the face. Trace growled angrily at him while Tricia watched in worry.
"Get your hands off her!" Trace snarled.
"And this one will make a very, very valuable hostage indeed." Giovanni gloated, ignoring Trace, "Thanks to Tricia's report, I'm well aware that the Champion of Galar is in Kanto and that you are her daughter, June. She's no doubt still searching for us, therefore with you in my grasp, you'll be the perfect shield for me. Ruby Silverlock wouldn't dare try anything if it meant keeping you safe after all…"
"Mum's gonna kick your arse all the way from here to Alola!" June spat defiantly, "She's taken down people way worse than you before! You use me as a hostage and I swear she'll cripple you for life!"
"Yes, I'm aware that Ruby is quite…ruthless when in action." Giovanni said grimly, "I have two men who'll never walk again thanks to her. If she tries that on me, you'll only pay the price for it. I may not kill children, but I'm not adverse to torture if it will get her to back down."
June's blood ran cold. How was it possible for a man to be so evil as to be OK with torturing kids if it suited him?! She didn't even want to imagine what Giovanni would do to her to make Ruby back down. She was sure he'd get Rhyperior to beat her up or threaten to skewer her alive with its drill horns. Giovanni then turned to Trace, a dark smile spreading across his face as he laid eyes on him.
"And you. I remember you. You're Tricia's little brother." he acknowledged, "Yes…you're the reason she's even part of my organization to begin with."
"What are you talking about you creep? I NEVER asked her to do this!" Trace spat.
"No Trace, of course you didn't." Tricia cut in, "But he's right. I am in this because of you."
"What? Why?" Trace demanded, "I didn't ask for this! Was it something I did? I didn't drive you away, did I?"
Giovanni seemed darkly amused over the fact Tricia clearly hadn't told Trace why she was in Team Rocket. June listened intently. She knew that they were both finally about to learn why Tricia was in Team Rocket. She only wished they could've been talking about this without being prisoners for Giovanni. Tricia sighed heavily and ran a hand down one of the strands of hair down the side of her face.
"No Trace, you didn't do anything wrong." she insisted, "It all has to do with the day that our dad died."
Trace winced. June gasped. She already had an idea on where this was going. She remembered Trace mentioning their dad had passed away before. So it seemed it all started with that moment.
"It was so unfair for us both, to be without a father before we even reached adulthood ourselves!" Tricia ranted, "If we weren't so dirt poor, he could've been saved! But as you know, he let himself die so we could live. I'll never forget just how heartbroken we all were when he drew his last breath. Your face especially just broke me entirely…"
She paused to stop herself from crying. She clamped a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, looking like she was literally forcing the tears to stay inside. She swallowed down her emotions and continued.
"I vowed we wouldn't be poor anymore." Tricia went on, "I didn't want you or mom to die because we couldn't afford healthcare like we couldn't for dad. So I decided to become a Pokémon trainer and I aimed to become Kanto's new Champion. That would've solved all our financial woes! But then Giovanni came to me one day, seeking out new recruits for his organization. I had no idea he was with Team Rocket and that it was the organization he talked about. He offered me a job and promised to pay me well. Did you think I was going to refuse such a request? Especially as I could've saved you and mom from poverty? It was only on my first day of training that…"
"…you discovered what you were in for." June finished, "And I bet your desperation to save your family from poverty is why you haven't quit or turned on the team, isn't it? You're too desperate for money to turn your backs on Team Rocket."
"Right on the money June." Tricia said, her voice full of shame and guilt, "I never asked to be a criminal! I wanted to save my family, but not at the expense of destroying other's lives by stealing their Pokémon! But what choice did I have at the time? I couldn't let my family go poor and if I tried to leave, Team Rocket would've taken it out on Trace and mom! And worst of all, he has mom's Kangaskhan in his possession!" she wailed.
"HE WHAT?!" Trace screamed in horror.
"She's right." Giovanni gloated, whipping a Pokéball out of his suit and showing it to the teens.
June and Trace stared at a Pokéball that was decorated with a giant gold love heart on top. Trace recognized it instantly. His mother kept her Kangaskhan in that exact same Pokéball.
"And as long as I have this Pokémon, she has no choice but to obey me." he sneered, "If she tries to betray me, if she attempts to leave Team Rocket, if she even so much as refuses a mission I give her, then this Kangaskhan will get sold off to the first person who asks for it and her precious mother will never see her again. I know some people on the black market who'd love to get their hands on a Mega Evolving Kangaskhan, but for now she's more valuable to me as an insurance policy."
"You made Tricia steal Kangaskhan, didn't you?" June accused, her voice as hard as steel, "I bet you were cruel enough to make her steal from her own mother!"
"Oh no, not at all." Giovanni retorted, "That only would've caused her to abandon us. I stole this Pokémon personally, and I made sure Tricia knew about it beforehand so that now she knows her place in life. She belongs to me and she needs Team Rocket if her family is to survive."
"He's telling the truth." Tricia lamented, "At the time, he only told me he was on a business venture. After he got mom's Kangaskhan, that was when he revealed everything to me. I couldn't believe I'd allowed myself to walk into this! Trace, I only hope you can ever forgive me for dragging our family into this mess!" she wailed, sounding as if she was about to cry.
But Trace wasn't listening. The brunette boy was blinded by rage and only had one thought on his mind: to make Giovanni pay! He didn't care that his hands were tied, all he wanted to do was just attack Giovanni and make him suffer. He leapt to his feet and tried to barge straight into him but Rhyperior grabbed him by the shirt and held him back.
"YOU BASTARD! YOU GIVE MY MOM'S KANGASKHAN BACK RIGHT NOW!" he roared.
"Temper, temper little boy. Don't you know that losing it will only make things worse for you?" Giovanni crowed, "I suggest you sit back down before Rhyperior thinks you need a little…discipline." he warned.
"Please Trace, just do as he says! It's not worth getting yourself busted up for this!" June begged.
"Don't make this any harder than it needs to be little brother!" Tricia pleaded.
Trace panted heavily, his face a mask of pure hatred. He wanted to kick Giovanni as hard as he could. He wanted to at least stamp his face into mush. But he decided that listening to reason would be the wiser option in this situation. With a heavy sigh, he got back down on his knees. His head hung and his eyes stared straight at the floor. He couldn't even look at the Rocket boss anymore. Giovanni laughed.
"That's better." he sniffed, "I think we've talked enough for now so let us just sit back and relax for a while."
He spoke into a microphone attached to the lapel of his suit.
"Tech squad, how goes the progress down there?" he demanded.
"All files on the Master Ball project are almost downloaded sir. We're 90% complete. In half an hour, we should be finished." a Rocket Grunt replied.
"Excellent." Giovanni said happily, "Get another squad to prepare our chopper. I want to be able to leave as quickly as we can. The moment the files are fully downloaded, we leave without another second spared."
"Understood sir. We'll call you back when we're finished." the grunt replied.
Giovanni smiled happily. He was glad to see that things were going his way and Team Rocket were closer to success. The Master Ball project would be his and Team Rocket would have the resources to make Pokémon captures 100% successful every time! No Pokémon would be able to escape from him! He went over to the president's desk and went through the drawers. He found a roll of duct tape and ripped off a couple of squares. Then he plastered the tape over June and Trace's mouths. They could only mumble feebly behind their gags.
"As the law might say children…you have the right to remain silent." Giovanni jeered, smiling at his own joke, "Rhyperior, you keep watch over them while I keep watch over the president. Tricia, I suggest you get back to your post and this time, don't screw it up. If anyone gets past you again, your mother's Pokémon will be on its way to the highest bidder."
"U-understood s-sir." Tricia mumbled, "Please, whatever you do, don't hurt my brother. Or June for that matter. I absolutely will NOT stand for them being hurt in any way."
"They'll remain unharmed as long as you do your job and they behave themselves." Giovanni purred darkly, "Don't worry, they're quite safe with me."
June rolled her eyes. As if she and Trace would ever be "safe" with this man! She looked helplessly to Tricia, pleading with her eyes for the girl to do something. Tricia just glanced at her apologetically. She wanted more than anything to send her boss flying through a window right now but what could she do? As long as June and Trace were at Giovanni's mercy, she was helpless to do anything. In the time it took her to throw a Pokéball, Rhyperior would kill them with a single blow to the head! She mouthed to June "I'm so sorry" and reluctantly left the room. The teens watched her leave sadly. They glanced to each other. They weren't able to speak, but they knew what the other was going to say anyway: how were they going to get out of this mess? June once again closed her eyes and began praying for a miracle.
Mum…dad…Ash…please help us! she begged.
Just as June was hoping for their arrival, Ruby, Hop and Ash had arrived in Saffron City and Doomsday was coming in to land. They'd chosen to touch down on the outskirts of the city just to make sure they wouldn't be seen. Knowing Team Rocket, they might have binoculars and have people on lookout for anything suspicious. Doomsday was too conspicuous so they had to get into the city more covertly if they were to launch a surprise attack. Once they were down on the ground, Ruby returned Doomsday again and looked ahead to the Silph Co. Office Building. So what remained of Team Rocket was in that building stealing goodness knows what. Her red eyes narrowed with determination.
"There it is boys. Let's round up the rest of Team Rocket." Ruby declared.
"Don't go running in half-cocked Ruby. Remember, they could have hostages." Hop warned.
"I haven't forgotten." Ruby insisted, "We'll be discreet and make sure nobody gets hurt outside of Team Rocket."
"I dread to think what they want with the Master Ball project." Ash muttered, "A Pokéball that powerful will be real bad in their hands."
"Don't we know it?" Ruby sighed.
She and Hop had dealt with a man named Drago during an adventure in the Crown Tundra 20 years ago. He'd used Master Balls to capture all the Legendary Pokémon he could find in a mad scheme to conquer the world. The last thing they needed was Team Rocket trying the same thing! The adults ventured through the city and made their way towards Silph Co. As they got closer to the building, they were quick to notice the broken entrance. The door was completely obliterated and glass still littered the pavement outside and the floor inside the office. Ruby assumed that Team Rocket had done that. As they came towards the skyscraper, someone walked outside. Ruby and Hop gasped as they saw Tricia come out of the building and take up her position. She hugged herself worriedly.
"How could I have let this happen?" she wailed, "That was so stupid of me! I shouldn't have dragged June and Trace into this! I should've asked Ruby to deal with the boss! She wouldn't have gotten captured like that! Now thanks to me, they're gonna be hostages for Giovanni to do with as he pleases! What am I gonna do now?"
Ruby thought her heart was going to stop. She already wanted to give Tricia a thrashing for the last time they'd met and trying to steal from June but this made her really want to punch her. She'd dragged June and Trace into this mission and gotten them captured?! They were now hostages for Team Rocket's boss?! She was so driven by anger that she stormed straight up to Tricia, her face as dark as a thundercloud.
"W-wait Ruby, hang on a sec!" Hop cried frantically.
But Ruby was deaf to all reasoning. She marched towards Tricia, her hands balled into fists. Her red eyes somehow seemed redder than usual, as if she was a woman possessed at this moment. Tricia turned and screamed in shock as the silver-haired woman lashed out and grabbed her by her shirt. Ruby pinned Tricia against the wall beside the broken door, her face full of rage. Tricia stared back in terror. Ruby looked as if she was about to rip her to pieces with her bare hands. Hop and Ash caught up with the Champion. They were sure that they might have to step in in case Ruby went too far.
"OK miss, I have one question for you…WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAUGHTER?!" Ruby roared, her voice like an enraged Arcanine.
"S-s-she's in the-the president's office on the t-t-top floor a-along with Trace!" Tricia shrieked, "M-my boss is holding them p-prisoner! I-if you walk into that o-office, he'll o-only f-f-force y-you to give y-yourself up for th-their sakes!"
"Thank you. I'll deal with your boss and save those kids." Ruby said coldly, "Why did you get them involved in the first place? No doubt this was some wicked scheme you concocted in service of Team Rocket! You lured them here so they could be captured for your boss!"
"NO! No it wasn't, I swear it wasn't!" Tricia cried frantically, "I tipped them off that this heist was happening so that they could help me stop it! I'm on their side, honest! I didn't mean for them to get captured!"
Ruby hesitated for a moment. She was sure Tricia was lying but she also remembered what she'd said last time they'd met: Tricia hated working for Team Rocket and only seemed to be doing it because she had no choice in the matter. It also explained why she seemed worried about the two after coming out of the building. Ruby lowered Tricia to the floor. The purple haired girl panted heavily as relief whooshed over her. She was amazed Ruby hadn't killed her then and there!
"You swear you're telling the truth?" Ruby asked, "You really didn't mean for them to get caught?"
"Of course not!" Tricia exclaimed, "I wanted them to stop my boss and this mission! And I would never intentionally let my brother get captured like this! I'd never do that to him!"
"Hang on a minute…your brother? As in Trace? You and Trace are siblings?" Hop asked incredulously.
"We are, and he's the reason why I'm part of Team Rocket." Tricia explained.
She filled in the adults on the story she'd told June and Trace earlier. Ruby took all this in with dead silence, unable to believe what she'd heard. Ash gritted his teeth angrily.
"That's just sick! How could he do that to you?!" he growled.
"My point exactly!" Tricia exclaimed, "I understand if you still hate me Ruby but please, for your daughter's sake and for my brother's sake, you have to help me rescue them and you have to stop Team Rocket from succeeding! I want nothing more than to be rid of these people for good! Please, will you help me?"
Ruby nodded her head. Her face was blunt as if she couldn't understand why Tricia felt the need to ask her that. Of course she was going to help!
"Absolutely." Ruby said, her voice gentler and kinder, "You didn't ask for this life, so we'll be happy to get you out of it. I'm so sorry that you ended up like this…and I'm also sorry for getting all up in your face like that." she added guiltily.
"Don't be, I get it." Tricia insisted, "Now then, we need some way of rescuing June and Trace without risking their lives."
"Oh I have a very good idea on how to do that…" Ruby purred as she drew out a Pokéball from her coat.
June and Trace had given up trying to free themselves. Every struggle they did only hurt their wrists even more and the ropes held firm no matter how much they twisted and turned their hands. Getting free wouldn't have done them any good anyway. If they did get free, then what? They only would've given Giovanni's Rhyperior an excuse to crack their skulls open. They had no Pokémon to defend themselves with and they were just ordinary humans. What could they even DO to a Rhyperior aside from annoy it if they tried to attack it? In the end it was better to stay put and pray for a miracle. June looked to Trace sadly, apologizing with her eyes for their current situation. Trace barely even regarded her. His gaze was still fixed on Giovanni. June was sure that if his mouth wasn't taped shut he'd be hurling all kinds of verbal abuse at the man who had ruined his family's lives and blackmailed his sister into becoming a criminal. It still made her head spin trying to comprehend how anyone could be so cruel. She thought people like this only existed in movies!
June looked to Giovanni again. The Team Rocket boss was watching the door to the president's office, his eyes as sharp as a Braviary's. He was coiled up like a Arbok waiting for the slightest excuse to attack. June understood perfectly. The mission was close to completion so Giovanni didn't want anyone trying to interfere at this late stage. If anyone were to break in and try to stop him, he wanted to see it for himself and prepare accordingly. No one would get in without him seeing them. June wished she could still talk so she could at least try pleading with Giovanni, maybe even reason with him. But the first time she'd tried, Giovanni only glared at her and stayed still, refusing to ungag her. June supposed it would've been futile anyway. Giovanni didn't seem like he could be reasoned with, but she still wished she could've tried.
After what seemed like hours ticked by, Giovanni checked in with the Rocket tech squad again.
"Are we finished yet?" he demanded.
"Almost sir. Only 99% complete now. Download will finish in ten minutes." the Rocket grunt replied.
"Excellent." Giovanni muttered, "Make sure nobody interferes with our mission while we're approaching the end of this mission. At this critical stage, we cannot afford to let anything go wrong now."
"We've been watching the doors this whole time. No one's getting in without us…"
Then suddenly, the lights all switched off around the building. If it had been night time, the building would've been completely dark with only the lights of the city outside providing any light but it was still day time. Giovanni, June, Trace and the president could see just fine thanks to the large windows of the president's office letting in plenty of daylight. But Giovanni was still nervous about the power going out. The mission had already been delayed thanks to June and Trace!
"Tech squad, what's going on?" Giovanni snapped, "Has someone shut off the power again?!"
"Yes sir! Everything's gone down! We can't finish downloading the files!" wailed the Rocket Grunt, "We're gonna send some men to…wait, someone's coming. Who is that…SWEET MERCIFUL CRAP, WHAT IS THAT?!"
Giovanni recoiled as he heard the sound of a Pokémon attacking his men and women and knocking them down onto the floor. He also heard a voice calling out "Zamazenta, knock them all down with Behemoth Bash!" as the Rocket Grunts yelled. June's heart skipped a beat as she recognized her father's voice. He was here! And that had to mean Ruby and Ash were here too! Trace also seemed to have new life breathed into him thanks to this. His face lit up with pleasure.
I knew mum, dad and Ash would get here in time! June cried in her mind.
"Tech squad, what's happening?! Report!" Giovanni demanded.
But he got no answer. His grunts had all been knocked out. He spoke into the microphone again.
"Attention all Rocket members, we have intruders in the building again! Put them down and do NOT let them reach this office!" Giovanni yelled, sounding like he was on the verge of panicking.
"You really should cut your losses while you're ahead good sir." the Silph Co. president sneered, "It's clear that your mission is over and stronger trainers are coming to shut you down for good."
"Silence!" Giovanni snapped, "We're not leaving until we've got those files for the Master Ball project! Whoever is here will have to stop what they're doing once they see I have hostages!"
He turned back to the door and waited for someone to come for him. Despite his orders to his grunts, he knew that they likely wouldn't be able to stop who was coming for him. He was proven right minutes later for the door to the office swung open and Ruby stormed in with Ash behind her. June and Trace cried muffled cheers as the two entered the office. Ruby's head snapped around and all the bravado she'd entered the room with evaporated the moment she laid eyes on June.
"My baby! There you are!" she shrieked, "Did the boss hurt you?!"
"She's fine Mrs. Silverlock. She and Trace haven't been hurt…yet." Giovanni answered.
Ruby turned to face him as if she'd forgotten he was in the room. Her red eyes narrowed into a glare of seething rage as she found herself face-to-face with the man who was behind Team Rocket's operations.
"Well, well, well…if it isn't the man in charge himself." Ruby growled, "You're Team Rocket's boss, I presume?"
"In the flesh." Giovanni confirmed, "I can't say I'm too surprised my best operative couldn't stop you from inviting yourself in. Even I'm expecting too much for Tricia to be able to handle a reigning Champion."
"Charmed." Ruby said sarcastically, "Now I'm going to ask you just ONE time: let my daughter and her friend go and I might be generous enough NOT to cripple you for life!"
"Ah yes, you have a reputation for being surprisingly ruthless when dealing with criminals." Giovanni sneered, "Two of my men will never walk again because of you. How can you label yourself a hero if this is how you deal with people? I think the people of Galar should reconsider who they look up to…"
"Don't you dare take the moral high ground with ME you bastard!" Ruby snarled, "I only act that way to criminals like you, people who deserve it! At least I don't go around stealing Pokémon and using them for profit just because I can! There's a million other ways you cretins could've chosen to make your living off of and you choose crime! That's just sad if you ask me and I'm going to have no qualms kicking your sorry butts into the first prison cell I can find!"
"You've ruined a lot of people's lives and hurt a lot of people and Pokémon with your actions!" Ash put in, "You and your goons have repeatedly tried to steal from me and my friends for over 30 years and after all that time, you're STILL committing these horrible crimes and trying to steal Pokémon from others! Me and Pikachu owe you a beating for all you've done with your organization!"
"Pika, pi!" Pikachu yelled.
"I don't have time for a lecture." Giovanni scoffed, "And neither does your daughter for that matter…"
As he said this, Rhyperior suddenly grabbed June and Trace by the heads. Its powerful, stony hands closed around their scalps and the large, stubby fingers tightened. June and Trace wailed helplessly behind their gags. Ruby and Ash recoiled in shock.
"Let them go!" Ruby demanded.
"Or what?" Giovanni sneered, "You can't do anything to me and you know it. If you so much as reach for a Pokéball, Rhyperior will crush the children's heads with its bare hands. How hard do you think it'll need to squeeze on their skulls before they shatter like glass in its palms? I'm willing to bet even the slightest pressure will be too much for their heads to take…"
"Mmmmo! Mmmon't mmmo mmmit!" June cried feebly, her eyes streaming with tears.
"NO! Not my June! Anything but my baby girl!" Ruby shrieked.
"You're such a coward!" Ash spat, "Relying on hostages just to make us stop? Even Jessie and James had the guts to challenge me and my friends straight up!"
"That's because those incompetent buffoons could never do ANYTHING right." Giovanni retorted, "They'd never think to act pragmatically as I do. Now then, stand down and surrender your Pokémon to me or Rhyperior kills the children. This is your final warning!"
"We're NOT surrendering and you're going to let them go like we demanded!" Ruby growled, "We knew you'd have hostages, so I made sure I came here with a little contingency…"
Just as she finished talking, Rhyperior suddenly reared back in pain and bellowed at the top of its lungs. It let go of June and Trace's heads and the teens quickly sprinted away from the huge Pokémon as it flailed around in agony. It was clutching its back. Giovanni couldn't believe his eyes. What on Earth could possibly have attacked his Rhyperior?! There was no one else in the room! But he soon saw he'd been mistaken as to his horror and amazement, Reaper the Ceruledge phased out of the wall and slashed at Rhyperior a second time with Shadow Claw. Ruby had sent him in and got him to phase through the walls until he found the main power generator for the building. Reaper had slashed the cables to ribbons, cutting off the entire power supply. Then he'd followed Ruby and Ash up to the main office and phased through the walls again, waiting for Ruby's signal to attack. A single Shadow Claw to Rhyperior's back had been enough to make it release the hostages so now Giovanni no longer had any bargaining chips. June threw herself into her mother's arms and wept with joy. Ruby peeled the tape off of her mouth and hugged her in return.
"My baby! Thank goodness you're safe!" she cried happily.
"That was brilliant mum! You tricked Giovanni real good!" June cheered, "He never saw that coming!"
"Of course he didn't. He never would've suspected we had a Ghost Pokémon hiding in the walls this whole time." Ash crowed as he untied Trace and peeled his gag off.
Ruby untied June and ushered her to stand behind her for protection. She didn't want Giovanni to try getting Rhyperior to attack her or Trace. The Silph co. president joined them. Ruby and Ash hurried him out of the office and told him to evacuate. With him out of the way, he wouldn't be a hostage either.
"So where's dad?" June asked.
"Keeping the grunts off our backs and getting your Pokémon back." Ruby explained, "He'll be with us shortly."
She and Ash turned to Giovanni.
"Your mission has failed Giovanni!" Ash declared, "You can't get those files now the power's out for good, you have no hostages and you've got no back up! Just give yourself up now!"
"And let all of Team Rocket's hard work go to waste? Let my criminal empire just collapse like so?" Giovanni scoffed as if Ash had said the stupidest thing he'd ever heard, "If I'm going down, I'm going down fighting! My subordinates count on me to lead them to victory and I cannot let them down!"
He called for Rhyperior to join his side.
"I'll defeat you all and take you all back to Rocket HQ as my prisoners to do with as I please!" Giovanni barked furiously.
"Good luck with that asshole." Ruby sneered, "Rocket HQ has been taken over. Me, Hop and Ash raided the place and got the police to arrest everybody there. You've got nowhere left to run."
Giovanni looked as if somebody had shot an arrow into his face.
"WHAT?! That's impossible! Nobody but us knows where our hideout is!" he cried, "How did you find it?!"
"That's irrelevant." Ruby dismissed, "The only way you're getting away is by fighting us."
"If that's how it should be, then so be it." Giovanni muttered, "And we'll make this a double-battle. If you win, I give myself up and will go quietly. If I win, you will become my prisoners and all your Pokémon will belong to me."
"Fair trade." Ruby said sarcastically.
She returned Reaper to his Pokéball. She took up her position with Ash beside her. Ash wanted to battle with Ruby and take Giovanni down with her. June could see why. Giovanni's organization had been trying to steal his Pikachu on countless occasions so of course Ash wanted a hand in Giovanni's take down! But it seemed somebody else wanted to join in as well. June and Trace gasped in surprise as Tricia stormed into the office and stood beside Ruby and Ash. Giovanni's eyes widened with a mixture of anger and disbelief as he saw her. Tricia fixed her green eyes on him.
"Hold it. Is there room for one more?" she asked.
"By all means. Join us." Ruby offered.
"Tricia?! What are you doing?!" Giovanni snarled, "You work for me! Join me in bringing down these heathens!"
"No. I'm done taking orders from you, "sir"." Tricia said coldly, "I've hated every single minute I've spent as a Rocket Grunt working for you and I'm through with it! I'm leaving Team Rocket and joining the Champion and her friends in their crusade against you!"
"You dare defy me?! You owe your life to me!" Giovanni roared, "Without Team Rocket, your family would starve!"
"I'll find another way to provide for them." Tricia muttered, "And now I have people here who are MORE than strong enough to take you down, you can't use mom's Pokémon as leverage against me anymore because they'll easily defeat you and take her back! My biggest mistake was ever joining you and I'm gonna rectify it by helping Ruby and Ash take you down!"
"HELL YEAH! You tell em sis!" Trace cheered ecstatically.
June only stared in awe at Tricia, admiring how brave and bold she was acting towards her boss now there was nothing to hold her back. She even thought Tricia looked…attractive while she was acting this way. She was certainly much cuter when she was on her side! Giovanni's fists shook with rage. He looked as if he was about to have a mental breakdown. But he steeled himself and drew out the Pokéball containing the kidnapped Kangaskhan.
"Very well…if this is the thanks I get for offering to provide for your family and mend your financial woes, then I have no qualms by making your mother's Kangaskhan battle against you." he muttered.
He threw the Pokéball and brought out the very Pokémon that was forcing Tricia to work for him. Kangaskhan appeared out of her Pokéball and roared menacingly. Kangaskhan looked like a brown dinosaur creature with marsupial elements to her appearance. She even carried a baby in her pouch that looked like a smaller version of her only coloured blue. Kangaskhan were Normal-type Pokémon with a bulky frame, strong arms and legs, a thick tail and red eyes. By nature Kangaskhan were gentle, peaceful Pokémon whom were very motherly and loving towards their young and could be very protective if they were threatened by other Pokémon. This Kangaskhan had some kind of device around her neck. It was a huge metal collar that was clamped tight around her. Ruby, Ash and Tricia all came to the same conclusion: it was obviously a control collar. With it on, Kangaskhan would have no choice but to obey Giovanni, even it meant attacking her trainer's daughter.
Ruby, Ash and Tricia braced themselves. Giovanni was Team Rocket's boss, so he was going to be much stronger than all the grunts they'd beaten. His Rhyperior was no doubt very strong and Kangaskhan was likely to be no pushover either. They were in for an intense battle that neither side could afford to lose. June and Trace could only watch nervously as the battle was about to begin…
June and Trace are saved and now they're up against the big boss himself! Can they, Ruby, Hop and Ash stop Giovanni and will Tricia be able to save the kidnapped Kangaskhan from his control? Find out as we endure "A Battle With The Boss"...
Trivia: There you have it folks. That's the sad story of Tricia. I felt this backstory was a great way to explain why she's unwillingly working with Team Rocket and, while not intended at the time, it ended up giving me a way to explain why Giovanni has a Kangaskhan in the Gen 1 games. Here, he stole it from Trace and Tricia's mother to keep Tricia in line. I'm sure Giovanni's Kangaskhan of all things didn't really need an origin story but it just worked for me and here we are. ^^
And as you can see with Giovanni's portrayal, I'm writing him as if he's Giovanni from the games rather than the anime, hence his nobler traits, his "Father To His Men" relationship with the Rocket Grunts and how he won't go so far as to murder children. I prefer that version of the character over the anime, hence why I'm writing him this way.