It's been a while. Sorry for the late update. Real life had been bogging me down, and one thing led to another and I just…couldn't work up the motivation to write. But I'm back now and with a new chapter. Hope you all enjoy, and hope it was worth the wait.
XXXX
"Wow, for a 'Game Corner' it's definitely bigger than I expected," Ash blinked. "Then again I guess everything in Celadon is big."
"It's the second largest city in Kanto after Saffron for a reason. Saffron is the capital, but Celadon is the city of commerce." Brock said with a chuckle.
"Good point," Ash chuckled.
"Still, rather than a Game Corner, this feels more like a small casino," Misty mused.
"Oh come now Misty, you know the only place where you're allowed to run a 'casino' is over in Vanta City," Brock snorted. "They're most definitely not exploiting a legal loophole nobody's bothered to cover up."
The group shared a small laugh at that. It was something of an open secret that even with Casinos technically being illegal in most of Kanto, that never stopped any business owners who wanted something like this from 'bending the rules'.
There were… ok… a LOT of places like this in the home islands area, and it wasn't just gambling spots but also other… adult oriented places.
Though this isn't the story for THAT dear readers, so try someplace else!
"Okay, let's see if the rumors were true or not," Cedric said as they went into the building. As one would expect, the Game Corner did in fact look like a game arcade, with a section that indeed had video games and stuff (which was probably the technicality they used to remain legal), but the MAIN attraction judging by the fact they covered most of the available space were the pachinko machines.
"So far seems normal enough," Misty mused. "But well, if it wasn't then it would be more than a rumor." With that said, they checked out the location. Seemed normal enough, the prizes were also nothing strange, just plenty of various stuff you'd want, even a few of the 'special items' that one could trade in for real cash.
"Seems like a pretty normal Game Corner so far," Ash frowned. "Besides the part where they're so understaffed that they don't have anyone to cover for the clerk during lunch," he added, looking at where the prize counter was…with a sign of 'out to lunch' on it.
"If not for security cameras, pretty sure there'd be at least one person tempted to rob them," Cedric mused. "Still, nothing OBVIOUSLY shady here."
"Well, guess all we can do is see if we can find anything or not," Misty frowned. "...anyone have any ideas to try and find a hidden switch or something?"
"...check for anything that looks suspicious?" Brock suggested.
"About all we can do I guess," Ash sighed as they began looking around. So far there weren't many patrons, and the few that there were…were way too busy with their pachinko games to care about a few teenagers. So with that, they were looking around, trying not to look suspicious. However, unsurprisingly trying to find something out of the ordinary…wasn't too easy.
"Okay…this isn't getting us anywhere," Cedric groaned, leaning against one of the walls…conveniently where a poster was…a poster that said 'please don't lean against the walls'. The moment he did he felt something give way to his weight and sink into the wall a bit. His eyes widened as he quickly got off the wall.
"Something wrong?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, I felt something when I leaned on this," Cedric said, feeling the wall…and realized what it was. "There was a switch behind this poster. A switch I just pressed by accident," he frowned.
"Kinda ironic." Misty said, reading the poster a bit, before they all heard a bit of noise come from the wall… and a sound further back into the building, one that was faint enough it would easily be missed if they weren't listening out for it. Quickly following, they found that a section of the wall had swung inwards like a door opening.
"...we found it," Brock said dryly as the group quickly entered, finding a staircase down, the 'door' closing behind them soon enough. They continued down the stairway, which was…decently long considering this was going underground. What they soon found was a hallway which connected to a massive room on the side.
"...it almost feels like we entered a Daycare," Ash blinked, as true enough, what they found in the underground was of all things an open field (sort of), complete with the roof of the room being painted to look like a sky with the lights attempting to mimic sunlight. The catch was of course that the room with the 'field' was also enclosed as a pen, keeping the Pokemon inside. Pokemon that they noted were all quite rare.
"Scyther, Pinsir, Heracross, Eevee…there are even Porygon here," Brock frowned. "We've definitely found it. These are all rare Pokemon," he said, noting that said Pokemon he just noted weren't the ONLY Pokemon around.
Without any prompting the group got closer to investigate. The Pokemon didn't SEEM to be distressed, but then…that could be simply because of pragmatic reasons. No sense in mistreating Pokemon you're aiming to effectively sell. However, they didn't get too far before…
"Oh hey, didn't expect to see you three here. Wait, Cedric, that you?" came a voice in their heads, one they quickly recognized.
"Red? What are you doing here?" Cedric was the first to ask as they turned to see the familiar Abra floating towards them.
"Well, I heard you could find Rare Pokemon here, so I decided to give it a shot. I had a lucky streak too," Red said, right as he levitated…a bucket full of pachinko balls.
Ash and Cedric gave Red a suspicious look at the sight of the bucket, but didn't press the issue. Sure there were means to keep Psychic-types from cheating in these games…but they also knew Red was more clever than that. "And you didn't think this place seems more than a little suspicious?" Ash checked.
"Oh, I get ya. You must have heard the rumors and thought this place was shady," Red chuckled. "Well, you definitely fell for their publicity stunt."
"Publicity stunt?" the group parroted.
"Yeah, I thought it was weird at first, but they apparently keep this level hidden, because the shifty rumors attracts people in. Don't ask me how that makes sense, but it seems to work," Red shrugged.
"That… that sounds stupidly complex and almost makes the place illegal looking." Misty said in deadpan after a bit.
"Pretty much what I was thinking too, yeah. But hey, apparently it's legal, so…" Red just telekinetically shook his bucket of pachinko balls for emphasis as he floated past them, going for where he could exchange them to pick a Pokemon.
"So…anyone else feeling this is kind of…anti-climactic?" Cedric asked. Everyone else nodded in agreement, Pikachu even sighing as he too was expecting something more. Either way, seeing as they didn't really have anything better to do now that they were here, they decided to see what Red would choose.
They soon went after him and found Red going around the Pokemon, clearly interacting with each. "Glad to see he's taking this seriously," Ash mused.
Red continued to go from Pokemon to Pokemon, interacting with them a little here and there, before he eventually made his decision. Going to where he could make the exchange, he turned in his pachinko balls, before going for a Scyther he'd been interacting with along the way. The Scyther looked at him for a moment, before nodding as it was returned to its Pokeball which was in turn given to Red.
With that done, Red moved over to the group, looking quite happy. "Nothing weird here," he said.
"Well…the Scyther seemed okay, and this place doesn't seem so bad so…I guess we got a bit too caught up in the rumors," Misty chuckled.
"Oh well, better a wild goose chase than something actually bad, I guess," Brock chuckled as well, earning a nod from Red.
"Well, in that case I'll be going now. See ya all again when I do," Red chuckled before he soon teleported out of the area.
"Guess that's that for this little excursion," Cedric chuckled as they all turned to leave. They were just about to go to the stairs, but along the way they passed by a trio consisting of a Pyroar, a Roserade, and a third figure who was…very short, all of them dressed in rather baggy clothes and hats, and seemed to be very busy talking to each other that they didn't notice them. Either way, the party didn't pay them any mind…until Pikachu happened to glance at them…and noticed something poking out of the back of the little trench coat the short figure was wearing. A familiar looking tail.
Eyes widening, Pikachu quickly tugged at Ash's hair, drawing his attention. "What's wrong, Pikachu?"
At that, Pikachu pointed, and Ash soon saw what had Pikachu concerned. The Meowth tail peeking out of the jacket. Add in the fact he was with a Pyroar and a Roserade…Ash quickly nudged the others, before motioning for them to be quiet as he quickly pointed at what Pikachu saw, the other managing to catch the sight right before the three turned a corner.
Eyes widening, the group looked at each other before nodding, silently following after the three they were positive was Team Rocket in disguise. Being careful not to catch their attention, they soon followed them deeper into the underground, passing a few rooms here and there, before they soon turned a corner. The group followed them, but were met with…
"Where'd they go?" Misty blinked.
"They can't have just vanished," Brock added seeing as the Rocket Trio had seemingly vanished into thin air. However, Ash and Cedric saw something else.
"You don't think…?" Ash mused as he looked at the life size poster on the wall.
"Considering last time? Definitely," Cedric nodded, the two pushing on the poster…which soon gave way, revealing it was a hidden door.
"Ah, that makes sense," Brock and Misty nodded, remembering last time with the switch behind the poster.
The group found another set of stairs behind the hidden door. "Someone really likes their stairs," Ash said while Pikachu sweat dropped. How deep were they going to go?
The area they soon found themselves in could only be described as a warehouse, albeit one that had a few rooms here and there. They saw a few devices that held Pokeballs, but the restraints on them implied it was to prevent the Pokemon from getting out of the Pokeballs, as well as a few crates scattered in the area. Thinking quickly, they got behind some crates before anyone came by, and good thing too as a few people came by and moved some of the devices…all of them dressed in matching uniforms…all depicting a familiar R on them.
"So… this… is obviously dangerous." Ash said slowly, with Pikachu nodding on his shoulder.
"This is a Team Rocket base… and probably a big one… lots of grunts around too." Brock said with a frown.
"What should we do?" Cedric asked in worry.
"I don't think we should just head in." Misty said, looking around a bit "Maybe we should step back out, call the authorities like Erika… maybe even try to get the Champion on the phone?"
"But first we should get some proof," Ash said, quickly snapping a few pictures, before the group waited for an opening to get back out hopefully without anyone noticing.
XXXX
"I'm sorry, but could you repeat that?!" Erika said, gritting her teeth as she suddenly snapped a pair of bonsai clippers by squeezing them too hard.
The group gulped nervously, but ultimately it was Brock who stepped up to the plate. "I know its hard to believe, but we've got proof right here. It seems Team Rocket's been using the Game Corner as a hidden base. They even doubled the layer by having a hidden but legitimate business under the Game Corner, then hid the actual base under THAT," he said, showing the images they'd taken.
"I see," Erika said, her voice seemingly calm, but anyone could sense the anger bubbling underneath. "It seems we'll have a few weeds to pull out," she said, before walking towards a nearby door.
"Where are you going?" Misty asked.
"I'm making a few phone calls. I trust I can rely on you all as well for what's going to happen next?" Erika replied curtly before she left the room.
"...oh boy, I'd hate to be Team Rocket real soon," Brock winced.
"How bad is it going to be for them?" Cedric asked morbidly.
"Erika might be gentle and demure most of the time, but she takes her role as a Gym Leader very seriously, and that includes keeping her City safe. With Team Rocket setting up a base…if she could I could see her involving the Elite Four," Misty sweat dropped.
"Oh come on, there's no way…" Ash started.
XXXX
"...I can't believe she actually got the Elite Four involved…and she even got the CHAMPION to be part of this," Ash said incredulously as the group saw a Dragonite land on the ground, with a Salamence Pokemorph hopping off. He was dressed in a red jacket, his overall outfit looking rather casual… save for the cape hanging off his shoulders at least, his spiky red hair angled back. In fact, if one looked closely they'd notice he somehow had folded his wings in a way that they were hidden under his cape.
"So, I'm not the only one having a 'pinch me' moment, right?" Ash asked Cedric.
"Nope, I'm right there with you," Cedric agreed. After all, both of them had admired the League as kids, so having the current Champion right there…yeah…
Still they had to keep it together. They had an important job to do.
"I came as soon as I could. So Team Rocket set up a base in Celadon?" Lance said with a frown.
"Indeed. Though it pains me to admit, they were right under my nose," Erika said. "That's why I had contacted everyone. While I'm certain myself and the Police would be enough to take down the base, there's still the chance we'd let some slip through our grasps," Erika explained, as aside from them, several Police Officers including the local Officer Jenny were present as well.
Lance nodded. "You'll have my aid," he said. "Team Rocket has always been a thorn in Kanto's Pokemon League for a long time. If a chance for a pre-emptive strike presents itself, it's only right we take it after all."
"And that's why having you here is VERY reassuring," Brock chuckled.
"I think that comes with the territory of having a Champion on our side," Ash said with a sweat drop.
"Well, we have all of you to thank for bringing this to our awareness," Lance said, looking at them. "On behalf of the Pokemon League, you have my thanks."
"Oh uh…well…just…doing the right thing," Cedric said, looking a little flustered.
"You'd be surprised how few just 'do the right thing'," Lance sighed a bit. "At any rate, if we're all ready, we should begin immediately."
"Not a problem, I have a search warrant right here," Officer Jenny said, holding up the document in question.
"Then let's begin immediately," Erika said. With that they all soon made their way to the Game Corner, and with the search warrant ready, there was really nothing stopping them, and with the group already knowing where the hidden doors were, it really wasn't long before the Team Rocket base had a very unwelcomed visit.
Now normally this is the part I'd say it led to a rather epic battle as the raid team fought to take down the Team Rocket base…but the raid team also had a Champion, and with Lance sending out some of his best such as his Dragonite, his Charizard, and his Aerodactyl…yeah. The Grunts didn't stand a chance, and neither did the Admin in charge of the base.
Funnily enough too, a certain Trio had actually noticed them go in before the start of it all…but they'd wisely decided not to get involved. They weren't dumb after all.
XXXX
"And that's the last of them," Officer Jenny said as the Admin in charge of the base was loaded up into the police car, as he as well as the captured grunts would be sorted out in the local jail. "We'll be combing the hidden base for any information we missed. With luck, we might even find out who the Leader of Team Rocket is," she said before turning to the group. "We couldn't have done it without you. This City owes you a debt of gratitude," she smiled as she saluted the group.
"It was our pleasure," Misty waved off.
"Though if you'd be willing I would-" Brock started…but stopped short when Misty grabbed him by the ear, and started pulling.
"Don't ruin the moment," she deadpanned.
"Still, if there is anything you would like, as long as its within reason, I'm sure the League would be willing to provide," Lance mused.
"Well…" Cedric grinned a bit.
"If you're offering…" Ash added, before they both took out…autograph books?
"We've been trying to hold it in the whole time, but since we're done with that…can we have your autograph?" Cedric asked as both boys had rather big grins at that.
Lance blinked, before chuckling in amusement, but he took out a pen all the same, making it clear he was perfectly okay with it, before he signed for both of them, even making a second one for Cedric at his request.
"Best visit to Celadon ever," Cedric grinned as he looked at the two autographs. "I can't wait to give this one to Molly too."
Needless to say, pretty much everyone was leaving that day in a good mood.