In the darkness of his well-hidden hideout, the boss of Team Rocket, Giovanni, is listening to an ominous voice that is speaking to him through his telephone.
"I see..." he calmly said while stroking the head fur of his Persian. "And you say that you will help Team Rocket when we make sure that the secret of those ruins stays hidden? What could you do that might turn out profitable for me?"
After listening for a while, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. "I see... and what if I choose to use that force for myself?"
The answer of his business partner was harsh and resolute. Giovanni gritted his teeth, but kept his voice calm. "Well, I was only theoretically speaking... well, but how can I be sure that you will keep your promise?"
After some time, he nodded again. "Okay, I will do as you say, keep this formidable Pokémon you told me about as a bonus AND will help me find my own 'pet project' after the job is done, right? Sounds not too bad... but if you insist on keeping your identity a secret, how will you give that Pokémon to me?"
He then frowned. "It is... already in my desk?" He opened a drawer, and indeed, an Ultra Ball was lying inside. "I see... it seems your organization has many surprises up its sleeve. Very well, I accept the proposition. I will send one of my best teams."
Another pause. "No, that that incompetent trio!" He didn't show his surprise that his employer knew about Jessie, James and Meowth. "Fortunately, these fools are still in Sinnoh... I would have sent the Black Tulip, but she is on another mission, so I'll send the next best team I have. Don't you worry, sir! They'll get the job done. Yes, of course! It is a pleasure doing business with you!"
He put the phone down and picked up the Ultra Ball. "Curious, Persian... how could they have snuck this past my security? I must keep in mind to put up more guards..."
He then pressed on the button on the intercom that was standing on his desk. "Butch, Cassidy! Report to my office, now!"
Fifteen minutes later, the blonde female and her green-haired partner were standing in front of Giovanni's desk.
"Present, sir!" Cassidy saluted. "What seems to be the problem?"
"I have a mission for you two," he stated. "You will travel to Johto and visit the Ruins of Alph... as you might know, in this place, the mysterious Pokémon known as Unown are often sighted. I want you to scout the area, report any anomalies, capture any Unown you see and make sure that nobody else enters the ruins."
"Unterstood, sir!" Cassidy nodded. "And for how long?"
"Until I call you back," Giovanni said. "That's all you need to know... by the way, this is your new Pokémon partner."
He opened the Ultra Ball, interested in what kind of Pokémon his employer had sent him.
In a flash of light, a humanoid canine with dark blue fur, a black muzzle and spikes jutting out of his hands and chest.
It knelt down in front of Giovanni. 'What is your wish, Master?'
"A Lucario!" Butch shouted in surprise. "Those are pretty rare..."
"And he can use telepathy, too," Cassidy added.
Giovanni rubbed his chin. 'Well, let's hope he is as strong as my employer promised...'
"Listen up, Lucario!" he told the jackal-like Pokémon. "You will be Cassidy's and Butch's partner on this mission. Do everything they say, protect them from harm and make sure they can carry out their mission."
'Understood, Master!' Lucario replied and got up from the ground, staring at Butch and Cassidy. Cassidy winced... the steely glare from that Pokémon was a bit unnerving.
"How... how shall we get there, boss?" Butch asked.
"You will take one of Team Rocket's jets," Giovanni said. "Also, feel free to take any Pokémon from the storage room you need. I was told that Lucario is a fierce fighter, but we don't want to take any risks. Leave now!"
They saluted. "Yes, sir!"
'Yes, Master!'
Giovanni smirked. He really liked that blue Pokémon's attitude. Maybe he would make him his new personal bodyguard...
"Kaji, Flamethrower!"
"CHAAAAARRRRRR!!"
Kaji spat out a plume of fire, and the opponent's Sandshrew went down.
"Way to go, Maya!" Misty cheered.
"Too easy!" Maya smirked. "That one is finished as well. Next?"
"That... that was my last Pokémon..." the youngster with the baseball cap muttered. "Dangit, you beat my whole team... and here I thought Ground-types were strong against Fire-types."
"Only if you teach them Ground-type attacks," Maya smirked. "Try to teach your Sandshrew Dig or something like that, or else he'll be toasted by Fire Pokémon like any other opponent."
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind..." the boy sighed as he recalled his Sandshrew. "Anyways, it was a great battle. I could use the practice. Bye!" And he continued his way along Route 5, towards Cerulean City.
Misty and Maya, on the other hand, walked towards Vermilion City. "Nice to see that Charmeleon obeys you," Misty said. "Ash had some trouble with his one after it evolved."
"Well, maybe it is because of my irresistible charm..." Maya giggled.
Kaji sweatdropped as he walked next to the path. "Charrr..." 'I don't believe this... I wouldn't have fought at all if you didn't give me the puppy-dog-eyes, Misato!'
"Pika pi," Misato giggled. 'Don't you mean the Pikachu eyes? And I already told you, it's normal for a Pokémon to listen to its trainer.'
'But I have my own free will,' Kaji protested.
Ritsuko and Butterfree listened to their conversation. "Free-ee-ee!" 'You are strange sometimes... I mean, isn't it an honor for a Pokémon to fight for its trainer? If she trains us well, we are unbeatable.'
Ritsuko sighed. "Squirtle squirtle..." 'Do you really want to listen to a trainer when he sends you into a fight? What if he makes the wrong choice? You could get hurt badly.'
Butterfree looked at her in confusion. "Free?" 'You are really strange... fighting is what a Pokémon's life is all about, right? Why would you prefer to have a boring life like some sort of lap dog?'
Ritsuko sighed. 'That wasn't what I meant...'
"Your Pokémon are well-behaved," Misty smiled. "It's unusual to have them all out while on the road."
"Ah, I just wanted them to have some fresh air," Maya said. "After that fight, they have earned it, right?"
'It's better than getting back into that weird ball...' Kaji shuddered. Misato and Maya giggled.
"Where will we meet your friend?" Maya asked.
"Todd said that he's gonna wait for us near the Pokémon Fan Club. Its members sometimes show up with rare Pokémon, and he takes any chance to get one in front of his lens."
"Sounds like he's really serious about his job," Maya said.
"Yup, he even helped Professor Oak on several occasions," Misty nodded. "He specializes in photographing rare Pokémon, which means there has to be a reason why he received permission to take pictures inside the Ruins of Alph."
"You mean he found a certain species of Pokémon?" Maya wondered. "How exciting!"
"It's a possibility," Misty said.
They had reached the outskirts of Vermilion City now. Ritsuko couldn't take it anymore, though. "Squirtle! Squir squirtle!"
Misty looked down. "Um, your Squirtle really is an excitable girl, isn't she?"
"Yeah, she is... what's the matter, Ritsu-chan?"
"SQUIRTLE!" 'Stop calling me that!! And tell me why you insist on keeping up this senseless Pokémon Trainer stuff! Why do you want to go sightseeing in some ruins while we could be trying to find a way back to Tokyo-3?'
Maya sighed. Then she bent down to Ritsuko's head and whispered something into her ear. That surprised Ritsuko so much that she nearly tripped over her tail.
Maya winked at her and followed her new friend Misty as they entered Vermilion City together.
Misato hurried over to her friends on all fours. "Pika?" 'What did she say?'
"Squirtle..." 'I must have misheard... but she told me that there might be a possibility that we can find a way back home in those ruins... because of the Pokémon that live there or something like that...'
"Charmeleon, Char!" 'Well, I hope she's right about that,' Kaji grumbled. 'I think it's rather depressing that I have fire all the time... and yet, no cigarette!'
'I know what you mean...' Misato sighed. 'We've been in this strange world for several days now, and I haven't had a beer ever since we started this journey.'
Butterfree shook his head. "Free-ee-ee..." 'You guys are REALLY weird...'
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(Posted Wed, 13 Feb 2008 17:21)
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