Chapter 21: Peril
Constant uses of its moves allowed Hercule to increase the range of the move's range. Although he was still having difficulties in his skating through ice, Cinder was nevertheless satisfied with the tadpole's progress with the training. With the progress Hercule was going, the water-type may have the extra time to practice the output of his: Water Gun, Bubble Beam, Ice Beam and Scald. His aiming was also going along quite smoothly.
Storm had almost perfectly mastered his Iron Tail, while Double Team still needed work, it wasn't that far in proficiency when comparing his mastery over the moves. His Reflect and Agility was also improving very well. Cinder left a mental note to have Storm and Hercule spar towards the end of their training, before challenging Brock.
For now, however, everyone was quite hungry.
Cinder returned his team inside their pokeball, Dom and Diana also have their pokemon returned. As he and his friends walked towards the Pokemon Center, Cinder perked up at Dom and Diana's conversation.
"Hey Cinder, did you hear about the team rocket incident last night in Viridian Forest?"
Cinder stopped as he looked blankly at Dom, who hadn't noticed anything unusual so he kept going.
"Pfft!" Diana chuckled softly. "Of course he would know Dom. It was all over the news, thankfully one of the elite four, Bruno, acted swiftly, those pitiful pokemon could have been in a worse situation if the League had not acted."
"Oh yeah, right..." Dom scratched his cheek. "It's a good thing too that a trainer had notified the League in time. If the trainer didn't do that, it would have taken a turn for the worst. I heard that it was a rookie, do you believe in that, Cinder? A rookie apparently delayed their operation, enough time that the league was able to apprehend them, I wonder how strong that guy was... Hey Cinder, what's up?"
Cinder was frowning, as he heard the call from his friend he revealed a fake smile. "It's nothing I just remembered something." It seemed that the news caught up quickly with what happened, fortunately, they didn't disclose his information, or else...
An abrupt thought suddenly occurred to Cinder as they continued their stroll towards the Center while his friends were talking. If the team rocket incident was on the news, then was that just for Pewter, or all of Kanto? And maybe even in Indigo in general at that?
Given that Professor Oak was quite a very high ranking official in the League, there was no doubt in Cinder's mind that the famous pokemon researcher had already heard of the attack. But what about Marcia?
Cinder found himself frozen. He didn't even want to imagine how his mother would react if she were to find out that her son and his pokemon had both crossed paths with a terrorist organization in their first week.
Shaking those fearful thoughts from his mind, Cinder immediately turned his focus to having some conversation with his friends.
"Anyway, guys, have you heard about Blue or Red? They started out at the same time as us, but I hadn't been able to pass by them from my stay on Viridian City." Cinder asked curiously. He was starting to think that those two pedigree of Professor Oak had started in a different City.
However, when he had asked that question, his friends just threw his a weird gaze.
Cinder asked as he faced them, puzzled. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You didn't know?" Diana countered with a question.
Now Cinder was really beginning to become clueless, he thought. 'Was there something that I should have known?'
"Know what?"
"Well..." Diana trailed off, before continuing. "When we first got here in Pewter, there was an uproar going on here. They say that two rookies from Pallet have already earned the Boulder Badge from Brock."
"And, who is from our year from Pallet who could do that apart from Red and Blue?" Dom interjected Diana, he seemed to be envious, at the same time feeling feeble as he continued on. "Those freaks already had done something we haven't achieved yet, at the speed they are going, it seemed like we are only going to become further and further behind those two."
Take note that they had just started in a short span of five days! Not a whole week, but just five days! If it was really Red and Blue, then they really are impressive for being able to defeat Brock in the short time they had just started. Not to mention in Kanto, maybe only a selective few could compare to those two from the whole of Indigo! They also have a higher chance of participating in the Conference as rookies compared to others that started this season with them
Cinder smiled in composure, he didn't get affected by knowing his colleagues from Pallet already achieved what they are trying so hard right now. "Don't overthink it too much, Dom, Diana. The three of us would eventually defeat Brock if we tried hard enough, for now, just focus on your training."
"Yeah, whatever you say mom." Dom quipped, as the trio laughed.
....
Officer Jenny was waiting for Cinder when they returned. Seeing the police officer, Cinder knew why she was here. He turned to his friends. "You guys go inside first, I have something to talk about with Officer Jenny. You guys can wait for me in the cafeteria, I'll go right ahead after I'm done."
"Okay." Both Dom and Diana complied, turning their backs a few times to throw curious glances at Cinder. Wondering what businesses he has with Officer Jenny.
Officer Jenny was leaning on her motorcycle, she held a pokeball ready in her hand. "I see you were training your pokemon at the training grounds."
"Yup." Cinder replied. "We're preparing for our challenge at the Gym."
"Well, good luck. You'll need it." Jenny grumbled. "Anyways, I talked with Oak."
Cinder tensed and waited for the verdict. She held out the pokeball in her hands. "it's yours - For now. But, if Starly gets caught attacking someone unprovoked again..."
"I'll make it work." He promised. She nodded and handed him the pokeball. She unregistered her temporary ownership over the orb with her Pokedex, which made it glow a light red color, signifying it was ready for another trainer's scan.
Cinder got the hint, as he took out his Pokedex and scanned the pokeball with the camera of the device. Returning the orb to normal. He dipped his head with Officer Jenny. "Thank you. I'll take good care of Starly."
"Any care is better at the care it got from the pokemon mill." Jenny said bluntly. She shook her head at the thought and got on his motorcycle. "Well, I have a jog to get to. Once again, good luck kid, you'll need it."
Cinder nodded as he waved his hand when the officer departed on her vehicle.
After Starly had been transferred to his trainer account and bid farewell to Officer Jenny, Cinder headed inside the Pokemon Center. He saw his friends sitting in the lobby, waiting for him. "You guys, let's go to the cafeteria?"
"What was that?" Dom asked curiously. Diana also looked over towards Cinder, with the same questioning look on her face.
"Nothing." Cinder lied with a smile, dismissing their curiosity. "Just something I had to take care of, nothing worth talking about. Anyway, what are your plans for the following day here in Pewter?" He skillfully diverted their focus with a change of subject.
"Training, training, and training." Dom replied simply. "Don't have anything to do here really, if this was Cerulean City, then I would've loved seeing one of the Sensation Sister's performances before battling them."
Cinder raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Performance? You mean the sensational sisters?" He followed. "I thought those were just performers. Wasn't the gym leader, Brian?"
"Nope, not at the present, the sensational sisters are the former Gym Leader - Rose Waterflower's daughters." Diana said, shaking her head. "They do a lot of shows, but they are also gym leaders. And I heard they are actually pretty tough. Our elder brother lost to one of them the first time, despite the gym leaders not taking the trainer's challenges seriously, they would probably be one of the hardest gym leaders if they were more focused."
"Yeah, but who cares about that? I just want to see one of their shows." Dom said with a grin. Cinder looked at him in confusion.
"Why would you want to do that? I just want to battle them and then get the badge after we'll defeat the gym."
"Well." Dom said with an even wider grin. "Let's just say they are popular for a reason. Not all of the trainers are there to challenge the sensational sisters just because they are managing one of the gyms."
"I still don't get it." Cinder said with a growing sense of confusion. Dom just sighed theatrically and looked at him condescendingly. "I'll tell you when you're older."
Diana rolled her eyes but barely held on to her laughter. Cinder blinked and shrugged. Clearly he didn't get the joke. It wasn't like he understood half the things that came out of Dom's mouth anyway.
"Oh yeah, can you tell me more about how you battled Brock? What pokemon from your team did you use." Cinder asked, returning to the problem they mutually had at hand. "I'm training my pokemon in a few things that will help us in battle. I was wondering if I would get something from your battle so that I could adjust accordingly."
"Maybe later after we finished dinner." Dom said while rubbing his hungry stomach. "I understand that you aren't old enough to understand the sensational sister's appeal, but you should really be aware of your pokemon's eating schedule. You're becoming more and more of a fanatic in battling, Cinder, that it made you so focused on it that you aren't managing your priorities." Although he was saying it half-hearted, Cinder got his advice.
But still, Cinder still felt that he should ask to get as much information as possible.
"Let's talk while we eat. How about that." Diana suggested. She turned towards Cinder. "I honestly also have a few questions regarding your preparation on the Gym, Cinder."
"Mhm?" Cinder looked over to her. "What is it?"
"I told you..." Diana shook her head helplessly. "Let's talk while we are eating, me and my team are also feeling quite hungry. I bet you do too."
"Oh..."Cinder released a sheepish laugh. "Alright."
With that, the three childhood friends from Pallet Town began discussing their plans for the gym, not just that. But also to the future that awaits up ahead of them as freshly licensed trainers.
With this, two more days passed by.
....
Nobody knew where the location was.
Not anywhere marked on the map. Perhaps… not even on the map in the first place.
A remote island in the middle of nowhere, where nobody could find it. If they did not want to be found, then they could not be found, plain and simple.
A laboratory, as big as a gym, with clean white walls, a ceiling, and floors.
Large banners with a giant red R occupying the walls. Numerous men and women coming in and out, wearing uniforms of the same logo.
A few pokemon were also out and about, some carrying crates, others occupying the humans like additional guards.
At a large desk sat a man with teal eyes to match his hair. Most of his uniform was a clean white.
Resting in his hand, moving up and down as he ran his fingers along it, was… what looked like a pokeball.
But rather than the signature red and white appearance of the traditional orbs, this one was a very dark blue. Four yellow crests folded over the sphere, and the bright, practically glowing, greenish blue lines that outlined the orb were a stark contrast from the pokeball's general deep blue color.
Picking up the device to answer his call, he spoke in a voice with an unsettling calmness to it.
"Yes, Boss?" He spoke simply. "You're checking in to ensure everything went smoothly, correct?"
"Of course," Came a deep man's voice on the other end, wearing a mask of authority. "I trust that those I lent to you are situated nicely?"
"Yes, indeed." He listed things off. "The supplies, that hunter who is also the top hunter we contacted with 'difficulty', the technicians, and that damn clown, who failed our alolan pokemon operation." He spat that last one out with some vitriol.
"Enough of that issue, let's move on, we can always find more in Alola itself." The man on the other end spoke coolly. "Just ensure that you do not disappoint, Archer. I do not take kindly to my resources being wasted on lost causes. Productivity is everything in my world, do whatever you can in the power I gave you to accomplish the task."
Archer grimaced. "Yes, we will ensure that they are put to good use." His indignation was hidden beneath a mask of indifference. It was the best way to move these conversations along. "Boss... Are we also going to proceed with the S.S Anne?"
"Of course, that's why I called. I didn't want you to mess up and accuse any member of the organization if something had gone wrong with it, it's very important with our cause's fulfillment. I am a busy man, so I'm afraid we will have to converse some other time. Remember what I said, Archer."
As he hung up, Archer placed the device down and sighed tiredly.
"That damn clown, because of him...." he hissed under his breath. The 'clown' was not ranked on his personal list of favorite people in the world, and he had much doubt that he was on his in turn.
But in this field, you were always working with people that you felt that way about. It was a part of your everyday life. Something that you could not escape from. And without how their particular organization operates, half the technology that they had at their disposal would be absent from their versatile arsenal. They would continue to rely on these tasks they had, until they no longer needed to do so.
In Team Rocket, everything that you did was for the sake of pulling ahead.
Turning to the teenage boy standing beside him, Archer offered a curt nod before getting up from his seat.
"Time for the conference call."
The boy watched him go but said nothing. His face was almost a stoic scowl by default, yet there was no rage in his eyes, only irritation. It had always been that way for him. His eyes remained on Archer's back before he turned and walked off in the other direction. As he passed by a few tanks of fluids, he spared a glance at the creatures resting within them before moving on without words or comments.
Every person in the room moved out of the way as he made his way to the exit. A few Pokemon flinched in sight. Taking one last look at his unique pokeball before stuffing it into his pocket, Archer pushed open the double doors leading into the hallway. There was much to go over. And plenty left to plan.
Archer stopped for a momentary pause. He looked back behind him, glancing at nothing in particular, before smiling with an unusual look.
"I'll leave you be, Silver."
*Who are these people? And what are their 'cause?' We will find out, maybe, or not, if you don't drop A FUCKING POWER STONE - ehem. Have a good read my dear adorable readers {3* I can't liveeeeeeeeee, never live without youuu huhu, I can't livvvveeeeeee
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