grizzlybaron-blog

[grizzlybaron-blog]

Suspicious Behavior Part 1

Kyle was sitting across from an older man with a small table in between them. The table had food and drinks, but the two seemed more engrossed in the small wooden gaming set in front of them. Kyle picked up one of the small wooden pieces in front of him and moved it toward the older man. Kyle looked to the man, but the man’s only reaction was to grunt. Kyle let out a sigh.

“Your strategy has gotten better,” the older man said in a gruff voice. “It would seem that this distraction has taught you caution and planning in a way that your mother and I could not.” His voice took on a familiar instructive tone as the man raised one finger. “A true ninja knows that while improvisation is important, the battle must be won before the first pokéball is ever thrown.”

“Thank you, Master Koga,” Kyle intoned as he bowed his head at the compliment. Kyle decided not to press the unintentional slight of his “distraction,” and instead focused on the game taking place on the board and off of it.

“So, you have heard of the Looker Bureau before?” Kyle asked as he watched his grandfather place a tile.

“Oh yes, the original Looker was quite instrumental in taking down Team Galactic a few years ago, and he’s helped clean up after the Team Plasma incident—”

“Was that the one with the castle that appeared from nowhere?”

“Yes, don’t interrupt and make your move.”

“Yes, Master Koga,” Kyle said as he divided his attention between the story and the game board.

Koga cleared his throat as he closed his eyes and scratched his chin. “I believe he is currently inspecting the Ultra Beasts in Alola, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of his subordinates here. He once worked as part of an international police force, and his bureau may continue to function as a front for that work. At one time, he had the Kalos League Champion working on investigations for him. This is likely legitimate, but you may wish to consult with a Gym Leader. In the meantime, begin your investigation. Watching Emma’s videos may provide you with insight. I would consult with Mitch as well.”

Kyle moved one of his game pieces into position. “I am worried that my only opening for capture would be during one of her fights.”

“Prepare yourself and the path you need will open itself before you. Study your enemies, wait for your opening, and strike when you have the advantage.”

“Yes, Master Koga,” Kyle said as his grandfather made another move.

“I’m more concerned with the growth of your pokémon. You have chosen diversity which may benefit your flexibility, but you must remember that it is your understanding of your pokémon and their trust in you that will lead you to success. So, what in the world happened to your Blitzle? Do you understand her? She seems unusually aggressive.”

Kyle scratched his head. “Well, Flare was all set to evolve when all of that weather weirdness was happening. I was finishing delivering that package for old Lt. Surge as a favor from mom. I know it was snowing in other places, but Veridian was blazing hot. I was fishing around in my bag when my Blitlze got her hooves on a Fire Stone I had found in the Pewter excavation site. You can imagine my surprise when she began to glow and grew a horn along with flames coming out of her back and hooves.” Koga nodded and gestured for his grandson to continue. “Mom put me into contact with an evolution specialist in Sinnoh, but she couldn’t make heads or tails of it either. She said that it’s more than just a type change as sometimes happens. It might have taken on some of the characteristics of a Rapidash, but other than that she is a relatively healthy and normal Zebstrika. The professor said that her change might have something to do with some supernatural influences that caused the weather.”

“Well,” said Koga with a tight smile, “I suppose you better keep her away from Ground-types.”

“Yes, Master Koga.”

“Remember Kyle, you will never become Champion until you unlock the potential of your pokémon. You must learn from your successes,” Koga bent down and picked up one of his tiles, “and your failures.” With a determined click, Koga looked into Kyle’s eyes and gestured at the board.

As Kyle, studied the board he mentally picked up the pieces and moved them into previous positions. How had that trap been set up? When had his defeat begun?

Koga rose from his position and began to ease his stiff knees. “We will exercise our less familiar pokémon. You will attempt to defeat me without using your Espeon or your Greninja. You may stay for dinner, but our original deal still holds unless you’ve given up. Say hello to your mother before you go.”

Kyle allowed himself a small sigh. “Another night in the woods,” he thought to himself, but what he said was, “Yes Master Koga.”

[grizzlybaron-blog]

Rocket Roundup Part 4

Officer Andrea Jenny was having a bad day. She and her cousins had been chewed out by the captain again. There were only so many things they could do about the escaped rockets and no one was organizing a task force to try and take this seriously. Sure, a few grunts had slipped up and been recaptured, but it was nothing against how many were still at large. Even the non-Jennys were starting to talk behind her back.

As if that wasn’t enough, she had been put behind a desk for the last week. She was combing through paperwork in an attempt to find patterns or something, but it wasn’t leading anywhere and she was tired of it.

On top of all of that, some moron had come in with two “citizens arrests” trying to claim the reward money for information on the location of any Rockets, again. Now even non-Jennys and citizens were catching Rockets, while she was stuck behind the desk. This was the third time in two months that this kid had found Rockets were none were believed to be. He claimed that this one had been referred by the grunt she was with as an Executive.

Officer Jenny put on her best smile. “Thank you so much for coming today. Your service to others is commendable. In light of your efforts, Fuschia City has agreed to pay you the amount of 15,000.”

He was doing it again. The trainer was staring at her. She could practically see the hearts in his eyes. His scarf was a little much too. Still, it was about the only thing that she remembered about him. He was just so…bland.

She tilted her head to the side, “Excuse me, sir, did you hear me?”

The trainer sat up and blinked. “I’m sorry Officer Jenny. I just lose concentration when I hear your voice. It’s so…melodious.” He placed his hands on the desk and looked at her while furrowing his brows. “Andrea, I know it’s a crazy mixed up world, but tell me truly. Is there any hope of you running away with me.”

“What is wrong with this kid,” she thought to herself.

She bowed her head. “I’m sorry sir, but I don’t date bounty hunters.”

“Please, call me Kyle.”

“Ugh, terrible name,” she thought. “As I said sir, Fuschia City has authorized a payment totaling 15,000 for your service.”

“Wait, what?” He leaped to his feet. “That’s not even enough for rent? How am I supposed to get my own apartment? I’ve been sleeping in the woods for the last five months! That woman was an executive! There’s no way she was only worth ten thousand. That barely covers groceries.”

“Sir, I’ll have to ask you to remain calm.” Officer Jenny didn’t remember this one being so jumpy. “The woman you captured may have been an executive at one time, but our current intel is that Giovanni abandoned Archer and his friends. She was no more important than any other grunt other than the knowledge she had already given up. Now, I’m going to have to insist that you sit down.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Look, I’m sitting down.” He placed his head in his hands. “This was supposed to be temporary. You know how it is sometimes,” he said. “I just can’t seem to get that sixth badge. Maybe if I agreed to take on the trials I could win without having to strengthen my pokémon, but I really think that there’s no way I could face the Elite Four in a trial.”

“That sounds quite difficult,” said Officer Jenny. “Your money is waiting at the front desk.”

Andrea Jenny stood up and opened the door and bowed to the trainer even as she gestured him out of the consultation room. Kyle stood up and started for the door. As he walked toward the exit, he looked at Officer Jenny’s eyes searching for some sign of the feelings he felt for her. She tilted her head to the side and gave him that classic Jenny smile.

“Someday,” he swore to himself, “I’ll find a way that we can be together.”

“Paperwork is the worst.”

The desk officer shrugged in sympathy before returning to his work.

“Excuse me, are you Kyle?”

Kyle turned around and looked at the man who seemed to be looking for him. He was tall with a clean-shaven face and slightly stylized hair. He seemed fairly young, but the most noticeable thing was his large brown trench coat.

“Yes, can I help you?”

“It’s more of a question of how we can help each other. You see I work for an international agency called the Looker Bureau. We help others from city to city and region to region. We often work with Gym Leaders and the Elite Four to help track down criminal syndicates. If you’re interested,” the man said with a small smirk, “I have an offer that I think you’re going to like.”

Kyle looked the man in the eyes. His sense for people wasn’t as good as his mom’s or grandfather’s, but he seemed on the up and up. “Alright, do you have an office here?” The man gestured down one of the Fuschia City Police Department’s many corridors. Kyle followed the man in the trenchcoat down the hall. The man stopped in front of the door of an interrogation room.

“Not much of an office,” Kyle said.

“Maybe not,” said the man, “but that’s the best I can offer.”

“Alright well, worst case scenario, Nibbles or Spike can probably bust me out of here,” he thought.

Kyle opened the door, went into the room and chose the chair with the back to the two-way mirror. The man smiled and took the chair opposite.

“Well Kyle, allow me to introduce myself. My name is John Lurker. As I said before, I work for the Looker Bureau here in Kanto. We’re pretty busy keeping tabs on things, but we could use the talents of someone like yourself. You’ve proven yourself capable of hunting people. Your family connections are also a strong recommendation for your competency. We’re willing to offer you a contract for the capture of two individuals. We’re offering 200,000 for a woman named Emma,” at this Lurker put a file on the table and opened it to reveal a still of a woman that seemed to be taken from a video, “and an additional 25,000 for her associate who claims to be named Mitch.” Lurker showed more stills of the woman battling trainers.

“Are these taken from a video?” asked Kyle.

“Yes, she streams a channel where she fights trainers for views. There’s nothing really wrong with it, but she has gone to a number of gyms and claimed to be an interim Gym Leader when the Leaders have been busy or otherwise absent. That’s something that can’t be allowed especially if she turns out to be connected to the Rockets or these underground trials.”

“Do you have any leads?” “Well, Emma’s given out badges at Celadon, Saffron, and Lavender. There seem to be no patterns that we can discern, but perhaps you can glean more by watching her channel.”

“200,000 is kind of a lot, what else isn’t he telling me?” thought Kyle. Unfortunately, Lurker’s face wasn’t giving anything away.

“Alright, let’s talk details.”

The two smiled at each other as Lurker pulled more from the folder.

[grizzlybaron-blog]

Rocket Roundup Part 3

“Alright, Leda. Now shake off that poison and use Psybeam before that Arbok can use its Crunch,” the young man said.

The Espeon picked itself up as the gem in her forehead began to glow.

“Eeeeeeee…Speeeeeeeee!”

The bolt of energy flew from the small pokémon and struck the Arbok as it struggled to recover. The recoil staggered the Arbok and it collided with the black-clad woman knocking them both end over end into the brush. The woods grew silent as the young trainer and his pokémon lost sight of their opponents.

“Arbok, I said ‘use Crunch’!”

The Arbok flew from the cover and bit the Espeon square in the throat. The two of them rolled on the ground as the Espeon clawed against the Arbok’s bite. The woman pulled herself from the brush and grinned in satisfaction. After a quick struggle, the Espeon freed itself and the two gasping pokémon began to circle each other. The Arbok’s hood drooped and her eyes struggled to focus. The Espeon seemed in better condition, but she still stepped gingerly favoring her right forepaw.

“Leda, use Quick Attack!”

In a flash, it was over.

The Espeon had leaped at the Arbok almost simultaneously with the command dodging from side to side until she struck the Arbok and knocked it onto its side. She now sat atop the other pokémon cleaning herself and spitting the venom from her fur. The swirly eyes of the Arbok gave no doubt as to who had won the fight.

"Tch, you really are pretty strong,” the woman said with a sneer. “It's too bad. If you were to join Team Rocket, you could become an Executive. I’m sure the new bosses would be glad to bring you on board."

The young man seemed to barely hear her. He jogged over to the Espeon and lifted her into his arms as he looked her over. He inspected her back and throat. Making a strange sound in the back of his throat he pulled a Super Potion from his pack and sprayed the Espeon’s injuries. Seemingly satisfied with her condition, he placed the pokémon down and began to inspect the Arbok.

“You may have won this fight, but this won’t be the last you hear of Team Rocket,” the woman said. “You could be powerful if you joined us, and we have ways of…maintaining interest.”

The young man looked at both of his pokémon, the Espeon visibly shrugging while the Zebstrika pawed at the ground in front of it, before looking at the black-clad woman again.

“That sounds suspiciously ominous.” The young man raised one eyebrow at her. “What exactly are you playing at? You know Giovanni’s been out of the picture for years, but you still seem intent on stealing pokémon from people. I thought you people were barely hanging on after Ethan wiped out Archer and his cronies.”

The woman ignored his questions as she held out her left hand to him. “With your power, even the rank of an executive isn’t unrealistic. You could be great.” One side of her face drew itself up as her eyes seemed to try and drill into him.

“Why in the world would I join Team Rocket?” The young man placed his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side. “I like obeying the law and I like being kind to pokémon.”

With a quick snap of her wrist, the woman threw a rock at the young man’s head and ran into the woods. The trainer managed to get his arms up in time for them to take most of the blow, but he hissed in pain.

“Flare, use Pursuit,” he said through gritted teeth. “We can’t afford to let her get away now. Leda, stay in contact in case she’s gotten better at hiding.”

With that command, the Zebstrika seemed to suck in all of her light and exploded into motion. The pokémon quickly followed after the woman and knocked her to the ground. The pokémon then placed both of its hooves near the woman’s head leaned down close to her face and screamed, “Zeeeeeb!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down Flare. You got her. She looks like she isn’t going anywhere now.”

The Zebstrika snorted doubtfully and the blew the woman’s hair back from her face. Beads of sweat had begun to form on the woman’s face, and the hot air coming from this large pokémon was not helping.

“Flare, use Thunder Wave. We want her immobilized, not injured.”

The dark red and yellow eyes, only inches from her own, connected with the woman in a way that seemed to communicate the creature's thoughts. This pokémon did not like the command and hoped the woman would try something else. The woman closed her eyes and waited for the impact of the bolts of electricity and the merciful unconsciousness that would give her a temporary reprieve from this disaster.

The young man watched as the arcs of electricity passed from his Zebstrika to the Rocket, wincing as she convulsed for a moment before lying still.

Did that go well?

The young man turned to Leda and smiled as gently as he could. The Espeon looked to still favor its right forepaw.

“I think we’ll be alright. I’m sorry about the Arbok Leda. I forgot that many of them can use their fangs for something other than poison. That’s on me, but I’m really impressed with how you held on and won that fight. You were definitely the right choice.”

A sharp snort from the Zebstrika let him know that Flare’s patience was getting thin, and made it clear what she thought of the other pokémon’s performance.

I’m sure Flare is right, she could have handled anything that woman had all by herself.

“Is that actually what she said, or are you editing?” the young man asked as he stepped toward the prone figure. The Espeon avoided his gaze as he glanced over his shoulder. “Alright,” he said moving to push the Zebstrika, “move over now.”

The Zebstrika reluctantly moved to the side and watched as the trainer pulled ropes from his pack and bound the woman’s hands and feet behind her back. He pulled on gloves from his bag and took one of the pokéballs at her belt and pointed it at the still fainted Arbok. A red beam of light flashed and the unconscious form of the pokémon vanished into the ball. The young man pulled smaller plastic bags from his larger one and placed the Rocket’s two pokéballs in the plastic bags. She was beginning to sir just as the young man was trying to figure out how he was going to get her onto the Zebstrika’s back.

“Oh, I’m glad you’re awake. There are a few ways we can do this, but I think the most comfortable for you would be if you were to cooperate in getting onto my Zebstrika’s back.”

At this, the pokémon flared its nostrils and its stripes began to glow as it’s mane, tail, and feathering burst into small flames. It slowly turned its eye and looked directly at the woman now kneeling on the ground. It continued to make eye contact as it slowly raised one hoof and brought it down with a swift crack onto a nearby twig.

“I think I’d rather walk.”

The young man made a strange sound in his throat, “I can assure you that if you cooperate, uh, Flare will be gentle. She really is a sweetheart.” The young man pulled the woman to her feet and began to lift her onto the pokémon’s back. “C’mon Flare, you know how to kneel.”

The pokémon continued to make her eye contact as it kneeled in front of the trainer and only broke her gaze when the Espeon turned in her direction. The two seemed to be communicating as their trainer tied the woman down.

“I know it’s no fun being treated like luggage,” the young man said as he swung his legs over the back, “but I can’t have you slipping off, and I don’t trust you enough to free your hands or legs.”

The pokémon broke into a trot that sped them through the forest. The trees whipped by them as they quickly arrived back at the clearing.

“Gre! Grenin Nin Nin Ninja, Gre.”

“Gennn. Gengar.”

“Gre Nin Greninja Gre. Greninja Ja,” the large pokémon stamped his foot for emphasis.

“Owwww.”

Neither of the pokémon seemed particularly bothered by the fact that their argument was taking place over the form of the Rocket Grunt they had subdued earlier. From the looks of things, all of the fight had been beaten out of him.

When the Gengar and the Greninja spotted their trainer, the Gengar sheepishly looked away as the Greninja bowed.

“Greninja Gre Ninja Ja, Ja Greninja Nin.”

He says that the weak one has made no attempt to escape, despite Mr. Smiles lax attitude.

“Thank you Leda. Bubbles, help me get this one onto Flare’s back. Have you tied him up yet?”

“Gre.”

“Hmmm, no rope?” The young man looked at the grunt and then back to the Greninja. “Alright well I can’t blame you for that I suppose.” 

The trainer took a pokéball from his belt and pointed it at his Espeon. “Leda, I think we’ll be okay for now. We couldn’t have done it without you. Return.” A flash of red light and the Espeon was gone.

The young man and the Greninja bent down to pick up the now-tied grunt and lifted him onto the Zebstrika’s back.

“Gre. Greninja Nin,” the Greninja said as it motioned to the two figures.

“What about them?” the trainer replied.

The Greninja made a motion with his tongue and pointed to his mouth. “Gre. Greeee”

The young man snapped his fingers and pulled wads of cloth from his backpack. “Nice thinking, don’t want them chatting if we can help it,” he said. He placed the gags in the mouths of his captives. As he secured the gags, he cast occasional glances over his shoulder.

“Mr. Smiles, can you come here please?” the young man said as he stepped away from the Zebstrika and her load.

The Gengar looked none too pleased, but he stumped his way over.

“I’m sorry about earlier.” The Gengar looked surprised as he looked into his trainer’s eyes. “I know that we haven’t worked together for very long, but you’re an important part of this team. Bubbles and I need the support. We’re pretty quiet, but we can’t scout like you can.”

“Gre.”

“I don’t know what that means, but I’m pretty sure you can forget about it.” The young man rested his hand gently on the Gengar’s arm and smiled reassuringly. “Everyone is important to this team, and we need you to work with us. We’ll focus on some concentration exercises. Bubbles may be rough, but he’s experienced and you’d do well to listen to him.”

It was hard to know, but Mr. Smiles seemed mollified by the speech.

“I have to remember, that a trainer is a friend first, and a master last.” 

The young man held out his pokéball, and the Gengar looked at it. After a moment, it smiled fiercely and the pokéball flashed its red light as the pokémon returned to his trainer’s belt. The young man turned to his two remaining pokémon with a broad smile.

“Alright, let’s return to Fuschia City and get paid!”

He pumped his hands into the air as he began walking. The Greninja looked at the Zebstrika and the two exchanged a look. The Zebstrika began to walk behind her trainer while the Greninja leaped into the trees and moved from branch to branch watching the load on the Zebstrika’s back.

“Officer Jenny is going to be so excited you guys.”

[grizzlybaron-blog]

Rocket Roundup Part 2

How had she dropped her guard like that? She hadn’t noticed any of it. “I’m the one that’s supposed to surprise people,” she thought, “not the other way around!”

As the black-clad woman ran from her pursuer she took turns at trees with hopefully enough randomness that she could keep the lead she had. Her lungs burned as her breathing became more and more ragged and her dress pulled at her legs, restricting her movement.

“The heels might not have been a great choice,” she thought,” but I’m not supposed to be the one who does the running. This isn’t supposed to happen!”

Luckily, the woman spotted a pair of thick bushes and dived for them. Once there, she tried to control her breathing and listen as carefully and quietly as she could. The forest seemed eerily quiet after her run, but she could feel herself relaxing little by little. The tension drained from her shoulders, and she let out a sigh of relief.

The woman’s head shot up as the woods began to grow brighter. What was this light? Where was it coming from? She slowly turned her head, trying not to make any noise, hoping that she would spot the pokémon coming.

A large glowing pokémon was running nearby, but the galloping pokémon seemed to be running parallel to her. All she had to do was wait for it to move on.

She held her breath as it ran past her, and let out a breath as the sound of its hoofbeats faded away. Putting her hands on her knees she attempted to check the growl clawing its way out of her throat.

“Now all I have to do is figure out where I am,” she thought.

You’re closer to Lavender Town then you are Fuschia, but I think we’re still going to take you there.

The woman jumped out of the bush and collided with something heavy.

“Easy there Flare. Easy girl.”

A burst of light momentarily blinded the woman as she backed up from the enormous pokémon. “You see, Flare is fast, but she has a real hard time hiding. So, I had her go ahead of us a bit once Leda thought you had slowed down. You’re fast, but there’s no one who can outrun Flare once she gets her hooves under her.”

How had he found her? There was no way that some boy should be able to track down a Rocket Executive. Then again, there was that kid from Johto almost twenty years ago. He had been unusually competent too. This young man was infuriatingly casual. His stance told her that he was confident that he had her in his power.

“Well, we’ll just see—”

Trainer, she’s preparing a smoke ball.

“Ah, we can’t have that can we?” the young man said. “I wouldn’t recommend trying anything with an Espeon watching you. You see, just like Flare distracted you so that Leda and I could approach you quietly, I talk so that people pay more attention to me as Leda keeps an eye on your thoughts.”

The whole time he talked he began to edge closer to her. His movements seemed non-threatening, but the woman saw no point in risking his underestimation and decided to act first before he could pull off any more of his tricks.

“Fine then,” she said as she stared directly into his eyes, “I challenge you to a pokémon battle. We’ll see how tough you are when you have to face a Rocket instead of sneaking around. Go Vileplume!”

A burst of light and an enormous flower appeared directly in front of the woman. “Vileplume!” cried the creature as it supported its large petals.

The young man looked at the woman as if he was seeing her for the first time. He looked between her and her Arbok and the pokémon at his side. “Really?” he said. He then shrugged his shoulders and simply said, “It’s your funeral.” He turned to the glowing horse at his side and patted it’s short white mane, “Okay Flare, remember to stay light on your feet and keep in mind that this poor Vileplume is probably stolen.”

The pokémon neighed its excitement in a cracking voice, “Strika!”

It was then that the woman noticed that there was something wrong with this horse. No Rapidash was black, could this be a pokémon from another region? One of those electrified pokémon? No, there was the trademark horn of a Rapidash, but what was up with the black and white stripes? There was no way that was normal for a Rapidash.

The young man was backing up, but she didn’t see any point in letting him attack first.

“Vileplume, use—”

“Flare. Inferno,” the young man interrupted.

“Inferno? So it is a Rapidash,” she thought.

However, before she managed to finish her command, the pokémon’s hide began to crackle with arcs of electricity as its mane, tail, and feathering burst into flames.

“Distorted World!” She shouted as a wall of flames tinged with arcs of lightning seemed to erupt around her Vileplume. She could feel the heat of the flames as her Vileplume cried in agony. Her red hair blew back from the force of the fire, and she felt her skin begin to burn.

“Easy girl! Remember it’s the woman we’re after!” the young man shouted.

As the heat died down, the woman looked over at her Vileplume. It had mercifully fainted.

“How?” The woman thought. “There’s no way this attack should have done this much damage even with a type advantage.” She quickly pulled the pokéball from off of her belt and recalled the Vileplume.

“Hey, what do you think you're doing?!” she cried as she pulled another pokéball from her belt and threw it. From the light, a large snake pokémon appeared.

“Arbok, don’t let me down!”

The Arbok looked uncertainty at the pokémon in front of it as the large beast continued to snort gouts of flame from its nostrils.

“Arrrrrr...bok?”

The young man looked at it, and walked up to the large pokémon.

“C’mon girl. You’ve done your bit. Let’s let Leda take the lead against this one.”

“Zeb! Zebstrika!”

“I know, I know, but this poor thing is scared out of its mind. Let’s not make that any worse.” He patted the pokémon comfortingly. “After all, how is anyone supposed to stand up to you? I don’t know that she had a choice, but sending an Arbok against you? That’s practically a death wish. Leda may not like combat, but it’s good for her to stay in top shape. Not everyone can be as gifted as you.”

The flames began to dissipate from the glowing giant as the young man gently led the pokémon off of the field of battle even as an Espeon stepped from the undergrowth to take its place.

“Leda, use Future Sight.” The young man said as he turned back around.

The Espeon’s large eyes glowed in the light of the large pokémon behind it, and it sat back and began to lick its paws.

“Ha, don’t think I’m done yet. Arbok use Acid!” the woman shouted.

The young man’s eyes widened with concern as a black liquid shot toward his Espeon. The Arbok seemed nervous, but it was certainly doing its job. The Espeon’s eyes widened for a moment as it lay its head down and wrapped its twin tails around itself. The black liquid connected and the Espeon mewled in pain.

“It’s going to be okay Leda. You can do this.”

Was that a hint of panic she heard in the trainer’s voice? A nasty grin spread across the woman’s face. It had been a gamble, but it had worked. Now, if she could pile on any Dark-type moves that should guarantee the victory.

“Arbok use Crunch.”

The Arbok began to gather its coils around its body to spring at the seemingly helpless Espeon, but then it rocked to the side.

“Huh?” the woman grunted.

The Arbok rocked again to the other side, and then it rocked up as an unseen blow sent it careening backward. The Arbok struggled to rise, and its eyes widened as it looked about in panic.

[grizzlybaron-blog]

Rocket Roundup Part 1

I’ve been listening to the Pokémon World Tour United podcast for a few months now, and while I would be glad to create characters for the podcast, I thought I might have more traction focusing on writing things based on events happening in the podcast. For those of you who don’t follow the adventures of Rose and Cobalt, the only background information you should need is that a large number of Team Rocket members just broke out of prisons all across Kanto and the Officers Jenny are frantic to find them.

Enjoy.

The frantic sound of someone trying to whisper and yell at the same time was the only thing disturbing the night air in the forest near Route 13. The occasional cry of a Hoothoot was the only pokémon brave or dumb enough to disturb the whispered shouting.

“What do you mean you can’t find the entrance? That’s literally your only purpose here!”

“I’m...I’m sorry director. I’m doing the best I can, but the trap door seems to be hidden.”

“That’s the point you weak grunt!”

“Yes ma’am, but I mean to say that someone else has hidden the trap door differently than the way it is supposed to be hidden.”

This was met with an unusual silence made all the more comfortable by the tension that promised more anger.

“Are you trying to tell me those white shirted cowards are covering up our hiding holes?”

“I don’t know ma’am. Could you maybe contact the bosses?”

“Ha, the bosses were low level grunts before they took over, I doubt they have any more idea of what the traitors are up to then you do.”

The shadowed face of the grunt became physically uncomfortable to watch as he fought to control his fear at being yelled at with his desperation to worship the bosses. Indeed, the war seemed to only amuse the black-clad woman and she seemed ready to release some much needed laughter.

It’s hard to know what happened first, but at that moment hell broke loose in three ways. Perhaps most notably a hand tapped the woman on the shoulder. The hand itself was only notable in that it belonged to a large and terrifying Gengar who gave the woman the single meanest look she had seen in a long time. Seemingly at the same time a long dark pink tongue extended from the tree and ran itself over the grunt who stiffened and attempted to scream. But, it was the third thing that quickly brought itself to the attention of the grunt and the director. A bush stood up and revealed itself to be a young man dressed in nondescript clothing. His only real identifiers were the messenger bag at his back and the pokéballs at his waist. Any resemblance he had once had with the hedge that had been there was very definitely gone.

“Hello, please don’t run.”

The grunt turned to run, but only made it a few steps before he stumbled and dropped to his hands and knees. Dropping from the trees above to the space just before him was a large blue frog with a long pink tongue wrapped around its face.

The young man calmly walked toward the grunt with a casual, friendly smile.

“This won’t hurt a bit,” he said, “I’m just going to put these restraints on you, and then we can all take a ride back to Fuschia. There are some officers there who are willing to pay big money for the chance to ask you some questions.”

Mr. Smiles has let the female get away.

The young man turned around quickly at the voice in his head.

“Giratina take you Mr. Smiles,” said the young man as he whipped a pokéball off of his belt. With a flash of light, a large Zebstrika manifested in the clearing and lent some light to the area. The young man rushed to mount the Zebstrika and shouted at the other pokémon as he did so.

“Bubbles, you stay here with Mr. Smiles and keep an eye on this one. Don’t hurt him if you can help it.”

“Gre” was the only reply from the Greninja, but the look he gave the Gengar seemed to cause that pokémon some uncomfortable feeling.

“Leda, you’re leading the way. If she really is a director, then I want her now.”

An Espeon seemed to materialize before the Zebstrika, as the young man heard a voice in his head confirm, I believe we will have her in a few moments. The female will not be able to hide from me. She is disciplined, but hot-headed.