Chapter 10: Team Rocket Time
This was bad. I couldn’t risk anyone following me. I knew Brock had decent athletic skills, and he could easily catch up to me if he wanted to, and ask what I could be doing, breaking into the Pokehouse in the middle of the night. He’ll think I’m a thief. They all will. I dared a glance over my shoulder. No one was behind me. Good. Perhaps in my paranoia I had only imagined seeing Brock in the window.
I reached the edge of town, where a helicopter was waiting for me. I clambered up inside, panting from my flight. Tall Man stood, still smirking as always. “So, Miss Roberts...did you have a nice trip?”
“Just...take me to Papa.” I panted. I slumped into a seat and fell asleep almost immediately.
When I awoke, the helicopter was landing on top of a tall office building. “We’ve arrived, Miss Roberts,” Tall Man announced from across the cockpit.
I yawned and stood up. How long have I been asleep? I wondered. It couldn’t have been too terribly long. My first flight between Saffron City and Pewter City took no more than a couple hours. As the door opened, I could see it was still dark outside. I glanced at my watch. 3:11 AM.
Tall Man escorted me into the building, into an elevator, down several stories, down a hall, and finally into a large room. I squinted as the lights flipped on, one by one, across the room. I surveyed the contents of the room. Rows and rows of cages stacked one on top the other filled the room like aisles in a supermarket.
I turned to Tall Man. “Why did you bring me here?”
“This,” he smirked, “Is the final part of your assignment. These cages are where Team Rocket’s Pokemon are kept. You are going to duplicate the Diamond Onix’s special powers in these Pokemon using the data you have collected. We have in our warehouse nearly every kind of potion, chemical, and mineral for your use. If you can successfully alter the abilities of these Pokemon, then, and only then, will we release your father.”
I nodded numbly. It was a large task. But could I do it? Team Rocket certainly didn't know the minerals that caused the “Diamond Onix Phenomenon” could be gathered only from the Diamond Caverns. I seriously doubted they would have any of this mineral in their warehouse.
I browsed through the bottles available to me. When Tall Man said they had everything, he meant everything! I had an idea. In one of the empty bottles, I poured a little of this, and a little of that. I couldn’t turn any rock-types here into Diamond Onix duplicates, but I could increase the attack power of any Pokemon here. Then I could help them escape this warehouse. These Pokemon were prisoners, just like Papa. I could free them all.
“Are you ready for your first ‘patient’, Miss Roberts?” Tall Man asked when I held the bottle high in satisfaction.
“I am.” I said. This had to work.
Tall Man nodded to a grunt positioned next to a cage. The grunt pressed a button on a remote control. I took special note of that remote.
The cage door swung open with a grating sound. A pair of eyes glowered in the semidarkness. I sucked in a deep breath. “Come on out. It’s okay.” I spoke in the same soothing voice that Brock taught me to use when I helped at the Pokemon clinic.
The ground trembled as the Pokemon took a couple steps toward me. Now I could see that this one was a Rhyhorn. “You’re a Rhyhorn, hm?” I said. “A rock and ground-type. Just my type.” I smiled. I had learned a lot about working with rock-types from the Harrisons.
Rhyhorn lumbered towards me. I held out my hand, just as I had done when I met my Onix. It stepped back, and ducked it’s head and eyes, afraid.
“Shh, it’s alright.” I murmured. “I won’t hurt you.” It looked up and looked at me with big dark eyes. It lumbered towards me and sniffed me. It then nuzzled me gently with it’s big head. I stroked it and continued reassuring it with a soft voice. “There, I bet none of the Team Rocked jerks treat you like this.” It rumbled deeply. “You look like you need some better food. I can mix you some.”
I turned to Tall Man to request the items I needed. “The Rhyhorn here is in no condition to be worked with unless I can get it some better food. I’ll write down a list of the ingredients that I need.”
When a grunt returned with a basket of ingredients, I set to work immediately. I measured out the minerals from the larger containers, and crushed berries to mix with the Poke Pellets.
When I fed the mixture to Rhyhorn, it sniffed the dish cautiously. Then, after it decided the meal I’d made for it was safe to eat, it gobbled it right up and looked to me for more. I chuckled. “You liked that, didn’t you? I learned from the best how to make it,” I smiled, thinking of Brock. Then I squared my shoulders to focus on my plan. “Now, who’s next?”
I made food for all the Pokemon in the warehouse, slipping strength potion into each dish. I could see a difference in the appearance of the Pokemon as they ate what I had made for them. The more I worked with them, the more energized they looked. Some of them began to play.
Team Rocket sure doesn't take good care of their Pokemon, I thought, keeping them locked up like that and never giving them individual attention. I've seen so much improvement in their overall moods in just this first hour I've spent with them.
Tall Man watched from the doorway, the same smirk on his face the whole while. Just wait til my plan works, I thought. Then see who's smirking.
“How is it coming, Miss Roberts?” Tall Man asked. “When do we see the results of your work?”
“The transformation will occur soon. You can tell Boss Giovanni that he may come here and observe it if he likes. Bring Papa, too. This is something you will all like to see.”
“I certainly hope the results are as profitable as you claim to be,” said a voice behind me. I whirled around to see Giovanni, flanked by grunts, entering. Behind them all was Papa, looking as if he hadn’t slept in over a week. He probably hasn’t, I thought.
“Papa!” I cried, running to him. I was almost surprised that no one stopped me. I threw my arms around him, glad to at last see him again, then whispered in his ear, “I have a plan to get us out of here. Just follow my lead.”
“Always having a plan,” Papa whispered back. “Just like your mother.”
“Ah, such a lovely family reunion,” Giovanni sneered. “Now show me what you’ve done with these Pokemon. When do we get to see their Diamond properties emerge? Just as importantly, where is our Diamond Onix?”
I turned to face Giovanni. “I am so glad you asked, Mr. Giovanni, and I’m even more glad to show you.” I grasped my Pokeball and tossed it into the air. “Onix, come on out!”
Diamond Onix burst out of the ball with a roar and a flash of light. Even in the harsh warehouse lights, its segments gleamed brilliantly.
Papa gave a small sob of joy. “It’s real. I knew it. It’s as beautiful as I knew it would be.”
“It is, Papa, isn’t it?” I smiled. This was a dream come true for Papa, meeting Diamond Onix. His whole life had led to this moment.
Giovanni looked Diamond Onix up and down. “So, this is the infamous Diamond Onix. Hmm. Excellent capture, Annie. And now, you will show us how you’ve been able to alter the powers of these other rock-type Pokemon as well.”
“With pleasure,” I smirked. My heart pounded faster. This plan just had to work. It just had to. Otherwise…. I didn’t want to imagine what would happen to Papa and me if we didn’t succeed. As calmly as I could, I called the Pokemon over to me. “Are you ready to show them what we’ve done here?” I said, winking at Rhyhorn. This was to be our cue. I looked straight at Giovanni. “The transformation will occur in three, two, one….
“Now!” I shouted to all the Pokemon. All at once, the rock-types blasted a shocked Giovanni and many baffled grunts with various attacks. Shattering boulders and knife-like rock shards ricocheted in all directions, and Team Rocket ran for cover. Diamond Onix bashed its unbreakable head against the wall, according to plan, an attempt to bust a way out of the warehouse. The building began to shake and crumble.
Giovanni ordered his grunts to attack. They all opened Pokeballs. My rock-type allies battled against Team Rocket’s finest warriors.
I spotted the remote that controlled the cage doors. The grunt must have dropped it in the pandemonium. “Quick!” I called to Papa. “Help me take advantage of the chaos and unlock the rest of the cages!” Soon the whole room was filled with Pokemon!
Hearing a great CRASH! I turned around to see Onix succeed at his task. There was now a gaping hole in the far wall. “You’re all free!” I shouted to the Pokemon. In mass, they all turned to escape through the opening. Papa and I turned to leave too.
Giovanni shouted, enraged. “You won’t get away so easily, Roberts!” He opened a Pokeball himself. Out burst a Zubat, the same Zubat that Giovanni had threatened Papa with back when this whole mess began. “Zubat!” He commanded menacingly. “Use Toxic!”
A foul-smelling, purple liquid shot from Zubat’s mouth, aimed straight towards Papa! “No!” I screamed, pushing Papa out of the way. Before I could get out of the way myself, I felt myself drenched in the purple liquid. It burned like nothing I had ever felt before. I fell to the ground, gasping in pain.
“Annie!” Papa cried.He turned toward Giovanni, who was now ordering his grunts to evacuate the building. “So, is this how you’ll get in the last word, so to speak? You’ll take my daughter from me?” he growled, a sob in his voice.
“She did it to herself,” Giovanni smirked, his words laced with a more potent venom then Zubat’s attacks. “Goodbye, Roberts. I really did look forward to having you back, but I suppose it’s too late now. For both of you…”
Just then, part of the building crashed down in front of Papa and me, separating us from Giovanni and the rest of Team Rocket. I heard the roar of a helicopter engine in the distance as Giovanni left Papa and me alone in the empty, now half-destroyed warehouse.
Everything was going blurry as the poison took effect. My heart was pounding in my ears; I could no longer hear the building shattering down around us. I was in such pain, everything inside me seemed to burn. I wanted to die then and there, it was so terrible. Yet all the pain wasn’t enough to keep me conscious. The pain grew, grew, grew, until, suddenly, everything stopped. No pain, nothing. No feeling whatsoever, no thoughts. Nothing at all.
I wasn’t sure if I was still alive or dead, but I was sure I was dreaming. I could hear Brock’s voice, and Papa’s too. And Onix’s soft, low groans. I could sense faint light on the other side of my eyelids, and I could feel strong arms pick me up, cradling me gently. I tried to sit up and open my eyes, but the arms shifted to hold me more securely. “Shh,” came Brock’s voice. “Don’t worry, Annie, I’ve got you. You’re safe now. Let’s go home.” And then the dream faded again.
This was bad. I couldn’t risk anyone following me. I knew Brock had decent athletic skills, and he could easily catch up to me if he wanted to, and ask what I could be doing, breaking into the Pokehouse in the middle of the night. He’ll think I’m a thief. They all will. I dared a glance over my shoulder. No one was behind me. Good. Perhaps in my paranoia I had only imagined seeing Brock in the window.
I reached the edge of town, where a helicopter was waiting for me. I clambered up inside, panting from my flight. Tall Man stood, still smirking as always. “So, Miss Roberts...did you have a nice trip?”
“Just...take me to Papa.” I panted. I slumped into a seat and fell asleep almost immediately.
When I awoke, the helicopter was landing on top of a tall office building. “We’ve arrived, Miss Roberts,” Tall Man announced from across the cockpit.
I yawned and stood up. How long have I been asleep? I wondered. It couldn’t have been too terribly long. My first flight between Saffron City and Pewter City took no more than a couple hours. As the door opened, I could see it was still dark outside. I glanced at my watch. 3:11 AM.
Tall Man escorted me into the building, into an elevator, down several stories, down a hall, and finally into a large room. I squinted as the lights flipped on, one by one, across the room. I surveyed the contents of the room. Rows and rows of cages stacked one on top the other filled the room like aisles in a supermarket.
I turned to Tall Man. “Why did you bring me here?”
“This,” he smirked, “Is the final part of your assignment. These cages are where Team Rocket’s Pokemon are kept. You are going to duplicate the Diamond Onix’s special powers in these Pokemon using the data you have collected. We have in our warehouse nearly every kind of potion, chemical, and mineral for your use. If you can successfully alter the abilities of these Pokemon, then, and only then, will we release your father.”
I nodded numbly. It was a large task. But could I do it? Team Rocket certainly didn't know the minerals that caused the “Diamond Onix Phenomenon” could be gathered only from the Diamond Caverns. I seriously doubted they would have any of this mineral in their warehouse.
I browsed through the bottles available to me. When Tall Man said they had everything, he meant everything! I had an idea. In one of the empty bottles, I poured a little of this, and a little of that. I couldn’t turn any rock-types here into Diamond Onix duplicates, but I could increase the attack power of any Pokemon here. Then I could help them escape this warehouse. These Pokemon were prisoners, just like Papa. I could free them all.
“Are you ready for your first ‘patient’, Miss Roberts?” Tall Man asked when I held the bottle high in satisfaction.
“I am.” I said. This had to work.
Tall Man nodded to a grunt positioned next to a cage. The grunt pressed a button on a remote control. I took special note of that remote.
The cage door swung open with a grating sound. A pair of eyes glowered in the semidarkness. I sucked in a deep breath. “Come on out. It’s okay.” I spoke in the same soothing voice that Brock taught me to use when I helped at the Pokemon clinic.
The ground trembled as the Pokemon took a couple steps toward me. Now I could see that this one was a Rhyhorn. “You’re a Rhyhorn, hm?” I said. “A rock and ground-type. Just my type.” I smiled. I had learned a lot about working with rock-types from the Harrisons.
Rhyhorn lumbered towards me. I held out my hand, just as I had done when I met my Onix. It stepped back, and ducked it’s head and eyes, afraid.
“Shh, it’s alright.” I murmured. “I won’t hurt you.” It looked up and looked at me with big dark eyes. It lumbered towards me and sniffed me. It then nuzzled me gently with it’s big head. I stroked it and continued reassuring it with a soft voice. “There, I bet none of the Team Rocked jerks treat you like this.” It rumbled deeply. “You look like you need some better food. I can mix you some.”
I turned to Tall Man to request the items I needed. “The Rhyhorn here is in no condition to be worked with unless I can get it some better food. I’ll write down a list of the ingredients that I need.”
When a grunt returned with a basket of ingredients, I set to work immediately. I measured out the minerals from the larger containers, and crushed berries to mix with the Poke Pellets.
When I fed the mixture to Rhyhorn, it sniffed the dish cautiously. Then, after it decided the meal I’d made for it was safe to eat, it gobbled it right up and looked to me for more. I chuckled. “You liked that, didn’t you? I learned from the best how to make it,” I smiled, thinking of Brock. Then I squared my shoulders to focus on my plan. “Now, who’s next?”
I made food for all the Pokemon in the warehouse, slipping strength potion into each dish. I could see a difference in the appearance of the Pokemon as they ate what I had made for them. The more I worked with them, the more energized they looked. Some of them began to play.
Team Rocket sure doesn't take good care of their Pokemon, I thought, keeping them locked up like that and never giving them individual attention. I've seen so much improvement in their overall moods in just this first hour I've spent with them.
Tall Man watched from the doorway, the same smirk on his face the whole while. Just wait til my plan works, I thought. Then see who's smirking.
“How is it coming, Miss Roberts?” Tall Man asked. “When do we see the results of your work?”
“The transformation will occur soon. You can tell Boss Giovanni that he may come here and observe it if he likes. Bring Papa, too. This is something you will all like to see.”
“I certainly hope the results are as profitable as you claim to be,” said a voice behind me. I whirled around to see Giovanni, flanked by grunts, entering. Behind them all was Papa, looking as if he hadn’t slept in over a week. He probably hasn’t, I thought.
“Papa!” I cried, running to him. I was almost surprised that no one stopped me. I threw my arms around him, glad to at last see him again, then whispered in his ear, “I have a plan to get us out of here. Just follow my lead.”
“Always having a plan,” Papa whispered back. “Just like your mother.”
“Ah, such a lovely family reunion,” Giovanni sneered. “Now show me what you’ve done with these Pokemon. When do we get to see their Diamond properties emerge? Just as importantly, where is our Diamond Onix?”
I turned to face Giovanni. “I am so glad you asked, Mr. Giovanni, and I’m even more glad to show you.” I grasped my Pokeball and tossed it into the air. “Onix, come on out!”
Diamond Onix burst out of the ball with a roar and a flash of light. Even in the harsh warehouse lights, its segments gleamed brilliantly.
Papa gave a small sob of joy. “It’s real. I knew it. It’s as beautiful as I knew it would be.”
“It is, Papa, isn’t it?” I smiled. This was a dream come true for Papa, meeting Diamond Onix. His whole life had led to this moment.
Giovanni looked Diamond Onix up and down. “So, this is the infamous Diamond Onix. Hmm. Excellent capture, Annie. And now, you will show us how you’ve been able to alter the powers of these other rock-type Pokemon as well.”
“With pleasure,” I smirked. My heart pounded faster. This plan just had to work. It just had to. Otherwise…. I didn’t want to imagine what would happen to Papa and me if we didn’t succeed. As calmly as I could, I called the Pokemon over to me. “Are you ready to show them what we’ve done here?” I said, winking at Rhyhorn. This was to be our cue. I looked straight at Giovanni. “The transformation will occur in three, two, one….
“Now!” I shouted to all the Pokemon. All at once, the rock-types blasted a shocked Giovanni and many baffled grunts with various attacks. Shattering boulders and knife-like rock shards ricocheted in all directions, and Team Rocket ran for cover. Diamond Onix bashed its unbreakable head against the wall, according to plan, an attempt to bust a way out of the warehouse. The building began to shake and crumble.
Giovanni ordered his grunts to attack. They all opened Pokeballs. My rock-type allies battled against Team Rocket’s finest warriors.
I spotted the remote that controlled the cage doors. The grunt must have dropped it in the pandemonium. “Quick!” I called to Papa. “Help me take advantage of the chaos and unlock the rest of the cages!” Soon the whole room was filled with Pokemon!
Hearing a great CRASH! I turned around to see Onix succeed at his task. There was now a gaping hole in the far wall. “You’re all free!” I shouted to the Pokemon. In mass, they all turned to escape through the opening. Papa and I turned to leave too.
Giovanni shouted, enraged. “You won’t get away so easily, Roberts!” He opened a Pokeball himself. Out burst a Zubat, the same Zubat that Giovanni had threatened Papa with back when this whole mess began. “Zubat!” He commanded menacingly. “Use Toxic!”
A foul-smelling, purple liquid shot from Zubat’s mouth, aimed straight towards Papa! “No!” I screamed, pushing Papa out of the way. Before I could get out of the way myself, I felt myself drenched in the purple liquid. It burned like nothing I had ever felt before. I fell to the ground, gasping in pain.
“Annie!” Papa cried.He turned toward Giovanni, who was now ordering his grunts to evacuate the building. “So, is this how you’ll get in the last word, so to speak? You’ll take my daughter from me?” he growled, a sob in his voice.
“She did it to herself,” Giovanni smirked, his words laced with a more potent venom then Zubat’s attacks. “Goodbye, Roberts. I really did look forward to having you back, but I suppose it’s too late now. For both of you…”
Just then, part of the building crashed down in front of Papa and me, separating us from Giovanni and the rest of Team Rocket. I heard the roar of a helicopter engine in the distance as Giovanni left Papa and me alone in the empty, now half-destroyed warehouse.
Everything was going blurry as the poison took effect. My heart was pounding in my ears; I could no longer hear the building shattering down around us. I was in such pain, everything inside me seemed to burn. I wanted to die then and there, it was so terrible. Yet all the pain wasn’t enough to keep me conscious. The pain grew, grew, grew, until, suddenly, everything stopped. No pain, nothing. No feeling whatsoever, no thoughts. Nothing at all.
I wasn’t sure if I was still alive or dead, but I was sure I was dreaming. I could hear Brock’s voice, and Papa’s too. And Onix’s soft, low groans. I could sense faint light on the other side of my eyelids, and I could feel strong arms pick me up, cradling me gently. I tried to sit up and open my eyes, but the arms shifted to hold me more securely. “Shh,” came Brock’s voice. “Don’t worry, Annie, I’ve got you. You’re safe now. Let’s go home.” And then the dream faded again.