Since I wasn't publishing my little Pokémon story anywhere else, I thought I'd share it here on my website for all to enjoy!
Urchins of Cinnibar
Not many people know about the poor on Cinnibar island. Mostly we just get a lot of trainers in here, rolling into town surfing on a water Pokémon or flying on a winged one, coming in to fight Blaine. They’re the good ones, too. Blaine’s the seventh gym leader in Kanto, which means they’ve fought and beaten six others.
There goes my career as a Pokémon trainer!
Not a lot of people taking the Pokémon gym challenge come out of Cinnibar. It’s not a very good place to start, because anyone around is way better than you. Hard to train a Pokémon to get strong enough to make the surf to Pallet or Fuschia. So I hang out here with my little guy Loki. He’s an Eevee. Don’t ask me how I got him, because no one ever believes me anyway. I saved up the money for a Pokéball, and kept it with me for years, just waiting for something other than a Krabby or a Tentacool to use it on. Luckily, the coastline of Cinnibar was chalk full of the weirdest Pokémon. My buddy Ralph swore on his life that he saw a Hypno there once. But I found that Eevee late one night, when no one else was out.
It was weak, soaked, and barely awake. I caught it just to take it to the Pokémon center, because I was too tired to carry it otherwise. I kept thinking about what it could be. Maybe an albino Growlithe, or a fluffy Meowth. No way could it be a rare Pokémon. Thus the name, Loki, the trickster. Nurse Joy gave me a good scolding for letting it get to that condition, but she was nice enough to build up the fire and let me stay the night.
Urchins of Cinnibar
Not many people know about the poor on Cinnibar island. Mostly we just get a lot of trainers in here, rolling into town surfing on a water Pokémon or flying on a winged one, coming in to fight Blaine. They’re the good ones, too. Blaine’s the seventh gym leader in Kanto, which means they’ve fought and beaten six others.
There goes my career as a Pokémon trainer!
Not a lot of people taking the Pokémon gym challenge come out of Cinnibar. It’s not a very good place to start, because anyone around is way better than you. Hard to train a Pokémon to get strong enough to make the surf to Pallet or Fuschia. So I hang out here with my little guy Loki. He’s an Eevee. Don’t ask me how I got him, because no one ever believes me anyway. I saved up the money for a Pokéball, and kept it with me for years, just waiting for something other than a Krabby or a Tentacool to use it on. Luckily, the coastline of Cinnibar was chalk full of the weirdest Pokémon. My buddy Ralph swore on his life that he saw a Hypno there once. But I found that Eevee late one night, when no one else was out.
It was weak, soaked, and barely awake. I caught it just to take it to the Pokémon center, because I was too tired to carry it otherwise. I kept thinking about what it could be. Maybe an albino Growlithe, or a fluffy Meowth. No way could it be a rare Pokémon. Thus the name, Loki, the trickster. Nurse Joy gave me a good scolding for letting it get to that condition, but she was nice enough to build up the fire and let me stay the night.
So anyway, my name’s Cumin. Like the spice, pronounced Kyoo-min. Yes, it’s a horrible name, and yes, I’ve gotten ridiculed by some of the other Cinnibar street urchins for it quite a few times. But I like it enough. It’s the last thing I have of my papa, besides his fingerless wool gloves and that flat cap. He says I got my mom’s eyes, because his were dull and mine were brilliant green. Neither of us are sure where my blonde hair came from. I always tried tucking it up into my cap, but it hung over my eyes and the tips got black with soot over time. I was fifteen, and living on my own with a single Pokémon. Luckily, my fortunes started to change in that burned-out building.
“You’re going down, kid,” the trainer said. He was older, at least twenty, but he wasn’t going for the gym badges. This guy was a Cinnibar native just like me, stuck in the same rut. He liked beating down the kids for whatever money they had, and too few of us had Pokémon strong enough to stand up to his. But this time, I challenged him.
“I wager one Pokéball,” I said, pulling the tiny orb from my belt. Empty Pokéballs were often used to bet on matches here. The trainer grinned, and offered one up as well. He was meaty, wearing a red tank top and biker shorts. In a regular fight, I wouldn’t last ten seconds against him. Luckily, he had enough ego to accept a challenge.
“Alright. Go, Krabby!” He grabbed his Pokéball, and tossed it into the alley. It hit the ground, cracked open, and a burst of white light poured out. It formed into the tiny little crab Pokémon, blood red and foaming at the mouth. It tested out its pincers, clicking them a few times. It wasn’t the biggest Krabby I’d ever seen, but it still had some size on the little critters on the beach.
“Come on out, Loki!” I said, tossing the ball up in the air with a light spin on it. Out came my Eevee. He looked deceptively cute, a puff of brown and white fur. Loki crouched, eyes sharp and ready to pounce.
“That one of them evolution Pokémon?” He asked, sniffing and wiping at his nose. “Those things are rare, yeah? You need to get that thing a stone.”
“A stone?”
“Yeah, to evolve it. Turn that little puff ball into something that can fight.”
“I don’t think so. Where am I gonna find one of those? I can barely afford to eat.”
“Then maybe you ought to give him over to a trainer that can. Now, Krabby, use Tackle!” His Pokémon rushed towards mine, scrambling on its six legs. Loki glanced back to me, and I smiled.
“Quick Attack, now!” I shouted. Loki bolted forward, intercepting his opponent’s attack. The Krabby went flying into some old crates lying around in the alley. It got up, dazed a bit but still ready to fight. “Hit it again, Loki!” He darted forward, and hit Krabby again. This time, it couldn’t get up.
“Ugh. Krabby, return.” He held out his Pokéball, and a beam of red light shot out from it. His Pokémon disappeared into the ball, and the trainer exchanged it for another. He had two Pokémon. I just had the one. But I was pretty sure mine could take him. “Go, Staryu!” His next Pokémon materialized, a star-shaped creature with a gem on its chest. It leapt into the area with a ‘hiya!’ My Eevee trembled a little, but didn’t back down.
“Loki, hit it with a Sand-Attack!” I called out to him. Loki ran forward and then skidded to a stop before Staryu, kicking up a cloud of dust. Staryu backed up a ways, shaking its pointy limbs in surprise.
“Staryu, Water Gun!” The trainer said. Staryu lowered its top point, and fired a stream of water from it. It hit Loki straight on, knocking him back a ways. He tried to get some footing against the ground, but couldn’t. Just a few more feet, and it would be trapped up against the wall.
“Loki…” I said. I was about to tell it to give up, to let Staryu win the battle, but then he started pressing harder. Step after step, pulling himself closer to his opponent. And then the torrent of water started lessening. Staryu was running out.
Then, all at once, the stream stopped. Staryu got ready to go for another attack, but my Pokémon was too quick for it. He tackled Staryu, smashing his shoulder into the crystal. It fell back, sliding right to its trainer’s feet. He frowned, looking down at it, and then stuck out his Pokéball to reclaim his Pokémon.
“Well,” I said, kneeling down. Loki ran over, and put his paws up on me. I started scratching him behind the ears. “Looks like you owe me a Pokéball.”
“Right,” the guy said, grabbing the prize and walking towards me. I stood up. He tossed it to me, and I caught it, but I wasn’t prepared for him attacking me after that. His punch knocked me right off me feet. I groaned, and squirmed, and pushed myself back up.
“You’re twice my size, and you still need to take cheap shots?” I said, wiping my mouth. It left a smear of blood on the back of my hand.
“I’ll be taking that Eevee now,” he said, putting a foot on my shoulder and pushing me back to the ground. “A Pokémon like that is my ticket out of this rat’s nest. If I can’t find a stone to evolve it, I know I can sell it for a bundle.” He chuckled.
Loki bit his ankle. He called out in pain, and then tried to shake it off.
“Fiesty little devil,” he said, and grabbed it by the scruff of the neck. Then he reached down to my belt, and grabbed Loki’s Pokéball. I tried to stop him, but his arms were like tree trunks and I was nothing against his strength. In a second, Loki was gone. He pocketed the stolen Pokéball, and then walked off. I got up to run after him, only to get myself beat again. He backhanded me into the trashcans on the side of the alley. “Stay down.”
“No,” I said, gritting my teeth. “That’s my Pokémon!”
He tossed another trash can on top of me, knocking me over again. Then he left. I struggled through the mess, but by the time I was up and about, he was long gone.
It started raining. Helped at least to get the smell of garbage off me. Funny the things you think about when everything goes wrong. I thought about going to the police, but they never believed kids like me. Not one of them would buy that I had an Eevee. Loki was gone. And now I had to get to some shelter. There was only one place on Cinnibar where I could go, and that was the old burned out building. It was falling apart, full of dangerous wild Pokémon and burglars, but I’d learned how to traverse it. Loki had too.
“Damn it!” I shouted, and slammed my fist up against the nearest building. Then I did that a few more times. A thousand thoughts tore me apart. I could get another Eevee, and name that one Loki too. Or get my friends together and go after that dirt bag. It was all stupid, and futile. There were some things that weren’t meant to be. Like a kid climbing out of the underbelly with one lucky find. That Pokémon never really belonged to me.
I snuck into the building through the old cellar entrance. Other people didn’t really use it because it was flooded and pitch black, but I’d worked out a secret path. Box to box to the staircase. And then I was inside. I didn’t go far, just a few rooms in, and found a good place under an old desk.
I sat there and tried not to cry. I smashed my hands on the floor and the desk, and then got up and threw things around the room and screamed. There was a clap of lightning, and then silence. The building was dead. Except for the sound of footsteps. Something was just upstairs. A Pokémon. I stood there and listened for a few moments, tracing it with my ears. Then I grabbed my one Pokéball off my belt and crept towards the staircase.
I followed the noises through the building. After losing Loki, I was determined to get this one, even if it killed me. I moved through room after room, silent as a ghost, ready to sneak up on my target. In that time, I went through a list in my head of all the Pokémon I’d ever seen in here. Didn’t sound like hooves, so it couldn’t be a Ponyta. A Koffing wouldn’t have footsteps. A Growlithe, maybe?
But what I found disappointed me. It wasn’t a Pokémon at all, just a person. Probably a burglar. I didn’t want to mess with them; they were even more heartless than the trainer who stole my Pokémon. He was dressed all in black, even a black hat. I would have left him alone, but something wasn’t right. Usually the burglars would be carrying something—a bag full of half scorched silverware or copper pipes, maybe a chunk of furniture—but this guy had nothing but a few Pokéballs on his belt. And I had nothing to lose. So I followed him.
He went straight up to a wall, and then grabbed at a candlestick on it. He pulled it back, and a secret compartment in the wall opened. I let it slide back closed before running up and activating the switch myself. Was this here before or after the fire? It looked pretty crude, so I was willing to guess it was after. Not something I would notice on my own, but up close it did kinda look like someone took a buzz saw to the wall.
The door slid open, revealing a ladder. I climbed it, and found a part of the building I’d never seen before. These were the rooms I knew existed but couldn’t figure out how to get into. The entrances were all caved, which must have been why someone built the secret ladder. And these rooms didn’t look abandoned. They looked very much in use, like I had stumbled onto some Pokémon laboratory.
And then I knew what it was. Team Rocket. This was one of their many hideouts, and I was willing to guess they were doing something evil with all of this. I just didn’t know what yet. So I followed the Rocket grunt to another room, crouching by the doorway. He had his back turned.
There was a Charmander. It was hooked up to all kinds of wires, and the fire on its tail looked dim. It might have gone out if not for the fact that it was clamped in place with a Bunsen burner feeding it. How horrible. Whatever they were doing to that Pokémon couldn’t be good. Their experiments had to be making its life force weaker, weak enough that its tail fire would go out without the support.
I adjusted my feet a bit, and the floorboards creaked. Then I froze. The Rocket Grunt didn’t seem to notice, and went about checking some papers while reaching down to his pocket.
Without looking, he took out a Pokéball and rolled it into the room I was in. It opened, and an Ekans emerged, a massive snake with purple and green markings all along its back and a pale yellow underbelly. It hissed at me, and reared its head. I tried to run for the ladder, but it tripped me. By this point, I didn’t even have the energy to move.
“What are you doing here, kid?” He asked, walking over to me. His Pokémon curled up in front of the ladder so I couldn’t escape, but I wasn’t going anywhere. I rolled over so I could face him.
“Just hiding out from the rain.”
“In my secret laboratory?”
“I followed you.”
He scoffed. “Well, you’ve got some guts, kid. Got any Pokémon?”
I sighed, and shook my head. “Had an Eevee. It got stolen from me today.”
The Rocket frowned. He didn’t look particularly evil. Just a normal guy. Thin like me, with sunken cheek bones. He had a bit of stubble, too, so this building must’ve been his home just like it was mine. Odd. I thought all people from Team Rocket worked out of fancy zeppelins or submarines. But he didn’t look like he was getting any support from his organization.
“So? Go steal it back.”
“He’s twice my size,” I said, and started getting to my feet. “And he’s got two—three Pokémon. I’ve got none.”
“Well,” the Rocket said, holding up his Pokéball and returning Ekans to it. He obviously didn’t think I’d be running out on him now. “That’s the great thing about being a Rocket. We don’t start with much, but we can sneak and steal our way to success.”
“That doesn’t sound appealing.”
“Yeah, I know.” He shrugged. “It’s not the best. Sometimes it’s hard to sleep at night. But you know what the alternative is?” He leaned in closer to me. “Life on the streets. Without your Eevee. That’s the decision you’ve got in front of you.”
I frowned. Rubbed my hands together, and looked past the Rocket to that poor little Charmander.
“Don’t worry about him,” the man said. “He was abandoned by his mother. I found him here, almost dead, with that Charizard flying off. Had to hook him up to my machines. He’s doing a little better now.”
“You know what would make him even better?” I said. “A Pokémon center. They’re pretty good at this kind of thing.”
“Yeah, I know…” He sighed, and rubbed his chin. “That’s what I should have done from the start. But they’ve got my picture posted everywhere. I’d be arrested on the spot. Which is why…” He shrugged his shoulders. “I think you should take him there.”
“Me?”
“Yeah.” He walked over to the Pokémon, and checked on some of the machines. “Hey, I may be one of the bad guys, but I’m here to exploit Pokémon, not kill them. So I’d rather it go to a good kid like you than die in my lab. I mean, I’d prefer you bring him back, but who am I kidding. I know how the world works. People are going to take.”
“Are you gonna try to recruit me, then?” I asked, following him over to the Charmander. He was right. It was would die in this lab unless someone took it to a Pokémon center.
“Yeah, I might. But not right now. We’re going to take care of this guy first. Then I’ll give you the whole spiel.” He stroked the Charmander’s head. It quivered a little bit, and moved closer to the touch. This poor creature really was desperate for affection.
“Okay. I’ll get him there right away.”
“Better capture it, then,” he said, stepping aside and holding out a hand. I sighed, and pulled my last Pokéball out of my pocket. But before I threw it, I went over and offered my hand to the Charmander. He sniffed once, and then pressed his nose into it. I gave him a few minutes, and then I touched the ball to his side. He disappeared inside of it, and the ball wiggled a few times. But the Pokémon was weak, and there wasn’t much of a struggle.
“Hurry. To the Pokémon center,” the Rocket said.
“Right.” I moved to the ladder. “Wait. What’s your name?”
“Barney.”
“I’m Cumin.”
He nodded. Then I left.
It was a long run to the Pokémon center, at least five minutes at a full out sprint. By the time I got there I was soaked to the bone and panting like crazy. Nurse Joy seemed to remember me from the Eevee incident, because she gave me a nasty look and took the Pokéball from my hands.
“What have you done to that poor little Eevee this time?” She said, and rushed the ball to the machine.
“It’s… not Eevee. It’s a Charmander.”
“What? Where was it?”
“In the burned out building. I think its mother abandoned it.”
“Mhm.” She looked over her shoulder at me, and shook her head. “I’m starting to think you’re just pushing these Pokémon too hard in underground fights. Don’t think I don’t know about those, by the way.”
“I swear, it’s not that.”
“Mhm.” She went about working. I warmed up by the fire. At least it was warmer than the building. But none of that really mattered to me now. I just curled up on the couch and thought about Loki. What was that trainer going to do to him? Work him too hard, abuse him. Force him to evolve with a stone before he was ready.
I shouldn’t have said that. Maybe he was a nice trainer. Maybe he would treat Loki well, feed him better than I could, and take him all the way to the Pokémon League.
At that point, I stopped thinking about him, because if I didn’t I would start hitting things again. I didn’t want Nurse Joy thinking I was violent to add to her dog fights theory. So I just clenched my eyes shut until I fell asleep.
“Excuse me?” I heard the nurse call out. It was still storming outside, so I couldn’t tell how long I’d been sleeping, but the fire had died down a little. I was shivering in my wet clothes.
“Yes?”
“Your Pokémon is awake. And… there’s something I need to show you,” she said, and raised an eyebrow at me. “If I find out you’re responsible for this somehow, I’m calling the police.”
“Responsible for what?”
“Just… come see.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the back rooms of the hospital. There were a few Pokémon laying on gurneys or hooked up to machines. Most of the wounds were burns, from trainers fighting the local gym leader. I saw a Goldeen in a tank, and an unconscious Pidgeotto, and then my Charmander. I guess he was mine now. He looked pretty healthy, energetic even. He’d made a quick recovery.
“What’s the problem?” I asked.
“There’s something unusual about this Charmander.”
“And you think I did it?”
“I don’t know what to think.” She walked over to the Pokémon, and knelt beside him. “Go on, sweetie. Show us.”
“Charmander!” It said, and then clenched its eyes shut and concentrated. I had no idea what to expect, but what happened baffled me. Because Charmander started using electricity. Strands of it started crawling all over his skin. The fire on his tail even started flaring up, and producing some sparks as well.
“What?” I said.
“There’s no denying it. This Charmander is using Thundershock.”
“How is that possible?”
“You tell me.” She put her hands on her hips, and frowned. I narrowed my eyes.
“Well, I didn’t just find him. There was a guy from Team Rocket in the old burned-out building.”
“Team Rocket? Then you know he’s up to no good. This whole thing is probably just some big scheme!”
“No, it’s not like that,” I said. “He wanted me to take Charmander. He said that there are wanted posters up all over and that he’d get caught if he brought the Pokémon in, so I had to take him.”
“Have you seen even one wanted poster?” She asked. I bit my lip, and thought about it for a few moments. But there were none. “There’s no Team Rocket presence on Cinnibar. No wanted posters. He could have dressed normally and brought this Pokémon in, but he didn’t.”
“So… he was deceiving me.”
“I think so. What else did he tell you? That might be the key to figuring out what he’s trying to do.”
“Well, he told me the Charmander was abandoned,” I told her. “That the mother, this Charizard, flew off without him.”
“A Charizard?” Nurse Joy frowned. “I did see one flying above the city a few day ago. It looked… angry.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” I said, and sighed. “I can’t imagine a neglectful parent being angry after it ditches its kid.”
The Nurse sighed, and gave me a sad look.
“I’m afraid that may have been the lie.”
“But that means… we might have an angry Charizard on our hands looking for this Charmander.”
It was like talking about it had drawn it to us. Out in the lobby area, there was a crash. Nurse Joy and I ran out there, and Charmander followed me. And there it was. The mother. It had crashed right through the glass doors, was spraying fire all across the room. We ducked behind the counter.
“You have to give that Charmander back,” Nurse Joy called out to me.
“I know!” I said. It didn’t occur to me to keep it, not when it had a family to get back to. I picked up the Charmander, and brought it out into the main area. As soon as it saw the baby, the Charizard calmed down. The fire faded from its eyes, and I saw true compassion. A parent and child reuniting. The Charizard started to step forward, getting out of the rain. But before it could get all the way inside, something stopped it.
An Ekans. It wrapped right around the Charizard, pinning her arms and wings to her side. She blew fire all around the room, but there was nothing she could do to escape. Charizard collapsed back into the rain, stuck there, restrained by the snake.
“Stop!” I shouted, running over. “You’re killing her!”
“Not killing her,” I heard someone call through the rain. The voice sounded familiar. Next thing I knew, Barney was stepping through the shattered glass, grinning. “Just weakening her. That’s how you catch Pokémon.” He pulled a ball from his belt. It wasn’t red and white like the ones I used, but different colors. It must’ve been something more powerful, maybe an Ultra Ball.
There wasn’t much of a struggle. He threw the ball, and the Charizard disappeared inside of it. And just like that, the mother was caught.
“Barney?”
“Thank you, Cumin,” he said, attaching the ball to his belt. “You made excellent bait.”
“Bait?”
“Yeah. Didn’t want that angry mother coming after me to get her baby back.” He shrugged, and returned the Ekans to its Pokéball as well. “And yes, before you ask, I did steal the Charmander. What better way to wrangle a Charizard? Barely even put up a fight. Went out in the rain and everything.”
“And the electricity?” Nurse Joy asked. “Did you do that to Charmander?”
“Guilty as charged. Ah, and there’s a pun. I’m a funny guy.” He grinned. “I’m a bit of a scientist, I must admit. My specialty is cross-species genetics. And this little guy was my first success. I was able to give him the ability to generate electricity. But it doesn’t stop there. Oh, I learned so much from that Charmander. And I know that I could do so much more, ten times better, with another subject.” He tapped the Pokéball at his side. “Can you imagine it? A fire Pokémon with electric abilities. When its greatest weakness, a water type, faces off against it… well, it’ll be a surprise one hit KO. And that’s just the beginning. The possibilities are endless.”
“That’s wrong,” I said. “You can’t do something like this.”
“Why not? You have to take what you can get in this world. Otherwise someone else is going to take it from you. Someone twice your size.” He chuckled, and folded his arms. “So keep that Charmander. He’s yours now, and I’ve got much bigger fish to fry. Why don’t you go get your Eevee back?” Then he turned around and left. I might’ve chased after him, tried to stop him, but I didn’t have much of an option. Otherwise Charmander might’ve been forced to fight its mother. So I let him go. Nurse Joy gave me a sad little smile, and then went to the phone to call the police.
I knelt down beside the Charmander, and offered a hand to him. He pressed his nose into my palm, and I felt a tingle of electricity.
The next day, I found that trainer again. He looked pretty confident, but there were tons of bite marks on his legs. Looked like Loki was fighting him every step of the way. I didn’t say a thing, just tossed my Pokéball and let Charmander out. Despite all that had happened, he seemed generally happy now. And seeing him put a huge smile on my opponent’s face.
“Are you crazy?” He said, chuckling. “Fire types are weak to water. And two of my Pokémon are water type.” He pulled out two Pokéballs, and threw them both. Krabby and Staryu materialized. It didn’t even surprise me that he was going to try to use two against one, even when he had the advantage. They each geared up for a water gun.
“Charmander, use Thundershock,” I said. My Pokémon crouched down, held his hands together, and started generating electricity. The arcs of energy flew at the two Pokémon, expanding and growing. Just one hit was enough to toast the both of them. They collapsed. The trainer clenched his fists, and returned them to your Pokéballs.
“I don’t know how you did that,” he said through clenched teeth. “But there’s no way you’re gonna hurt your own precious Eevee.” He tossed the final Pokéball, and I got to see Loki again. It almost brought tears to my eyes. And he was happy to see me too. So happy that he turned around and faced the trainer again, growling. Charmander walked up next to him, like they’d planned it.
“Charmander? What’re you doing?”
He readied himself again, and strands of electricity started crawling around. Before he knew what hit him, the trainer was zapped and on the ground. Then Loki ran up to him, and took the Pokéball in his mouth. He ran back to me, and leapt into my arms. I buried my face in his fur, and blinked out tears. Then I returned him to his Pokéball. The Charmander waddled over then, and I held up the Pokéball. But something occurred to me.
“I never gave you a name, did I?” I said, smiling. Charmander twitched his nose at me, so I held up my other palm. “Well, how about this? I’m named after a spice, so maybe you can be too. How about Cayenne?” I felt a little jolt of electricity, and assumed that was a yes. “Thanks, Cayenne. You’re the hero of the day.” I returned him to his Pokéball then, and pocketed it. The trainer was burned out, just sitting there with a dopey smile on his face. Part of me wanted to take some revenge, grab his mistreated Pokémon and add them to my team. But I wasn’t that type of trainer, otherwise I might as well have gone with Barney the Rocket.
I strolled out of the alley then, happy with my victory. But my luck ended there. Outside, waiting for me, was Officer Jenny. She was on her motorcycle, with squiggly olive hair and that blue uniform I’d come to fear. She’d booted me out of various public places for squatting. Under the dock by the ferry, on a bench on the park, even out of a little cardboard shelter I’d built. That one was pretty embarrassing. She never went in the abandoned building, though.
“Stop right there, kid,” she said, reaching into her pocket. Officer Jenny pulled out a piece of paper along with a photo.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It’s a still frame from the security cameras at the Pokémon center,” she said. “Which means you’re the one I’m looking for. Nurse Joy told me you were involved in the Team Rocket attack last night!”
“It wasn’t an attack,” I said. “And I wasn’t involved.”
“Right, you expect me to believe that?” She said, and looked past me. “Especially since you just attacked a trainer with your Pokémon?”
“He stole my Eevee!”
“Then you should have reported it. Either way, I’ve got bad news for you, kid.” She unfolded the slip of paper. “For conspiring with Team Rocket and for your involvement in the destruction of a Pokémon Center, you are hereby banished from Cinnibar Island.”
My eyes widened. I bit the inside of my mouth a little, just to keep from smiling. Banished from this rat’s nest… that could be my ticket out of this place.
“You can’t do that!” I said, throwing my hands in the air for effect.
“Oh yes we can. Unless you want to pay for the damages.”
“I didn’t even do that. This isn’t fair.” I grabbed my flat cap and pulled it down over my eyes, mostly to hide my face a little more. “Where can I go? I don’t have enough money for the ferry.”
“Well, you’ll be given a ticket then,” she said. “You’re on the first boat to Fuschia City, and we’d better not see you back here again.”
She offered to let me collect my things, so I went back to the old burned-out building one last time. The officer followed me there, but didn’t want to go inside, so I got to go alone. One final trip through the basement. It looked weird in the daytime. Then I found the desk I used, with the drawers rammed up against the wall so no one would go digging through them. There were only a few things inside: a bag of marbles, half of them cracked, some scorched books that were still mostly readable, a little statue of a Dratini I’d found, and my photograph collection. It wasn’t much, but I wanted to collect something. After I’d found a destroyed photo album upstairs with a couple mostly intact pictures, I figured that was as good as anything.
I shoved all the stuff in my pockets, and headed for the exit. But halfway there, I pulled a 180. There was one more thing I had to check.
The lab. I found the wall with the candlestick, pulled it to open the door, and climbed the ladder. But just as I’d suspected, it had been cleaned out. There were some broken test tubes on the floor, but otherwise, you never would have known that there was a lab.
I did notice one thing, however. A white piece of paper, sitting on the table. I moved over to grab it, and unfolded it. A pin fell out as I did, and clinked onto the table. Just a simple ‘R’. Then I read the note.
Hey kid. Figured you might come back to check if I was still here. But I’m afraid I’ve left Cinnibar for good. My new Charizard is going to fly me out of here. Sure, she’s a little moody, but she’s really responded to my training methods. Anyway, my offer still stands. If you’re sick of being poor and beaten and stolen from, there’s a place for you in Team Rocket. We’re not as bad as you think… although we’re still pretty bad. So don’t worry, I’ll find you again. If you want in, just say the word. If not, I’ll get out of your hair.
Yours Insincerely,
Barney the Rocket.
P.S. Don’t lose that pin!
I rolled my eyes, and crammed the note in my pocket. Then I took the pin. It was shiny, and had gold edges around the smooth black surface. Maybe I could sell it for something. Either way, I sure as hell wasn’t joining Team Rocket. I had a promising new future as a trainer ahead of me with Loki and Cayenne.
“You’re going down, kid,” the trainer said. He was older, at least twenty, but he wasn’t going for the gym badges. This guy was a Cinnibar native just like me, stuck in the same rut. He liked beating down the kids for whatever money they had, and too few of us had Pokémon strong enough to stand up to his. But this time, I challenged him.
“I wager one Pokéball,” I said, pulling the tiny orb from my belt. Empty Pokéballs were often used to bet on matches here. The trainer grinned, and offered one up as well. He was meaty, wearing a red tank top and biker shorts. In a regular fight, I wouldn’t last ten seconds against him. Luckily, he had enough ego to accept a challenge.
“Alright. Go, Krabby!” He grabbed his Pokéball, and tossed it into the alley. It hit the ground, cracked open, and a burst of white light poured out. It formed into the tiny little crab Pokémon, blood red and foaming at the mouth. It tested out its pincers, clicking them a few times. It wasn’t the biggest Krabby I’d ever seen, but it still had some size on the little critters on the beach.
“Come on out, Loki!” I said, tossing the ball up in the air with a light spin on it. Out came my Eevee. He looked deceptively cute, a puff of brown and white fur. Loki crouched, eyes sharp and ready to pounce.
“That one of them evolution Pokémon?” He asked, sniffing and wiping at his nose. “Those things are rare, yeah? You need to get that thing a stone.”
“A stone?”
“Yeah, to evolve it. Turn that little puff ball into something that can fight.”
“I don’t think so. Where am I gonna find one of those? I can barely afford to eat.”
“Then maybe you ought to give him over to a trainer that can. Now, Krabby, use Tackle!” His Pokémon rushed towards mine, scrambling on its six legs. Loki glanced back to me, and I smiled.
“Quick Attack, now!” I shouted. Loki bolted forward, intercepting his opponent’s attack. The Krabby went flying into some old crates lying around in the alley. It got up, dazed a bit but still ready to fight. “Hit it again, Loki!” He darted forward, and hit Krabby again. This time, it couldn’t get up.
“Ugh. Krabby, return.” He held out his Pokéball, and a beam of red light shot out from it. His Pokémon disappeared into the ball, and the trainer exchanged it for another. He had two Pokémon. I just had the one. But I was pretty sure mine could take him. “Go, Staryu!” His next Pokémon materialized, a star-shaped creature with a gem on its chest. It leapt into the area with a ‘hiya!’ My Eevee trembled a little, but didn’t back down.
“Loki, hit it with a Sand-Attack!” I called out to him. Loki ran forward and then skidded to a stop before Staryu, kicking up a cloud of dust. Staryu backed up a ways, shaking its pointy limbs in surprise.
“Staryu, Water Gun!” The trainer said. Staryu lowered its top point, and fired a stream of water from it. It hit Loki straight on, knocking him back a ways. He tried to get some footing against the ground, but couldn’t. Just a few more feet, and it would be trapped up against the wall.
“Loki…” I said. I was about to tell it to give up, to let Staryu win the battle, but then he started pressing harder. Step after step, pulling himself closer to his opponent. And then the torrent of water started lessening. Staryu was running out.
Then, all at once, the stream stopped. Staryu got ready to go for another attack, but my Pokémon was too quick for it. He tackled Staryu, smashing his shoulder into the crystal. It fell back, sliding right to its trainer’s feet. He frowned, looking down at it, and then stuck out his Pokéball to reclaim his Pokémon.
“Well,” I said, kneeling down. Loki ran over, and put his paws up on me. I started scratching him behind the ears. “Looks like you owe me a Pokéball.”
“Right,” the guy said, grabbing the prize and walking towards me. I stood up. He tossed it to me, and I caught it, but I wasn’t prepared for him attacking me after that. His punch knocked me right off me feet. I groaned, and squirmed, and pushed myself back up.
“You’re twice my size, and you still need to take cheap shots?” I said, wiping my mouth. It left a smear of blood on the back of my hand.
“I’ll be taking that Eevee now,” he said, putting a foot on my shoulder and pushing me back to the ground. “A Pokémon like that is my ticket out of this rat’s nest. If I can’t find a stone to evolve it, I know I can sell it for a bundle.” He chuckled.
Loki bit his ankle. He called out in pain, and then tried to shake it off.
“Fiesty little devil,” he said, and grabbed it by the scruff of the neck. Then he reached down to my belt, and grabbed Loki’s Pokéball. I tried to stop him, but his arms were like tree trunks and I was nothing against his strength. In a second, Loki was gone. He pocketed the stolen Pokéball, and then walked off. I got up to run after him, only to get myself beat again. He backhanded me into the trashcans on the side of the alley. “Stay down.”
“No,” I said, gritting my teeth. “That’s my Pokémon!”
He tossed another trash can on top of me, knocking me over again. Then he left. I struggled through the mess, but by the time I was up and about, he was long gone.
It started raining. Helped at least to get the smell of garbage off me. Funny the things you think about when everything goes wrong. I thought about going to the police, but they never believed kids like me. Not one of them would buy that I had an Eevee. Loki was gone. And now I had to get to some shelter. There was only one place on Cinnibar where I could go, and that was the old burned out building. It was falling apart, full of dangerous wild Pokémon and burglars, but I’d learned how to traverse it. Loki had too.
“Damn it!” I shouted, and slammed my fist up against the nearest building. Then I did that a few more times. A thousand thoughts tore me apart. I could get another Eevee, and name that one Loki too. Or get my friends together and go after that dirt bag. It was all stupid, and futile. There were some things that weren’t meant to be. Like a kid climbing out of the underbelly with one lucky find. That Pokémon never really belonged to me.
I snuck into the building through the old cellar entrance. Other people didn’t really use it because it was flooded and pitch black, but I’d worked out a secret path. Box to box to the staircase. And then I was inside. I didn’t go far, just a few rooms in, and found a good place under an old desk.
I sat there and tried not to cry. I smashed my hands on the floor and the desk, and then got up and threw things around the room and screamed. There was a clap of lightning, and then silence. The building was dead. Except for the sound of footsteps. Something was just upstairs. A Pokémon. I stood there and listened for a few moments, tracing it with my ears. Then I grabbed my one Pokéball off my belt and crept towards the staircase.
I followed the noises through the building. After losing Loki, I was determined to get this one, even if it killed me. I moved through room after room, silent as a ghost, ready to sneak up on my target. In that time, I went through a list in my head of all the Pokémon I’d ever seen in here. Didn’t sound like hooves, so it couldn’t be a Ponyta. A Koffing wouldn’t have footsteps. A Growlithe, maybe?
But what I found disappointed me. It wasn’t a Pokémon at all, just a person. Probably a burglar. I didn’t want to mess with them; they were even more heartless than the trainer who stole my Pokémon. He was dressed all in black, even a black hat. I would have left him alone, but something wasn’t right. Usually the burglars would be carrying something—a bag full of half scorched silverware or copper pipes, maybe a chunk of furniture—but this guy had nothing but a few Pokéballs on his belt. And I had nothing to lose. So I followed him.
He went straight up to a wall, and then grabbed at a candlestick on it. He pulled it back, and a secret compartment in the wall opened. I let it slide back closed before running up and activating the switch myself. Was this here before or after the fire? It looked pretty crude, so I was willing to guess it was after. Not something I would notice on my own, but up close it did kinda look like someone took a buzz saw to the wall.
The door slid open, revealing a ladder. I climbed it, and found a part of the building I’d never seen before. These were the rooms I knew existed but couldn’t figure out how to get into. The entrances were all caved, which must have been why someone built the secret ladder. And these rooms didn’t look abandoned. They looked very much in use, like I had stumbled onto some Pokémon laboratory.
And then I knew what it was. Team Rocket. This was one of their many hideouts, and I was willing to guess they were doing something evil with all of this. I just didn’t know what yet. So I followed the Rocket grunt to another room, crouching by the doorway. He had his back turned.
There was a Charmander. It was hooked up to all kinds of wires, and the fire on its tail looked dim. It might have gone out if not for the fact that it was clamped in place with a Bunsen burner feeding it. How horrible. Whatever they were doing to that Pokémon couldn’t be good. Their experiments had to be making its life force weaker, weak enough that its tail fire would go out without the support.
I adjusted my feet a bit, and the floorboards creaked. Then I froze. The Rocket Grunt didn’t seem to notice, and went about checking some papers while reaching down to his pocket.
Without looking, he took out a Pokéball and rolled it into the room I was in. It opened, and an Ekans emerged, a massive snake with purple and green markings all along its back and a pale yellow underbelly. It hissed at me, and reared its head. I tried to run for the ladder, but it tripped me. By this point, I didn’t even have the energy to move.
“What are you doing here, kid?” He asked, walking over to me. His Pokémon curled up in front of the ladder so I couldn’t escape, but I wasn’t going anywhere. I rolled over so I could face him.
“Just hiding out from the rain.”
“In my secret laboratory?”
“I followed you.”
He scoffed. “Well, you’ve got some guts, kid. Got any Pokémon?”
I sighed, and shook my head. “Had an Eevee. It got stolen from me today.”
The Rocket frowned. He didn’t look particularly evil. Just a normal guy. Thin like me, with sunken cheek bones. He had a bit of stubble, too, so this building must’ve been his home just like it was mine. Odd. I thought all people from Team Rocket worked out of fancy zeppelins or submarines. But he didn’t look like he was getting any support from his organization.
“So? Go steal it back.”
“He’s twice my size,” I said, and started getting to my feet. “And he’s got two—three Pokémon. I’ve got none.”
“Well,” the Rocket said, holding up his Pokéball and returning Ekans to it. He obviously didn’t think I’d be running out on him now. “That’s the great thing about being a Rocket. We don’t start with much, but we can sneak and steal our way to success.”
“That doesn’t sound appealing.”
“Yeah, I know.” He shrugged. “It’s not the best. Sometimes it’s hard to sleep at night. But you know what the alternative is?” He leaned in closer to me. “Life on the streets. Without your Eevee. That’s the decision you’ve got in front of you.”
I frowned. Rubbed my hands together, and looked past the Rocket to that poor little Charmander.
“Don’t worry about him,” the man said. “He was abandoned by his mother. I found him here, almost dead, with that Charizard flying off. Had to hook him up to my machines. He’s doing a little better now.”
“You know what would make him even better?” I said. “A Pokémon center. They’re pretty good at this kind of thing.”
“Yeah, I know…” He sighed, and rubbed his chin. “That’s what I should have done from the start. But they’ve got my picture posted everywhere. I’d be arrested on the spot. Which is why…” He shrugged his shoulders. “I think you should take him there.”
“Me?”
“Yeah.” He walked over to the Pokémon, and checked on some of the machines. “Hey, I may be one of the bad guys, but I’m here to exploit Pokémon, not kill them. So I’d rather it go to a good kid like you than die in my lab. I mean, I’d prefer you bring him back, but who am I kidding. I know how the world works. People are going to take.”
“Are you gonna try to recruit me, then?” I asked, following him over to the Charmander. He was right. It was would die in this lab unless someone took it to a Pokémon center.
“Yeah, I might. But not right now. We’re going to take care of this guy first. Then I’ll give you the whole spiel.” He stroked the Charmander’s head. It quivered a little bit, and moved closer to the touch. This poor creature really was desperate for affection.
“Okay. I’ll get him there right away.”
“Better capture it, then,” he said, stepping aside and holding out a hand. I sighed, and pulled my last Pokéball out of my pocket. But before I threw it, I went over and offered my hand to the Charmander. He sniffed once, and then pressed his nose into it. I gave him a few minutes, and then I touched the ball to his side. He disappeared inside of it, and the ball wiggled a few times. But the Pokémon was weak, and there wasn’t much of a struggle.
“Hurry. To the Pokémon center,” the Rocket said.
“Right.” I moved to the ladder. “Wait. What’s your name?”
“Barney.”
“I’m Cumin.”
He nodded. Then I left.
It was a long run to the Pokémon center, at least five minutes at a full out sprint. By the time I got there I was soaked to the bone and panting like crazy. Nurse Joy seemed to remember me from the Eevee incident, because she gave me a nasty look and took the Pokéball from my hands.
“What have you done to that poor little Eevee this time?” She said, and rushed the ball to the machine.
“It’s… not Eevee. It’s a Charmander.”
“What? Where was it?”
“In the burned out building. I think its mother abandoned it.”
“Mhm.” She looked over her shoulder at me, and shook her head. “I’m starting to think you’re just pushing these Pokémon too hard in underground fights. Don’t think I don’t know about those, by the way.”
“I swear, it’s not that.”
“Mhm.” She went about working. I warmed up by the fire. At least it was warmer than the building. But none of that really mattered to me now. I just curled up on the couch and thought about Loki. What was that trainer going to do to him? Work him too hard, abuse him. Force him to evolve with a stone before he was ready.
I shouldn’t have said that. Maybe he was a nice trainer. Maybe he would treat Loki well, feed him better than I could, and take him all the way to the Pokémon League.
At that point, I stopped thinking about him, because if I didn’t I would start hitting things again. I didn’t want Nurse Joy thinking I was violent to add to her dog fights theory. So I just clenched my eyes shut until I fell asleep.
“Excuse me?” I heard the nurse call out. It was still storming outside, so I couldn’t tell how long I’d been sleeping, but the fire had died down a little. I was shivering in my wet clothes.
“Yes?”
“Your Pokémon is awake. And… there’s something I need to show you,” she said, and raised an eyebrow at me. “If I find out you’re responsible for this somehow, I’m calling the police.”
“Responsible for what?”
“Just… come see.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the back rooms of the hospital. There were a few Pokémon laying on gurneys or hooked up to machines. Most of the wounds were burns, from trainers fighting the local gym leader. I saw a Goldeen in a tank, and an unconscious Pidgeotto, and then my Charmander. I guess he was mine now. He looked pretty healthy, energetic even. He’d made a quick recovery.
“What’s the problem?” I asked.
“There’s something unusual about this Charmander.”
“And you think I did it?”
“I don’t know what to think.” She walked over to the Pokémon, and knelt beside him. “Go on, sweetie. Show us.”
“Charmander!” It said, and then clenched its eyes shut and concentrated. I had no idea what to expect, but what happened baffled me. Because Charmander started using electricity. Strands of it started crawling all over his skin. The fire on his tail even started flaring up, and producing some sparks as well.
“What?” I said.
“There’s no denying it. This Charmander is using Thundershock.”
“How is that possible?”
“You tell me.” She put her hands on her hips, and frowned. I narrowed my eyes.
“Well, I didn’t just find him. There was a guy from Team Rocket in the old burned-out building.”
“Team Rocket? Then you know he’s up to no good. This whole thing is probably just some big scheme!”
“No, it’s not like that,” I said. “He wanted me to take Charmander. He said that there are wanted posters up all over and that he’d get caught if he brought the Pokémon in, so I had to take him.”
“Have you seen even one wanted poster?” She asked. I bit my lip, and thought about it for a few moments. But there were none. “There’s no Team Rocket presence on Cinnibar. No wanted posters. He could have dressed normally and brought this Pokémon in, but he didn’t.”
“So… he was deceiving me.”
“I think so. What else did he tell you? That might be the key to figuring out what he’s trying to do.”
“Well, he told me the Charmander was abandoned,” I told her. “That the mother, this Charizard, flew off without him.”
“A Charizard?” Nurse Joy frowned. “I did see one flying above the city a few day ago. It looked… angry.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” I said, and sighed. “I can’t imagine a neglectful parent being angry after it ditches its kid.”
The Nurse sighed, and gave me a sad look.
“I’m afraid that may have been the lie.”
“But that means… we might have an angry Charizard on our hands looking for this Charmander.”
It was like talking about it had drawn it to us. Out in the lobby area, there was a crash. Nurse Joy and I ran out there, and Charmander followed me. And there it was. The mother. It had crashed right through the glass doors, was spraying fire all across the room. We ducked behind the counter.
“You have to give that Charmander back,” Nurse Joy called out to me.
“I know!” I said. It didn’t occur to me to keep it, not when it had a family to get back to. I picked up the Charmander, and brought it out into the main area. As soon as it saw the baby, the Charizard calmed down. The fire faded from its eyes, and I saw true compassion. A parent and child reuniting. The Charizard started to step forward, getting out of the rain. But before it could get all the way inside, something stopped it.
An Ekans. It wrapped right around the Charizard, pinning her arms and wings to her side. She blew fire all around the room, but there was nothing she could do to escape. Charizard collapsed back into the rain, stuck there, restrained by the snake.
“Stop!” I shouted, running over. “You’re killing her!”
“Not killing her,” I heard someone call through the rain. The voice sounded familiar. Next thing I knew, Barney was stepping through the shattered glass, grinning. “Just weakening her. That’s how you catch Pokémon.” He pulled a ball from his belt. It wasn’t red and white like the ones I used, but different colors. It must’ve been something more powerful, maybe an Ultra Ball.
There wasn’t much of a struggle. He threw the ball, and the Charizard disappeared inside of it. And just like that, the mother was caught.
“Barney?”
“Thank you, Cumin,” he said, attaching the ball to his belt. “You made excellent bait.”
“Bait?”
“Yeah. Didn’t want that angry mother coming after me to get her baby back.” He shrugged, and returned the Ekans to its Pokéball as well. “And yes, before you ask, I did steal the Charmander. What better way to wrangle a Charizard? Barely even put up a fight. Went out in the rain and everything.”
“And the electricity?” Nurse Joy asked. “Did you do that to Charmander?”
“Guilty as charged. Ah, and there’s a pun. I’m a funny guy.” He grinned. “I’m a bit of a scientist, I must admit. My specialty is cross-species genetics. And this little guy was my first success. I was able to give him the ability to generate electricity. But it doesn’t stop there. Oh, I learned so much from that Charmander. And I know that I could do so much more, ten times better, with another subject.” He tapped the Pokéball at his side. “Can you imagine it? A fire Pokémon with electric abilities. When its greatest weakness, a water type, faces off against it… well, it’ll be a surprise one hit KO. And that’s just the beginning. The possibilities are endless.”
“That’s wrong,” I said. “You can’t do something like this.”
“Why not? You have to take what you can get in this world. Otherwise someone else is going to take it from you. Someone twice your size.” He chuckled, and folded his arms. “So keep that Charmander. He’s yours now, and I’ve got much bigger fish to fry. Why don’t you go get your Eevee back?” Then he turned around and left. I might’ve chased after him, tried to stop him, but I didn’t have much of an option. Otherwise Charmander might’ve been forced to fight its mother. So I let him go. Nurse Joy gave me a sad little smile, and then went to the phone to call the police.
I knelt down beside the Charmander, and offered a hand to him. He pressed his nose into my palm, and I felt a tingle of electricity.
The next day, I found that trainer again. He looked pretty confident, but there were tons of bite marks on his legs. Looked like Loki was fighting him every step of the way. I didn’t say a thing, just tossed my Pokéball and let Charmander out. Despite all that had happened, he seemed generally happy now. And seeing him put a huge smile on my opponent’s face.
“Are you crazy?” He said, chuckling. “Fire types are weak to water. And two of my Pokémon are water type.” He pulled out two Pokéballs, and threw them both. Krabby and Staryu materialized. It didn’t even surprise me that he was going to try to use two against one, even when he had the advantage. They each geared up for a water gun.
“Charmander, use Thundershock,” I said. My Pokémon crouched down, held his hands together, and started generating electricity. The arcs of energy flew at the two Pokémon, expanding and growing. Just one hit was enough to toast the both of them. They collapsed. The trainer clenched his fists, and returned them to your Pokéballs.
“I don’t know how you did that,” he said through clenched teeth. “But there’s no way you’re gonna hurt your own precious Eevee.” He tossed the final Pokéball, and I got to see Loki again. It almost brought tears to my eyes. And he was happy to see me too. So happy that he turned around and faced the trainer again, growling. Charmander walked up next to him, like they’d planned it.
“Charmander? What’re you doing?”
He readied himself again, and strands of electricity started crawling around. Before he knew what hit him, the trainer was zapped and on the ground. Then Loki ran up to him, and took the Pokéball in his mouth. He ran back to me, and leapt into my arms. I buried my face in his fur, and blinked out tears. Then I returned him to his Pokéball. The Charmander waddled over then, and I held up the Pokéball. But something occurred to me.
“I never gave you a name, did I?” I said, smiling. Charmander twitched his nose at me, so I held up my other palm. “Well, how about this? I’m named after a spice, so maybe you can be too. How about Cayenne?” I felt a little jolt of electricity, and assumed that was a yes. “Thanks, Cayenne. You’re the hero of the day.” I returned him to his Pokéball then, and pocketed it. The trainer was burned out, just sitting there with a dopey smile on his face. Part of me wanted to take some revenge, grab his mistreated Pokémon and add them to my team. But I wasn’t that type of trainer, otherwise I might as well have gone with Barney the Rocket.
I strolled out of the alley then, happy with my victory. But my luck ended there. Outside, waiting for me, was Officer Jenny. She was on her motorcycle, with squiggly olive hair and that blue uniform I’d come to fear. She’d booted me out of various public places for squatting. Under the dock by the ferry, on a bench on the park, even out of a little cardboard shelter I’d built. That one was pretty embarrassing. She never went in the abandoned building, though.
“Stop right there, kid,” she said, reaching into her pocket. Officer Jenny pulled out a piece of paper along with a photo.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It’s a still frame from the security cameras at the Pokémon center,” she said. “Which means you’re the one I’m looking for. Nurse Joy told me you were involved in the Team Rocket attack last night!”
“It wasn’t an attack,” I said. “And I wasn’t involved.”
“Right, you expect me to believe that?” She said, and looked past me. “Especially since you just attacked a trainer with your Pokémon?”
“He stole my Eevee!”
“Then you should have reported it. Either way, I’ve got bad news for you, kid.” She unfolded the slip of paper. “For conspiring with Team Rocket and for your involvement in the destruction of a Pokémon Center, you are hereby banished from Cinnibar Island.”
My eyes widened. I bit the inside of my mouth a little, just to keep from smiling. Banished from this rat’s nest… that could be my ticket out of this place.
“You can’t do that!” I said, throwing my hands in the air for effect.
“Oh yes we can. Unless you want to pay for the damages.”
“I didn’t even do that. This isn’t fair.” I grabbed my flat cap and pulled it down over my eyes, mostly to hide my face a little more. “Where can I go? I don’t have enough money for the ferry.”
“Well, you’ll be given a ticket then,” she said. “You’re on the first boat to Fuschia City, and we’d better not see you back here again.”
She offered to let me collect my things, so I went back to the old burned-out building one last time. The officer followed me there, but didn’t want to go inside, so I got to go alone. One final trip through the basement. It looked weird in the daytime. Then I found the desk I used, with the drawers rammed up against the wall so no one would go digging through them. There were only a few things inside: a bag of marbles, half of them cracked, some scorched books that were still mostly readable, a little statue of a Dratini I’d found, and my photograph collection. It wasn’t much, but I wanted to collect something. After I’d found a destroyed photo album upstairs with a couple mostly intact pictures, I figured that was as good as anything.
I shoved all the stuff in my pockets, and headed for the exit. But halfway there, I pulled a 180. There was one more thing I had to check.
The lab. I found the wall with the candlestick, pulled it to open the door, and climbed the ladder. But just as I’d suspected, it had been cleaned out. There were some broken test tubes on the floor, but otherwise, you never would have known that there was a lab.
I did notice one thing, however. A white piece of paper, sitting on the table. I moved over to grab it, and unfolded it. A pin fell out as I did, and clinked onto the table. Just a simple ‘R’. Then I read the note.
Hey kid. Figured you might come back to check if I was still here. But I’m afraid I’ve left Cinnibar for good. My new Charizard is going to fly me out of here. Sure, she’s a little moody, but she’s really responded to my training methods. Anyway, my offer still stands. If you’re sick of being poor and beaten and stolen from, there’s a place for you in Team Rocket. We’re not as bad as you think… although we’re still pretty bad. So don’t worry, I’ll find you again. If you want in, just say the word. If not, I’ll get out of your hair.
Yours Insincerely,
Barney the Rocket.
P.S. Don’t lose that pin!
I rolled my eyes, and crammed the note in my pocket. Then I took the pin. It was shiny, and had gold edges around the smooth black surface. Maybe I could sell it for something. Either way, I sure as hell wasn’t joining Team Rocket. I had a promising new future as a trainer ahead of me with Loki and Cayenne.