Day 255

[from Pokémon: Shattered Crystal]

As I eat, I mull over the conversation I've just overheard. From the sounds of it, Team Rocket are the ones who have been cutting off Slowpoke's tails and selling them. Of course, I've heard of Team Rocket: everyone has. They're a notorious criminal group that suddenly appeared in neighbouring Kanto three years ago, carrying out a region-wide crime wave. Law enforcement were only able to stop them with the help of a ten-year-old trainer named Red, who reportedly stormed two of Team Rocket's hideouts single-handedly. Well… not exactly single-handedly. He had his Pokémon to help him, of course. But you know what I mean. Anyway, it sounds like they've re-surfaced here in Johto, which is not good.

It also sounds like the local Gym is closed for now. It doesn't take me long to decide what to do in the meantime. I can't let something Team Rocket's slide. I still remember my disgust at being offered a Slowpoke Tail out on Route 32. I'm not sure what exactly I can do to put a stop to them, but I'm still going to try.

After finishing my lunch, I head off, and it doesn't take me long to locate the well, on the northeastern edge of town. To my surprise, however, it seems completely deserted: no Slowpoke, no Team Rocket, nothing. Strange. There's a ladder leading down into the well itself, and with my curiosity taking hold, I decide to head down into it and find out exactly what's going on.

The “well” turns out to be an entrance to a large underground cavern, with a deep pool of water to one side. Looking around, it occurs to me that this cavern is where the Slowpoke have been living. They've all been rounded up, however, and herded into tiny cages in the far corner of the cavern. Gathered near the cages are several thugs who are clearly wearing Team Rocket uniforms. As I watch, one of them crams a tail-less Slowpoke back into its cage while another, wielding a machete, dangled a bloodstained appendage from his free hand and cackles. It's despicable.

As one of the man shifts slightly, I can suddenly make out two people that have been bound, gagged, and set down next to the cavern wall. One of them is an ageing man with grey hair, who appears to be in a lot of pain. The other appears to be a teenage girl, wearing a green shirt and shorts. Could she be the town's Gym Leader? It would make sense for her to go after Team Rocket, and it would explain why the Gym is closed.

I start to make my way through the cavern, and it's not long before I'm spotted. “Hey, there's a kid in here!” one of the thugs yells.

“Don't worry,” calls out another, “I'll take care of him.” He quickly advances towards me, plucking a Poké Ball from his belt. “You lost, kid?” he asks intimidatingly. “Run along home to your parents. There ain't nothing to see here.”

A week ago, I probably would have done as he asked. But after the things I've seen these past few days, it'll take more than just a big guy with a Pokémon to rattle me. “I beg to differ,” I retort, plucking Firebrand's Poké Ball from my belt.

“Oh, you wanna go, kid?” says the man, amused. “We already took out the old man and the Gym Leader! You really think you can do better than them?”

“No,” I admit. It sounds pretty bad when he says it out loud like that. “But what you're doing is sick and wrong, and I'm not just going to stand back and let you get away with it.”

The man smirks. “Have it your way,” he says. “Go, Rattata!”

I almost laugh when the man sends out his Rattata. I've taken out dozens of these without breaking a sweat. “Go, Banshee!” Banshee swoops in, and in a few Bites the Rattata is down. The man, undaunted, then sends out another Rattata, and I really am trying to contain my laughter at this point. I don't know what's worse, the fact these guys or supposedly master criminals, or the fact that they somehow beat both Kurt and the town's Gym Leader. I switch Banshee out for Firebrand and the second Rattata goes down in a single blast of flame.

The man is left reeling with shock, as though he hadn't realized his two Rattata were no match for a decently-trained set of Pokémon. “Uhh… guys, we got a problem,” he says.

A long-haired woman snorts and makes her way over. “What problem?” she sneers. “Come on, it's just one snot-nosed little kid! You can handle one little kid, ri-” She pauses upon seeing his fainted Rattata, then bursts out laughing. “You god-damn pussy,” she says, shoving him out of the way while choking back her laughter. “I'll show you how it's done. Go, Zubat!”

Still not exactly the strongest opposition. “Go, Firebrand!” The female thug's Zubat fires supersonic waves at Firebrand to try to confuse him, but Firebrand just shrugs them off and blasts the Pokémon out of the air. Next out is an Ekans, but still Firebrand is undaunted, knocking out the Ekans with two swift bursts of fire.

By now there's confusion and alarm among the ranks of the Team Rocket members, and the rest of them are quickly hurrying over to me. The woman is left in as much shock as the other thug had been. “What?!” she exclaims. “What the hell kinda kid are you?”

“The kind that won't stand for crimes like this,” I declare defiantly.

The man carrying the machete steps forward, and this time I really am intimidated. Well, it's hard not to be: he's six feet tall and carrying a machete smeared with Slowpoke blood. “The only crime here,” he declares, “was when our leader abandoned us three years ago. Even since then we've been preparing to rebuild our criminal empire, and we're not about to let some kid get in the way of that. Lucky for you, I don't believe in harming kids...” Just to make his point, he sheathes his machete and picks up a Great Ball from his pocket. “...so I'll take you on the old-fashioned way. Go, Koffing!”

As the man sends out his Pokémon, I relax a little and get back into the battling mindset. “Go, Firebrand!” Firebrand bursts out his Poké Ball and is immediately struck full-on by the Koffing. He resists, however, forcing it backward with a blast of fire. The Koffing aims a cloud of poisonous gas at Firebrand, but the Quilava dodges it and strikes again, leaving the gas-filled Pokémon looking badly injured. In desperation it launches another Tackle at Firebrand but Firebrand merely responds in kind, and the Koffing, unable to take any more punishment, collapses to the cavern floor.

By now, the whole of Team Rocket is in shock. “Holy crap!” “He just beat our leader!” “What is this kid?!” One of the thugs clenches his fists and starts towards me, snarling, “Let's get 'im!”, but the machete-wielding man hauls him back by the collar.

“Let's just go for now,” he says, recalling his fainted Koffing. “We got bigger fish to fry than these Slowpoke.” The thugs beat a hasty retreat towards the exit, looking decided sore about their defeat. I can't help noticing that some of them are carrying bags over their shoulders, no doubt full of severed Slowpoke Tails that they're going to sell. I guess there's nothing I can do about that; I can't exactly reattach the tails they've already cut off. But at least they won't be cutting off any more.

With Team Rocket successfully driven out of the well, I turn my attention to the two captives. I untie Kurt first, removing the gag from his mouth. “Are you alright?” I ask him. “What happened to you?”

The man manages to grin up at me in spite of the pain etched onto his face. “It's the darnedest thing,” he says. “I was climbing down the ladder, itching to give Team Rocket a piece of my mind, and I slipped and fell down hard onto my back! I was a sitting duck for those thugs. Bugsy came in after me, but-” Kurt suddenly twinges in pain, doubling over and grimacing. “Agh! Oh geez… I don't suppose you got any painkillers on you, kid?”

I shake my head. “No, sorry,” I say. “We'll have to get you to a hospital. Alright?”

Kurt nods. “Sure, whatever,” he says. “Oh, by the way, nice job taking out those thugs. What'd you say your name was again?”

“Ryan,” I tell him.

“Pleasure to meet you, Ryan,” he says. “Name's Kurt. I make a living making Poké Balls out of Apricorns. Come see me once we get outta here, and I'll give you one on the house, as a token of my thanks.”

Other people's generosity always warms my heart. “Thank you, sir.” Having rescued Kurt, I now turn my attention to Bugsy, who's waiting a little impatiently for me to untie her. “Are you alright, miss?” I ask as I remove the gag.

Bugsy gives me a look halfway between confusion and offence. “Miss?”

Kurt lets out a hearty chuckle that's cut off partway through by another twinge of pain. “Bugsy's a guy,” he points out.

As I take a closer look at Bugsy, I suddenly realize my mistake: “she” is indeed a he. “I-I'm so sorry!” I quickly blurt out. “I honestly thought you were a girl...”

As Bugsy frowns at me, Kurt lets out another chuckle. “Don't let it bug ya,” he says. “One of those Team Rocket goons made the same mistake!”

“I don't even look like a girl!” Bugsy complains, pouting in what I have to admit is a rather girly fashion.

“...well, anyway, let's get you both outta here,” I say, as I start to untie Bugsy. “We should probably get those Slowpoke out of those cages as well.”

“Good idea,” says Bugsy. “I'll send my Spinarak out to get help for Kurt.” Once I've untied Bugsy, he heads over to a desk, on which several Poké Balls are scattered. Presumably, they belong to him and Kurt, and were confiscated when they were captured. He sends out two of the Pokémon within them: a Spinarak and a Scyther. “Spinarak,” he says, “go find help. We need to get Kurt out of here. Maybe you can find an Abra on Route 34 that can teleport him out of here.” Spinarak duly scuttles off, and Bugsy turns to Scyther. “Scyther, bust open those cages!”

Scyther lets out a loud cry, crosses rapidly to the nearest cage, and with a hefty slash of its arm blades it rends the bars in two.