EPISODE 36: Gold!*
The bitter coldness of our stares has brought malice to both sides. We wait, silently, watching who would make the first move. The only present sound is the water droplets falling from the ceilings of the tunnel. Our hands tightly clench our Pokeballs, ready to be thrown at them. The trainer's eyes, reassembles the eyes of Red, sharp as ever.
"Team Rocket, stop your evil deeds right now. I am Kurt, the Pokeball smith of Azalea Town." Kurt makes the first move, starting the conversation by introducing himself.
"My name is Ethan, and I won't let such an organization ruin the safety of the Slowpokes living here. Leave right away, or this will end up in a Pokemon Match. Grunts like you are no match for trainers like me." Trainer Ethan of New Bark Town warns boastfully, seemingly wanting a Pokemon Match wherein he thinks he would win. Their words may scare the hell out of Charlotte and Virgo but not for me. Their words are triggering, making me want to literally fight them.
"You underestimate the grunts of Team Rocket?" I utter back, somewhat growling at the both of them. My hands start to move, out of my own control with the urge to literally attack them, however, Charlotte and Virgo quickly restrain me with their hands, avoiding me to move closer.
"You'll get used to Luna, don't worry." Charlotte looks to Virgo who seems worried about my abrupt actions.
"The other grunts of Team Rocket have left after their defeat against us. Leave immediately, you have my last warning." Kurt persists to annoy me with his infuriating words.
"I am not like those grunts. I am L-"
"Luna calm down." Charlotte cuts my words, restraining my hands tighter. She forces my body, controlled by my own aggression once more, to relax and stay calm, however, I disagree. For me, my mind has identified Charlotte and Virgo as a threat after restraining my hands, thus forcing me to kick their legs to let me go.
Once free, I unleash my Mawile, ready for action. Charlotte and Virgo decide to go with the flow, releasing their Pokemons as well such as Golbat and Slowpoke.
Out of nowhere, Virgo's Pokedex interrupts, [Slowpoke currently knows four moves. Their moves are to follow: Water Gun, Headbutt, Tackle, and Bulldoze.]
"Cyndaquil, ember!" The trainer commands his starter Pokemon to attack. Such a shame, his starter has not evolved yet unlike Silver's.
"Shuckle, use Roll-Out now!" Kurt tags with Ethan, together they fight against the three of us, but I believe they stand not even a single chance against us.
"Golbat, Wing Attack!"
"Mawile, Vice Grip!"
"Slowpoke, use water gun!"
We counter their two pitiful moves against us. It will take more than two Pokemons to defeat us, or so we thought it would be. Never have I knew that Shuckle and Cydaquil's speed are immense, despite a starter Pokemon not evolving yet. In a jiffy, it dodges the three moves of our Pokemons and persists to land an attack.
Cyndaquil dodges Mawile, and in addition, it also launched its move directly towards her.
Shuckle curls like a ball, and whacks into both, Slowpoke and Golbat. The battle is starting to intensify after they have proven us wrong. It looks like a two against three is an equal match for a trainer and a Pokeball smith. Even with us, being on the downside after the first move, we persist to attack, calling out moves and performing our own strategies.
"Persistent grunts, Cydaquil, Flamethrower!" Ethan instructs. The attack heads straight towards my Mawile, which is super effective since she is a steel type.
"Quick! Golbat protect Mawile." Charlotte takes matters into her own hands, making Golbat a nominee for a sacrifice. With willingness, it blocks Mawile from the attack, extending its wings widely. Once Cyndaquil's flamethrower settled, Golbat was found, fainted, leaving her trainer no choice but to send it back to its Pokeball.
"Oh no, Slowpoke!" Meanwhile, the match between Kurt and Virgo has come into a quick ending. Two moves, Shuckle did, and the product was Slowpoke's fainted body, leaving me with Mawile. From three against two, it has become two against one, and I hold the fate of Team Rocket's plans in this well.
"Two down, one to go! Keep up the good work Cyndaquil!" Ethan bursts with confidence and determination. His words never seem to make me comfortable but rather makes him get under my skin. I could not bear his annoyance, even worse than Trainer Red. If he does succeed in the Elite challenge, then a new Red would rise, I could not make that opportunity strike.
Still, with only Mawile left, I fight back, trying to use my feeble strategies against both of their Pokemons. Mawile tried to stand firm against all of their attacks, however, in the end, it is always the trainer who claims victory. With Mawile defeated, I felt disappointed, kneeling on the floor, carrying Mawile's fainted body in my grasps. The trainer and his companion leave, on the other hand, bumping into Charlotte and Virgo's shoulders.
I breathe heavily, returning Mawile back to her Pokeball. I cannot merely let them escape. Kneeling down, facing the parallel direction to where the trainer is heading, I send out Absol to finish them off. She, being a devoted and loyal Pokemon to me, she jolts to the two of them, even faster than a bullet train. She tries to pierce the trainer's back, but unfortunately, she arrived too late. The trainer was able to escape the well just in a nick of time, even Absol's claws only missed by an inch.
She returns to me, with a frown. It is at this moment when I knew, this is the first time Absol failed my task, but I did not get disappointed at her but rather at the trainer. Charlotte and Virgo tries to wrap me with solaces, but I've chosen to ignore them. I care not for their words of comfort, for the only thing I wanted to claim is vengeance over Ethan's actions.
I am no match against a trainer, nor will I ever be, but I won't let a new Red rise, not on my watch. This day may be a failure, one of my very few failures as an agent of Team Rocket, however, I am certain this won't be the last day for I am sure I will meet Ethan again. Back at headquarters, the three of us told the news to executives, they were not angry but rather, they sighed instead, thinking of the future of Team Rocket with Ethan as a threat.
The Slowpoke tails were to serve us with funds, but after the operation's failure in the town, I'm afraid, our fund has been cut off, forcing us to find other sources of income. I will remember this failure, and the next time I meet with him, I will be prepare. I promised to avenge Xavier by ending those who oppose Team Rocket.