Chapter 3

A kid was walking in a dark alley. It was nighttime. The kid was wearing a white shirt and black shorts, he had black hair and red trainers, and he was also carrying groceries. The dark alley had a lot of garbage against the walls of the buildings. Suddenly a pair of hands came out of the shadows and grabbed the kid from behind. The kid tried to scream for help but one of the hands that were coming out of the shadows was covering his mouth to prevent him from screaming.

The next day, at the Pokemon School in Rustboro, Cassandra was walking to her classroom when the bell rang. “Arrived in a nick of time,” she thought.

As she walked into her classroom, she noticed that some children were missing from their desk. “Strange,” she thought. “The guys haven’t been coming here recently.”

“I should investigate this after school, in case new challenges comes to me,” she thought to herself as she sat at her desk. “I’ll finally show Seed and the twerp who should gain respect around here.”

Meanwhile, Black Jack was sitting on a bench in a park reading another newspaper and it’s saying the same news he read during the previous time. Only this time, the number of scared children was growing. He began noticing that there aren’t many people in the streets. He also spotted a couple of familiar faces he met in a tavern the other day.

Black Jack started to get suspicious about the whole situation, so he got on his motorbike and drove around Rustboro city to investigate.

After school, Cassandra immediately set off to investigate. Her first plan was to visit her classmates that didn’t come to school. During her investigations at her classmates’, they wouldn’t tell her anything in case in case they may get hurt again, but they warned her not to go into the streets.

Cassandra’s first plan of investigation didn’t work. “Drat!” she first thought. “But wait. The streets! If I hang around here, someone is bound to found me. Then I’ll prove everyone wrong!”

That night, Cassandra stood in front of the shadows of an alleyway. Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her from behind and pulled her into the alleyway. Cassandra tried to scream but her mouth was covered.

Meanwhile, Black Jack rode around Rustboro city all day for clues about why the streets were becoming almost empty. He was getting more impatient and more suspicious. He stopped his bike, thinking where to go next. Suddenly he heard a scream. He had a suspicion that that scream belonged to Cassandra. He rode his bike to that location.

Back at Cassandra’s location, Cassandra was scared stiff on her own two feet, while her Gardevoir was getting battered and bruised. On the other side of the alleyway was nothing but shadows.

“Snaesel! Fury Cutter now!” commanded a man with croaky and nasty voice. He was standing behind the shadows.

Cassandra was too scared to give another command. Snaesel dashed out of the shadows and used Fury Cutter on Gardevoir’s face. After seeing that, Cassandra became shocked.

Gardevoir covered her face with both her paws, whimpering in pain. Cassandra ran to Gardevoir, knowing that she lost.

“Gardevoir…” Cassandra said with a quivering voice.

“That’s right!” the man taunted. “Run to your pitiful creature while you admit defeat!”

Gardevoir showed her face to Cassandra and it turned out that she was bleeding! “Gardevoir!” Cassandra cried. She grabbed a handkerchief from her pocket and placed it on Gardevoir’s face.

“Did you really think that you can become the ultimate Pokemon master?” the man asked. “I didn’t think so, since there are no other masters but the members of Team Rocket and the Rocket Revengers!”

“That includes me as well, right?” asked a deep and familiar voice. It turned out it was Black Jack as he came into the dark alleyway. “I guess not, since I left Team Rocket ages ago!”

“You? You used to be a member of Team Rocket?” Cassandra asked “How…?”

“Long story, and I have my reasons why I left,” Black Jack replied. Then he turned his attentions to the shadows that hide the mysterious trainer.

“Spill! Who are you?” Black Jack demanded.

“They call me Stalker, one of the Rocket Revengers!” the man replied as he walked out of the shadows. He had punk like clothes and spiky hair and had tattoos on his face, arms and all. “And I know who you are! You’re the man that beaten up the Rocket Revengers. How dare you lay a finger on them!”

“Self-defence! They were coming on to me!”

“We have the right! The Rocket Revengers can do what we want, when we want! Since you hurt us, you’re gonna pay! And I’ll have the honour of dismantling you and your pokemon.”

“Is that a challenge? Cos I just heard a ding in my ears, saying that it’s time to smash some heads, mainly yours.”

“You will suffer like that little girl did! Snaesel!”

Snaesel leapt out of the shadows as he prepares himself for battle. Black Jack took a pokeball from his belt. “Go! Blaziken!”

Blaziken popped out of his pokeball. Black Jack studied the type advantages of both Snaesel and Blaziken. “Snaesel has both Ice and Dark types, while Blaziken has Fire and Fighting type,” Black Jack thought to himself. “That means Snaesel wouldn’t stand a chance. And I can guess what Stalker’s strategy is.”

Stalker yelled out his first command. “Snaesel, jump into the shadows!”

Snaesel did as what he was told as he jumped into the shadows. Blaziken and Black Jack confidently stood their ground.

“So, Black Jack! Scared already?” Stalker taunted.

“I wouldn’t say scared, Stalker. I’m just looking forward to something,” Black Jack replied while still smiling confidently.

“Hahaha! You can only forward to your defeat! I can feel that inside you that you’re afraid of the dark!”

“I’m thinking quite the opposite, Boogerman.”

“Boogerman? No one calls me that!”

“Why not? It suits you since your gang pick on young kids in the dark, I bet that you guys couldn’t face a harmless kid face-to-face!”

“You’re talking nonsense!”

“Humph! Whatever you like my theory or not, we’re in a middle of a battle. So shout out you’re next command. That is, if you’re not scared.”

“What is Black Jack up to?” Cassandra asked to herself.

“He’s using Stalker’s strategy against him,” Seed replied as he walked into the scene. “I hope you’re learning something from him.”

“Me? Scared?” Stalker thought. “I do know that most of Snaesel’s attacks are weak against Blaziken’s defence stats, but I’m using a strategy that no one can defeat!”

“Snaesel!” he shouted. “Jump Kick attack now!”

Black Jack and Blaziken’s eyes moved slightly to the left, where the shadows are and both of them nodded slightly. Snaesel leaped out the shadows and tried to leap kick Blaziken on the side of the face, but missed when Blaziken leaned his head backwards easily.

“What?” Stalker shouted shockingly. “How can this be?”

“I knew that you would get Snaesel to hide in the shadows,” Black Jack replied. “Punk kids like you always jump on another guy from behind.”

Stalker growled with frustration. “I’m gonna knock you out!” he shouted.

“Fine,” Black Jack confidently replied. He and Blaziken looked at each other and they both nodded. “How about this then. I’ll give you up to five commands and Blaziken will not fight back.”

“What is he planning?” Stalker thought. “Is he trying to insult me again?”

“What’s it going to be?” Black Jack asked.

“Fine, but my first three will beat your Blaziken and you,” Stalker replied. “Snaesel! Double Team!”

Soon, there were multiples of Snaesel surrounding Blaziken. “Four commands to go,” Black Jack warned.

Stalker’s sweat was beginning to show. “Snaesel! Barrier!”

Snaesel created a shield around the multiples of himself. Stalker knows that using Barrier would raise the defence stats of his Snaesel. “Three commands left,” Black Jack warned. “Three more attacks until Blaziken rip your Snaesel apart.”

“Impossible!” Stalker thought. “Black Jack should’ve been scared stiff by now! Why is he so confident? I must beat this guy!”

“Snaesel! Slash attack now!” Stalker commanded.

Snaesel leapt forward to give Blaziken a Slash attack, but Blaziken dodged out of the way. Snaesel lost his balance in mid-air and landed on his front body. Snaesel struggled to get to his feet. “Two attacks left,” Black Jack warned. “And you said it’ll only take three attacks to take Blaziken down.”

Stalker growled with frustration again. “I’ll get Snaesel to boost up his defence again, just in case,” he thought “Blaziken wouldn’t have the strength to break through Snaesel’s barrier.”

“Snaesel!” Stalker shouted. “Use your barrier again.”

“Again?” Black Jack asked.

Snaesel boosted up his defence stats again.

“Now!” Stalker shouted. “Slash attack!”

Snaesel leaped into the air. “You’re five commands are up!” Black Jack shouted. “Blaziken! Detect and Counter!”

Blaziken raised his paw and grabbed Snaesel’s claw before it reached him. Blaziken then threw Snaesel away. He landed on his back. While he struggled to his feet, Stalker had a shocked look on his face, as he couldn’t believe that all that five commands gave him nothing but more frustration.

“Blaziken! Brick Break!” Black Jack commanded.

Blaziken was too quick for Stalker and Snaesel to respond as he ran at Snaesel to smash through the barriers that Snaesel created, giving damage to him also. Snaesel struggled to get to his feet again.

As he lifted up his head, he saw Blaziken giving him a Blaze Kick in the face, knocking him out.

“Does this mean…?” Cassandra asked.

“Yes, Black Jack won,” Seed replied.

Black Jack gave a small confident laugh. “And I only took you down in three commands.”

Stalker angrily looked at Black Jack. “I… I’ll kill you!”

Stalker took out a knife out his pocket and charged at Black Jack. Stalker swiped his knife around at Black Jack but kept on missing. Black Jack grabbed him and threw him at the nearby trashcans. He walked over to Stalker and lifted him by the collar of his shirt.

“If I hear that you pick on those little kids again… I’ll be back to get you,” Black Jack nastily warned as he dropped Stalker down.

Black Jack walked over to Cassandra. “Want me to take you home?” he asked. “Your parents are waiting.”

Cassandra nodded, feeling a little ashamed for herself. “Okay,” she said. “But first, I have to put Gardevoir in the pokemon center.”

As they drove back to Cassandra’s house, Cassandra got off Black Jack’s bike. “Black Jack, can I ask you something?” She asked.

“Sure, kid,” Black Jack replied.

“Do you think that I’m a loser?”

“Yep, everyone loses at some level.”

“You as well?”

“Nope. Not ever.”

Black Jack was about to leave with his motorcycle, but Cassandra stopped him. “Black Jack! Wait!” Cassandra called. “Thanks for helping me out back there.”

“No problem, kid.”

“But because of what happened from our battle, it didn’t come out right for either of us.”

“True, kid.”

“When we battle each other again, we’ll fight to our strongest. Deal?”

Black Jack laughed a little and replied. “Deal.”

There was no need to shake hands, as they knew that they would face each other in future. “She better improve,” Black Jack thought to himself. “Or else, there would be hell to pay.”