****************** Pokemon, Asylum of the Damned Chapter XXIV Saga VI- Team Rocket Saga Chapter IV- Team Rocket's Plan ****************** The old woman finally opened her eyes after hours of sitting silently, and spoke. "I saw it," She said. "Gar?" Her confused Gengar asked from across the dark room in which they sat. "Yes, it definitely was him," she replied. "Gar? Gen?" "No mistaking it. It was him this time." "Gar!? Gengar!?" "Yes, I did see his death." "Gengar! Gengar gen?" "You're right. If we don't act fast, it may be too late..." ************* Tom had finished drying off his hair. The wide, blonde-dyed streak that ran lengthwise down his blackish-brown hair fit almost perfectly with his long trench coat. Sabre had suggested that Tom disguise himself, so that he could walk away from the Rockets unscathed after he and Sabre dismantled them. After that, Tom would re-dye his blonde strip of hair black again. "You done yet, Tom?" Sabre asked through the doorway of the motel in which they temporarily resided. Tom put down the towel back onto the sink. "Yeah," Tom replied. "Ready to crack some Rocket skulls?" "Tom, we're just arresting them," Sabre said. "Aw, that's no fun," Tom complained. "Fine, I'll just help arrest them." "Good," said Sabre, "now call out your Pokemon. We've got to brief them." Tom had let out his five Pokemon he had with him: Machamp, Kangaskhan, Doduo, Quilava, and Pinsir. Now, all Tom and Sabre had to do was explain to his Pokemon just what their strategy was to infiltrate the Rocket's hideout. Halfway through his explanation, Quilava and Doduo perked up. "Quil?" "Caaaaaaaww?" the two Pokemon asked, as if they were confused. Porygon looked to Tom. "They as-k wh-at Tea-m Ro-cke-t is." Porygon said, translating the two Pokemon. Tom knelt down to his Pokemon. "Team Rocket is, well, a group of criminals that use Pokemon to do their dirty work for them." Quilava and Doduo stepped back, in shock of what they heard. "Lava!" Quilava growled, obviously not liking Team Rocket's policies. Doduo's black eyes narrowed, seemingly as angered as Quilava. Tom's other Pokemon were in shock too. Quilava grumbled some inaudible growls, as did Doduo. And just then, the two Pokemon were surrounded with a bright glow. When the glow subsided, standing in front of Tom and Sabre were a Typhlosion and Dodrio. Tom was amazed at his Pokemon's sudden evolution. "Didn't you know?" Sabre asked, sensing Tom's astonishment, "Sometimes anger is a trigger to evolution in Pokemon, that is if they're on the right level," Sabre said, glancing at Tom. "I'd be pretty pissed too if someone was using me for money." ************** The black-clothed man held a small computer chip in his white-gloved hand. "Hey, what's that chief?" another similarly dressed man asked him, sitting on some crates in the room in which they rested. "This," replied the chief, "is a Porygon Upgrade." "Whaddaya need that for?" a slender man, also dressed in black, asked, sitting beside the first man. "This is a pirated Porygon Upgrade," the chief replied, annoyed at his underling's incompetence. "When this chip is inserted in a Porygon, the Porygon will 'evolve' into a Porygon Two." The chief explained. "But with this pirated Upgrade, whenever a Porygon 'evolves' with it, it will be directly under our control. Brilliant scheme, isn't it?" The other two men nodded in agreement. These three were obviously part of Team Rocket. "Of course," the chief Rocket said. "This kind of chip is still experimental, so it may or may not work," he mused. Suddenly, a loud screech filled the room. The chief Rocket stood up, and walked towards a large, steel cage. Inside the cage, a Skarmory perched, crunched for space, squawking it's her head off. The Rocket sharply punched the cage, rocking the metal-like bird. "Shut up!" the Rocket cussed. The Skarmory reluctantly shut her beak. Just then, a whining of other cries could be heard. "Don't you start now!" the Rocket hissed, directing his voice over towards a row of other cages, all containing different Pokemon. A Swinub, a Donphan, a Yanma, a Delibird and a Primeape were occupying the prisons, a Mantine and Tentacruel floated listlessly in a large, sealed aquarium. "When the truck comes, you are all going to make us a pile of money." The Rocket gloated, taunting the Pokemon. Just then, the boarded-up door to their hideout broke off its hinges, and flew right in front of them. "What the hell?" one Rocket exclaimed. In the doorway was Tom's Machamp, who had stepped through already, and faced the Rockets. After him came the rest of Tom's Pokemon, all ready to do battle. Tom and Sabre finally stepped through the doorway. One of the Rockets pulled out a gun, and aimed it at Tom and his Pokemon. Typhlosion promptly fired a Flamethrower at the gun-toting Rocket, scorching his hand. The rocket cried out in agony, dropping his gun, trying to soothe his burned hand. "You again?" The chief rocket said to Sabre. Sabre nodded. "This time, Vincenzo, I'm taking you out for good. No bail like last time," Sabre threatened. Then, Vincenzo seized a small pouch from his belt, and emptied its contents onto the floor, which were six Pokeballs. Instantly, the balls opened, and six Pokemon emerged, three of which neither Tom nor Sabre recognized. Tom knew the Muk, Golbat and Raticate immediately, but had never seen the other three. Tom pulled out his Pokedex, and aimed it at the first unknown Pokemon "Magcargo, the Lava Pokemon, the evolved form of Slugma." Tom's Pokedex said. "Using its heavy rock shell, Magcargo can deliver a devastating Body Slam. Its body is seemingly covered in a red-hot lava-like substance, letting it use fire attacks with deadly force." "Forrestess, the Bagworm Pokemon, the evolved form of Pineco." The Pokedex said, referring to the second Pokemon "Forrestess' shell is as hard as sheet steel, providing much protection for it's soft inner body. It will sometimes brutally ram opponents with its massive shell, it's Double-Edge attack." "Marowak, the Bonekeeper Pokemon, the evolved form of Cubone." The Pokedex said, referring to the last Pokemon "Marowak and Cubone are the only Pokemon who have two skulls- one internal skull to protect the brain, one layer of skin, and an external skull over that skin, providing extra- protection. Also, they are born with a bone separate to their bodies, and use this as a weapon. After much debate in previous years, the bone was eventually allowed to be used in Pokemon battles. Marowak uses it's bone skillfully in battles, and will sometimes throw the bone at it's opponent, it's signature Bonemerang attack." Tom put his Pokedex inside his jacket pocket again. Knowing that Steel- types have a weakness to fire attacks, Tom looked at Quilava. "Quilava, use a Flamethrower on that Forresstess!" Vincenzo looked at his Golbat. "Golbat, use a Bite attack on that Kangaskhan!" Typhlosion scorched the Forrestess with the Flamethrower, knocking the Pokemon out cold. The Golbat however sped towards Kangaskhan, and took a deep bite at Kangaskhan's neck. Kangaskhan yelped in pain, trying to swat the Golbat off his neck. And within a heartbeat, Tom and Vincenzo's Pokemon dove towards each other, and the melee began. Sabre could tell this fight was going nowhere. Sabre then pulled a Pokeball out from her jacket, and opened it up. Standing before Tom and Sabre was a Golem. Sabre turned to Tom and said "You better take cover Tom!" Tom and Sabre dove behind some crates, just as Sabre's Golem used the Explosion technique. The room was filled with flying debris and an ear-shattering boom. When the explosion was over, all of Vincenzo's Pokemon were knocked out cold. Machamp, Pinsir, Porygon, Kangaskhan, Typhlosion and Dodrio lay in shambles, woozy from the Golem's Explosion. Golem was on his back; the massive Explosion was too much for him, his body fainted and gray. "Now for Vincen..." Sabre began, when she noticed Vincenzo was gone. Sabre sighed, and zapped her Golem inside his Pokeball. Tom put his Pokemon back inside their Pokeballs, and walked towards Porygon. "C'mon, Porygon." Tom said, helping his Pokemon righten itself up. "Let's go." Just as Tom and Sabre were leaving the wasted hideout, a high-pitched screech filled the air. It was the Skarmory again, as well as the other Pokemon who were still imprisoned in their cages. Tom hurried over to them, and smashed the locks with some debris lying on the ground. The Pokemon hopped out of their cages. Tom, Sabre and Porygon lifted the lid to the Aquarium to where the Tentacruel and Mantine floated. The Tentacruel slid its long tentacles out of the aquarium, and stood on the ground. The Mantine joyfully splashed about in the water. "These are pretty good Pokemon," Tom thought. "They'd make good fighters." Then Tom said to the stray Pokemon "Hey, do you want to come along with me?" Porygon drove beside Tom. The Pokemon looked at each other, and chatted their own languages. Then, the Primeape looked at Tom and shrugged. "Su-re. We-'ve go-t no-thi-ng el-se to do," Porygon translated. Tom joyfully plucked the few remaining Pokeballs off of his belt, and opened them up. The Primeape, Mantine, Tentacruel, Swinub, Donphan and Skarmory all leapt into a Pokeball each, which promptly disappeared, teleported to the professor in Ionica. ********** "And you say you were beaten by some young punks?" The Rocket asked Vincenzo, in a small office. Vincenzo slowly nodded. The second female Rocket stood up. "Looks like we have another job, Larry," She sighed. -End...? **********************