After two days of travel down route 32 and 33 and battling trainers though Union Cave the duo arrived at the last stretch of Route 33. Which was right outside Azalea Town, the second town on the trip to enter the pokemon league. Sadly, it was raining cats and dogs.

“Ew, it’s raining.” Nick unzipped his coat and used it to cover his head.

“At least the crops are gonna get watered…” Kairi mumbled, using a single hand to keep the falling water out of her eyes.

“We’re too far from New Bark right now, so I doubt this rain would reach them.”

“That’s disapointin’ partner. Ma and Terra just don’t get a break often enough from watering crops and the field is so huge!”

“They’ll be fine Kairi.”

“Of course…” The blond stopped walking for a moment. She glanced around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. How odd. She was sure someone was there. Maybe it was all in her head? She shrugged it aside and rushed ahead to catch up with Nick.

The two passed a stone well on their way into town. Standing before the entrance was a man dressed in familiar black uniform. Kairi frowned. Another one of those ‘Rockets’? What were these Rockets. This man sure didn’t look like a space ship. That didn’t make a whole a lot of sense…

The pair strolled into the town, for some reason, there seemed to be a heavy and said air, something not caused by the rain. pokemon center. They took a spot in line after another trainer. Kairi made an annoyed face and pouted.

“Nick,” He perked up, glancing over to his friend. “what is a 'Team Rocket’?” Nurse Joy dropped the pokeballs she was handling and the trainer in front of the pair flinched. Nick looked at his friend incredulously.

“Are you kidding me Kairi…?” she quizzically tilted her head.

“Sorry. I’m not jokin’ partner.”

“Kairi, Team Rocket is a villainous organization that capture, sell, harm and even kill pokemon!”

“What? Why would anyone do that?”

“Because they’re crazy and power hungry! That’s why!” he exclaimed. He placed his face in his hands and shook his head. “How could you not know this?”

“We had to sell our radio a few years back 'cause we were doing poorly on the farm… after we got profits up Ma never got the chance to go buy a new one…” Kairi cursed herself. “Dang it! I should of got one when we went to Olivine a couple of years ago.” the pair noticed the trainer before them quickly running off as soon as they got their pokemon. Kairi and Nick placed their pokemon on the counter. The jittery nurse quickly collected the pokemon and took them to the healing device.

“You wouldn’t of even heard of them to years ago, you would of heard all about Team Rune. They’re just as bad as Team Rocket… They were causing all kinds of trouble in Kanto two years ago. Lucky Simon didn’t get involved in any of that mess when he visited his friend.”

“I’ll say! I think I’ll have to report this!” Kairi suddenly exclaimed, looking serious as she could be. With an overbite it could be complicated at times.

“Report 'this’? What is this?”

“Those Rocket jerks were the ones that got all the pokemon in a tizzy yesterday at Violet City!”

“How would you even know that?!”

“They cornered me.”

“Wha…what?!” Nick sputtered. “You’re not hurt? They didn’t hurt you did they?!”

“Nope, Simon helped me out.”

There were times Nick was utterly shocked by badly Kairi lacked important knowledge. This was one of those moments. How the heck could anyone forget who Team Rocket was? Sure, they were thought to disbanded seven or so years ago, but that’s no reason to not know about them at all!

—

“Okay Nick,” Kairi suddenly exclaimed throwing an arm in the air. “Go fight the gym leader and I’ll go collect supplies since we’re running low!” she tightened her arm around the egg case and rushed off to the blue roof building.

Nick sighed. He really hoped she wouldn’t run off and do something dumb while he was gone. But then again it was Kairi and she was a girl of adventure.

Nick took the southbound path to the gym. He took a deep breath and pulled on the handle. The door did not open. He pulled again but the door refused to open. It was locked.

“Oh c'mon…!” he banged his fist on the one way glass door with irritation. “I can’t believe this…” the brunette sulked a little longer until a hand gripped his shoulder. At first he thought it was Kairi but this hand was too big to be hers. It squeezed his shoulder, making him jump.

“Hello Nick Sakati,” said a smooth and smug voice. The worst [?] thing about this was that he could recognize it. It was Black. What the heck was this guy doing here? An asshole like him should be on the run from the cops after the things he did in New Bark.

“How do you know my name…?” his voice shook slightly. He never did introduce himself, maybe he overheard his first name when talking to Kairi but he never once mentioned his last name. The hand on his shoulder moved to the back of his neck, giving it a rough squeeze, keeping him in place. Nick winced. The older redhead grinned, leaning closely to Nick’s ear.

“I come bearing you a one time offer Nick.”

“I don’t want it.” Black grabbed Nick by his shoulder once more, roughly grabbing and throwing him against the door with a thud. Nick let out a small grunt. Black leaned in close to his face, leering angrily.

“Oh come on, I haven’t even told you it yet.”

“I don’t want it,” Nick repeated under that angry gaze. “I don’t want anything associated with a creep like you.”

“A creep you say?” Black took a step back with a scowl. “I can guaranteed you’ll regret this.”

“I’ll bet you I wont.” Nick sneered, pushing Black away from him. The older male glared, brushing past Nick. The brunette was about to walk off when he felt a sharp slap to his behind. He let out an undignified yelp. He whipped his head, looked over his shoulder with a shocked look and a red face. Black sent him a perverse and yet smug look before disappearing from sight.

“He…he just…” Nick hurried away. He passed a small hut just as an angry old man rushed past him, ranting about Team Rocket. A little girl followed after the man before falling on her face and bursting into tears. Nick pushed aside his embarrassment and approached the girl, trying to calm her down.

At that moment Kairi exited the store with an armful of fresh and new supplies. Various bottles of healing potions, an escape rope and even a few pieces of stationary. She smiled contently when an angry old man stormed passed her, angrily waving his fist.

“Um, sir? Is everything okay?” the man continued on his way. Worried that he didn’t hear her she followed out to the well. Much to her shock the old man easily lifted the man dressed in black in front of the well and threw him aside and climbed down the well’s old ladder. Kairi wasn’t sure what to do now. The old man was strong and able, but still old. Was she to pursue or stay here? The answer became obvious as she heard what sounded like a scream of obscene words.

She clamored down the ladder to find the old man on his back.

“Uhm. Sir?”

“Damn it all! I threw out my back!”

“That’s terrible, I’ll go get help.” She made it up only one step before the man screamed at her.

“You cannot leave! I refuse to let that happen! You have to go save the Slowpoke in my steed!”

“I haveta what?”

“The Slowpoke! Those damned Rockets stole all our Slowpokes and are chopping off their tails for snacks! Snacks! Cruelty of the cruelest cruel!”

“That’s awful! Okay, I’ll go help the Slowpokes!!” Kairi pulled a pokeball from her bag and rushed into the next cavern. With a battle cry Kairi unleashed Philip. The Chikorita pelted a not so unsuspecting Rocket with sharp leaves, knocking back it’s Rattata. Philip threw it’s weight into the following tackle knocking the pokemon out before it could strike. Kairi herself then punched the Rocket in the face, busting his lip and leaving a bruise.

It was fairly obvious the noise she was making was not going unnoticed. A female grunt soon arrived on the scene. She ordered her Zubat to use supersonic, confusing Philip. The poor grass type ended up walking into a near by rock. Kairi swapped her starter for Fluffy. The small sheep puffed up it’s wool and made it spark to look menacing. She fired a thunderbolt attack, charring the bat and instantly knocking it out.

“Why you little…!”

“Ya keep yer mouth quiet rude lady!” Kairi instructed fluffy to rub it’s body against the Ekans. The pokemon’s static ability made it grow stiff. Now with her enemy paralyzed Kairi sent Mittens into the battlefield and with a wave of her arm the cow curled into a ball and ran over the snake, knocking it out. Kairi yelled once more, punching the female grunt in her stomach. The woman keeled over, groaning in pain.

The blond made her way to the last section of the well and was met with a ghastly sight. Various tables covered in blood and bloodied chopping bladed, poor innocent Slowpokes trapped in cages and giant piles of chopped off Slowpoke tails.

Only one man remained. An older male with green hair who sported a bored look on his face. He glanced up and blinked a moment before frowning.

“What? What are you doing here?”

“I’m gonna beat ya up! What ya doing is wrong!”

“If you really intend to interfere with our work don’t expect any mercy.” The man grumbled, running a white gloved finger across the bloodied knife in his hand. He nodded to his Koffing. The pokemon floated forward, ready to fight.

Kairi swung her arm, making the usual motion for a rollout attack but she made it in the direction of a rock. Mittens understood the intention and nodded. She rolled into a ball and steered her way in the direction of the rock, bouncing off it she made a direct hit on the Koffing, knocking it out. The green haired man looked up, surprised his pokemon was knocked out.

“Well then. This was not expected. I’ll have to say I’m surprised. But, a girl like you is just a tiny obstacle, hardly a roadblock on our mission. I’d advice you to be afraid of what’s coming to you.” the man’s Koffing suddenly rose up, expelling a thick cloud of smoke from it’s body. Once it faded, all of Team Rocket’s members, human and pokemon alike were gone. She sighed, she opened the Slowpoke’s unlocked cage and slowly, one by one, Slowpokes climbed out of the cage, making their way to the cave’s entrance.

Suddenly, there was a rocking coming from the egg. She pulled the egg from her bag with worry. Oh jeez. What happened? Did it break or something? The egg suddenly began to glow, Kairi winced at the bright light in the darkness. From the egg came a little, egg-like Pokémon much to Kairi’s surprise. The Pokémon had tiny spikes on his head and its body was very similar to the egg it hatched from. Its little hands and feet were wiggling about as it let out a cheerful cry. Kairi’s eyes sparkled. She lifted the baby above her head with a wide grin.

“Aw! Yer so cute! I think I’ll name ya Apollo!” the baby cried out, waving it’s stubby arms in glee.