No copyright infringement intended. I only claim my OC.
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Cat woke up Ditto extra early that morning while Sam was still sleeping peacefully. Ditto growled at her at first but she really wanted to go fight and she couldn't go alone. Ditto lazily transformed into an Eevee and she teleported them out of the building and to the city.
Cat ran around excitedly, stretching before bounding into the tall grass, but Ditto just sat down wearily. It was still exhausted from everything yesterday and didn't have near the energy to play.
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Meanwhile:
Patrick was tired of being outside the loop. He'd betrayed the Guild because he wanted power over an army of people, not so he could be in the same position he was always in. Plus, Sam was a friend. Maybe not the best but if they were targeting Sam, he wanted to know why. He pulled a grunt that he knew was on the mission aside roughly.
"What is your mission, grunt?" Patrick asked.
The grunt looked at the clearly irritated officer with fear. "I-I am to collect a certain object of importance should it become available." He knew he sounded stupid but he wasn't sure how much he was supposed to tell the administrator.
"And just what is this 'object'. I want to know all the details of your mission."
The grunt gulped nervously. "Umm... We're supposed to take the Ditto from the thief at any cost. If killing him is possible, we are to take him out. But Proton said that he would take care of it."
"Proton?"
"Yessir." The grunt shrunk away meekly. The Admin looked shocked and the terrified grunt took that moment to run away.
If it's Proton... Sam will die for sure...
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Ditto watched sleepily as Cat ran around fighting enemies south of town. Cat was in her happy element; she loved the thrill in battling. Finally tired, she motioned for Ditto that it was time to go. Lazily, Ditto stood up and started following her. The Pokemon Center wasn't far, but before they could get there, the purple guy that she trapped before came walking down the street.
"Ditto! Ditto, lookit! Itsa dat guy! 'E's a friend of Maester's!" Ditto gave her lazy look and then laid down on the street and yawned. Cat ran up the man happily, but stopped short. There was a darkness to his face that she didn't like. Cautiously she started backing up, searching his thoughts for his intentions but found nothing.
He pulled out three Pokeballs and released two small purple rocks and one big one.
"Poison them," was all the man said as he pulled a mask over his face. An ugly gas started seeping from the rocks and as Cat breathed it in, she felt to toxins weaken her immediately. She managed a weak fire punch on one of the rocks before she felt herself losing consciousness. As she collapsed, she saw Ditto already laying still.
Patrick approached them, pulled out an empty Pokeball, and captured Ditto with it. He looked at the Abra on the ground. She'd remembered him from Celadon and had thought him a friend. He recalled his Koffing and Weezing bitterly and stormed away. Deep inside his craven heart was a pang of guilt- the first whispering of his conscience.
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Sam woke up to someone prodding his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked at Scyther slightly confused. The Scyther looked at the floor, when it looked at him again, its face was grim.
"What?" Sam got up and looked around the room. Cat and Ditto were missing. "How long have they been gone?" He pulled on his shoes quickly, leaving his hat and vest where they lay. They ran out the door there was a gate heading East which made sense for them to go to since it was closer. He wandered the route calling for them as Scyther searched high and low. Finally, Sam asked the trainers there if they'd seen them. They said no.
Trying not to let himself get too worked up, Sam walked back into Saffron. "Where in the world did they go?" Scyther was getting restless as well. Would they have gone West? To Celadon? Or south?
He stood in the middle of the street indecisively. Scyther looked at the ground in shame.
Sam smiled, the old warrior had really taken to the pair. "Its not your fault. Those two are terrible at listening." Scyther looked up and let its breath out in a sigh. "Let's go find those two. The couldn't have gone far. I'm thinking West next." Scyther nodded they both started walking towards the western route.
It was another hour of searching high and low and, despite himself, Sam was almost sick with worry now. Something about this was just nagging at him and Scyther seemed to feel the same. With every minute that passed, the search became more and more frantic and desperate.
"Maybe they've teleported back home now... We could be freaking out for nothing...." Sam said as he laughed nervously. Scyther ran top speed back to the safe house leaving Sam alone. Tired and restless at the same time, Sam paced along the sidewalk.
"Sam! There you are-" Riley came around the sidewalk at a near run and stopped abruptly after looking at Sam. "Are you okay?"
"Yes... No... Maybe?" Sam sighed.
"What happened?"
"Ditto and Cat are missing. Apparently they like to teleport away and go train at night, but they're always back before I wake up. They've been missing for almost two hours now."
"I'll help you look," Riley offered.
Sam managed a weak smile. Then Scyther reappeared with a whirlwind. It looked at Sam and shook its head. The two exchanged worried glances.
"They must be to the South then. It's the only place we haven't looked."
Riley followed as Sam took off with more energy than he probably had. Suddenly, when they reached the corner Sam just stopped for a second, his eyes widened and then he took off. "Cat?"
Riley got there in time to see Sam reach the small Pokemon laying in the street. He picked it up and brushed past Riley to the Pokemon Center. The nurse took the Abra and handed her to a bunch of other nurses.
"You'll just have to wait a few minutes sir. Your Pokemon will be right as rain!"
"Thank you." Having found Cat, however bad a state, there was a small amount of relief in his voice. "Riley can you-"
"Go find your Ditto. I'll stay here," Riley nodded. Sam smiled gratefully and left with Scyther. Riley sat in down in one of the chairs. Normally, he would have put business before anything else, but the only thing to do now was wait. Blue and Red had come in over night and stormed Silph Co. It was eleven floors of battles but Red was more than capable from what he heard.
More troubling though was what Team Rocket's grand scheme was. Years ago, Giovanni, Aidan Barbossa, and Blaine had attempted to create a Mew. The experiment failed and Mewtwo was born instead. After destroying Aidan's home and killing him in the process, Mewtwo had escaped. Ever since then, Mewtwo has been the number one cause for the death of a thief in the Guild.
According to Professor Oak's theory, the leader of Team Rocket was trying to create a Mew. It did make sense, they were getting Pokemon DNA from Kanto and Johto either by buying, stealing, or hunting Pokemon. Myth states that Mew is ancestor to all Pokemon but further research says that it could have only fathered the species of Pokemon in Kanto and possibly Johto since the regions are so close. All other Pokemon are typically attributed to Arceus or possibly Rayquaza. Another theory is that there is one Mew per region. The only thing researchers truly agree on is that every Pokemon in Kanto most likely came from one Mew.
"Sir? Your Pokemon is okay now. I suggest coming back here tomorrow, she's not quite fighting fit just yet," the nurse quipped from the counter. The slightly dazed Abra held its apparently aching head in her little hands.
"Okay, I'll tell her trainer that. Thank you," he said as he lifted the Pokemon up and set her on the ground. He gave the small creature a moment to collect her thoughts. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she tugged on his pants frantically.
"Don't worry! Sam is looking for Ditto, I'll take you to him," Riley told her, confused. She latched onto his hand as he walked. Once they reached the route and she saw Sam, she took off.
"Cat?" Sam turned around as she latched onto his leg. "Where's Ditto? I can't find him anywhere!"
Riley watched as Cat told Sam what happened telepathically. Sam's face had a confused look and then it turned to one of realization and shock. Slowly, he sat down and put his face in his hands. Cat put her ears down and looked at Scyther woefully. She rubbed her foot in the dirt and almost looked like she would cry until Sam reached out and rubbed her head.
"Its not your fault. Even I didn't see this coming," Sam said in a flat voice. He stood up and brushed himself off and he and Scyther exchanged equally cold, angry looks. The Scyther nodded and let out a fierce war cry.
"Come on, you need to go home now." Sam reached his hand out to little Cat and she took it. Sam walked past Riley without a word.
"Am I to assume that you'll be busy for the day?" Riley commented dryly.
"Yeah. Something like that," Sam returned.
"I'm calling the captains for a group meeting. I want you to be there too. Come into the Gym at 1 o'clock."
"Will do." Riley watched silently as Sam walked away. The normally bright pure aura coming of him was streaked with black and red, symbolizing revenge and hatred.
"How much longer before you let your hate consume you..." Riley asked softly to himself.
"Should I follow him?" Koga said from the shadows. Riley shook his head and then only heard the soft rustling of leaves as the ninja master disappeared.
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Two grunts were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"I'm telling you! He grabbed me and asked me what our mission was like he didn't know! As if Proton isn't scary enough! I-" the grunt stopped his complaining and stared. "Hey, isn't that Sam?"
The other grunt turned around and leaned close to his partner. "Hey, maybe if we knock him off, we can get a promotion! C'mon."
The two grunts swaggered towards Sam, believing him to be an easy match. As they got closer, Sam looked up and stared them both in the eyes. One of them was intimidated enough to pull out a Poke Ball. Just as he was going to open the Poke Ball, he felt a slight pinch and watched as his severed hand hit the ground. The grunt looked up into the blood-lusted eyes of the Scyther. The second backed away only to be grabbed by the collar and slammed into the building next to them.
He found himself face-to-face with a beyond angry trainer and a sharp dagger at his throat. Sam's brown eyes were burning with hatred. The grunt's eyes went wide with fear.
"Where is my Ditto?"
The grunt started trying to pull back some courage. this kid doesn't have power over me! "I- I don't have to tell you! I- I've heard about you, the 'Smiling Thief'! You won't kill me anyway, you aren't tough enough!" He laughed hysterically, slightly crazed with terror.
Sam's eyes narrowed then, suddenly, he smiled. "You're right. That is my one of my nicknames."
Scyther reached his blades past Sam and ripped a gash through the man's abdomen. Sam released the dead man with a look of disgust. He turned to the other one with another smile. "Would you like to tell everything you know?"
"Mercy... Mercy! I- I'll tell you anything you want!" the man sobbed.
"You're right, you will," Sam said happily as he grabbed the man by the collar. "Where is Ditto?"
"I- I don't know! Only the Boss knows that! I swear!"
"Then who is your boss?" Sam growled impatiently.
"We don't know his name! He only talks to the Executives!"
"Who are they? And don't tell me you don't know! I want names and descriptions!"
"Proton; a cruel man with mint green hair, Petrel; a tall guy with purple hair, Archer; a really uptight guy with teal hair, Ariana; a chic with short red hair and-"
As he spoke, a look of realization spread across Sam's face. "That's fine, you can stop there. Now, what do they want with my Ditto?"
"I- The Boss wants to create a Mew! He- he believes that if a Ditto has transformed into every Pokemon from Kanto, it'll evolve into a Mew! I- I don't know why he wanted yours! Now please, that's all I know! Just let me go!" the grunt begged.
Sam smiled at him almost gently. "You've been helpful to me, I'll grant you mercy."
The grunt started sobbing again. "Thank you, thank you! I promise I'll quit Team Rocket!"
Sam laughed cheerfully. "Oh, don't thank me yet!" Sam pulled the grunt a little closer to his face and spoke softly with a happy grin still on his face. "Mercy... Is a quick death. And it's more than you deserve."
The man's eyes widened as his head was cut from his body. Sam dropped the body with a flicker of disgust before continuing to walk on. The little Abra followed obediently, staring wide-eyed at the bloodied Scyther. Sam walked back to the safe house. Once Cat and Scyther were safely inside, he slammed the door. Cat flinched at his obvious anger.
Silently he walked over to the closet of the room and yanked open the doors revealing black and camo outfits and an array of different sharp daggers. Sam pulled one out and replaced his dull knife for the deadlier one.
"Scyther, time to teach me as much as possible."
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Blue stormed out of Silph Co. defeated once again by Red.
"That arrogant...! He doesn't even see me as a threat!" he fumed. Suddenly, someone grabbed hold of him and turned him around.
"You were in the Silph Co. building? Did you see their leader? Tell me who he is!" Sam fired at him.
Blue stared at his friend confused. "Yeah, I was inside..."
"Do you know who their leader is? I want his name!"
"I can't remember his name," Blue started. He saw anger flash in Sam's eyes and quickly continued. "But, he's tall with shaved black hair and sorta beady black eyes... and I guess he just looks like a villain. He's got this mean-looking Persian... Does that help you any?"
Sam's eyes widened as realization struck. "Giovanni?"
"Yeah, Yeah! That's his name!"
Sam finally let go of him. "Giovanni... I should have known."
"How do you know him?" Blue asked cautiously. He didn't know what happened but Sam was clearly pissed about something.
Sam turned to him. "He's the Gym Leader of Viridian City."
Blue gaped. "Seriously?... Aren't Gym Leaders supposed to role-models? Good people with background checks and everything?"
"No. Gym leaders aren't anything like that," Sam laughed dryly, "Tell you what Blue, beat the Elite Four and the Champion and you'll see what it really takes to be a Gym Leader."
"Okay... But what are we going to do about Giovanni?"
"You're not going to do anything. That's my job," Sam replied in a tone that brooked no-argument.
"I can't defeat the Elite Four without eight badges so whatever you plan to do, can it wait till after me and Red defeat him?" Blue inquired timidly.
Sam seemed a little torn as he glared at him silently. Then he finally nodded. "Make it quick. You have two days to beat him."
"That's plenty of time!" Blue grinned. Sam maintained his scowl and walked away without another word.
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Underneath the Saffron Gym, seven of the region's Gym Leaders were gathered, impatiently waiting for someone. Giovanni had said that he was too busy to attend so they knew they weren't waiting for him. The blue-trainer, who they decided to just call 'Thief,' was apparently in charge and most of the Gym Leaders weren't happy about it. Erika was sitting primly, sipping tea with the occasional flirtatious glance at Thief. Sabrina was standing with her ever-chilled aura coming off her. Misty and Brock were sitting together chatting light-heartedly on Sabrina's lavish couch. They were the only ones who seemed to enjoy the moment except for Blaine, who was sifting through Sabrina's collection of relics. Koga was perched on a chair like a gargoyle watching Lt. Surge like a hawk.
Feeling Koga's constant glare was starting to make Lt. Surge extremely uncomfortable. He shifted in his chair nervously. A quick glance at Koga revealed that he was still watching. Hoping to get away from Koga for even a moment, he stood up.
The moment he did, Thief looked at him coldly. "Sit down."
Lt. Surge froze, Thief's steely blue eyes were locked on him. "I just need to-"
"Sit."
Without further argument the lieutenant sat back down. Koga allowed himself a small smirk. He could see the small beads of sweat gathering on the big man's brow. Finally, the door opened to let in their final guest. Expecting some type of dramatic show from Sam, Koga was surprised when he simply closed the door and stood beside Thief.
"You're a little late," Thief commented.
"I was otherwise engaged in doing your job for you," Sam replied dryly.
Thief looked at him confused and then slowly nodded. "I see... I'll lay out on the table what I know and you can finish up with what you've learned."
"Fair enough." Sam shrugged.
Thief went into the general story quickly. Everyone listened intently and quietly. Koga watched Lt. Surge for awhile, amused by the expression of shocked realization as what he'd done sunk in. Then he turned his attention to Sam, who was still standing in silence. He watched Sam's jaw clench as and anger flash in his normally cheerful eyes when Thief started talking about Team Rocket's grand scheme: The creation of a mew.
"We have put together most of the puzzle now. We know that they are after a Mew. They recently constructed a factory and kidnapped some breeders from Hoenn. The Thief Lord believes that once they figure out the secret, they will mass produce the rare Pokemon. There's no telling what that could do to the environment and the balance of nature. It could very well be catastrophic." Thief paused letting everything sink in before continuing. "Their formula apparently includes a Ditto. They have been collecting them from the wild, trainers, and... Thieves." Sam flinched as Thief finished.
"Then we need to stop them from taking anymore Ditto, right?" Blaine inferred.
"Yes, focus on Ditto, but we need to thwart them anywhere we can. Stop them from taking anymore wild Pokemon as well as Pokemon from trainers. Now, I do believe that Sam has found the mole."
Sam looked at him cooly. "The mole and the leader of Team Rocket is Giovanni." Lt. Surge almost fell out of chair and everyone else was just as surprised by the statement. Sam continued, "Adriana, Arthur, Lance, and Patrick are also a part of Team Rocket. They are executives."
"So there were five moles all along..." Thief sighed.
"Doesn't matter anymore," Sam stated darkly. "Now there's only one question. What are we going to do about it?"
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AN: Such a lovely sentence to end with, no? It really makes you feel for the poor readers who had to wait a week to find out what happens next... You'll only have to wait till tomorrow.
Credits- My Beta was still MIA at this point... But- I went through this very carefully and I think I actually caught all my errors! :D
