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Woot, made the challenge! And 7012 words too! :D
All right, I'll admit, there's a lot of inconsistencies and grammar/spelling errors througout, so I'll be rewriting this and having the rewrite in a new thread one day. ^^; Another thing is this supposed "one shot" is not finished yet. In fact, by the time I finish this, I might make it into a three parter. :O
Nonetheless, hope you enjoy this story!
It is sin to steal. It is sin to murder. It is sin to be too prideful.
Redeeming yourself isn't easy, especially when you were part of Team Rocket. However, there is a barrier between those that wanted to undo their sins, and those that don't.
The Rocket Game Corner was a casino at the huge Celadon City. Inside were only the lucky and unlucky people could be distinguished. Next to the building was The Prize Corner, where people can exchange coins for prizes like TMs and Pokémon. Team Rocket was running the show and was doing a great job a it, considering many people, citizen and tourists alike, would come each day since its opening not long ago.
Inside the casino the slots came to life, people keep playing until they hit the jackpot. The gamblers with the coins would rush out to go to The Prize Corner next door. Not only that, for the older trainers drinks could be served at the bar.
Without anyone noticing, a young teenage grunt came inside holding a cage with a small blue serpentine creature moaning in sadness.
"Shut up you," Randy warned before hitting the cage. That made the Dratani quiet.
With a satisfied grin, Randy continued walking while whistling. He stopped at the far corner of the casino where there was a poster of a Nidorino and a Gengar battling one another. After carefully taking the pins from the bottom part of the poster out, he saw a red button and pushed it. The walls began sliding and there was another room to go inside. Randy did not hesitate to go inside and he immediately press another red button to close the secret room.
Inside the first floor of the hideout on the left there were office cubilices. Many grunts would work on the computer either surveying the people at the casino or other Team Rocket operations like how many Pokemon each grunt caught. Randy turned to the left to go the elevator.
"Draaaaaaaa," the dragon Pokemon moaned again.
"Once again, be quiet!" Randy hissed after pushing the up arrow. As soon as the elevator door was opened, the teenage grunt went inside and pushed the number three button.
Because the elevator ride was boring, Randy began thinking about his life as a Rocket just for the nostalgia.
Can't believe it has been over two years since I have been recruited.
Randy remembered being recruited after having one of his Pokémon beat up another one badly (that trainer said Randy's Qualiva would not be able to defeat his Charizard). When a Rocket Admin saw that, he said if he would like to join Team Rocket.
"Ain't I too young to join?" Randy asked.
"We recruit ten year olds," the Admin answered with a sly smile.
The Admin then went on to say if he joins the group, then he would be paid handsomely, get a place to stay, get a lot of Pokémon, and have a few adventures along the way. Nonetheless, he was sold. Randy always want to experience some thrills in his life.
After the elevator ride was over, Randy opened the door and went inside the office, seeing Giovanni staring at the window. The place itself was neat and clean, no papers scattered everywhere and the desk and shelves spotless.
"Here's another Pokémon I manage to get, Giovanni," Randy said while putting the Dratani on the desk.
Giovanni turned around and he stared at the dragon Pokémon on his desk. The Dratani's eyes lit up in fright and he squealed when he saw the curly haired man gave a wicked smile.
"Excellent work there, Randy. Only a year here and you already grown a lot since the beginning. Not only that, you're fifteen, too."
Randy felt his cheeks burned and he grinned. He never had been complimented before. "Thank you, sir."
Giovanni chuckled. "You're welcome." He took a quick look at the Dratani again, this time with a smirk. The Dratani squealed loudly once more. After turning around to Randy, he said, "Once more, you'll be paid a big bonus once more and you'll be given stronger Pokémon."
"Again, thank you," Randy said, grin wider.
"Now, there's one matter I want to discu—"
Giovanni was interrupted when the two heard a female's voice.
"Let me go!"
Both Giovanni and Randy turned around and saw a grunt holding a slender girl, her straight brown hair touching her shoulders. Randy thought the girl looked no older than ten, her huge blue eyes still have that youthful spark in them and her cheeks a rosy red.
"I found this brat Reba Sajack sneaking in our hideout, sir. Tried shooting her, but only got her leg. "
Randy looked down and saw indeed her right leg was bleeding. No emotion came out of his face though. He had seen too much blood already.
"Why didn't you just kill her like you supposed too?" Giovanni asked in a hissed tone, eyes narrowed in anger.
"I ran out of bullets," the grunt answered."Besides, I think you'll like to take care of her as we never had a trainer come here before. At the Sliph Company, yes, but not at the Game Corner."
Giovanni took a quick look at the girl and frown. Instead of being afraid like the Dratini (once more she screamed even though the leader did not look at her), the girl gave him a stern look.
"All right, then. You're dismissed. Remember to reload your gun, okay?"
"Right, Giovanni." The grunt nodded before he left the office.
"You're not going to get away with this!" the girl screamed before yelling in pain and holding her bloody leg.
"Oh really?" Giovanni laughed a loud and took out a gun from the pocket of his suit. The girl's eyes went wide and her mouth was wide open for any Catapie to slide inside too.
"What? You're not seriously going to kill a ten year old, are you?"
"I don't care if you're even a youngster, dear. No one messes with Team Rocket." He was about to pull the trigger, causing Reba to gasp, but he smirked. "Randy, would you do the honors?"
After Givovanni walked slowly to Randy and gave him the gun, the teenager felt his arms shaking.
Me killing someone?
This would be the first time he would kill somone (was never allowed too yet due to being recruited at fourteen and would have to wait another year until he could be train to use a firearm). This was nothing like stealing Pokémon and valuable items. He was about to take someone's life, and a young one too.
"Are you sure I'm ready for this?" Randy finally asked in a stutter after being silent for some time. " I know I'm of age where I can be train to use firearms now, but still."
"Your training starts now then," Giovnanni mused with a chuckle.
Randy stared at the gun for sometime before looking at the girl. He saw tears streaming down on her cheeks and she was taking deep breaths.
"Anything the matter?" Givovanni asked when seeing Randy was doing nothing.
Randy wondered if both the girl and Givoanni saw pity in his eyes. If they were able to see that, than they would know he had a weak side, and he would not want that to happen. Even he was not sure why he was feeling that way.
"Oh, sorry," he answered lazily. "Once more, I never killed anyone before."
Taking the opportunity to get out of the office, the girl tried to run, but the pain on her leg exploded and she fell down. Randy's eyes went wide when he heard crying. What went through his mind was that despite this girl ready to go out to the world, she was still a ten year old in deep pain, thanks to his team.
She still has a whole live ahead of her
This girl, still crying from her pain, could be a Pokemon champion, a Pokémon researcher, or whatever her heart desired. She has a whole life ahead of her, but he was about to stop it.
Why am I thinking this? So unlike me. I didn't care too much about stealing Pokemon, then why do I care about her?
When he glanced at Giovanni, the leader glared at him.
"Shoot her now!" he shouted, index finger pointing at her.
Randy's hands shook once more, but he took a deep breath and regain composure. The girl turned around and let out uneasy gasps.
I can't shoot her, I can't shoot her, I can't shoot her—
Giovanni's eyes began twitching and he clenched his fist. "NOW!"
—just do it NOW!
BAM!
Randy had pulled the trigger and shot the girl on the back of her neck, right in the middle. The Dratani closed his eyes and squealed, thought the teenage grunt would shoot her, too. Reba fell down with a hard thumb, luckily blood not spilled on the carpet. Giovanni looked at the dead body and turn around to give Randy a sly smile.
"See, it isn't so hard."
Randy looked at Reba. He should feel happy, having made his first kill. Team Rocket took pride in stopping anyone interfering with their plans. He does not feel that, though. The teenager took a quick glance at the Dratani, seeing a tear flowed down on the Pokemon's eyes.
"No, it isn't, sir," Randy replied back with no emotion. He tried to hide his true feelings from his boss, though.
"Good. Now, go to the Game Corner to grab one of the Abra and tell it to teleport you to a safe place where you can dump the body, presumably where there's a body of water."
"Yes, sir." The grunt brisk into a run and was about to open the door, but another thought came to mind, so he turned around to face Giovanni. "How about that Dratani?" The Pokémon's eyes went wide and she squealed when she heard her name.
The boss of Team Rocket chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll take care of her." The Dratani squealed even louder. She banged on the cage, trying to get out, but it was no use.
Randy nodded. He took one look at the Drataini, still banging on the cage, but he did not care. That dragon he stole was meant for Giovanni, so he had done his job. After that, he left the office.
Giovanni took one last glance at the dead body and smirked.
No other trainer can beat me.
***
Three months later…
"We have breaking news. The International found out from trainer Anne Patrick that as of today, Team Rocket is disbanding. Now we have on the phone the chief, Collet Velvet, to explain to us on this matter."
"Well Anne let us know once more she found Giovanni after defeating him for the Earth badge and that he went for a run. We weren't able to come on time and when we did the gym was in ruins and Anne was unconscious. She was rushed to the Pokémon Center and able to regain conscious a few hours after. "
"Can you give us information that she gave you?"
" Anne said she didn't expect Giovanni to be the leader because of mentions from the citizens that they do not know who their new gym leader is actually and that it has been closed down for sometime. She then said after winning the battle, Giovanni told her about him disbanding the team and wanting to train more, but had his Dugtrio used Earthquake and then the place went down."
"Does she have proof Giovanni is disbanding the team for good?"
"Yes we do. Anne has recorded everything he said in her Pokedex."
"I see. What's going to happen now?"
"I'm putting a full region wanted alert for Giovanni and any Team Rocket members. If anyone is able to find him and his grunts, let us know by calling the International Police."
***
Night fell at Cinnabar Island. Many market vendors and resorts were open to accommodate the tourist that enjoyed the nightlife. Adults enjoyed drinking alcohol while the children ran around the streets with Margikarp kites. Everything seemed peaceful unti…
"To the left!"
Despite taking very deep breathes, Randy Ellis kept running away from the two International Police agents. It was nighttime, but luckily the city was in lights, so he did not have a hard time in knowing where he was going. He bumped unto a few people, some screaming and cussing at him, but he was at a hurry.
Damn them knowing where I was!
They managed to find him in the Pokémon Mansion at Cinnabar Island. He thought it would be a good place to stay for a while as no one has entered the place for some time. Sure, there were some Pokémon roaming around, but that was it. Apparently someone found out the run down mansion was not abandoned after all, though.
Randy passed by a few more people, one he caused to put his face on his ice cream.
Why Giovanni has to be beaten by a ****ing ten year old?
When the news that Giovanni disbanded Team Rocket because of Anne came, all of the grunts were running away from any law enforcement watching them. Randy knew everyone was keeping a Pidgeot eye on him. So far it had been two weeks since he was on the run.
After passing some outside vendors, Randy turned around and still saw the agents chasing him. One of them grabbed a Pokémon from his trench coat and releasing his Weepinbell.
"Vinewhip!"
The flycatcher Pokémon let out a moan-like sound and a vine came out of his head, which grabbed the teenager by the leg. After falling down, Randy gritted his teeth. Without hesitation though, the young grunt toss a pokeball on the air and a Qualiva was let out.
"Clannad, Flamethrower!"
The fire mouse's flames burnt brightly and he let out a jet stream of flames onto the Weepinbell. Some people got out of the way to avoid being burned. The grass type screamed in agony, causing him to let go of Randy. He got up and chuckled before screaming another command.
"Now, Smokescreen!"
Smoke came out of Clannad's mouth and spread throughout the market square. When the agents and Weepinbell were engulfed by the smoke, they began coughing. Taking this opportunity, Randy continued moving, the Quailiva running behind.
***
Randy and his Pokémon managed to run all the way to the beach. Before the two reach the edge of the ocean, they sat down to catch their breaths. The young teenager turned around and smirked. At least the Smokscreen either made the agents lag behind or run to a new direction.
"Okay, Clannad, we're okay," Randy reassured before taking a few deep breaths. Clannad gave out a joyful yelp. The teenager looked at the vast ocean ahead of him. He did not care where he would head next, but wondered what sort of transportation he should use.
Should I take flight or go the ocean route?
If he chose to use the ocean, it would take longer and there would be a delay if he encounter any water Pokemon or swimmer around. If sky, it would make traveling much faster, but there would be someone that could spot him flying on a Skarmory. Then again, would they notice him as a Team Rocket grunt from afar?
Speaking of which…
The teenager looked at his long sleeved shirt with the red R printed on it. If he took both his shirt and cap off, no one would know. Insisting on doing that, Randy threw both his shirt and cap onto the ocean. When Clannad saw that, he gave a confused moan.
"It's just to hide my tracks. Come on, let's go!"
Randy grabbed a pokeball from his belt and released his Skarmory. The metal bird flapped his wings and cawed.
"Altair, take us east!
After the bird nodded, Randy picked up his Qualiva and the two were on Altair's back. Soon the dual steel-flying type flapped his wings rapidly and everyone was off.
***
Over the horizon the sun rose up in an orange and pink hue. Randy had been riding on Altair for the past few hours and the two had not rest yet. Clannad, on the other hand, rested peacefully on his trainer's arms. The teenager took a quick glance at the sparkling ocean, some Goldeen, Seadra, and even Mantee jumping out and coming back in. Randy smiled at first, but frown when a depressing thought came to mine.
Where does my life go from here now?
This was not the first time he asked himself that question. Right after he ran away, he thought if that was what he was going to do for the rest of his life—running away. Every time he would get the same answer—the law will catch up to him one day.
Not the life I want, I realize now Randy thought with a heavy sigh. He then heard his stomach growling and he sighed once more.
He would always be on the move. Every night Randy would sleep either in an abandoned building or outside on a bench. If he was hunger, he would either get it from the garbage or steal it as if he was a hungry Persian.
"Ska?" Altair asked when he took a quick glance at his trainer and saw that Randy was sad.
"It's just that I'm not sure what's going to happen to me know. I would love to have a second chance at life, but not sure how. It's like as if my life stops here, now."
The steel bird nodded in understanding. He had to take his trainer to a new place because he was on the run. Altair too was tired of keep escaping. Randy sighed when he heard his bird Pokémon cawed in disappointment, the train knew his Pokémon was not sure on what to say on the matter.
Hopefully Ho-Oh will give me a way to redeem himself
Redemption, that was all he wanted now at this point.
***
It was another hour or so and everyone was silent. When Randy saw the beaches of Fushia City though, he told Altair to land, which he had no problem with.
When Randy entered the city after a bit of walking, he took a deep breath and look around his surroundings. Fushia City may not be a very big city and most of the buildings small like the houses, but nonetheless there were some attractions trainers could look forward too. There were a few trainers going to the gym to challenge the new gym leader Janine (he heard how Koga just left a month ago to become an Elite Four member at Kanto). Even more trainers went to Safari Zone to catch some rare Pokemon. Not far from the Safari Zone was the Pokémon Zoo, where Pokémon like Chansey and Kagaskhan were put on display. Many people would go there too. After some time, Randy continued walking.
This place seems like a nice place to stay…
Seeing the trainers excited going inside the Safari Zone and getting out cheering they won their next badge made Randy let out a melancholic sigh. His life used to be like that until he was recruited into Team Rocket.
"Quail?" Clannad asked while titling his head.
Randy let out a small smile. "Remember when we came to the gym and beat Koga? Not only that, you evolved too?"
Clannad nodded and gave a joyful howl. The former grunt bent down and petted him (luckily the fire type's back did not burst into flames). He smiled at first, happy that his Pokémon was cheerful over that memory. Not long after though, he frown.
Where it all go wrong? Why I joined Team Rocket in the first place?
For some reason, each time he asked himself that question, no answer came up.
Clannad let out a mournful howl when he saw his trainer put his head down. He wanted to cheer him up somehow, but his howl got louder when he could not think of anything. Clannad stopped his cries though when he heard someone screaming, ears wiggling slightly.
"Help, help! That guy stole some potions!"
"Quailiva! Quail, quail!"
Snapping out to reality, Randy turned around and saw one man running away with some Max and Hyper potions. Not too far a pink haired lady wearing a nurses outfit and a blue jacket at the PokeMart. When the teenager took a quick glance at his Pokemon, Clannad was in a battling stance and his back bursting in flames. He could hear him growling in a threatening way.
"Clannad?" Randy asked, confused.
"Qualivia!" the fire type replied.
"You think we should battle him?"
Randy was not sure about that. What if that man has a gun? Then again, he was trained to get out of harms away. There was one other thing that came to his mind.
Redemption.
Yes, that was it. He wanted redemption, and Ho-Oh gave him a chance to do so. Randy smirked and had his face turned to look at his Qualivia, still in his battle stance and the flames burning more brightly.
"Okay, Clannad, go for Flamewheel!"
Clannad let out his war cry and his body was covered in flames. After curled up into a ball, he rolled at a ridiculously fast speed, as if a Dophan was doing Rollout. The man that stole the potions turned around and gasped when he saw Clannad gaining speed. He turned around to a new direction, but the fire type was able to still follow him. Soon Clannad hit the man's leg like a bowling ball hitting all nine pins and he fell on the ground. When the crowd saw that, they cheered.
"Great job, buddy!" Randy congratulated with a jump and right fist up in the air.
Realizing his pants were burning, the man got up immediately, took them off, and stomp on them. His face became red in embarrassment though when he realized the crowd was laughing at him.
"Nice Voltorb boxers you have there!" one of the men complimented. The man's face became even redder.
Both Randy and Clannad could not help but laugh either. Tears were even coming out from their eyes. This was the first time they laughed in a while and also are relaxed.
"Good one, Clannad," Randy said while petting his Qualiva. He stopped when he saw Nurse Joy coming towards him, causing him to leave a confused expression on his face. He felt his heartbeat drumming faster and faster.
Why I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack?
"I would like to thank you for stopping that man," the nurse said with a huge grin. Randy's heart drummed even faster when she shook his hands.
"Er, thank you," Randy stuttered. Clannad snickered when he could tell his trainer was acting nervous, as he never saw him like it in a while.
He admitted that the feeling of being thanked for saving someone was overwhelming. Usually he was recognized for stealing a rare Pokémon or accomplishing a project or mission. This was the first time he did something not related to Team Rocket, and for the first time since he ran away—
It's a good feeling. A very good feeling.
Coming back to reality, Randy turned around to see the Voltorb boxer man handcuffed by a young red haired male officer while another one, a bald head one, was picking up the potions. The man glared at Randy and Clannad, but the Pokémon stuck out his tongue while Randy grinned and waved goodbye. After the man was taken away, the officer holding the potions gave them back to Nurse Joy.
"Here are the potions. Luckily this kid here stopped the man," the officer said to Nurse Joy while handing the potions back to her.
"Indeed. I need those potions for some more critically injured Pokémon. Those potions are expensive, too."
The officer nodded and turned to Randy with a smile. "Good work there once more, son."
After the officer left Randy alone, the teenager turned around to face Nurse Joy.
"Well, I better go now. Once again, glad I can be of help."
Nurse Joy nodded. "That's all right. Again, thanks."
Randy nodded and was about to leave, but his stomach growled. Clannad snickered, but his stomach growled too. Both trainer and Pokémon laughed in a nervous manner.
" I guess you two are hungry, huh?" Joy asked with a chuckle.
"Guess we are."
"Well then, how about I serve you two dinner?"
Randy chuckled and shook his head. "No, you don't have to do this. Clannad and I will be able to find foods ourselves." His stomach said otherwise when it growled again, louder this time.
"No, I insist. Besides, you help me save the potions. How about it?"
Randy was silent for sometime. He does not want to be a bad houseguest and be a burden to the nice lady. On the other hand, he was very, very hungry. Randy looked at his Pokemon and saw he was frowning and making whining noises.
"Are you sure we should eat dinner with her?"
Clannad nodded. Randy was about to protest, but Nurse Joy shook her finger at the teenager.
"It's settled, then. Come on, my house is not too far from here."
After Nurse Joy walked away, both Randy and Clannad followed. The teenager let out a sigh, though.
Hopefully she won't kick me out right after.
Randy was never too sure how to behave when visiting someone else's house.
***
Nurse Joy's house was small, but that was fine by both Randy and Clannad. The lightning in the living room was well lit and there were toys scattered everywhere. "I have an eight year old, but right now she's playing with her friend," the nurse had told Randy. In the dining hall the table was set already with the plates in the middle, the forks, spoons, and butter knives on the right, and a table cloth underneath. Randy was sitting besides the chair while Clannad curled up in a ball (he was not sleeping, though).
The teenager still felt his arms shaking and his heart beating in anxiety, still unsure if coming here was a good idea. There would still be a chance he might mess up.
"I think we should leave, Clannad," Randy whispered to his Pokémon. The Qualiva gave out a confused yelp. Randy sighed before answering, "I'm afraid I'll just make a fool out of myself."
Randy pushed aside his chair and was about to get up but he heard Nurse Joy screaming, "Dinner's ready!"
"Too late," Randy muttered to himself.
When Randy turned around, he saw Nurse Joy holding a plate of lasagna. Both the former grunt and Clannad sniffed the food, and both sighed in bliss. The lasagna actually has a cinnamon smell to it.
"You two must like it, huh? I added in cinnamon and mint in the lasagna for the added flavor and nice smell. It's a family secret recipe," Nurse Joy said with a wink. "Here, you two try it."
The nurse handed out a huge piece to Randy and a small piece to Clannad. Both took a bite of the lasagna and the two immediately had their eyes wide out of joy. Nurse Joy chuckled when she saw the two immediately eating huge chunks of the food.
"Oh my god, this is so good!" Randy complimented while Clannad nodded and cheered.
Nurse Joy chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you two like it. So, what's your name?"
Randy coughed when he heard Nurse Joy asked that. After drinking some water, he chuckled nervously. "Oh, my name's Randy Ellis. This Pokemon here,"—he pointed at his Qualiva—"is Clannad, my starter Pokmeon."
The nurse smiled and bent down to pet Clannad. The fire type closed his eyes and grinned, liking Nurse Joy's soft touch.
"Oh, one of the Johto starters, huh? I can tell you too k care of the Pokémon well by his silky fur."
"Thank you," Randy stuttered. No one else but the Rocket grunts and Giovanni complemented on his Pokémon. "And yes, he's one of the Johto starters. Got him as a Cyndaquil five years ago. The two of us have been best buddies ever since." Clannad cheered, giving proof to Randy's statement.
Nurse Joy nodded. "I see. Are there any other Pokémon you have with you right now?" the nurse asked while still petting Clannad. This time, the fire type made joyful noises.
"I have Altair, a Skamory, and Coy, my Cloyster."
"They both sound like nice Pokémon," Nurse Joy said with a smile. Clannad's ears perk, thought it was weird for the nurse to say that without looking at the two Pokémon first.
Randy nodded and continued eating his lasagna. He admit, everything went nicely so far and he actually enjoyed the Nurses' company.
"If you want, you can stay here for a couple of days to rest."
Nurse Joy asked Randy that while he was drinking water, so it was natural for him to spit when he heard that. Some of the spit went to Clannad, so he shook his body to get rid of the water.
"No, I don't think it's necessary. I can be able to find another Pokemon Center in no time. Seriously, I better be going."
Besides running away (and he reminded himself he was tired of that), Randy does not want to let Nurse Joy know he was a wanted criminal. Eventually she will find out on the news or in the newspaper if he stayed for a couple of days.
Nurse Joy pouted. "Oh, but you and your Pokemon looked very tired. You two must have traveled a lot these last few days. "
True, Randy thought solemnly.
"I still don't know. Don't want to be a burden to you as a houseguest."
Nurse Joy laughed. "Nonsense, Randy. You're a great houseguest. Besides, you do need rest. Wouldn't want you to die from exhaustion. As a nurse, it's my duty to take care of everyone." The nurse then winked.
Randy was taken aback by that. After seeing the nurses' pleading eyes, he could not say no. He also believed that he and his Pokémon would need some rest. Maybe the teenager would be able to get off the hook.
"All right, I'll stay," Randy said with a tired smile.
Nurse Joy grinned while Clannad cheered. Randy hoped he made the right decision.
***
Outside of Fushia City night fell and all was quiet. Both the gym and Safari Zone were closed, so no trainers going to those places for the day. The Pokémon in both the zoo and the reserved were sound asleep having sweet dreams.
Back at Nurse Joy's house, the nurse was giving Randy the tour of the house. The two were walking upstairs while the nurse was talking, Clannad running behind.
"On the right is my daughter Sandy's room, and across is my room. The guest room is second to the right," Nurse Joy mentioned while pointing to the room. Randy and Clannad turned around and saw that the guest room is the one with the blue door and next to Sandy's room.
"Next to your room is the bathroom, just incase," Nurse Joy said with an embarrassed chuckle.
"Once again, thank you. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."
"Saving those potions is good enough for me. All right then, good night."
"Good night," Randy said while waving. Behind him, his Pokemon and buddy barked in a youthful and cheerful manner.
Nurse Joy turned around and left the two alone. Randy stared at the nurse for sometime, but he shook his head and had his hand on the doorknob. He was about to open the door to his room, but something caught his eye, and his Pokemon too. Next to Nurse Joy's room was a room with a red door on it and stickers of fire Pokémon on it like Arcanine and Heathran.
Nurse Joy didn't say anything about that room.
"Nurse Joy!" Randy screamed to her.
The nurse stopped and gave Randy a curious look. "Yes?"
"Whose room is that?"
Randy saw Nurse Joy looking pale, as if she saw a horrifying Gengar. He wanted to him himself in the head.
"Look, I'm sorry, but…"
"It's all right," she interrupted. "That room nobody is supposed to enter."
Randy's eyes went wide. "Really? Why?"
The nurse let out a huge sigh. "It's my other daughter's room, Re. She just died three months ago possibly from a Team Rocket grunt."
That struck Randy hard in the heart. He had heard of Team Rocket grunts killing trainers that got in the way, but this still shock him.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's all right. You didn't know." She paused, then all of a sudden she glared at Randy. "Please, do not enter that room. I would like everything to be kept the way they were."
Randy could not open his mouth. Even Clannad was shocked, eyes wide open. At first, he was unsure what to answer.
I should say yes to make her feel better, but what if I break it?
Knowing himself and taking a good look, he was sure he would. However, he wanted to respect the nurse's wishes. Already made up his mind, he smiled.
"All right, I won't."
The nurse let out a grin. "Thank you. All right then, good night."
As soon as Nurse Joy went down the stairs, both Clannad and Randy went inside.
***
Late night, Randy could not sleep.
He first thought about how Nurse Joy was the first person in a while, besides the people at Team Rocket, who was nice to him. That proved that he was a changed person now.
Maybe then I can get my redemption.
Randy thought he would have to work harder until he would be redeemed, but he knew in the end it would be all worth it.
Despite being satisfied with that, there was another thing that suddenly popped into his mind.
That room.
He wondered why Nurse Joy wouldn't say anything else about Re. True, she might still be mourning over the loss of her daughter, but she seemed life, moving on with her life. She could have at least let him know a few more things about her daughter.
What got to him more was when Nurse Joy said she was killed by a Team Rocket grunt.
I'm curious as to who is that girl that tried to stop Team Rocket.
Curiosity would be the itch that he would not be able to stop scratch, and his weakness.
Curiosity over the deceased got started when he was a grunt. Whenever a grunt told news of a murder, Randy would ask if there was anything he knew about the victim. The grunt in question would then show something like a pokeball or a wallet and mused that this was all he needed to know. Why Randy had that curiosity, he was not sure. Maybe it was his fascination over how the deceased person lived his life before he was dead. That did not bother him until this very moment.
Because of that weakness, the teenager got out of his bed and out of his room.
Randy slowly walked across the hallway and turned around to make sure Nurse Joy wasn't walking towards the bathroom nor his room. When the coast was clear, the former grunt went towards the red door and was about to open it, but he stopped.
I know I'm not supposed to enter the room. Why won't Nurse Joy say much about her daughter, though?
Randy knew he was going against Nurse Joy's wishes and should respect that. On the other hand, he argued the nurse did not say anything about Re. True, he was a houseguest, but he wished the nurse let him know a thing or two about Re, like her other daughter.
Not having second thoughts, Randy slowly opened the door and went inside. The pink painted room was small but comfy, the teenager thought. There were many Pokémon toys scattered everywhere, including the bed. On the drawers there were a few Pokémon figures like Growlithe, Ninetales, and Numel. What peak Randy's eye though was a picture next to the Magmar and Entei figures. The teenager went closer to the drawer and stopped when he got close enough to see the picture. It was of a girl with her brown hair tied in a ponytail blowing candles. Cheering her on was Nurse Joy, putting on the hugest grin Randy ever saw of her (or any other Nurse Joy for that matter). On top of the wall was the banner that said, "Happy Tenth Birthday, Reba."
When he saw that picture, memories swarm back to him—bad memories.
Both Giovanni and Randy turned around and saw a grunt holding a slender girl, her straight brown hair touching her shoulders. Randy thought the girl looked no older than ten, her huge blue eyes still have that youthful spark in them and her cheeks a rosy red.
"I found this brat Reba Sajack sneaking in our hideout, sir. Tried shooting her, but only got her leg. "
That ten year old girl. Her girl.
He felt his heart skipped a beat. His breathing became slower and his arms just froze.
Randy had pulled the trigger and shot the girl on the back of her neck, right in the middle. Reba fell down with a hard thumb, luckily blood not spilled on the carpet. Giovanni looked at the dead body and turn around to give Randy a sly smile.
"See, it isn't so hard."
Can't believe Reba is the girl that Joy said she lost.
He was able to breathe again, but he took big gulps as if he was just coming out from the ocean after a long swim. Overwhelming, going too fast for him.
That was three months ago…
Randy remembered he indeed used an Abra to teleport them to Pallet Town and dumped her at the ocean. A few days later, her body was found at the Seaform Islands, one of the citizens screaming when she saw a dead ten year old shot on both the leg and neck. At first when he heard the news, he felt guilty it was him that killed her, but moved on and able to continue his work as a grunt. Now, however, realizing that girl was Nurse Joy's daughter, that guilt came back and bit him on the neck.
Can't believe it was that girl that I killed.
How could Randy say to the nice nurse that it was him that murdered his daughter three months ago? He knew he can't keep it too himself. The lady deserved to know. He would not lie to her after all she had done.
"I told you to not go inside that door."
Randy turned around and saw the red haired lady glaring at him and tapping her foot.
"I'm sorry, Nurse Joy. I'm just curious about your deceased daughter, that's all," he stuttered.
The nurse let out a huge sigh. Randy knew she was pretty upset with him, not respecting her wish.
"I guess it can't be help. Curiosity can get the best of us." There was a long pause before the nurse continued. "She's a good girl, really. Reba had dreams of becoming an Elite member that specializes in Fire type Pokemon. When the police told me how her body was washed ashore and the bullet on her neck might have come from a Rocket grunt, I was stunned." Another long pause. "That is why I don't let anyone else go inside this room. I want everything in place, nothing damage."
Randy saw a single tear flowed on her cheek. This was the first time he saw a grieving mother. Grieving widows he saw from time to time when he was a grunt, watching news of them crying because someone from Team Rocket shot their husband. Seeing a mother crying, and in silence too, gave him chest pain more so than the wives sobbing loudly and screaming to the Pokémon gods.
I'm going to come off clean.
"Nurse Joy, there is something I need to tell you."
The nurse blinked twice. "Really? Is it something bad?"
"Yes it is. Before I say anything though, I want to thank you for all your help you have given me so far, just tonight alone." Despite those kind words, Randy could still see fear in Joy's eyes.
"Randy, what you're trying to say?"
"Nurse Joy, I know who killed your daughter, Reba."
The nurse's eyes went wide. "Really? Who?"
Just let it all out, just let it all out—
Without hesitation, he answered, "I killed your daughter."
Nurse Joy dropped the cup of tea she was holding and gasped. "Wait, what?"
Randy let out a heavy sigh. "Well, I used to be in Team Rocket. I was the grunt that murdered Reba."
Nurse Joy's mouth twitched, her arms shaking more violently, and tears streaming down from her eyes.
"I…can't believe…you would do such a thing. And you're only fifteen, too! How could you?"
"It was my job after all, stopping anyone who interferes with the organization. Look, I want to redeem myself in anyway. Also, I'm deeply sorry I killed your daughter. Please, forgive me."
Long silence. When Randy saw Nurse Joy glaring at him, he knew what that meant and he felt pain in his heart.
"Get out now!"
"But Nurse Joy!"
"How could you kill my only child?" The nurse sobbed some more before continuing. "I suggest you get out now or else the police will get you."
Knew she was being serious about this, Randy got out of the door and ran out as fast as he could.
To be continued…
All right, I'll admit, there's a lot of inconsistencies and grammar/spelling errors througout, so I'll be rewriting this and having the rewrite in a new thread one day. ^^; Another thing is this supposed "one shot" is not finished yet. In fact, by the time I finish this, I might make it into a three parter. :O
Nonetheless, hope you enjoy this story!
The Last Rocket
It is sin to steal. It is sin to murder. It is sin to be too prideful.
Redeeming yourself isn't easy, especially when you were part of Team Rocket. However, there is a barrier between those that wanted to undo their sins, and those that don't.
The Rocket Game Corner was a casino at the huge Celadon City. Inside were only the lucky and unlucky people could be distinguished. Next to the building was The Prize Corner, where people can exchange coins for prizes like TMs and Pokémon. Team Rocket was running the show and was doing a great job a it, considering many people, citizen and tourists alike, would come each day since its opening not long ago.
Inside the casino the slots came to life, people keep playing until they hit the jackpot. The gamblers with the coins would rush out to go to The Prize Corner next door. Not only that, for the older trainers drinks could be served at the bar.
Without anyone noticing, a young teenage grunt came inside holding a cage with a small blue serpentine creature moaning in sadness.
"Shut up you," Randy warned before hitting the cage. That made the Dratani quiet.
With a satisfied grin, Randy continued walking while whistling. He stopped at the far corner of the casino where there was a poster of a Nidorino and a Gengar battling one another. After carefully taking the pins from the bottom part of the poster out, he saw a red button and pushed it. The walls began sliding and there was another room to go inside. Randy did not hesitate to go inside and he immediately press another red button to close the secret room.
Inside the first floor of the hideout on the left there were office cubilices. Many grunts would work on the computer either surveying the people at the casino or other Team Rocket operations like how many Pokemon each grunt caught. Randy turned to the left to go the elevator.
"Draaaaaaaa," the dragon Pokemon moaned again.
"Once again, be quiet!" Randy hissed after pushing the up arrow. As soon as the elevator door was opened, the teenage grunt went inside and pushed the number three button.
Because the elevator ride was boring, Randy began thinking about his life as a Rocket just for the nostalgia.
Can't believe it has been over two years since I have been recruited.
Randy remembered being recruited after having one of his Pokémon beat up another one badly (that trainer said Randy's Qualiva would not be able to defeat his Charizard). When a Rocket Admin saw that, he said if he would like to join Team Rocket.
"Ain't I too young to join?" Randy asked.
"We recruit ten year olds," the Admin answered with a sly smile.
The Admin then went on to say if he joins the group, then he would be paid handsomely, get a place to stay, get a lot of Pokémon, and have a few adventures along the way. Nonetheless, he was sold. Randy always want to experience some thrills in his life.
After the elevator ride was over, Randy opened the door and went inside the office, seeing Giovanni staring at the window. The place itself was neat and clean, no papers scattered everywhere and the desk and shelves spotless.
"Here's another Pokémon I manage to get, Giovanni," Randy said while putting the Dratani on the desk.
Giovanni turned around and he stared at the dragon Pokémon on his desk. The Dratani's eyes lit up in fright and he squealed when he saw the curly haired man gave a wicked smile.
"Excellent work there, Randy. Only a year here and you already grown a lot since the beginning. Not only that, you're fifteen, too."
Randy felt his cheeks burned and he grinned. He never had been complimented before. "Thank you, sir."
Giovanni chuckled. "You're welcome." He took a quick look at the Dratani again, this time with a smirk. The Dratani squealed loudly once more. After turning around to Randy, he said, "Once more, you'll be paid a big bonus once more and you'll be given stronger Pokémon."
"Again, thank you," Randy said, grin wider.
"Now, there's one matter I want to discu—"
Giovanni was interrupted when the two heard a female's voice.
"Let me go!"
Both Giovanni and Randy turned around and saw a grunt holding a slender girl, her straight brown hair touching her shoulders. Randy thought the girl looked no older than ten, her huge blue eyes still have that youthful spark in them and her cheeks a rosy red.
"I found this brat Reba Sajack sneaking in our hideout, sir. Tried shooting her, but only got her leg. "
Randy looked down and saw indeed her right leg was bleeding. No emotion came out of his face though. He had seen too much blood already.
"Why didn't you just kill her like you supposed too?" Giovanni asked in a hissed tone, eyes narrowed in anger.
"I ran out of bullets," the grunt answered."Besides, I think you'll like to take care of her as we never had a trainer come here before. At the Sliph Company, yes, but not at the Game Corner."
Giovanni took a quick look at the girl and frown. Instead of being afraid like the Dratini (once more she screamed even though the leader did not look at her), the girl gave him a stern look.
"All right, then. You're dismissed. Remember to reload your gun, okay?"
"Right, Giovanni." The grunt nodded before he left the office.
"You're not going to get away with this!" the girl screamed before yelling in pain and holding her bloody leg.
"Oh really?" Giovanni laughed a loud and took out a gun from the pocket of his suit. The girl's eyes went wide and her mouth was wide open for any Catapie to slide inside too.
"What? You're not seriously going to kill a ten year old, are you?"
"I don't care if you're even a youngster, dear. No one messes with Team Rocket." He was about to pull the trigger, causing Reba to gasp, but he smirked. "Randy, would you do the honors?"
After Givovanni walked slowly to Randy and gave him the gun, the teenager felt his arms shaking.
Me killing someone?
This would be the first time he would kill somone (was never allowed too yet due to being recruited at fourteen and would have to wait another year until he could be train to use a firearm). This was nothing like stealing Pokémon and valuable items. He was about to take someone's life, and a young one too.
"Are you sure I'm ready for this?" Randy finally asked in a stutter after being silent for some time. " I know I'm of age where I can be train to use firearms now, but still."
"Your training starts now then," Giovnanni mused with a chuckle.
Randy stared at the gun for sometime before looking at the girl. He saw tears streaming down on her cheeks and she was taking deep breaths.
"Anything the matter?" Givovanni asked when seeing Randy was doing nothing.
Randy wondered if both the girl and Givoanni saw pity in his eyes. If they were able to see that, than they would know he had a weak side, and he would not want that to happen. Even he was not sure why he was feeling that way.
"Oh, sorry," he answered lazily. "Once more, I never killed anyone before."
Taking the opportunity to get out of the office, the girl tried to run, but the pain on her leg exploded and she fell down. Randy's eyes went wide when he heard crying. What went through his mind was that despite this girl ready to go out to the world, she was still a ten year old in deep pain, thanks to his team.
She still has a whole live ahead of her
This girl, still crying from her pain, could be a Pokemon champion, a Pokémon researcher, or whatever her heart desired. She has a whole life ahead of her, but he was about to stop it.
Why am I thinking this? So unlike me. I didn't care too much about stealing Pokemon, then why do I care about her?
When he glanced at Giovanni, the leader glared at him.
"Shoot her now!" he shouted, index finger pointing at her.
Randy's hands shook once more, but he took a deep breath and regain composure. The girl turned around and let out uneasy gasps.
I can't shoot her, I can't shoot her, I can't shoot her—
Giovanni's eyes began twitching and he clenched his fist. "NOW!"
—just do it NOW!
BAM!
Randy had pulled the trigger and shot the girl on the back of her neck, right in the middle. The Dratani closed his eyes and squealed, thought the teenage grunt would shoot her, too. Reba fell down with a hard thumb, luckily blood not spilled on the carpet. Giovanni looked at the dead body and turn around to give Randy a sly smile.
"See, it isn't so hard."
Randy looked at Reba. He should feel happy, having made his first kill. Team Rocket took pride in stopping anyone interfering with their plans. He does not feel that, though. The teenager took a quick glance at the Dratani, seeing a tear flowed down on the Pokemon's eyes.
"No, it isn't, sir," Randy replied back with no emotion. He tried to hide his true feelings from his boss, though.
"Good. Now, go to the Game Corner to grab one of the Abra and tell it to teleport you to a safe place where you can dump the body, presumably where there's a body of water."
"Yes, sir." The grunt brisk into a run and was about to open the door, but another thought came to mind, so he turned around to face Giovanni. "How about that Dratani?" The Pokémon's eyes went wide and she squealed when she heard her name.
The boss of Team Rocket chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll take care of her." The Dratani squealed even louder. She banged on the cage, trying to get out, but it was no use.
Randy nodded. He took one look at the Drataini, still banging on the cage, but he did not care. That dragon he stole was meant for Giovanni, so he had done his job. After that, he left the office.
Giovanni took one last glance at the dead body and smirked.
No other trainer can beat me.
***
Three months later…
"We have breaking news. The International found out from trainer Anne Patrick that as of today, Team Rocket is disbanding. Now we have on the phone the chief, Collet Velvet, to explain to us on this matter."
"Well Anne let us know once more she found Giovanni after defeating him for the Earth badge and that he went for a run. We weren't able to come on time and when we did the gym was in ruins and Anne was unconscious. She was rushed to the Pokémon Center and able to regain conscious a few hours after. "
"Can you give us information that she gave you?"
" Anne said she didn't expect Giovanni to be the leader because of mentions from the citizens that they do not know who their new gym leader is actually and that it has been closed down for sometime. She then said after winning the battle, Giovanni told her about him disbanding the team and wanting to train more, but had his Dugtrio used Earthquake and then the place went down."
"Does she have proof Giovanni is disbanding the team for good?"
"Yes we do. Anne has recorded everything he said in her Pokedex."
"I see. What's going to happen now?"
"I'm putting a full region wanted alert for Giovanni and any Team Rocket members. If anyone is able to find him and his grunts, let us know by calling the International Police."
***
Night fell at Cinnabar Island. Many market vendors and resorts were open to accommodate the tourist that enjoyed the nightlife. Adults enjoyed drinking alcohol while the children ran around the streets with Margikarp kites. Everything seemed peaceful unti…
"To the left!"
Despite taking very deep breathes, Randy Ellis kept running away from the two International Police agents. It was nighttime, but luckily the city was in lights, so he did not have a hard time in knowing where he was going. He bumped unto a few people, some screaming and cussing at him, but he was at a hurry.
Damn them knowing where I was!
They managed to find him in the Pokémon Mansion at Cinnabar Island. He thought it would be a good place to stay for a while as no one has entered the place for some time. Sure, there were some Pokémon roaming around, but that was it. Apparently someone found out the run down mansion was not abandoned after all, though.
Randy passed by a few more people, one he caused to put his face on his ice cream.
Why Giovanni has to be beaten by a ****ing ten year old?
When the news that Giovanni disbanded Team Rocket because of Anne came, all of the grunts were running away from any law enforcement watching them. Randy knew everyone was keeping a Pidgeot eye on him. So far it had been two weeks since he was on the run.
After passing some outside vendors, Randy turned around and still saw the agents chasing him. One of them grabbed a Pokémon from his trench coat and releasing his Weepinbell.
"Vinewhip!"
The flycatcher Pokémon let out a moan-like sound and a vine came out of his head, which grabbed the teenager by the leg. After falling down, Randy gritted his teeth. Without hesitation though, the young grunt toss a pokeball on the air and a Qualiva was let out.
"Clannad, Flamethrower!"
The fire mouse's flames burnt brightly and he let out a jet stream of flames onto the Weepinbell. Some people got out of the way to avoid being burned. The grass type screamed in agony, causing him to let go of Randy. He got up and chuckled before screaming another command.
"Now, Smokescreen!"
Smoke came out of Clannad's mouth and spread throughout the market square. When the agents and Weepinbell were engulfed by the smoke, they began coughing. Taking this opportunity, Randy continued moving, the Quailiva running behind.
***
Randy and his Pokémon managed to run all the way to the beach. Before the two reach the edge of the ocean, they sat down to catch their breaths. The young teenager turned around and smirked. At least the Smokscreen either made the agents lag behind or run to a new direction.
"Okay, Clannad, we're okay," Randy reassured before taking a few deep breaths. Clannad gave out a joyful yelp. The teenager looked at the vast ocean ahead of him. He did not care where he would head next, but wondered what sort of transportation he should use.
Should I take flight or go the ocean route?
If he chose to use the ocean, it would take longer and there would be a delay if he encounter any water Pokemon or swimmer around. If sky, it would make traveling much faster, but there would be someone that could spot him flying on a Skarmory. Then again, would they notice him as a Team Rocket grunt from afar?
Speaking of which…
The teenager looked at his long sleeved shirt with the red R printed on it. If he took both his shirt and cap off, no one would know. Insisting on doing that, Randy threw both his shirt and cap onto the ocean. When Clannad saw that, he gave a confused moan.
"It's just to hide my tracks. Come on, let's go!"
Randy grabbed a pokeball from his belt and released his Skarmory. The metal bird flapped his wings and cawed.
"Altair, take us east!
After the bird nodded, Randy picked up his Qualiva and the two were on Altair's back. Soon the dual steel-flying type flapped his wings rapidly and everyone was off.
***
Over the horizon the sun rose up in an orange and pink hue. Randy had been riding on Altair for the past few hours and the two had not rest yet. Clannad, on the other hand, rested peacefully on his trainer's arms. The teenager took a quick glance at the sparkling ocean, some Goldeen, Seadra, and even Mantee jumping out and coming back in. Randy smiled at first, but frown when a depressing thought came to mine.
Where does my life go from here now?
This was not the first time he asked himself that question. Right after he ran away, he thought if that was what he was going to do for the rest of his life—running away. Every time he would get the same answer—the law will catch up to him one day.
Not the life I want, I realize now Randy thought with a heavy sigh. He then heard his stomach growling and he sighed once more.
He would always be on the move. Every night Randy would sleep either in an abandoned building or outside on a bench. If he was hunger, he would either get it from the garbage or steal it as if he was a hungry Persian.
"Ska?" Altair asked when he took a quick glance at his trainer and saw that Randy was sad.
"It's just that I'm not sure what's going to happen to me know. I would love to have a second chance at life, but not sure how. It's like as if my life stops here, now."
The steel bird nodded in understanding. He had to take his trainer to a new place because he was on the run. Altair too was tired of keep escaping. Randy sighed when he heard his bird Pokémon cawed in disappointment, the train knew his Pokémon was not sure on what to say on the matter.
Hopefully Ho-Oh will give me a way to redeem himself
Redemption, that was all he wanted now at this point.
***
It was another hour or so and everyone was silent. When Randy saw the beaches of Fushia City though, he told Altair to land, which he had no problem with.
When Randy entered the city after a bit of walking, he took a deep breath and look around his surroundings. Fushia City may not be a very big city and most of the buildings small like the houses, but nonetheless there were some attractions trainers could look forward too. There were a few trainers going to the gym to challenge the new gym leader Janine (he heard how Koga just left a month ago to become an Elite Four member at Kanto). Even more trainers went to Safari Zone to catch some rare Pokemon. Not far from the Safari Zone was the Pokémon Zoo, where Pokémon like Chansey and Kagaskhan were put on display. Many people would go there too. After some time, Randy continued walking.
This place seems like a nice place to stay…
Seeing the trainers excited going inside the Safari Zone and getting out cheering they won their next badge made Randy let out a melancholic sigh. His life used to be like that until he was recruited into Team Rocket.
"Quail?" Clannad asked while titling his head.
Randy let out a small smile. "Remember when we came to the gym and beat Koga? Not only that, you evolved too?"
Clannad nodded and gave a joyful howl. The former grunt bent down and petted him (luckily the fire type's back did not burst into flames). He smiled at first, happy that his Pokémon was cheerful over that memory. Not long after though, he frown.
Where it all go wrong? Why I joined Team Rocket in the first place?
For some reason, each time he asked himself that question, no answer came up.
Clannad let out a mournful howl when he saw his trainer put his head down. He wanted to cheer him up somehow, but his howl got louder when he could not think of anything. Clannad stopped his cries though when he heard someone screaming, ears wiggling slightly.
"Help, help! That guy stole some potions!"
"Quailiva! Quail, quail!"
Snapping out to reality, Randy turned around and saw one man running away with some Max and Hyper potions. Not too far a pink haired lady wearing a nurses outfit and a blue jacket at the PokeMart. When the teenager took a quick glance at his Pokemon, Clannad was in a battling stance and his back bursting in flames. He could hear him growling in a threatening way.
"Clannad?" Randy asked, confused.
"Qualivia!" the fire type replied.
"You think we should battle him?"
Randy was not sure about that. What if that man has a gun? Then again, he was trained to get out of harms away. There was one other thing that came to his mind.
Redemption.
Yes, that was it. He wanted redemption, and Ho-Oh gave him a chance to do so. Randy smirked and had his face turned to look at his Qualivia, still in his battle stance and the flames burning more brightly.
"Okay, Clannad, go for Flamewheel!"
Clannad let out his war cry and his body was covered in flames. After curled up into a ball, he rolled at a ridiculously fast speed, as if a Dophan was doing Rollout. The man that stole the potions turned around and gasped when he saw Clannad gaining speed. He turned around to a new direction, but the fire type was able to still follow him. Soon Clannad hit the man's leg like a bowling ball hitting all nine pins and he fell on the ground. When the crowd saw that, they cheered.
"Great job, buddy!" Randy congratulated with a jump and right fist up in the air.
Realizing his pants were burning, the man got up immediately, took them off, and stomp on them. His face became red in embarrassment though when he realized the crowd was laughing at him.
"Nice Voltorb boxers you have there!" one of the men complimented. The man's face became even redder.
Both Randy and Clannad could not help but laugh either. Tears were even coming out from their eyes. This was the first time they laughed in a while and also are relaxed.
"Good one, Clannad," Randy said while petting his Qualiva. He stopped when he saw Nurse Joy coming towards him, causing him to leave a confused expression on his face. He felt his heartbeat drumming faster and faster.
Why I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack?
"I would like to thank you for stopping that man," the nurse said with a huge grin. Randy's heart drummed even faster when she shook his hands.
"Er, thank you," Randy stuttered. Clannad snickered when he could tell his trainer was acting nervous, as he never saw him like it in a while.
He admitted that the feeling of being thanked for saving someone was overwhelming. Usually he was recognized for stealing a rare Pokémon or accomplishing a project or mission. This was the first time he did something not related to Team Rocket, and for the first time since he ran away—
It's a good feeling. A very good feeling.
Coming back to reality, Randy turned around to see the Voltorb boxer man handcuffed by a young red haired male officer while another one, a bald head one, was picking up the potions. The man glared at Randy and Clannad, but the Pokémon stuck out his tongue while Randy grinned and waved goodbye. After the man was taken away, the officer holding the potions gave them back to Nurse Joy.
"Here are the potions. Luckily this kid here stopped the man," the officer said to Nurse Joy while handing the potions back to her.
"Indeed. I need those potions for some more critically injured Pokémon. Those potions are expensive, too."
The officer nodded and turned to Randy with a smile. "Good work there once more, son."
After the officer left Randy alone, the teenager turned around to face Nurse Joy.
"Well, I better go now. Once again, glad I can be of help."
Nurse Joy nodded. "That's all right. Again, thanks."
Randy nodded and was about to leave, but his stomach growled. Clannad snickered, but his stomach growled too. Both trainer and Pokémon laughed in a nervous manner.
" I guess you two are hungry, huh?" Joy asked with a chuckle.
"Guess we are."
"Well then, how about I serve you two dinner?"
Randy chuckled and shook his head. "No, you don't have to do this. Clannad and I will be able to find foods ourselves." His stomach said otherwise when it growled again, louder this time.
"No, I insist. Besides, you help me save the potions. How about it?"
Randy was silent for sometime. He does not want to be a bad houseguest and be a burden to the nice lady. On the other hand, he was very, very hungry. Randy looked at his Pokemon and saw he was frowning and making whining noises.
"Are you sure we should eat dinner with her?"
Clannad nodded. Randy was about to protest, but Nurse Joy shook her finger at the teenager.
"It's settled, then. Come on, my house is not too far from here."
After Nurse Joy walked away, both Randy and Clannad followed. The teenager let out a sigh, though.
Hopefully she won't kick me out right after.
Randy was never too sure how to behave when visiting someone else's house.
***
Nurse Joy's house was small, but that was fine by both Randy and Clannad. The lightning in the living room was well lit and there were toys scattered everywhere. "I have an eight year old, but right now she's playing with her friend," the nurse had told Randy. In the dining hall the table was set already with the plates in the middle, the forks, spoons, and butter knives on the right, and a table cloth underneath. Randy was sitting besides the chair while Clannad curled up in a ball (he was not sleeping, though).
The teenager still felt his arms shaking and his heart beating in anxiety, still unsure if coming here was a good idea. There would still be a chance he might mess up.
"I think we should leave, Clannad," Randy whispered to his Pokémon. The Qualiva gave out a confused yelp. Randy sighed before answering, "I'm afraid I'll just make a fool out of myself."
Randy pushed aside his chair and was about to get up but he heard Nurse Joy screaming, "Dinner's ready!"
"Too late," Randy muttered to himself.
When Randy turned around, he saw Nurse Joy holding a plate of lasagna. Both the former grunt and Clannad sniffed the food, and both sighed in bliss. The lasagna actually has a cinnamon smell to it.
"You two must like it, huh? I added in cinnamon and mint in the lasagna for the added flavor and nice smell. It's a family secret recipe," Nurse Joy said with a wink. "Here, you two try it."
The nurse handed out a huge piece to Randy and a small piece to Clannad. Both took a bite of the lasagna and the two immediately had their eyes wide out of joy. Nurse Joy chuckled when she saw the two immediately eating huge chunks of the food.
"Oh my god, this is so good!" Randy complimented while Clannad nodded and cheered.
Nurse Joy chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you two like it. So, what's your name?"
Randy coughed when he heard Nurse Joy asked that. After drinking some water, he chuckled nervously. "Oh, my name's Randy Ellis. This Pokemon here,"—he pointed at his Qualiva—"is Clannad, my starter Pokmeon."
The nurse smiled and bent down to pet Clannad. The fire type closed his eyes and grinned, liking Nurse Joy's soft touch.
"Oh, one of the Johto starters, huh? I can tell you too k care of the Pokémon well by his silky fur."
"Thank you," Randy stuttered. No one else but the Rocket grunts and Giovanni complemented on his Pokémon. "And yes, he's one of the Johto starters. Got him as a Cyndaquil five years ago. The two of us have been best buddies ever since." Clannad cheered, giving proof to Randy's statement.
Nurse Joy nodded. "I see. Are there any other Pokémon you have with you right now?" the nurse asked while still petting Clannad. This time, the fire type made joyful noises.
"I have Altair, a Skamory, and Coy, my Cloyster."
"They both sound like nice Pokémon," Nurse Joy said with a smile. Clannad's ears perk, thought it was weird for the nurse to say that without looking at the two Pokémon first.
Randy nodded and continued eating his lasagna. He admit, everything went nicely so far and he actually enjoyed the Nurses' company.
"If you want, you can stay here for a couple of days to rest."
Nurse Joy asked Randy that while he was drinking water, so it was natural for him to spit when he heard that. Some of the spit went to Clannad, so he shook his body to get rid of the water.
"No, I don't think it's necessary. I can be able to find another Pokemon Center in no time. Seriously, I better be going."
Besides running away (and he reminded himself he was tired of that), Randy does not want to let Nurse Joy know he was a wanted criminal. Eventually she will find out on the news or in the newspaper if he stayed for a couple of days.
Nurse Joy pouted. "Oh, but you and your Pokemon looked very tired. You two must have traveled a lot these last few days. "
True, Randy thought solemnly.
"I still don't know. Don't want to be a burden to you as a houseguest."
Nurse Joy laughed. "Nonsense, Randy. You're a great houseguest. Besides, you do need rest. Wouldn't want you to die from exhaustion. As a nurse, it's my duty to take care of everyone." The nurse then winked.
Randy was taken aback by that. After seeing the nurses' pleading eyes, he could not say no. He also believed that he and his Pokémon would need some rest. Maybe the teenager would be able to get off the hook.
"All right, I'll stay," Randy said with a tired smile.
Nurse Joy grinned while Clannad cheered. Randy hoped he made the right decision.
***
Outside of Fushia City night fell and all was quiet. Both the gym and Safari Zone were closed, so no trainers going to those places for the day. The Pokémon in both the zoo and the reserved were sound asleep having sweet dreams.
Back at Nurse Joy's house, the nurse was giving Randy the tour of the house. The two were walking upstairs while the nurse was talking, Clannad running behind.
"On the right is my daughter Sandy's room, and across is my room. The guest room is second to the right," Nurse Joy mentioned while pointing to the room. Randy and Clannad turned around and saw that the guest room is the one with the blue door and next to Sandy's room.
"Next to your room is the bathroom, just incase," Nurse Joy said with an embarrassed chuckle.
"Once again, thank you. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."
"Saving those potions is good enough for me. All right then, good night."
"Good night," Randy said while waving. Behind him, his Pokemon and buddy barked in a youthful and cheerful manner.
Nurse Joy turned around and left the two alone. Randy stared at the nurse for sometime, but he shook his head and had his hand on the doorknob. He was about to open the door to his room, but something caught his eye, and his Pokemon too. Next to Nurse Joy's room was a room with a red door on it and stickers of fire Pokémon on it like Arcanine and Heathran.
Nurse Joy didn't say anything about that room.
"Nurse Joy!" Randy screamed to her.
The nurse stopped and gave Randy a curious look. "Yes?"
"Whose room is that?"
Randy saw Nurse Joy looking pale, as if she saw a horrifying Gengar. He wanted to him himself in the head.
"Look, I'm sorry, but…"
"It's all right," she interrupted. "That room nobody is supposed to enter."
Randy's eyes went wide. "Really? Why?"
The nurse let out a huge sigh. "It's my other daughter's room, Re. She just died three months ago possibly from a Team Rocket grunt."
That struck Randy hard in the heart. He had heard of Team Rocket grunts killing trainers that got in the way, but this still shock him.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's all right. You didn't know." She paused, then all of a sudden she glared at Randy. "Please, do not enter that room. I would like everything to be kept the way they were."
Randy could not open his mouth. Even Clannad was shocked, eyes wide open. At first, he was unsure what to answer.
I should say yes to make her feel better, but what if I break it?
Knowing himself and taking a good look, he was sure he would. However, he wanted to respect the nurse's wishes. Already made up his mind, he smiled.
"All right, I won't."
The nurse let out a grin. "Thank you. All right then, good night."
As soon as Nurse Joy went down the stairs, both Clannad and Randy went inside.
***
Late night, Randy could not sleep.
He first thought about how Nurse Joy was the first person in a while, besides the people at Team Rocket, who was nice to him. That proved that he was a changed person now.
Maybe then I can get my redemption.
Randy thought he would have to work harder until he would be redeemed, but he knew in the end it would be all worth it.
Despite being satisfied with that, there was another thing that suddenly popped into his mind.
That room.
He wondered why Nurse Joy wouldn't say anything else about Re. True, she might still be mourning over the loss of her daughter, but she seemed life, moving on with her life. She could have at least let him know a few more things about her daughter.
What got to him more was when Nurse Joy said she was killed by a Team Rocket grunt.
I'm curious as to who is that girl that tried to stop Team Rocket.
Curiosity would be the itch that he would not be able to stop scratch, and his weakness.
Curiosity over the deceased got started when he was a grunt. Whenever a grunt told news of a murder, Randy would ask if there was anything he knew about the victim. The grunt in question would then show something like a pokeball or a wallet and mused that this was all he needed to know. Why Randy had that curiosity, he was not sure. Maybe it was his fascination over how the deceased person lived his life before he was dead. That did not bother him until this very moment.
Because of that weakness, the teenager got out of his bed and out of his room.
Randy slowly walked across the hallway and turned around to make sure Nurse Joy wasn't walking towards the bathroom nor his room. When the coast was clear, the former grunt went towards the red door and was about to open it, but he stopped.
I know I'm not supposed to enter the room. Why won't Nurse Joy say much about her daughter, though?
Randy knew he was going against Nurse Joy's wishes and should respect that. On the other hand, he argued the nurse did not say anything about Re. True, he was a houseguest, but he wished the nurse let him know a thing or two about Re, like her other daughter.
Not having second thoughts, Randy slowly opened the door and went inside. The pink painted room was small but comfy, the teenager thought. There were many Pokémon toys scattered everywhere, including the bed. On the drawers there were a few Pokémon figures like Growlithe, Ninetales, and Numel. What peak Randy's eye though was a picture next to the Magmar and Entei figures. The teenager went closer to the drawer and stopped when he got close enough to see the picture. It was of a girl with her brown hair tied in a ponytail blowing candles. Cheering her on was Nurse Joy, putting on the hugest grin Randy ever saw of her (or any other Nurse Joy for that matter). On top of the wall was the banner that said, "Happy Tenth Birthday, Reba."
When he saw that picture, memories swarm back to him—bad memories.
Both Giovanni and Randy turned around and saw a grunt holding a slender girl, her straight brown hair touching her shoulders. Randy thought the girl looked no older than ten, her huge blue eyes still have that youthful spark in them and her cheeks a rosy red.
"I found this brat Reba Sajack sneaking in our hideout, sir. Tried shooting her, but only got her leg. "
That ten year old girl. Her girl.
He felt his heart skipped a beat. His breathing became slower and his arms just froze.
Randy had pulled the trigger and shot the girl on the back of her neck, right in the middle. Reba fell down with a hard thumb, luckily blood not spilled on the carpet. Giovanni looked at the dead body and turn around to give Randy a sly smile.
"See, it isn't so hard."
Can't believe Reba is the girl that Joy said she lost.
He was able to breathe again, but he took big gulps as if he was just coming out from the ocean after a long swim. Overwhelming, going too fast for him.
That was three months ago…
Randy remembered he indeed used an Abra to teleport them to Pallet Town and dumped her at the ocean. A few days later, her body was found at the Seaform Islands, one of the citizens screaming when she saw a dead ten year old shot on both the leg and neck. At first when he heard the news, he felt guilty it was him that killed her, but moved on and able to continue his work as a grunt. Now, however, realizing that girl was Nurse Joy's daughter, that guilt came back and bit him on the neck.
Can't believe it was that girl that I killed.
How could Randy say to the nice nurse that it was him that murdered his daughter three months ago? He knew he can't keep it too himself. The lady deserved to know. He would not lie to her after all she had done.
"I told you to not go inside that door."
Randy turned around and saw the red haired lady glaring at him and tapping her foot.
"I'm sorry, Nurse Joy. I'm just curious about your deceased daughter, that's all," he stuttered.
The nurse let out a huge sigh. Randy knew she was pretty upset with him, not respecting her wish.
"I guess it can't be help. Curiosity can get the best of us." There was a long pause before the nurse continued. "She's a good girl, really. Reba had dreams of becoming an Elite member that specializes in Fire type Pokemon. When the police told me how her body was washed ashore and the bullet on her neck might have come from a Rocket grunt, I was stunned." Another long pause. "That is why I don't let anyone else go inside this room. I want everything in place, nothing damage."
Randy saw a single tear flowed on her cheek. This was the first time he saw a grieving mother. Grieving widows he saw from time to time when he was a grunt, watching news of them crying because someone from Team Rocket shot their husband. Seeing a mother crying, and in silence too, gave him chest pain more so than the wives sobbing loudly and screaming to the Pokémon gods.
I'm going to come off clean.
"Nurse Joy, there is something I need to tell you."
The nurse blinked twice. "Really? Is it something bad?"
"Yes it is. Before I say anything though, I want to thank you for all your help you have given me so far, just tonight alone." Despite those kind words, Randy could still see fear in Joy's eyes.
"Randy, what you're trying to say?"
"Nurse Joy, I know who killed your daughter, Reba."
The nurse's eyes went wide. "Really? Who?"
Just let it all out, just let it all out—
Without hesitation, he answered, "I killed your daughter."
Nurse Joy dropped the cup of tea she was holding and gasped. "Wait, what?"
Randy let out a heavy sigh. "Well, I used to be in Team Rocket. I was the grunt that murdered Reba."
Nurse Joy's mouth twitched, her arms shaking more violently, and tears streaming down from her eyes.
"I…can't believe…you would do such a thing. And you're only fifteen, too! How could you?"
"It was my job after all, stopping anyone who interferes with the organization. Look, I want to redeem myself in anyway. Also, I'm deeply sorry I killed your daughter. Please, forgive me."
Long silence. When Randy saw Nurse Joy glaring at him, he knew what that meant and he felt pain in his heart.
"Get out now!"
"But Nurse Joy!"
"How could you kill my only child?" The nurse sobbed some more before continuing. "I suggest you get out now or else the police will get you."
Knew she was being serious about this, Randy got out of the door and ran out as fast as he could.
To be continued…
