Chapter 2
Imprisonment
A flashback of the strange figures, and of him being knocked unconscious, ran through Aaron’s mind. He remembered something hitting him in the neck; then strange people with a red “R” on their torso’s. He remembered searching for Growly as he was being dragged away. Growly!
Bolting upright, Aaron looked around for the Growlithe. A throbbing headache began to form as blood drained from his head. Breathing deeply, he calmed his nerves. He then noticed that his clothes weren’t the same.
Gray sweats and sweatshirt. Nice. But who changed me?
Aaron shook his head at the thought, surveying the room.
An iron based bed was crammed in the corner, while a lone table and two chairs sat across from it. The walls and ceiling were made of cement, with a single iron door. A single barred window was stationed high on the wall. The musty smell made the dark room seem even lonelier.
Where am I?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the iron door creaked open, making a large bang as it hit the wall. A long shadow stretched itself across the room. Aaron turned around, eyeballing the figure in the doorway. Light sneaked its way through the doorframe and the figure.
“Who are you?”
The figure stepped forward. As the light shined deeper into the room, Aaron could define the man‘s face. He shuddered.
The man had normal, black, Team Rocket clothes on. But it wasn’t his clothes that made him wince; it was his face. A wicked grin was smeared across his face. His long, messy, brown hair laid tight to his head, greasy. Aaron then looked into his eyes; cold, dark, piercing, full of hatred; full of evil. Then, there was the voice.
“How are we feeling tonight?”
Aaron replied, stuttering as he tried to get passed the hatred and wickedness in the man’s voice.
“Wh-where am I? And who are you?”
The man leaned on one of the bedposts. He smirked before responding.
“You are in Team Rocket‘s Headquarters.” He chuckled before continuing. “You were caught trying to steal this egg from Team Rocket.”
The man snapped his fingers. A nearby guard marched in, handing him a Pokemon egg. Aaron furrowed his eyebrows, angry.
“Hey! That’s my egg! You can’t take that!”
The man grinned that wicked smile again, responding in a harsh tone.
“I can’t? Really? Oh no! I’ve stolen from a little infant! I’m such a bad person! Here you go.”
The man reached forward, beckoning for Aaron to take the egg. Aaron didn’t take the bait, sensing the sarcasm. The man then pulled the egg away, shouting: “Deal with it!!!” He then snapped for a guard to take it away.
“Anyways, that is not why I came here. The boss has told me to take you to the Battle Chamber. You are to be tested.”
The man snapped for more guards to come in, hauling Aaron away. Aaron thought to himself as he was being escorted.
Tested?
**** **** ****
The Battle Chamber was a small place. A few rows were circled around it, seated by Team Rocket members. A few of the high ranking members were bunched on the lower rows. A loud voice boomed out, signaling the start of the event. Aaron stood on one end of the dome, while another person stood at the other end. A Team Rocket leader came up to him, carrying a single poke ball.
“Here. You may use your weak Growlithe.”
She handed Aaron the poke ball.
“Oh and don’t worry about catching it, we obviously did that for you. Too weak to do it yourself.”
As she walked away, Aaron stared at the poke ball, frowning.
Poor Growly. He didn’t even have a choice in the matter.
The voice on the intercom boomed once more, telling Aaron and his opponent to get ready for battle. Aaron threw his poke ball, causing a red light to spray out. The light formed into a Growlithe; into Growly. Aaron’s opponent did the same, revealing a Pidgey.
Growly pranced over to Aaron excitedly. The boy embraced the puppy, wishing he could be back home, in Telltop. The intercom interrupted this reunion, as it shouted, “Prisoner’s! Let the battle commence!”
Aaron swallowed the lump in his throat, remembering his uncle telling him how to battle, and what moves certain Pokemon knew. Growly turned around, snarling at the Pidgey as it drew closer to its master.
“Growly! Use bite!”
The Growlithe lurched forward, the Pidgey doing the same. Aaron’s opponent shouted as the two Pokemon charged at each other.
“Pidgey! Use tackle!”
The two Pokemon continued speeding towards one another, dirt flying behind them. Just before impact, Pidgey jumped up at the last second Growly missed his target, biting nothing but air. The Pidgey landed behind the Growlithe, ready for another attack.
Aaron saw where this was going, and didn’t like it.
“Growly! Turn around and use roar!”
Growly responded by spinning around and unleashing a roar as fierce as a dragon. The Pidgey cowered back, to frightened to attack. Knowing what its master wanted, Growly launched forward, clenching its teeth into the Pidgey’s feathers. The Pidgey stumbled back, slamming into the ground. A red beam shot out, causing the bird to get sucked into the opponent’s poke ball. Aaron was about to do the same, when his opponent through out another Pokemon. A Squirtle.
Great. A water type.
“Growly! Use bite!”
The orange puppy sprang forward, obeying its master. The Squirtle just stood there, waiting for a command. Growlithe continued its course, ready for impact.
What in the world? Why won’t it attack. Or could it be…oh no!
“Growly! He’s way stronger than I first judged! Pull back!”
But it was too late. The Squirtle belched a mass of bubbles, blinding Growly. Without being able to see, Aaron’s opponent took full advantage of the situation.
“Squirtle! Use tackle!”
The Squirtle obeyed, slamming into the blind Growlithe, sending him sprawling in the air. Growly landed hard on the dirt, not getting up.
Aaron looked down in disappointment.
My first battle, and I lost.
TO BE CONTINUED…