[Pokémon] Torpedoed: A Rocket Rising Fanfiction.

[Silent Memento]

Spoiler:

Summary: If you're confused about what Rocket Rising is, it's a fangame created by SaltRoad where you have the lovely option of joining Team Rocket! So naturally, I was intrigued, and after playing it, I was more than satisfied. Now, there's a fair few things that differ from regular Pokemon games, and I'll put spoilers at the end to show them as well. But first things first: disclaimers and warnings.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, nor am I the creator of Rocket Rising. Those two honors belong to GameFreak and SaltRoad, respectively.

Warnings: Violence (including Pokemon abuse, battling, and hinted character death) and cursing (although I've toned it down quite a fair bit compared to my usual repertoire, lawl) up to the "b" and "a" words, which are used sparingly. I will be going down the "evil" route (yes, you can choose between good and evil in this game, although there are consequences for both routes), so there will be a villain protagonist. If you are uncomfortable with those themes, please don't read.

I will post the link to Rocket Rising, which, again, is a fangame created by SaltRoad, who is a user on here. Here's the link to the thread of his:

https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=335998

Now, without further ado, let's get into the story, shall we?

Chapter One: Sunk Cost​

It was a rainy spring day in the city of Cerulean. Many of the citizens were in their homes or the Pokemon center, waiting until the storm calmed. However, there was one trainer, desperate to train her Pokemon - for both cash and experience - in the downpour. That trainer was Amethyst Snowden.

Amethyst was in dire straits. Sure, she had won against Brock and Misty, but both of them had been difficult fights that she had been lucky to win. She was almost out of money, and could barely take care of herself, let alone six Pokemon. Her dream was to be a Pokemon master, but she was beginning to think that she wouldn't make it.

She had heard of a place north of Cerulean called "the Nugget Bridge" that supposedly had a "special prize" for the winners of the challenge. So, like any self-respecting trainer would do, she got up for the task...in spite of her Pokemon complaining.

Now, Amethyst wasn't a cruel trainer, but she wished that her Pokemon would trust her more. It seemed like no matter how many badges she won or how many treats she gave them, they'd always find a way to make her life a living hell.

"Please, can we just go across this bridge?" she asked the party: Envy the Pikachu, Sloth the Butterfree, Lust the Pidgeotto, Pride the Charmander, Greed the Squirtle, and Gluttony the Bulbasaur. "I promise, once we win the prize, you'll get all the snacks you want. Okay?"

"Forget it," Sloth muttered, fluttering his wings. "I'm not interested in fighting. Fight your own battles, jerk."

"Fine, you won't fight," Amethyst said calmly. "I just need your help, guys. Really."

"Whatever," Gluttony and Greed said in harmony. The two never did anything apart, even though they weren't twin brothers. Apparently, they weren't going to help her either.

"Envy, Lust, Pride, please help me out."

"You better give me tons of treats," Pride growled, twitching his fiery tail in clear annoyance of the weather.

"Not more than me!" Envy snapped, her tail lashing from side to side.

"Fine, if you have to be like that," Lust trilled, preening her wings.

"Okay. Let's go."

The Nugget Bridge was fairly straightforward. According to the sign, the rules were simple: beat five trainers in a row without going to the Pokemon center to heal. She had five potions and a revive, but she didn't want to waste them on anything other than gym battles.

A bug catcher was first. "Hello, challenger, and welcome to Nugget Bridge," he said in a bored tone, as if he had rehearsed it many times. "You know the Pokemon battle rules, right?"

Amethyst nodded. The battle rules were simple: up to three Pokemon could be sent onto the field in one battle - and more than six could be kept on one's person at a time, which differed from many regions - and the first person to make the other's Pokemon faint won the battle.

"Then let's get started, shall we?" The bug catcher sent out his Pokemon: a Caterpie and a Weedle.

"All right, Envy, Lust, Pride, let's do this!'

The three aforementioned Pokemon took their places. It wasn't much of a fight; the two bugs didn't even get a chance to use an attack before both were quickly KOed.

"Now to the next member," Amethyst said with a smile. The next trainer was a lass, who looked just as bored as the bug catcher did.

"Challenger, welcome to Nugget Bridge," the lass muttered.

"Um, the previous trainer-"

"Don't care what he said. Go, Pidgey, Nidoran." The bird and female Nidoran popped out of their pokeballs, but they didn't do much before they were knocked out by a thunderbolt and a wing attack/ember combination respectively.

Next was a youngster. "Welcome to Nugget Bridge," he said with a sigh. "Go Zubat, Ekans, and Rattata."

"C'mon, guys, you've got this!"

Envy unleashed a thunderbolt against the Zubat, immediately knocking it out, although the Rattata got a hit on her. Lust used a wing attack against the Rattata, while the Ekans nailed Pride with a direct hit, knocking off more than half of his health. Pride followed up with an ember to the Ekans, while Envy knocked out the Rattata with another thunderbolt. Lust went with another wing attack, which knocked the Ekans out cold, concluding the battle.

"I did my best. I have no regrets."

"Well, okay, then," Amethyst said, beginning to have an ominous feeling about the bridge's trainers.

She went over to the bridge's fourth trainer: another lass.

"You beat my twin sister, then?" the lass said nonchalantly. "Huh. Go, Pidgey and Nidoran."

"Another lass with similar Pokemon? Let's do this, guys."

The battle went exactly as expected: with both of the lass's Pokemon knocked out without a single hit on Amethyst's Pokemon.

"Well, then," the lass sighed in a bored tone. "Don't get your hopes up; the last trainer's tougher than all of us combined."

"Thanks."

"Whatever."

The last trainer was a camper. He sighed, adjusting his coat.

"So you got past the last few trainers," he said in a monotone voice. "Go, Mankey."

"All right, time to shine, guys!"

Envy led off with a thunderbolt, but the Mankey quickly knocked out Pride before he could launch an attack.

"Damn!" Amethyst spat. "Envy, Lust, keep spamming thunderbolt and wing attack!"

The Mankey was a surprisingly-tough mon, as it tanked a wing attack and another thunderbolt before knocking out Envy.

This can't be it for me… "Lust, c'mon, you've got this!"

"'Got this'? Like Envy and Pride 'got this'?"

"You know what I mean!"

Lust took a karate chop before KOing the Mankey with another wing attack.

"YES, we did it!" Amethyst said joyously. "Things are finally looking up!"

"What about Envy and Pride?" Lust tweeted.

"Let's just claim the prize first."

"Fine!"

She walked up to a man wearing black clothes. He grinned at them.

"Congratulations!" he said. "You beat our five trainers. As a reward, you get a gold nugget!"

He handed her a gold sphere, which she immediately put in her bag.

"By the way, how would you like to join Team Rocket?" he asked in a low voice. "We're a group of criminals specializing in Pokemon. Want to join?"

Amethyst was taken aback. So this man was a Rocket member? Her mind was immediately made up.

"Uh, no thanks," she said.

"Are you sure?" he pressed.

"Yeah, pretty sure."

"Come on, join us!"

"I said 'no.' I'm not interested."

"I'm telling you to join!" he snapped angrily.

"And I'm telling you that I don't give a damn about what you're saying!" Amethyst spat.

"Okay. Sounds like you need convincing. I'll make you an offer that you can't refuse."

"Going all 'Godfather' on me? How unoriginal. Bring it on!"

"Zubat, Ekans, teach her a lesson!"

The two mons came out, and Amethyst immediately sent out Lust.

"Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, help me out here!" she pleaded.

"Forget it," Sloth muttered. "I don't feel like fighting."

"Ugh, Greed, Gluttony, please help me out here!"

"Fine," they said simultaneously.

"Zubat, wing attack, Ekans, bite."

Amethyst could only watch in horror as both Greed and Gluttony were knocked out in one hit.

"Sloth, please!"

"Forget it, jerk. Team Rocket sounds very good right now."

"Knock out the Pidgeotto."

Lust quickly fell, and she could do nothing as all six of her Pokemon were quickly taken from her.

"Y-you can't just-"

"I just did," the Team Rocket member said happily. "Nothing you can do about it...except join Team Rocket, of course."

"But...I'll never be a Pokemon master that way," she said in a quiet tone.

"Well then, how are you going to do that with no Pokemon?" he sneered.

Amethyst knew that she had no choice, and decided to make the hardest decision of her sixteen-year life.

"I...I'll do it," she said miserably.

The man's demeanor immediately changed. "Okay," he said with a smile. "If you go to Celadon game corner, there will be a man in front of a poster. He'll ask you for a password, which is 'all glory.' Go down the elevator to the fourth floor, and speak to the lady there. She'll give you a Pokemon."

"But how do I get to Celadon?" she asked. "Last I heard, the gatekeepers in Saffron won't let anyone in or out…"

"Use the subway near the bike shop. You should have enough money for a one-way ticket."

"Thanks." Amethyst felt awkward thanking the Rocket member, but given her circumstances...well, might as well be courteous.

"No problem. Good luck."

She headed back down the bridge, filled with regret. Her Pokemon were gone, possibly forever. Even with their faults, they were still hers, and she had failed them.

No...they weren't hers anymore. They were Team Rocket's now. She sighed. If she ever hoped to get another Pokemon, she had to...join them. The thought of it nauseated her, filled her with doubt, but what other option was there? Professor Oak wouldn't give her another Pokemon, even if she told him what had happened. And then there was Oak's grandson, Garnet…how would he react?

Garnet was her rival, and she had never once beaten him - a fact that he was extremely quick to remind her. He'd have a laugh at her expense, of course. The thought filled her with anger.

"I'll join," Amethyst murmured to herself. "I'll get a Pokemon. And I'll prove everyone who doubted me wrong."

Spoiler:

Aftermath (which is to explain things about Rocket Rising):

Yes, there's a few different things compared to most Pokemon games. Firstly, you send out three mons at a time (although the opponent - mostly wilds - occasionally sends out more than three, the cheating jerks). Secondly, there's no turn-based combat, as it's more active-time-based. Finally, there's a counter that fills up to let quick-but-weak Pokemon have a chance to attack more compared to slower, but more hard-hitting mons, which gives the former a fighting chance.

Again, the link to Rocket Rising is here: https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/335998 Hope you enjoy the story and - especially - the fangame.

 

[Silent Memento]

Well, I'm sorry for keeping this story on ice for so long. Here's the second chapter!

Chapter Two: Submerged​

The subway ride to Celadon was far too long.

Amethyst had bought her ticket with a bit of the money she had after selling the golden nugget to the Cerulean pokemart, and the passengers were nosy as hell.

"Where's your Pokemon?"

"Where are you going?"

"Why are you going to Celadon?"

"What are you going to do?"

"Are you going to challenge the gym?"

She had answered them to the best of her ability, not mentioning any of the Team Rocket stuff. That would've quickly landed her in hot water. She had come up with the story that she was going to Celadon for a job opportunity, which didn't satiate the curiosity of other passengers.

Eventually, she just ignored them. She was lost in her thoughts until the conductor said that they had arrived in Celadon. She exited the subway and took in the sights of the city.

It was much bigger than Pallet Town, that was for sure. There were all sorts of apartment buildings, restaurants, and smaller residences. Two things stood out to her, though: the department store - which was a giant six-story building - and the game corner. She walked toward the latter and entered the building.

The lights and sounds immediately drew Amethyst's attention. The place was basically a small casino. Every slot machine was occupied by someone, and from the sounds of swearing and groans, there weren't many lucky winners.

She looked around for a poster, spotting a man dressed in black. She made a beeline for him, which caught his attention.

"Hey, ye ain't allowed here!" he snapped in a heavy accent from somewhere that obviously wasn't from Kanto.

"All glory," she replied.

"Huh. Didn't know dat we was recruiting kids," the Rocket said, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry 'bout dat, hyuck, hyuck."

"I'm sixteen," she protested.

"Yer still a kid. Now, don't ye have a Pokemon, hyuck, hyuck?"

"No…"

His eyes softened in understanding. "Sorry if'n we gave ye a bad impression," he said sympathetically.

"I just want to get a Pokemon," Amethyst said quietly. "The recruiter on Nugget Bridge said I could find one on the fourth floor…"

"Ah, that'll be Winifred," the Rocket muttered in a dark tone. "Here." He handed her a keycard. "This'll take ye to the fourth floor. The elevator's to the left after goin' down the stairs. Good luck, hyuck, hyuck."

He pressed a button underneath the poster, revealing a staircase to the right. He went down the stairs, and she quickly followed.

The base was unlike anything Amethyst had ever seen. It was both clean and cluttered: the tiles had obviously been scrubbed clean, but there were various boxes scattered across the floor. Rockets were scurrying around. Some were carrying boxes; others were leading their Pokemon to do tasks for them.

She moved to the elevator and used the keycard. The doors shut and the elevator stopped.

I can't believe I'm doing this...

She stepped out of the elevator and tentatively walked over to an older woman.

"Come on, I don't bite," the woman said cheerfully. "I'm Winifred. You must be a new recruit?"

"Yes." Amethyst said. "I came here to get a Pokemon?"

"Well, you're in the right place," Winifred said. "Here's a Pokemon." She handed a pokeball to Amethyst. "You'll also need a change of clothes. You're representing Team Rocket to the world, so you'll need them. ...I think you're a small. Lucky; I wish that I could still wear a small." She gave the teenager a set of clothes. "There's an empty room behind me."

Amethyst nodded her thanks and went into the empty room. She set the pokeball on the bench and quickly got dressed. She looked into the mirror, seeing a pale-skinned brunette with waist-length hair and tired green eyes. The black-and-red Rocket uniform - a black cap, a black skirt and leggings, and a shirt with a red uppercase "R" - blared out her intentions to the world.

"Now for my…" She stared at the purple-and-cream rat-like Pokemon - a Rattata - who was covering his eyes with his front paws.

"Sorry, Mistress!" he squeaked, still covering his eyes. "I didn't mean to look, I swear, I just got out of my ball, and-"

"Wait, you looked at me while-"

"I swear, Mistress, I closed my eyes," the Rattata said, his voice quivering in fear. "You're not going to hurt me, are you, Mistress?"

"No, of course not," she said calmly. "And what's with this 'Mistress' stuff?"

"You're my new owner," he said simply. "I belong to you. Hence the title, Mistress."

"Just call me Amethyst. Honestly, that's good enough. Do you have a name?"

"...No."

"Okay…" Amethyst tried to think of the scariest name there was; given that she was a Rocket now, intimidating names had to be a staple of her team. "How about Savagery?"

"Okay!" Savagery squeaked. "I like this name, Mistress Amethyst!"

She sighed. It seemed like the Rattata wouldn't be convinced otherwise. "Let's go."

The odd pair walked out of the dressing room and Winifred waved at them.

"Now you look the part!" the older woman said. "Now listen closely. I want you to steal three Pokemon for us. You do not get to keep those Pokemon. If you're having any problems, don't hesitate to ask around."

"Thanks."

Amethyst went over to the elevator and pressed a button. The elevator immediately stopped at the second floor, and a female Rocket got in with a huff.

"Ugh, that bitch, Kokoro..." the Rocket muttered before turning to face Amethyst with a look of surprise. "Oh, wait, sorry, I didn't say that out loud."

"Of course not...do you know where to steal Pokemon?" the teenager asked.

"Well...I don't know if he has Pokemon, but I hear that if you shake down the diner owner, he'll cough up something. And there might be a stolen Pokemon in our warehouse."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Fellow Rockets have to stick together, right? Name's Britt, by the way."

"Amethyst."

"Amethyst, eh? I'll remember that. Also, I'll always be on the first floor. If you need your Pokemon healed, I'll take care of it, since Pokemon centers refuse to service us."

"Thank you, Britt."

"Hey, like I said, fellow Rockets have to stick together." Britt exited the elevator with Amethyst and Savagery following.

She heard a muffled curse coming from near the staircase. She followed it, leading to a Rocket unpacking supplies. He turned to face her.

"Hey, kid," he muttered. "Can you take a bit off of my hands?" He handed her five potions.

"Thanks?" Amethyst said curiously.

"I'll let you know when I get more supplies."

"Why are you just giving them to me?"

"Do I need a reason?"

Amethyst shrugged. "I guess not. By the way, do you know where to steal Pokemon?"

"Should be one in the apartments."

"Thank you."

"See ya."

She moved away from the Rocket and went up the stairs into the casino. She had just gotten to the front door when she bumped into a female Rocket outside.

"Hey!" the Rocket said. "Move out of my way, or…" She took another look. "Oh, you must be a newbie. I have a message I have to deliver, but you look better suited to do that."

"Why do you want me to deliver a message when you don't want to do it?" Amethyst asked pointedly.

"Because if you do so, I'll tell you something good. What do you say?"

"Sure…"

"Good. There's a little kid in the back of the apartments playing with his Caterpie. Easy pickings."

"Thanks?"

"As for the message, Maxx said his decision was in Lavender."

"Lavender?" Amethyst asked. "What for?"

"None of your business!" the Rocket snapped. "You're just delivering the message to Winifred, got it?"

"Yeah, sure I...will..." Amethyst replied, while seeing the Rocket vanish in the distance. She sighed. "Savagery, you feel up to battling a Caterpie?"

"You bet, Mistress Amethyst!" Savagery said, twitching his tail.

They walked over to the back where they saw a little boy and a Caterpie.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing?" Amethyst asked.

"Uh, playing with my Pokemon!" the youngster said. "Wanna battle?"

"Sure, but I bet you don't have much money. How about the loser...gives up a Pokemon?"

The kid looked at her. "Is that okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, people do it all the time," she said in her most reassuring tone.

"All right, go, Wormy!"

"Savagery, you've got this, right?"

"Yes, indeed, Mistress Amethyst!"

The battle didn't take long at all, and soon enough, Amethyst was in the possession of the Caterpie.

"Aww…" the boy said with a sniffle. "Take good care of Wormy, will you?"

"I will," she lied.

After she had gotten a fair distance away, she stopped.

"I can't believe I stole that kid's Pokemon," she murmured to herself. A smile then broke out on her face, despite her earlier misgivings. "I can't believe I got away with that. Now to go to the apartments. Come on, Savagery."

"Yes, Mistress Amethyst!" the Rattata squeaked.

"Just a question, though," she began as they walked toward the apartments, "How did you end up with Team Rocket?"

"Me?" Savagery asked.

"Yes."

"I think I was bred for the Rockets, Mistress Amethyst. I had tons of siblings, and we're usually given to new recruits."

"So nothing about your past stands out before you met me?"

"Nope!"

She nodded, noticing that they had arrived at their destination. She opened the door, and an elderly woman saw her.

"You stay away from my Pokemon!" the woman spat, her gaze wandering to a female Nidoran.

Amethyst smiled. "You're really going to stop me?" she said calmly, walking over to the Nidoran, while Savagery bared his fangs at the woman. She quickly nabbed the Nidoran, and exited the apartments with her Rattata in tow.

"Now that was a rush," Amethyst said with a laugh.

"Now for the Rocket warehouse?" Savagery asked curiously.

"Sounds good to me."

They walked over to the warehouse and had almost reached it when Amethyst noticed the diner.

"Say, didn't Britt tell us about the diner owner having something?" she asked. "You thinking what I'm thinking, Savagery?"

"Let's see what we can get!" the Rattata said cheerily.

As she walked into the diner with her Pokemon, she noticed the man at the bar pouring a glass of wine for a black-haired woman in a kimono, who was obviously tipsy. The new Rocket sidled up to the bar.

"Can I help you?" the owner asked.

"It's a nice place you have," Amethyst said with a smile. "Would be a shame if something happened to it."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, no, just...well, Team Rocket runs Celadon, right? And maybe we want to feel welcome here, you know? Get in on the action."

"Fine, then." He handed her an envelope. "There's 2,000 poke in there. Do what you will."

"Thank you. I'm feeling welcome already."

She saw the woman give her a curious glance, but otherwise spared no thought as she exited the diner and went straight to the warehouse. She saw an old man and another Rocket. She walked up to them.

"Excuse me, but do any of you have a stolen Pokemon to spare?" she asked.

"I do," the Rocket said. "But you have to do something for me first."

"Okay. What is it?"

"Could you read the board for me? I'm dyslexic, and the cipher screws with people enough as it is."

"Cipher?"

"You know, code? Kokoro specializes with that, but I don't want to ask her. So, are you going to help?"

"Sure." She walked over to the board and started to read. It made no sense to her at first glance.

"Hey, I can help!" Savagery squeaked. "Don't read it in a straight line. Look at it from an up-down perspective."

Amethyst nodded her thanks to her Pokemon and did what he said. When she was finished, she walked over to the Rocket.

"Well, what does it say?" he asked.

"All Pokemon exist for the glory of Team Rocket," she replied.

"Huh. Interesting. Okay, here's your Pokemon." He handed her a pokeball.

"All right, let's return to Winifred," Amethyst said to Savagery.

"Actually, there's a trainer near the bicycle road," the Rattata said. "Why not go after him?"

"Good idea."

They undertook the journey in silence, and soon enough, they had reached their mark: a bug trainer who had his Weedle and Caterpie out.

"Hey, there," Amethyst said coolly.

"So, you're a Rocket?" the bug catcher said with a sneer. "You'll be good training for my trip to the tournament! Go, my bugs!"

"Savagery, you've got this!"

Savagery immediately used a hyper fang without asking, and the Weedle went down. The Caterpie tackled Savagery, taking off a good portion of health.

"Savagery, you okay?"

"I'm good, Mistress Amethyst!" he squeaked. He sank his fangs into the Caterpie and tossed it to the side like a ragdoll, knocking it out.

"Well, I bet that you don't have any badges, so you're just as weak as me!" the bug catcher spat.

Amethyst punched him in the face, took a pokeball from the trainer's belt, and recalled the Weedle.

"Oh, no, my bug!" he screamed.

"Now to go back to base."

The odd pair ran to the casino, and after Britt healed Savagery, they entered the elevator. Winifred immediately noted their presence.

"So, you got four Pokemon," she said. "Good job. Now remember, you don't get to keep them, but you can turn them into the Game Corner's prize counter for rewards."

"Thanks," Amethyst said before remembering something. "Wait, someone said that 'Maxx's decision was in Lavender.' What's that about?"

"Hmm…that makes it easy." Winifred handed Amethyst a package. "I want you to deliver this to Maxx."

"How will I know who he is?"

"He'll have an 'R' on his chest. We're not inconspicuous, you know."

"Fair enough." Amethyst turned to her Pokemon. "Time to go to Lavender."

Spoiler:

Yes, you only get a Rattata to start with. Don't scoff; it's dead useful in the later game under specific circumstances that I'll talk about later on when the story progresses. And after the fight against the youngster's Caterpie, go to the apartments. You not only get a stolen Pokemon, but on the next floor, there's a person on the top left desk who will give one level to your Rattata (not to other mons, though, so don't wait), and when it's level 10, it learns bite. Use it sixty times on the wild mons (and always save when it comes to wild mons; if you faint, it's an automatic game over), and you get hyper fang, which is useful dealing with the bug catcher whose Pokemon you steal and the future trainers you'll face on your way to Lavender.

Also, as a note, you might get something called a "trinket" from a wild or, in rare cases - trainer battle. Keep them. They're extremely useful, for reasons I'll explain in future chapters, but what you need to know is that you'll want to save them up instead of spending them immediately.

And no, unlike some Rocket games, you don't get to keep your spoils. The left-most prize giveaway gives your specific prizes for however many mons you steal. So get to work stealing them all!

 

[VisionofMilotic]

Good! This story is entertaining. Even though I haven't played Rocket Rising, I still think the fic is a fun read and stands on its own. Amethyst's team of Pokemon are such brats that I don't feel sympathy for them being stolen by Team Rocket, and I believe that is not unintentional, the story has a dark humor about it. The Pokemon that the protagonists gets from Team Rocket is ironically the much nicer partner. I like Savergy the rattata

An initial criticism I had was that Amethyst gave into Team Rocket's demands too fast because of one lost battle. I think a normal person if robbed would at least attempt to seek help before resorting to joining a criminal organization. However as the story progresses I think it becomes clear that we aren't dealing with a normal person, especially by the second chapter. Despite expressing some aversion when initially asked to commit crimes, Amethyst makes her peace with theft and extortion after the first job, and becomes more and more aggressive with her victims each time. I think she was never as innocent as she appeared, and is a natural born killer, but just didn't know it. Interesting character. I think she's right in the place she belongs after all.