Syria Tildal
Rocket Grunt
Current Assignment:
Reconnaissance
Saffron City Children Association's Headquarters
Saffron City
Funds:
N/A
Items:
N/A
Pokemon:
N/A
Journey Day 1
2:00 PM
Syria Tildal walked behind the back row of chairs, watching the Contest. Young children using borrowed Pokemon were just beginning their rounds. The pokemon, of course, were all common. Most of them were Pidgeys or Rattata, with an Oddish or two dotted here and there. The most rare Pokemon that the children were using was a Growlithe.
She kept one eye on the Growlithe, and scanned the rest of the room. This was the Saffron City Children Association's annual Pokemon Contest. The children borrowed Pokemon from the Association, or from their friends or parents, and competed as they would in a real contest. The winners of this would win ribbons and candy, instead of money.
Syria adjusted her baseball cap. "To the left," a voice said into her ear. She put a hand up by her left ear, pretending to adjust her hair, but in actuality, adjusting the speaker that was hidden inside her ear. "move to the left." Syria turned her head to the right, pretending to look at a Pidgey and its trainer, and the video camera in her baseball cap was swung in the same direction.
"Got him," another voice came through the speaker in her ear. "Third row, fifth seat from the right. Andre Cervantes." there was a slight pause, and then the second voice was back. "Confirmed. Mockingbird, get out of there. We have what we need. One of our agents will pick up your Growlithe."
Syria turned to leave, but found a rather strapping young man blocking her way. "Hi," he said, smiling. Syria looked him up and down. he was of average height, looked like a body-builder, and was wearing white gym shorts. "I'm Greg." he held out his hand.
"Oh, crap." Syria heard someone say into the microphone at the other end of her earpiece. "Get rid of him, Mockingbird."
Syria smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Emily. Look, I'm sorry, but I have to go." She brushed past the young man, and walked through the door, not even glancing back.
"Why does that always happen to you?" she heard through the speaker, and her teammate's laughter rolled through her mind.
++++
Syria Tildal
Rocket Grunt
Current Assignment:
None
Saffron City Team Rocket Safehouse
Saffron City
Funds:
N/A
Items:
N/A
Pokemon:
N/A
Journey Day 1
2:15 PM
"--Third time this week," she heard someone laugh as she walked through the doors of her team's operation room in the Team Rocket Saffron City safehouse. She glared at the young man, who quickly shut up.
"It's not my fault," she hissed, and tossed the baseball cap onto the table in the middle of the small room. It was like every other in the basement, where the grunts worked. small, about thirty feet square; with dull, unpainted walls; a single table; and anywhere from two to five chairs, depending on the operation. Generally, the Grunts in the Saffron City cell were teamed up in pairs, and sometimes, for certain operations, the pairs were teamed up with other pairs. If it were an important enough operation, Operatives were assigned to oversee the operation.
Syria's operation, however, wasn't important enough to warrant the presence of an Operative. her mission, and those of her teammates, was to track down a man named Andre Cervantes, and bring him in for interrogation. Apparently, Andre was a retired Rocket who had gotten soft in his old age and was going to talk to either the Global Police or Team Valor. Syria wasn't sure which one it was. It was one of them, but she'd have to read the file again to be sure.
"Has John gone to get my Kronos yet?" she asked, referring to the man that she was paired up with. A fit, robust young man of twenty, John was probably one of the kinder of the Rockets within the Saffron City cell. He was her first partner, and he had gone out of his way to make her feel comfortable, and generally was nice to people when he was on assignment, unless the mission directives indicated otherwise. At about five feet, seven inches or so tall, and about one hundred fifty pounds, John was a master of several kinds of martial arts, and he was deadly with any one of them. Only a moron or a master of martial arts would try to take him on. Syria had seen him in action, and the aftermath had not been pretty.
"Yeah, he's gone," replied Chris, the leader of the pair that John and she had been assigned to work with. He was of medium height and average build, with brown hair and piercing brown eyes. He was about thirty, although he had told her early on that he had only just joined Team Rocket one or two years before. Chris glanced at his watch. "He should be back in about five minutes."
Syria glanced at Chris's partner, a young woman of about fifteen or so named Angelina. Apparently it was the Saffron cell's policy to group men with women in the pairs. This did, of course, make quite a bit of strategical sense. Some men may not be able to get to certain places or talk to people that girls could, and vice versa. Angelina wore her black hair in a ponytail over her right shoulder, and wore a simple Rocket uniform. She was a genius when it came to computers and other electronics, so she rarely left the safe house. Because of this, she generally wore her standard-issue Rocket uniform. Angelina glanced up from her computer at Syria, grunted, and went back to her computer. It was probably a good thing, Syria thought to herself, that Angelina didn't go outside the safe house.
+++++
Syria Tildal
Rocket Grunt
Current Assignment:
None
Freddy's
Saffron City
Funds:
N/A
Items:
N/A
Pokemon:
Kronos—Growlithe
Journey Day 1
2:37 PM
"Here's to a job well done," Chris said, holding up his mug of Root Beer. Syria grinned and tapped his mug with hers. They both drank. Syria looked around as Chris sighed contentedly. Freddy's, a rather upscale institution, was owned by a Rocket sympathizer, and let them use it for some of their public meetings. Not many, of course. the owner didn't want to attract attention to the Rockets, nor lose customers if it did happen. The Rockets weren't given a discount, because of the need for covercity, but it was still a favorite place of the Rockets in Saffron City. Syria swept the red walls, took in the breathtaking tapestries and paintings, and brought her attention back to her carved wooden table, and the exquisite chairs that they were sitting in.
"You did good work today, Syria," Chris was saying. "I wasn't sure if you'd let me use your Growlithe as the Pokemon, but you did. Angelina's going over the information the hacking device we installed in its collar collected." He grinned his coy little smile. "But you've gotten some attention, little lady." that was his pet name for her, little lady. "Executive Grant told me to give you this." He reached over his shoulder and reached into the backpack he'd slung over his shoulder. From within it, he pulled out a folder, and handed it across the table to Syria.
Syria stared at it in shock. Executive Grant was the head of the Saffron City cell of Team Rocket. Well, at least her safehouse of the Saffron cell. She stared at the folder, letting the soft classical music and the dull hum of the other diners wash over her. She looked up at Chris's smiling face, and slowly took the folder. Chris smiled and sat back in his chair. "You did it, Syria. I told you that you had real potential."
Syria frowned as she scanned through the folder. "I'm not going to have a home base?" she asked, looking up at Chris, an astonished look crossing her face.
Chris grinned and leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table. "Syria, home base assignments are for Grunts that aren't gonna make it. You've shown that you can handle yourself, and handle yourself pretty well. You didn't know it, but we had Executive Grant himself watching your mission. Apparently he's got a personal stake or something in this. He was impressed with how you kept your cool, even when that kid was trying to choke your Growlithe." Syria opened her mouth to speak. "I know that he was trying to hug him, but that's not how it looked, at least to us."
Syria looked at him in shock for several seconds, then pulled herself together, and tossed the closed folder onto the table beside her plate. "Funds and assignments?" she asked.
Chris leaned back and grinned. "That's what I like about you, Syria," he said. "All business, all the time. But some day you'll have to learn to relax."
Syria, without blinking, replied, "I am relaxed."
Chris shook his head and laughed. "You've got a good sense of humor, too," he said, grinning. He leaned forward. "You'll be getting Three Thousand credits from Team Rocket to start out with, and five hundred each day after that. Where you go is up to you, but I suspect that you'll be doing just fine."
Syria nodded. "when do I start?"
Chris grinned. "I don't know. How long does it take you to clean out your room and get on the road?"
"Approximately fifteen minutes and forty seconds, sir." was Syria's crisp reply.
Chris chuckled. "I was joking, Syria. you can leave whenever you want. But, knowing you, you'll be leaving fifteen minutes and forty seconds after you get back to your room." his eyes sparkled and he held up his mug again. "To your new assignment."
Syria raised an eyebrow, grinned, and picked up her own mug and once again tapped it against her ex-partner's canister of Root Beer. She grinned evilly. "I suppose this means I don't take orders from you," she said casually.
Chris immediately went serious. "Oh, crap," he said quietly. "I know that tone. Look, use another Ekans if you want, but NOT in my underwear this time, okay? ANYWHERE but there!"
+++++
Syria Tildal
Rocket Grunt
Current Assignment:
None
Edge of Saffron City
Saffron City
Funds:
3000 Credits
Items:
N/A
Pokemon:
Kronos--Growlithe
Journey Day 1
3:03 PM
Syria looked down at her Growlithe, Kronos, and smiled. The playful little pup barked at her and started running in circles around her. Syria sighed and rolled her eyes. She had never gotten Kronos to calm down, but it didn't annoy her as much as it used to.
She looked down the road and grinned. She was free, now. No safe house to hold her down, no partner to get along with--even though Chris was great--and no one hovering directly over her head if she messed up. There was still someone there, true, but at least out here she'd be separated from the Brass by a bit of distance.
As she walked out into the wilderness, she wondered how long it would take Chris to realize that along with the Ekans she'd put in his sock drawer, she'd put a Seviper into his underwear drawer. She grinned, and walked forward, eager for adventure.
+++++
Syria Tildal
Rocket Grunt
Current Assignment:
None
Between Vermillion City and Saffron City
Funds:
3000 Credits
Items:
N/A
Pokemon:
Kronos—Growlithe
Journey Day 1
3:17
"So," Syria muttered to herself, "I'm all alone out here, with three thousand credits, Kronos, my backpack, and the clothes on my back. That was smart." she sighed. "Why, oh why didn't I remember a Potion or something?" She sighed and took off her backpack. She still wasn't that far from Saffron. If she needed something, she could go back. "Let's see if they gave me anything good in here," she muttered, rummaging around inside the backpack she had recieved as she walked in the door of the safehouse. She'd arranged her stuff inside it, but hadn't looked to see if there was anything in it before she put her things in.
She hadn't even thought about looking through it until now. She was stupid! stupid, stupid, stupid. Anywhere else, and she could be dead. She was getting rusty, and that was not good.
She quickly moved her things out of the way, and looked in the bottom ofthe backpack. Nothing, as per SOP. Now, if this were a Rocket backpack, then...there! She pulled back a strip of cloth that revealed a hidden pocket, and five Pokeballs dropped out into her hand. She grinned. If she were careful, she would be able to get a full team with these five.
Of course, she would be extremely picky about what Pokemon she would catch. She wouldn't go catching the first Pidgey she laid eyes on. She was too experienced for that. She stood up, putting all but one of the Pokeballs back into the secret compartment, and hooked it onto the red belt she'd been given alongside Kronos' Pokeball.
She stood back up, and glanced around quickly. It didn't seem like anyone was around. She put her backpack on silently, and moved several feet to the right of the trail, and began walking in parralel to it. Her senses were working overtime, and she crept along. She probably wouldn't make Vermillion City for a while, but she wouldn't have to meet anyone she didn't have to, either.
+++++
Syria Tildal
Rocket Grunt
Current Assignment:
None
Vermillion City Docks
Vermillion City
Funds:
3000 Credits
Items:
Pokeballx5
Pokemon:
Kronos—Growlithe
Journey Day 1
7:27 PM
Syria glanced around suspiciously, and settled back against against the outer door of a warehouse. she suspected that no fewer than twenty people had seen here get this far, an impressive achievement, considering that she had had to go through the center of the city to get here.
While she kept an eye out for anyone that might approach her, she went over what she knew about Vermillion City. It was one of three port cities in Kanto, the other two being Fuschia and Pallet Town. It was also the major port city, as was evidenced by the massive array of docks that stretched out from the shore.
Ships from all over the world came here to trade, as well as cruise ships. And where cruise ships were, easy pickings for pick-pocketing followed. Of course, on cruise ships, there would be security, and, more importantly, video cameras. Right now, she didn't want any video camera to see her. At all.
That ruled out a gym battle, then, as they surely would have cameras installed. The Gym Leader here was a Lieutenant Surge, she recalled, a man who tried to have a semblance of the military in his gym, but generally just made himself a laughing stock. In her opinion, at least. he used mainly fire types, so there wouldn't be a type advantage or disadvantage for her. But, because of the video cameras that would almost certainly be there, she should probably steer clear of the gym. And the Pokemon Center. and the Pokemon Mart. She grimaced. This would be difficult, but not impossible. She was a trained Rocket agent. Somehow she would do this. She would just have to think of how.
Slowly, a smile flitted across her face. That was it. It was so simple. She grinned, and continued thinking. Various Pokemon Cruise lines passed through Vermillion on a daily basis, and, because of this, there would be a steady stream of Pokemon trainers coming and going. Most of them would have cash, but a few would probably have items. As far as she knew, most Pokemon trainers battled for cash. However, she could have them change the rules so that if she won, she would get an item or two from them. If she failed, they would get cash from her. Of course, her Pokemon would be hurt and would need the Potion...it would work, but not very well.
Then another thought occurred to her. There had to be some kind of flea market around here somewhere. In a town this size, there was probably one somewhere. She'd probably be able to buy Potions and other supplies there, albeit at inflated prices. If she could ever find a source of Potions, she could sell things there as well.
Then another thought slipped into her mind, one that was so basic that she would have laughed if she hadn't had self-control on her emotions. She could simply contact the Vermillion City Safehouse, and buy her supplies from them. No cameras, no trainers, and it was all within Team Rocket, so no paper trail.
But where would she stay? Yes, she could go to the Vermillion City Safehouse, but that would risk bringing undue attention to it. So that was out. So were all the hotels in town, as they would probably have cameras. That left either befriending someone and convinced them to let her stay the night, or camping out in the woods. Without a fire, of course. Syria nodded to herself. Camping out in the woods it would be.
But first, she'd wait another hour or so, until it was completely dark, then see what kind of night life Vermillion had. If there was dancing to be had anywhere in the city where there weren't any cameras, she was sure that she could find it.
After it got darker, of course
+++++
Syria Tildal
Rocket Grunt
Current Assignment:
None
Vermillion City
Outside Greg's Bar and Grill
Funds:
3000 Credits
Items:
Pokeballx5
Pokemon:
Kronos—Growlithe
Journey Day 1
10: 34 PM
Syria looked up at the night sky, letting the darkness enfold her. She'd spent a long time dancing, and anyone else would have been extremely tired. She, however, thanks to her extensive training, was almost at the same energy level she had been out before she had started. She had had fun, but she had also gathered information, as was her wont. She had eavesdropped on as many conversations, and had learned many things. True, most of them were non-important, but there were some important as well.
She smiled. She had wanted to make a name for herself, and she was pretty sure that she had found a way. She looked around, and spotted a pay-phone on the street corner, and moved towards it casually. She went inside and shut the door behind her, internally grimacing as the light came on over her head. She slipped a voice scrambler she had picked up from the Vermillion Safehouse onto the mouthpiece of the phone, looked up the number she wanted, and dialed it, wishing that she could look around to see if anyone was watching her, but that would make her conspicuous.
The number rang several times, and then someone on the other end picked up. “Hello?” came the sniffling voice of a young child.
Syria smiled. “Hello, is this Trevor?” she asked, knowing that the scrambler would make her sound like a man.
There was a long pause, and then the voice came back. “Yes?” came the tentative reply, “Who is this?”
“That's not important,” Syria said dismissively. “But you can call me The Avenger. It has come to my attention that you have lost a Pokemon recently? I believe it was a Pikachu?”
There was a long pause, and then the child's voice replied, quivering now not of sorrow, but of fear. “How did you know that?” Trevor, the little kid asked.
“I hear things,” Syria replied, getting impatient. “Is it true?”
“Y-yes..” Trevor replied, “Somebody stole my Pikachu. I don't know who it was.”
Syria grinned. “I'll do my best to find him. If I do find him, I expect payment for this, do you understand? A Potion and a hundred Credits.”
There was another pause, and then. “Really?” Trevor asked. “Can you really do that?”
Syria smiled. “I can try. I may not be able to, but you better get the payment ready just in case.” with that, she hung up, grinning to herself. This would be a good way to make a name for herself, while still staying safely anonymous. Plus she'd get rich.
She would be a mercenary, in the truest sense of the word.
+++++
Syria Tildal
Rocket Grunt
Current Assignment:
None
Alley Behind Vermillion City Global Police Station
Vermillion City
Funds:
3000 Credits
Items:
Pokeballx5
Secure Laptop Computer
Pokemon:
Kronos—Growlithe
Journey Day 1
11:07 PM
Syria glanced up from the laptop she had borrowed from the Vermillion Safehosue, and checked the connection one more time. She had tapped into the Global Police computer network, and now it would simply be a matter of time before she had the reports she wanted, or was caught and forced to run.
But she was closing in on them—there they were. Pikachu reported stolen by a young man by the name of Trevor Graham, and his parents. A Sandshrew missing from another family, and a family Growlithe missing. All jobs that she had taken on for herself. She had made the calls, and they had agreed to pay her her price if she could perform what she had said that she wanted to do.
There, she had all of the reports concerning those cases downloaded onto thr computer. She probably could have done this back at the Vermillion Safehouse, but it wouldn't have been the same. She quickly shut down the computer, and disconnected all the cords, rearranging them back to what they had been before.
Now, hopefully, with these reports and the information she could get at the Vermillion Safehouse, she could make some headway.
++++++
Syria Tildal
Rocket Grunt
Current Assignment:
None
Vermillion City Team Rocket Safehouse
Vermillion City
Funds:
3000 Credits
Items:
Pokeballx5
Pokemon:
Kronos—Growlithe
Journey Day 1
11:21 PM
Syria mulled over the information that she had in front of her. First up was the Pikachu case. It was a fairly straight-forward snatch and grab. The kid had been in a store, and hadn't even known that the Pikachu's Pokeball was gone until much later. Syria had checked, and Team Rocket hadn't grabbed it. There would have been a record of it somewhere. That meant that she was free to go after the Pikachu.
She remembered how some of the Rockets back in Saffron City had laughed at her when she told them that she was going to go dancing, saying that it was a waste of time. She disagreed. When you went dancing, you never knew who you would run into, or what juicy tidbit you would uncover. This information, while not earth-shattering, was certainly profitable.
From the Police Report and what she had uncovered using the information the Rockets had on hand, she was pretty sure that this was the work of a two-bit Pokemon Thief that generally operated in the area. She scanned his bio and stopped when she came to the Pokemon that he owned. While he stole many Pokemon, he generally stuck to Dark-type Pokemon. How typical of criminal wanna-bes.
She shook her head and left the room, snapping her fingers as she did so. Kronos snapped awake and followed her out of the room.
+++++
Syria Tildal
Rocket Grunt
Current Assignment:
None
Outside Henry Big-Time (self-issued nickname) Jones' apartment.
Vermillion City
Funds:
0 Credits
Items:
Pokeballx5
Voice Modulator
USB Flash Drive
Pokemon:
Kronos—Growlithe
Journey Day 1
11:49 PM
Syria stood outside the apartment, and shook her head in disbelief. The man stole Pokemon for a living, and he lived in this cheap, seedy place? If she were a Pokemon Thief, she would at least have a better house. She raised her hand to her face, to be sure that the make that she wore was secure, then glanced down at her hands to make sure that her gloves were in place.
She turned to Kronos, who looked up at her unhappily, the temporary black dye making him a bit like a Poochyena, as she had hoped, but the tell-tale fire patterns made it clear that he was, in fact, a Growlithe. Oh well. You couldn't win 'em all. She nodded to her partner, and Kronos grinned. He took a deep breath, then belched out a Flamethrower that sent the door flying into the room, and crashing against the far wall.
Immediately, smoke emanated from Kronos' mouth, obscuring Syria and Kronos to anyone watching from the hall or inside the room, as well as setting off fire alarms. Syria darted through the doorway, and glanced around. Henry wasn't there, but his stash of Pokeballs was most certainly there. She grinned and moved over towards them. She pulled out a Pokedex that she had borrowed from the Safehouse, and scanned the Pokeballs until she found the Trainer Code imprinted into the Pokeball that she wanted. She picked it up and put it into her pocket, and scanned the rest, and found the Pokeball for the Growlithe, but not for the Sandshrew.
She straightened and turned around. “We have what we came for. Let's go,” she said, smiling underneath the mask as the voice modulator she had had bought for a pretty sum changed her voice.
“Not so fast,” came a high, squealing voice from the doorway. Syria looked up and was almost amused. The man, who she assumed to be Henry Jones was a tall scarecrow of a man in a trenchcoat and a wide-brimmed hat pulled low over his face, as if trying to look the part of some evil person. “You break into my room, steal my stuff—”
“Is it stealing if it's already stolen?” she interrupted. “Because I don't think it is. I'm merely returning the property that you stole.” Syria's mind raced. The Fire Department was probably halfway here. She didn't have time for this. But there was one thing she could do. “The Avenger knows that it is time for you to be put away. Permanently.” she dropped a small card behind her. She grinned. That card held the information that Team Rocket had on this guy, at least the stuff that any private investigator worth his salt could find. When the Fire department came, and the police went through his room to find out what happened, they'd find not only the Pokeballs, but also the card. “I've had enough of this,” she growled, and almost laughed at what the voice modulator made her sound like. “Kronos, Flamethrower!” she pointed up at a point above the doorway, and Kronos immediately responded.
The Thief's hands dropped to his belt, but he wasn't fast enough, and the ceiling began to collapse in large enough chunks to preclude him from getting through. Kronos immediately began their secondary escape plan, and began belching thick clouds of smoke to replace the ones that were beginning to dissipate. Syria heard the falling of debris from the ceiling begin to slow down, and gestured towards the window. A single ember was all it took to blow out the window enough for first Kronos, and then Syria to get through.
+++++
Syria Tildal
Rocket Grunt
Current Assignment:
None
Vermillion City Piers
Vermillion City
Funds:
700 Credits
Items:
Pokeballx5
Voice Modulator
Potion x2
Pokemon:
Kronos—Growlithe
Journey Day 2
9:07 AM
Syria relaxed against the side of a warehouse, waiting for Kronos to get back. She'd informed the two families of where to leave the Potions and Credits for her. She had sent Kronos, once again disguised by the black dye, to drop off the Pokeballs and pick up their payment. Any minute now, he would come strutting back here.
Sure enough, there he was, coming around the corner, with two bags over his back, and a newspaper in his mouth. She stood up and walked out to Kronos, who dropped the newspaper and waited for Syria to remove their payment, and then began whirling around in a circle. To anyone watching, it would look like he was trying to chase his tail. But she knew better. He was heating himself up so he could attack himself with a Flamethrower, and burn off the black dye. Still wearing gloves, Syria pulled the Potions out of the back and inspected them to make sure that there were no tracking devices installed. Satisfied, she put them into her backpack, and, after a quick inspection, the credits quickly followed.
She dropped the bags that they had been in onto the concrete next to where she was standing, and picked up the newspaper. She smiled slightly. The arrest of Henry Jones had made the front paper. She scanned it, and smiled when she read that the police had named an informant known only as “The Avenger” had given them crucial information for his arrest.
She shook her head and dropped the newspaper on top of the bags, and looked down at Kronos, who now looked like his old self again. His familiar orange fur no longer a different color. This was just the beginning. Together, she and Kronos would make such a name for themselves, every trainer in Kanto would know her name.
+++++
Syria Tildal
Rocket Grunt
Current Assignment:
None
Eastern Edge of Vermillion City
Vermillion City
Funds:
700 Credits
Items:
Pokeballx5
Voice Modulator
Potion x2
Pokemon:
Kronos—Growlithe
Journey Day 2
4:00 PM
Syria shifted her backpack on her shoulders, and looked out of Vermillion City. "Here I go," she murmured. She put one foot in front of the other, and began walking. She forced herself to calm down. She felt too exposed. There was too much open area. She was used to the enclosed spaces of the city. To have this much of an area without trees was disturbing. True, there was brush, but it wasn't the same.
"Hey you!" she heard someone shout, and then there were footsteps running towards her. She closed her eyes. No. Someone did not want to battle her. Not now. She wasn't in any particular hurry, but she didn't want to battle anyone either.
She turned towards the voice, and, to her amusement, two figures in Team Rocket uniforms were running towards her. "Hand over all your money!" one, a boy exclaimed. He was young, probably no older than eleven, and had shaggy brown hair.
The other, a petite young girl with blue eyes and black hair, nodded eagely. "Yeah!" she echoed. "Hand over all your Pokemon."
"Money," the boy corrected her.
"Whatever." the girl replied, rolling her eyes.
Syria frowned. What were these young children doing? Then she remembered. The Saffron Cell was pretty much unique, in that the younger members of Team Rocket weren't allowed to go out by themselves unless accompanied by their trainer, and even then were kept under constant surveillance. But in the other cells, people were recruited, even young children, and then sent off on vague missions.
Syria grinned. This would be fun. "I tell you what," she said. "I'll battle you for it. You win, you get all of my money." the two looked at each other happily, and reached for their belts. "I win, and I you give me half of your combined amount of money."
The two looked at each other then the boy, obviously the leader, smirked. "Well," he said, "That obviously isn't going to happen."
Syria raised an eyebrow. "So do we have a deal?" she asked.
The little boy grinned cockily. "Yeah. Deal."
Syria grinned. This would be so easy. "Kronos, go!" she said, and her Growlithe lay down, waiting for the battle to begin in earnest. She looked at the two young Rockets. "You can each use a Pokemon."
The boy grinned. "You're no match for us. Grimer, go!"
The girl stared at Syria, and Syria, in turn, stared back until the boy nudged her. "Oh, Koffing, go!"
Syria shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Do your business, Kronos," she muttered, and sat down on the ground. She didn't even have to direct this battle. It would be short. She knew that, judging by their actions, they wouldn't be able to stand up for long against Kronos.
She reached over her shoulder and pulled out a book that she'd been meaning to read.
It would only be a a couple of minutes.
+++++
Syria Tildal
Rocket Operative
Current Assignment:
None
Safari Zone Cafe
Fuschia City
Funds:
1100 Credits
Items:
Pokeballx5
Voice Modulator
Potionx2
Pokemon:
Kronos—Growlithe
Journey Day 2
7:00 PM
Syria glanced over the folder that she had just been given, and looked up at the covert Rocket that sat in front of her. "A promotion?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I haven't really done anything to merit one."
The Rocket, who had not given her his name, but merely a code that meant that he was a Rocket Executive, grinned. "That's true, but you were put on the list of grunts to watch by Chris when you left Saffron. Then, when you cleaned out that thief--what was his name?" He eyed her, as if testing her. And he probably was.
Fortunately, she had a prodigious memory. "His name was Henry Jones," she replied evenly. "And he stole Pokemon. It wasn't until afterwards that I realized that he had stolen several Pokemon from Rocket Grunts, and by then the Global Police had custody of the Pokeballs, and were holding them as evidence."
The Executive grinned. "All of your information is correct. That's why we're sending you back to Vermillion, just for this mission, and then you'll be free to do whatever you want, as long as you're not betraying us." he added with a hint of steel in his tone. "Look at the papers at the bottom of that file," he instructed her. "It will give you all the pertinent information. We're not asking you to break your secret identity," he grinned. "We just need those Pokeballs back." he got up, then thought of something else. "And don't visit the Vermillion Safehouse. We don't want to raise any suspicions. If you need to stay overnight, use the Pokemon Center. That's what it is for."
Syria nodded, and glanced back down at the file in front of her. "Infiltrating a Global Police station to get at a heavily guarded to get back Pokeballs that I should have gotten the first time." she muttered to herself. She looked up at the man who had been briefing her. "Timeframe?" she demanded.
The Rocket grinned. "At the outside? One month, that's when the analysts say that the trial will probably be over. But the GP will probably start opening the Pokeballs to examine them a lot sooner. Personally, I'd give you no more than three days."
Syria grinned. "I assume no reinforcements or anything, that from this moment on I'm completely on my own and all that?"
The Executive grinned at her and leaned back, resting his hands behind his head. "You know this drill, don't you?"
Syria smiled tighly back at him. "Yes sir, I do. I was raised on this."
The Executive leaned forward. “No back-up, no, but there will be one small exception. From now on, you are to report to Executive Johanson in Vermillion City. He's the owner of Johanson's Meat Products. He's covert, too. His full name is Julius Grant Johanson. He'll have all the information you'll need. Don't blow his cover.”
+++++
Syria Tildal
Rocket Operative
Current Assignment:
Get Rocket Pokeballs from Vermillion City Global Police Station
Safari Zone
Fuschia City
Funds:
1100 Credits
Items:
Pokeballx5
Voice Modulator
Potionx2
Pokemon:
Kronos—Growlithe
Journey Day 2
6:45 AM
Syria studied the files one final time, and, when she was sure that she had memorized all of the information, she tossed the folder to her right, and Kronos promptly incinerated it, as per her Standard Operating Procedures. Right now, she knew, there was no way that she would ever be possible to enter the base.
She needed another Pokemon. She had been thinking, and she knew that she needed something that could disrupt the Global Police security system. Optimally, she would get a Porygon, or even a Porygon2, but she knew that at her current status, there would be no way that she would be able to get one, or afford one.
That meant a different strategy.
A frontal assault obviously wouldn't work, due to the fact that it was, after all, a Global Police Station, and there would probably be at least twenty highly-trained Global Policemen. By the same token, any kind of assault would undoubtedly fail.
That probably meant an Electric type, and one that could drain the power from the entire station. That would only give her a limited amount of time, provided she were inside, to reach the evidence room and grab the Pokeballs she needed before the Electric type would be driven away, and power restored to the Security system.
Of course, this was all assuming that she had the Electric type stay in the alley behind the Global Police Station. If, instead, she stationed her Electric at the power plant, and had it drain electricity from the wires that supplied power to the station, it would last longer.
Of course, the station would undoubtedly have a back-up generator. She just had to find out where it was, and then destroy it, or at the very least, disable it. It would undoubtedly be heavily guarded, and in the most secure area of the Station. How in the world would she manage to reach both it and the evidence room before the Global Police secured either one or both of them?
Then an idea hit her. "I'm gonna need a Psychic," she murmured.
+++++
Syria Tildal
Rocket Operative
Current Assignment:
Get Rocket Pokeballs from Vermillion City Global Police Station
Power Plant
Route 10
Funds:
1100 Credits
Items:
Pokeballx5
Voice Modulator
Potionx2
Pokemon:
Kronos—Growlithe
Journey Day 2
11:30 AM
Syria looked up at the imposing structure that had once supplied power to all of Kanto, and smiled slightly. She had never personally been here, but she had heard stories about this place. Many Rockets had looked around outside of the massive building, and had found literally hundreds of Electric Pokemon absorbing the power that was being sent to various parts of Kanto.
Syria swallowed. She would definitely need to refine her plan. There was no way that she could drain off all of the power going to Vermillion. She'd have to position whatever Pokemon she decided to capture at the city's substation. Surely it would be able to drain off enough energy to allow her to get the Pokeballs she needed to recover.
She glanced around, and saw several Pokemon right offthe bat, but none that she wanted. She wracked her mindto remember the facts that she had memorized about Electric types, then glanced around.
To her right were several Pikachu, chewing through what looked like a brand-new power cable. Beyond them, several Mareep were actually lying on the power lines, and were probably drawign a lot of power from them. An Electabuzz was leaning against the side of the Power Plant, watching her suspiciously. She glanced around, but didn't see any Pokemon that she was interested in capturing, although she was tempted to capturethe Electabuzz and sell it for the cash it would undoubtedly bring her. But nothing that was interestign for her at that moment.
She started carefully skirtingthe outskirts of the power plant, being careful not to disturb any of the manifold electric types. Frowning, she kept a wary eye out for any Pokemon that looked like it might be on the patrol, but didn't see any. Then she saw it.
An Electrike, running at top speed away from a small river not too far from one of the power lines. It was grinning, and it was sopping wet. Its long fur crackled with barely contained energy. Several water types were flinging attacks after it,but it managed to evade them all.
It came to a stop before one of the power lines, and snapped its jaws around it. Instantly, electricity surged through its body, amplified by its water coating, and in a few seconds, the Electric puppy dropped the power line and ran for the water as fast as its tiny legs could take it, its over-sized ears flapping wildly in the wind. The whole picture was very comic, and Syria couldn't help but chuckle.
Then the tiny puppy leaped into the air, and plunged into the water, eliciting cries, roars, and moans of frustration, annoyance, and outrage. Within seconds, the emerald puppy was again running towards the power lines, with the water types firing after him. The puppy was still grinning, and, if anything, looked like it was having even more fun than before.
Syria shook her head. She wanted this Electric. She'd probably regret it later, but there was something about the Electrike that made her want it more than she had ever wanted anything else. "Loki," she breathed. It fit the little puppy perfectly, she knew, just by watching it. "Its name is Loki," she pronounced presumptuously. "Get him, Kronos. Flamethrower."
her Growlithe nodded, and gauged the distance carefully before belching out a massive spurt of flame. "Not too much," Syria murmured. "I want to see how this guy fights."
The attack hit the Electrike, and knocked him several feet to his right, but he managed not to fall, and, in fact, kept on running, although he glanced over at Syria and Kronos and grinned. Syria frowned. Was it going to run away? It hadn't seemed like the type to do something likethat. Then she traced its path, and she grimaced. "Take Down, now!" she commanded. "It's going for the cable. If it gets there, it'll be able to keep itself powered up indefinitely."
Kronos shot forward as if out of a cannon, and quickly overcame its much smaller opponent. The green little puppy screamed in fury as Kronos plowed into its side, knocking it away from the cable it had almost reached. "Don't let him get to it!" she called to Kronos, running as fast as she couldtowards the battle. Pokemon cleared away from her path, as they recognized a battle when they saw one, and obviously didn't want to get involved. "Agility!" she called, knowing what would happen next. And it did indeed happen.
Suddenly, without any warning, the Electrike shot past her Growlithe, heading for the cable, in what was obviously a Quick Attack. Kronos, however, had been expecting this, and quickly followed the tiny canine, preventing it from slowing down at the cable.
Syria grinned as she slid to a stop three yards from the battle. "Kronos!" she called out, "He'll probably try it again. Take Down, and keep him pinned down with Bite!" She glanced around as Kronos once again shot forward, looking for a way to turn off the power to the cable. Then she groaned. She knew that if she turned off the power to the cable, the otherwise complacent Electrics that surrounded her would become hostile.
She looked back to the battle between Kronos and Loki and smiled. Both of the canines held each other in a Bite, and both knew who the eventual victor would be. She coudl see, by the twitching of Kronos' legs, that it was costing the Fire type dearly, but she had commanded him, so he would hold onto Loki until one or the other fainted.
Cautiously, she approached the pair, but neither seemed to notice her approach. Instead, they were circling each other, trying to get into a better position to take the other down. Kronos, having bitten the Electrike's flanks, gad electricity being constantly transferred to his body, while simaltaneously firing off Flamethrowers through his mouth and being bitten on his own flanks. It was almost comical, Syria though, the way that they were tearing around in circles like that, neither giving or taking a quarter. Both were weakening quickly, but she knew that eventually Kronos would win.
But time was a luxury that she did not have. She pulled a Pokeball from her pocket, and held it slightly above them, waiting. When she was certain of her timing, she brought the Pokeball down hard, and it connected with a crack against something solid. a ruby beam came out of the Pokeball, and sucked the green puppy into its depths. Immediately, she dropped the orb and backed up several feet. If it broke out, it would have one nasty bump on its head, and would probably be pretty ticked off at her.
Kronos, who had been caught in mid-Flamethrower, stared at the shaking Pokeball, as if daring Loki to break free. Syria stared at the Pokeball, wishing that it would hurry up and decide one way or another if the Electrike was caught or not. She was on a tight schedule.
Five minutes later, she and Kronos were still staring at the Pokeball. She was sure that they had both gotten bored, but neither had relaxed in the slightest. Finally, the infernal Pokeball stopped shaking, a soft ding sounded, and a small light glowed red.
"Finally," she muttered. "It's about time." She took several steps forward, snatched up the Pokeball, and turned to Kronos. "Let's go to Lavender. We've got to get this healed, and then we'll head up to Cerulean to see what we can do about catching a Psychic."
+++++
Syria Tildal
Rocket Operative
Current Assignment:
Get Rocket Pokeballs from Vermillion City Global Police Station
North of Cerulean City
Route 24
Funds:
1100 Credits
Items:
Pokeballx4
Voice Modulator
Potionx2
Pokemon:
Kronos—Growlithe
Journey Day 2
5: 37 PM
Syria pushed her hair out of her face, and glanced around. She had come here in search of an Abra, and, so far, all of them that she had seen had teleported away from her. She sighed, and looked around. Loki was darting in and out of the water, terrorizing the Route 24 fish, as she had come to realize was his norm, and Kronos was splitting his attention between keeping an eye on Loki and making sure that nothing attacked Syria.
Syria herself had turned her keen eyesight outwards, and surveyed the small strip of land that was across from Destiny Bridge. She smiled. It was beautiful, and the Spearow that were perched on it just added a little something extra to the scene. She turned back to her search. There had to be an Abra that wouldn't teleport away from here around here somewhere.
Not that she wasn't alone. Far from it, in fact. There were three other trainers scouring the small field along with her. Two of them seemed intent to battle everything in sight, but the third, like Syria, picked his way carefully through the tall grass, looking as if he were searching for one Pokemon in particular. Probably, like her, an Abra.
She had spent at least a half hour already looking for an Abra that wouldn't teleport away. Absently, she wondered how long it would be until she found one that didn't teleport away. She had already decided on a name for her new Abra. Thoth. In ancient mythology, he had supposedly been the god of wisdom for a culture long gone by. It was a perfect fit for an Abra, she supposed.
Then, with a sigh and a shrug of her shoulders, she gave up. She snapped her fingers, and Kronos snapped a command at Loki, who came running towards her immediately.
She would never be able to forget what happened next. One second, Loki was running towards her, his long, electrified fur streaming out behind him, the next, he was literally on top of her, sending hundreds of volts screaming through her body before he managed to gather himself enough to leap off of her. Syria looked up dazedly, and into the grinning face of an Abra. She swung at the grinning beast, but it teleported out of the way of her fist and, as soon as it was past, it teleported right back to where it had been before.
She set her jaw and forced herself to a sitting position, forcing herself to ignore the pain that the shock had sent through her. "Bite him, boys." she muttered, not being able to take a full breath.
The two canines roared through the air, but at the last second, the Abra teleported away, and the two dogs slammed into each other. Syria raised an eyebrow as she quickly scanned for the Abra.
Then she spotted it, directly above her. She rolled to her left as its tiny paw reached down, claws extended, and narrowly missed her face.
She growled deep in her throat, and grimaced at the pain that even that small movement caused her. This would be a battle that she would enjoy. She hadn't expected it to attack her. That would make capturing it that much more satisfying.
Now she wanted this Abra more now than ever. Now it was personal.
+++++
+++++
that's all of what I had before. what I typed up for now is too long for one post....
