Chapter 13

Chasing the Shadow

Vermillion City-

            Surge was wearing his sunglasses and distinct camouflage outfit when Agatha arrived at the Vermillion City Gym.  The ride into Vermillion from Lavender Town had taken all night. He saluted the old woman and held the door for her as she slowly walked through the doors.  Agatha’s brother, Mr. Fuji, pushed the button to call the elevator down so that they could go to Surge’s private apartment inside the Gym.

            “It’s good to see you again, Surge,” she said as the elevator doors closed and they began to rise.  “Staying out of trouble I presume?”

            Surge remained quiet for a second and Agatha could tell he was picking his words carefully.  It makes no matter anymore that Team Rocket is done with, she thought.  Still, Agatha figured she’d keep the Vermillion Gym Leader on his toes. 

            “Not me, ma’am,” he said finally as the doors opened into his private apartment.  “But Erika has had a visitor last night.”

            The old Elite Four member knew exactly what he meant.  So our hypothesis was correct… He’s collecting the Gym Badges.

“Is she hurt?”

            Mr. Fuji went straight for the kitchen and began to look for some tea to make his sister and him.  Surge shook his head and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. 

            “No, it was just like any other Gym Battle,” he said.  “The Phantom used a Pokemon in battle, just like any other trainer would.  He won, took a badge, and went on his way.” 

            At least she’s not harmed, she thought.  Agatha was relieved that it seemed the Phantom only had a personal vendetta against Team Rocket, and not against the Gym Leaders in general.         “It’s only a matter of time before he shows up here, you know.”

            Surge didn’t like that, and he shifted his weight uncomfortably.  “As long as he battles like a Trainer and doesn’t play those Psychic tricks on me I should be fine.”  It sounded to Agatha like Surge was trying to reassure himself. 

            “Tell me, Surge, and be honest, how long did you know that the Viridian Gym Leader was the Rocket Leader?”

            Surge came and sat down.  “There’s no fooling you, is there?” He sighed.  “Since before he was chosen to be the Gym Leader.  I was the one who nominated him.”

            Agatha wasn’t surprised.  “What about Sabrina?  She was possessed by something while she was working with the two of you.  She always had a darkness inside her, but somehow it was brought out.  How did that come to happen?”

            Surge obviously had no clue.  “Honestly, Giovanni always kept his eggs in different baskets.  Not one of us Gym Leaders working with him, Koga, me, or even Sabrina, had full knowledge of his plans.  He had baskets in different places, and eggs planted outside of baskets that were there just to hatch more baskets of more eggs.” 

            Agatha perked up.  Maybe Team Rocket hadn’t been completely eliminated.  “You mean to tell me that somewhere, one of these baskets is hatching another Team Rocket?”

            Surge took out his smart phone, and swiped to a picture he had taken (apparently in secret, judging by the blur around most of the image).  There were three men sitting around the table.  The first man wore a black suit with a red R pinned to his breast.  The second had a young, but confident look on his face.  The third man was obscured by what could only be Surge’s finger over the camera.

            “The first man is Giovanni, and the kid was kind of like his Teacher’s Pet.”  The youth in the middle that Surge pointed out had short brown hair and tightly cropped beard that covered his jaw.  “The third guy is the one who gave Giovanni the money.

            “If I had to bet I’d say that the kid (I forget his name) is hiding somewhere looking to continue Team Rocket’s work.  The other guy, well… you won’t find him, ever.”

            “I thank you for the information, Surge,” said Agatha.  She smiled and cocked her head to the side.  “I can assure you that we take care of informants and whistleblowers like you.”

            “No one blows a whistle like me,” said Surge.  “I just expect some reward for helping out in the near future.”

            “That can be arranged,” Agatha stopped him.  Mr. Fuji had brought back the Tea.  The old Elite Four member picked up her cell phone to make a call, and Surge figured that he was dismissed.  The muscular Gym Leader went back down to his Gym to keep it tidy should any certain challenger arrive.

            A familiar voice picked up the phone.  “Oh, Agatha, how unexpected!”

            “Professor Elm, my dear,” said Agatha.  “Your voice tells me this call was expected.  I am just calling to let you know that the Elite Four has decided that we would begin considering adding New Bark Town to our country.”

            Professor Elm laughed excitedly.  Agatha smiled as she heard cries of: “Yes! Yes!”  The young Professor spoke back into the phone.  “The citizens will be delighted! Ecstatic! Overjoyed!”

            “And Professor,” Agatha interrupted, “you tell those three Trainers of yours that Lance informed me about that they should come to Indigo Plateau for the Kanto League Championships.  It’s not often we allow unqualified Trainers to enter, so tell them that we’ll be waiting.”

            “Th-thank you,” said the Professor, appreciatively. “I’ll tell them at once.  Good-bye!”  With that, Agatha smiled as she hung up the phone.

            We did a good thing, she thought.  Bringing in New Bark Town away from that mess of a region… Now if only there’s a way to bring in Blackthorn City without displacing on of our own town’s Gyms.

Pallet Town-

            His hometown was full of reporters.  He had to duck and dodge in the shadows to avoid the rabid paparazzi.  They had swarmed Red and Green every chance they got, asking question after question.  What did you see in the Viridian Gym?  Are you in danger?

            Red wouldn’t have minded if they asked questions about how the Gym Battle was, or what was it like qualifying with all eight of the Kanto Badges.

            Mostly, though, when he thought about his Gym Battle, he thought about Blue and how terrified she had been.  He remembered trying to hold her and talk to her that night, but she was obviously brooding.  It had taken Green to finally drag Red out of Blue’s house in Viridian City to take him back to Pallet Town with Professor Oak.

            “I hate him,” was all Red remembered her saying.  Could he really blame her?  Red really didn’t know what it was like to finally meet your father (good or bad) after a long time.  Red had always grown up with his mother, and only his mother.

            There was a silver lining, however.  Red and Green had finally been able to connect with each other.  It must have been the shared experience of defeating the final Gym, or was it both witnessing the brutal murder, or was it the shared fear they had running from paparazzi?

            If Red wasn’t so focused on getting prepared for the upcoming Kanto League Championships, the flurry of emotions and questions would have gotten to him.  It was his drive to become the Champion that distracted him from the worries of his world. 

            He sighed with relief as he finally found his way to Professor Oak’s lab.  The old man had requested him this morning, after giving Red a day to recover from his traumatic experience. 

He slipped through a side door, unsurprised at the number of television cars parked in front of the lab.

            Green was sitting in front of a television in the kitchen.  His rival and newfound friend didn’t even look at him as he greeted Red. “Did you hear the news? Of course not.” 

The Professor had instructed Red and Green to avoid television, to put the event behind him.  The Elite Four was dealing with the Phantom, he had told the two young Trainers, they didn’t need to as well.

Red shook his head, but smiled as he saw a pretty young girl on TV addressing a few reporters in front of the Viridian City Gym.  Blue is really beautiful when she tries.  The caption read, “Gym inherited by deceased Leader’s daughter.” 

Blue’s mom sat next to her.  Even though his girlfriend (even if she’s a Gym Leader, could she still be his girlfriend?) was putting on a smiling face, he could read that her eyes were still full of sadness. 

“A pity… Yet a blessing at the same time,” came the old man’s voice as Professor Oak turned off the TV and joined them at the table.  “Blue inheriting that Gym was good for her… I assume it gives her direction in life.  You know, boys, if she had wanted to, she could have easily gathered the badges like you did.  Of course, we can’t even begin to imagine how she feels.”

Red knew how strong Blue could battle if she wanted to.  He was glad he never had to face her.  Green didn’t buy it, however.  In his mind, Red’s rival was unbeatable.

The Professor went on.  “The reason why I called you here is because I want to see one of you win the Championship.  Either of you.  It worries me sick that you might make fools of yourselves and of me should you get knocked out in the first round.  So I have dusted off my own Training plans, and plan on putting you two to work these last two and a half months before the tournament.”

“Beating Red every day until the tournament starts is hardly what I would call training,” Green jabbed Red with a smile. 

Red shook it off with a grin.  “In your dreams.”

The Professor banged his fist on the table, and Red and Green instantly turned serious again.  “I’m serious, if you guys lose in the first round… Words can’t even describe.”  Red had never seen Professor Oak act like this before.  “Nobody said anything about battling.  This is boot camp, my boys, and your Pokemon had better be as good as soldiers if they plan on going up against the Elite Four with any resemblance of a chance.”

Red gulped as he and his rival nodded their heads simultaneously.  He and his Pokemon were in for a tough couple of months.