Rapture

Earth Badge

Red’s Polywrath was tossed to the side by Giovanni’s Cloyster. Giovanni chuckled to himself as Red knelt by his fallen Pokémon. “It’s a shame Red… It really is…”

Red shot up furiously, “What are you callin’…”

Giovanni put a hand up interrupting the boy, “Don’t misunderstand me… There was nothing shameful about your attack. The Shame is that you’re not on my side. I could use a trainer with your stubbornness, your explosive energy, your empathy with Pokémon.”

Red waved his hand “YOU THINK I’D JOIN YOU?!”

Giovanni shook his head, “No actually… I don’t. You see your independence and honor are among the traits I admire in you. So then… how about a bet?”

Giovanni tossed his Poké Balls to the ground in front of him, “As you can see my Pokémon are on the floor far from me. It will take me six seconds for me to seize one and attack. On the other hand you have five Pokémon still at your side. If you can win under these conditions I’ll make no demands on you. I’ll accept whatever you decide… However if I win…” Giovanni stared at Red ominously, “you will spend the rest of your life battling for ME at my side! Well?”

Red stared Giovanni down defiantly before removing his own Poké Balls from his belt and tossing them to the ground also. “I’ll take your bet, but this is going to be a fair fight.”

Giovanni smiled, “Yes, that’s what I love about you…”

The two stooped into position ready to dash for a Poké Ball. In a split second they were off, Red grabbed a Poké Ball first and released Snorlax, “MEGA PUNCH!” Red ordered and Snorlax rushed to comply, but was immediately blocked by a Nidoking.

“Sometimes it’s best to use your opponent’s speed and anxiousness against them, you’ll learn that soon. Nidoking! Seismic Toss!” Giovanni commanded and his Nidoking actually lifted the huge Snorlax into the air.

“No way!” Red shouted as his Snorlax was slammed hard onto the floor. The foundation of the Viridian Gym shook and the building began to collapse around the combatants. Red’s Snorlax was slowly climbing to its feet but Red knew it wasn’t fast enough to escape the collapsing ceiling, “Snorlax return!” Red shouted as he called the massive Pokémon back to its Poké Ball. Red immediately scrambled for his other Poké Balls, but the collapsing floor caused them to roll away in random directions.

A large wooden beam fell from the roof and was falling toward Red’s unconscious Polywrath. Without even thinking about it, Red threw himself on top of his Pokémon, shielding it with his own body. He yelled in pain as the beam hit his torso. Pushing the beam off, Red limped back to his Poké balls. He didn’t have time to get all his Poké Balls before they all rolled under the falling debris. Saving his injured Pokémon first and then grabbing the ones he could, he dashed out of the building knowing the Poké Balls would keep the others safe for now.

Once the entire building collapsed Red realized he had completely lost track of Giovanni. He stared through the dust trying to make out Giovanni’s location. An eerie laugh began to resound through the rubble. Red braced himself when from within the rubble and dust giant figures began to emerge. Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Rhydon, and Dugtrio stepped out from the thick dust.

“You’re so predictable Red, in the time it took you to safely whisk away a few of your Pokémon I was able to pull out more of mine. Say hello to my A-Team.” Giovanni smirked at the boy.

Red gritted his teeth and threw the first Poké Ball he was able to pull out before the collapse. “VENUSAUR!” the giant plant Pokémon emerged and stood formidably before the four ground Pokémon.

Giovanni scowled, “Rhydon use Horn Drill!” the giant ground Pokémon dashed toward Venusaur horn spinning and ready to impale.

“Vine whip!” Venusaur’s vines emerged and wrapped around the giant Rhino actually lifting it up from the ground, spinning it in the air, and throwing it back at the Nido couple.

“Not bad,” Giovanni smiled. Red stared in anticipation not quite knowing what Giovanni had up his sleeve next. Red then noticed the Dugtrio was nowhere in sight.

“Watch out from below Saur…!” Red didn’t finish his warning before the ground began to shake. The ground cracked and split open wide around Venusaur, causing it to fall into a freshly dug pit. Venusaur was effectively immobilized. “No…”

The other three Pokémon were back on their feet and surrounding it. Red needed time and a plan of attack formed almost immediately in his head. Acting on his idea he forced himself to look up at the sun.

Giovanni’s eyes widened as he saw Red’s stare move upward. Realizing if Venusaur attacked with Solar Beam he could be in trouble… He turned to his Pokémon “Quake!” He commanded.

Both Nidos began to shake the ground. Red stared doing his best not to smirk as the sky darkened due to the amount of dust being scattered from the quake.

Giovanni grinned feeling he had successfully thwarted Red’s strategy. He squinted his eyes peering into the thick dust cloud his Pokémon had created and saw a strange glimmer shine through it. A low grumbling noise was heard through the dust, and immediately Giovanni knew it was no Venusaur making that noise

Now was the time, “HYPER BEAM!” Red shouted as the mighty Gyarados blasted pure energy through the cloud impacting Nidoking dead on and flinging it back into the rubble of the gym. Gyarados howled loudly again as the blast caused the dust the clear, its presence immediately intimidating all of Giovanni’s Pokémon.

Giovanni cursed under his breath, Red played him well to have delayed his attack long enough to call out another Pokémon, especially one as formidable as a Gyarados. Giovanni threw another Poké ball into the mix releasing a Rhyhorn, and with a wave of his hand, he sent his Pokémon charging at the Gyarados in an effort to take it down before it recovered from firing the hyper beam.

Red was ready for the charge, “Venusaur, Razor Leaf!” a barrier of leaf attacks came between Gyarados and the attacking Pokémon.

Giovanni stomped his foot on the ground signaling Dugtrio to continue its attack on Venusaur. Using Dig, the Dugtrio rose from the ground at incredible speed impacting Venusaur from below, hurling it into the air. It landed none too nimbly some meters away.

Red’s eyes widened in panic but he couldn’t afford to lose his cool now, Saur had done exactly what he needed him to do, “Gyarados, Hydro Pump!”

Gyarados released a torrent of water which struck Rhyhorn. The rocky Pokémon took full damage and was knocked out stone cold in the single hit.

Nidoqueen and Rhydon now stood facing the Gyarados on their own. Red knew Dugtrio’s subterranean attacks were nearly useless on the flying water dragon. A feeling of dread washed over him though as he felt like he was leaving something out.

“You fight very well Red, you’ve been giving me a run for my money… no one has ever done this to me before.” Red waited for Giovanni to give his Pokémon their commands, trying to anticipate how to react to any ground move they could conjure, “Though this is a battle that I will not be losing today, ICE BEAM!”

Red’s expression quirked as a beam of ice was fired from behind him hitting his Gyarados in the back. Turning quickly he saw Giovanni’s Cloyster had managed to sneak around behind him to launch a surprise attack. The giant sea dragon howled in pain as it was becoming encased in ice.

“Now to end this, Double Edge!” As the ice solidified over Gyarado’s thick scales, Rhydon charged through and struck Gyarados with incredible force from its’ horn, enough to cause the ice to shatter and Rhydon to fly back taking quite a bit of damage itself. Gyarados however fell limply to the ground, knocked out from the shock of the blow.

Red recalled Gyarados to its Poké Ball. “Do you concede Red?” Giovanni asked almost politely it seemed.

Red took in a deep breath, “…No… Not until the very end!” Red shouted back, throwing a recovered Poké Ball and sending his injured Snorlax back into battle.

Giovanni shook his head, “You’re quite stubborn aren’t you?” Giovanni chuckled to himself in mild amusement. “You are incredible Red, so passionate even in the worst of situations. Unfortunately for you in this battle, you have but two injured Pokémon remaining. Your Snorlax I’m fairly certain has about half of its health remaining, and oh yes your Venusaur can barely stand. At your belt you have a Gyarados and Poliwrath neither of which is in any shape to battle further, and two of your other Poké Balls are currently buried under the fallen gym.” Giovanni gently tapped his foot as he spoke, “And let’s not forgot your Snorlax relies HEAVILY on the sturdy ground beneath its feet.”

The Dugtrio emerged as Giovanni spoke preparing to attack Red’s heavyset Pokémon. “Venusaur now!” As Red commanded a huge beam of light overtook the area. Since the dust settled Venusaur had been collecting as much solar energy as it could and now finally unleashed it on the Dugtrio.

Giovanni shielded his eyes from the bright light. He looked over his arm in time to see Snorlax Mega Punch his Nidoqueen and send her flying back into the rubble of the gym also. Down another two Pokémon, Giovanni realized he could not afford to let this battle drag on any longer lest Red discover a way to truly turn the tides of the battle.

Red’s eyes were calculating the remaining forces looking for any way out, any means of attack to break free of this poor situation.

“This battle still ends my way! Rhydon, use Fissure!” Red had never seen this move before. Rhydon appeared to grow in size and strength, quickly focusing that power into one spot and driving it through his Snorlax. Snorlax was dragged through several meters of solid rock creating a huge crag before being dropped by the attack with complete loss of consciousness.

Red stared in disbelief as Giovanni’s remaining Pokémon converged around his Venusaur who was still unable to stand. “No…” Red sank to his knees “I…” Red had to will himself to not shed any tears, “I…”

Giovanni took interest in the boy’s dilemma, “Are you giving up?” Giovanni asked solemnly. A moment of silence passed and Red finally nodded. Giovanni walked slowly through his Pokémon to Red’s side, “You love your Pokémon a great deal don’t you?” Again only a nod, “Does it pain you to see them suffer?” A nod once more, “Then join me on my quest to end that suffering!”

Red looked up at Giovanni not comprehending. “But Team Rocket kills Pokémon just for sport and experiments, how is that putting an end to suffering?!”

Giovanni shook his head and placed a hand on Red’s shoulder, “A means to an end, you’re young still, in time you will understand the evils of the world, and what must be done to stop it.”

Red backed away slowly, “N… No… I can’t be part of that!”

Giovanni frowned, “But we had a deal.”

Red shook his head, imagining all the times he’d fought against the Rockets, “But… I… I can’t…”

“As I said, you don’t understand yet… but don’t worry, you will.” Giovanni towered over the younger trainer.

Fear flashed for a brief moment in Red’s eyes. Giovanni knelt down closer to him and in an instant those same ruby eyes became dulled. Red looked down at his arm and noticed a syringe sticking out of his arm that Giovanni must have stuck him with quickly… a tranquilizer.

“Do not fear Red… As I said, soon you will understand everything.” Giovanni nodded to the drooping boy before his consciousness slipped away entirely.

From the dust and rubble of the gym behind the battle field three figures emerged; the Rocket gym leaders Surge, Sabrina, and Koga.

“What will you do with him?” Sabrina asked her leader.

“I want him fully in the fold… we cannot rely simply on hypnosis for this though. Once hypnosis is broken it becomes too simple to completely revert to the way one was before… I didn’t want to resort to this, but I’m afraid I must break him.” Giovanni turned and walked away, recalling his Pokémon to their Poké Balls and began searching for Red’s missing Poké Balls in the debris of his old gym.

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