Pokemon: Rising Rocket

[GoldenKitten]

In one of the many countless streets of the city of Jelimia lay 'Kleins Poke-Repair'. A locally owned Poke-Paraphernalia shop, it was typically a quiet place that just barely scraped a living from those more lucky than its owners. It wasn't the sort of place you expected to find anyone or anything important, it also wasn't where one would expect a world changing choice to be made...though none would be aware of those implications for many months to come. No, it was just another store in a city of stores that had long since seen its heyday pass as the city expanded and its clientèle moved on to the newer and better, that was the fate of all things...well, that and they occasionally got held up by hoodlums.

Alexander “Lil' Navigator” Jackston was a man with a string of patience long as your average marathon race, but when that ran out his was not the coolest of heads. For years his flashes of anger have been seldom and brief but with the continual descent of his current status, and that of the society he relied on, they were becoming the norm. The man once heralded as Team Rockets financial and tactical Lieutenant, one of the three men backing Giovanni whom had turned the organization into the feared powerhouse it once was, was now lowered to the state of a petty thief.

As the old man standing across the counter stared back at the young disheveled man pointing a gun in his face without a flicker of fear the last strands of Alexanders control began to snap. There was a time you could have uttered the name Team Rocket and every vendor on this street would have emptied their pockets without a moments impose. Now this old man had the gall to talk back to him, a loaded gun in his face, and a full compliment of gang members and assault Pokemon standing behind him. As he shoved the gun harder against the mans forehead he felt his composure fading away, gritting his teeth in a growl as he began to apply pressure to the trigger. But then just as he was about to do something stupid he pulled back and slammed his fists on the cabinet between them, deep inside he realized he wasn't angry at the man, he was angry at the failures they had become.

Taking a deep breath in it was obvious he hadn't gotten over his spout of anger but was at least attempting to keep a cool head. He turned to look at those behind them standing in the dingy shop full of yesteryears Poke-“must-haves”. Without thought his eyes fell on the various contraptions laying within like the Pokepak, he remembered when they were introduced and people thought they were the wave of the future, now you looked old if you even talked about them not fifteen years later. Many things had changed since that time; after a number of kidnappings and murders the days of the self-made trainers were dieing out. Children were organized into large protected groups and their progressing battles through the multi-billion-zeny Poke-Industry were for show with little skill being necessary...it was good TV. It wasn't just Team Rocket that had changed it seemed, he shook his head and looked to his companions as he mentally smacked himself for getting nostalgic.

Vance one of the organizations previously most notorious “Bouncers” (a nice way to divert attention from their more illegal actions that typically resulted in many splattered skulls) was standing there, his face an unreadable wall. Alexander needed nobody to tell him this man would have killed the old man already but they needed something he had, and as the ranking leadership or what remained of it, in this little group he was deferring to him so far. Sitting on a counter to the left fiddling with some little piece of broken machinery was Abigail the Gardevoir. Wearing a black dress and red-eye liner with longer curled “hair” than normal which she had once proudly worn to differentiate herself from her peaceful clan when they had joined the organization she now lazily avoided his gaze. At the back of the room keeping watch out the front window was Steffano the Scizor, though he did not talk like Abigail could his always human-like body language was telling of his heightened intelligence. He'd gotten that name directly from Giovanni, one of the few men he seemed to respect alongside Alexander, the latter always got the feeling Steffano carried it with pride,

With his gun still lazily pointed toward the old man he grunted and angrily motioned at Abigail, “I know you can read his mind. Could you PLEASE tell me where it is so we can go.”

Abigail looked up from the hunk of metal she was prying open and gave him a whithering glare that could have killed a puppy. Alexander caught Steffano leaning against the front door frame with his arms crossed tossing his head back in a gesture that was obviously meant to mimic a mocking laugh (without the noise), they'd known each other long enough he was certain it was in good nature but the man was not in the mood.

From behind the old man spoke, “Love troubles little boy?”, after watching Abigail go back to her toying he returned to giving the man the once-over, ignoring the previous jab since it'd do him no good if he hurt him to much. While in the back of his head he wondered about the whole dynamic they found themselves in.

Certainly it was their descent in power that had changed everything but he had no idea why she was acting that way. He couldn't very well fix everything overnight, and it was going to be even more difficult if she wasn't going to offer her help in the times it could speed their job up. He'd become the trainer of Abigail and Steffano naturally, neither had ever been in a pokeball or formed a forced bond, they simply followed him. So, you'd think if she had such a big issue with their decline in status she'd just up-and-leave, instead she stayed, it was a conundrum for sure but knowing that either of them could have left at any time was one of the reasons Alexander couldn't be angry with them even if they were being moody. They now had few enough friends as it was, loosing the few they had left over a wild temper wasn't worth it.

He was about to start roughing the man up when the tell-tell sounds of a police siren echoed from outside, a common practice they had was to keep their sirens off till they were very close. The next moment a voice echoed over a loudspeaker, “This is the Jelimia Police Force. We know you're in there, put your weapons down, put any pokemon into their containers and drop them as well, then come out with your hands up. Any actions but these will be perceived as aggressive and be responded to in kind.”

A massive grin spread across the shopkeepers face, “Well now sonny, what are we going to do about this?”

There was a churning force in Alexanders bosom that he hadn't felt in some time, though he couldn't tell you what it was. All he knew was that the sudden danger of the situation no matter how minor it might have been in the face of his previous activities made his blood race. His eyes went a little wild as he kept the gun pointed at the man for a brief moment more before he lowered the barrel and placed a hand over his face, chuckling lightly to himself, “Ahhhh, not bad old man I'd never have thought a little hole like this had a silent alarm. Oh, but doesn't it bring back memories.”

He looked to Abigail who was giving him a strange wide-eyed look, he couldn't read what she meant by it but it seemed to be of surprise. Oblivious to his own words and mannerisms it went over his head that for a moment he was talking like a completely different person, or to be more accurate he was putting on the face of the person he had been for years and only lost recently. With his free hand out he motioned to the door, “Well then, let's not wait to go greet our guests.”

After a somewhat awkward pause in which he began to wonder if he'd said something wrong she did something she had not in many weeks, she smiled at him. He was so dumbfounded by this turn of personal events he almost missed what she'd said, “What your looking for is to the drawer just to his left.” But it took some time to sink in, instead he was watching her. He and Abigail had met long ago, she'd been a Raltz at the time, he'd seen his parents go into debt and whither away into death and she was much the same, but they'd both prospered to be far greater than their forebearers could have imagined in time.

The words sinking in he moved as if in a trance, still more focused on her sudden change in demeanor than on anything else. However as he reached over the counter the old man stiffened as he shuffled through the drawer and pulled out a disappointingly typical pokeball. Giving it a quick look over he could see nothing of interest even after attempting to shine it on his shirt once or twice, as he pocketed it he heard the man behind him turn to run. Vance quickly raised his weapon and fired though from the angle Alexnader knew he'd only took him out at the knee, this was confirmed by the howling and screeching the old codger let out after.

Speaking as he walked without looking behind he stated, “Perhaps you can spread the word old man. Give Team Rocket what they want and you'll profit, deny us and something...unexpected will be in your future.” Spinning with a wave he added, “Until next time!”

He placed a cloth baclava over his face knowing they only had moments. Once the police had heard the shots fired they'd be storming the building without concern for their own safety, that was going to be their undoing. If they'd only been facing men with guns that'd be one thing, but when you faced a Pokemon who knew its abilities well you were facing a walking cannon. Readying his weapon, he checked with Vance and Abigail before turning to Steffano and nodding. Footsteps that had been rushing to the entrance were cut short when a fell burst of air was released and the front of the store exploded outward; the metal doorframe, sharp glass, and countless bits of rubble firing outward like a cannon.

Three cops were floored instantly the nature of their injuries unknown and uncared for, as they then proceeded out into the open it became obvious that only two more were present taking cover behind their cruisers. However before either could start firing on them the vehicles became wrapped in ethereal light, he did not need to look to know Abigail was concentrating and making motions behind him, before they went rocketing a dozen meters into the sky and then slammed down into the road a block away. Though initially surprised the two male cops attempted to raise their weapons before both were blasted out of their hands by two well placed shots, another shot kneecapped the left officer and Vance handled the right. With a salute to the lawmen Alexander made his way down the street as the others fell into step behind him, for the briefest of moments it was like they'd pulled a page right out of the old days...but it was fleeting.

Looking off into the distance at the mighty archways that towered in the sky and made Jelimia famous he was reminded of the cities size, tenth largest in the Racoco province. But he wasn't sightseeing for no reason, he was thinking tactics. Considering the cities size and the fact that the police didn't know the severity of the situation it was likely those had been all the law enforcement present in the local area, there should not have been any concern of immediate repercussions. With that in mind he turned off the main alleyway and after walking in deep enough so they couldn't be seen at a glance he stopped.

He pulled the pokeball out and before any could ask stated, “I think we should see if this fools mission was worth it.”, he got no backtalk from anyone and there was a strange glaze over Abigails eyes. He knew she knew more than she let on, she was psychic after all, but he had never thought she knew all; if she did she'd certainly have ensured their organization hadn't fallen in the first place. Still, he had the strange feeling she had been waiting for him to do this.

Now armed with a sense of foreboding thanks to her nonchalant but dark gaze he pressed the release button on the device and aimed it at the ground. He was no fool, he wasn't expecting a golden Dragonaire or some other billion-zeny find, everybody in the country would have known and they'd certainly not have been the ones to take it in some run-down shop. Still, when he'd been told to retrieve the device from the old man he'd expected it to be in line with Team Rockets old ways, whether that be a rare technique or technology that could help them in battle, or semi-rare pokemon they could sell off for profit. The possibilities were endless, and at their state they couldn't choose to be picky.

But this...
This...
What was this...?

A million emotions flooded through him, but all he could manage was a harsh and bewildered, “What? What... the fuck is this?”

[kensei]

The world was a different place now, there was a time when the name Team Rocket brought down the entire cities police force, and the gym leaders there in. And every time that happened, Vance would be the one Giovanni would send in. He was one of there best trainers, he use to spend his times taking out the best that opposed them in them.. But now? Now him and one of the Lieutenants where shaking down an old man in a ratty shop. That alone had already set him off enough to put a bullet into the head of the old man and just tear the place apart looking for the pokeball. But this old man had the gall to backtalk them when they had guns pointed at him!

He growled quietly as he glared at the man, tapping his pistol against his chest. Alexander was exercising more patience then Vance had on his best days. His other hand casually dug itself into the fur of his Arcanine. He had had her since she was a Growlithe, and he was a grunt in team rocket. He’d named her Kafira as part of an old joke he shared with a friend from back then, from a life now half forgotten. Now, now she was just a grumpy old lady with a temper half as long as her owners.

He shook his head slightly as he watched Alexander practically lose it, and coming to close to simply kill the old man. It made him almost happy to see he wasn’t the only one fed up with the way things where going. He had known Alexander long enough to know that this wasn’t just the old man, no this frustration and anger had been building inside him, anger towards the man who had sent him here, the one who had let them fall into the abysmal state they where in. He locked eyes with him as he looked over at him and gave him a slight nod, as if saying he felt the exact same way.

He looked over at Abigail as Alexander asked her for help. He couldn’t help but scoff slightly as she ignored his request and went back to fiddling with her little toy. Kafira pushed against him and growled, telling him to not make fun of Alexander’s lack of respect from his Pokemon, and reminding him she didn’t have to listen to him either. She was the only one of his pokemon that he never put in a pokeball, but the thought that she wouldn’t do as he asked was something that had never crossed his mind before, much less the thought of her leaving.

A shocked expression went over his face as he looked at the door when he heard the sirens. He hadn’t expected a place like this could have afforded an alarm system, but it gave a good explanation as to why this old man was so cocky. As the police sounded off over the loudspeaker he couldn’t help but grin. It had been a while since he had faced down the law. But what really interested him was the way Alexander reacted to it all. He suddenly looked like the man that Vance respected and happily followed. Something about this whole situation just echoed of the past, and Vance couldn’t help but smile as he watched his old comrade come back to life.

His pistol slowly moved from against his chest, outward as Abigail gave them the location of the device. He had been wanting to kill the man since he walked into this pathetic store, and now they no longer had any use for him. Fate seemed to smile upon him today, as it gave him the perfect reason to shot the old man. He hadn’t gotten more the six steps away from the counter when Vance kneecapped him. “Well now sonny, what are we going to do about this?” He mocked as the old man screamed in pain, laughing almost satanically as he watched him grasp his knee. If the cops weren’t outside he would have watched the old bastard go into shock from the wound and enjoyed the rest of his day. It wasn’t that he was particularly sadistic, but some people had a way of making him snap a bit more then usual, and those people generally didn’t enjoy there last moments on earth.

Vance reached into one of the pockets of his black over coat and pulled out a black bandana. The bandana sported the typical red R of Team rocket on it, and today he was going to make a point of announcing there presence. As he put it on he grabbed the pair of sunglasses hanging on his shirt’s collar and put them on. It wasn’t much to hide his identity, but he wasn’t planning on giving them much time to look at his face, that and he didn’t much care who knew who he was. He was a highly wanted man at one point in his life, and gaining that status again would have actually been a nice blast form the past for him.

He snapped his finger and pointed at the man as he said. “Kafira, grab him would ya?” The Arcanine walked over to the man, picking him up with her mouth by his shirt. He grinned as he readied his gun and watched as Alexander’s Pokemon began there work. The scene was truly a thing of beauty, the power of the two, especially Abigail, couldn’t be denied. He quickly took aim as one of the cop’s that had hidden behind one of the cruisers before the where flung away went to aim his weapon. He wasn’t like Alexander, he wanted to remind this city that there where some things you just didn’t do, and challenge Team Rocket was one of them. He shot the cop in the head, before holstering his pistol and turning to Kafira. “Alex, hang on one second.” He said before whistling and saying. “Kafira drop him.”

Vance walked over to the man casually, kneeling down and smiling at him as he tilted his head so the man could see past his sunglasses and into his golden eyes. “I want ya to see something old man.” He said gently, before grabbing him by his hair and yanking his head towards his shop. “Kafira, burn it down.” He said as the old man cried in protest. The Arcanine nodded to him before turning towards the shop, unleashing a torrent of fire onto the building. He dropped the man before pulling out his pistol and slamming the barrel into the man’s head. “Ya see? This is why you don’t fuck with Team ROCKET!” He yelled into his ear before getting up and holstering his pistol. “Let’s get out of here.” He said with a slight sigh as Kafira lined up behind him and he followed Alexander away from the crime scene.

It didn’t take long for Alexander to lead them down to the ally way. He was particularly good at actually getting away from the cops, a trait Vance hadn’t learned quite yet. He enjoyed the confrontation a bit to much for his own good.. As Alexander talked about opening the pokeball Vance nodded in agreement. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of foreboding at what might be in the pokeball. He wasn’t expecting anything to grand, but an old timer like that, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to have a simi-rare pokemon he had grown up with and had great power. But as the pokemon emerged, all the faith he had in Team Rocket, what little respect he had for Geraldio, all of it was gone. And in an instant, it was replaced with pure rage. He let out a deep growl that sounded as if it was coming from Kafira instead of him. He was practically blinded in his anger as he pulled out his pistol and shot the Skitty in the head. “AHHH!” He screamed out at the top of his lungs before putting another three shots into it. Why, why, why!? Out of all the possible things they could have been going after! Why the hell did Geraldio waist there talent over a fucking Skitty!

He placed both hands on his head as he started to pace back and forth before running at the corpse and kicking it further down the alley way. “THAT’S IT! I have had it with this bullshit!” He said before pointing his gun towards Alexander, but as an extension of himself instead of an actual threat. “Ya know, I use to be one of the most feared pokemon trainers in the world!” He started to tap his gun against his chest as he went on. “There was a time it was almost be beneath me to kick some gym leaders into line! But now?” He stopped as he flailed his arms around and started to laugh. “Now I am shaking down old men, and for what you ask?!” He growled again before shooting in the Skitty’s general direction. “A FUCKING Skitty!”

He holstered his pistol before yelling again and punching the wall. His breathing became heavy as he tried to calm himself down before looking over at Alexander and saying as calmly as he could. “Something has to change Alexander. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t degrade myself to this level.. Geraldio is not fit to lead. Someone else has to take the reigns, or Team Rocket will just become nothing but a pathetic joke.”

[GoldenKitten]

A Skitty. That's what it was, he was pretty sure there was nothing unusual about it, he looked closer. No, he was quite certain it looked rather average but then looks could be deceiving. Alexanders initial reaction was one of surprise but unlike his compatriot he did not grow instantly angry, instead he tried to see if there was another angle to this. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn't see it, then at the last moment he caught the flash of Vance's gun being raised in its direction. He was caught raising his hand in a halting motion as he yelled, “WAIT VA-”, but the shot was fired halfway through and he was stopped mid-action as he closed his eyes and groaned before his body slowly went lax. Bringing a hand to his face again he simply grumbled to himself as Vance continued taking his rage out on the creature, he couldn't really blame him for his anger though he did wish he'd think ahead sometimes.

When his fellow member had gotten over his rage Alexander approached the creatures corpse and kneeled down to get a closer look. Realizing he'd get no further just looking at it he reached out with his hands and pulled it closer whereupon he began to poke and prod it while asking questions, which he would answer himself.

“Does it have gold-plated teeth maybe?”
“No.”
“Maybe its fur is special?”
“No...dammit, something be unique dammit.”
“Here, maybe if I touch its paws together. Byyyyy the power oooffff~~~...”
“No.”
“Claws? Maybe something with the claws?”
“NO!”
“...could it be a carrier? Something inside?”

With each failure his vocal tone became increasingly alarmed until he finally reached into his pocket and produced a large combat knife. It was clear from the look on his face he was entirely serious about looking inside the small Pokemon, but it was at this point Abigail stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. Like most of her kind Abigail had a sort of otherworldly glow to her at all times and right now she looked particularly out of place amongst them, especially with both humans on the frothing edge of insanity. She sadly shook her head as Alexander just stared back like a kid who'd just seen a bully kick his puppy, then solemn realization set in as he fluidly stood up with his head hanging low, his profile looking more fitting for a funeral.

The calmness was shattered as he let out a roar and kicked the remains of the creature before he started to pace up and down the alley. Searching for something to wring with his hands and failing he settled for throwing them in the air agitatedly, together he and Vance made quite a pair and a passerby could be forgiven for thinking they'd come upon a collective of insane men. When he'd finally paused and met Abigails eyes she smiled sadly before adding, “I'm sorry, I knew but I thought the point would be easier to accept as reality if you saw it yourself. There's nothing special about it...Geraldio has just always wanted a Skitty...they're moderately rare in these parts if you don't want to travel and catch one yourself. Though certainly not rare enough to make any sort of profit.”

Listening to her words Alexander started to cool off, not because what she said made it easier but because now that the shock was out of the way he was capable of logical thought. He didn't want to admit it but reality had set in, now he just needed to decide what to do about it. Vance on the other hand had decided to rant on the other side of Alley as Kafira circled him unable to decide if it should join in the shouting or attempt to appease him in some way. Running his hand through his blond hair Alexander took several steps back and leaned against the nearest wall as he drowned out the other mans complaints, instead flooding his mind with thoughts of the past.

The important one, the one that had changed everything, was ingrained deep inside and he'd never forget it with every detail being as vivid as the day it had happened. Alexander had been sent to the capital of the Racoco province to guide the local branch of the organization in a recruitment drive. Team Rockets home base in Racoco had always been in Jelimia so in his older age Giovanni had done most of his commanding from his mansion there. The authorities had long been in his back pocket but naturally as with all such scenarios it was a tenuous relationship, that was when The Elite had shown up. These were “hero” trainers who had all made it to the Elite Four at some point, some had even defeated one or two of its members.

Once their days of childhood traveling were over they had formed a mercenary group, though none called it that since they were big stars in a world obsessed with the battling circuit. They immediately started acting as a body of justice upon inception but for years only did their good deeds on a small scale. Eventually though their numbers began to swell as more individuals fit the criteria and they started to accept previous gym members, as well as several ex-leaders. That was when they started going after the gangs, which in all honesty had exploded out of control by that point.

Several small crime families in the Northern provinces fell first, then Team Pluto a smaller offshoot one of the previous members of Team Rocket had started. With their confidence bolstered local authorities had dropped their background support of Team Rocket and with the help of The Elite had assaulted several of their major bases. This included Giovanni's mansion, and though they claimed it was an accident Alexander remembered as he could do little but watch the TV in horror he had known from the moment he heard that Giovanni was dead that it had been part of the plan all along. They had taken action first and so emerged victorious, but they had known if they left such a charismatic man around things would just return to their previous status quo before they became a target themselves.

As it turned out they had certainly done the right thing from their perspective. Team Rocket was far from death at the time or so it seemed, Geraldio was Giovanni's only son and stepped in to take over the family business. They had stayed in hiding for a time and eventually The Elite moved on to other countries and provinces. Team Rocket came out of it hurt but far from a state of total disrepair, but then Geraldio drove them into the ground. He stopped taking advice from his fathers most trusted and capable leaders like Alexander and by comparison to the usual business of the Team his financial attempts were small scale. Alexander had chocked it up to caution for fear of reattracting the attention of The Elite which was a logical concern, but the longer this went on the more it became apparent Geraldio was simply incompetent and impossible of making fast and important decisions.

Things spiraled out of hand with great speed once their foes became aware of this and others lost faith. Many members went on to split off from the group and start their own gangs, some survived, some were swallowed by others and turned into even larger groups. One year from Giovanni's death Team Rocket was at a quarter of its previous strength and its financial take was laughable, most of the new gangs taking command of the truly profitable avenues. Now Team Rockets numbers could be counted in the dozens, they were quite literally little more than a street gang now.

It was only those with loyalty to the group or more accurately Giovanni that stayed, but as could be seen even their faith was dieing. Alexander had known even his own respect was gone, but more importantly he knew the last few members other than himself were weeks from defecting save Geraldio's little butt-lickers that he threw mass amounts of money at to keep them around (left over from his fathers giant private coffers no less).

With his back still against the wall he closed his eyes and tried to imagine Giovanni's face. The man had been like a father to he and Abigail, he'd considered it something of a honor-bound requirement that he keep the mans only living relative safe now that he was gone. But now...now...he couldn't believe the thoughts going through his head, but he slowly started coming to terms with what was real. There was no excuse for this, being an incompetent moron was one thing, but taking an Crime Empire down with you and utilizing its people and funds for your own personal joys without adding anything in return, it...it could not be allowed.

Opening his eyes as Vance had finished he pushed off the wall, “There was a time, I had hoped that Geraldio would inherit his fathers traits. And so when the old man died I promised to respect this new rule the same as I had the last.”

Abigail nodded at him before turning to look at the floating red creature next to them that had been totally silent until now and didn't seem to say anything though it made some motions with its arms, she then turned back to him, “Steffano says skill is something to be honed, not inherited. And that respect is something to be earned, not given.”

Alexander reached into his pocket and retrieved his pistol, an ornate weapon Giovanni had specifically crafted for him. He doubted the wise man could ever have imagined he would one day plan to aim it at his heir. He wondered if he would agree with that, would his blood-ties require him to protect the boy or would he think of him as just as useless and cast him out? Looking over the silver barrel he shined it with his jacket sleeve several times before placing it into his jacket pocket once more before he began walking off down the street.

“Yes. You're correct Steffano and it is not a lesson I will ever forget again. Now, if any of you wish to leave now I won't blame you. There's no honor to be had here, and even if I succeed there may well be no future for Team Rocket. But at the very least I'm going to ensure she goes out with a bang instead of this god awful wastefield she's destined to continue on into nothing.”

Before he got far he felt a hand on his right shoulder and turned far enough to see Abigail standing there with a smile, floating behind her was Steffano. Now that he'd stopped she put her hands on her waist and made a pouty face, “What's with that losing talk!? Lieutenants of Team Rocket don't talk about losing! They just figure out how to pull victory from the uncertain.”

Alexander couldn't help but laugh at the Saturday Morning Cartoon pep-talk, he chided her, “And I suppose love and friendship save the day right?”, turning around he began to walk off, “Well in that case let's go win.”

[kensei]

Kafira had soon given up on trying to calm her owner, he was temperamental man who angered easy, but this wasn’t like his normal fits of anger, this was pure rage. She laid down close to him and started to whimper, giving up on helping him and just letting him get it all out of his system. It was all that could be done at this point, he had to work it out by himself. She rose once he finally seemed to calm down, giving him a comforting lick on the cheek. Vance sighed and patted the old girls head before looking at Alexander, listening to his words.

A smile touched his lips as Alexander contemplated what to do next. It seemed that the two of them where on the same page, and Vance knew Alexander was the most capable person to lead Team Rocket. If they had any hope of regaining there lost status, it was with him at the reigns. As much as he hated to admit it, Vance knew he wouldn’t do much better then Geraldio had done, he wasn’t leadership material. He was a hot headed irrational man with anger management issues whose only solution to a problem was to send everything he had at it until it exploded. But Alexander was cunning, and at times he could be manipulative, just like Giovanni was.

He couldn’t help but laugh as he gave his little “one last try” recruitment speech. As Abigail grabbed him and responded in kind Vance placed a hand on his other shoulder and said. “Do you think I am pass up an opportunity regain my honor?” Kafira howled in agreement before running from one side of the alleyway to the other, showing she was ready to rumble as well.

As the group walked down the alleyway Vance’s eyes looked back towards the skyscrapers that littered the horizon. This city, this country, they had no idea what was about to hit them. The Elite where no longer in the area, they had plenty of time to stretch there legs and grow again. This time they would be more prepared then before. “Say Alex, what do ya say we create our own little elite group hm?” He started to laugh as he thought about the future. Any mistakes they had made back in the day where going to be corrected this time. It was a new day in Racoco.

[GoldenKitten]

The company marched forward on the Giovanni/Team Rocket Manor, the last occupied Team Rocket base on the planet. Some of their older lands were still under member ownership and they simply lacked the manpower to put people in them, but on a larger scale they had lost them all once The Elite had rolled through and criminalized most of them. In most provinces the state was allowed to take land from criminals if they passed a certain “Degree” of organized crime, they weren't going to take some thieves house but it was a law passed specifically to break Team Rocket up during their heyday. Thankfully at the time some of their properties went unnoticed, in no small part due to Alexanders quick thinking. In the case of the household Giovanni built though the man had been smart enough to put it under his deceased wife and Geraldio's name, so with the latter being an adolescent at the time with no provable activity in the gang the state had no grounds to take the land.

Not that, that had proved a particular blessing in the end. Every time he got a look at it from the outside he was reminded of their failure, not just because Giovanni had died there, but because a once glorious statement to their power was now a decrepit husk. In the early days when he still had the backing of Team Rocket as a whole the damage to the land and facility had been fixed, but afterwards was left rather empty. Then as members left the grounds fell into disrepair and the interior looked more and more like a drug den than a center of power everyday, then again who was going to fix it, Vance?

It wasn't that Alexander believed in wasting money on frivolous things, but there was something to be said for chest pounding, showing off. Sure the top of an organization was made of people like himself, but much of the lower levels were comprised of young adults and everyday businessmen, it was no wonder they'd lost their backing when they weren't even trying to impress. Those with loyalty or a mind for business understood the deeper workings and how even now the group had the municipal finances to surge forth once again, but the everyman just saw the outer visual decline. And that was enough.

As they walked toward the gate his thoughts mused on how Geraldio kept such a hard hold on what little remained of their once fortune that his “top lieutenants” had been reduced to hoofing it. Not that Alexander actually believed their funds were that low but then they wouldn't be in this situation if the boy had known how to adequately control the finances, rather than investing in growth he was keeping it to himself. It was just one more sign of the times, perhaps he should have been pleased with this turn of events, his honor would have kept him bound till it was too late if the waste hadn't been so blatant.

Though no large criminal organization had risen to take Team Rockets far reaching place in its decline there were still plenty of groups ranging from street gangs to true crime families that had moved in. In Jelimia that group was the Kirklands who followed a previous lieutenant of Team Rocket, Jerimiah Kirkland. Kirkland had been the muscle behind the Rockets and had been highly influential in milking the various Gym's the Rockets had controlled from the background of members and money. Alexander had often provided the plans for their illicit activities while Kirkland supplied the manpower. Though he wasn't nearly the same type of leader Giovanni had been many of their members had left when he had, especially their enforcers, Vance and a few others were the rare exceptions.

When their numbers had first started exploding Alexander had predicted Team Rockets remaining days in the weeks, maybe a month at most. But Kirkland had proved...something, whether it was smarter or more cautious than expected he couldn't say, but whatever the case they hadn't been removed or integrated by force. Maybe he simply respected Giovanni enough and considered the remnants of Team Rocket such a small threat that he didn't see the force it would take to eliminate them (they still had a number of powerful trainers such as himself, Vance, and others) being worth the return investment.

Whatever the case might be he instead took the direct but more subtle method of having the site on constant watch. Whenever Alexander or one of the other old members left the facility there would be a member of the Kirklands outside the gates waiting to invite them to join. If he really did seek their aid and not simply to subjugate them then it suggested a level of intelligence Alexander would never have attributed to the man, after all even he couldn't deny they would make a powerful team. Or it might have been the work of his own ranking members, but it failed to take into account two factors. First that those that remained had a stronger honor-bind than the rest, second that if there was a leader left amongst them (Alexander in this case) that he followed Giovanni out of earned respect, and Geraldio out of promise...he had neither of these things for Kirkland, and at heart he had the same desire for power they all did.

When they started doing this Alexander had suggested they leave them be, in one rare case of listening to him Geraldio had agreed. Perhaps the Kirklands really did leave them be simply because the assault wouldn't be worth the losses they would take, but obviously if they initiated an assault they would be answered in kind. For now there had been no animosity between them and an outward attack would have simply signaled their end. Yet even as he suggested this he had long known that if they were to ever prosper again the Kirklands would be the first enemy on their list, and now he realized he might well have to initiate such an order in the coming days.

It was always someone from the old Team Rocket that was waiting at the gate; not necessarily someone of high rank, just someone they would know. Today it was a frequent visitor named Timothy, or Timothy the Ratkeeper after the large number of Rodentia-type Pokemon he had kept. It wasn't a name he'd garnered out of scorn either as he'd proven an apt warrior and scholar, he'd worked under Alexander for quite some time though the direct contact they had with each other was minimum as they'd often worked in many different regions at once.

The average-sized man with black hair, a four-o-clock shadow, and an unkempt suit raised his hand in a wave as they approached with a merchants lying smile, “Mr. Alexander, it's good to see you again, why don't w-”

Alexander didn't allow his eyes to meet for more than a brief moment before he walked straight past the other man through the opened gate, “Not today Timothy.”

He could tell the others followed paying their visitor just as little mind and there was a long silence before the Ratkeeper called out, “Mr. Alexander, you're on a sinking ship! I'll still be here for you the day it finally does.”

With a small chuckle he looked over his shoulder and yelled out, “Yeah, you're absolutely right.”

There was a spot of curiosity on the other mans face before he saw the wheels in the other mans mind click into place. Timothy hadn't been part of the financial planning for no reason, the lightbulb had turned on pretty quick after he took in their determined walk and the way they had brushed him off. Maybe he didn't mean to but he grinned at Alexander before he took off in the opposite direction, some old part of him intrigued by the idea of what might happen now. Alexander raised his hand to suggest none of them do anything to him. Even though taking such information back might incite Kirkland to take action Alexander would take action quicker, just because he had not planned to eliminate Gerladio in the process did not mean he hadn't rendered many plans for a Team Rocket comeback. He had a list a mile long and it was just a matter of ascertaining his resources and choosing a course once they had created a firm standing point, having word spread before this could help them...in this case he was betting on it and if Timothies telling reaction was anything to go by he had chosen correctly.

A Houndoom and a Houndour (named Jackie and Julie, but Alexander had never cared enough for the ill-tempered little beasts that Geraldio didn't bother to train to put names to them) laid in the yard, eying them closely but making no move since they knew them by sight and smell. Much of the grass in the yard was dead, alternatively other parts were growing over the walls of the large triple-story 30,000-plus square-foot mansion, many of which windows were boarded up after having broken in assaults by a number of smaller gangs (all others which had been absorbed by the Kirklands at this point). Naturally the mansion was in the best part of town and the decreasing quality of the landscape had invited scorn by the neighbors. However, anyone nearby knew they were still dealing with dangerous individuals and the complaints never went beyond their thoughts or on a rare occasion in which Alexander had offered an impassioned (and perhaps slightly threatening) speech, the HOA.

Passing through the front doors they entered into the large interior, the front of which was a still impressive if slightly decrepit grand hall. At one time there would have been several guards and maids or butlers to greet you there but now it was empty save two younger members playing guards at a nearby table. They hardly gave the group a second glance, even now Alexander would typically have reprimanded them but today he simply ignored it. If, or rather when this started it was likely the younger members would work with Geraldio since he was their money-ticket, older members who would be outnumbered but had greater skill and Pokemon teams would probably work with him...no guarantees but the fewer people present the better, they'd have no choice but to work with him if the matter was settled before their arrival.

Despite the size of the mansion it wasn't terribly difficult to find Geraldio, with there being few people on site the source of the only animated conversation carried through the walls. In the large interior pool room they found him sitting back in a chair, a girl on each arm (they still had quite a bit of money, decline or no), arguing with one of the other long-time members of Team Rocket. Gotoreishi (Goto) came from the Johto region and had operated in a similar manner to Vance in the old team, now he was older and worked as an accountant more often than not. Thus it was likely money that was once more the source of argument between him and the young brown-haired man who acted and moved in as cocky a manner as the frivolous expenditure during their decline of the group suggested.

Checking their surroundings Alexander counted two other younger members of Team Rocket that were personally employed by Geraldio. Out of them he knew one would be a problem, the other was an unknown quantity but was not as immediately concerning. He wagered that there were at least three other members within ear-shot, but he didn't count their odds as particularly bad seeing as that he and Vance had some of the most capable Pokemon on site. He also expected Goto to join them, he had been betting on it since before he even got there, that he was actually in the room just made things easier, Goto had tired of the situation long ago and he was a capable individual who still had some fight left in him.

There wasn't much time to gauge the situation in full however as Geraldio quickly spotted them. Quickly standing up from his lounge chair and breaking free from the girls he pushed Goto out of the way in a rude manner, heading toward them with a big smile on his face as he rubbed his hands together.

“Alex! Alexie-Alex-Aley-man! What's up?! Where is it?! Oh god I'm so excited.”
But Geraldio was stopped dead in his tracks several paces from him when Alexander replied, “It's dead, Geraldio.”

For a moment the man looked confused before anger crossed his face. He spun in circles a few times flailing his arms like a child in a temper tantrum without something to take it out on, eventually he found a nearby pool-chair and kicked it. For the next few moments he kicked the chair before raising his finger and wagging it in Alexanders direction.

“USELESS!!! The whole lot of you! Premier Lieutenants of the great Team Rocket?! More like failures holding on to lost glory! Can't even shake down an old coot properly! AGGGGHHHHHH!!!” he spun around a few more time before he grabbed the back of a near chair and let out a long sigh, then began to chuckle a moment later.

Turning around with a big smile he shook his finger in a toying manner, “No. No. No reason to be upset, there will be another chance to get it, and then you can do the job properly.” he turned back around and headed toward the girls again, he started to say something to them but was interrupted by Alexanders clear voice that cut through the banter to the heart of the matter.

“Not likely.” he stated in response to Geraldio's suggestion they would simply attempt the heist of another. But the tone wasn't of someone who had just spouted it out of anger, Alexanders tone was calm and that meant there was more at play here. It instantly set everyone on edge and everyone moved their hands closer to their holstered weapons. Geraldios two bodyguards released their Pokemon including the one Alexander was wary of, the Abra known as Tom Tom.

Geraldio chuckled a bit though it came across as nervous instead of ballsy as he turned back toward Alexander, his hand now in his pants pocket. He made a motion with his hand cupped around his ear, “I-I'm sorry, what was that now? I didn't quite catch it.”

Alexander cooed as the room tensed more, suddenly three more members burst through the entrance they'd just come from just as predicted; Geraldio had, had a panic button it seemed. This explosion of activity was the catalyst as the guns came out; Alexanders was pointed at Geraldio and vice-versa, Goto was covering the two guards behind him as they cycled through the various targets present and at the same time his Dragonair suddenly exploded out at his side growing to an imposing size over them all, Vance was on the three covering their back, and they were covering him. Everyone was a spot-second from turning the room into a massacre but with none wanting to be the first to die the guns stayed readied but silent.

Alexander spoke and as he did so he saw Abigail make her way over to Tom Tom, he knew they were friends but because Tom Tom was under the binding of the pokeball he couldn't disobey. With his attention back on Geraldio he continued, “Well...look at where we are. Now Geraldio, I'm about to ask a question and depending on how you answer you may not see the end of the day.

Through gritted teeth Geraldio hissed at him, “You won't be seeing it either way.”

Shaking his gun to remind the other man it was still pointed at him he toyed with him in a tone more befitting the old days, “Nuh-nuh-nuh, I know you never were very good with being polite, but now would be the time to shut up and pick that particular skill up. It can get you far in life...well, assuming you have much of one left. Now tell me Geraldio, why the Skitty? What was the point? Was there an actual point or do you just enjoy wasting Team Rockets resources?”

A hollow laugh rocked the room as Geraldio placed a hand over his head, “Team Rocket? TEAM ROCKET?!! Are you fucking kidding me Alexy? There hasn't BEEN a Team Rocket in years, just in your GODDAMN head! There aren't any great business ventures to be had anymore, just a comfortable existence to live out on whats left of this pathetic estate. Team Rocket, hah! You were more delusional than I thought. The Skitty Alex? I WANTED IT! Yeah, I just wanted it as a damned pet. I'm sorry your graciousness can't lower himself to doing my personal bidding, but that's all that's left! My way, or no way! Shoot them!”

Two shots sounded out from behind them as Alexander hardened himself for the shootout, and possible death, that was to come. But bullets did not instantly start flying nor did he or any of his team wind up getting hit. He chanced a glance over his shoulder to see the three men who had entered, two of them now slumped to the ground in puddles of blood. A young boy named Chancy with bright-red hair and a childish smile who had been taking people by surprise since he joined when they'd underestimate him by looks stood with two pistols held out, still smoking from recent discharge.

He held one of them up to his face, “Er, um wait, did you mean them, or THEM? Because if you meant them, then...well WOOPSIE-DOODLE!”, his face going more serious he looked to Alexander, “Don't know what your plan is Mr. Jackston, but if it means even a step back toward the right way I'm in. Most of us are sick of this.”

With a mild grin Alexander turned back toward Geraldio, the mans answer to his question had been all the further incentive he needed as he readied to shoot but they'd given him just enough time. A pokeball dropped to the ground and the mans greatest inheritance of all came exploding out, shaking the building with its colossal form as it broke out to take up half the massive room before its head broke through the ceiling above. At the same time Abigail and Tom Tom started exchanging blows which filled the room with even more chaos. Behind the growing colossus Alexander caught Geraldio moving to the second floor being carried by a heavily burdened Staravia through the fresh hole in the ceiling.

Under any normal circumstances the slow moving creature would have been an easy target but now Imagio stood in their way, Giovannis true power. A Steelix of such size it dwarfed those few already large creatures occasionally spotted in the wild, or on the tournament circuit. If those mammoths were battle winners then Imagio was a war winner; capable of crushing most opposition simply by tossing his immense bulk around, and with a hide hardened over presumably hundreds of years that could repel rocket fire (something it had indeed done in the past). This was the parting present Geraldio had left them, expanding ever more through the room, trying to curl and crawl about in the tight confines just to find room for its bulk, but it eventually succeeded after pushing a few walls out and sloshing down into the water basin.

The gigantic creatures face turned down to Alexander and his companions, though it was impossible to tell from the unmoving face it didn't take a genius to realize there was intelligence behind that ancient visage. Like Steffano it didn't talk, but it knew how to listen and how to make itself heard...though that typically involved rolling over on things. Before that could happen Alexander lowered his gun and stepped up to the edge of the pool where Imagio's head lay though even at his level its eyes were still set a full humans body above him.

“Imagio! Listen to me. I know you're honor bound, just like us, to protect Giovanni's legacy. But don't you think in the end his true child is the society he created? You might have been required to follow Giovanni's commands but that doesn't follow for Geraldio. Are you really going to stand up for a little brat who just uses you as a shield so he can run off to waste what little remains of that once greatness of the life of a ever-partying child? Imagio! Aid me! Or... at least don't aid him...”

Stone-faced the monster just looked down over its unchanging features before it let out what could only be a groan, then flipped on its side like a rebellious child. Imagio had never been moved by big speeches, he'd heard enough from Giovanni, but it seemed he got the point. The moment he lay down Alexander ran forward and reached his arm up, “Steffano!”. As if on the same wavelength the Scizor was already above him, he grabbed hold, and in an instant they disappeared into the second floor above.

Vance and Chancy weren't left with naught to do though as a burst of clear energy flew between them and Imagio, blowing out the far wall to expose the stairwell beyond. The creator, Abigail, pointed at it and psychically yelled, “Go after them! Goto and I can handle this.”

She'd hardly finished when she had to turn back to block an assault of psychic blasts being launched from the lazily floating Abra in the middle of the room. Despite its seemingly low rank on the totem poll it appeared to be more powerful than one might think, perhaps it had simply refused evolution but was indeed older? Either way few were the opponent that could keep Abigail on the defensive. Meanwhile as she fired blast after blast Goto and his Dragonair attempted to circle around and attack the two guardsmen.

“Well then Mr. Vance, on your word! Woohoo!” Chancy said with a mock salute before he headed off toward the stairwell, in fact before Vance said a word.

Meanwhile Imagio laid right where he was, seemingly oblivious to the psychic explosions going off ten feet away. Quietly the millenia old creature wondered what in the world it had done to get caught up in all this bullshit over the years, meanwhile there were some points in its life when it REALLY wished it could roll its eyes. And as Imagio closed its eyes for a nap multiple battles exploded across the estate.

[kensei]

The plan was in motion, what time they had to back out and continue on living the same pathetic lives that had was gone. As the gates of the Giovanni manor came into sight it seemed to finally register that this was really happening. They where really going to correct Team Rocket’s course, no longer able to allow it to trot the path of oblivion. The air was filled with both tension, and a slight mix of excitement, for the first time in years of darkness, a slight ray of hope shone over the cold carcass of Team Rocket. Yes, life could still be breathed back into the sleeping mistress. And cruel would be the wrath she unleashed on those who had allowed these years of agony to happen.

As always the Kirkland dog was there, trying to bring more and more to the little spin off gang Kirkland had created. He had to give it to the man, he was clever with names the egotistical bastard. They had ignored the little pup today; there purpose was too important to spare him even a look. It took only minutes to cross the grounds and make there way to where Geraldio was staying. But those few minutes felt like hours. Everything they had to do seem to be laid out in front of them, and each step they took forward to the start point, another mile was added to the road. Maybe Alexander was prepared for it all, but this wasn’t something Vance had truly thought about. But now it all came flooding to his mind, all the things to make this rule greater then Giovanni’s. But each thought about the future only made him want to seize it even more. Being of high status, and holding power in his title, these things where such a distant memory he could hardly recall what it felt like. The ambition he had had as a younger man to reach the top had returned to him, it roared in his soul like a great inferno. Now there was only one thing standing in there way, the pathetic offspring of a man who created the greatest crime family that quite possibly ever existed.

In his thoughts he hadn’t truly noticed they where already facing down Geraldio. It took all the restraint in his body to not instantly pull out the gun at his side and end this speed bump right then and there. His eyes shifted to the ground, this was Alexander’s show, and he was going to let it play out the way he wanted. But he couldn’t bare to look at the rat in front of him. His had hovered uncomfortably close to the weapon holstered on his hip, begging for his mind to stop restraining it. But he wouldn’t have to fight off his impulses for long. It had only taken a few moments for Alexander to completely break Geraldio’s cool. It proved the difference between the two; Geraldio was rash and quick to act, not weighing the consequences of his actions. A spoiled brat who didn’t know how to hold his power because he never had to work for it. Him and Vance where more alike then he cared to admit, but his experiences had given him the understanding of how best to use a position of power. He didn’t think himself a great leader, but he could have held the group together instead of pissing away Giovanni’s legacy. Now was the time to witness the dawn of competence, and the end of an era of ignorance.

Vance turned on his heel as the three guards came up behind them, giving into his impulses and pulling out his weapon. He smiled slightly as Kafira jumped in front of him, hunching close to the ground, ready to pounce at a moments notice. Fire roared from her mouth onto the floor in front of the three as she gave a proud and ferocious roar. All three of them started to sweat from the heat she had summoned into the room. While his eyes watched the three like a hawk, his ears tuned into the conversation between Geraldio and Alexander. He wanted to hear it for himself, the reasoning behind the ignorant little slob’s decisions.

His eyes closed for a split second as the young fool went on. So, it was just as they had thought. He didn’t even regard Team Rocket as a thing anymore, it was just employees in bad fashion that got him anything he wanted.. Such insolence, such disrespect for his own father. Vance didn’t like a whole lot of people, but he wasn’t one to just hate someone either.. But Geraldio had earned that little honor in these last few minutes of his life. A deep seeded hatred was the only thing he felt for the boy, and as he spoke the words kill them he would gladly obey. His eyes shot open as he went to take a shot, but not before he watched the young red headed boy smile and move backwards just enough to get the shot off on his comrades. Vance smiled as he watched the two bodies fall to the ground. “Glad to have you with us Chancy.”

He turned once more, to watcj the bastard draw his last breath. He wanted to see Alexander take the first step to turning them around. But what he saw made him tremble in fear. He had only seen the behemoth Imagio a few times in all his years he had worked in Team Rocket. But those few times had been burned into his memory, and he knew just how powerful this giant was. It would have taken Vance at his height three years ago to even hope to defeat the Steelix. Now with only two pokemon under his control he couldn’t think how they could possibly fight it, not while Geraldio’s bodyguards where still causing them trouble. Kafira walked in front of him, baring her fangs at Imagio. He slowly put a hand onto her mane as he watched Alexander try and reason with it. A sigh escaping him as Imagio seemed to agree with them and allowed them to continue on there path.

He smiled at Abigail before saying. “Kill the owner first.” Telling her how to save her friend from the confines of the pokeball that imprisoned him to follow his owner, sure she most likely already knew what she had to do, but Vance wanted to show some sort of support for her. He knew it couldn’t be easy for her to have to do battle with a friend of hers simply because of what human technology did to there species. Humans really where in the cruel business of slavery when it came to pokemon, something most people didn’t like to admit.

Kafira lowered herself to allow Vance to hop on, before rocketing off towards the stairwell. “See you at the top!” He yelled to Chancy as they surged past him. As the ran up the stairs, Vance looked outside one of the large windows overlooking the entire manor. A few trainers where standing in the middle of the yard, arguing amongst themselves as to who to side with. It seemed people knew a coup was going down, but weren’t sure if they should pick a good leader or a good paycheck at this point.. He could only hope most people where as equally confused and waited till they had finished the job to pick a side.

Vance jumped off of Kafira as they came up behind three trainers who where ganging up on Alexander and Stefano. “Extreme speed!” The Arcanine was atop one of the trainers in a flash, her teeth sank deep into his throat before turning to one of the others and engulfing him in fire. In that span of time Vance had put a bullet threw the last trainers head, before smirking at Alexander. There three Pokemon looked confused at first by what just happened. As it seemed to register for them, the Primeape and Sandslash launched at there enemies. The Sandslash had gone after Steffano, while the Primeape swung a punch at Kafira which she narrowly dodged before jumping back. The third one caught Vance’s eye, a Mightyena, that whimpered and laid down, letting the chaos run its course. By this point Chancy had made it up the stairs and stopping for a bit.

Kafira ducked and weaved out of the punches. She was quite the agile girl, however, every time she went to take a bite out of the Primeape he jumped out of the way. It seemed a battle of attrition, each waiting for the other to make a mistake, luckily for Kafira, she wasn’t alone in this fight. Vance fired a shot into the Primeape’s arm, causing it to grab it in pain before turning towards the source of the shot. Instantly Kafira swiped down with her massive paw, slashing it across the face before biting into and throwing it against the wall. Kafira pounced at it once more, however one couldn’t count the Primeape out yet as it slammed its fist into her jaw before launching several blows at her. Vance shot another two shots into its back as Kafira slammed against it before pinning it the ground and opening her mouth. There was a small glow from inside before the entire ground was scorched with flame, and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. It was a horrible smell, but one you got use to when you owned a fire type pokemon, especially one with the willingness to kill as her.

Vance shook his head as he watched the Primeape cling to life. It tried to punch at the Arcanine, desperately trying avenge its trainer. He was a simple reminder that there where a few good men who where on the wrong side of things today. He walked over to the Primeape, sighing as he gave it a weak smile. “I am sorry.” He said before firing a few shots, putting the poor beast out of its misery. His eyes looked up to Kafira, her main ran red with blood, from her enemies, but he also knew a bit of it was hers. He patted her head and scratched her behind the ear. “You okay?’ It pushed its large head against his chest before motioning for them to go onward.

Vance looked over to Alexander, waiting to follow his lead. It was time to finish the coup.

[GoldenKitten]

Landing with a thud on the rafters above as Steffano released him, Alexander spun until he was behind the nearest cover he could find and had his weapon traced on what remained of the floor around him. It didn't take long to figure out where Geraldio had gone, only one door on the floor was open, moreover it was the only one that hadn't had the floor blown out from beneath it during Imagio's release. As he and Steffano moved forward he listened to the battle below though he didn't chance a look behind. The responsible tactician and the childhood friend inside him did battle as his inherent weariness of the Abra made him fear for Abigail. But the smart brain in him said that if Geraldio got away they were in for some bad times, moreover he should have trusted her...but Alexander always had trouble when he couldn't usher some sort of control over the situation even if he never talked about it.

In the end his smart side won out, telling him Abigail wasn't one of the most feared psychics even when the organization had been at full staff for no reason. Proceeding to the one entrance they took up a place on either side before Steffano broke through and Alexander rolled in, covering both potential avenues of fire. Though he had engaged Geraldio up front the truth was they were all well trained in basic combat and didn't just run into open fields without thinking. Now that the time for boasting and pathmaking was mover there was no shame in playing smart. After all, at the end of the day this was all for naught if at least one of them didn't get out alive.

Safety wasn't a necessity in this case though as there was nothing but an empty hall to greet them, if nothing else Geraldio was quick on his feet. They were now presented with a question though as there were two paths to take and if he chose wrong it was over, splitting up when so heavily outnumbered would have been beyond foolhardy though. One direction led to a maze of guest quarters that they used like a barracks, amongst which there was a stairway to the lower floor. Going the opposite way would lead them all the way to the back of the estate from which there was no easy ground escape, but that was where the helipad was on the roof-level. Making his decision quickly Alexander went with the latter, Geraldio had flying lessons and could escape himself, whereas if he took the front exit he stood a much larger chance of being chased down...for his sake he just hoped Geraldio was smart enough to think like that or he ironically would move right past them.

Covering each doorway that he might be planning to get the drop on them took time but failing to do so might be their last mistake. Fortunately they had not pushed too far forward when his 50/50 guess was validated. Geraldio could be heard yelling from a room in front of them at nearby guards to get ready and shoot anything that came through the doors. Steffano and Alexander rushed forward and he whispered to the Pokemon without slowing down as they came close to the door.

“We're going through now, before they can organize. Hard and fast, I've got your back.”

There was no need for any sort of consent, Steffano just picked up the speed to take the lead. He was the size of a normal human but he could hit with force far beyond one, especially when going full steam. He hit the door and it splintered into a thousand pieces, a few gunshots went off but they were accompanied by frantic yelps and likely did not come from prepared or concise opponents. Steffano had moved a ways ahead of him in a flash so it took Alexander a moment to catch up, however he burst through the doorway moments later and let his eyes take stock of the situation. Raising his weapon he shot the only remaining member in the head as they tried to fire on Steffano, the other two had been split in half during the Scizors terrible charge. With one hanging limply in its left claw and the other finding his upper half several meters away from his lower and slumped against a wall it was a nasty reminder that while many people considered Pokemon as harmless pets or fun combatants on the training circuit, they were in fact viciously dangerous.

Geraldio had moved on from the room but he had caught sight of him rushing down the far hallway, and he could be heard yelling orders over a radio. At this rate they would have him in moments, it was doubtful there was very much opposition left on the backside of the manor. Dropping the remains of the former member Steffano came up behind him quickly as they both fell into file down the hallway Geraldio was moving. Thankfully the man was making the mistake of calling in reinforcements constantly and vocally, it meant they didn't have long before others moved in, but it also meant they knew where he was at all times and didn't have to slow down to check for traps.

Or so went the thinking as they rushed through another room, and Alexander only threw himself to the ground just in time as a lighting bolt soared over his head. Steffano wasn't so lucky as the electricity streaked through him, thankfully being a steel type this caused him to freeze up but didn't do much actual damage. This was compounded by the fact that their attacker was a Pikachu, the Skitty hadn't been the start of Geraldio's obsession with cute pokemon. But it had used its one chance at surprise now and with them both present it was less of a battle than a mild deterrent, Steffano distracted it long enough for Alexander to push himself up, line up his sights, and pull the trigger. Many pokemon proved resilient to bullets either through elemental shielding or simply having super tough skin like Imagio...but a pikachu was not one of them.

Once they were sure the coast was clear they continued the pursuit, this time without fear as there were no longer side rooms to hide in. They were nearing the back of the mansion which was built more like a factory, since that's what it had once been, complete with loading docks, pokeball production facilities that had long been quiet, and of course the landing pad that was now the obvious goal. They performed several twist and turns through tight office spaces and up mesh-metal steps before Alexander rammed into a final doorway and exploded into the hall that lead up to the pad. Sure enough he caught Geraldio running up the flight of stairs midway down the hallway.

He raised his gun and yelled the mans named, but after only a single bullet was released which missed his eyes fell to the far side of the hallway when they spotted movement. Yelling out to Steffano to take cover they were lucky enough to find that the walls had several metal protrusions that worked well as shielding. Geraldios backup had finally arrived in the form of three SMG-armed guards, who doubtless also had pokemon on them. He had just pulled behind cover and saw Steffano had done the same on the far side of the hall, of course he was a Steel type and was resistant to single shells and almost immune to small caliber fire; but a hail of ballistics was a different story.

There was no way Alexander could out gun them with what he had, and the facility was built in a way that taking them head-on was really the only option, there was nowhere to flank. But that concern answered itself when several shots echoed out from the other side that sounded like punctuated aimed blasts instead of random fire to keep them down. Alexander didn't move completely out of cover but risked a quick glance around the corner and saw that Vance had caught up with them.

Had she been attacked by both opponents at once Kafira might have been in trouble, but he had appeared quickly enough with Steffano at his side. The Sandslash seemed to register the threat and went after him instead, and what followed next was an incredible flurry of swipes from each side at far beyond human speeds. But at the end of the day the Sandslash was heavily outclassed, though it had hardened spikes and a shell it did little to threaten the far harder steel skin of the Scizor. Moreover Steffano had ten-times greater gripping strength, the Sandslash survived for a half-minute on speed alone but it was a lost battle from the start. Eventually its abdomen was punctured by one of the large red claws and it was thrown to the ground where it began to bleed out.

Its hard breathing showed that it was still alive and much like Vance, Alexander moved to finish it, he at least did what was necessary but was hardly cruel. However he was interrupted as Steffano stepped in his way and did the job himself, severing the spine in an instant. Steffano had always been like that, had to finish things himself, it was a sentiment Alexander understood though he felt there were times where it was more important than others.

It didn't matter though and as soon as they were sure the coast was clear (the Mightyena didn't seem to be threatening anyone) and he linked up with Vance they proceeded the only way they could. Rushing up the stairs with the whole group in tow he slowed down to push the door to the roof open with ease, pushing his gun through the opening to ensure he had sight on anyone who might return fire. However when the sound of rotors kicked up he broke through the door and out onto the tarmac to find Geraldio standing by the running machine, opening the door and about to step through. Alexander fell to one knee, aimed down his sights, and released a single bullet as the man moved to get inside the bullet shielded aircraft.

The bullet penetrated Geraldio's hip and he fell forward, slamming face-first into the metal doorstep before hitting the ground like a rock. At the same time the rotor made an explosive breaking sound before it chugged several times, and the blades snapped cleanly off. Their eyes all fell to Steffano who had flown to the top of the craft in a flash and crippled its ability to fly entirely; drastic, but there was no escape now. As they all walked forward a figure rose up from the side of the building, a Dragonair with the now heavily armed Goto being brought up to the roof by holding on its tail, to which he promptly dropped and moved to join them. Alexander was anxious to ask what had occurred below and where Abigail was, but first there was final business to attend to.

Geraldio had stirred by now and was pushing himself up to stand against the side of the helicopter. With the multiple guns bearing down on him and Steffano perched above above like a bladed gargoyle he was gritting his teeth in helpless defiance while holding his side, he tried to look tough but the shaking gave him away. So did his tone as he yelled at them, “What the fuck was this about Alex? Money? Position? Shhhiiit~~~ man, I'll giveee them to you, let's talk about thisssssss-sss,” part of his tone was pain but more of it was whiny concern for his life.

With his gun lowered Alexander sighed at the pathetic sight, shamed it had to come to this for them to take action, setting his eyes to match with the young boys he stated firmly, “Geraldio. You would never understand what this is about”, he raised his gun, “For Giovanni”, the irony did not escape him.

Goto had his weapon raised along with the rest of them, “For Team Rocket.”

Shaking his gun nonchalantly Vance looked to him and asked keenly, “For fucks sake, can we just shoot him?”

There was no more room for talk, the moment guns had been drawn below there had been no going back. Alexander answered Vances question by firing his first and only bullet which went straight through the young mans chest. He dropped his gun down now as it was already over, Geraldio had just enough time to look down in disbelief before Goto, Vance, and Chancy all opened fire. Some of them fired one or two rounds, others fired till they were empty, but in a split second the waves of change were upon them. They no longer had an excuse to laze about, for better or worse they were stuck on their own path now and the consequences were their own to handle.

Alexander only spared the bloodied corpse a split-pause before he turned to walk back toward the building, “Chancy, bring the body inside.”

Chancy moved to complain but got a severe glare from Alexander and he quickly backed off, reaching beneath the mans arms and hauling him back to the mansion. As he did so he complained a few times about getting blood on him before he finally changed subjects and said, “So, this was fun and all, buuuuut~~~ what now?”

Goto spoke quietly as was his norm, “I wondered the same. I know this was getting to us all, but I hope we didn't do this on a whim, with no plans to back it up.”

Reaching for the handle that lead back inside Alexander began to open the door but turned to look at them, “Don't worry, I've some ideas...it's not going to be easy but there's a few routes to take from here, the Empire we built isn't quite dead yet. I'll need your help looking into the finances before I set anything in stone though Goto, Geraldio's kept me out of that loop for some time. In the meantime lets get back below and set some loyalty in place, if there's any fighting still going on we need to stop it now before we lose to many. They've only got two choices now.”

Then he opened the door and began his way back to where they started.

[kensei]

How did it come to this? How many wrong turns had they taken for it to get to this point? Those where the only thoughts in Vance’s mind as he stared down the iron sights of his pistol, etching the last seconds of Geraldio’s life into his mind. The weak, pathetic man, clinging to life after Alexander had done his work. All the anger he had towards him seemed to vanish, leaving only pity. The sad creature in front of him was no longer a man, or even a person, just a shell of an existence needing to be put out of its memory. He sighed, as he launched a single shot into his neck, leaving the rest to his comrades. He holstered the weapon before kneeling by the body once they had finished taking there anger out on his corpse. What he was looking for was easy enough to spot, a pokeball created with a golden “R” on it for Team Rocket. “Hey Alexander, catch.” He said before tossing the ball at him. He would recognize it instantly, it was Imagio’s pokeball. It was one of a few prototype’s they had created before The Elite had closed in on them. They where second in there ability to capture only to the fabled Masterballs which they had been trying to copy for a long time.. “Take good care of him.” He said before walking past him and heading down stairs.

He sighed as he walked around the room, running his hand across the machinery, remnants of a time long since passed. Geraldio.. The fool didn’t think there was any business left out in the world. Even when they had the means to go out and acquire pokemon to sell, or run some sort of crime operations, even a tenth of the scale of what they did in there heyday would have been enough to appear competent and hold onto the reigns of power. Did he honestly think there wouldn’t be a time when enough was enough? Every bad ruler is eventually removed by the people. Revolution always comes to those that beckon it closer.

His mind started to wander, hoping for the future. He longed to see just what Alexander was had planned for them. It seemed like a dream was coming true, and the bridge of the past was shorter then ever as the glory of Giovanni’s reign could now continue on to the next age. The old cobwebs and memories flooded over him, his old battles, his old team. He hated to admit it, or appear particularly emotional, but he had to admit he missed the pokemon he had let go dearly. With the way Team Rocket had deteriorated, he felt like he was wasting there talents holding them for an empire waiting to collapse. But now that they where going to need the extra man power it seemed like a mighty stupid idea. He had kept his two best pokemon, Kafira, and Eleanor, but like Alexander and the rest of this operation he was quite understaffed. He sighed as he ran his fingers threw his hair. “Shit.. I need a new team.”

His eyes fell to the Mightyena still laying down near it’s deceased owner. It seemed confused as to what to do, and where to go next. Vance smiled slightly before walking over to the Mightyena, scratching it behind its ears. “You alright boy?” He asked and only got a whimper in return. He looked over at the trainer, he was the one he had put a bullet threw. He checked his belt, finding the Mightyena’s pokeball and grabbed it. “What do you say you come with me now hm?” He gave the pooch a comforting smile before scratching it under it’s jaw. The Mightyena slowly rose before licking him on the cheek. “Guess that answers that.” He said with a slight laugh before patting its head. He looked behind him to see Alexander and the others coming up behind him now. “Hey Alex, what do ya say we hire someone to take care of the yard hm?” A slight chuckle escaped him as he walked next to him, with Kafira and the Mightyena at either side of him.