Seth

Oh man, not again.

Team Rocket.

Why were they always poking their noses into everything? They were a different pair than Lillia and Luke, but hey, this Rocket, that Rocket, was there really a difference? Two teenage guys dressed in the black and pink uniform, the black (so not with the times) trousers, and black long sleeved shirt with the pink Team Rocket logo printed on the front. Both were the same height, had the same long snowy white hair, and the same red eyes.

Albinos.

Worse than that - twin albinos.

Identical twin number one grinned. I pulled a face, whoa, when was the last time you brushed, flossed, and gurgled, buddy?

"Like, I hope I'm, like, not interrupting anything."

Number two smirked, smoothing back his shoulder length hair. "So now if you’ll all, like, step away so we can, like, steal your pokemon, that would be, like, great."

Behind me Tempest snorted arrogantly, "Again? I can take you on with my arms tied behind my back."

Willow, leaning against the wall eyes slightly glazed, and saying the weirdest things I'd ever heard, suddenly changed her voice, to a more deeper, manly tone; "Good morning Angels."

See? Very, very, weird.

I chewed my nails. Do I go her aid? Or do I kick some butt? What to do, what to do.

Tempest stepped forward, holding up an Ultraball, "I'm gonna whip your asses so badly."

"Yeah." I agreed pointedly, "Two of yas? Hah! You ain't got snowballs a chance in hell!"

The twins smiled, stepping from the doorway, revealing -

Oh oh.

At least twenty other rockets behind them. All standing in two straight lines, ready for their orders.

"Oh my god! You went down and got it for me! But I thought the old lady dropped it into the ocean in the end!" Willow piped up dreamily, blurry eyes wide. Twin number two looked at her disdainfully.

Mei Ling glanced about, like a trapped mouse looking for an escape. Her head darting this way and that. "Damn! I knew I should have put on my lucky Kanghaskan tooth! Did I mention that this was not my lucky day?"

Tempest laughed haughtily, unfazed by the reinforcements. "I can still take you on!"

"Yeah!" Jiang cheered from where he stood beside the Professor. He was a new kid trainer and what I had first noticed that he was very very short. Shorter even than, wait for it, Tempest.

Shocking eh?

He was about ten or so, had spiky reddish orange hair that stuck out from his head like the flames of a Flareon, a red bandana wrapped around his forehead and bright hazel eyes shone with an optimistic light. He wore an orange hooded jumper, white shorts, an empty pokebelt and a rare custom made Indigo League backpack, the kind you only won from competitions at the Championships every year.

Mei Ling backed away, gulping nervously. “We’re gonna die - you know I seem to be saying that way more often lately.”

"Hey! Don't be so pessimistic!" Jiang said, "Just think, if we beat these guys, we'll be stronger and all the more experienced!"

"What world did you just step out of? Ash and Friends?" Mei Ling muttered.

Number one rolled his eyes, "You have, like, no idea who we are, like, do you?"

I grabbed my pokeball, "No, and I personally don't care. Houndoom! Get em!"

But before I could throw out my dark type, another stream of red light burst from one of my other pokeballs.

"Huh?" I cried confused.

Suicune materialized between me and the two rockets.

"Oh my gosh! I'm out again!" He cried excitedly, his blue nose pointed into the air, "Now, where the hell is that mysterious white fiend attached to my ass?"

"Uh," Jiang gave him a confused look, "... on your ass."

Suicune's violet eyes widened, "Oh yeah!!" He looked gleefully about, "I am so gonna get you!"

I groaned. Why me? WHY?

Number two raised an eyebrow, "like, I am really scared!"

His brother smirked, "If, like, you didn't know, I'm like, Peter, and this is like, my brother Pedro."

"I see." Mei Ling said slowly, "Pete and Pete. Your parents were very creative."

"That's it!" Tempest barked, "Coo-ee, go!"

"It ain't over till the fat lady sings!" Willow cried suddenly, then immediately, changed tone, creating another voice, "Shut-up about the fat lady! You're obsessed with the fat lady!"

Mei Ling sighed, “I may as well try to help. Sultan, go!” She pitched her own, and both trainers’ masterball’s exploded open in a burst of white light.

"Aw right! Where is ya's. Come on, mano a mano! I'll knock your teeth so far down your throat, you'll need to shove ya tooth brush up ya arse ta clean 'em! Come on! Ave a go ya mug!" Coo-ee shrieked. Whipping his head around looking for his opponent.

Beside him, a Gyarados roared to life and without a command from Mei Ling blasted a torrent of water at the twins. Blue scales gleamed, his unique dragon body flexed with muscle and sinew. Sultan's square head reared up bristling with wild cerulean fins, a roar erupted from his mouth displaying a range of alarming knifelike teeth.

I knew then why Mei Ling preferred dragon types to any other pokemon. All of them had the tendency for looking very, very scary.

"Rocket Elite, we, like, have a problem. Get in here!" Pedro yelped as he and his brother dove to the floor, narrowly evading the attack.

Willow's eyes rolled around in her head. "Good thinking 99!"
The other Rockets, 'Rocket Elite' (what a joke) jumped to their orders, madly trying to squash themselves through the door. Unable to do that, they all started to pitch their Pokeballs forward.

"Chewy on ya boot!" Coo-ee screamed. Darting forward, he aeroblasted the unformed Pokemon.

Hmm, everything seemed to be going O.K, maybe if I just found a corner to hide in.....

"I was not born a Pokemon, I was created. And my creators have used and betrayed me!" Willow cackled.

"Hee hee hee! Thou shalt not triumph over me!" Suicune declared, racing around in circles.

Whooosh!

A blast of air jetted into my face. Oh NO! My hair!

I gritted my teeth and squinted.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Something very large pounded on the walls.

"Da fuck?" I cried, whirling around.

Suicune yelped in fright and darted beneath an observation desk, only occasionally peeking out to see what was going on.

CRASH!!!!!!

"Oh crap!" The entire section of the wall of the front of the house disappeared!

I stared through the smoky rubble and dust. A huge Rocket pokemon loomed above us.

Willow's voice rang through the air, "Y-M-C-A...!"

Looming, huge and threatening was one of the largest meowths I had ever seen.

"Meet Mega Mo!" Pedro sneered. "He'll, like, show you who's who!"

Mega Mo pounced forward towering over Mei Ling's Gyarados. As she lifted back her paws to bat away the puny Pokemon, Sultan suddenly squealed. "Ooooh wow! Who does your nails? They’re so perfect! You and me have got to go to your salon sometime and get them done together!"

I toppled over in shock, crying out to Mei, "Is your pokemon gay?"

She shrugged her shoulders sheepishly.

Mega Mo cocked her head confused, then murmured something in meowth with a pleased grin on her face as Sultan continued to flatter her.

And, damn me, if it wasn't actually working!

"Mega Mo!" The two Rocket twins whined.

"My dear Mega Mo, why do you insist on working with these hooligans. I mean, hire yourself a publicist and get out on your own is what I say. It is a sin to keep such beauty and talent such as yours away from the world! You are just hot, baby!"

"Meowth!" She purred in confirmation and turned hissing to the Rockets. She leapt into the air ready to slash the Rocket into mincemeat when a bolt of crimson lightning engulfed her, pulling her back into her Pokeball.

"Attack them Rocket Elite! Use your like, pokemon!" One of the twins screamed, "Like, just get them all ready!"

"Oh!" Sultan cried. "Why you naughty little..."

The rest of what he was saying was lost in the clap of thunder that rent the air. I threw my head backwards and stared through the wall at the blood red sky. "Holy shit." I muttered. Talk about de ja vu!

"Not again!" Mei Ling cried, watching the rolling red clouds and the flashes of blue lightning in horror.

"Forget about it! Now's the time to strike!" Tempest pulled herself up to her full height, which really wasn't any bigger than she was already and puffed out her chest. Whatever look, or impression she was going for, she totally missed.

Willow, who hadn't said anything for a while began to spasm wildly, as if being electrocuted. Her limbs flopping madly about. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head showing the unnerving whites, she let out a sigh, and dropped limply to the ground then just as abruptly she sat straight up again, pushing the door away from her with a strength I didn't know she had. It smashed against the wall and a long crack splintered down the middle. The hair on the back of my neck began to stand on end as I watched the spectacle. Her pink tongue lolled out the side of her mouth dripping globs of saliva off her tongue which trickled down her chin. Then, like a woman possessed, Willow began to mutter something unintelligible, in a low guttural voice in a language I had never heard before. It swiftly changed into what I could only imagine was a weird mix of Ariellan, Geo, and then finally merging into the almost forgotten language of archaic English. From what I could make out of it, I guessed it was like a poem, and boy was it weird.

"Protectors of life, the children of Gi

Foretold to oppose the Evils that be

The shadow, the air, the earth, the sea,

The fire, the mind shalt set the world free

Born of the elements, guardians of life."

"The fuck is she talking about?" Mei Ling cried who then abruptly turned and landed a beautiful right cross into the jaw of a black haired Rocket in his late twenties.

Rocket Elite had learned from their previous mistake and had darted through the door one by one, a pokeball in each hand. The room filled with the noise of boots pounding on a hard surface. I dodged a blue and green heavyball shooting towards me. A fat overfed snorlax sprang to life and promptly fell asleep. Two female Thieves rushed at me.

"C'mon ladies, I know I'm gorgeous, but - "

They growled, releasing a flurry of their own scratch attacks. Pain erupted across my cheek, I pushed them away and ran like hell, hiding behind a blue marbled topped counter scattered with experimental utensils and a black machine blinking a little red light.

You know, I generally don't hit girls, but, the way these evil red haired bitches were after me, well, I had to do something in my defense.

WHOMP!! Down went Red-Head number One! Only to be replaced by yet another Rocket, a brunette with fiery green eyes. I shoved her away, Red-Head number Two leaped onto my back and pounded me over the head with her puny fists. The brunette screeched and tackled me to the ground, I wrestled both of them, struggling to get them off me. Man, it was hard work!

WHACK!! Someone with long sharp nails sliced open my forehead, it stung, as Tempest would say, 'like bloody oath!', and something warm and wet trickled down my face. I pushed the two women away, but they relentlessly sprang back. Around me, I could see and hear the screams of defiance as Sultan and Coo-ee exploded aeroblasts and waterguns against Team Rocket's Pokemon.

Mei Ling's gyarados giggled hysterically, "Oooh! This is sooo fun!"

A rapidash answered by releasing a flamethrower which blasted over the water dragon, singing him into a blackened crisp chip.

"That wasn't very nice." Sultan coughed.

My fist rammed into the brunette's stomach, she gasped and stumbled back curling herself up into a ball, clutching her belly in agony. "You brought it on yourself." I panted, slapping the Red-Head across the face. She screamed, and I used this moment to my advantage. I leapt up, turned, and bumped into three huge male Rockets obviously looking like they lived on a diet of Beefcake.

I nervously backed away, ran into something behind me and turned to discover was the red haired rocket.

"Oh oh."

They advanced menacingly, I gulped, "Uh, Mei Ling! A little help would be appreciated!"

"I’m a little busy!" Mei Ling called with annoyance. She struggled against a swarm of six or seven Rockets. Whipping around, she hammered a guy in the face. An instant later her foot shot out smashing her heel into the chin of a girl with blonde hair. A rocket leapt at her, Mei Ling elbowed him in the face, while from behind another Rocket jumped onto her back. She stumbled, her balance completely lost and crashed into a girl who rammed her fist across Mei Ling's jaw. The trainer froze, stunned. Her lip had split and poured scarlet blood. Strands of her emerald green hair tangled over her face. She blinked in surprise, then plummeted face first to the ground, her eyes rolling dazedly up into her head.

"Mei Ling!" I cried. Worry drowning out all other emotions. I ran towards her reaching for my pokeballs, only to be yanked back by four hands. I was spun around and a fist came hurtling towards me. The rest seemed to happen in slow motion. The fist exploded across my nose, I heard the distinct 'crack' of breaking cartilage, and pain ruptured across my face. I cried in agony. Nauseating stars clouded my vision and I felt myself tumbling towards the hard ground.

As my head hit the tiles, I saw dozens of Rockets scrambling towards Mei Ling, yanking her dazedly to her feet, "No more trouble." One of them hissed in her face.

"Bite me." She mumbled.

He snarled, pulling his arm back, clenched his hand into a fist, and rammed it up into her stomach.

"Mei Ling..." I croaked, as I watched her cry out, doubling over in pain, salty tears trickling down her cheeks, mingling with her blood. She was roughly hauled back up to her feet. The filthy rocket pigs gave her no sympathy. The one who had punched her sneered, "I told you, no more trouble."

I struggled to spit out a nasty comeback at the arrogant fuck, but I couldn't, the words just wouldn't form on my cracking lips, agony racked my body, centred in my nose, which I cupped in my hands. Warm blood seeped relentlessly from between my fingers and I writhed around on the floor like a pathetic worm on a rainy day. Finally, I rolled onto my back staring into an angry scarlet sky torn by bolts of cerulean lightning. Blood red clouds hurled themselves against each other. I blinked, fighting back unconsciousness threatening to overwhelm me. The sour burning sensation of bile built up in my throat. I swallowed painfully. Another wave a nausea hit me. My vision swam, fuzzy little spots distorted my sight. I guess there was no time for a mirror anymore.