The Misdreavus Menace

Chapter Twenty-Five — Celadon Wary

Meowth tempered his excitement with wariness as he walked through the streets of Celadon. There was a subdued atmosphere, which was not surprising. Multi-storey buildings cast tall shadows in the afternoon sun. Yet there was still plenty of daylight left, enough to complete their conquest. Then the sun would set and a new day would dawn, the first of a new regime for this city, and eventually all of Kanto.

"This way," Meowth called to the troop of Rockets that accompanied him. They and their Pokémon followed his lead into the centre of the city.

"There's Cassidy," said one of the men, pointing ahead.

"We'll wait for the north and south teams to arrive," said Meowth. "Then we take over."

Several passers-by eyed the black-garbed group with suspicion. A mother coming out of a shop grabbed her two children firmly by the wrist and hurried off.

The takeover of the city proved easy. Meowth's group occupied the council offices and Cassidy's took over the police building. The two remaining groups patrolled the streets, Pokémon by their side. There was no trouble with the residents, and little if any was expected. If anyone dared attack Team Rocket, they would regret it.

Yet attacked they were. Almost simultaneously, all over town, undercover police sprang into action, wielding batons, releasing Pokémon of their own, pulling no punches. Team Rocket was a scourge that had festered unseen and now had erupted. It had to be eradicated at all costs.

At all costs? As soon as she caught wiff of the attack, Cassidy calmly pressed an alarm button on her two-way radio. At the other end, Butch was ready and waiting. They would soon learn who they were dealing with.