Nidorino snorted, as if approving of the result. I knelt down beside the gap.
"We could have hurt you," I murmured to the sleeping Rocket. "But that's not the point. Just don't interfere. Don't hurt anyone. And everything will be okay."
I stood up and wiped my hands. The first target had fallen. No screams. No casualties. Just control. And precision.
One down. Four to go.
And with each step, I became more convinced that it wasn't crazy.
It was justice.
"Let's go," I said quietly as we gathered our things. "Next."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.
We advanced with extreme caution through the dark, damp tunnel, each footstep echoing softly on the stone, each shadow seeming to come to life, stalking us with a menacing silence. The weak light from the lantern barely illuminated the path, and the cold seeped into our bones, but there was no room for fear. Nidorino and Ralts were alert, ready to act at the precise instant. The same strategy we had used successfully before had to be repeated, but this time the uncertainty weighed even more heavily on us. Every second was decisive, every movement could mean the difference between capture and escape.
As we rounded a bend, a Rocket appeared, unaware of our presence. He crouched in front of an old crate, carefully examining its contents. There was no hurry in his movements, confident in the safety of the place. I watched his tense back and waited for the right moment. I picked up a stone from the ground, cold and rough in my hands, feeling my heart race in the oppressive silence. I threw it precisely toward a dark corner of the tunnel, far from the Rocket, making sure the noise wouldn't raise any direct suspicions, just enough to distract.
"Now," I murmured, my voice barely a whisper, but filled with iron determination.
Nidorino launched himself in a burst of speed and power, knocking the man down with a single, precise blow. His PokéBall fell to the ground and was forgotten, as Ralts, with a delicate but relentless movement, unleashed his psychic powers. A deep hypnosis enveloped Rocket, dragging him into a resistanceless sleep, his muscles instantly relaxing.
Without wasting a second, Nidorino began dragging the man down the narrow hallway to the room where we'd rested earlier. That same gloomy, silent room where the first Rocket was already half-buried underground, waiting.
With firm, meticulous movements, Nidorino dug with his paws and horn, covering the prisoner with earth until he was immobile, while Ralts strengthened the psychic barrier, ensuring the man wouldn't wake. The air was thick with tension, the gravity of the moment felt in every held breath.
"Two," I said quietly, feeling the weight of responsibility crushing my chest. Each capture was a victory, but also a reminder of how dangerous this was.
We continued moving forward with measured steps, aware that every moment could be the last. But just as we approached the third, I felt a sudden vibration in my pocket. I took out my PokéNav and saw that I had just received a message. The screen illuminated my face with a cold, bright light in the dimness.
It was a message from Mother Clarisse. Not urgent or alarming, but with that gentle, concerned tone that only she knew how to convey, full of care:
Clarisse
"Max, have you arrived in Cerulean City yet? I hope everything is okay. Take care."
The unexpected beep echoed loudly in the absolute silence of the tunnel, and to my horror, that sound alerted the Rocket to our stalking. His eyes snapped open, his expression instantly changing to a mixture of surprise and alarm. A sharp scream came from his throat, breaking the cold, heavy silence.
"Alert!" he exclaimed, fighting the sleep that Ralts imposed on him.
Fear and urgency surged in an instant. But we couldn't allow him to escape. Nidorino reacted with inhuman speed, charging at him with all his might to bring him down before he could move. Ralts intensified his hypnosis, sinking him deeper into a debilitating sleep, leaving him no room for resistance.
Despite the alarm and his scream, we managed to subdue him, and with visible effort, Nidorino dragged him to the room where we were resting, where the floor already held the silent bodies of the first two Rockets. The pressure increased, adrenaline mixed with exhaustion.
"That makes three," I whispered, feeling the shadow of the threat grow heavier, like a stone weighing on my chest. Only two remained.
At that instant, without warning, the last two Rockets emerged from the darkness of the tunnel, armed and with furious, determined looks on their faces. Their bodies tensed, their voices shattering the stillness with suppressed fury.
"We won't let them stop us!" roared one of them, as they threw their Poké Balls at the same time, with the speed and precision of experienced trainers.
"Crush them, Muk! Koffing, Poison Gas now!" "Don't let them breathe!"
The Pokéballs burst in the air. Muk fell as a living, putrid mass, his body trembling with every movement. Koffing floated above him, emitting a hollow laugh as he spun. A purple cloud began to form around him.
Almost reflexively, I covered my mouth with my arm. "Ralts, Confusion! Don't let that gas spread!"
She reacted immediately. Her eyes glowed with psychic energy, and the gas, which had begun to invade the room, stopped dead in its tracks. It floated in place as if trapped in an invisible bubble. Then, with a flick of his wrist, Ralts compressed it, causing it to collapse in on itself, as if crushed by the air.
"Nidorino, Focus Energy, keep your distance! Don't engage him in close combat yet!"
My companion roared and tensed. His muscles rippled, his legs firm, every fiber ready for a precise strike. Muk began to move, leaving a slimy trail across the ground. His stench was unbearable, acidic, almost tangible.
"Tackle, Muk!""Koffing, another cloud, Poison Gas again!"
"Confusion, divert that gas!" I shouted, already knowing what was coming.
Ralts didn't miss. This time he didn't just contain the gas: he redirected it upward, causing it to seep through a crack in the cavern ceiling. If it weren't for that, we'd all be coughing in a matter of seconds.
"Double Team, Ralts! Nidorino, Horn Attack, flank right!"
Ralts instantly duplicated himself, creating a dozen copies that danced through the shadows and mist. Muk hesitated, unsure who to attack. Nidorino took advantage of the distraction: he darted to the side and rammed hard into the Muk's flank.
The impact was brutal. Muk's body vibrated like cursed gelatin, splattering chunks of black substance.
"Koffing, aim at the kid, now!""Ralts, use Confusion again, stop that gas!"
Koffing turned on me, his eyes bright and hateful. He unleashed another thick cloud, straight at my face. I saw it coming… and Ralts moving forward. An invisible force pushed the gas aside, slamming it into the wall.
But this time… there was someone there.
One of the buried Rockets.
The gas engulfed him. His scream was short, more of a gasp. His body shuddered… then went still. The gas dissipated, and I saw him… eyes blank, unmoving. Dead.
"You went too far!" I yelled at one of the Rockets. But he just clicked his tongue. "One less useless person."
I felt a chill. Not from the gas... from them.
"Nidorino, Double Kick, straight to the center of the Muk, now!""Ralts, Draining Kiss, focus on Koffing!"
Nidorino leaped, her hind legs slamming into the Muk's core, causing it to thrash and let out a deep roar. Ralts floated through her illusions, dodging a Tackle that nearly shattered her, and kissed Koffing with a pink light that drained some of her energy.
"Tackle again, Muk! Koffing, take out that psychic, now!"
The two launched an offensive. Muk charged, slipping on his own poison. Koffing descended like a rock, ready to explode.
"Ralts, Confusion again, use the environment!""Nidorino, Horn Attack again, from below!"
Ralts spun around. Psychic energy rattled the air. Rocks in the ceiling began to shake. Muk slipped… and just before impact, he was lifted and thrown to the side by Ralts's mental force. He slammed into a stalagmite, and part of his body went inert.
Nidorino, meanwhile, launched itself off the ground and slammed its horn into Koffing's base. The flying Pokémon spun around and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
And with one last moan… it was all over.
The room fell silent.
Muk and Koffing lay out cold. Their trainers were defeated, panting against the wall, their faces covered in sweat, fear seeping onto their skin like a second layer. Ralts floated beside me, exhausted but steadfast. Nidorino remained upright, his paws tense, ready to act again if I called upon him.
I took a breath. I felt the trembling in my hands, but I held it in. I had won. Again. But this wasn't over.
"Ralts… Draining Kiss. Recover what you need. From them."
She turned her head, hesitated for a moment. Then, as if realizing it wasn't cruelty but necessity, she approached the first one.
"Wait, no—!"
Too late. A pink glow enveloped them, and within seconds, the Rocket's energy was absorbed, some of it returning color to my companion's face.
He moved on to the second, then the third. One tried to resist, but he was too weak. It wasn't an attack. It was a cleansing. A restoration. Precise, just… efficient.
"That's enough," I finally ordered, and Ralts returned to my side, a little straighter, a little stronger.
I turned to Nidorino.
"Bury them. Up to their necks."
Nidorino grunted, pleased. He wordlessly approached and began digging. The first one screamed. The second swore. But in the end, they were all up to their shoulders in earth, trapped in the very cavern they thought they had mastered.
I approached the five half-buried Rockets, still panting from the exertion of combat. One of them was no longer breathing; his body lay motionless, a victim of the poison gas carelessly released by one of his own comrades. I looked at Nidorino and noticed his brow furrowed, as if he felt the same anger I did at this unnecessary loss.
"I can't believe you guys don't even care about a partner," I muttered with a low growl,
I swallowed the weight of the situation and addressed the other four, keeping my voice firm but controlled. "First, I want to know what you're doing here. Why are you using this tunnel? And why aren't you putting those Pokémon in Poké Balls?"
One of them, his voice raspy, tried to maintain a defiant demeanor, though his eyes showed fatigue. "We don't use Poké Balls for these Pokémon… we don't want their captures recorded on our trainer licenses. If they appear there, they could track us, and that would jeopardize operations."
I frowned. "Operations? How many of you are left? Do you have reinforcements nearby?"
A third, trying to compose himself, looked at me with disdain. "It's just us. This is a small operation, there's no one but us. We use this secret tunnel to transport Pokémon quickly, without attracting attention."
"And what do you do with those Pokémon after you catch them?" I asked, searching their eyes for any hint of remorse.
No one responded. The indifference was brutal.
"And what about the partner who's gone?" I asked, pointing at the dead Rocket, buried next to them.
One of the men gave a bitter smile, void of guilt. "No one here worries about that. Survival is all that matters."
Nidorino roared in frustration, stamping his paw on the ground.
I felt the tension in the room growing, but I couldn't let my anger get the better of me.
"Very well," I said in a determined voice, "Ralts, erase all recent memory of these four. Focus on making them forget who captured them and what Pokémon I had with me. I don't want them to be able to even give away the equipment I used to stop them."
Ralts nodded without hesitation, his eyes glowing with an intense psychic light that enveloped the four Rockets. I felt their expressions turn muddled, their minds reeling as they lost those key memories, emptying them of any trace of me or my Pokémon.
The weight of silence filled the room as they staggered, lost in the fog of oblivion that Ralts had carefully woven.
Still breathing heavily from the intense fight, I carefully collected the Poké Balls from the fallen Grunts. Each one felt like a tangible weight in my hands, reminding me of the seriousness of everything that had just happened. I felt a lump form in my throat as I thought of the Pokémon inside those balls and the fate that awaited them if I didn't act quickly.
I returned to Muk and Koffing, who were still lying motionless on the living room floor, exhausted but out of the fight. Crouching down, I retrieved their Poké Balls, summoning them back, and stuffed them into my backpack, feeling a small sense of relief knowing that at least they were under my protection now.
As I put away the Poké Balls, a feeling of remorse washed over me. I remembered the other Grunts I'd buried in the ground, but I hadn't taken their Poké Balls. I didn't know if there were more Pokémon trapped inside those balls, if they'd have a chance at freedom, or if they'd remain in captivity forever. A feeling of guilt tightened my chest. How could I have forgotten something so important in the midst of the chaos?
I shook my head to clear those thoughts and headed back to the dark tunnel I'd discovered, that secret route where Team Rocket smuggled Pokémon. The crates lined up in the corner, cold and metallic, seemed a cruel reminder of the oppression those beings suffered.
Carefully, I opened the first box, and a small, trembling figure staggered out to freedom: a Clefairy with eyes filled with fear but also hope. I took a deep breath as I watched it walk off into the darkness, free at last.
They were followed by a Zubat that flapped its wings nervously, a Geodude that rolled toward the exit with uncertain movements, and other various Pokémon that seemed to shake off years of confinement in seconds.
Finally, upon opening one last crate, I found a Growlithe. Its fur was matted, covered in dust and dirt, but what caught my attention most was the expression in its eyes: a deep sadness, a melancholy that seemed to weigh more heavily than its physical chains. It remained still, as if still trapped in the darkness of captivity, unable to take the step toward freedom.
I approached slowly, trying not to scare him. "It's okay," I whispered, "you're free now." But he didn't move, and a pang of helplessness ran through me. I wanted to do more, wanted to give him hope, but I didn't know how at that moment.
As the other Pokémon scattered down the tunnel, disappearing into the gloom toward an uncertain but free fate, I watched the Growlithe, silently promising myself that I wouldn't leave it behind.
Trainer: Maxwell Jones
Hometown: Pewter City
Sponsorship: None
Money: $72,200 Pokedollars
Badges: 1.- Boulder Badge
Expandable Travel Backpack (Deluxe)
1. 4 potions (1 slot)
2. 3 Rage Candy Bar (1 slot)
3. 10 Pokeballs (2 slots)
4. 1 Escape Rope (1 slot)
5. 1 Red handkerchief with 16 orange berries (1 slot)
6. 3 Antidotes (Poison Cure) (1 slot)
7. Badge case (1 slot)
8. PokéNav (1 slot)
9. Travel Cooking Kit (Includes a folding frying pan, small knife, kettle container, and mini lighter, all in a compact case) – 2 slots
10. Pokémon Food Ration (4-day ration bag) (2 slots)
11. Human food ration (canned and freeze-dried food for 3 days) (2 slots)
12. Basic Camping Kit (Includes Compact Tent, Sleeping Bag, and Collapsible Lantern) – 3 Slots
Occupied slots: 18/30
Pokémon
Nidorino
Gender: Male
Level: 21↑1
Moves: Leer, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Rage Attack, Horn Attack
Ralts ✨
Gender: Female
Level: 19 ↑1
Moves: Disarming Voice, Teleport, Growl, Double Team, Hypnosis, Draining Kiss, Lucky Chant
EXTRA
pendulum necklace
2 Pokeballs with Muk and Kofing
Author's Notes: If you want to support the story and read some advance chapters https://www.p@treon. com/Jayjayempi , it would also help me a lot if you have comments on how the story is going or if you would be so kind as to leave a review, Thank you very much for reading!