Cambrian
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Blasting Off! Ch. 20 (Pokemon)(Team Rocket OC)
🕑 Added 2022-07-23 19:55:24 +0000 UTCA/N: The Poke Mart Heist in Viridian, and the return of a familiar face!
Also, just a heads up, this will probably be the final multi-chapter day on Patreon for this fic. I've been pushing myself pretty hard to post two chapters a day in an effort to get this story 10 chapters ahead of the public posting. With this chapter, we reach that point. So from now on, expect just one chapter a day until this story is done!
3 of 3 chapter dump
-x-X-x-
“It’s fucking ridiculous!”
“Yeah, this is bull shit!”
“What, because we’re criminals, suddenly our Pokedollars aren’t good enough?!”
“This is discrimination!”
“We should do something about it!”
The group of Team Rocket Grunts standing to the right of the Viridian City Pokemon Center are up in arms for one reason and one reason only… the Poke Mart refuses to sell them anything, just because their bounties are past a certain point!
When that dumb special news report had first been announced, with Lance going on record to say he was cracking down on crime and Team Rocket in particular, most of them hadn’t thought much of it, except to laugh. Like, honestly… everyone knew that the police in Kanto were some of the most corrupt motherfuckers that ever did exist.
They were the sort of two-faced crooks that honest, hard-working criminals such as themselves could only hope to aspire to be one day. Frankly, the corruption in the Kanto Police Departments was half of what had driven so many of them into the arms of Team Rocket in the first place.
Oh sure, Lance might have liked to say Kanto was doing better than ever before. That because Saphron City was doing so well, that the entire Region was doing great. Just because there was so much money in Silph Co. and everything it touched, didn’t mean that money trickled down to the rest of them. Lance’s efforts to make himself and Kanto look good to outside eyes didn’t necessarily mean a higher standard of living for everyone.
So sure, they’d all turned to lives of crime. They’d all joined Team Rocket, the most feared and hardcore gangster organization in all of Kanto! With their uniforms on, they could do whatever they wanted! They could go wherever they wanted, and steal Pokemon from… well, not whoever they wanted. As Grunts, they could only steal Pokemon from little kids and old people. But who cared?! It was still a great life!
And then shit had gotten real. Not because of Lance and his Special Police, because frankly there wasn’t a single real fang in the bunch. No, it got real… because somehow Lance got the Poke Marts on board. He hadn’t made any headway with the Pokemon Centers, at least… but when it came to the Region’s Poke Marts, which were usually the only shops in any town or city that they entered, suddenly Team Rocket’s uniforms were banned! Suddenly, if they had too high of a bounty, they weren’t allowed to buy anything anymore!
It wasn’t fair… and this particular group of Grunts was ready to do something about it. They’d been turned away one too many times. They’d been rejected and sent packing far too often. Up until this point, they’d kept to bellyaching about it, just griping to one another and saying something needed to be done… and they might have continued to do so, all things considered. After all, they were just Grunts, and they were only in Viridian to help out Rocket Executive Ariana with getting the Gym ready in case it proved necessary.
They needed a trigger to really get them going, and if they hadn’t found one, they probably would have spun their wheels a little while longer before ultimately getting back to work. But as it is, in the midst of their fervor, in the midst of building each other up into a frenzy, one of the Rocket Grunts notices a familiar figure down the road.
“Hold up… is that who I think it is?”
All of the other Rockets don’t really pay him any mind… until he starts shouting. Not shouting at them like they’ve been practically shouting, but shouting down the road, trying to get someone else’s attention.
“Hey! Sir! Over here, sir!”
Finally, the whole squad of Rockets turns to see who he’s talking to. Blinking, they all watch as a pink-haired Rocket Admin turns to stare at them, before casually making his way over. It takes a moment for some of them to place him, but when they do, the reaction is mixed. After all, rumors abound about this guy. His name is Cam, and he’s the youngest Rocket Admin in Team Rocket’s history.
But is the position deserved? That’s the real question. Because honestly, there are so many damn rumors about him. He’s not even in the Bounty Leaderboard! And there’s some who say that while his promotion did come from Giovanni himself, it was a favor for Ariana…
On the flipside, there were rumors about him kicking ass and taking names in both Vermilion City and Lavender Town. How he’d been entrusted with some super tough missions from the Boss himself, and then gone on to complete them with minimal help from Rocket Powerhouses like Proton and Archer. How true all that was, they didn’t know… but one thing was for sure. He was technically their superior now, and so they didn’t dare say shit.
“Hey! You’re Cam, right? Welcome to Viridian City!”
With dead eyes, Cam stares at the Grunt who called him over for a moment before nodding.
“Thank you.”
“Y-Yeah! Look, you’re a tough son of a bitch, right?”
Before Cam can answer that, one of the other Grunts speaks up.
“Hang on, is this going where I think it’s going? He’s not even on the leaderboard…”
The first Rocket quickly waves off the other.
“Shush, shush! You know why Cam here isn’t on the leaderboard?! It’s because his bounty is so damn high that they don’t even bother reporting it! I asked the chick who’s in charge of keeping track of that stuff on our end, and every time I mentioned Cam here, she just blushed! Seriously, he’s a BIG deal!”
There’s some muttering among the Rocket Grunts at that. Those who believed the rumors that Cam was a badass were quick to believe this as well, nodding their heads confidently in easy agreement. This in turn made those who had heard the rumors about Cam sleeping his way into his promotion begin to doubt the veracity of such information. Perhaps they had him all wrong…
“Besides, look at him! He’s a Rocket Admin, while we’re all still grunts. You all know what that means… the Boss himself sees something in him! He’s the perfect guy to help us out!”
Finally, Cam speaks up again, his sharp gaze swinging over them all.
“… What do you need?”
Hearing him ask that sends a jolt of electricity through the group. He’s all but asked how he can help, something no Rocket superior has EVER asked them before. Now, there are wide smiles spreading across the faces of the assembled Grunts, while their spokesperson grins the widest of all.
“See, what’d I tell you guys?! Look, sir, it’s like this… you’ve probably encountered it yourself by this point. All of our bounties are so high that the Poke Marts refuse to sell to us anymore! It’s ridiculous! Just because we go out and knock over a playground stealing some Pokemon from the kiddies there, the damn shops are closed to us?! Completely and utterly unacceptable!”
“… Okay.”
“Right! So, we thought… we need to send these fuckers a message. Teach them a lesson they’ll never forget. The Pokemon Centers stay out of this shit, and the Poke Marts need to do the same! So… we thought maybe you’d help us out. Lead us, really, on a heist of the Poke Mart here in Viridian City. We go in, we ransack the place, put the fear of Team Rocket into the Shopkeeper, and get the fuck out before the cops even know we’re there!”
There are excited murmurings and an undercurrent of excitement through the rest of the Grunts as their spokesperson lays out the plan to their one and only hope. After all, if the young Rocket Admin rejects their plan, they’re basically screwed, aren’t they? Can’t disobey an order from a superior, that’s Rocket Loyalty 101!
Thankfully, after a moment, Cam just nods.
“Alright.”
He’s on board! Just like that! The group of Grunts lets out a collective cheer, and then calm down as they huddle together with Cam in their center, getting down to business and finalizing the details of the plan. It was happening! It was actually happening!
-x-X-x-
Larry lets out a sigh, as he makes sure the glass on the case to his right is clean for the dozenth time that day. The former Bicycle Shop Owner runs a hand over his brow, wishing it hadn’t come to this. Alas… it was better, these days.
After the incident at his Bike Shop, Larry hadn’t been able to sleep. That Team Rocket goon had come in and take his best bike, and there had been NOTHING he could do about it. His Pokemon, who had been his companions even back during the War, had ultimately proven unable to challenge that bastard and his massive Dragonair.
Every day, he would go into his store to sell bikes. And every day, he would stare at the empty stand, where that black and red bike had once sat. Worst of all, every time the door to his bike shop opened, he would flinch, damn near having a panic attack. He was afraid that the bike thief would come back. Or worse, he would report to the rest of his little friends in Team Rocket how EASY it was to knock over Larry’s shop and send a whole bunch of them at once to take all of his bikes!
Bicycles were a luxury good in the Kanto Region, and a VERY lucrative business. But that was what made it so much worse. Larry couldn’t survive too many more thefts like that one. His business would have broken down. But more than that, Larry himself was damn near having a nervous breakdown every single day he went in to work!
In the end, a change had been in order. He’d… he’d sold his Bike Shop. He’d gotten a nice nest egg for his retirement from it and moved on. But of course, he was still too young to really retire. So, when he’d moved all the way to Viridian City to get away from Cerulean and the crime around the area, he’d taken a job at the local Poke Mart.
Everyone had heard about the Poke Mart’s new initiative not to sell to any Rockets with big enough bounties on their heads. That sort of patriotism and adherence to Law and Order… it spoke to Larry like nothing else, especially after all he’d been through.
So, here he was behind the counter of a Poke Mart, instead of behind the counter of his Bike Shop. And… while it was maybe something of a downgrade, at least there were no Rockets around to ruin his-
“ALL RIGHT EVERYONE, LISTEN UP! THIS IS A ROBBERY!”
Larry’s eyes damn near bulge out of his skull as the Poke Mart door shatters inward and two Rockets jump in, one of them shouting after the other.
“THAT’S RIGHT! DON’T MAKE ANY FUNNY MOVES AND WE WON’T HAVE TO HURT YA! WE’VE GOT BACK UP OUTSIDE TOO, SO DON’T MAKE US CALL THEM IN HERE!”
Indeed, Larry sees more black-clothed figures moving around outside of the Poke Mart. It’s his worst nightmare realized! The Shopkeeper trembles behind his counter, even as the Rocket goons gather the Poke Mart’s actual legitimate customers and herd them into the back.
They don’t approach him and his counter, however. He doesn’t quite understand why… until the crunch of a boot in glass draws his gaze back to the door. Larry’s eyes go as wide as saucer plates as a familiar pink-haired kid in an unfamiliar Rocket uniform steps inside, sweeping his dead eyes back and forth… before ultimately landing them on Larry himself.
It’s the same bastard from C-Cerulean, damn it! He’s back again! How?! How had this happened?! Larry’s mouth opens and closes, as the kid, who had apparently gotten a promotion no doubt due to his sheer evil, walks up to the counter in silence.
“Y-You… I can’t believe this is happening! I moved halfway across the Region to get away from you!”
Cam narrows his eyes, and for a moment Larry thinks he sees recognition. Barely. Does the kid not even remember him?! Well… well, there was one thing that Larry had going for him!
“This won’t go the same way it went last time; you know! The Mart is too crowded for you to pull out that Dragonair of yours again! If you do, your own goons will get in the way! That means… I have a chance! Go, Raichu!”
He hadn’t been idle. He’d rested on his laurels long enough, and he hadn’t JUST run away from his problems. His team was stronger than ever, and with this damn Rocket constrained to a limited amount of space if he didn’t want to hit his comrades, Larry was sure he could-!
“Go, Vulpix.”
Yes! The Shopkeeper’s eyes light up, as the Rocket summons a cute little fire fox Pokemon instead of his Dragonair. This is it! This is a fair match! He can do this!
“Raichu-!”
“Vulpix, Quick Attack.”
Faster than Larry can track, the small fox Pokemon slams into his Raichu so hard that the electric Pokemon hits the wall with a sickening thud behind him, forcing Larry to immediately call him back to his Pokeball.
“W-What?! You m-monster! Dugtrio, I choose you!”
“Vulpix, Flamethrower.”
Surely Dugtrio’s Ground Type advantage should give Larry a chance to counterattack, right? There’s no way that this Vulpix is as strong as that Dragonair… no, given how he’d grown and evolved his Pokemon, stronger even! He would-! And like that, Dugtrio was down, the flames from Vulpix’s maw burning so hot even the Ground Type couldn’t handle them.
“C-Curses! Golbat, teach this-!”
“Vulpix, Quick Attack.”
And like that, it’s over. Three attacks and all three of Larry’s Pokemon were once more defeated. He’d spent so much money on that Thunder Stone too, not to mention the amount of time he’d put into training up and evolving his Diglett and Zubat. And all of it… for nothing. The Rocket’s Vulpix was just too strong…
As terrifyingly strong as his Dragonair had been, and not even evolved. But then, a Vulpix only evolved when exposed to a Fire Stone…
Clenching his hands into fists at his side, Larry shakes with impotent anger as he stares across the counter at the silent Rocket.
“Damn you, Rocket. I bet you heard that this Poke Mart had a shipment of premium goods recently delivered for any Trainers who were about to challenge Victory Road!”
“Whoa, premium goods?!”
That comes from one of the other Rockets in the back, but Larry pays them no mind. Their Raticate doesn’t scare him. Not nearly as much as this bastard in front of him, and he’s not cowering in front of HIM, now, is he?!
“You don’t even have to say it! I know what you want from me, Rocket!”
Cursing under his breath, Larry stomps over to the box and grabs hold of it, lifting it off the ground and putting it on the counter. As he opens it up, he begins taking out the items he knows the Rocket is here for. After all, there’s no point in trying to hide them, he MUST have known they were here!
“A Fire Stone for your Vulpix, of course. A set of Ultra Balls. A set of Full Restores. Tch, you’re despicable, Rocket. Taking such high-end items from a hard working man like myself. Ruining this Poke Mart’s reputation as a safe place to shop for years to come! But you don’t care about any of that! All you care about is lining your pockets!”
As the pink-haired Rocket takes the Fire Stone, Ultra Balls, and Full Restores, one of the others calls out to him.
“H-Hey, um, C-Cam… we were thinking you would just have first dibs on uh, two of the things from the take. If that was okay?”
Larry blinks, as Cam slowly turns his head to look at the Rocket who had spoken. Did that Grunt have a death wish or something? Apparently not, because he rapidly changes his tune.
“B-But it’s fine if you want three things! In fact, you can have my first share! All good! Totally fine!”
Slowly nodding, the Rocket, who Larry now knows is named Cam, turns back and finishes collecting what Larry has laid out for him. The rest of the premium goods, as well as the contents of the cash register, are swept up into the arms of the other two Rockets, as they follow Cam out of the turned over Poke Mart. Just before he leaves however, Larry can’t resist one final parting shot.
“You won’t last forever, you know! You might be able to bully little guys like me, but just you wait! Lance and his men will take you down! The Police will arrest all of you, eventually!”
He truly believes it too, as Cam barely pauses to listen before continuing on his way. One day, Team Rocket will finally be defeated. Larry believes that with all his heart.
Of course, when he receives news later that night that the Special Police Officer assigned to Viridian City by the Pokemon Champion himself had gotten a hefty beating from a Rocket punk with pink hair, Larry’s conviction dies just a little bit. And he wonders if the world will ever be one of law and order, ever again…
-x-X-x-
A/N: So yeah, in the ROM Hack you have to have a bounty over 120k to participate in this side quest. Here though, Cam is so dark and mysterious that no one really knows what's up with him... so he must be cool enough for this job!
Also, Bike Shop Owner Larry back by popular demand! Poor Larry, can't catch a break. Currently considering whether he will show up again, possibly in a bonus chapter after the main story wraps up. Not sure what I would do with him if he did though.
As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Comments and Likes sustain me!
Comments
Cmndprmpt
All I can hear when Larry pops up is "NOT MY CABBAGES!" poor cabbage man- I mean Larry. Lol
Cambrian
Not quite, I had a Pidgeot and a Politoed as well as the Dragonite, Alakazam, Ninetales, and the replacement for Raticate (which is a story spoiler lol) Only changes are Fearow and instead of a Politoed its a different Water Type Pokemon~
Pbc98
Was this your team going through the ROM hack?
Cambrian
At this point its Dragonair, Kadabra, Vulpix (though after this chapter Ninetales), Fearow, Raticate, and one other unseen Pokemon. Raticate will eventually be replaced before the end of the fic and then we'll have our final roster heh.
Pbc98
So dragonair, kadabra, vulpix, spearow, rattata? Unless of course those last two got removed for better pokemon
VincentVanNintendogh
I am loving this story! From the beginning I loved Cam’s responses being terse answers like the player characters, and seeing him both communicate with just glares and grow to use full sentences really is entertaining to read! I also love that Larry made a comeback! Poor dude. I do hope for a happy resolution with him. Maybe seeing that while Team Rocket is destructive, by helping them he gets a better deal, as does the whole region. Also, excited to see the idea of possibly having Gym Leaders as bonus chapters. Sabrina is my favorite, and it seems to a lot of others as well. I do wonder what look she will be since she’s probably hade most variants of Kanto gym leaders.
Cambrian
Ooohooo, that's a hot one too~
LordMarksman
Speaking of Anareth's comment of Clair's fate. It also just kind of made me imagine her ending up as Cam's pet. https://gelbooru.com/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=6251580&tags=clair_%28pokemon%29
Anareth
If she works really hard I'm sure she can make Admin eventually.
Cambrian
Hah, she's even on her knees :P
Anareth
Clearly, there is but one fate for Clair: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/322640760788543614/
RanmaChaos
A great set of chapters. Its always fun to see how people react to Cam.
Cambrian
hehehe
TheSinful
So I forgot about this heist and went back to do it after reading this. As the leader of team rocket and with a nearly 300k bounty. Was kinda funny.
LordMarksman
Cool, thanks for letting me know. Besides Cam I'm really interested in what will happen to Blue here too. Both because he seems to be in a better place thanks to Cam influence and also because if you think about it Blue is a Pokemon battling genius. I mean sure he is overshadowed by Red here but if going by plot in game he does still become Pokemon league champ first which is no easy feat. Doubly so because here he is 12 years old a full six years younger. I wonder if Professor Oak would say anything different in this case. I mean assuming Red still beats Blue, Red was basically trained to be Oak's weapon of destruction. Blue was probably brushed aside but doesn't change fact here he is a full 6 years younger. Would Oak have a conflicted look on his face having momentary regret? I mean it's quite obvious Blue is still a child and yet he still managed to make it on his own here. Granted it would be funnier still for me if Blue did instead beat Red but probably won't happen. I mean a 12-year-old becoming Pokemon League champion even if shortly hits a lot different than a 18-year-old (granted still really young) especially when you know you've neglected them.
Cambrian
In the ROM Hack, any Pokemon that required trading has instead been given a certain level at which they evolved instead, so Kadabra will become Alakazam through training basically. No encounter with Sabrina until after main story I'm thinking. Cam doesn't have time for the Gyms right now, but in the bonus chapters, she'll be there. After all, Cam will be consolidating power~
Drakeulous
maybe lance steps up his crackdown on team rocket making it harder for team rocket to get supplies so instead of joining Larry becomes Team Rockets supplier making money hand over fist. maybe after deciding to give up owning a store (for the security of a bigger brand), and becoming a worker for the Celadon Department Store before having his spirit crushed by retail work.
LordMarksman
Larry is freaking hilarious, honestly his run in with Cam and fact he basically keeps putting ideas in his head on what to take kills me. As far as Cam goes and Rocket grunts, truthfully I kind of see him being eventually super popular among the rank and file. Not only because he is competent (even if a bit terse in speaking) but because you can actually talk to guy, he will listen, and he won't screw you out of cut and take ALL the benefits/credit for himself. You work under Cam you get paid your dues. I can just see this spreading around. Truthfully Jessie does have the right idea on riding on Cam's coat tails. As long as her and Jamie don't screw up and do a decent job they really can climb up the villainous corporate ladder quickly. Of course that begs the question can they work without screwing up, granted Cam's there so even if they do he can pick up the slack. Admittedly part of me thinks idea of them becoming Cam's flunkies to be kind of amusing. Like no matter how high they climb ranks they are always under Cam... in more ways than one ;) Anyway with this chapter we now know another pokemon Cam keeps with him being Vulpix soon to be Ninetimes (one of the most elegant looking pokemon in game). Though speaking of evolutions, Kam has a Kadabra and only way to get Alakazam was by trading as I recall which Gengar suffered same problem too if memory is right. I wonder how Cam will solve this problem? Well maybe overthinking it. By the way will Cam encounter Sabrina in Saffron City. I feel like that could be interesting, well that and admittedly have an ulterior motive in wanting to see Cam get it on with her. I remember you can get her number in Heartgold so I couldn't help but imagine Cam beating her but instead of badge wants her number. Long story short, the two of them become sex friends. I always thought Sabrina was hot. Granted I definitely also like the idea with Clair that was mentioned before. I can see lol gag with defeated meme in which Clair keeps challenging Cam for revenge for initial defeat but just keeps losing and falls into cycle of defeat and sleeping with him and hilariously essentially becoming his bitch. Which would throw massive Salt to Lance considering connection here lmao.
Cambrian
Hehe, glad that's landing well xD
Cambrian
Should I give him a Happy Ending at some point down the line, you think? But what would that look like? Maybe he joins Team Rocket himself in a 'can't beat em, join em' thing? xD
Vincent Burroughs
I think it's funny if he just kept his face shut he'd have a better time. It's honestly hilarious
olofkrajster
Poor Larry
