Chapter 209 - My SI Stash #9 - Rocket's Exterminator by BANIX (Pokemon)

-Remember that SI Volkner Gym Leader fic? Well the author (BANIX) made 2 more fics; this time one is SI as a Rocket Spy the other being a Ranger. This the darkest Pokemon fic I've read to date, all of his SI Pokemon fics seems to/will be connected too! Check it out~

Sypnosis: To borrow a quote I remember from my previous life, "I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn't very nice". Right or wrong. Good or evil. None of that matter. I am the Rocket's Exterminator; it is my job to exterminate any and all threats to the organisation. But what I truly want, is to exterminate Team Rocket themselves. For that, I will wait. (Reincarnated OC)

Rated: M

Words: 59K

Posted on: m.fanfiction.net/s/13469959/1/Rocket-s-Exterminator (BANIX)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 0-3 (exceptional)

Author's Notes:

I had always wanted to write a pokemon story from a villain's POV and I had this idea a long time ago, even long before I wrote The Sun of Sunyshore, but I put it on hold because back then I was unable to come up with the vital pieces of it that makes this story believable. Villain teams are a crucial aspect of the pokemon lore no matter which version of the game you play, and I don't particularly fancy stories that basically shows the mc giving a good ass-whooping to every villain team they see simply because they are the bad guys. People turn to crime for a variety of reasons. Some of them are understandable, some of them are not. I just want to explore that possibility a little more in this story in a universe where pokemon are real.

ALERT!

Due to the nature of the plot of this story, which obviously is Team Rocket, I would like to warn that you might be uncomfortable with certain elements that are explored in here. The premise of this story is definitely a lot darker than what I usually write.

You have been warned.

This story was heavily inspired by a fanmade pokemon game that was a rework of the Firered edition, 'Firered Rocket edition' by colonelsalt (correct me if I am wrong). I am a big fan of playing fanmade roms, hack or not, because I am able to enjoy the pokemon experience that is different from the official games and there is literally a whole new world for me to discover out there. There are some of these games that are extremely good, like Pokemon Florasky, Pokemon Light Platinum, Pokemon Glazed, etc etc. For those who are new to the idea of fanmade games, I heavily recommend Florasky for those who wants to try these games out. It is easy to understand and play for a beginner, but at the same time not losing the challenge and the magical experience that made pokemon, pokemon.

I don't know how many of you had played the game, but Firered Rocket edition is the best Team Rocket game I had ever played because it really allows you to steal pokemon like a true Rocket and advance through the ranks of the organisation. The plot of the game is extremely well crafted and is not just a pure 'steal pokemon simply because I can' kind of game. Sadly, the game was never completed as far as I am aware, but in honour of the creator of Firered Rocket edition, certain elements of this story was inspired by the game which he had created.

And if somehow, by sheer luck, if colonelsalt reads this, whoever you are, I just want you to know that I am a big fan of your game. Even if you never got around to completing it, I would like to thank you for creating such a wonderful game that centres around Team Rocket. This story is dedicated to you because it was your game that inspired me to write this story. Hopefully, this story can live up to the success of what your game had achieved.

To everyone who read till this point, I hope you will enjoy this story.

Chapter 1

It is the thing that nobody tells you about, but everyone knows that it is there if they lived in the area long enough.

Deep within the slums of Fuchsia, there is a dingy looking bar whose interior is lit with flickering lightbulbs connected to an outdated electrical generator via exposed and frayed wires. A gruff old man manages the place, serving shoddy drinks to their regular customers. Very often, these people are the lowest of the lowest, thugs and criminals with little to no morals. His job isn't to question it, all he needs to do is to do his job and minding his own business.

And if someone happens to know the secret passcode of the week and pays enough cash under the table, he will discreetly lead them to the door at the back. A door with a faded poster advertising about the Pokemon League Tournament 70 years ago. A door that when opened, shows a flight of stairs leading down to an underground bas.e.m.e.nt.

It is where the biggest underground pokemon tournament in Fuchsia takes place. It is a popular choice for many of the criminals of the underworld because of the amount of cash that flows in and out of the area, all of them coming from questionable sources and exchanged through shady hands. It is a frequent spot for anyone who wants to get involved in underground betting, something that is very much illegal in Kanto and around the world. It's not just the betting that is popular. This place is also home to prostitution, trafficking, and all sorts of shady dealings that rakes in a staggering amount of revenue for the criminal gang that controls this area, Marowak Skull.

In terms of size, Marowak Skull is not as large as other notable gangs or groups that made their homes in Kanto. Certainly not as large as their main rival, Team Rocket. However, when it comes to influence, almost every illegal dealing in the south of Kanto is somehow related to them. They have a finger in almost every pie as long as it is illegal and within their territory. People view them as the underground group that keeps Team Rocket in check, who is steadily growing stronger day by day with their influence reaching even Johto. Even the police turn a blind eye to their deeds sometimes, because checks and balances must be maintained. If one criminal group grew strong enough to usurp the other, it will not be good news for them. Better to have two groups of equal strength to keep each other in check, to let them fight their dirty battles with each other in the shadows. From a broader perspective, it will be easier to maintain the peace in Kanto using this method because the two groups would be too busy tearing each other's throats out to focus on expanding their influence properly.

Unfortunately for the police, Team Rocket is already strong enough to crush Marowak Skull by themselves. It was just waiting for the right opportunity.

There was a similarity between both criminal groups. Both groups had first started to grow in power by expanding from the town which they made their main base in before they start to assimilate other criminal gangs into their fold. Using their own power, they defeated rival gangs for territory and resources, coercing the defeated party to join them. It is how many notable criminal groups in Kanto first grow in strength. For Marowak Skull, their main hideout is in Fuschia. For Team Rocket, their secret base is located in Celedon. As to where exactly they are located, no one had a clue, but everyone knew that it is there. The one thing that everybody knew to stay clear of are the gang fights that results from the process of assimilating one group into another. These fights are often bloody and the police always arrive a little too late. It is dangerous, but such is a way of life for the people living in their cities' slums. All they can do is to get used to it.

The days of glory for Marowak Skull came to an end when a boy in his late teens, looking close to an a.d.u.l.t but definitely not one, made his way into the underground betting ring, where spectators are cheering for their favourite competitor. A machamp is fighting it out with a snarling arcanine in a deathmatch. The deathmatch is the highlight which makes underground fights so different from the ones approved of by the Indigo League. In these underground matches, the price of victory is the death of your opponents. It provides a form of exhilaration that you cannot find anywhere else.

When the boy signed up to be a competitor, people only gave him curious looks. The looks didn't last long. In the underworld, your age doesn't matter. No one will question such trivial matters as long as you are able to produce results.

And the boy's results were stellar.

No one expected for a boy not yet a man to be so good at pokemon battling. By the fourth hour he is there, he is on a winning streak with ten wins already under his belt. He is the dark horse, the star of the day. Many gamblers lost their money to the few who were either lucky or smart enough to bet on the boy. The boy's hydreigon destroyed any pokemon that it had faced. It is an unstoppable force.

The scary part was that a hydreigon was all the boy used in his rise to fame.

"And the eleventh match for Jose! Jose versus Striker! Place your bets, everyone! Who will win? Jose's unbeatable hydreigon or our long-time favourite, Striker's Kingdra! This is a one-on-one battle, folks! The grand prize of 1,000,000 pokedollars may very well be yours the moment you place your bets!"

Jose is definitely not the boy's real name. Nobody uses their real names when doing dirty work in the underworld, you have to be very foolish to do so. Striker, a man in his late thirties, is on the other side of the arena sitting down on a stool. His monster of a kingdra floated by his side. Like the announcer said, he is a popular favourite among the regulars here. The odds are against the boy, no matter how stellar his results may be. Striker's strength was also what convinced Marowak Skull to hire him as their own personal hitman, and he proved himself useful to his employer on many occasions. Many police officers had died in the line of duty when Striker was sent out to ensure that Marowak Skull's interests are protected.

The boy's winning streak will most likely be put to a stop here.

It was one of the most brutal battles ever fought in the ring with the crowd chanting for their favourites from the side lines. The two dragons tore off each other's scales and blasted condensed beams of energy at each other that could have put a clean hole through any pokemon less hardy than them. There isn't a hint of sanity seen in Jose's hydreigon. What Jose have on his hands is a bloodthirsty dragon that will do anything to ensure that its foe stay down. Striker's kingdra is no pushover, but the hydreigon is certified insane even by the standards set by Striker himself, not hesitating to inflict damage on itself if it means inflicting the same damage onto his kingdra. The Draco Meteor that the hydreigon had fired proved his point. Hydreigon had bodily grabbed kingdra to ensure its Draco Meteor find its mark, even if it means taking an equal amount of damage for itself. It is a suicidal way of battling.

To those with a sharp eye and an even keener mind for pokemon battles, it comes as no surprise to them that the hydreigon managed to kill Striker's kingdra eventually, even if the hydreigon was barely standing on its legs when the battle had ended.

The crowd roared at the display. Someone had done the impossible and defeated the strongest pokemon of Marowak Skull's strongest hitman. A boy about half of Striker's age had done it. Striker was shoved to the side as important figures in the underworld all went up to congratulate the stoic boy for his win. Everyone wants to know who he is and whether he is interested to work for them. No one paid any attention to the defeated man, which is not a surprise to anyone in the bas.e.m.e.nt. This is the underworld. The moment you outlived your usefulness, it's over for you.

The boy was hired by the highest bidder, Marowak Skull, on the spot, with benefits and monetary rewards far greater than what Striker was promised when the man first joined Marowak Skull. No one saw Striker after that day, but no one paid him any mind. He was most likely silently culled by his previous employer after his loss. There's no need to keep a tool that had outlived its usefulness. The most logical step to take will be to dispose of it to prevent the group's secrets from leaking out.

Little did anyone know, Marowak Skull's seemingly wise decision to hire the boy would be the start of their downfall.

It wasn't obvious at first, but by the time half a year had passed after the boy joined the group, Marowak Skull started to see a decline in revenue. Their clients are starting to stop using their services, turning their heads to their rival gang, Team Rocket, instead. By the time a year had passed, Marowak Skull was starting to panic. Team Rocket seemed to know their every move, their every secret, and the entire list of clients that they have. Team Rocket offer the same, or better services to Marowak Skull's clients. These clients are gradually drawn to the services provided by Team Rocket. Marowak Skull's services are no longer needed.

When Marowak Skull finally connected the dots, that Jose was likely a double agent sent by Team Rocket to steal their secrets, they mobilised their entire force to kill the boy to make a statement.

They ended up helping Team Rocket to make a statement instead when their entire force was decimated by Jose. No one knows how he did it since there weren't any survivors and all video footage caught on security cameras were somehow wiped clean. The only thing that everyone knows is that Team Rocket has a skilled trainer and an even better spy in their ranks. Just one day after the attack on Jose, every known base of Marowak Skull was somehow destroyed with its leader's corpse on display at the front of its hideout. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Team Rocket had finally decided to act.

Marowak Skull became history.

The boy faded back into the shadows after that. No one knew his real name and they are starting to doubt that he will ever come back. Disguises are a common way to hide your appearance in the underworld. All they can look out for is that monster of a hydreigon which he commands, which disappeared with its trainer.

With no proper name to call him by, the underworld took to referring Team Rocket's double agent as "Rocket's Exterminator", referencing to the fact that the boy was instrumental to Team Rocket's plan to exterminate Marowak Skull from the underworld. As far as they knew, the boy was never seen again.

Those with a greater understanding of how the underworld works knew better. The boy who is not yet a man is still out there, acting on Team Rocket's orders. He is merely acting under another identity, under another face, waiting to strike again when the order is given.

Rocket's Exterminator is still out there hunting for his next prey.

AN: Here's officially presenting the oc that will be representing the Kanto region in the upcoming pokemon fics that I will be making, tying into the same world as the rest of my pokemon fics. I personally like the idea of this fic a lot, but that's just me. I will try not to make this story too angsty.

Hope you guys enjoy this story thus far.

Name: ?

Known affiliation: Team Rocket, Marowak Skull (disbanded)

Pokemon Team:

1. Hydreigon

2. ?

Chapter 2

"From today onwards, you are Operative 2046, Code Name: Gengar. You don't have a name, because you don't need one."

Why am I here, again?

"You have only one purpose, to maintain the peace of Indigo at all costs."

Why should I? Don't I have a say on whether I want to do it?

"You don't exist. People might say this is abuse, this is inhumane, but this is necessary."

Really?

"All of you are the unsung heroes of Indigo. Without you, millions of Indigo citizens might not be able to enjoy the peace they are experiencing today. They don't know you and they will never know what you did for them, but that doesn't mean we aren't important."

I should have just stayed dead.

"We will pair you into twos, that person will be your partner for your lifetime."

This is even worse than child labour in my previous world. At least child labour gets paid.

"Hi! My name's Jane! Operative 2043 Code name: Pikachu, at your service! It's nice to meet you, partner! What's your name?"

Why is she so cheery? Doesn't she know what our job entails? There is a near 100% mortality rate for this job.

"You don't have a name? That is unacceptable! What? The instructors didn't pick a name for you? WHY?! I will give you one then! I won't accept any objections!"

Yeah, her name's Jane, the little cheery tyrant. This is how she looks like. This is how her voice sounds like. I remember now. I missed it.

I missed her.

"This is my gastly! And this is houndour! Wait, oh right! I'm supposed to give you a name! Uh... we can't use it in the instructors' presence because we are supposed to use our assigned numbers, so… it will be our little secret? A secret only known by the two of us! Yay!"

She really is a ball of sunshine. Why is she involved in this child spy business? She's not suited for this job.

"Hmm… what about… AHH! Why is it so hard to think of a name?!"

Name? Is that important? I cannot even remember what I used to be called and it feels kind of… empty. Heh, I'm supposed to be the a.d.u.l.t here, right? At least in mind. Why am I so bothered about this?

"Since we are partners, our name should be a matching pair! Your name needs to start with J! And then followed by A! But what boy's names starts with 'JA'? Hey, get me a dictionary so we can start picking out names already! Huh, you are telling me there's no dictionary for names?"

Maybe we could make one in the future.

"That's it! I thought of the perfect name! Your name will be 'Jayce'! Jane and Jayce! We are going to be the most kickass operatives ever! The Twin Js! … What do you mean 'Jayce' sounds weird?! I don't care! I won't accept any objections!"

I remember that it felt kind of weird, that this name is mine to call yet not mine at the same time. But… it felt kind of nice that I'm more than just a number in the Indigo Government's database. Why am I relieving all of this again?

Where am I?

"Urgh, training's tough. I think the stupid instructors broke a bone or something… Huh? For me? Thanks Jayce! You are a lifesaver!"

Yeah, she's always like this. Getting herself hurt because her heart is too big. She's too kind to be living in this dark environment. She will get herself killed one day.

"Hey, Jayce. Do you have a dream?"

If I had one, I had forgotten about it. I barely remembered anything. My knowledge of this world wasn't a lot to begin with and most of it is not applicable anymore. I never expected this world to be this dark. Come to think of it, she is my only source of light here. The only one who treated me as more than Operative 2046, Code Name: Gengar.

"My dream? I love singing. I want to be able to sing one day in front of a large crowd. Hey, you can be my guitarist!"

Guitar? I think I remembered a little of how to play it from my past life.

"Pssssssst! Look! I got you a guitar! Come on, Jayce, play it! … What do you mean you don't know what to play? You said you knew how to play the guitar, right?! Everyone else's asleep and they can't hear us anyway! Just play something!"

I remember that my fingers were clumsy, my rhythms were off, my notes were out of tune because I had forgotten to tune the guitar even before I started playing it, but at that point in time, I was happy. It was the happiest moment of my life because I found something that makes me, me. It's like I found a piece of my lost identity.

"What song is that? It's pretty nice! Can you teach me?"

What song? It just came naturally to me, what was the title again? All… of you? No, wrong name. All of me. Yeah, that was the name. Who sang it again? Jon… Jonny? Johnny Bravo? No, definitely not that. John… John Legend. Yeah, that should be his name.

"John Legend? Who's that? How did you know such a guy anyway? I thought you had lived here almost your whole life? Never mind that, teach me!"

I remember hoping that I remembered all the lyrics perfectly.

"'Cause all~ of me, Loves all~ of you, Love your curves and all your edges~ All your perfect imperfections~ WAIT. Is this a love song? And you sang them to me?! Jayce! Did you just make a love confession to me?!"

I have no answer to that. The only thing I remembered was that her voice was really nice. I like it when she sings.

"You know, someday when we finally got out of this whole spy-on-criminal-organisations thing, we should totally go and be singers! You can be my guitarist, composer, lyricist, arranger, whatever whatever all in one! And I will be the lead singer! Gastly and houndour can be the… dancers? Can they even dance? And if we need more people, we can create our own band! I know! We can call ourselves the 'Twin Js'! Yeah, that's what we are going to be in the future! I won't accept any objections!"

I wanted to say: 'The only way out of this is death, Jane.' But I remembered holding my tongue because I don't want to dash her naïve hopes. There's no way we are going to get out of this alive. How many instructors had come and go? How many returned?

Zero returned.

Once we get sent out, we will never come back again.

The only way out is death. That is our life as spies. It's unfair. I didn't ask to be one. Neither did she. She was just an orphan taken out of the orphanage on the pretence of getting adopted by another set of parents, only to find herself here.

"That settles it! When we finish all this mumbo jumbo spy crap, we will take the world by storm! We will be the best band EVEEEEERRR!"

And somehow, I never doubted that she can. That means the only thing in the way of her dream is our line of work that was forced upon us. I need to make sure that she survives. I already had a chance in living, even if I had no clear recollection of it. She… This is her first chance.

She deserves to live.

"I can't believe it, Jayce! We got in! They never suspected a thing! Now we are a part of Team Rocket! Infiltration success!"

Our first assignment: infiltrate into Team Rocket by posing as homeless and desperate orphans. Convince them to take you in by showing your worth to them, that no one will miss you even if you die in the middle of nowhere. Team Rocket thrives by taking advantage of the people at the bottom of the social ladder, giving them the essentials they need for survival in exchange for their loyalty. These people are often too desperate and more than willing to risk their lives just to grasp at a chance for survival. Such people form the main force of Team Rocket. This is no longer a fictional world you see through your Gameboy.

This is now reality. Children are often their favourite targets. Too young, too naïve, too gullible, too easy, too eager to please the a.d.u.l.ts that had saved them from a fate worse than death. Too easy to manipulate them, to shape them into their liking.

Just like what the Indigo Government did to us.

This is the reality of the Kanto region. The reality that nobody sees or chose not to see.

"A vulpix! So cute and fluffy! SQUEEEEEEEE! Can I hug it? Can I hug it? Pleasepleasepleaseplease-"

We were talking in harsh whispers in the dead of the night, afraid of waking any Rocket grunts up. It was the night when my starter came into this world from an egg. We wanted to give it a name. She wanted to name vulpix and I wouldn't have an issue with it, but we are now officially members of Team Rocket.

To Team Rocket, pokemon are just tools. Tools don't need names. It felt ironic. To Team Rocket, pokemon are tools. To the Indigo, nameless orphans are their tools.

Which one of them is evil?

I don't know.

I don't know what is right and wrong anymore.

They all look the same to me.

"J-Jayce?"

I had never seen her so scared before.

"T-They just found out about 2035 and 2072. T-They are… gone."

They were the last pair that had infiltrated into Team Rocket, just like us. Team Rocket had gotten wind of Indigo spies infiltrating their ranks a few years back and they had been doing a nice job in slowly weeding out the moles. I don't know how they did it, they just did.

"I-I'm scared… We are the only ones left."

I'm scared too. We are the only ones left. I don't want to die.

More importantly, I don't want her to die.

"What do we do?"

I don't know. There's nowhere to run, nowhere to go. Abandoning this mission will spell certain death. The Government will definitely track us down to silence us for failing the mission, our existence must be kept secret at all costs due to the damage it will inflict on their reputation and image if their unethical practice got found out. Their secret group of child spies can never, ever, be revealed and they will take every measure to ensure that it stays this way.

I have no idea why they think using child spies is critical in protecting Indigo's safety. I never understood the rationale. I don't even know how they managed to make the whole child spies business work in the first place. Team Rocket will also undoubtedly kill us in the most morbid way possible if they ever discover our identity, just to make a statement.

We have literally nowhere to go. Both the light and the dark will hunt us down if we pulled out of this.

What do we do?

"J-Jayce?"

I remember her body trembling; her beautiful voice was shaking. She's shaken, she's scared. She hugged me and she doesn't want to let go. We don't want to be separated from each other. She doesn't want to die a gruesome death.

"I-If I got found out one day, can you kill me personally? Make it swift. I-I don't want to suffer like 2035 and 2072. T-They died so s-slowly t-that.. I… J-Just promise me, okay? I-I won't accept any objections!"

I can only agree. I tried to reassure her that everything will be okay. I don't know who I am trying to convince, me or her. At that point, I just want to see her smile again.

I never thought that I would have to uphold that promise.

"AH! Let me go!"

"Finally caught you, traitor!"

"Who is this?"

"E-Executive Archer!"

"Just answer my question."

"She's a traitor! She has been selling our secrets to the League!"

"Oh really?"

I remembered my heart stopped, my breathing hitched, my body going cold when I saw the grunts dragging her into the lobby. She struggled against her captors and they were pinning her down so that she cannot release her pokemon from their pokeballs. I never knew how she was found out. She's never suited for this life, but she was good at her job. They dragged her in, a young girl, the same age as me at sixteen-years-old, right in front of the lobby of our secret base where the entire Team Rocket forces stationed in Fuchsia was gathered to see the execution.

Archer wanted to use her death to make a statement.

Team Rocket doesn't tolerate traitors.

I wanted to act immediately. I wanted to save her, fight and claw our way out of here, screw the League and screw the Rockets, consequences be damned. However, my body suddenly froze and she beat me to the punch. She always did. For once, I really wished that she doesn't have such a quick reaction time.

"PLAGUE! I HATE YOU! HOW CAN YOU BETRAY ME! I UNDERESTIMATED YOUR LOYALTY TO TEAM ROCKET!"

Plague, that is the name people call me by in Team Rocket. Nobody uses their real name here, it would be foolish to do so in the underworld. We all go by codenames.

"IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU-"

It was a story she spun on the spot although I cannot remember what she screamed to the crowd from where she was being forcefully prostrated. I just remembered that it was a story so convincing that everyone believed it. I knew immediately what she was trying to do. She knew her death was inevitable, and she wanted to get the most out of the situation.

If she cannot survive this, then she would use her death to solidify my standing in Team Rocket. At the very least, my chances for survival will increase.

She wants me to continue spying on Team Rocket and rise up through their ranks to complete the secret mission we were given.

She wants me to continue to live on.

I will be the last spy sent by the Indigo Government left in Team Rocket, because any other spies that were sent in with us had all gotten their covers blown somehow. The Government are still investigating why that happened, but that doesn't change the fact that the Indigo Government can only now rely on the spies left that is already within the criminal organisation. That was me and Jane.

Now, it's only me.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today, I will execute a traitor! Let this be known to you! Who gave you warm food and clean clothes when you had nowhere else to go? Who gave you a paying job when the Indigo League and the Government were useless f.u.c.ks who don't give two shits about you? WHO gave you a roof over your heads and the power to do whatever you want? TEAM ROCKET! You should be grateful for our generosity! Drill this into the little brains of yours! Team Rocket will never, ever, TOLERATE TRAITORS!"

I remembered my promise to her when I saw how her eyes betrayed what she really wanted. And even when I was shaking on the inside, I gathered the courage to stand in front of the crowd. They started murmuring as they recognised who I am, the one who 'ratted out' the traitor.

The Traitor Slayer. The Executioner. The Exterminator. That was what I will be known as after that fateful day.

I saw her eyes widened momentarily for a split second before it softened when I walked to the front. Then she continued to put up her act. Screaming herself hoarse, thrashing violently in her captor's grasp, accusing me of being a mindless dog working for Team Rocket and that she would not have gotten herself caught if it wasn't for me. Executive Archer didn't stop me. He just watched on as if he was watching a very interesting show.

I gave her the last gift I could as her friend.

I gave her mercy.

It was quick. The training given to me as a member of Team Rocket had been so ingrained in me. All it took was a flick of the wrist for my dagger to be out of its holster before I slit her throat. She wasn't expecting the sudden action. No one was expecting me to react this way without any prior warning.

It was a quick, clean kill. A mercy considering what Team Rocket is known to do to those it deems are their enemies.

Her look was one of surprise, but there was no mistaking the words she mouthed to me before she drowned in her own blood, gurgling uncontrollably for a few seconds before going still. Only I saw it.

'Thank you, Jayce.'

"GLORY TO TEAM ROCKET!"

I shouted those words and held up my bloodied dagger, still dripping with her blood, in an attempt to force my tears back. I don't want her sacrifice to be in vain. I don't want them to spot my shaking legs and find anything suspicious in my behaviour, I need to redirect their attention to elsewhere.

"GLORY TO TEAM ROCKET! GLORY TO TEAM ROCKET! GLORY TO TEAM ROCKET!"

They started to chant. My mind was still in a blur, watching her now still and lifeless body lying there on the floor. Her eyes are glazed over and are still open. It doesn't suit her. It's not supposed to be there. She was always so full of life.

I remember Archer giving me a promotion right there, on the spot, for my 'wonderful performance'.

Wonderful performance indeed. Even I fooled myself. I should have been an actor rather than a singer.

The crowd dispersed the moment Archer left. No one gave a second glance in her direction. I stood there, dazed. It was only when someone wanted to move her body out of the way did I react.

"I will handle this."

The least I can do now is to not let anyone desecrate her body.

I carried her in my arms gently, bridal style, arms shaking, when I was the only one left in the empty lobby. I silently exited through the back door of our hideout, the exit I know that rarely anyone uses.

No one would look for me if I was only gone for half an hour. Half an hour, that is all the time I have to grieve for her, my only friend which I had killed with my own two hands. Half an hour before people gets suspicious of my disappearance.

"Exeggutor. Teleport to Viridian Forest."

She said the only thing she remembered was that her hometown was at Azalea in Johto. She loved the forest there. There's no way I can reach there from Fuchsia in half an hour, but Viridian Forest should be good enough for her. I know she will understand. She always does.

I laid her down gently on the ground in an isolated hidden spot in Viridian Forest, far away from anything and everything else. She deserves some peace and quiet after what she had to live through. I took her pokeballs, only two of them, because she never got around to getting more pokemon on her team for whatever reasons. I suspected that she doesn't want to add more pokemon to her team only to possibly lose them later. Our line of work is dangerous and she doesn't like the idea of losing something she cares about. Haunter and houndoom howled in rage and sorrow when I released them and they saw her dead body.

"I-I'm s-sorry."

I remembered breaking down and apologising profusely. To whom, I don't know.

Haunter and houndoom mourned beside me. They understood. I had to do what I did because her end would be a lot worse if someone else did the execution. Jane and I had discussed it before. If one of us dies, the other would take care of their pokemon. Our pokemon knows about this arrangement that we had for them.

I will take care of them the best as I can.

Time was running out. We quickly gathered a large pile of dried leaves and twigs, me and our pokemon. We made a bed for her with it, and also piled some of them over her. We tried to make it as comfortable as possible for her.

I closed her eyes shut gently, cleaned off whatever blood I could. I combed through her dark brown hair with my fingers one last time, wiping away the blood on it. With shaking hands, I wiped away the blood on her face and wrapped a cloth around her neck where I had slit her throat. I tried my best to make her beautiful again. I want her to pass on with dignity.

She looks so peaceful.

She's free now.

I gently brushed her fringe away from her forehead and pressed a kiss onto it. I regret never telling her what I truly felt about her. I would have done anything for her.

I should never had hesitated. My body shouldn't have froze. Something in my mind held me back at the most crucial moment and I would forever live with that regret.

I regret hesitating. I should have just taken her away the moment her cover was blown, no matter how slim our chances were. I regret being too weak.

I regret being a coward.

I stood up and took a step back. It's time to send her off.

"Ninetales, light the fire."

That way, nobody can ever put their filthy hands on her ever again.

Ninetales' flames are strong. They are unholy, mystical, vengeful, sacred even. It only took a few minutes to reduce her to ash.

We managed to create a crudely made urn for her using rock type techniques. I placed her ashes inside and sealed it shut. Haunter took the urn gently and carefully, as if caressing her, taking in the sensation of the last touch with her trainer before laying Jane to rest.

And then haunter evolved.

We laid her to rest underneath a tree. We raised a slab of stone as a marker for her grave. Gengar's ghostly claws carved out a 'J' in the middle of the slab with my guidance. I don't want to risk writing her full name. I don't want to risk anyone finding out our identity, no matter how small the chance may be. At least not yet. Not until I can bring Team Rocket down like what Jane wanted me to do even if all I really wanted was to just roll over and die right then.

I'm tired. I just want to rest. I want to join her. I want to hear her sing again and I want to play the guitar for her again.

I don't know what I should do after this. Revenge? What for? Against who? The League? The Government? Or Team Rocket? Archer? Who?

What should I do?

But I should at least try to live, for her sake. She sacrificed herself for me so that we can complete the mission assigned to us. She had wanted to see Team Rocket go down, and that is the last thing I will do before my inevitable death.

Exeggutor took us back after I had dried my tears. From then on, I changed.

From then on, Archer placed me in charge of all extermination duties. He never suspected me, not after Jane's sacrifice. I squashed my cowardice and killed my emotions. I am good at my job, killing anyone that Team Rocket pointed their finger to. Man, woman, child, old, young, even our own members, it doesn't matter. As long as they are my targets, I will kill them.

There's no place that I cannot infiltrate. No secrets are safe from me because given enough time, I can find out whatever I want to find no matter how hard you try to hide it. Even if there's no proof, all I need is time. It doesn't matter if it is days, weeks, months, or even years. All I ever need is time. Time to find proof.

I will find the evidence I need for the whole world to turn against Giovanni. Indisputable evidence.

I know Giovanni is the true leader of Team Rocket. There's no way I can accuse him of being the leader of Team Rocket without solid proof because this is a huge and embarrassing scandal for both the Indigo Government and the Indigo League. Most likely, the Indigo League would cover up for him just to maintain their reputation if the evidence is not damning enough. They will need indisputable proof of my claim before they even consider taking any action against Giovanni. My words alone won't be enough. For now, I have to lie low if I don't want to alert any Rockets of what I knew. I have no proof right now because Giovanni is carefully smart about hiding his true identity, but I will find the proof. In time.

And I would like to think me being the exterminator is a form of mercy for my victims. Compared to how their end would have been if someone else were sent instead, their end by my hands was definitely kinder.

That was how the Rocket's Exterminator was born.

I never picked up the guitar again.

"I-I'm scared… We are the only ones left."

Jane? Is that you?

"I-If I got found out one day, can you kill me personally? Make it swift. I-I don't want to suffer like 2035 and 2072."

Jane? Don't go. Jane!

"AH! Let me go!"

LET HER GO!

"PLAGUE! I HATE YOU!"

I…loved you.

'Thank you, Jayce.'

JANE!

I woke up with a painful headache, my head felt like it had split into two.

Gengar must have used Dream Eater again. She always does that whenever she sensed that I had vivid nightmares about my past, stopping my nightmares abruptly before they consume me whole. The nightmares are getting frequent.

And I know with Dream Eater comes certain memory loss. It's not meant to be used on humans in this manner, doing so will have side effects.

Just what did I forget this time?

How long has it been?

'A single night.'

What's my name?

'Jayce, but no one knows about that name now other than us. You are Indigo Government's Operative 2046, Code Name: Gengar, but you are also Elite Officer Plague of Team Rocket.'

My purpose? Why am I even here? Why am I even doing this? For the greater good? Is this… why I was reincarnated? Is this supposed to be heaven or hell?

'I cannot answer you that. None of us had experienced reincarnation except for you. Go on, continue talking, only then can we help you recall what you lost. Talk about something, anything. Breathe, don't panic. We are here for you.'

If… this is heaven, then I guess the presence of pokemon is a blessing. They are truly wondrous creatures. I remembered that I had befriended some and had hurt many more, all in the name of the greater good.

It's for the peace of the region, they say. Your sacrifices will be remembered, they say. The needs of the many outweigh those of the few, they say. All of these are necessary, they say.

If this is hell, then I really wonder what I did to deserve this. I really don't want to hurt anyone or any pokemon, but I don't have a choice.

Being a member of Team Rocket does that to you.

I remembered that I didn't have any say on whether I can opt out. If some higher being up there had purposely sent me here, I really wished that he or she had at least tried to warn me that whatever foreknowledge I have about the pokemon verse has been shot to hell and back. None of the so-called canon, plot, or whatever you call it is applicable here. This is not the anime world, nor the manga verse, or any pokemon universe that I know of. This is simply the world of pokemon. No more, no less. The only thing I know that remains the same are the key players that made the game of pokemon, pokemon. Like the Gym Leaders, for example.

I really didn't want to be a member of Team Rocket. I really hate doing the things they do and I hate myself even more for being picked up by that man.

'You are starting to repeat yourself and your thoughts are still scrambled, but that is still a good sign. You haven't forgotten entirely who you are yet.'

Who are you?

'Your pokemon. Exeggutor. Turn to your left, we are right here, see? You ordered us to keep your mind sane whenever you lost some parts of your memories again from your reliance on gengar's Dream Eater to keep your fragmented mind functioning. Can you remember? Talk more about yourself to us. It helps every single time. Try to remember, what is your true identity?'

I…am a spy, the best operative that the Indigo Government had ever produced. Picked up by the Indigo President himself at age three, who then inducted me into a secret and definitely illegal faction under his direct command. It is against the law for him to do such a thing, to have his own secret spy army, but it does not stop him from doing so anyway. The President of the Indigo Government has no faith in the Indigo League for whatever reasons that I am not privy to and he decided to do things his own way. The League and the Government are two separate entities. The League largely deals with pokemon related affairs while the Government deals with anything else not related to pokemon. They are not supposed to interfere with each other or undermine the other's authority like what the President is currently doing behind everyone's backs.

I still have no idea why the President chose me. I was put through a special programme dedicated to training child soldiers and by the time I was… eight, I think, I was sent to infiltrate Team Rocket, forced to be a member of that criminal organisation in order to destroy it from within because it grew too big. The rationale? No one would ever suspect that a kid will be sent on an infiltration mission.

Whoever said that the world of pokemon is all sunshine and rainbows deserved to be kicked in the nuts, or wherever inflicts the most pain.

'We agree, but do continue. What else can you remember?'

I lived my life as if I walk on a tightrope every single day. I had to take orders from both the Indigo Government and Team Rocket and my secret status as a double agent is driving me insane. Every day I would wake up thinking whether it will be my last, whether my true identity would be found out. Every day I would wake up and feel immense guilt for what I had done and what I am doing and it is crushing me. I know who exactly the true leader of Team Rocket is thanks to my foreknowledge, but as someone with a different identity in a different world, I cannot carelessly reveal that Giovanni is the leader of this organisation without raising some unneeded questions. The one thing that I would never let anyone find out about is my reincarnated status, no matter what happens.

I remembered that my secret insistence on that notion killed her.

'We will ensure that your death will never happen. That is our promise to you as your pokemon, Master Jayce. Continue, remember your purpose.'

Team Rocket is extremely secretive. Even when I had been in this organisation for more than a decade, I have never once saw Giovanni's face in our hideout or even heard a clue about anything that can lead me to his true identity. That's how good Team Rocket truly is. This is what a true criminal syndicate that holds control over the underworld that spans across two regions is capable of. This is not like the games where an eleven or twelve-year-old kid from a backwater town can easily defeat the leader of such an organisation. It is impossible. The Elites of this organisation are strong, some of them even have the capability to be a Gym Leader. They could probably be one if they did not make the wrong career choice. Team Rocket is known as the strongest terrorist group in the world for a good reason.

'They will fall. We will see them fall, eventually.'

The life of a spy is a hard one. I have to constantly feed information to the Government but making sure at the same time that my cover isn't blown. I remembered that I have to watch helplessly as horrific acts are done on pokemon but I cannot do anything to help. I even have to partake in some of these acts, but thankfully such instances are rarer now since I got myself promoted to the upper echelon. These works are mainly delegated to the grunts and the scientists, but still.

I. Hate. This.

'We do too. They killed Jane. She was nice.'

Jane.

I… killed her.

I miss her.

'We all do.'

But what else can I do? The only thing that I know how to do in this world ever since I found myself here as a nameless orphan is to be a spy. That's the only thing I know. I wasn't even given a name. The last person who gave me a name, Jane, had died in the line of duty. In the most classified files in the Government's database, I am simply Operative 2046, Code Name: Gengar. That's all there is to my identity. Only the Indigo President knew about my existence and my true mission. I am the only operative left that hasn't been rooted out from Team Rocket. All of my other colleagues who were unfortunate enough to be sent on a similar mission as I am to infiltrate this organisation are all dead.

'You are Jayce and you won't die. We will protect you. Remember that.'

They all met a grisly end.

'We will make sure you won't.'

They had sacrificed everything and failed. Their sacrifices are now mine to bear, as much as I hate it. I'm the only one left who could pick up where they had left off. I don't want such a responsibility and I don't want such a burden on my shoulders, but I have no choice.

I am the only one left. The only one who is the closest in figuring out the identity of the leader of Team Rocket.

'You are. And you can do this. Don't spit on Jane's sacrifice. Hang in there. You are so close.'

I really want to pull out of this, but even if I tried to convince the President to let me retire from this dangerous operation they would definitely deny me of my request. He had invested too much into this. He wants results. Who cares if a nameless operative got himself killed? Who cares about his mental health? If he pulled through and brought the desired result, just give him a pat on the back and congratulate him on a job well-done. If he failed, then it is no skin off anyone's back. The only thing lost is a nameless orphan without an identity.

'Humans are such hideous creatures. Other than you and Jane, of course. We miss her. We all miss her.'

Ultimately, both the Government and Team Rocket are the same. They will squeeze and milk every usefulness out of you until you have nothing left to offer. Until then, they will let you live within the palm of their hand. And once you had reached the end of your useful life…

You will be discarded.

That is the fate that awaits me no matter if I fail or succeed in this decade long operation. I would know. Striker of Marowak Skull was disposed the moment I proved that I am worth more than he did in our battle.

'You are indispensable, Master Jayce.'

In the end, I am just a tool. A nameless tool which is used to help let the millions of Kanto's and Johto's citizens enjoy the hard-earned peace that they took for granted as they lived their lives, not knowing the price that we operatives had paid on their behalf. Our group doesn't exist, at least not in name and not on paper, so no one will know. Our commanders from the Government called us the unsung heroes, a notion that all my now-dead colleagues believed in and used as their drive to continue their mission before they met their end.

What a bold-faced lie. Heroes?

Hah

My only comfort lies in the fact that I am not truly alone. I still have comrades that I can trust. My pokemon are here with me, pokemon that I had gotten during my time as a member of Team Rocket. Most of our past are not pretty, but we stick together. They kept me sane at my lowest point of my life and I try my best to ensure they live a normal life as much as possible.

'We are your friends, just like you are ours. We protect each other.'

"Elite Officer Plague, Executive Petrel is calling for you."

'Our conversation has to end here, Master Jayce. Remember, you are Jayce. You are the Indigo Government's Operative 2046, Code Name: Gengar. You are Elite Officer Plague of Team Rocket. Your wish is to destroy Team Rocket so that you can avenge Jane. Your wish is to see Giovanni go down to honour everyone's sacrifice. Your wish is to get out of here and spend your remaining days undisturbed. Above all, you are our friend and trainer. We protect our own.'

I grunted an acknowledgement at the words conveyed to me by a Rocket Grunt who had knocked on the door of my assigned room in the hideout in the wee hours of the morning. My ninetales got up from her position on the floor and walked beside me. Exeggutor followed suit.

Ninetales is the first pokemon I had gotten when I had stolen her as an egg with nothing but the clothes on my back. I can still remember that day, it was my first mission as a member of Team Rocket. The Rockets were so impressed that an eight-year-old boy is able to achieve something that not many of the a.d.u.l.t members can that they allowed me to keep the egg, which hatched into a vulpix about three days later. I would later learn that the egg I had stolen was one that was about to hatch, explaining why it only took my starter three days to announce her arrival into this world.

I had wanted to give her a nickname and so did Jane, but the one rule in Team Rocket that all members follow is that pokemon don't need names. They are merely tools for us to use and exploit. It is said in our organisation's motto: "Steal Pokémon for profit. Exploit Pokémon for profit. All Pokémon exist for the glory of Team Rocket."

This is the same reason why the Government didn't give me a name when they picked me up and trained me to be a spy. Why give name to tools? I am but a mere number in their ranks. Easily replaceable.

Only she gave me a name, but she is gone now and so did my name.

No matter how much they try to portray themselves as the personification of all that is righteous, the Indigo Government can be even worse than Team Rocket in some ways. The hypocrisy of what they really do behind the scenes and what they show themselves to the public is such a huge contrast that I would have a good morbid laugh if it wasn't for the fact that I am on the receiving end of such a treatment.

I knocked on the office door of Executive Petrel, who called for me to enter.

"Well, well, if it isn't my favourite officer."

Petrel spoke in that laidback tone of his as he propped his legs up on his desk, with his fingers on both hands interlocking with each other.

"Executive Petrel." I greeted in my usual monotone and the blank look that I had long since mastered during my time here. "For what purpose do you call me for?"

"Down to business immediately, as always. This is what I like about you." Petrel gave an amused huff before he reached for a file and threw it over to me, which I caught with a single hand. "This is your newest mission. All the details are in there, pick whoever you need from our division. We need this to be done before the week is over."

I quickly browsed through the file. It seems to be a doable mission. The magnitude of the impact of this mission on Indigo isn't too big, so there isn't a need to warn the Government of it. I cannot leak the details of every single mission I am being sent on as a member of Team Rocket to the Government if I want my cover to remain as it is. I have to use my own judgement to secretly inform the Government on what missions I should leak to them, and what I shouldn't. If we want Team Rocket to be gone for good, we need to uproot the entire organisation in one decisive blow so that they would not have any time to react. We need to destroy their countless bases littered across Kanto and Johto in one fell swoop. Until the League or the Government has enough firepower or amass enough vital information about Team Rocket, keeping my identity as a spy a secret is of the utmost priority unless Team Rocket is planning something so huge, I have to warn the Government about it at the risk of revealing myself.

Thanks to the need to keep my cover, there are some missions of Team Rocket that the Government has to turn a blind eye to. We cannot afford Team Rocket to raise any suspicions about me. Now, as a spy whose top priority is to keep my cover and gather more information about Team Rocket, I basically have the power to indirectly decide which innocents will lose their lives and their pokemon companions in Team Rocket's numerous heists. it is something that will inevitably happen if I want to continue spying on Team Rocket from where I am.

All in the name of the greater good.

"It will be done." I said the same four words that I had repeated countless times in the past decade. The four words that sealed the fate of whatever human or pokemon that might meet their end by my hands during the mission I will be going on. Some of the pokemon we captured might be experimented on, some of them might be sold on the black market, some of them might be forcefully broken and turned into tools for us to use. This is not even the full list of what Team Rocket does.

No matter what I do, there will be pokemon that will be taken away from their homes soon. No matter what I do, there will be people who will die by my actions, directly or indirectly. No matter how I tried to ease my guilt, it will never go away.

It's all for the greater good.

I really want to believe in what they preached, but do the higher-ups under the direct command of the President in the Indigo Government see the same things I do? Do they feel the same guilt I felt when I personally sent these innocent pokemon to their undeserved fate? Had they lost the same things I did? Does the realisation of what I really did to both pokemon and trainers alike sink into them as it did on me?

No, they don't.

They don't experience the same thing as I do. Hence, they will never understand. They will never understand how hard it truly is to do these heinous crimes in the name of peace. No matter how they try to justify their decision in forcing me to remain as their spy, I will never get to see things the way they want me to see.

We lead completely different lives. Those that bask in the light will never understand how hard it is to constantly live in the darkness.

I walked back to my office as I start to plan for the latest mission I had just been assigned to. If I want myself to remain useful to both the Indigo Government and Team Rocket, then this mission will have to be a success.

For the greater good, it will be done.

For Jane, it will be done.

Name: Jayce

Indigo Government Identity: Operative 2046, Code Name: Gengar

Indigo Government Rank: Special Agent

Team Rocket Identity: Elite Officer Plague

Team Rocket Rank: Elite Officer

Pokemon Team:

1. Ninetales, female

2. Exeggutor, male

3. Weavile, male

4. Honchkrow, female

5. Gengar, female

6. Houndoom, male

7. Umbreon, male

8. Hydreigon, male

9. Drapion, female

10. Zoroark, male

Chapter 3

"They are ours now."

The captain of the ship tried to resist, but a firm stomp of my feet to his hand got him to yell in pain. Around me, my men are busy working moving the batch of cargo from this ship to our own one. There are many exotic and rare pokemon from other regions that are kept in their pokeballs within the crates we are moving.

They belong to Team Rocket now.

"Now that we have the time." I spoke lazily as I drew my dagger from its holster and did a lazy twirl of it with my fingers. "Who was the one that gave you the bright idea to betray us? Hm?"

The captain of the ship zipped his mouth shut, but I have ways to make him spill all his dirty secrets no matter what he did. I always do. They always spill, eventually. It is just a matter of finding their weakness, their Achilles' heel.

There was a fall of the blade and a splash of blood.

"Oopsie. One finger gone."

The captain continues to scream as the little pinky on his right hand is now gone, dropped on the floor like trash. I leaned my face closer to the man's.

"We were supposed to be trading partners." I stressed. "And the last thing that partners should do is to betray each other. Team Rocket doesn't tolerate traitors."

"Hi! My name's Jane! Operative 2043 Code name: Pikachu, at your service! It's nice to meet you, partner! What's your name?"

Putting away the memory of me slitting Jane's throat with the same dagger in the furthest part of my mind, I flicked my dagger and stabbed it in the centre of the man's palm. He continue to scream in pain.

"So, spill. Or your daughter is next. Blue Apricot Elementary School is not that far from here."

The captain visibly panicked.

"You-!"

I sliced off another finger. I really don't have the patience for this. I want to get out of here as soon as possible.

"Spill."

"T-The cops." The captain finally blurted out as he tried to endure the pain, his voice now a pained whimper. "T-They promised me a reward if I managed to get ahold of the true identities of your execs or if I managed to intercept your cargo and deliver it to them instead so that they can do their investigations. T-That's all I know, I swear!"

'He seems to be telling the truth.'

Mentally thanking my exeggutor, I released the captain's hands from the bottom of my boots.

"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" I stated without a care in the world as I picked up a nearby cloth to wipe my dagger clean. "We should have done this all along as partners, telling each other the truth."

"P-Please let my daughter go!" The captain got onto his knees and started to beg, ignoring his bleeding and de-fingered hand. "S-She's only eight! She doesn't know-"

"Then maybe you shouldn't have signed yourself up for this career in the first place."

A purplish paw flew out from my shadows and punched through the captain's chest in one blow. Ninetales thoughtfully erected a shield of Reflect that prevented the blood from spraying all over me. Gengar slowly made her appearance known as she left my shadow, her mouth opening wider and wider until she swallowed the dead man whole.

He really made the wrong career choice.

"Sir, everything is accounted for and loaded up on our ship." One of the grunts reported to me with a salute. "Our next orders?"

I gave the grunt a disinterested look.

"Like we planned. Make this look like an accident. I don't have to teach you how to do that, do I?"

I hopped on to our boat and watched as the grunts did all the work with practiced ease while I personally went through the list in the meanwhile, doing some random checks on the physical cargo to ensure that everything is as it should be. You cannot fully trust the grunts here, not in a place like Team Rocket.

"Sir, the preparations are complete."

"Then light it up and we can all go home."

Our boat sped away as the ship we had just ransacked burst into flames, and we all watch as it slowly sunk into the bottom of the vast sea.

No evidence left behind. The cops can suspect us for all they like, but they will never get the proof they want.

"P-Please let my daughter go! S-She's only eight! She doesn't know-"

I closed my eyes and said a prayer in my mind. He's lucky that I am the one doing the exterminating today and there was no one else around us to listen in when I was doing the interrogation. At least, the little girl would live. If it were up to somebody else, his entire family would have mysteriously died in an 'accident'.

If only he didn't make the wrong career choice, a little girl wouldn't have to lose her father today.

To prevent anyone from tracking us down, the cargo was moved through several sh.i.p.s at certain points before docking itself at the port in Vermillion. By then, everything and everyone had became clean and legal, and we are now masquerading as employees of a certain shipping company that is in actuality a front for Team Rocket to do their shady business in exporting and importing pokemon.

Everyone had changed out of the Rocket uniform and hid it away before the port's security did their routine check on the ship. Once they were satisfied, we were given the green light and they left. Another Rocket member in charge of this area, also disguised, took the job over from me and I went about my way, now dressed in casual clothes and walking without a care in the world on the streets in broad daylight, my ninetales beside me.

Contrary to popular belief, Rockets don't wear their uniforms in public wherever they go. In fact, we don't often do that. We are not stupid. Many of us are hidden in plain sight, blending in just like your regular joe. We could be your next door neighbour, the florist a street away from your house. We could even be your childrens' homeroom teacher or the nurse in the pokemon center tending to your sick and injured pokemon.

Team Rocket is everywhere in the Indigo. Nowhere is safe.

And this, is the organisation that I am tasked to take down all by myself. F.u.c.k.i.n.g crazy. The President must have lost his mind when he sent me on this impossible mission.

I took a stroll along Route 11, enjoying the sights and declining any challenges trainers on the route made at me the moment they spotted ninetales. I'm not in the mood today. I had finally earned myself a day off and I want to just relax and think.

Just how on earth am I going to take down Team Rocket? Assuming that I had gotten indisputable proof that Giovanni is the true leader behind this organisation, what next? Reporting it back to the Indigo Government isn't the be-all and end-all solution. Action needs to be taken immediately and knowing the bastard that is the Indigo President, he would probably miss the golden opportunity when it arises.

From the moment I got the indisputable proof that I need, I will need to act on my own if I ever want to get out of Team Rocket. I am almost certain that the Indigo Government will find ways to get rid of me once my purpose is fulfilled. I would know, I had been given the job to get rid of discarded tools too many times to know the direction where the story of my life is going to head next. I could be a script writer by now since this particular plot is so commonly used.

No one wants to risk anyone tattling all their dirty little secrets simply because they failed to tie up loose ends. Being nice and sentimental gets you nowhere in this dark world. The logical option will be to silence the one that knows all your secrets when their purpose has been fulfilled because there is no more benefit in keeping them around anymore.

So, who? If the Indigo Government cannot be trusted because it is where the President has the greatest influence, then who? The Indigo League? I never had the chance to interact with anyone high up in the League on a personal level. I don't know who I can trust and Giovanni is part of the League himself. One wrong move and I'm done for.

I sat on the edge of the Silence Bridge on Route 12, enjoying the sea breeze like what many of the fishermen in the location is doing. Families are having picnics nearby as they fish, enjoying their interaction with mother nature. If there's one good thing about this world, it's that the people here places a lot of importance in protecting the environment. The air here is always fresh. The waters are always clean.

Takes my mind away from all the gloom and doom, even if it is just for a short moment.

"Jane would love this place." I murmured as I stroked ninetales on her head, who is now resting her head on my lap and had closed her eyes to take a quick nap. She let out a soft purr from her throat. I can feel gengar shifting in my shadows at my words.

There is a soft pitter-patter of small feet to my left. I turned my head slightly and saw a little girl looking at ninetales with awe and curiosity in her eyes.

"Gwen!" A woman, presumably the girl's mother, quickly ran up and held her child back when she tried to reach out a hand to touch ninetales. She sent me a brief apologetic look before berating her daughter. "You cannot just touch other people's pokemon without permission!"

"But mummy!" The little girl looked back up at her mother and pointed a finger at my ninetales, as if that action explained everything. "It's a ninetales! I've never seen a real one before!"

"Grabbing a tail of a ninetales will curse you." I spoke with a hint of amus.e.m.e.nt lining my voice. Is this what I am protecting at the cost of my life and sanity? This childish innocence? Is this what Jane had given her life up for?

The little girl did a gasp and covered her mouth with her hands.

"What? Really? How?"

"I dunno, even this lady here never let me touch her tails directly when I'm her trainer, but I'm allowed to groom the fur on it with a comb. Maybe you should ask a pokemon researcher? How about Professor Oak?"

"Oh, I know him! He always teaches fun pokemon stuff on the radio every Friday! I can ask him this Friday during the Q&A session! He always knows how to answer questions on pokemon!" The girl bounced up and down happily on her feet. "Hey mister! Are you here for a picnic too like mummy and I? Or are you here to fish like daddy always do? He's working right now, but he told me he will bring me to go fishing when he comes back!"

I gave a thoughtful hum.

"I'm just here to look at the sea and think about my life choices."

"Think about life choices?"

More like the lack thereof.

"A.d.u.l.t stuff. You will know when you grow older. Don't ever grow up if you don't want to be in my shoes. Stay young forever."

"I want to be a pokemon trainer when I grow up!" The girl shared her dreams with me as she sat down beside me, leaving her legs suspended in the air and kicking it childishly as we watch the blue sea ahead of us. Her mother had gone to sit down under a nearby tree about twenty meters away once she saw that her child is not up to any mischief.

If there is one thing here that I find different, it is that parents in this world are more trusting towards strangers. Social interactions are highly encouraged, especially when it comes to the topic of pokemon. How that way of life came about eludes me and I never cared to find out why.

"Nice dream to have." I answered truthfully and I can feel gengar moving subtly in my shadows. Hopefully she doesn't burp her meal out from earlier and scare the girl. No one wants to see a half-digested corpse popping out from the shadows and I have no idea how to explain myself if that happens.

"What kind of trainer do you want to be?"

"Uh, I don't know?" The little girl tilted her head to a side. "But maybe a Water Specialist like Misty? She's so beautiful! And cool! And so strong too! She made water types look so pretty! I want to be like Misty!"

"Then you would need a water type if you want to be like her."

"Yup! But mummy say buying a pokemon can be really expensive and there are no trainers in our family, so I will have to wait until I am old enough to receive one from the League."

I look down at the waters below, which are clear enough to allow me to see about ten meters down until the visibility diminish. I saw a particular pokemon resting in the waters beneath our feet that I think might make a great companion for her.

"How about I catch one for you right now?"

The girl visibly perked up.

"Really?! Can you?!"

"I am a trainer. What do you think?" I huffed. I don't have a water type to fish it out, but that kind of handicap never stopped me before. "But you have to promise me to take really good care of it. Give it the love and attention it needs, okay? I'm not accepting any objections."

"Mm!"

Ninetales cracked open an eye and her eyes glowed a blue hue. Even without moving, a horsea underneath the bridge was forcefully ejected out from the sea and struggled in midair, hovering right in front of us thanks to ninetales' Extrasensory. A toss of a pokeball later, the water type was caught.

"Take good care of it now." I said as I passed the pokeball into the girl's hands and stood up. It's time to take my leave.

"I will! Thank you!" The girl beamed as she waved me goodbye, horsea's pokeball held close to her chest. Ninetales and I walked away towards the direction of Lavender Town with me still deep in thought.

"P-Please let my daughter go!"

"You can rest in peace now." I spoke in a volume that only I can hear as ninetales and I continue our stroll alone.

"S-She's only eight! She doesn't know-"

"Your daughter is doing fine. She doesn't know what you really do for a living."

"Hey mister! Are you here for a picnic too? Or are you here to fish like daddy always do? He's working right now, but he told me he will bring me to go fishing when he comes back!"

"Bringing her to go fishing when you are back? You really made the wrong career choice. You are not coming back, but at least with a pokemon companion by her side, she won't be truly alone. Who knows? Maybe she will grow strong enough to defeat me someday and bring me to justice."

I had done a lot of evil in the name of the greater good against my will, but today, even if it is something small, at least I'm able to do some good this time on my own volition.

And that is all it takes to make my day.

Name: Jayce

Indigo Government Identity: Operative 2046, Code Name: Gengar

Indigo Government Rank: Special Agent

Team Rocket Identity: Elite Officer Plague

Team Rocket Rank: Elite Officer

Pokemon Team:

1. Ninetales, female

2. Exeggutor, male

3. Weavile, male

4. Honchkrow, female

5. Gengar, female

6. Houndoom, male

7. Umbreon, male

8. Hydreigon, male

9. Drapion, female

10. Zoroark, male