From: Roberto Perez-Vila <RobfromVoid@prodigy.net> Subject: [PW!] The Viridian City Gym - You're Grounded! Date: Monday, May 17, 1999 2:29 PM Robert kicks up some dirt as he walks up to the entrance to the Viridian City Gym. "I hope they're open." From the outside, the building looks extremely secretive. The windows are all shut and covered sheets of thick metal. The door is locked shut, and doesn't look very inviting. In fact, it looks rather imposing. Robert shrugs, figuring that the way his day is going, nothing can go worse, and knocks on the door. After a long pause, footsteps can be heard within, and noises coming from the door indicate that it is being unlocked. The door creaks open. The interior of the place is shrouded in darkness. No one is seen standing in the open doorway. "Hello?" Robert steps into the doorway, but fears going any further. A deep voice calls out, "Come in." Robert takes a deep breath and walks further inside. SLAM! The door behind him shuts, and Robert now stands in complete darkness. Laughing is heard... laughing coming from two people... familiar laughing... Two giant spotlights cast their bright light onto the laughing people, bringing them into view. They are the Team Rocket members known as Jack and Jill. They both wear standard issue white uniforms. The male has short blonde hair and the female has long flowing green hair... The laughing ceases, and their original motto begins: "To collect every Pokemon on the earth!" "That has some value and some worth!" "To take rare Pokemon from your hands!" "Rather than search across the lands!" "Jack!" "Jill!" "Give us your Pokemon, this time we won't fumble!" "Hand them to us... or get ready to rumble!" A new, deep sounding evil voice rings out: "Death to all humans!" The tiny head of a Diglett pops out on the floor in front of Jack and Jill. Its eyes look like that of a Dugtrio, and its huge claws are protruding from the ground. Jill tries to step on the Diglett's head, but it quickly retracts, "You fool! It's supposed to rhyme! Something along the lines of stumble, rumble, grumble, jumble, crumble..." Jill suddenly screams in pain and retracts her foot up to her hands. She jumps around on one leg in pure pain after the Diglett's display of his Slash attack... "You fools!" The Diglett cries out in a menacing voice, "Steal his Pokemon, then kill him... On second thought, kill him, then steal his Pokemon!" Robert backs away to the exit, but finds the door locked, and there is no lock on the door to unlock. "Wh-Wh-What the heck is that thing? What are guys doing in here? I just want a... uhhh... Viridian Badge." Jack cracks up, "Ha Ha Ha! Everyone knows that you get the Earth Badge in this Gym and only after you have seven other Badges... well, everyone except you, it looks like!" He continues to laugh until the evil Diglett slashes at his foot too! Jack grabs his foot in pain as well and hops around the same way that Jill does. "OWW! Who's side are you on?!" The Diglett's eyes narrow, "I'm on the side of whoever wants stupid humans to perish! They serve no purpose." Robert swallows hard while sweatdropping, "That's nice... Where do I get an Earth Badge?" Jill cries out while still jumping, "Normally here... but the Boss of this Gym is out on business... He left us in charge until he gets back... So I figure it's an opportunity to steal new Pokemon!" Robert looks a just a little confused, "Since when do you two work here?" Jack tries to explain while hopping about in pain, "After you got us kicked out of our home town, Stone Town, we ran to the only place we could... Team Rocket headquar..." Jill hops in his direction and uses her free hand to bop Jack on the head, "UT UP SHAY! We came here to the Viridian City Gym... and since my Nidoqueen and Jack's Nidoking are Ground Pokemon, we got a job here! Unfortunately, we were assigned this crazy Diglett to keep an eye on us." At this point, the Diglett is fuming, "Shut the hell up, you two bumbling morons! Why are you telling him your life story?! Just get to the business of killing him! I don't want to get my claws bloodied. And STOP JUMPING AROUND!" He swings two huge claws out and slashes at Jack and Jill. Having their boots completely slashed up, they fall to the floor. Jill's veins are popping out of her forehead and tears are pouring out of Jack's face! Jill grits her teeth, reaches into her shirt to withdraw a Pokeball, and tosses it out, "Nidoqueen, attack!" Jack reaches into pocket, still crying like a baby, then looks around for a target to toss his Pokeball at, "Hey! I just noticed... something. Where's that little girl who's always with him?" Jill crawls up to Jack and smacks him across the face with a paper fan, "Who cares about the girl?! She obviously left him for someone better. Just send Nidoking out against him!" Jack bites his lip, "But the Boss said it's against the rules..." The Diglett's eyes show his renewed anger, "You blasted idiot! Who the hell cares about the damned rules?!" Jack nods halfheartedly, "Right... Nidoking, show that kid who's boss!" Jack tosses his Pokeball. Robert stares at the purple Nidoking and the blue Nidoqueen standing in a battle position directly in front of him. "Okay... Ground... What can defeat ground? I know!" Robert grabs the fifth Pokeball on his belt, "Go, Slowbro!" He tosses it out and Slowbro appears directly in-between the male and female Pokemon. "Slow? Bro?" Jill calls out a command, "Nidoqueen, Body Slam that dopey thing!" Jack pauses, then sends out a command too, "Nidoking, Thrash around!" Robert sees that the two Pokemon are ready to attack, and considers a battle strategy. "I know! Slowbro, use Confusion now!" Slowbro sits there, not noticing the command given yet. Nidoqueen hoists her massive short body into the air and sends it flying towards Robert's fat pink Pokemon... SLAM! The Body Slam hits with full impact, and Slowbro falls over, staring directly at Jack's Nidoking... The blow is hard enough to knock Slowbro's senses back into place. He cries out, "Slowbro!" A huge Confusion blast gets sent out towards the Nidoking, who seems to be affected by it! Nidoking isn't sure who the enemy is anymore, and runs up to Jill's Nidoqueen. The giant monster begins Thrashing at his smaller female companion as if she were Slowbro! Nidoqueen has the same temper as Jill, so she begins to hit the Nidoking back, and soon they are entangled in a cloud of dust, fists flying! Robert cheers quietly, "Alright! I know what hurts Ground! Slowbro, use Surf to finish them off!" Slowbro's delay doesn't matter this time, since the enemy Pokemon are distracted, attacking each other. When the raindrops begin to fall, the evil Diglett hides its head under the ground. Nidoking and Nidoqueen aren't as fortunate, however. When they notice the rainfall, they stop fighting, but it is too late. Slowbro opens up his mouth wide and blasts a huge steam of water out at the male and female creatures! The attack is so strong, that when the water shooting out of Slowbro's gaping grin dies down, both of the Pokemon are fainted. Jack and Jill are both outraged, "WHAT?!" Jill begins to mumble under her breath and yells, "You're lucky, kid! If my feet didn't hurt so much, I'd stand up and steal all your Pokemon!" Jack agrees, "Yeah, me too!" They both call back their fainted Pokemon and rub their sliced up boots. Diglett pops out below Slowbro in a vicious Dig attack! Slowbro takes too much damage, and falls over, fainted. The victorious Diglett lets out a long maniacal laugh, "That's how you do it! Now to kill the human child..." Robert yells out, "Noooo!" He sucks Slowbro back into his Pokeball and begins to bang on the steel door that leads out of the Gym, "I'm too young to die! Rilli, help me! Help... me..." Robert remembers that Rilli isn't there to get him out of this situation. Robert grabs a Pokeball from his belt and throws it at the approaching Diglett, unaware of which one it is. Robert's girly and somewhat shapely Pikachu appears right in front of the Diglett. "Pikachu! Pi!" She immediately notices his overall evil appearance and backs away, just like Robert. "Pika Pi!" Robert slaps his forehead, "Oh no! Electric Pokemon have no effect against Ground Pokemon... Yet I think she's a better choice than Golduck... Uhh, Pikachu... Use your Swift attack!" "Pika!" Pikachu looks determined to stop the Diglett in his tracks. She glares and tiny stars blast out of her cheeks. Diglett tries to escape into the ground, but the stars follow him into the hole he creates by digging! Deep cries of pain are heard within the hole, and they soon die down. Apparently, Diglett isn't used to taking hits. Pikachu walks up to Robert and looks up at him, "Pikachu! Pika!" Jack and Jill both stare in awe. Jack speaks up, "Did that Pikachu defeat the Boss' Diglett? Wow! We need to steal her!" Jill bops Jack on the head once again, "Don't you remember what happened to the last Team Rocket members who spent their lives hunting for a measly Pikachu?! They were made the laughing stock of Team Rocket! Let's face it, that Pikachu isn't strong... It's just that the Boss' stupid Diglett is horribly weak. A deep rumbling voice is heard from below the earth, "Weak... am I? Stupid... am I? I'll show you who is weak and stupid!" The Diglett appears under Jill, unleashing his Dig attack upon her! She flies past Robert and crashes onto the locked metal door... the exit to the Gym. The same fate soon befalls Jack, who crashes onto her! The evil Diglett rams straight onto the huddled masses of Jack and Jill, smashing clear through the Gym's exit! Jack and Jill are forced to stand up and run away at full speed... Diglett is faster than them, however! His evil cries can be heard in the distance as they run away screaming in pain, "I'll stumble you! I'll crumble you! Get back here, you infidels!" Pikachu looks up at Robert, cracks a smile, and begins giggling, "Pi Pi Pi Pi Pi Kaaa Chu!" Robert doesn't feel like chuckling, still missing Mithril-rama. He grabs Pikachu's yellow and brown Pokeball and zaps her back into it. "It looks like I'll have to come back for an... Earth... Badge some other day." He sighs and walks through the giant hole that Jack, Jill, and the Diglett made in the door. Once outside of the dark Gym, he looks at his watch, "It's 3 PM. I'm hungry. Maybe there's a Diner around here." -Robert