From: Roberto Perez-Vila <RobfromVoid@prodigy.net> Subject: [PW!] I Smell A Raticate! Date: Saturday, August 07, 1999 11:08 PM Minax is reclining against the wall of the famous Nugget Bridge, a favorite gathering place for Team Rocket recruiters. The Bridge would have rustic look to it, if it hadn't been reconstructed just a few weeks ago. There was an incident involving a powerful Psychic Pokemon, but Minax really doesn't care about that. She hasn't stolen a Pokemon in the name of Team Rocket for a while now. That's what she intends to do the moment a distracted youth crosses the bridge, possibly on his way to Bill's Lighthouse, a usual stop on any Pokemon adventure. As the afternoon presses on and the heat beats down on her, Minax starts to slowly sink down the side of the wall. By the time it is late afternoon, she is sitting with her legs crossed, hoping a child will attempt to cross the bridge before night fall. She hears footsteps from a distance, and looks up, only to lock eyes with a Raticate. "What's a wild Raticate doing all the way over here?" She asks the creature, not expecting an interpretable answer. "Wha's a human doin' sittin' on a bridge in all dis dem heat? Tha's a betta' question!" The Raticate abruptly replies in English. Just then is when Minax notices he's holding some blue flyers under his arm. He also wears a strange hat. Minax blinks. Twice. "A talking Raticate? How in the world did a Raticate learn how to talk English?" The Raticate stops to think about a reasonable answer, then simply shrugs, careful not to drop his precious flyers, "I dunno! I guess I jus' do fer no reason 'tall, jus' like all dem dere other talkin' Pokemon! Anyhoo, I'm here in th' name of my group. My name's Stan an' I'm a recruiter fer th' Pokemon Resistance, an' I see you gots some Pokeballs dere! Dat's not th' way! Dis's da way, ya misguided soul!" The Raticate hands Minax a blue flyer and allows her time to read it. It takes Minax a long time to read the paper, despite the fact everything is written in bold capital letters. She was never very good at English classes back in Pewter City, but then again, she hardly ever has to read or write anything. She looks up at the Raticate once she's done, crushing the blue paper in her fist, "Do you seriously believe that Pokemon should always travel outside of Pokeballs at all times? I'm sorry, but your organization is trash, just like this flyer." She flicks the rolled up blue ball into the Raticate's gaping maw, and irreverently yells out, "Three points! Damn, I'm good." The Raticate spits out the flyer, narrows his eyes, and tosses the rest of the flyers aside, "I demand ya let yer Pokemon out right now! In the name of all dat's good and just, release yer Pokemon, or else it's gonna get ugly!" "If you insist..." Minax smirks as she places a Pokeball directly in front of the Raticate. She pushes the button. The Raticate's eyes bug out when a giant purple tower of snake appears directly in front of him! The Arbok licks his lips and immediately Wraps the Rat Pokemon, to keep him from escaping. Minax stands up and walks a circle around her Arbok, "Very good, Arbok, but wait for my commands first." The giant cobra hisses at Minax, but turns his attention back to his enemy and possible dinner, "Charrrrrbok!" Minax tickles the suffering Raticate on his chin, and quickly withdraws when the Pokemon tries to bite her finger off! "Oooh, naughty, naughty, Stan. Don't you know it hurts when Pokemon Bite you? I'll demonstrate. Arbok, Bite." Minax's Arbok's mouth water as his fangs sink themselves into the Raticate's tough body. The Snake Pokemon tries to swallow Stan in one Bite, but finds it too difficult, and just Wraps the Raticate once more. "Chaaa! Charrrbokku!" Minax removes her silver pistol from its holster on her belt. "So, Stan, are you having fun with my Arbok yet?" The Raticate knows what Minax's pistol is and what it's capable of. He sees various humans in his organization carrying them, and even some of his fellow Pokemon. The Raticate manages to speak, even though the Arbok Wrapped around him is making it hard for him to breathe, "I'm not afraid ta die fer my cause..." "Oh, I know that!" Minax chuckles politely, glancing at her gun, "This is just in case my Arbok does an attack without my permission again." She smiles at her Arbok, who sweatdrops, apparently getting the message. Stan struggles for oxygen, "I... I won't...tell you where... the... where the... bases are..." Minax nods, smiling cynically at the Pokemon, "That's great, because I'm really not interested in knowing." "Chaaa..." Minax's Arbok gets tired of Wrapping Stan, and slithers away from the Raticate, to await further commands, knowing that if it just decides to Wrap the Raticate again without an order to do so, it might be his final decision. Stan the Raticate looks awful after the continuous Wrap attacks and the vicious Bite. Minax reaches into her sack and pulls out a Pokeball which once belonged to her Poliwhirl. "Ohhh Stan, I've got a present for you! How do you feel about tat traps, my poor, weakened little Pokemon?" Stan's eyes go wide, and he tries to escape, but he's too weak to move, "No... NO! That's a fate worse than death!" "I know!" Minax says, snorts out a quick chuckle, and tosses the Pokeball at Stan! The Raticate melts into red energy and gets transferred into the Pokeball. The Pokeball shakes violently for a while, then stops. Minax grabs the Pokeball, which still shakes just a little more, then stops for good. She stares at the sphere in the palm of her hand. "I caught a Raticate! Would I like to give my Raticate a nickname? Sure... I'll call him Dumbass. No wait. Ratsass! As in, I don't give a rat's ass what Team Rocket does to get secrets out of talking Raticate who work for mysterious organizations." Minax pulls out her TR Communicator. She shrinks Ratsass' Pokeball and places it on special slot for transportation on the device in her hand. After typing in some commands, the small Pokeball disappears in a spark of red energy. Minax hides her Communicator, and walks back towards Cerulean City, pleased that she sent the Boss an extremely rare talking Pokemon, who can probably tell him secrets about an organization that might be a threat to Team Rocket. Minax's mind wanders as she strolls down the Bridge, "I wonder how Doppler feels about a rival organization..." Minax suddenly stops walking and looks around nervously. She then pauses and shakes her head, "Doppler won't come if I say his name three times. It's not like he's Pinserjuice or the booger man..." Minax lets out a worried chuckle, but the silence that follows bothers her. "So, then why am I afraid to say it again?" "No! I'm Minax, of Team Rocket. I'm not afraid of anything." She takes a deep breath, then sighs out, "Doppler..." A long minute after the word is uttered, she opens her eyes, and starts walking towards Cerulean City once again. -Minax