Pokemon Urban Black

Chapter 1

"Former Pokémon Master, and Rocket Co. CEO, Giovanni has been convicted on 46 separate counts, including felony murder, loan sharking, money laundering, racketeering, trafficking, tax evasion, and much more. Rocket Co., sometimes called "Team Rocket" due to its partner status as Silph Co.'s primary engineering team, has been rumored to have been involved in several corporate corruption scandals.

"However, the company's savvy legal team was able to deflect all attempts to prove these in a court of law until now. Several members of Rocket Co. as well as government liaisons expected to be working with them, are currently under intense investigation. Giovanni has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole."

"Shame, ain't it?" The young man said, straw hanging from the corner of his mouth as he sucked on a glass of iced lemon berry tea.

The barista behind the counter across from him perched a hand on her hip, a slender brow hitching upward in skepticism. "Please Trev, like you give a damn about what happens to some rich CEO."

Trev's eyes flicked from the floating television screen down to Frenchie, who stood below it, boring her unamused eyes into him. "Yeah. You right. But it's not him I care about. The shame is all that money he's leaving on the table. He probably spent his life building that up, and for what?"

Frenchie chuckled, her eyes rolling as she ferried an order of steaming bacon and eggs to a customer at the far end of the bar. They were in the Viridian Cafe, one of Kanto sector's most homey establishments. It was known for its vintage Eastern-style decor with pastoral, rustic ambiance and earthy tones that set it apart from a city otherwise clad in vibrant chromaticism and gritty metalwork. Set on level 67 it was far too low for natural to reach them, but the overheads mimicked it with an ethereal amber glow.

When Frenchie arrived back to Trev, she set her forearms on the counter and leaned toward him, mischief in her eyes. "Know what I think?"

Her feminine proximity inspired one of Trev's winning smiles. One of the smiles that tended to get him in trouble with women. "Nah, what do you think, Frenchie?"

"I think his Momma and Daddy was probably corrupt and rich already, and he just rode along on their coattails," she said, self-assurance belying her words. Francesca Green, Frenchie for short, was sure in everything she said... because she never said anything that she wasn't sure of. That was on account of her penchant to not speak unless what she was speaking about, actually mattered.

It was one of her many charms. Frenchie was smart progressive-minded, and very easy on the eyes. She was blessed with mocha skin that took on a golden quality when the light hit it from the right angle. The thick, springy natural afro that crowned her head gave her a royal quality and it always smelled saccharine like the natural product she kept it moisturized with. She was the kind of alluring that didn't have to try.

"Whatchu trying to say? Rocket Big Boss didn't make it to the top on the strength of his own ambition? He might've been a bad dude but I think you gotta give him more credit than that," Trev said with his brows raised in challenge.

Frenchie stared at him for an instant and Trev could see the rebuttal forming in her mind, but he also liked to think that she had a habit of stealing admiring glances from him, too. There was that one time that she'd admitted that he was "annoyingly attractive" when Trev was challenging his own looks against her boyfriend's.

He was about the same shade of skin tone as her with a solid build that could probably be honed to chiseled if actually kept up with any lifting regimen. He had chestnut eyes that matched his hair color and a dimpled smile that he flashed way too often because he knew the effect it was capable of. Usually, it got mirrored smiles from the ladies.