Deadly alliance (Pokemon fan fiction) [Pokewatty Award 1st runner-up 2013]

Chapter 28 - Overconfidence

Chapter 28 – Overconfidence

<Olivine City; Olivine Docks>

“I’m not from Team Rocket.” That sentence echoed in the air for the longest time. Both Falkner and Isaac just stood there, dumbfounded as they tried to process the new information.

“Wha… How can this be?” Isaac was the first to break the silence.

“You’re asking me?” Falkner snapped. “You were the ones who told me it was Team Rocket in the first place!”

“B-B-But, it was! There has been many supporting evidence proving my claim right!”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Like the time in Union Cave, where the man immediately reacted once Emma called him Team Rocket. There was also the time when the scientist attacked us back at Route 30. Not to mention earlier, when I met some other victims of Team Rocket who showed me proof of their involvement.”

“The man in Union Cave and Route 30, did any of them explicitly say that they were from Team Rocket or confirm that they were from Team Rocket?”

“Err…” Isaac closed his eyes and scrunched his brows as he tried to recall. “The scientist… No, all he really did was ask for my name and the other guy… I can’t really say for sure. Emma was the one who battled him.”

“What about the other proof? The one you mentioned earlier.”

“There were these siblings who I had met before coming to Olivine City. Their father was tracking down some criminal who was found loitering around Olivine Docks – which, by the way supports the theory that there is indeed a shipment due to arrive at Olivine City soon – and was later captured by the man when they caught wind of him.”

“Another kidnapping?” Falkner looked unconvinced. “I thought they were only interested in controlling Pokémon, not humans.”

“Humour me, Falkner. The siblings found their father’s Pokégear, wrecked and destroyed in battle, but managed to restore some data from it. The data within pointed to Team Rocket.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Let me have a look at the article!”

“No can do, Falkner.”

“What do you mean no?” He said fiercely.

Isaac chuckled when he heard Falkner’s reply.

“What’s so funny?”

“I said the exact same thing when the siblings refused to show me the picture.”

“So can you get the proof or not?” He was running out of patience.

“Ehh… unfortunately-”

“I KNEW IT!” Falkner suddenly interrupted.

“What I haven’t even finished my sentence!” Isaac said angrily.

“Well, you started your sentence with ‘unfortunately’, which means there is no proof. Am I right?”

“Ah… Yes. You’re right, the picture was so corrupted that only the words ‘Team Rocket’ could be recovered from the document, nothing else.”

“It may just be a coincidence that ‘Team Rocket’ even showed up then.”

Isaac nodded his head sadly. “Yes, you are right about that too.”

“See, this is why I wanted concrete proof before I started confronting other gym leaders!” Falkner said as he put his palm on his face. “Now we find out that this ‘Team Rocket’ we were going about finding doesn’t even exist!”