Pokemon: Fire and Ice

Chapter 19

The sun burned intensely in the Desert Resort. Nothing breathed as steam and blurred images rose from the desert floor. The land was covered with dry, cracked soil with no signs of life, not even a small Pokémon or a speck of green. No clouds hung in the sky, having an endless sea of blue stretching in every direction until finally meeting the endless brown earth.

The heat was especially unbearable for the group of humans. They were completely covered with black clothing, making them direct targets of the harsh elements. But they dared not to complain or attempt to shed their burdens. They especially vowed this when suddenly a dull roar came from the sky above.

They were already in waiting, so it took no time for them go jump into position. They formed two lines facing each other, space in between. Each group composed of almost a dozen. They made their bodies stiff and straight, arms glued to their sides, while staring before them. They did not allow their gaze to shift at the slightest. They appeared as statues of the desert, nothing like living humans.

Quickly the roar rose into a pounding thunder as a steel beast slowly descended only a matter of yards away from them. The aircraft was made of light steel with a bold red "R" on its front, bringing its only real color. On the end of the jet's wings was an engine that kept it airborne. The engine's flames were angled downward as it gently made its way to the ground. Dust flew in all directions as the extra wind created a mini sandstorm, even getting into the Rockets' eyes, but they still did not move.

Finally the roaring died at the jet landed and the engines were cut off. Immediately the belly of the beast opened and a ramp projected outward onto the ground. After a few tense moments of silence, the Rockets' watched from the corner of their eyes as a forbidding figure stepped out of the gaping black hole and into the brilliant light. Giovanni. The glorious leader of Team Rocket.

The Rockets' bodies grew even stiffer as he neared. This was no exception for a small subgroup that was closest to him.

It consisted of a tall, beautiful woman with long magenta hair that curved behind her back. She had gleaming blue eyes that were filled with arrogance and pride. Next to her was a slightly shorter man with shoulder-length blue hair and brilliant green eyes. Squeezed between the two humans was a short cat, even though it was standing on its hind legs. It had the same fur as Persian with the same kind of whiskers, though instead of a jewel on its head, was a gold charm. It was a Meowth.

Beside them was an old man cloaked in a lab coat. He had poofy white hair covering his head, almost looking unkempt, and only owned one spectacle over one eye. The last member of the abnormal group was a lean and disciplined man. He had long dark-blue hair ending passed his shoulders and intense olive-green eyes. He wore a gray uniform instead of black; sparing him from some heat despite his clothing also smothered his skin.

Giovanni made his way to the group and came to a halt in front of the woman and the man. It was Jessie and James with their talking Pokémon, Meowth. His expression was stern and cold as he stared at them.

"For once you fools did well," he surprisingly complimented, despite his voice was still deadly. "I expect this operation to turn out well."

"Sir!" they simply said in unison, yet they made sure to stand straighter and they fought from making their reply an excited squeal and hide the beaming pride in their eyes. The Boss never praised them.

Like nothing had happened, Giovanni moved on, walking a controlled stride through his men. Meanwhile, the trio went back to being statues, since technically they were not relieved yet. They were so focused with staring ahead and lost in their own thoughts they failed to notice a short figure step out of the plane and made its way over to them. And that figure failed to notice them as the person worked hard on avoiding gazes and stare at his feet. It wasn't until the two parties stood side-by-side they recognized each other.