Just starting off... (Pokèmon Fanfic)

Chapter Four

"What do you want to know?" Leaf asks.

"First, why did they take the pokemon of the people who joined?" I asked.

"So that they couldn't rebel against Team Rocket's plan," she responded with fear in her voice.

"That's what the team's name is?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Next, what is this plan of theirs?"

"It's to collect as many people to fight alongside them so they can rule the world, or at least Kanto.  Wait... you don't plan to take the team on do you?" She looks at me as I give a nod.

"I can't stand people who take what isn't theirs!  Of course, I don't think I'm strong enough yet, but..." I look at her and smile. "I will be."  I look to the coins and move them to my bag.  "You should take this," I say this as I look over to the stairs.  A shadow creeps up the wall and I shove the bag towards her. "Look tired, like you just stopped walked in with a heavy bag on your back and you had to put it down." I look back at the machine and roll another row of red 7's.

She looks at me nervously and sweats from it.  "Wait... what?!?"  Then she realized what was going on and did what I had told her. 

"What's going on here?" the man who emerged from the basement.  I knew this face all to well.  The Viridian City Gym Leader, Giovanni, who was never there. He was always doing "other things," as I have been told.  Guess this is what he's been doing.  "Where did the other grunts go off to."

"They went... to go search.... for the man who..... escaped sir..." Leaf said with pauses for deep breaths making it overly convincing.  I had almost forgot that I had just talked to her before all this.

"Well, they can go hopelessly look for him," Giovanni said.  "Frankly, I could care less weather they succeed in finding him or not.  By the way, why are you sweating so fiercely?"

"I was carrying... this bag ... back here.. to... go back... into storage.... oh jeez.."  Wow, she was really hitting it home.

"And what are it's contents?"  All Leaf did was open the bag and show Giovanni the bag of pokeballs.  His eye's widened as he saw his entire storage in this bag.  "What... who is responsible?"

"I don't know, sir," she responded, acting like she had gained her breath back.

"If that's the case, I guess there are worse things," he said. "Anyway, there is a meeting in an hour.  Try to get as many of those grunts back here in time. Understand?"

"Yes sir," she says with a nod.

"Good, I trust you won't let me down."  With that, Giovanni heads back down the stairs, dragging the bag behind him.  I finally stand up and walk out with her following close behind.  I stop when we are in front of the water fountain.

"Why are you following me?" I ask.

"Where do you plan to go?" Leaf asks.

"Maybe to Fuchsia. I hear that they have a magnificent Safari Zone," I say as I shrugged.  I looked back down to the ground.  "If I could, I would go back to Pewter City, but there's a ledge I can't get over."  I sigh.  We stand there for a few minutes before I spoke up again.  "What was Red like before he was sent to Mt. Silver?"

She seemed to be taken back by the question.  "Wha... why do you ask?" She asks me.

"Just curious. I would think that you would know since you, him, and Blue were childhood friends."  I look back to see her surprised and gently smiled.  "You don't need to answer that if you don't want to Leaf."