At Micheal's words, the trainees felt cold sweat drip down their back.

Many now began to watch their pokemon as a thirsty man would to an oasis, but none of the pokemon left their cages.

Micheal waves grandly, "Not to worry, not to worry! your pokemon just have cold feet! I'm sure our friend Houndoom can help you out!"

Suddenly the houndoom barks, and in response, the uncaged pokemon begin to crawl out reluctantly.

"That's better! We at team rocket don't care if you curse us in your hearts, but if you lash out against the trainees in our presence you... then will not live past today! but, behind closed doors is another story!"

The houndoom barks again, seemingly to convey the words.

The newly freed pokemon gain a strange glint in their eyes, as they eye the trainees.

Looking down at the small horned weedle, Jared notices that it doesn't seem to fear the houndoom as much as the others, wherever the houndoom walks, the weedle keeps its rear stinger pointed towards it.

Jared rubs his chin thoughtfully, (I wonder what the point of its big nose is?)

.

With a wave of his hand, Micheal commanded the trainees out of the glass room and back the way they came. The Houndoom kept a close watch, not permitting any disobedience from the wild pokemon.

The weedle moved slow, so Jared considered carrying the small thing, but knowing its poison typing, he decided to leave that for another time.

.

A short time later the trainees and their unwilling pokemon were back in the hall, but both trainees and pokemon eyed each other uneasily.

Micheal clapped his hands, which appeared to trigger the glass wall, because now it was closing, "Good! good! Now line up into thirds quickly!"

Jared got into a group with kai along with others, then waited.

Just then, a door on each side of the room opened, and from each door was a uniformed man. The three black-robed men began lining up next to the podium, and they each faced a group of trainees.

Nodding to himself as if all was as it should be, Micheal laughed, "Excellent!, our rocket grunts here will bring you to your rooms! The taming will be pointless while suppressed by the houndoom!"

Micheal winked, "~But once you are assigned a room, there's always the risk of it killing you, please be careful~"

Jared sighed inwardly, (The way you keep bringing it up makes it seem like that's what you want...)

During this time, Jared assessed the grunt assigned to his group, and found him to be a man in his twenties.

The man glared at any trainee that looked his way until they turned their eyes down. It was as if he were offended.

The light on the podium then switched off, and the grunts each began bringing their assigned group through the door they came in.

One group went north, the other west, the last south.

Walking through the northern door, the pokemon following the trainees began communicating with each other, their talks seemed to stir with violent intent.

As if having eyes on the back of his head, the rocket grunt stopped moving then glared at the offending pokemon until they went silent.

.

As the last member of the eight-person group passed through the door, a wall slid into place with a thump.

This wall barred the exit.

Many of the trainees jumped from the sound, and they looked back with wide eyes, but the grunt was unbothered and kept moving. he had been through this many times.

The brightly lit hallway was painted black, but the length was short.

after a few seconds, the grunt can be seen standing in a new room.

As if getting tired of waiting, the grunt barks, "Get in awnd sit!"

(awnd?)

The seven trainees and their seven pokemon gathered their courage to walk in. Once inside they took a seat.

"Alright, yew lot, I am Shane, and hwere in the Rocket Gang we uswe cwedits. On the table, yew will find a device. Take one, Yew lucky maggowts will get five hundwed cwedits."

Kai chokes back a laugh, which earned him a glare from Shane.

"Yew can uwese the cwedits to buy thiwngs that yew think yew need to tame youwr pokemon, yew will hawve your stuwff delivered to youwr woom once a day."

Shane begins pointing to each trainee and assigning them a number.

Jared was assigned number four, while Kai was assigned number five, as for what the numbers were for, Jared didn't know.

"Thewre are eight rooms, youw will be lowcked iwnside untwil you tame the pokemon. My woom is at the end, youw can cwall me ifw thewre is a pwoblem, but don'wt expewct any fwee advwice."

.

After every trainee grabbed a device, he led them to their rooms, Jared found that this entire closed-off space only consisted of that one room, as well as eight private rooms.

Shane seemed to feel glee in his eyes, as every time a trainer and his pokemon were sent into a room, and get locked in, he smiled.

Shaking his head, Jared sighs, (I hope things go smoothly for everyone here...)

Soon it was Jared's turn, but he stopped and looked at Kai worriedly, (If Kai is harmed, I don't think I'll be able to take it...)

"Get in there!" Shane then pushed Jared inside, then kicked the weedle in too with his boot. He laughed as he slammed the door shut.

Alone with the small weedle, Jared stares at the wall where Kai will be locked into, (...I have to do something)

Meanwhile, the kicked weedle looks up angrily, and eyes Jareds turned back with bad thoughts.

Scratching his head, Jared turns to the weedle to speak, " I don't suppose you understand me?"

The Weedle just glared, he was taunting Jared with the needle on his head, and a little worm war dance.

"Thought so..."

(I didn't want to bring you out because if you refused to get back in your ball there would be issues, but I need you to protect Kai,)

Jared then reached into his pocket, and he tossed Gastlys ball.

The fanged ball of gas suddenly appeared, but the weedle didn't seem frightened. He turned his stinger and faced the newest threat.

Jared chuckles at Weedles display, "At least you got spunk, the first time I met Gastly I wasn't nearly as composed as you."

Gastlys angry voice suddenly booms in Jared's mind, "WHERE HAVE YOU BROUGHT ME HUMAN... Wait"

With wide eyes, Gastly suddenly vanishes into Jared's body.

"What gives, Gastly?"

"I don't know where you brought me, but there is a powerful ghost nearby! I can feel her aura everywhere!"

(She?)

"Is it a haunter? did she spot you?"

"It's... not, and I don't know human, put me back in the ball, get me away from here!"

"Wait Gastly, if it's not a haunter then it should be okay shouldn't it? I need your help, Kai's life might be at stake"

"I don't care about him, put me back!"

"Gastly, we are in one of the Rocket Gangs buildings. If it's not a haunter, then the ghost you are feeling is probably just a pokemon belonging to the Rocket Gang."

Gastlys voice growls in Jared's mind, " Rocket Gang? How long have you kept me in your ball!?"

"...It's only been... five days."

"Why didn't you bring me out!?"

"Because I didn't want to... bother you."

Gastly snorts disbelievingly in his mind, then he leaves Jareds body and began reforming.

With a bloated and scary visage, Gastly towers over Jared, "You lie and keep things from me, and dare ask for my help?"

Jared pleaded earnestly, "I'm sorry, partner, I was wrong, will you please check on him now?"

Seeing Jared's earnest look, Gastly softens somewhat, "The presence can't seem to sense me, I will look, but if you lie to me and keep me trapped again, then you'll regret it human!"

Gastlys disappears into the wall, and he comes back after a minute with a weird look, "What am I supposed to be doing? I see a curled up snake and the human child staring at each other..."

Jared ponders for a second, "For now just protect Kai. If the ekans attacks, then please save Kai."

The war dancing weedle suddenly lashes at Gastly. Gastly was floating too close to him, and he didn't like it!

Gastly simply looks down in annoyance, "Fine... what about the little worm?"

"Don't worry about that, just protect Kai."

Gastly leaves the room.

The weedle loses the target of his rage, and he soon finds a new one in Jared.

With his stinger poised, and his head bobbing, he seemed ready for the battle of his life.

Locking eyes with the seven-pound worm, Jared asks with some exasperation, "I don't suppose we can get along?"

In response, the weedle lets out an angry hiss!

"Uh... ok"