After Aidan had said goodbye to his family, they started on the road again.
 “It’s great to be out of Lavender Town,” Aidan said, “but where are we going?”
 “Probably Celadon City,” Petra said, checking the Nav-Comp.  “There’s a path that goes underground from here to there.”  She pointed to a small building up ahead.  “That must be where it starts.”
 Aoife pushed open the door to the building and stepped inside.  There was a stairway going down in the middle.  “All right!  This must be it.”
 They proceeded down the stairs and went through the tunnel.  It was dark, lit by bare light bulbs swinging from the ceiling at intervals that Aoife found to be too far apart for comfort.
 About halfway through the tunnel they heard footsteps pounding down the tunnel behind them.  Sora turned around.  “What’s that?”
 Two men in Team Rocket uniforms were running through.  They stopped when they saw the group.  “What are you doing down here?” one of them asked.
 “Going to Celadon City,” Petra said.
 “Great, so are we!” the other man said.  “Leroy, get the gloves.”
 “Gloves?” Aoife wondered.
 “Here ya go, Jay,” Leroy said, handing Jay a pair of rubber gloves, which Jay put on.
 “Uh-oh,” Petra thought.  “I have a bad feeling about this.”
 Her suspicions were confirmed when Jay grabbed Chu-Chu and he and Leroy sped off down the tunnel.  “See ya later, suckers!”
 “Wait!” Aoife ran after them as fast as she could, but stopped short when she came to a fork in the road.  “Which way?” she asked.
 Petra consulted the Nav-Comp again.  “This isn’t on the map,” she said suspiciously.  “But Nav-Comp’s compass says that this way goes west—the way Celadon City is—and the other goes south, probably to Saffron.”
 “Lemme try something,” Aoife stepped forward.  “CHU-CHUUUUUU!” she called.
 “Pika!” Chu-Chu’s voice was heard coming from the tunnel that led to Celadon.  It was muffled by Jay’s glove and the air space between Aoife and her Pokemon, but she could tell it was Chu-Chu.  “Pikapiiii!”
 “She’s this way,” Aoife said, running towards Celadon.  “Let’s hurry!”
 They emerged from the tunnel at the other end and looked around.  “No sign of them,” Aoife said.  “We better…hey, there’s someone!”  A man with a Poliwrath was sitting outside the building.  “Excuse me, sir?” Aoife asked.  “Have you seen two guys in Team Rocket uniforms run by here with a Pikachu?”
 “Yeah,” the man said.  “They went into the city.  Is it your Pikachu?”
 Aoife nodded.  “I have to get it back.  Could you tell where they were going?”
 “Nope,” he said.  “Sorry, kid.  I just saw them go into the city.  You might want to check in the Celadon Mansion, though.  No one really knows who owns that place, and a lot of people say it’s a Team Rocket hideout.”
 “Thanks, Mister,” Aoife said, running into the city.  “I gotta find Chu-Chu.”
 “Cool city,” Aidan said, as they followed Aoife into the city.  There were tall buildings all around, dwarfing the one-story Pokemon center.
 “These are all mansions!” Aoife cried, throwing her hands up.  “Which one is the Celadon Mansion?”
 “Maybe the one that has the sign out saying ‘Celadon Mansion’?” Sora suggested, pointing to a sign.
 “Oh, yeah,” Aoife said.  “Stupid me.  Let’s go in.”  She burst into the room on the first floor.  An old man was sitting on the floor sipping tea with a Growlithe and a Porygon sitting beside him.
 “May I help you?” he asked, looking up from his tea.
 “Oh, sorry,” Aoife backed away.  “I was looking for my Pikachu.  Team Rocket stole it, and I thought it might be in here.”
 “This is my home,” the man said.  “I rent some of the rooms out, though, but I screen the people applying for a room to make sure there are no Team Rocket members.  What’s your name, young lady?”
 “Aoife,” Aoife said.  “Aoife Ketchum from Pallet Town.  I’m training to be a gym leader.”
 “A gym leader?” he repeated.  “Well, good luck to you.  I was a gym leader once, a long, long time ago, but I retired.  It’s hard work, you know.”
 “I realize that,” said Aoife.  “But I can handle it.”
 “Well, about your Pikachu,” he continued, “if you ask me, the Rocket Game Corner is a bit suspicious.  I’ve seen strange-looking people going in and out of there.”
 “Rocket Game Corner?” Petra repeated.  “Even the name sounds like a Team Rocket hideout.  Where is this place?”
 “It’s around the corner from here, on Gloom Street,” he explained.  “Hope you’re successful in getting your Pikachu back.”
 “Thanks, mister!” Aoife called; she was already out the door.  “Gloom Street, Gloom Street, where is…there it is!” 
Petra, Sora, and Aidan, who were following her, saw her turn down one of the streets.  “Wait, Aoife!”
“Rocket Game Corner!” Aoife proclaimed, echoing a garish neon sign above their heads, protruding from a large building.  “Let’s go!”
She advanced into the building, but Petra held her shirt collar to restrain her.  “Wait.”
“But we gotta get Chu-Chu!” Aoife scrambled around, trying to get free.  “Come on!  Let’s go let’s go let’s—”
“Aoife!” Petra almost yelled, trying to get Aoife’s attention.  “We need a plan!”
“Oh, really?” Aoife asked, ceasing her scrambling momentarily.
“Yeah,” Aidan spoke up.  “We have to keep our guard up, make sure someone doesn’t take our Pokeballs when we’re not watching.  Maybe we should wait around for a while, see if we spot any Team Rocket members walking around.  If we do, we follow them.”
“Great idea, Aidan!” Sora gushed, maybe a little too enthusiastically.
Following Aidan’s plan, they walked into a casino-like atmosphere.  There were some regular video game machines, but mostly slot machines and tables to play poker, roulette, or other betting games.  Bells sounded and lights lit up when a player scored a big win.  “Everyone take a machine, and watch out,” advised Petra.
“Oh cool!” Aoife squealed, running over to the fighting video games.  “Bushido Blade!”  She fished around in her pocket immediately for a quarter.
“SHHH!” Sora hissed, taking a basketball game next to Aoife.  “Don’t give yourself away.”
“Right,” Aoife said sheepishly, inserting a quarter and sitting down to play her favorite video game.  “YES!  In your face, freaky ninja dude!”
“Aoife!” Sora reprimanded.
“Sorry,” Aoife said, going back to her game in a quieter manner.
They were just getting settled into their games when Petra and Aidan came up behind them.  They had been playing the slot machines while secretly watching for Team Rocket members.
“Aoife!  Sora!” Petra said quietly, trying not to let anyone overhear.  “I saw Bonnie and Clyde come in a minute ago.  We gotta follow them!”
“Now?” Aoife whined.  “But I’m fighting with Kage!”
“Do you want Chu-Chu back or don’t you?” Petra said, dead serious.
“I want Chu-Chu back,” Aoife decided, following Petra and Aidan.
“There they are!” Petra said, pointing across the room.  Bonnie and Clyde were making their way through the crowds, towards the back of the game center.  “Quick, guys, hide!”
 They ducked behind a machine and watched the two Team Rocket members, while Aidan asked, “Who are they?”
 “They’re from Team Rocket,” Petra explained.  “We’ve run into them a lot.”
 “They’re really annoying,” Aoife felt it necessary to add.
 “What are they doing?” Sora wondered, drawing their attention back to what the two Rockets were up to. 
The group watched as Bonnie went up to a poster on the far wall, discreetly lifted it up, and flipped a switch behind it.  “Whoa,” Aoife gasped, as a section of the wall slid away and the two from Team Rocket disappeared into the resulting doorway. 
“We’ve got to go after them!” Aoife said, hurrying off towards the far wall.  “Quick, before the door closes!”
“Not yet!” Petra hissed, restraining Aoife again.  “We should wait.  If we follow too closely behind on their trail they’re bound to catch us.”
The group waited a few minutes, until Petra decided that it would be okay to follow Bonnie and Clyde.  When the time came, Aoife reached under the poster on the far wall and pushed the switch.  As for Bonnie and Clyde, the door opened and they were able to go inside.
Inside the secret passageway was a staircase leading down.  The group went down and emerged in an office-like room.  It was neatly tiled and carpeted, probably a renovated office building, with potted plants occasionally dotting the corridors.  Petra held a finger up to her lips to indicate not to speak unless necessary, then she and Aidan examined the floor.  Aoife looked quizzically at Sora, who mouthed, “Tracks,” and made gestures of stepping one of her hands over the other.  Aoife still didn’t get it, so Sora mouthed, “Footprints,” and pointed to the bottom of her shoe, then to the floor.  Aoife nodded.
Petra turned back to the group and mouthed, “Vulpix tracks,” pointing down one of the corridors.  She set off down the hall, the others following her, then stopped abruptly when she turned the corner, Aidan, Sora, and Aoife nearly bumping into her.  Aoife mouthed, “What?” at Petra, and Petra pointed down the hall.  There was a man in a black Rocket uniform patrolling the hallway.  Aidan motioned the group into a huddle.
“We’ll do a sneak attack,” he whispered.  “I’ll send out Gastly and tell it specifically not to make any noise.  Then Gastly can use Hypnosis and put him to sleep.”
“Good idea,” Aoife and Sora chorused.
They broke the huddle, and Aidan let Gastly out of its Pokeball.  He imitated Petra’s gesture by holding one finger up to his lips, then whispered, “Hypnosis,” to Gastly.
Unfortunately, the Rocket guard chose this moment to turn around.  “Hey!” he yelled, both to frighten the group off and to alert the other guards.  “HEY!  INTRUDERS!  INTRU…zzzzzzz…”
Gastly put the guard to sleep, but it was still too late.  The other guards had been warned, and a chorus of shouts and footsteps was heard as a group of Rockets raced around the corner.  Among them Aoife and her friends recognized Bonnie and Clyde at the front of the group, and Jay and Leroy from the underground passage.
“Gastly can’t take on all of these guys at once,” Aidan said, “but I’m not going to return it.  It can stay out and fight.  Ghost Pokemon are the hardest to steal.”
“Pika!” a muffled voice cried out amidst the din.  It was difficult to pick out the voice, but Aoife heard it loud and clear.  “Pikachu!”
“Chu-Chu!” Aoife cried, pinpointing the noise as coming from a rubber sack that Leroy was holding.  “We can’t run away now, everyone.  That guy has Chu-Chu, and we have to stay and fight them off until we can get Chu-Chu back.”
 The Team Rocket members clustered around the group, about 8 of them altogether.  Jay announced proudly, “Prepare for trouble!”
 “And make it octuple!” Leroy added.
 “To rule the world with greatest power!” another of the Rockets said.
 “Stalking around at the midnight hour!” a different one added.
 “To denounce the greatness of evil and sin!” said the guard who had called the alarm on them.
 “With our Pokemon, we’re sure to win!” said a female Rocket.
 “The Game Corner Guard Squad!” they all yelled, except for Bonnie and Clyde.
 “They stole our motto!” Clyde whined.
 “Yeah, make up your own!” Bonnie complained.
 “What business do you have here?” one of them asked.  “You’re not from Team Rocket.”
 “Obviously not!” Bonnie announced, stepping forward.  “It’s the brats that keep ruining our plans!”
 “You should be grateful to us!” Sora countered.  “We saved your butts from those Electabuzz in Vermilion!”
 Petra was paying no attention to the scene at hand, just to the attractive platinum-blonde female Rocket.  “Heh, hi, what’s your name?”
 “Tara,” she replied, nearly on the verge of being friendly when she snapped out of it.  “Hey wait, you’re the enemy!  You’re not supposed to be flirting with me!”
 “Besides,” a big, mean-looking male Rocket in the group said, “I’m Duke and she’s _my_ girlfriend.”
 “Oh?” Petra realized her mistake.  “Ehm, I’m terribly sorry, Duke, I had no idea, I’ll never do it again…”
 “Forget her, she’s in Team Rocket,” Sora consoled Petra.  “She doesn’t deserve you.”
 “Really?  You think so?” Petra asked.
 “Sure!” Sora said.  “Besides, this is a battle!  We have to fight them!”  She threw a Pokeball while Petra sweatdropped.  “Go, Treagle!”
 “She doesn’t really think Tara doesn’t deserve me,” Petra thought.  “She’s just saying that because she’s the enemy.”
 “Go, Shellder!” said Aoife.
 “I choose you, Onix!” Petra yelled, getting over Tara pretty quickly.
 “Time to battle, Gastly!” Aidan pointed Gastly into battle, as the ghost Pokemon reappeared in the middle of the group, scaring but mostly intimidating some of the Rockets.
 “Go, Exeggcutor!” Jay chose, unwisely.
 His partner-in-crime Leroy chose a Pokemon in a manner just as rash and unthinking as Jay.  “Go, Golduck!”
 “Easy,” Aidan said.  “Gastly, Dream Eater!”
 Gastly put the psychic Pokemon to sleep easily, then absorbed most of their HP for itself.
 “Go, Electrode!” Tara sent out a Pokemon.
 “Now’s your chance to get her back,” Sora said to Petra, as she was already engaged in battle with another pair of Team Rocket members.
 “Right,” Petra said.  “Onix, Bind Attack!”
 Tara’s Pokemon was defeated, and Duke sent out a Hitmonlee, which Laurie the Jynx soon defeated as well.
 “You’re gonna pay, Team Rocket,” Aoife threatened, as Clyde sent forth his Vulpix, thus starting a battle with Aoife.  “Shellder, Water Gun!”
 The battle, with Aidan, Aoife, Sora, and Petra each taking on two (sometimes more) Rockets at a time, lasted seemingly forever.  Although together they had finally beaten Bonnie, Clyde, Duke, Tara, and the two others, with only Jay and Leroy left to go. 
 “This is going to be the easy part,” Sora said.  “Should I go for help?”
 “You’re not going anywhere!” Bonnie yelled as Sora took off running for the stairs.
 “You can’t stop me!” Sora called back over her shoulder as she disappeared up the steps.  “You don’t even have any Pokemon left!”
 “Okay, this is the deciding battle,” Aoife said, partially to threaten Jay and Leroy, partially to pump herself up for the fight which would ensue.  “If we win, you give back Chu-Chu.”
 “That won’t happen,” Jay assured.  “We each have one Pokemon left, and you can’t beat it no matter how hard you try.”
 “Aif, wait,” Aidan stopped Aoife.  “I’ll fight him.  He’s used mostly psychic Pokemon until this point, and my ghosts can beat them with no problem.”  He pointed into a corner where the rubber bag was, the opening tied off so Chu-Chu couldn’t escape.  “While we battle, you go get the bag and let Chu-Chu out.  Got it?”
 “Yeah,” Aoife nodded.  “Since Sora’s not here to say it, good plan, Aidan.”
 “Go, Venomoth!” Leroy threw his last Pokemon, as Jay threw out his.
 “Go, Kadabra!”
 “I have a plan,” Aidan said.  “Go, Xerox!”
 “What’s that dumb little thing gonna do?” Leroy taunted.
 “It’s going to transform,” Aidan grinned.  Xerox started morphing, but because there were two Pokemon fighting against it, it took the form of both Kadabra and Venomoth…at once.  It was a Venodabra, a small purple Kadabra with Venomoth-like wings.
 “Now’s my chance to get Chu-Chu,” Aoife said, though she herself found it hard to tear her eyes away from the bizzare spectacle Aidan’s Xerox was creating.  But she managed to, although Leroy and Jay were still gaping at the hybrid.  She grabbed the bag and opened it, setting Chu-Chu free.
 “Pika!” Chu-Chu giggled, hugging its trainer.
 “Shh,” Aoife silenced it.  “They’re battling, see?”
 “Chaa,” Chu-Chu wondered at the Venodabra.  “Pikachu ka?”
 “I’m not sure myself,” Aoife said.  “It’s cool though, huh?”
 “Pi,” Chu-Chu nodded, watching the battle.
 “Xerox, Poison Beam!” Aidan ordered.
 “Poison Beam?” Leroy and Jay repeated.  Xerox/Venodabra used a combination of Poison Powder from its Venomoth side, and Psybeam from its Kadabra side.  The attack both poisoned its original forms, and blasted them and their trainers into the wall.
 “That’s scary…” Bonnie trembled, clutching on to Clyde.
 “Hey, guys!” Sora ran down the stairs, followed by a squad of Officer Fionas.
 “Hey, it’s Fiona from Pewter City…” Aoife said, “but there are a bunch of her.”
 “Oh, you don’t know about the Justin family?” Sora said.
 “Justin?” Aoife repeated.
 “Yeah,” Sora said.  “The Justin family all have women named Fiona, and they’re all officers in the different towns.”  She giggled.  “It used to be the Lee family, and all the women were named Jenny, but they all retired.”
 “Weird,” Aoife commented.  “Very, very weird.”
 “Wow!” Petra said giddily.  “Tons and tons of Officer Fionas!  This is great!”
 “This place is going to be shut down,” one of the Fionas said.  “For having a casino on federal property and for Team Rocket activity.”  Aoife and Sora gave each other high-fives, as did Aidan and Petra.  Justice was served again.
 

Author's Notes
Yes, Xerox can do that.  Transform into two Pokemon at once, that is, and use their combined attacks.  How come it can do that?  'Cause I made it and I said so. :P Um...this was basically just what happened in the game in Celadon City, except you don't get your Pokemon stolen in the game, fortunately.  And Bushido Blade is a real game which I've played a couple times, but I forgot the characters' names so I just made one up.   And it's not pronounced "cage", it's the Japanese sounds ka-ge.  I couldn't fit in the Who's That Pokemon, so it would probably be Xerox (not Venodabra because that would ruin the surprise, and besides it's not a real Pokemon species anyway, as I explain on the New Pokemon page).

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