Giovanni had been after them for weeks, threatening to fire them if they didn't find a rare Pokemon soon. Jads and Ira were rather annoyed by it. They hated Giovanni for the most part. He was always wanting to find the most powerful Pokemon ever. He even had scientists working around the clock to create the strongest Pokemon ever.
Jads and Ira stopped by a small stream to rest for a bit, tossing their packs on the ground next to them. Jads jumped when her cell phone rang, then scrambled to pull it out of her backpack. She answered it, then wished moments later that she hadn't.
"Jads, have you and Ira found anything yet?" Giovanni said somewhat calmly.
"Not yet," Jads replied. "We're trying to use the tracker to locate Pokemon," she lied.
"If you two don't find anything by the end of the week, I'd better not see your face at the Headquarters ever again!"
With that, the phone clicked off. Jads sighed, then tossed the phone back into her pack. She pulled out the tracker that she and Ira were supposed to be using, then mumbled something quietly. She tossed the tracker back into her pack, because she wasn't about to tell Giovanni that it had been broken when she accidentally dropped it.
As Jads and Ira were relaxing, something flashed past quickly. Jads sat up, then looked around in confusion. She wondered if she had seen anything at all, then began lying back down again. Suddenly the thing rushed past them again. Jads sat up, then spotted a Pikachu running through the bushes. She sat down in annoyance, because they had already captured a Pikachu a few days ago. That and the fact that Pikachus weren't all that rare in the first place.
Jads looked up into the air as a Butterfree floated high over their heads lazily, then yawned. She jumped as the phone rang for the second time, then pulled it out of her pack angrily.
"WHAT?!" Jads yelled as she turned the phone on.
"DON'T EVER ANSWER THE PHONE LIKE THAT!" Giovanni yelled angrily.
"What do you want this time?" Jads said, not paying attention to what Giovanni had said.
"Get back to the Headquarters immediately," Giovanni replied angrily. "And you'd better get here ASAP, or else. Would you like to know what �or else' means?"
"Do I really care?" Jads snapped. She switched off the cell phone before Giovanni could respond, then removed the battery so that he couldn't call back. Jads poked Ira to wake him up, then picked up her pack. "Come on Ira, we're wanted back at the Headquarters."
"Why?" Ira asked questioningly.
"I don't know why. All I know is that Giovanni sounded pretty pissed."
Ira rolled his eyes. "Giovanni's always pissed off at everybody. What else is new?"
"It actually sounded important this time," Jads replied quietly. "And that's saying a lot when it comes from Giovanni."
Ira sniggered, then he and Jads began walking. They were a long way away from the Headquarters, so it would take them quite a while to make it back: at least two days. Knowing them, it would probably take three or four days . . .
Giovanni sighed, then picked up his phone. He hadn't gotten a single call from Jads and Ira for three days. He dialed Jads's cell phone, the waited patiently. The only thing he got, however, was static. He looked at his phone in confusion, then hung up and tried again. Once again, he only got static.
Annoyed, Giovanni hung up his phone again, then dialed Ira's cell phone number. This time, instead of static, he got nothing at all. No dial tone, no ringing, not even a busy signal. Giovanni growled in frustration, then slammed his phone down angrily. Jads and Ira had been known to switch off their cell phones when they didn't want to be called by him.
He was going to have a long chat with them when they got back, because they weren't treating him with the respect he deserved. Giovanni growled again, then looked up when there was a knock at his door. "Come in," he said sharply.
The door to Giovanni's office creaked open, then was somewhat amused to see Jads and Ira standing there. He motioned for them to shut the door, then without saying anything he stood up.
"What's so important that you had to drag us away from our search?" Jads asked, a tone of annoyance in her voice.
"Funny that you should ask," Giovanni said quietly. "But first, I've got a question for you."
"Ask away," Ira replied.
Giovanni calmly took a deep breath, then yelled, "WHY THE HELL HAVEN'T YOU TWO FOUND A POKEMON YET?!"
Jads and Ira simultaneously jumped at the sudden change in emotion displayed by Giovanni. They glanced at each other, then Jads smiled a bit. She stepped forward, pulling a few Pokeballs off her belt. Giovanni's facial expression changed, then he grabbed the Pokeballs greedily.
Jads bowed slightly, then stepped back as Giovanni opened the Pokeballs. The Pokemon captured were Pikachu, Growlithe, Beedrill, and Eevee. Giovanni smiled a bit, then looked up at Jads and Ira.
"Well, at least you two caught SOMETHING this time. That Eevee will prove to be useful."
Jads smiled, relieved that Giovanni hadn't been mad. Ira was looking relieved as well. Giovanni took the four Pokeballs and returned the Pokemon, then placed the Pokeballs on his desk. Then Giovanni sat back down in his chair.
"There's another reason that I called you two here. The scientists need some volunteers in the lab, and I was wondering if you two would be interested?"
Jads looked at Ira, then bit her lip lightly and stepped forward. "What exactly is it that we would be volunteering for?"
Giovanni squirmed slightly, because he had been hoping they wouldn't ask about the reason he was looking for volunteers. He thought for a few moments, then an idea popped into his mind.
"The scientists want some volunteers for a few tests," he said deceptively.
Jads sighed, then said, "We'll think about it."
"I do hope you accept, for the sake of the team."
With that, Giovanni gestured for them to leave. Jads and Ira quietly opened his door and left, then closed the door behind them. Jads looked at Ira with a look of concern on her face, then sighed.
"I don't even want to know what Giovanni is thinking. I've seen some of the things those scientists of his do. I want nothing to do with those experiments of theirs."
Ira nodded his head in agreement, then looked around to make sure that nobody was around to hear what he was about to say. Luckily, the corridor was empty. Ira turned to Jads, then placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I really think we should get out of here. I don't just mean leave and continue our search. I mean, I think we should leave Team Rocket completely."
Jads nodded, then replied, "I was just thinking the same thing. I'm sick and tired of having Giovanni always ordering us around. But where would we go?"
"I know just the place," Ira replied. "Let's get moving. We need to get some supplies gathered up. I've got a cabin which is not far from here. It'll take about day to get there."
Jads pulled her cell phone out of her pack, then tossed it into a garbage can as they walked down the long corridor. Ira did the same, then they headed to their lockers. Jads and Ira gathered up their personal belongings, then went to the supply room and grabbed a few things.
After they had everything they needed, they walked down the long corridor past Giovanni's office. Jads dropped a package next to Giovanni's door, then they continued walking at a faster pace. When they walked outside, Jads reached into her pocket and pulled out a watch. They stopped at the edge of the forest, then Jads and Ira turned around.
"Hail Giovanni," Jads said angrily, pressing a button on the side of the watch. Immediately an explosion rang out, and a large cloud of smoke appeared where Giovanni's office was. Alarms filled the air, and Jads and Ira disappeared into the forest, leaving the Headquarters of Team Rocket for the final time . . .
Giovanni slowly woke up, then looked around as his vision cleared. The air was smoky, and there was a gaping hole in the wall and ceiling where his door used to be. He was lying next to the far wall of his office and his desk was next to him, tipped on its front.
Giovanni sat up, then brushed himself off. He tried to stand, but a stabbing pain in his leg immediately prevented him from doing so. He clutched his leg, then was surprised to find that his pants were moist.
He pulled his hand away, only to find it stained with blood. He slowly pulled up his pant leg to examine the wound, gritting his teeth as he did so. He found a sharp piece of wood embedded deeply in the skin, blood oozing from the wound. Giovanni's training immediately came back to him. He ripped a strip of fabric from the bottom of his pant leg, then wrapped it snugly around the wound.
Satisfied with the makeshift bandage, Giovanni stood up slowly, supporting himself on the desk. He wondered why nobody had come to his aid yet, but immediately realized why when he looked at the hole. A large pile of rubble and debris was covering the hole, a bit of light filtering in through the ceiling.
Giovanni looked at the hole in despair, wondering how long it would take for somebody to be able to get to him. Suddenly, however, and idea popped into his mind. He looked around for his cell phone, which he always kept on top of his desk. If it hadn't been damaged or destroyed, he would be able to call somebody.
Giovanni rummaged through the scattered items on the floor, then glanced at the pile of debris. Chances were that his cell phone wouldn't be anywhere near the pile, because the phone had been sitting on top of his desk, and the desk had been pushed across the room by the explosion.
Giovanni sighed, then sat down on top of his toppled desk. He glanced at his watch, which was still working perfectly, then was surprised to find that he had been unconscious for approximately two hours. He glanced around his office again, the noticed something sticking out from underneath a pile of papers. He stood up and walked over to where the papers were, then brushed them aside and was relieved to find his cell phone amongst the papers.
Giovanni quickly dialed in the first number that popped into his head, then swore to himself as the sound of static greeted his ears. He swore again, realizing that he had dialed Jads's number. He hung up, the dialed a different number rapidly. A few moments later, one of Giovanni's scientists answered the phone.
Relieved that he had contacted someone, Giovanni explained his situation to the scientist. The scientist was ecstatic to hear that Giovanni wasn't dead, but still listened to what Giovanni had to say. After the brief but enthusiastic conversation was over, Giovanni hung up his phone and sighed. It would take the others a while to clear out the debris. He looked at the wound on his leg, then looked up at the large pile of rubble.
All at once, a thought flashed through Giovanni's mind. He remembered that he had talked to two people about the scientists' experiments previously that day. But his memory was still hazy. He probably had a mild concussion. As he thought harder, he suddenly slammed his fist angrily on the floor. "Jads and Ira will pay for this . . ."
Jads sighed quietly, her legs aching. She turned to Ira and said, "Just how far is it to this place, anyway?"
Ira smiled, then replied, "Not much farther, don't worry."
Jads groaned, then said, "Ira, you told me the exact same thing two hours ago."
"Don't worry, Jads, I know it can't be much farther."
"How can you be so sure?" Jads snapped, somewhat irritated.
Ira smiled, then replied, "Because, Jads, it's right there."
Jads looked to where Ira was pointing, then breathed a sigh of relief. Just ahead of them in a clearing was a large cabin, which looked like it could provide shelter for an entire family. As they got to the door, Ira pulled out a set of keys. He examined each one, then finally produced a smaller brass key. He inserted the key in the lock, then twisted it. The lock clicked, then Ira pushed the door open.
Ira and Jads stepped inside the cabin, then switched on a light switch. As the light came on brightly, Ira dropped his things on a couch. Jads did the same, then sat down in an overstuffed chair, sore from the long hike.
"So, now what do we do?" Jads asked. "Team Rocket is going to wonder where we went, then figure out that we caused the explosion."
"Well," Ira began, "since we know Team Rocket will retaliate, it's probably going to be a good idea to prepare for such an attack."
"And how do you propose we do that?" Jads asked, a tone of interest in her voice.
Ira smiled, then said, "Hang on a second, I'll be right back."
Jads nodded, then wondering what Ira was up to as he hurriedly walked into another room. He returned a minute later with a large brown envelope in his hand. He opened the flap, then pulled out quite a few papers and folded documents. He picked up a piece of paper that was at the top of the pile, then handed it to Jads.
Jads whispered quietly as she read over the paper, then looked up at Ira in amusement. "So, you had a backup plan this entire time?"
Ira nodded. "Ever since I joined Team Rocket, I had a backup plan. I knew that if I ever returned to this cabin, it would be because I left Team Rocket. All the information we'll ever need is contained in these papers, maps, and layouts."
"Layouts?" Jads asked quietly.
"Yes, Layouts," Ira replied. He picked up a heavier piece of paper, then unfolded it and laid it out on the table in the middle of the room. Drawn out on the paper were plans to a large facility of some sort. Jads studies them carefully, then smiled.
"So, where is this place?" Jads asked excitedly.
"You're sitting in it," Ira replied.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Jads asked, suddenly confused. "I don't see anything on those plans that ever remotely resembles this place."
"Well, of course not," Ira replied softly. "It hasn't been built yet."
"That wasn't very comforting," Jads replied pessimistically.
"Keep in mind Jads, these are only plans. I was hoping that I'd never have to do this, which is why none of this stuff ever got built."
"Well, you should've planned ahead a bit more," Jads responded dryly. Then another idea popped into her head. "So, what are you going to call this organization that you have planned?"
"Well, since we want to prove a point, I'm considering calling it something with �Team Rocket' in it, but not exactly the same."
"That makes sense," Jads said. "But what else can we add to it to make it different?"
"Well, that depends. Since we broke away from Team Rocket in the first place, we should start this as a branch off of the original TR."
"You're beginning to confuse me," Jads replied, trying to figure out what Ira had just said.
"I have an idea," Ira replied. "Pick a number."
Jads smiled, then said, "In that case, I'll choose my lucky number. It's 12."
"Well, since you put it that way, my lucky number is 47."
Jads then rolled her eyes. "I kinda like yours better. My number hasn't been all to lucky in recent years."
"All right then, 47 it is," Ira replied positively.
"I have a question. What does picking a number have to do with this organization?"
"The number is what we're going to be known as to everybody who hears about us," Ira replied resourcefully.
"WHAT?" Jads blurted, somewhat shocked. "You're saying that we want every body to know us as 47?"
"No," Ira replied. "We want everybody to know us as Team Rocket47."
Jads glanced down at the layout of the facility, which looked more like a compound, then smiled in approval. "All right then. Team Rocket47 it is . . ."