38 carnage came early

Weepinbell stood in the middle of the room spreading out his powder moves all over the ground on the first floor. Scyther sped up the stairs and melded into the shadows. Rex, Machoke and Growlithe leisurely walked up the stairs towards the second floor.

On the second floor, the same thing happened. Scyther used double team and took out all the surrounding grunts that were caught off guard. Naturally this did not go completely unnoticed and soon the other grunts were alerted. Machoke put Growlithe on the floor and sped forward to take care of the grunts Pokémon.

Rex fought with the grunts themselves which were entertaining for him. It had been so long since he could let off some steam and who better than some low-life scum. Scyther stood back and observed and only interfered when there was a need.

The same thing happened on the 3rd level although the skill level of the grunts increased. Scyther was still effective, but he was getting noticed quicker. Machoke was having a field day, smashing Pokémon into the walls. Some even broke through them which sent them flying out of the tower where Gyarados and Onix were waiting.

Now and then you could hear the scream of a grunt as he got sent flying through the air by Gyarados's hydro pump or Onix rollout. On the 4th level, there were elite guards which still posed no problem for Machoke, but Scyther could not pick off unsuspecting targets, so he only fought openly with Machoke. Rex was beating the living shit out of the grunts. Some had broken legs, some had broken arms, and some had broken jaws and noses. He never left them intact as their bodies littered the ground.

On the 5th and 6th level, there were fewer elite grunts, but they were borderline commander level, Rex was surprised and extremely excited since he might be able to get some actual combat experience from this. His Pokémon had been training a lot, but they needed experience battling other Pokémon. That was why he rotated his Pokémon in each gym battle.

Rex walked up the stairs to find a man sitting on a box talking to a tied up old man. The old man was bald and had long grey eyebrows and a lightly hunched figure. The man on the box was younger about 35 and had a scar across his cheek and a much more luxurious suit than the other grunts.

Rex stepped forward calmly and walked over to the duo. His footsteps echoed through the silent room. The inaudible discussion between the two was halted as Rex came into sight. They both turned to find a young man with silver-white hair, blue eyes covered in blood followed by an almost 2-meter-tall shadow.

Rex "Sorry, did I interrupt your conversation?" he asked with a grin. The man on the box didn't react absurdly or begin to shout, he simply turned to rex and took a sip of his tea that was previously hidden by his body.

Commander "not really, I was having a chat with my kind guest here," he said after swallowing his tea and looking at his captive.

Mr Fuji "I plead you please leave this place, this is a place for the mourning of the dead, it is a sacrilege to tarnish it with your people," he said in a begging tone.

Commander "I can't do that; we have found a new type of Pokémon here and we need to catch it but it's incredibly slippery. I can only ask you to co-operate," he said with a smile.

Mr Fuji "new Pokémon? Why have I not heard of it? I have been here for a long time," he said sceptically.

Commander "that is exactly why you are here sir, after all you are one of the most knowledgeable about Pokémon, wasn't it you who help us with "that" project?" he asked with a smile.

Mr Fuji "I did not HELP you! YOU stole my research and destroyed the place," he said indignantly.

Commander "same thing," he said shrugging. He turned to Rex and chuckled.

Commander "and what are you doing here kiddo? Beating all the grunts I brought, and such excessive injuries, do you have a grudge against us or something?" he asked with intrigue.

Rex "team rocket has been pissing me off lately so I thought I would pay you guys a visit when I heard you were in town. But I have to say your hospitality was quite lacking," he said feigning disappointment.

Commander "HA! Cheeky kid, well I will have to beat you to a pulp anyway since you have cost me a lot of time," he said with a laugh. He didn't seem at all angry which contrasted his words. Rex became serious since opponents like this were usually the toughest to beat. Maybe he could push Machoke to the limit, he thought before an excited smile crept on his face.

The commander pulled out a Pokeball and lazily threw it out. Toxicroak came out with a pop. Rex was surprised at the Pokémon. This was a Pokémon not native to Kanto which was rare. Even more, excitement burned in his chest.

Rex "Good! Show me what you have," he said with a laugh. The commander was surprised at the face Rex was making. He looked like a madman who wanted nothing but to fight. But before he could say anything he heard Rex speak again.

Rex "Machoke, maybe for once we can let loose, it will be a shame about the building though," he said with a disheartened sigh. The commander was curious since he didn't see a Machoke anywhere. The shadows in the surrounding moved and before he could react a terrifying chuckle could be heard before an almost two-meter tall Machoke walked out as his steps caused the stone floor to crack slightly.

The commander shat a brick at the sight.

Commander 'is that even a Machoke, why would you call that monster a Machoke you dumbass!' he screamed in his head. Machoke's eyes shined with a purple hue in the barely lit room. He calmed down after a lot of effort and concentrated on the man in front of him.

Rex "let's take this out of the building I don't want this sacred place hurt due to our fight," he said to the commander. The commander thought about whether it was to his advantage to do so and concluded that it was not. This place was small and restrictive and was too high up from the ground which could be detrimental if his Toxicroak fell. He therefore nodded and walked down the stairs.

Mr Fuji was about to follow when he was stopped by Rex.

Rex "Mr you should stay here and make peace with Marowak, Cubone should be here soon," he said mysteriously before walking away. Mr Fuji was confused when he saw a small shadow appear in the room after Rex left. It was Cubone who had indeed followed.