After trading numbers with Lenora, Nuztai thanks her for the adventure and resumes his quest. After all, he can’t catch anything for the living ‘dex until he reaches Kurt in Azalea town. Nuztai spends a little time further training his new team additions, taking a little time to piece together his Unown’s strange move, Hidden Power, and finally determining it to be a Rock type move.

Before reaching Union Cave, Nuztai stops in a rest house on the river shore where many fishermen gather to rest and have some refreshments. After a brief conversation about his love of water Pokémon, Nuztai is given an old rod by an old man. Nuztai thanks him, and rather than heading for Union Cave, backtracks to Violet City, adding the previous randomizer selection, Arya the Poliwag, to his team.

The addition was perfect, and makes traveling through Union Cave much easier, but even a water type has its limits. Upon exiting the other side of the cave, Nuztai swaps Arya to the back of his team to give her a break. Shortly thereafter, however, a hiker named Anthony challenges him to battle. Assuming his first Pokémon was Arya by mistake, Nuztai sends Sansa into battle Anthony’s geodude. The pidgey flies with speed and grace to try and defeat the geodude quickly, but Anthony eventually realizes the weakness, and with a powerful Rock Throw, Sansa is gone. The battle weary Arya is sent in her place, finishing the battle with ease. Nuztai’s knees hit the ground as the gravity of his rookie mistake hits him. Just as he had a full team, he had let another pidgey die. Cersei must not share Sansa and the long lost Barry’s fates.

Hoping to rebuild his team, Nuztai checks his randomizer for the area. Paydirt! A pixelated Zubat image appears, and Nuztai begins hunting for the Pokémon while it’s still dark. It doesn’t take much searching, and a short battle later results in Bronn the Zubat joining the team. After training with Bronn for a little bit, he heads to Azalea Town.

The small town is surprisingly well lit tonight, and Nuztai enters the Pokémon Center to heal his team. He plans to rest there until morning before walking over to Kurt’s house to discuss the needed Pokéballs. Nuztai had Kurt make Pokéballs for him before, long ago when he had last been through Johto, so he had been collecting Apricorns regularly as he travelled, knowing they’re an important part of their creation. But just as Nuztai is about to settle into one of the Center’s cots, a very suspicious, shadowy figure goes by outside as if running out of the town. Nuztai tries to shrug it off and go to sleep, but it eats at him, until finally he gets up, quietly gathers his things, and leaves to follow the figure.

As Nuztai leaves Azalea town, he wonders if he’ll even be able to catch up to the mysterious person, but no sooner does he reach Slowpoke well outside of town does he see someone start climbing down it. Nuztai makes his move to follow. But as Nuztai begins climbing, the well fills with haunting moans and cries. The hair on the back of his stands on end, and he uses extreme caution climbing the rest of the way down.

At the bottom of the well, Nuztai makes out a familiar shadowy figure on the ground. No sooner than he sees it does the figure let out a horrible moan. Suddenly it makes sense. Nuztai runs over to the figure, an old man, who is clutching his ankle. It’s Kurt.

“Kurt! What the hell are you doing climbing down slowpoke well in the first place?” asks Nuztai has looks at the pained old man’s ankle.

“Who are you? You look so familiar…” asks Kurt. He squints hard to try to make out Nuztai’s face in the dim light coming down from the top of the well.

“It’s Nuztai. Do you remember me? I travelled Johto once when I was much younger. You used to make your special Pokéballs for me.” explains Nuztai. Kurt’s eyes go wide with the realization of who Nuztai is.

“Ah, Nuztai! You’re timing, though strange, is quite perfect!” exclaims Kurt. “There’s a group of lowlifes that have taken to the well of late. I was suspicious of them, so I began watching them from the woods to see what they were up to. I was cautious at first because I wasn’t sure how many there were. But now I don’t care! We must stop them!”

“YOU aren’t going anywhere on that ankle for a while, Kurt.” chastises Nuztai. “What are these guys doing that’s got you so upset that you’re climbing down the well at your age, anyway?”

“Cutting off slowpoke tails!” Kurts yells in a loud whisper. “The slowpoke are so dim that they usually don’t feel the pain of it until it’s well over, but it still hurts them! And even though the tails grow back, the slowpoke are left with no way to eat if the entire tail is severed. It’s not unusual for something to snip off the tip while the slowpoke fish with their tail, but without the entire tail, the slowpoke may starve, unable to fish at all!”

“That’s gruesome! Why would anyone want to cut their tails anyway?” inquires Nuztai.

“Some kind of delicacy, apparently.” explains Kurt while Nuztai begins wrapping Kurt’s ankle using his emergency supplies. “Whoever these guys are, they’re after quick cash by selling these on the black market.”

“Got it.” says Nuztai as he finishes the wrap. He stands up and looks to the tunnel in the back of the well. “I’ll stop these creeps myself.”

A short ways into the well, Nuztai confronts a man gasping and panting. After asking what was the matter, the man reveals to Nuztai that he was chased down the well by some old coot. That’s when Nuztai sees the logo on his shirt. Team Rocket. Nuztai boils with anger and quickly bests the man in Pokémon battle, ordering the loser to get lost and never come back.

Nuztai battled through a few more grunts before encountering a tall, blue-haired man in the back of the cave.

“What have we here.” Says the man as Nuztai angrily approaches. “I am Proton, and I am often labeled as the scariest and cruelest guy in Team Rocket… I strongly urge you not to interfere with our business!”

“Soft words for the scariest and cruelest guy in Team Rocket” responds Nuztai mockingly and tossing out a Pokéball, initiating battle.

Cersei’s Gust does quick, heavy damage to Proton’s zubat, and Zubat’s Supersonic misses. Cersei quickly finishes the zubat with a Tackle. Proton then sends in Koffing.

“It doesn’t matter where we go, there’s always someone who doesn’t agree with us!” Yells Proton.

“Well yeah, you’re scumbag criminals!” Nuztai hollers back.

Cersei whips up another Gust to blow away Koffing’s Poison Gas attack. Cersei gets in close for a Quick Attack, but is poisioned by Koffing’s Smog. Nuztai takes no chances and swaps to Varys, who is quickly poisoned as well. Varys’ Hidden Power deals considerable damage to Koffing, who responds with more Smog. Another Hidden Power and Koffing is defeated.

“Are you serious!” exclaims Proton as he recalls Koffing. “Did you seriously come here to stop us!”

“I defeated Team Rocket before, and I’ll do it again!” yells Nuztai.

“Humph… Team Rocket was indeed broken up years ago.” says Proton. “But we continued our activities underground. A small obstacle like you won’t be much of a problem for our mission. I advise you to be very afraid of what is to come! The boss’ll hear about this!” In a flash of darkness, they all disappear.

“Way to go, Nuztai!” Kurt yells from across the tunnel as he limps over. “Team Rocket has taken off. My back is better, too. Why do you look so shocked? Let’s hurry and get out of here.”

“The boss…” said Nuztai solemnly. “He said ‘the boss’ll hear about this.’ He couldn’t mean…”



