If he came across one he took to on sight, he caught it — the Aerodactyl, for instance, or the Slaking.
That was how they had been caught, and they got on very well now, no worse than the Blaziken he had raised from small.
The bond was strong enough as well.
"Roar, roar—"
When Vance rode the Aerodactyl back to the base, he saw the "trio", who appeared to be waiting for him.
"What is it? Mission finished?"
Vance asked it, thinking to himself: as quickly as that?
"Yes. We've taken it."
Jessie answered, her expression rather cold.
"Good, good."
Looking at the faces of the three of them, they matched what an ordinary Team Rocket member's ought to be; they worked efficiently and they got the thing done. Not the useless articles the anime had made of them.
It gave Vance a new view of the matter.
So this really was a real world. The anime was what it was — it was not a complete map of reality.
"Then here is what we'll do. The three of you may carry out missions as you see fit. Make a good showing."
Vance thought it over and decided to let the "trio" have their head.
"Yes, sir."
All three straightened up together and answered respectfully, their eyes steady and plenty of force in their bearing.
"Good. If there's nothing else, off you go."
The "trio" took their leave and went out, closing the door behind them.
Once they had got a little way off, the faces of the "trio" changed, and the cold severity was gone.
"Heh heh. How was I back there? Cool enough?"
James got in first, and smoothed his hair as he said it.
"You'll do, meowth."
Meowth put his thumb up in agreement.
"Ha ha. Carrying on like that, we can keep our image up in front of the Branch Chief, and we finished the mission early into the bargain, which must count for a good deal with him."
Jessie laughed it out with both hands behind her head.
"So the Chief's given us our head. What do we do next, then? What'll earn us some real credit?"
James asked it, looking at Jessie.
Jessie only shook her head, and looked at Meowth.
"Meowth, you're the one full of schemes. Tell us what we do next."
"I reckon we need to make our name ring."
Meowth said it with a paw at his chin, after a moment's thought.
"And how do we make our name ring?"
James asked again.
"By doing something big, of course."
"Something big?"
James and Jessie looked at one another, and then smiled.
Something big was the very thing. Something big was what they would do.
The Chief had given the three of them a free hand with their missions; they could hardly let his expectations down.
The "trio" left the base quickly and made off into the distance, and nobody knew what they were about.
With one thing and another dealt with, Vance came as usual to the training room that was his alone, and there fed the Viridian Power into the Alakazam.
The lush green power sank into the Alakazam's body, and his expression eased with it into something pleased.
After feeding it in for a while, Vance stopped.
"Much more comfortable. I feel I might last a good deal longer myself."
The Alakazam said it with a nod. Certain hidden ailments in him had been healed under the nourishment of the Viridian Power, and his vitality had increased with them.
By the look of it he would live a good while longer.
"That's all right, then."
So the Advanced Viridian Power did work on the Alakazam, Near-Champion though he was. It was a supporting power; it could not be measured in fighting strength.
It could be used on subjects of high level as well; only the size of the effect differed.
...............
"I told you I had it all prepared. Just don't give the game away in a minute, meowth."
The trio, in the uniforms of the League's logistics department, were moving goods about on the depot floor.
The staff coming and going around them noticed nothing amiss; the "trio" had blended entirely into the workforce and did not stand out at all. Their gift for disguise was really quite good — whatever they played, they looked the part.
"This isn't right." James lowered his voice, put his mouth close to Meowth's ear and said it quietly.
"Isn't this just an ordinary depot floor? And what we're shifting is ordinary goods. We're supposed to be doing something big — what's the use of this?"
"That's right, Meowth. What's all this in aid of?"
Jessie put her doubts as well. It did not seem to have anything to do with the big thing they were going to do.
"Patience, meowth."
Meowth waved a paw, telling the two of them not to fret.
Only then did the two of them stop talking, to see what he had to say.
"We'll do something big, of course we will. But we have to keep our own strength in view as well, meowth."
"And the big thing we're doing right now is here. We throw Dark City's logistics department into chaos, and take the most valuable things with us while we're about it — though the main object, of course, is the chaos."
"Throwing the logistics department into chaos — that doesn't sound small either. How exactly do we go about it, Meowth?"
James asked it with interest. He trusted Meowth thoroughly.
"Leave that to me, naturally. The moment I set it off, we take what we can in the confusion and pull out fast. As perfect as that."
As he spoke Meowth brought out a small map, spread it in front of the two of them, took them through the escape routes and laid out the line of withdrawal.
"I've scouted all of it. You've only to carry it out, meowth."
Meowth put the map away and said it grandly.
"Ha ha ha, that's Meowth all over."
"Not bad."
And so the "trio" settled what they were going to do next.
With what he knew of machinery, Meowth had already taken control of some of the machines and found out where the valuable consignments were kept.
This, as it happened, was the best moment to move.
The goods were still inside the city and had not gone out; the staff were in safe surroundings and their guard was down. It was slacker here than on the road under escort.
Nobody would ever have imagined that Team Rocket members would be brazen enough to make a move in a place like this.
All the same the three of them went very carefully. One slip and they would come to grief here.
"It's open."
The "trio" slipped into the main warehouse; Meowth had already seen to the recognition machines.
Just as they were about to move, the main door stirred, and a middle-aged man came in with a phone cradled in his hands, speaking into it in an ingratiating tone.
"Rest easy, Mayor Delaney, the thing is quite safe. It will go to the place you named without fail, you may be sure of it. It goes out today. I'm standing in front of your consignment at this very moment, checking it over."
The man opened it, confirmed that everything was in order, and spoke into the phone again.
"I've just been through it. Nothing whatever wrong."
"...Yes, yes. Rest easy. I'll see it done properly."
The man gave his word, tidied the things away and went out to have the authorisation slip drawn up so that the goods could be sent on.
Since the great Mr Delaney had given him particular instructions he would have to be careful; do it well and he might find himself remembered by that great man, which would stand him in good stead later.
No slackness, then. It had to be done handsomely.
Once he was gone, the "trio" put their heads up from among the stacked goods, all of them wearing thoroughly ill-meaning smiles.
It seemed they had come upon something good. By the way that man had behaved, there really was something there.
Heh heh heh. In that case the three of them would not stand on ceremony.
Three shadows fell across the box. Meowth set to work, and the box was soon open, showing what was inside.
"Eh? Only papers? Important secrets, are they?"
The trio were puzzled. James picked one up and looked at it — thoroughly ordinary.
He looked at the others after that: all ordinary papers, with nothing valuable about them.
"Wait. There ought to be something here, meowth."
Meowth's eyes sharpened. He sniffed, went forward and turned things over, and soon had a false layer open, showing what lay inside.
"There really is. Meowth, you're wonderful."
"It's nothing. Nothing at all."
What lay in front of the "trio" was a Poké Ball at its shrunken size, a card with a passcode stuck to it, and a letter.
"Lord Z?? Any idea who that is? Meowth."
Meowth asked it when he had finished the letter.
"No idea. A code name, perhaps. What's the Pokémon inside this Poké Ball?"
"Let me have a look — eh, it's a Zorua!"