Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Len had scoped out the Burnt Tower all day. He had taken the tour twice, Zubat riding on his shoulder. He'd done his research.

While the first floor of the tower was the only one open to the public, there were sections of the second and even the third floor that were still accessible to pokemon with certain abilities or to humans who were especially determined. That wasn't Len's goal tonight though.

If he was going to earn Mick's friendship back only a proper gift would do, and the charcoal from the burnt tower was supposed to be extremely potent. Most of the tower had been picked clean or fixed up years ago, but Len was betting there were corners of the basement that were still untouched.

Strolling into a gutted ruin of a building in the middle of the night was the kind of stupid thing any macho trainer would do for a dare, so there was actually decent security around the tower. Luckily Len wasn't a standard "Gonna catch 'em all" trainer; he was a thief, and an expert thief at that.

The guard, the first of three, passed by Len's hiding spot, a Growlithe at his heels. The Growlithe would be able to smell Len and Zubat, but that was half the reason he'd taken the tour a second time. Their scent would already be prevalent in the area. Len waited until the pair had turned the corner before slipping into the tower proper. From there he was home free. The guards only poked their heads in once an hour and never actually came inside due to the supposed danger.

Really, his talents were being wasted

He pictured the route he'd walked that morning. The safe paths had been roped off. In the daylight the burnt ruined patches were obviously visible, not so much now.

A gesture sent Zubat out ahead of him, and stepped over the rope barrier.

Zubat had been his first pokemon. It was true that she wasn't overly powerful or flashy, but after so many years they worked together smoothly without even the spoken commands that most trainers relied on. Len knew to listen for Zubat’s supersonic call at the edge of his hearing, stepping forward only when Zubat chirped that it was safe. When there was something on the floor, Zubat swooped low to indicate the height and he wordlessly stepped over or around it. Len kept one hand out both for balance and so Zubat could duck back and press more complex directions against his hand.

Zubat knew roughly what they were searching for, and slowly led Len deeper into the structure in search of something with the right sound. Len would have to do the final checks with a small flashlight he had, but until then he trusted Zubat to lead him in the right direction.

Len felt the board creek under his foot and froze. The night was still.  Somewhere in the dark above him Zubat fluttered through the darkness. Zubat was good, but he could fly. He could only do so much to estimate weight loads. Len breathed out, balancing on the balls of his feet. He focused on lowering his center of gravity. His next step made the floor creek again, but it sounded more like something settling into place rather than something giving way.

He was fine. It was all fine.  His heart pounded in his chest. Zubat fluttered closer, chirping a question.

"I'm fine. Any sign?" Len whispered.

Zubat ducked off to the left, and Len turned in that direction.  Only then did the floor give out.

Fractured boards gave way under his feet, and Len fell, the dark swallowing him whole. He flailed but found nothing to hold onto. Zubat cried out, zipping down after him. He hit the ground, legs crumpling under him. His back hit the ground and all the air was forced from his lungs. Dust and dirt filled the air around him, making him cough as he tried to get his breath back. Zubat hovered over him, darting back and forth, clearly unsure what to do.

Len closed his eyes and focused on just breathing for several long minutes. He felt terrible. His whole body ached. He was still fighting not to cough every third breath, and his knees were throbbing. It felt like he had splinters in every bare inch of skin. He tried to blink open his eyes and only saw spots. There was a small pressure as Zubat nudged his shoulder.

"Still alive." Len croaked.

Zubat chirped. She didn't sound reassured. Len tried to wave a hand, but mostly he just lifted it and let it flop back down. He had to be in the basement, which, alright, he'd been trying to get down here, but he'd also been trying to get down here without cracking his skull open. He carefully felt his skull just in case. Still in one piece.

The guards had undoubtedly heard his fall. If they found him, he would likely be arrested for trespassing. He hadn’t stollen anything yet so they couldn’t get him for that.

Len spent a few minutes listening, but only heard the creak of the old building, the whistle of the wind around the jagged boards, and his own breathing. Either they were waiting for someone to call for help or they’d assumed it was just a part of the old tower finally giving way under the years. Zubat would have gone for help if Len had been too badly injured, but they'd been through too much together for the pokemon to panic and run for help at the first sign of trouble.

At least Len's eyes were starting to adjust. He could see the hole in the ceiling that he'd fallen through and the lighter gray of the room beyond.  Natu could get him out, teleporting him back to the pokemon center or any number of other checkpoints he'd had him memorize. With any luck, he wouldn’t have to do any climbing in the dark.

Len levered himself off the ground. No broken bones. Maybe some bruising, but he'd get over that.

"Might as well get what we came for, since we've gone to all the trouble." Len muttered under his breath.

Zubat took that as her cue to take to the air. Len squinted into the dark, trying to follow his pokemon's progress. The space he was in was larger then he'd expected. It wasn't some big empty room either. Scattered around were the foundation pillars that still held up the temple above, three feet square, and rooted in the earth as deeply as any tree. Between the pillars were the shapes of boulders and brickwork that had collapsed. Len could smell fresh earth over the ever present scent of charcoal. There were pokemon down here, diglett possibly, or other tunnelers. Len was willing to bet that zubats roosted down here during the day. It was lucky they would all be out at this time at night. He didn't need any territory squabbles between his Zubat and the others on top of everything else.

Len’s Zubat fluttered back towards him, circling him once before moving off to hover a few feet away. Len considered the chances of someone noticing the glow of his flash against the unpleasantness of twisting an ankle on top of everything else. Light it was.

The flashlight Len had brought had thankfully not been crushed in his fall, though it did take a few smacks to get it working. There were definitely signs of rattata and zubat around. Len stepped lightly as he started after his pokemon.

Slipping around a pillar, Len stumbled and nearly slid down the side of an even deeper pit. Len waved his flashlight around until he found Zubat.

"Really?"

Zubat bounced in the air.

Len wasn't one of those people who claimed pokemon and trainers started to look alike after a while but he'd be the first to admit that his sense of humor might have rubbed off on them. This didn't seem to be a bad joke though. Zubat darted away and back, urging Len to follow. Whatever she'd found, she really wanted Len to see it.

Len stuck the flashlight between his teeth and gingerly felt his way down. If he hadn't gotten turned around in the fall, he estimated he was under the center of the tower, and at least two stories down. The ground down here was strangely flat. It was packed earth rather than hard stone, and it had been swept clear of detritus. Then the beam of his flashlight swept over a glittering form and Len froze in place.

The pokemon wasn't moving. Len couldn't tell if it was sleeping or paralyzed. He also couldn't tell what kind of pokemon it was. The pokemon was built along the same lines as any dog type, but bigger. Five feet tall at the shoulder and at least half again as long in the body, it had long slender pale-blue limbs with diamond patches of white, and a large crystal on its head. A purple-blue mane drifted around it in a faint breeze.

What Len knew about the so called legendary pokemon was mostly limited to second and third hand tales, that the Rocket grunts and his dad passed around. Mewtwo had single handedly destroyed a dozen Rocket bases, and that was without a trainer or any real experience. There were the stories that were more legend than fact, speaking of giant birds and forest spirits. Tales telling of Pokemon with the powers to reshape the world or even bend time.

Len would be the first to admit that he didn't study pokemon, not like a lot of trainers. He wasn't interested in advantages or move combinations. He couldn't name every pokemon from it's silhouette. That didn't mean that he didn't realise what he was looking at.

Len considered calling out Natu and getting out of there. That would probably be the smart thing to do.

One thing the stories had in common was that anyone who encountered a legendary was judged, and if they were found wanting, the consequences were often dire. Len knew what he was. He was the brat son of a Rocket grunt. He was a thief, and a treasure hunter. He didn't have a destiny. He didn't want one, even if catching a legendary would mean he'd never have to worry about respect ever again. He'd never have to worry about his dad. The Rockets would beg and bribe him to return, and when he told them no there'd be nothing they could do about it.

Yeah, right.

Len didn't have a mountain of spare pokeballs, or any pokemon that could stand up to a legendary.  He wasn't prepared for anything like this. He took a step back and only then realized his mistake.

It wasn't one legendary pokemon, it was three.

A second stocky dog frame lounged to his right. It was a deep russet brown, with an armored crown on its head and spikes emerging from its back under a smoky gray mane. On his left a third dog shape glittered yellow. That one had fangs, a purple-blue ruff and a zig-zag lighting blue tail. Len suddenly remembered the plaque outside the tower, and the story of the three pokemon who had been caught in the fire. They had been resurrected by another legendary pokemon, taking on the powers of the fire and storm in the process.

He might have been able to manage a situation with one legendary-- it was asleep after all-- but he couldn’t deal with three.

Zubat landed on his shoulder, vibrating with either nerves or excitement. Len took a slow step back. Once he was out of their den, he'd bring out Natu and get out of there, but he didn't want to risk it there in the middle of them. It was already a risk teleporting anywhere near them. Even if they couldn't follow, any psychic pokemon would be able to tell where they'd gone. Were all legendary pokemon psychic, or was that a myth?

He took another step back, flashlight flicking over the yellow pokemon, then the red, checking that they were still asleep.

He turned back to the blue one just in time to see it blink open its eyes and raise it's head.

This really wasn't Len's day.

The crystal on its brow glittered in the beam from his flashlight as it's mane billowed around it, white ribbons lashing the air. Zubat squeaked and tried to burrow inside the collar of his jacket. Len planted his feet and braced himself for whatever came next. He wasn't suicidal. He'd do everything in his power to stay alive, but he knew the odds were against him. He wasn't going to run from the legendary, and he knew he couldn't escape, not if it wanted to chase him. It could wipe him out with a single stray move. Len knew the feeling that hung over the room all too well, heavy and blanketing, ready to strike him down.  There was no way to escape. No one to ask for help.

Well, he'd escaped his father. He'd escaped the Rockets, and, legendary or not, this wasn't any different.

The crystal legendary tilted it's head to the side, studying him.

"If you'll excuse me, I was just leaving" Len said, channeling every bit of icy control he had. He nodded casually and stepped backwards. The pokemon shifted so it was sitting upright, its legs underneath it. It was casual but it still put it only a gesture away from pouncing. Then it spoke.

"Suicune," it said in a voice that resonated in the air like a bell.

Len was getting really tired of freezing in place. It was instinctual, yes, but it was also undignified. He wasn't some rattata who had been spotted by a ferow, even if he felt a little like it when the two other legendaries blinked awake and yawned, showing fangs as long as his hand.

All three of the legendaries were looking at him now. Len admitted to himself that it was time to switch to the contingency plans. He patted his collar where Zubat was huddled under his jacket. He knew that if he asked the little pokemon would try to fight. He would assume that Len had a plan and would trust him to get them out of there, but Len would never ask. Instead he tapped the pokeball on his belt and spoke:

"Zubat return."

A beam of red light zipped out from under his jacket, leaving Len alone against a force he couldn't hope to fight.

"Okay, what now?" Len asked, pushing his shoulders back and raising his chin. He almost considered putting his hands in his pockets for that extra bit of casual swagger, but he might need to act fast, and having to withdraw his hands would only slow him down. "I take it you don't want me to leave. I'm not planning on fighting you, so are we going to sit around and chat? Have a nice picnic?"

The yellow legendary studied him, then looked at the blue one, Suicune. Len thought it might be confused. Everyone who lived with pokemon got used to reading their body language to some extent, but it also depended on the pokemon so he couldn't be 100% sure.

The red-brown one barked out a short call that wasn't quite a roar. It looked at Suicune too. "Entei. En, Enteeei," it said.

Suicune tilted it's head, "-cune, Suicune."

Then the yellow one stepped in with, "Raikou?"

"--cune," Suicune nodded.

Len was starting to feel left out.

Raikou nodded, then turned, and, with a flash of lightning, it vanished. Len lifted his arm too late, blinking his eyes to try to get some of his night vision back.

"Entei," the red one said from somewhere in the dark. Len could feel it as it circled him, and then there was a shift in the air and its presence at his back vanished. Len focused on getting his vision back, his mind furiously running through the implications. On the up side, he only had to worry about one legendary again. On the down side he might have just unleashed a storm of fire and lightning on the nearby towns... and he still had one legendary to deal with. At least it didn't seem like it was going to kill him straight off.

"Just you and me huh? Well, I'm flattered, but whatever you were expecting, I'm not it. I wasn't searching for you and I don't want to catch you." Not that he would have said no to a catching a legendary, but he wasn’t going to fool himself that he had some destiny or whatever. In fact he went ahead and said that. "I'm not the hero you're looking for."

"Suicune," it said, and Len had never wished for a magical translator more than he did in that moment. It stepped forward. It was as tall as him, taller if he counted that crystal on it's head, and able to look him easily in the eye. Its eyes were a dark red that practically glowed in the darkness. Len refused to look away.

"Suicune," there was a finality in its tone. Len waited.

Then waited some more.

When his inner clock ticked past the four minute mark and Suicune was still just watching him, Len sighed and rubbed at his eyes.

"Okay, think whatever you want. It doesn't change anything." His hand fell to his pokeballs, already running through his options. Natu was still his fastest way out. Zubat knew the area already and could use confuse or poison. Unfortunately, Zubat had made her opinion on the situation clear. His hand landed on an empty pokeball. Len glanced at Suicune. The legendary was still just standing there expectantly. He unclipped the spare pokeball.

"Is this what you want? If you want to come with me, see the world and all that, we can work something out. I'm not exactly a standard trainer but..." He held out the empty pokeball at arms length. Suicune looked at it, then back at him. Len couldn't tell if the look was meant to convey dry sarcasm or pity.

"Yeah, I didn't think so." He clipped the pokeball back to his belt. "Unless you have any other objections I'm going to leave now." He waved the flashlight back towards where he'd fallen through the floor.  Suicune just blinked at him.

Len felt the urge to throw up his hands but didn't because that would be disrespectful. Instead he turned and started looking for the easiest way out.

Behind him, Suicune followed. Len glanced back, but when that was all that the  legendary did, he got on with it and kept moving. It was a bit surreal, scrambling through the dark with the enormous presence looming at his back. Eventually he got back to the hole he'd fallen through. It was too high for him to reach on his own and Suicune still hadn't acted, so he called out Natu. The little bird was sleepy and looked around with interest, quickly teleporting him outside the building. Dew hung heavy in the air, and the first stirring of morning mist crept over the grass. A few lazy hoothoots fluttered softly through the early dawn light. The streetlights of the town were off to his right. Behind him, the farmlands of route 38 stretched off into the distance.Len considered going to the pokemon center, but none of his pokemon were injured, and people might ask about all the soot and dirt on his clothes. Instead he chose to fade back into the trees. He'd find a barn with a disused hayloft where he could get a few hours sleep, and decide what to do from there.

Len fully expected that to be the end of it. A funny story he told over drinks that no one actually believed. He hadn't even gotten any charcoal for Mick. Except that when he finally climbed down from his napping spot the next afternoon, Suicune was settled against the wall of the old barn.

"What the hell?" Len asked before he could think better of it. Suicune just blinked, its mane billowing out behind it.

"Look, I told you I'm not the hero you're looking for, and you said you didn't want to come with me, so what? Is this just turnabout? I woke you up so now you're going to wake me up? Fine, I'm sorry. I already said I really didn't mean to do that."

The legendary pokemon remained silent and watchful.

"Fine, I'm leaving then." Len stuffed his hands in his pockets and started marching towards the road.

He hadn't exactly made a plan after last night's failed heist. He still would have liked to have a gift before he went back to Mick, but he didn't have any other ideas and going back to the burnt tower was out.  Suicune just watched him walk away, only standing when he'd hiked nearly half a mile through the field. Then Suicune vanished in a burst of cold wind. Len rolled his eyes as he marched onwards.

He finally decided to head back through Ecruteak City and head south from there. He had a safehouse in Goldenrod that he could crash in for a while while he came up with a new plan.

The next morning he woke up from where he'd ended up camping at the edge of the national park to find Suicune watching him from across the embers of his campfire. He blinked slowly trying to wake up and come up with a good response at the same time.

"You realize that's creepy right?" Len asked. He was pretty sure Suicune wasn't going to kill him at this point. What the pokemon actually wanted he couldn't guess. He hadn't tried to lead Len anywhere or battle him and his pokemon. Suicune had barely even said anything.

A part of him wondered if Suicune would follow him into the city. Did the legendary care about being seen? Having a legendary follow him around town would get a lot of attention, even if Suicune didn't do a thing he said. It would definitely boost his reputation, but it might not be worth the hassle. That kind of reputation came with a lot of people looking to battle, and Len really wasn't that kind of trainer.

Len slowly extracted himself from his sleeping bag before he dug through his pack. He'd been too distracted the day before to bother with little things like breakfast, but he wasn't going to let Suicune throw him off a second... a third time. Suicune watched without comment as he called out Zubat, Natu, and Sneasel and passed out food to each. The three pokemon looked nervous around Suicune, but followed his lead in ignoring the legendary.

Sneasel insisted on walking beside Len when they headed out a half hour later. This time Len kept a better eye out and noticed Suicune checking up on him throughout the morning, at least until he got to the outskirts of Goldenrod. When he stepped through the gates into the city proper he was fairly sure he was safe. He hadn't seen Suicune in over an hour. Then he started picking up on something else.

Black.

There were a lot of people wearing black. It could be just a coincidence, it wasn't actually Rocket uniforms. Len knew those uniforms better than he'd like. But still. This was exactly the kind of posturing that the higher ups liked to encourage. They encouraged their followers to intimidate the other trainers, forcing them to hesitate before attacking and ensuring that they wouldn’t team up and fight back.. And for there to be this many of them out in broad daylight, they must have been moving into the area for a while.

Len cursed under his breath, recalling Sneasel before anyone caught on that he was an uncommon type even for Johto. He wondered how long they'd been here. He'd been over in Olivine fleasing cruise passengers for the past month or so-- god he should have been paying more attention. Len picked up his pace, heading for the safehouse he kept over by the docks in the north-west part of town. He didn't breath easily until he'd locked the door behind him.

The safehouse wasn't big. It was an old office space, but he'd done his best to convert the break room in the back into somewhere comfortable and he had wifi, power, and water from the other offices in the complex. All it was really missing was a shower. Len released his pokemon, did his usual check of the building, considered how long he was going to stay, and made a mental shopping list. He was just about to check the local news and try to figure out what he'd missed when he heard shuffling at the door.

Natu and Zubat looked up from where they were perched on the table. Sneasel looked his way and raised a claw in question. Len slowly sat up. The door swung open and everyone inside relaxed a fraction when a broad shouldered silhouette was framed in the doorway. Arcanine came in first, carrying a plastic bag in his enormous jaws. Mick,  carrying two bags of his own, was only a step behind. Len's pokemon called out greetings, and Arcanine wagged his tail in return.

"Len?" Mick asked in surprise.

Len got to his feet, glancing down at his hands, then back up. "I didn't realize you were coming."

They had split up to lay low after their last heist had gone bad. It was Len's fault. He should have known the power plant was too big a target. When all those electrodes had self-destructed Arcanine had thrown himself in front of Mick. Len had thought that neither of them were going to make it. Now Mick had scars covering his shoulders and Arcanine had streaks of white along his shoulders and through his golden mane. Len had managed to get them both back to the pokemon center, and left them there, too ashamed to stay. They still exchanged message drops. Len knew Mick had recovered. He wanted to apologise, but he didn't have the gift. He wasn't ready.

Mick stepped forward. Len braced himself for the punch he knew was coming. Instead he felt arms wrap around him. Len blinked open eyes he hadn't realized he'd shut.

"Mick."

"Lenny, it's good to see you." Mick drew back and then seemed to realize he had a grocery bag in each arm. He slid around Len to the back and started putting things away.

"I thought you were still in Kanto," Len said slowly.

Mick shut the fridge and turned to face Len. His mouth pinched up into a frown "No I," Mick hesitated then barreled forward, "I knew we were still laying low and all but I wanted to make sure you knew about what's going on. With the Rockets regrouping and all."

Len slowly lowered himself onto the couch. Mick was acting like it was no big deal. He took a moment to greet Len's Pokémon, releasing his Charmeleon as Arcanine flopped onto the floor near the door. Len bit his tongue trying to figure out what to say. Mick filled the silence as if it wasn't a hardship.

"So I don't know what you've heard out here, but the word in Kanto is that some young trainer showed up in Saffron City. Word is he had Pokémon so fast you couldn't even see them attack. Some kind of electric type. After that the Rockets in the other areas started getting nervous."

"So they started sending people here?" Len asked. Mick grunted in agreement. "Well I certainly noticed them around town. I hadn't heard the rest of it, though."

Mick pulled a beer from the fridge, opened it, and tilted it at Len. "So what's the plan boss?"

Len’s heart fluttered, secretly pleased. "I –" he pursed his lips and then shook his head. "I don't know yet. It depends on what they're after." Len didn't like the idea of them setting up a permanent base in Goldenrod. He'd grown to like the town in the past few months, even if the central city of Saffron would always be his hometown. The young trainer there was an interesting twist but not one that was immediately pressing.

Len wondered if Team Rocket’s plan was enough of an upset to the status quo to wake the legendaries. It was certainly the kind of thing that the stories always went on about. Maybe that kid was the one Suicune was looking for. There weren't exactly a lot of stories about legendary Pokémon crossing between regions, but no one had ever said it was impossible.

"I'll sleep on it, and we can do some digging in the morning,“ Len said. Mick nodded once and then made himself comfortable on the other end of the couch. It was so much like old times that Len could scarcely believe it. Mick found the remote and started flipping through channels on their old TV. Len let himself enjoy the quiet moment while it lasted.

There was only one bed in this particular safe house. It was in what had once been a back office. The office was missing a door and the walls were still paper thin so there wasn't actually much privacy, but neither of them cared overly much. It wasn't like they had a lot of guests. They had shared beds often enough over the years. Waking up with Mick's heat at his back was an old kind of comfort, one he'd missed in his months of self-exile. It was the kind of comfort that made him want to be lazy, lounge around half the morning and maybe start scoping out targets for a heist. Then he rolled over, stretched and spotted the wave of a purple mane through the doorway. Suicune was laying across the couch with his head up on the armrest, watching Len dismissively as if the whole building belonged to it. Len groaned, pulled the pillow out from under his head, and tried to half-heartedly smother himself with it.

At the movement Mick rolled over and propped himself up on one elbow, squinting blearily at the problem. "Huh. That's a new one."

Len waved a hand between them, his face still covered by the pillow. "Mick- Suicune, Suicune- Mick. Suicune has been following me around ever since I woke them and their buddies up."

Mick levered himself up properly, blinked a few times, and asked, "Suicune- that some kind of legendary?"

Len nodded. He didn't think Mick would care too much, and it wasn't like he could really hide it.

"That explains it," Mick said, nodding. He got out of bed and started for the bathroom as if everything was normal. Len settled back into the covers until Mick came back out of the bathroom and asked Suicune, "Entei around here somewhere?" That made Len sit up, suddenly wide awake.

"Mick?" Both Mick and Suicune glanced over at him. "How do you know about Entei?"

Mick shrugged, "It showed up yesterday. I didn't know what kind It was, but I let them hang around for awhile. They got along with Arcanine."

Len didn't even try to argue the point. Mick had always trusted his pokemon's instincts above almost everything else, and clearly Mick was okay. He could even understand why Entei would choose to follow Mick around. Mick may have only had the two pokemon, but he'd been one of the strongest trainers back when he'd been a part of Blane's gym. Even though he'd gone freelance, most people thought twice before messing with him. Mick knew fire-pokemon better than most trainers knew their starters.

Len just didn't want to deal with two legendaries, and there was no way he was going to get rid of Suicune if Entei was sticking around.

Sure enough, when Len dragged himself out of bed Entei was in a puppy pile with Arcanine in front of the door... if puppy pile were the right words to describe the combined 800 pounds of fur and muscle that was easily twice the size of him and Mick put together.  

In the past Len might have made a comment about Mick bringing home strays, but right now he was still too pleased to have Mick back to bother. Instead he turned to Suicune.

"You're not going to leave are you?"

"Cune," it said in a tone Len swore was smug.

"Fine but no quests. I told you. I'm not some kind of hero." There was a beat of silence, broken when Zubat stretched her wings out from her position under the light fixture and began screeching distressingly. Len saw his pokemon start to fall and dived to catch her. The little bat flailed in his arms for a second before Len recalled him out of desperation. Only then did he notice the other pokemon were acting strange as well. Natu had his wings forward, shaking his beak in short little jerky movements.  Sneasel was flicking his ears and feathers about, his claws out and ready as if looking for some invisible foe. Mick's charmeleon was sniffing the air, her tail fire sending out sparks. Both Arcanine and Entei had raised their heads, but while Arcanine had his ears pressed to his head and was whining low in his throat, Entei was growling. Suicune stepped off the couch, its head down, and its mane billowing out around it.

Mick's attention was fixed on his pokemon. He looked from Charmeleon to Arcanine, then stormed towards the door, throwing it open as if expecting the threat to just be standing there. All Len could see was the shadow of the radio tower, and pidgies weaving drunkenly through the sky. Whatever was wrong, it wasn't just affecting them.

Len had a sickening thought that he knew who was responsible.

The effects lasted another minute before the pokemon relaxed, sagging as if exhausted.

"Pokemon center?" Mick asked. It came out as a growl that Arcanine would have been proud of.

"No, they're bound to be swamped and none of our team are actually injured. I've got some berries for now." Len turned to look at Suicune, "That's the reason isn't it? The reason you woke up and keep following me around. You don't like what Team Rocket is planning."

Suicune looked towards the door and lashed it's ribbons in agreement.

"Fine," Len agreed. "I still say I'm not some hero, but I've got my own bone to pick with that lot."

It took Len less than an hour in the bad areas of town to learn about Team Rocket's plan for the radio tower. Personally he found the idea of hypnotizing Pokemon away from their trainers disgusting, but then, there was a reason he'd gotten out of there as soon as he'd been able. Figuring out the details of the plan took a little longer, but enough drinks and a few flattering words in the right ear had them singing like Spearows.

"So they've got this giant dish at the top of the tower for the radio broadcasts." Len waved a hand. Mick grunted to show he was listening even though he had his head tipped back and his eyes closed. He'd joined the puppy pile once it was clear they weren't going to storm out and take righteous vengeance. At least not immediately.

"Now the dish isn't the problem. We could break the dish of course, but I'm keeping that as the backup plan. Building another dish would be a setback for them but not much of one with the manpower they have. No it's the new programs and frequencies that we really need to take care of. Of course those will be fairly well guarded. It seems that their recent defeat has got them circling the wagons. And the nature of the tower doesn't help."

Len tapped his figures on the table, letting his eyes roam over the hideout. He'd never been on the radio tower tour and the Rocket's were smart enough to destroy every copy of the blueprints they could get their hands on. Len didn't like the idea of going in blind. At least the building hadn't started out as one of their hideouts. The radio tower was a city building and would follow the same basic codes of all buildings of that type. The real tricky bit would be figuring out where they kept all the important data.

"I'm betting it'll be near the top," Len said, trusting Mick to follow along or to at least nod as if he had. "The only threats they've ever had to contend with are lone trainers who come in through the front door and fight every grunt they meet along the way. They might have a few flying types near the top in case someone tries to get in through the roof."

Len's eyes landed on his pokemon.

"Mick, how do you feel about causing a distraction while I rob them blind?"

Mick looked up and smiled. "Thought you'd never ask."

<><><><><>

Len chose the early hours of the morning for their attack. The people who ended up in evil organizations tended to not be punctual or morning people. They'd expect an attack at midnight or even 3am, but attacking at 6:30 when the sun was just cresting the horizon would have everyone off their guard. Len himself had downed an entire pot of coffee. Suicune had given him a look at that, and Len had given one right back.

Mick wasn't as hampered, so apparently growing up on a farm had the occasional perk. He patted Entei on the shoulder and checked his poke-balls, waiting for his cue.

Looking up at the glittering Radio tower, Len tapped Natu's pokeball. "Find a window, two or three floors from the top. Any empty room will do." The little bird nodded and took off through the brightening sky.  It was less than ten minutes before it was back. Len held up a hand for it to perch on. Mick linked their fingers together so he'd be brought along.

"Teleport," Len directed, and the whole group vanished in a crackle of static and displaced air.

Len looked around at the empty office. IT was a few floors from the top just like he’d directed and the view of the city was quite something. The office had clearly been vacated in a hurry. There was even a wilting plant in the window. Peaking out into the hall, Len oriented himself, identifying the stairs and the few guards he could see.

"One guard on the stairs. The others are probably wondering around," he whispered to Mick.

"Fight or stall?" Mick asked just as quietly.

"Stall for now. I'm going to need at least ten minutes, more if I have to search the nearby floors."

Mick nodded. "Charmeleon, you're up," he said, summoning his Pokemon. Mick's charmeleon flexed her claws, and flicked her tail, following Mick out the door. Len hid in the shadows in order to watch the start of the show.

The thing about Mick was that even if he didn't technically have a criminal record, at least not in this region, he looked like a thug. He knew how to act like it too. So when he strolled up to the guard and nodded, faking a yawn, the guard just looked puzzled.

"Who are you? I don't remember seeing you around." The grunt frowned. "New recruits are on floor 3-5."

"Yeah," Mick said, planting his feet. He scowled in something that might have been threat or might have been puzzlement. "So what are you doing up here?"

Everyone thought Mick was thick in the head- no matter how powerful his pokemon or how cleverly he planned his strategy- right up until Mick beat them into the arena floor. He'd learned to play the part. Normally Len would stay and enjoy the show, as it was slapstick gold, but he had his own job to do.

Len sent Zubat out ahead of him as he crept through the winding corridors. Zubats were common enough among Team Rocket that no one would think twice about one fluttering around until it was too late - and he and Zubat had long since figured out a system of signals

The main control room for the radio signals was one floor down from the dish itself. There was a server room that easily took up a quarter of the building, a big control room, and half a dozen other recording studios. At least that's what Len assumed they were. He's never been overly interested in radio. The main control room wasn’t really an option since there were two guards on the door and someone higher up the chain inside, but the server room was only protected by electronic locks.

Len sent Zubat to keep an ear out as he pried the case off the keypad. Surge protectors, ha, a real thief didn't need electric types to do all the delicate work for them. He slipped into the room 40 seconds later, closing the door behind him.

Len wasn't a tech expert, but he knew how to check which files had been accessed most recently. He skimmed through the list of potential candidates, then deleted the lot of them, just to be sure. He then created a set of blank files with the same names, and as one final bit of karma, he used the link with the station to get into the Rocket's actual systems and copied all their bank codes onto a personal remote drive. Finished, he slipped back into the hall. Easy as pie.

Which of course meant something had to go wrong.

There was a whole crowd around the stairs, and Mick was in the middle of them, along with a Rocket officer. Len had all kinds of escape plans. He was very good at the escaping part of thievery. He could have called out Natu and teleported out of the base without anyone the wiser. But that would have meant leaving Mick behind.

Mick, his partner, who was currently in the clutches of one of the top Rocket officers.

Len didn't recognise her, but she had long red hair and a personally designed uniform. Personal uniforms were never a good sign. It meant that the agent had enough of a brain to do more then follow orders and enough initiative to act rather then passing the buck.  

She stood in the open place in front of the stairs, barking orders to the grunts. In front of her an Arboc swayed back and forth, eyes fixed on Mick and his pokemon. For his part Mick was on one knee, cradling Charmeleon who was snarling weakly and swaying on her feet from a bite that looked poisoned. Arcanine was behind them both, growling at the grunts who had released their pokemon to surround them.

So far no one had noticed Len in the shadows of the hallway. If they had, they'd glanced at his black sweater and taken him for just another grunt, which was the whole point of wearing it in the first place.

"You're obviously gym trained. Tell me what you're here for, and I'll make it quick," the woman sneered.

Len clenched his fists. Even if it hadn't been a cliche line, he would have known it was a lie. People who used poison as a first option liked to wear their enemies down slowly.

"Fuck you," Mick snarled back.

Sure enough the woman just shrugged. "Fine then, take him up to the roof. We'll see if your pokemon can learn Fly before they hit the ground."

Len scrambled through his options, trying to come up with a way that got both them and their pokemon out of there. Mick couldn't fight his way through that many grunts even if he was an experienced battler. Len could have backed him up, but even together their odds weren’t good. Len didn’t know what pokemon they’d be facing and neither of them liked seeing their pokemon get hurt without a good reason.

The grunts were already headed for the stairs.

Len stepped back, ducked to the side, and called out to Natu. "The roof, now," he said before the little bird even had a chance to even look around. It caught his urgency. Hopping onto his shoulder, Natu teleported them to a corner of the roof. The big dish loomed over them, and a series of catwalks circled the base. The rest of the roof was open; forty square feet with only a thin pole for a railing separating them from the sky. The sun had fully risen now, and faint sounds echoed up from the city 40 stories below.

Okay, what did he have access to? Natu could teleport but not fly, and he could only catch one person at a time. Zubat could confuse, but with that many grunts someone was bound to get in a hit. Which left Sneasel…

Len looked up at the clear sky. It was windy this high up, but more than that, it was cold.

Len ducked back behind the edge of the dish, and called out Sneasel. He could hear the first footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Blizzard,” he said to the black pokemon. “As large as you can, all around the roof." He turned to Natu, who was still perched on his shoulder, "Be ready. If any of our friends go over the side I want you to grab them, get them back to the safehouse, and then come right back to me." Both pokemon nodded. Natu took to the air, his black feathers helping him blend in with the pidgies and spearow. Sneasel planted its feet, spread its claws wide and felt for the air with his feather.

"Sneasel," he said, certain and determined. His claws glittered and the temperature dropped. Len let him get on with it, turning back to see the first of the grunts stepping onto the roof.

A few of them shivered, and their pokemon looked around, confused or concerned, but they were quickly called back to the task at hand. Most of them looked eager, or were putting on an eager front for their fellows. It was one of the things he hated about Team Rocket. Not all of them liked pain, but they all went along with it, egging each other on towards stupider and stupider stunts. A pair of grunts tossed Mick into the center of the roof. Arcanine was limping and either Mick had recalled Charmeleon or they'd taken her somewhere else. Not that Len had the space to think about that possibility right now. He quietly released Zubat, just to keep all his options open.

The red haired officer stepped forward, gesturing for the grunts to clear a space. They recreated the circle they had been in below, except this time instead of a wall Mick was backed up against empty air.

A shadow fell over the group. Len glanced up, smiling fiercely. The blizzard was just about ready.

"One last chance." The woman shouted over the rising wind. "Anything to say before you die?"

Mick stood up straighter, and grinned. A bruise was starting to form high on his cheek, and his lip was split. Len pushed his anger down, promising to himself all over again that they would pay.

"Yeah, I got something to say," Mick said in a voice that carried. "One thing I learned, being gym trained and all, is that you've got to pay attention to your surroundings."

"Well I would certainly hope you were aware of the considerable drop." The woman said, turning to her minions and laughing. They picked up on it and started laughing with her.

Len glanced at Sneasel and nodded.

Mick grinned, "Oh sure, there's that. There's also the blizzard." He raised a hand and pointed up, just in time for Sneasel to bring the gathered storm down on top of them.

Snow pelted the people and pokemon on the roof, instantly taking the visibility down to nearly nothing. Pokemon cried out, helpless to act without their trainer's direction. Flying pokemon were tossed through the air while others froze in place. Len caught the slight glow that meant Mick's Arcanine was using Flame Wheel to keep both of them safe and warm.

The red haired woman shrieked in rage, "Arboc, get them!" Len couldn't hear the pokemon's response if there was one, but he heard Arcanine’s yelping growl and a cry from Mick.

"Natu!" Len shouted, and there was a flash of green as the little bird dived through the storm. Mick would be safe. Mick had to be safe. He couldn't focus on any other possibility, not when the Rockets were all turning towards him, anger overtaking the fear on their faces. At least his first gambit had taken out a chunk of them.

"Sneasel, drop the blizzard," he instructed, and Sneasel relaxed. The ice had done its work. If he had to fight he'd need Sneasel ready.

The last of the wind and snow blew itself out without anything propelling it, and Len stepped out from behind the dish and up onto the catwalk. At this point he didn't have a lot of options. He was outnumbered and outgunned; his escape route cut off for the moment. Zubat was still hiding, a wild card he could play if he needed to. He wasn't sure how many pokemon the red haired woman had, or how powerful they were, let alone the group as a whole. He needed to buy time for Natu to get back.

He pointed at the woman and said a magical set of words, "I challenge you."

She might have unknown pokemon and strength but if she accepted the challenge she'd have to follow league rules, and that meant one on one, no interference from the peanut gallery, or sending multiple pokemon to attack him at once.

She put a hand on her hip, "So this was the plan? Do you want revenge for your friend? Well, I accept! I'll show you the true power of Team Rocket and send you crawling back to the pokemon center in tears, little trainer."

Len bit back a retort that he wasn't a trainer, and gestured Sneasel forward. "You can try. Sneasel, you're up."

She waved a hand and the other grunts recalled their pokemon, backing up to the edge of the roof.

"Arboc, time to end this fool," She sneered. Arboc slithered forward, and flared out it's hood, hissing dramatically.

One of the grunts stepped forward, raised their hand and shouted, "Begin." before taking a hasty step back.

"Bite," The woman immediately called.

Arboc slithered forward,  fangs shining.

"Agility." Len called in response, and Sneasel crouched before launching himself across the roof gaining speed with every step. That was one down. Len had always thought it was stupid that you could only use four moves in official matches, but if he broke the rules then so would she. It was a game of chicken that he couldn't afford to lose.

She scowled, watching Sneasel dart around, just out of reach of Arboc's fangs. "Acid." Arboc took a moment to aim before opening its mouth and letting a ball of sickly green fly.

Len gritted his teeth as Sneasel was knocked back. HE couldn't afford to pull Sneasel out of the fight too soon. This was why he hated battling, and Team Rocket, and all of it.

"Sel," Sneasel said, shaking off the worst of the gunk and planting its feet again.

The woman was laughing. Arboc was rearing up in victory. Len took the opening.

"Faint Attack."

For a moment the shadows seemed to stretch and flicker, wavering without a source. Sneasel took a step and became just as insubstantial.

"Bo?" Arboc blinked, looking around in surprise. Then the hit landed, a clean slice across its front that made it curl in on itself.

Sneasel reappeared across the roof from where it had been, and Len called out "Again." before Arboc could brace for it.

"Wrap," The woman called out. Clearly she wasn't as surprised.

It took the second hit on it's tail, reacting even as the hit landed. It curled around Sneasel, trapping it, and squeezing. The shadows Sneasel had been using flickered back to normal.

Len called out, "Metal Claw," before Sneasel was trapped for good.  The shining flash of claw was enough for him to get away, even if he was staggering. By league rules they each had one move left. Len flipped through his mental arsenal trying to figure out a strategy that would save them. Blizzard took too long, even with Agility giving Sneasel a boost. Having Sneasel keep his distance would negate Arboc's bite and wrap attacks, but it would also keep him from using Metal Claw.

"Icy Wind," Len said.

"Sne," Sneasel agreed. His claws glowed like when he had first called up the Blizzard, but instead of waiting for it to fully take form, Sneasel unleashed the gathered energy in a blast of ice sharp air. Arboc was pushed back, curling low against the roof to avoid the worst of it.

Len's opponent looked frustrated, but under it her eyes were calculating. She was clearly used to battling.

"Acid," she said again. They started trading shots. Sneasel managed to dodge most of them. Len called out Agility between every two or three Icy Wind blasts, keeping his speed up.

Len only realized something was wrong when he caught the smile on his opponent's face. He looked back at their pokemon, Sneasel spinning out of the way of another Acid attack.

"Rock Slide," she said with a cruel twist to her lips. Arboc slammed its tail into the ground and the packed gravel of the roof came loose, spinning forward in a wave.

There was nowhere for Sneasel to go. He darted to one side trying to get away, but it was no use. The real threat came a second later, as the rockslide carried Sneasel off the roof into open air.

"Return!" Len shouted, clutching Sneasel's pokeball in a white knuckled grip. When the pokeball clicked shut, Sneasel safe inside, Len let out the breath he'd been holding. His pokemon was safe. He'd have to raid his store of potions or visit a pokemon center, but considering he was still in the middle of a battle that was the least of his problems.

"What's the matter little trainer, no more pokemon?" the woman jeered. The grunts behind her laughed.

Len searched the sky but Natu was still absent.

"Zubat," Len said in a low voice. The little bat fluttered up over the edge of the tower, circled Len once, then went to hover in front of him.

It was clear that Arboc was relatively high level, and he still had the woman's other pokemon to deal with. Len could keep drawing it out. She couldn't try the same trick twice since Zubat could fly, but winning would mean getting close enough to be attacked in turn.

"Air Slash."

"Acid."

They started trading volleys again. Where was Natu? They had crippled the dish, but only temporarily. If she won here, this officer could rally them to get it working again all the faster.

Zubat swept through the air, spinning up around the dish, and Len got an idea. He raised a hand and made a sweeping gesture.

"Supersonic."

Zubat spun in the air and looped around, putting Arboc between him and the dish. Supersonic may have been less powerful than a straight Confuse Ray, but it had the advantage of being invisible. Instead of aiming at Arboc, Zubat aimed slightly higher. The radio dish rang with the attack, and just like when the Rockets had used it, reflecting it back , and amplifying it ten fold . Without the equipment being powered up it would only affect the rooftop, but that was more than enough.

Arboc curled back, it's tail thrashing. The other pokemon on the roof, wild ones and those that hadn't been recalled, shrieked or howled, and started attacking everything around them. Birds went crazy in the sky around them. Even the humans slapped their hands over their ears.

"No! Arboc! Attack! Destroy that thing!"

Arboc twisted, looping over it's own coils. Then it opened its mouth and sprayed acid in all directions.

Len ducked, shouting, "Zubat up, out of range!" Zubat shot up, still aiming its attack at the dish. He thought the creaking was background at first, a product of the fact that they were up so high. Then Len turned. He clutched at the railing of the catwalk as the giant radio dish sagged. Arboc's acid had melted through a chunk of the lower curve and two of the four support struts.

"Zubat!" Len called, waving a hand for Zubat to stop. The shrieking cut off and the twisted crunch of sagging metal took its place.

"Arboc, snap out of it!" the woman hollered.

Lec calculated the likelihood that he could get to the stairs and get down them without someone stopping him. They weren't good odds. He’d have a better chance if he stayed on his side of the roof and hoped the disk would fall in the other direction. Another small suport gave way, and the Rocket officer started giving orders. The grunts snapped to attention. A few of them called out pokemon. Grass pokemon used Vine whip, wrapping thick strands around the dish, but it was too late. Another suport crumpled and the dish groaned as it started to come down.

"Whirlwind!" Len shouted. "It'll crush the roof!" Not that it wouldn't crush the ground, but then again, he wasn't on the ground. Zubat swooped low and beat its wings frantically. It seemed to take forever for the wind to rise. Then the curve of the dish caught like a kite and rolled back over the side of the building.

Len sagged.

"No!" the Rocket officer howled. "You! This is your fault. Arboc-" Arboc shook its head and snapped out of its confusion. "Hyper Beam!" She was pointing at him, not Zubat, and Arboc followed her lead.

Len had half a second as Arboc gathered power. Zubat was across the roof, and even if he could block the attack, it might be the last thing he did. Len turned and tried to run. If he could just dodge the attack, Arboc would need time to recover. Light blossomed behind him, and the world blurred.

Len blinked down at the platform that had, up until a minute ago, held the radio dish. He had to reorient himself- he was facing the opposite direction. Turning, he saw the red haired woman stuttering and pointing. Arboc, slumped at her side, looked equally confused. Len turned a little further and met the eyes of Suicune. The Legendary stood beside him, its mane billowing out behind them. It dipped it's head a fraction in approval. Len looked back at the Rocket officer, grinning fiercely.

"You'll never control us. Not me, not my pokemon, and not anyone else's." He held up a hand for Zubat, wordlessly calling for his pokemon to return. When Zubat had landed on his shoulder Len put a hand on Suicune's neck.

"I hope you have a way out of here," Len whispered to the legendary. Suicune pressed up into his hand. Len tangled his fingers in the silky strands, holding on as tight as he could. The world blurred again. For a moment the ground disappeared from under his feet, the sky opening up cold and clear around him. It was nothing like teleporting. Instead it felt like he was moving too fast and too slow all at once. Then his feet hit the ground, and Len staggered against the side of a building. It wasn't just any building he realized when he got his breath back. It was his safehouse.

Len staggered inside, desperate even as his knees shook. Mick, where was Mick?

Len saw Natu first. The little bird fluttered past him, carrying a potion in its talons. He dropped it into Mick's waiting hand. Mick was on his knees beside the couch, with Arcanine laid out on the cushions. Len could see that Arcanine wasn't badly hurt, but he turned big soulful eyes towards Len anyway.

"Everyone alright?" Len asked.

Mick glanced up, "Yeah, I got Charmeleon taken care of first. This guy's just looking for attention. Team Rocket?"

Len waved a hand, "I don't think they'll be a problem anymore. The dish ended up getting destroyed, so they're now dealing with multiple setbacks, and Suicune decided to show up to help with my escape. I think it made an impression."

Mick grinned, "I bet it did." He finished up with the potion, wrapping Arcanine's leg to keep it clean. Finished he sat back on his heels. "You think Suicune and Entei will stick around?"

Len grabbed a potion of his own and released Sneasel for his own round of post battle treatment. "I don't know," he finally answered. "We can always head back to Kanto if the hype gets too bad."

All in all, Len figured that it hadn't been a bad week. He may not have been able to steal the charcoal, but he'd gotten Mick back regardless. The Legendaries would probably go back to sleep now that the crisis was over. It was a win no matter how he looked at it..

Three weeks later they found Raiku with a kid called Barry when they returned to Saffron, but by then he didn't mind that Suicune and Entei had decided to stick around.

Chapter Text

So while I was planning this story I wrote out a whole background about how Len got his pokemon and what happened to Mick's family. Here is some of it, in case anyone is interested.

Len's Pokemon:

Len's first pokemon was a zubat because his dad is a teem rocket grunt. It's a zubat that knows Hypnosis and steel wing though, so it's pretty handy. Not sure what level it's at during the fic. it might be a crobat already and if so it knows fly. It's Len's sneaky pokemon, it knows supersonic and faint attack, and poison fang and all those status effect moves.

His next pokemon is a Sneasel with the pickpoket secret ability. Between it's dark moves, and it's ice moves he's normally the one Len pulls out if he needs a fighter

Pokemon 3 is a natu. He doesn't really use it in combat but it's a clever little bird and it knows teleport so it can get him into and out of places when he needs to. It might be a natu that has some murcrow in it because some of it's feathers or black instead of red. Actually the Natu is the only Pokemon he actually went out to deliberately catch. 

He did a ton of research on possible Pokemon that could help him in heists once he'd left his dad. Most of the options weren't actually that realistic or they were already covered by what his Zubat could do. after all there were plenty of plant Pokemon that could poison or make people fall asleep but so could Zubat and Zubat was smaller in any case. Then he learned that a few pokemon could learn teleport and if they were strong enough they could take a person with them. He wanted one. With a bit more research he quickly learned he'd never manage to catch an Abbra. They were rare for one and for two they were really picky about their trainers if the psychic trainers he talked to were to be believed. Those same psychic trainers were a bit stuck up in Len's oppinion and if that was the kind of trainer Abbra's generally went for... no. 

Then he learned about Natu and that there was supposedly a flock of them outside Violet city. Len liked Violet city. Not only were there the unknown ruins nearby, all full of puzzles and treasure, but there was also a gym and the sprout tower to steel things from too. It wasn't quite as good as Goldenrod for that but a close second wasn't bad.

So Len begged borrowed and stole all the pokeballs and berries he could find. This isn't his thing okay? Zubat was his first pokemon and he stole Sneasel fair and square. He didn't catch him. Not that Sneasel seemed to mind. Anyone was better than teem rocket, and Len was a far bit better then anyone. Anyway he went to camp out by the ruins and see if he could catch a natu.

It turns out Natu are some very tricky little birds.

 He's able to find them easily enough. The first one he tries to fight just isn't interested and flys away. the next one he finds starts to fight and it's a fair contest between it and his zubat. Len thinks he's getting the hang of this. then it turns out the Natu has a big brother or a mama that storms in and Len is confused, where did you come from. what? and Zubat panics because he's not generally a fighter. They don't challenge gyms, they steal things. So they end up surrendering or running away from mama bird. 

Next Len tries bribery in the form of berries. which... sort of works. they do like the berries, but suddenly he has a whole flock around him and non of them are staying in the pokeballs. Most of them just bat the pokeballs away casually without even seeming to notice. Then Len tells Zubat to use supersonic and well that backfires. He manages to confuse the whole flock and now there are birds everywhere and they are attacking everything including him.

Len decides he's had enough for one day.

Day two is no more fruitful. Day three he decides to play to his strengths and treat this like a heist which means wait and watch and figure out the weak points. So he sits there and watches and the Natu get board with him after a while and go back to whatever it is they normally do. 

What he notices is that when they're not dealing with an outsider like Len, there are the normal frissons in the flock. There's a pecking order. Not Len isn't interested in catching the most powerful of them, he just wants a partner. So he starts paying attention to the natu who are already at the edges. Those birds who don't hang out with the others and might be interested in a change of scene. 

That's when he notices the Natu with the black feathers. It's smaller then a lot of the others and while it gives way when a larger bird starts fluffing up it's feathers, it's not timid. It's a watchful little bird. Len guesses that it has a bit of murcrow in it and the others don't like that, but Len can relate. So he starts talking. He's not talking to the natu, oh no he's just talking to himself or Zubat. but the Natu is listening. He ends up "leaving out" a few berries for it.  The next day he mostly ignores the little black Natu and it mostly ignores him, but he talks again. about his next heist and going to meet up with Mick and so on. If the Natu isn't going to cooperate because it doesn't want to be a thief so be it, he doesn't want an unwilling partner on his crew.

It takes about a week before Len pulls out a pokeball and looks at the little black natu considering him. He casually tosses the pokeball. It would be easy for the Natu to dodge but he doesn't and Len manages to actually catch a pokemon. 

Len takes his new Natu back to the Violet gym to train with Zubat before robbing them blind at the end of the week. It's the start of a beautiful friendship.

Mick's first pokemon was a growlith. Maybe he ended up at a fire gym for a while after he burned his family home down.  

That raises the question of how Len and Mick met. Especially if Mick was off on that fire island. Maybe something to do with the ship? Len was raised surrounded by team rocket. He's probably from Central. I'm going to call it central since I can't remember the real name from the games. 

Did they kick him out of the gym? He's not cruel. I can't see him just wiping out people who were weaker then him. He might refuse to go easy but he wouldn't be mean about it.  So then what? Did they kick him out because he got in an argument with Blane? did the volcano explode? Hmm I can work with that. So there's the fire and he's sent off to the fire gym and for a while everything's good. then the volcano explodes and there's nowhere for him to go. He tries to go back to his family but by now he's a teenager and they tell him to go on a Pokemon journey. They're happy to see him but why would he want to stay? and really what are they going to do with several strong fire types on a farm. he'll just be in the way.

So he starts wondering around. He does the trainer thing for a bit but he doesn't like it much. It's too much work and he's a fire trainer, he doesn't care about catching other types or really catching different Pokemon at all.

 Instead he meets Len.