Pokémon Long Nights (2023 Prompt Bingo)

[Railgun]

Author's Note: Hi, this is my first time participating in Thousand Roads' Drabble Bingo! I am so excited to be part of the fun for TR's anniversary! Therefore, I'll be posting various prompts! I present to you...

Long Nights

Summary: For the Indigo League Champion, fighting crime on the side is easier with a sidekick. Especially if said sidekick is a certain redhead who is the son of Team Rocket's boss. A series of prompts featuring Lance and Silver investigating and fighting crime across the Johto region.
Main Characters: Lance & Silver.
Supporting Cast: Looker, Anabel, and Interpol.
Rating: T
Genre: Crime/Drama.
Warnings: Violence, blood, swearing.
Also Read at: Ao3, FFN

Prompt List
​

Illegal gambling ring	Radio Tower Redux	Pokemon poaching
Lake of Rage	Hostage situation	Chasing the perp
Undercover investigation	Interrogation	Petty theft

Special thanks to @Panoramic_Vacuum for the prompts! :D

Pokémon © GameFreak and Nintendo.​

 

[Railgun]

Prompt 1: Undercover Investigation​

---

Silver sits over the ledge of a building, hunched over. One foot dangles out while the other tucks beneath his thigh. His alakazam is standing alongside him, observing below.

They are at a high altitude with strong winds blowing through. Silver's hair spirals out in different directions. The red hair strands wave against the wind currents. He doesn't care, not a nuisance. Instead, his focus is on the world beneath them. Goldenrod's streets are busy during the night. The lights of moving cars go back and forth, followed by black specs crawling the sidewalks. His eyes squint to picture Goldenrod's residents passing by its financial district.

Silver closes his eyes, sighing. Lance is taking his sweet time at the building across the street. A financial center is holding a grand gala and the Indigo League's Champion is a special guest. Of course, expected. Given Lance's reputation and hailing from a prestigious dragon tamer clan, his influence is prominent in the Johto region. Why else was he invited to such a party in the first place?

It is all for the publicity, for the good image toward the public. So the media believes, and even those who host the gala.

When in truth, his presence is only a distraction.

Silver holds up binoculars. His eyes dart through the lens pointed toward the glass windows of the building. There are crowds of people well-dressed in fancy attire. Some hold drinks of wine or beer. Others laugh and dance away from the classical music playing in the background. In the picture, Silver attempts to search for a person of interest.

The are reports of this financial institution being in cahoots with Team Rocket. Thus, he and Lance kept close tabs on its president. He is the main organizer of the party and is wandering somewhere among the crowds.

Should he find him leaving the gala, the infiltration will begin.

---

Lance leans against the wall, staring at the wine glass in his hand. The red wine pinot noir, known for its fruity flavor is his drink for the night. He has spoken with several at the party so far but keeps his distance. He is generally reserved for occasions like these, only speaking to those of interest.

That did not deter him from receiving attention, however.

He hears high heels click in the distance, each tap chasing out the crowd noise. A young woman with her black hair tied into a bun approaches him. She wears a sparkling red dress that covers her slim flame. Her glossed red lips perk up a smile. Her emerald eyes glance at the stern man dressed in a blue blazer.

"You must be Champion Lance," she says in a sultry voice. "I hear a lot about you."

Lance doesn't speak, and drinks from his wine glass. The woman laughs. "Not a talker, are you?"

"Small talk isn't my forte," he says, chuckling.

"What made you come then? Why attend these parties if they are not to your liking? Part of the job as champion?"

"More or less, but I wouldn't want to disappoint the hosts."

"Very considerate of you, most men are selfish creatures. But you... you pique my interest, Champion."

Of course, this is all talk. There is a change in the music, another classical tune. She inches closer to him. "Care for a dance?" She is attempting to flirt, to distract him from his goal.

"Later," he says, taking another sip of his wine. The woman backs off and leaves him alone with a wink. "I'll be waiting."

Through his binoculars, Silver wants to laugh. A miserable attempt, he knows Lance is immune to seductive charm. Not the first time either, being a witness to several in the past.

His eyes spot something through the binoculars. His tunnel vision moves to the right corner, there is a short pudgy man wearing circular glasses. He is dressed in a white tuxedo, being escorted out of the party by three men in black suits. Shortly after, the same black-haired woman chases after them.

This is it, the target is right on schedule. He taps his watch to send a message, briefing Lance. The Dragon Master replies quickly and leaves his wine glass by the cocktail stand. He excuses himself, leaving the party.

There would be another round of waiting, but Silver could handle it. He stands up and nods at his alakazam to teleport inside the building. In particular, where he and Lance suspect the location of where their target would be at.

---

The basement is dark and quiet, with not much underground aside from boxes and crates of junk. Old office appliances and a dying washing machine. Around the corner, is a steel cabinet containing files. Old documents on financial receipts of years past.

Silver hides behind it with Alakazam. He stays quiet, hearing droplets of leaking water above the ceiling. They hit the cabinet's head, the target should be in here soon.

There are footsteps, followed by loud voices. A loud clanging of the metal door and his target enters inside.

"Business is going as usual Mr. Akuhei?" He hears a voice say in the room. The man appears young, dressed in a long trench coat, with a black fedora to cover his head. The rim of the hat covers his narrowing turquoise eyes.

Mr. Akuhei blows smoke out of his pipe. "Of course. Wouldn't want to disappoint Giovanni would we?"

Silver's hands clench into fists.

Giovanni.

His father is still running his business with criminal intent. He had thrown away his relationship with his son for the sake of greed and power. He was cold and distant, never finding time for him. Team Rocket is what he cared about. All part of his goals of becoming the strongest trainer and dominating the planet.

Silver still remembers his father's words, etched in the back of his mind.

"Pokémon are merely tools. They are to be exploited, for the sake of our benefit. You may not understand now… but you will, someday."

That is Giovanni's motto. His idea and his visions for the world are under complete and utter greed.

Laughable. Pathetic. That is all that Silver thinks of him now. So much he is now on a crusade, going against everything that old man had taught him. He would become strong with his own methods, teaming up with his own worst enemy in stopping Team Rocket.

What would his father think about him now? What would he say in choosing this righteous path to side with Lance? Perhaps being near the Dragon Master is infectious, that one beat down during the Radio Tower incident was enough to have Silver chase after him. He needed him, for the sake of his own will in becoming a strong trainer. To beat him was originally the goal, only to find himself locked toward a change of heart, with Lance guiding the way.

He has no time to think further, he listens to the nearby conversation instead.

The man in the trench coat scoffs. "Then you should know the purpose of this meeting."

His men shove Mr. Akuhei toward a group of widened storage lockers. The man has no time to react as his pipe falls out of his mouth. His eyes widen as one of them pulls out a pistol to his forehead. Its cold nuzzle touches his wrinkled and clammy skin.

"Let me make this clear." The man pulls down his fedora. The missing hat reveals turquoise hair and a devilish smirk sweeping his face. "You have been behind in offering us the finances we need in smuggling out the goods. You wouldn't want your reputation and company to fall if it were to leak out, would you?"

Akuhei chuckles nervously. "I've… just finished paying off a debt. I haven't forgotten, I promise…"

"Excuses, you said such nonsense last time. Giovanni is growing impatient, and you should know better than to keep us waiting."

"Just g – give me more time Proton… I promise I'll get the money! I – can get it in by tomorrow!"

"No, stop!" A woman runs in the hall toward the basement. She is then blocked by Proton's two other men at the entrance. "Father!"

Proton sneered. "How sweet, your daughter has come to assist."

"Stay back Ayumi," Akuhei warns.

"Please Proton, give him more time," Ayumi pleads.

"Why should we? I see earlier you were trying to coquet the region's champion. Toying with our enemy in front of our own eyes, that's a dangerous move."

"You what?!" Akuhei's eyes widen. He could not bear the disgusting thought of his daughter entrenched with the Indigo League Champion Lance romantically. After all, it would collide with his own interests, being so deep into Team Rocket's affairs.

"It… it was for the sake of our business! If we can get Champion Lance on your side then – "

"That man cannot be negotiated with," Proton mutters. "He interferes with Team Rocket's goals, foolish woman. You know what? My patience has run out. Men, make it quick. End Akuhei's life."

"No!"

Crash! The group hears an old lamp fall to the floor. The lightbulb breaks into several pieces and scrambles across the concrete. Proton looks up from the noise. "Who's there?"

"Shit!" Silver left the cabinet to hide in another corner. Unfortunately, one of the guards caught him in his eye.

"It's a kid!" Proton's lackeys use their guns to shoot out rounds of bullets. In response, Silver jumps away to hide under a desk. Luckily, the desk's material is sturdy steel. It is impenetrable by the flying bullets.

He growls as the bullets hit the desk. "Alakazam!" The psychic pokémon brings his metal spoons together, emitting a wave of psychic power. The purple light circles around further bullets, freezing them. They fall to the floor – rendering them useless.
Silver taps his watch for a brief call. "Anytime now, Lance!"

"Lance?!" Proton reaches out his poké ball in defense. He growls at the thought of Team Rocket's main enemy infiltrating this secret meeting. More so he fears he is already here. In fact, how long was Silver hanging out in the basement? Why is he here? Is he, not Giovanni's –

- no more time to think. Lance jumped out of one of the metal lockers and grabs one of Proton's men into a chokehold. He throws him down to the cold concrete. It renders the thug unconscious and his weapon rolls down the floor.

His dragonite flies out of another locker, slamming another lackey toward the wall. The immobile man slumps down, knocked out.

Silver leaps out of the desk, commanding Alakazam to use psychic. The pokémon nods, using his spoons to lift up the last thug before lounging him across the room. He crashes against nearby crates, where they topple down on him.

"Tch!" With his men knocked out, Proton finds himself outnumbered. What else to do? Escape is his only option. He hates to fall back, but only because to continue further is foolish. Giovanni would not permit it.

He chucks the capsule out and calls out his trusted golbat. The flying poison type ushers out a smoke screen. Ayumi and her father cough from the toxic smoke invading their lungs. Meanwhile, Lance guards his nose and mouth with his cape. His eyes sting from the burning of the smoke but still searches for Proton.

The smoke clears. The cruelest and most ruthless member of Team Rocket is gone. Escaped but no matter, the main culprit remains unharmed.
Lance says no word. Rather, he glares down at Akuhei, who sweats as his back is against the wall.

Silver walks through, sneering. "You dirty, shrewd bastard. How much money were you funneling to Team Rocket?"

"Language," Lance scolds.

"You want me respect to this guy? Hah! Never." Silver waves his hand as he turns back toward the exit. "Let's finish up. I'll call the guy from Interpol. I'm sure he could handle this from here out."

---

The next hour comes a wave of commotion from guest members at the party. The police barge in and apprehend Akuhei. In cuffs, he is sent to the back of a police van, while agents close off the building with yellow tape. Loud sirens, followed by red and blue lights shine outside the financial district, with Looker staring at the tall skyscraper. He sighs deeply. Another case of money laundering and illegal activities in the heart of Johto.

"This will make big news," says one of his coworkers. Anabel tucks back a strand of her lavender hair. "To think an important figure in Goldenrod's financial district was associated with Team Rocket."

"Well, criminals hide anywhere," Looker mutters, walking off. "It's not surprising. Anyway, the hardest part of the job has been cut out for us. We should get to work and bring Mr. Akuhei into custody."

"Do you plan to thank him?"

Looker stops, understanding what Anabel had meant. They are both aware, of who had apprehended Akuhei and stopped further plans by Team Rocket.

"I respect what he has done, but we have different ideas on the justice system. But, I won't chase after him. Let's keep it at that."

From a few meters away, Ayumi stares at her father taken into custody. Only a mere two hours ago her life was perfect, living the lavish lifestyle she had always wanted. Even if it meant her father gifting her that falsehood under nefarious practices.

Now, it crashed down. There is nothing left. She makes no restraint when Anabel places her hands behind her back and handcuffs them. She closes her eyes and recalls the last words Lance told her before he left.

"I do not dance with criminals."

That is all that remains of her. A mere criminal.

From above, Lance hovers over the ledge of the building. He stares down at her arrest as Silver walks up to him.

He snorts, not a shred of pity for her. "Saw what she tried to pull earlier. Always the lady killer, Lance. Aren't you?"

Lance moves away from the ledge. Their mission is now complete and they could rest easy for the night.

He chuckles. "Must have been the blazer. I prefer capes."

 

[Railgun]

Prompt 2: Interrogation​

---

​

"Talk," Lance says in a low, fermented tone.

The man underneath his grip shakes. It is dangerously close to his neck. He places a hand over the Champion's wrist, and it trembles as his heart rate increases. His pupils shrink when he gazes up at the man who looms over him. Lance's cold stare heightens over the scared Team Rocket grunt.

His mouth struggles to open, failing to say a word. He is shoved into the brick wall, and he yelps from the impact.

Silver stares at the grunt dully, unamused by the grunt's inability to speak. Quite common whenever Lance captured one for questioning. The Dragon Master would use these intimidating tactics to squeeze out any intel.

"Better cough up," Silver mutters. "No amount of sweat on your face is gonna make the big guy let you go."

The grunt panics further, struggling to speak. "I – I do – do…"

"What?" Silver asks.

"D – do – don – don'ttttt…."

"Speak clearly," Lance growls, he tightens his grip around the grunt's neck.

"…kno – know…. A – anyyy - anything!" He yells. "Please! Let - me go!"

"That's what they all say," Silver says, sneering. "You work for Archer, you have to know something."

"I – I swear I don't! I… I joined last week! I n – need extra money!"

"So you decided to join Team Rocket? Hah! You made the worst choice in your life! You're part of a group full of losers!"

"I'm sorry! All - all I k - know is… the – they're… smuggling… d – dra - tini… t – to…"

"They're smuggling dratini?!" Silver exclaims, eyes widening.

"… the - casino… in… Goldenrod! They… have… business… there – ah!"

Lance silences the grunt with a punch to his left temple. He feels his brain clash against his skull - and he slumps to the floor, unconscious.

Silver widens his eyes. He barely hears it, but Lance lets out a deep breath as his right fist quivers. Clearly, there is pent-up rage from the information the grunt sent out. Most notably dratini being trafficked to one of Goldenrod's famous casinos. Such beautiful and rare pokémon that he trained with much of his life, one that he loves deeply. Only for some to encounter such terrible fates. It is disgusting, and Lance is losing his patience. He has to stop Team Rocket, before any more suffer.

He turns back to his partner in crime. The red-head looks at him, worriedly.

Silver isn't one to express concern. But in this rare instance - he couldn't help himself. He hasn't seen Lance this angry in a long time. Perhaps, the involvement of dragon pokémon in horrible crimes is a sore spot for him. A given, from his type specialty.

Lance walks away, leaving behind the knocked-out grunt. "Let's go."

Silver stops him, grabbing his cape. "Wait."

No words are spoken, but Lance tilts his head at him.

"You're... angry over what that grunt just said, right?"

There is no response.

"That won't help us during a mission. You always taught me that," Silver mumbles, his fingers loosening the grip of his cape. "It's hard... but we'll… save those dratini. That's why are fighting, right? So that pokémon are safe from Team Rocket?"

There is silence for a few moments.

Suddenly, Silver feels a hand over his head. Lance ruffles his hair, which leads the boy to yell. "C - cut it out! I thought we were on a mission!"

His hotheadedness is so endearing that Lance almost forgets his frustration over Team Rocket. Even if his sidekick isn't the best at being supportive… Lance appreciates it, no matter how small it is.

"You're right. Thank you, Silver. Now, let's rescue those dratini."

 

[Railgun]

Prompt 3: Petty Theft​

---

Most cases should be serious. Yet, there are times when it isn't.

Lance receives a simple report from his colleague. The colleague's lunch went missing, and the bento box was found empty. His rice balls have been eaten, followed by splatters of curry everywhere. It leaves a small trail from the table into the hall. Lance has his hand under his chin as he glances down at the pawprints. From the size of them, he deduces a possible suspect. He follows it, hoping to find the perp.

In another room, Silver smacks his head with his palm, groaning. This is not a good outlook. In front of him is a teddiursa that belongs to one of the members of the G-Men. She licks the curry off its paws, ignoring the messy chain of pawprints she left behind.

"I can't believe this," he grumbles. He picks up the pokémon, and she whines as protest. "Let's get you cleaned up and make sure no one finds out, okay? Especially Lance. I don't think he'll be happy you made such a mess."

He glances at the trail. "That too. We should hurry before – "

"Silver."

The boy jumps, almost dropping the teddiursa. Recognizing the deep voice, he refuses to look back.

Lance leans against the door frame. "Have you seen a pokémon running around? A teddiursa perhaps?"

Silver gulps. He hugs the teddiursa tight to conceal the bear away. It further annoys her and she tries to wriggle out of his grasp. Great, his superior is here and he has a hunch. Always ahead of the game.

"No," He mumbles.

"Is that so? Well, I happened to follow this trail that lead me here. Are you sure?"

"Positive…"

His voice is shaky, and Lance is not convinced. He crosses his arms. "Silver."

"I'm telling you I don't – "

"Ted-dii!" The teddiursa has enough of being held and swipes Silver in the face. The painful scratch is enough to have the boy yell and releases his grip. Finally, an escape! The teddiursa jumps out and runs away, leaving behind another series of thick curry.

Lance doesn't bother to chase after her as Silver covers his bleeding red face. "Augh! That little! I was trying to help!"

Lance sits him down, before heading to the sink and wetting a paper towel. "So, you did see it."

"Is that all you can say?! I'm bleeding here!"

"Sit still." Lance kneels down to wipe the blood off Silver's face. Next, he digs into his belt – consisting of secret utilities that he keeps in case of emergency. He pulls out gauze pads to further stop the running blood.

Silver sighs with the pad over his face. "Great…"

Lance chuckles. "They will heal."

"This is the last time I try to help a pokémon…"

"…with petty theft? I thought you were better than that, partner."

"I… I didn't want it to get in trouble, okay?" Silver's voice raises.

Lance shakes his head amusingly. "Valiant of you, but save that for more serious missions. Good job nonetheless. You manage to catch our little thief."

 

[bluesidra]

Undercover Investigation
This is such an unexpected tonal clash, I love it. I already think that the setup of Batman and Robin is really goofy, and now to have cape-master Lance... it's great. Lance waiting in just the right locker, when it's not really evident how he could have even gotten to the locker in time, and then having a freaking dragonite in the next locker... it's a bit form over function, but hey. That's part of the appeal of this genre. To kick ass and look cool while doing it.
The entire vigilante-justice thingy is opposed to my lawful-good normie alignment. Because while it may be cathargic to punch a crimelord in the face, it doesn't get any systemic changes on the way that would empower the police or prevent crime-syndicates in the first place. That's probably why Gotham is still such a crappy place after over 80(?) years of Batman "trying to clean up the streets." Even here... why are Looker and Anabel arresting the money-guy now? What did Lance and Silver's action attribute that the police didn't have before? Any evidence they could have gathered by overhearing this conversation can probably not hold up in a court of law. So if they're arresting him based on his financial records, Lance and Silver's actions didn't do anything to further justice. (Well, they saved the man's life, that's pretty cool I guess).
BUT. That's just me rambling over the vigilante justice trope in general. Doesn't mean I don't enjoy it.
Archer will forever be my problematic Rocket fave, but I'm very fond of Proton, too, and I have to say, you really held back on him there. Proton letting someone else do the killing sounds very un-Proton-like. Not even breaking any bones just for the fun of it? Sadge...
There were a few grammar thingys, mostly from shuffling sentences around during editing I'd guess. I only took notes from the second part forward, so the fist half might still have some (but none that I remember now).

"You want me respect to this guy?

You want me to respect this guy?

The next hour comes a wave of commotion from guest members at the party.

This doesn't sound right... The sentence is missing a subject, unless it's "the next hour" which doesn't make sense. "The next hour is nothing but a wave of commotion" or something along the lines

Lance jumped out of one of the metal lockers and grabs one of Proton's men into a chokehold.

"jumped" is past tense while everything else is present tense

His eyes sting from the burning of the smoke but still searches for Proton.

The subject of the sentence are "the eyes," and since nothing else is specified, "searches" still relates back to the eyes. So it has to be "search" to accommodate for the plural.

Interrogation
oh great, Lance is torturing people. That makes me root for him a lot more /s
But yes, my eternal defense for Team Rocket proofs true once again. If Team Rocket can recruit so many grunts, even though they are _clearly_ a criminal organisation, the society these young recruits come from must be really shitty. And a cape man who goes around and beats up people while the police does nothing against him isn't very reassuring then, either.
One little typo I spotted:

Silver mumbles, his fingers loosening the grip of his cape.

the grip on his cape

Petty Theft

I take everything back, Lance is the best detective ever.
>"…with petty theft? I thought you were better than that, partner."
Lance really sends confusing signals when it comes to which crimes are excusable and which not, doesn't he

The painful scratch is enough to have the boy yell and releases his grip.

"The painful scratch" is subject in this sentence and therefore doing all the actions. The second half of the sentence then reads "The painful scratch releases his grip" which sounds a bit odd... if you put it "have the boy yell and release his grip," it's not an independent clause any longer, makes more sense and is probably what you intended in the first place.

 

[Pen]

Thought I'd stop by to check out your Lance drabbles! Lance and Silver do make a natural crime-fighting partner and sidekick duo, don't they? The image of Silver chilling on the rooftop was a fun one.

I see that you've gone with a more vigilante take on Lance's crime-fighting. I was intrigued by Looker's comment:

"I respect what he has done, but we have different ideas on the justice system. But, I won't chase after him. Let's keep it at that."

It would definitely be interesting to see Lance and Looker debate their perspectives on the justice system.

Silver seems to have really committed to his switch in sides here. I'm not sure if it's what you were going for, but I began to see a bit of parallelism between Lance and Giovanni emerge from Silver's POV--neither seem to balk at violence to achieve their ends, and Silver is willing to ride-or-die for it.

The last drabble made me imagine Lance and Silver as office workers, which is a pretty incongruous and funny mental image. You have to wonder what the G-Men dress code would be or if they have Cape Fridays instead of Casual Fridays . . .

Which, speaking of:

Meanwhile, Lance guards his nose and mouth with his cape.

Proof that capes are the superior garment of clothing! Lance has extremely practical reasons for wearing one, besides their undisputed aesthetic appeal.

Spoiler: Line Comments

He hears high heels click in the distance, each tap chasing out the crowd noise. A young woman with her black hair tied into a bun approaches him. She wears a sparkling red dress that covers her slim flame. Her glossed red lips perk up a smile. Her emerald eyes glance at the stern man dressed in a blue blazer.

"You must be Champion Lance," she says in a sultry voice. "I hear a lot about you."

Lance doesn't speak, and drinks from his wine glass. The woman laughs. "Not a talker, are you?"

"Small talk isn't my forte," he says, chuckling.

"What made you come then? Why attend these parties if they are not to your liking? Part of the job as champion?"

"More or less, but I wouldn't want to disappoint the hosts."

"Very considerate of you, most men are selfish creatures. But you... you pique my interest, Champion."

Of course, this is all talk. There is a change in the music, another classical tune. She inches closer to him. "Care for a dance?" She is attempting to flirt, to distract him from his goal.

"Later," he says, taking another sip of his wine. The woman backs off and leaves him alone with a wink. "I'll be waiting."

Through his binoculars, Silver wants to laugh. A miserable attempt, he knows Lance is immune to seductive charm. Not the first time either, being a witness to several in the past.

This sequence took me out of the story--I found it a bit cartoonish and uncomfortable.

His eyes spot something through the binoculars.

Are Silver's eyes spotting something or is Silver spotting something? There's definitely a time and a place for personifying body parts, but it has the effect of making the person seem detached from their actions, in a way I don't think there's any narrative reason for right here.

His tunnel vision moves to the right corner, there is a short pudgy man wearing circular glasses.

Comma splice here.

"Lance?!" Proton reaches out his poké ball in defense. He growls at the thought of Team Rocket's main enemy infiltrating this secret meeting. More so he fears he is already here. In fact, how long was Silver hanging out in the basement? Why is he here? Is he, not Giovanni's –

The story so far has been exclusively from Silver's perspective, so it's a bit jarring to switch for a few lines into Proton's perspective. This is sometimes referred to as "head hopping."

- no more time to think. Lance jumped out of one of the metal lockers and grabs one of Proton's men into a chokehold.

You switch briefly into past tense here.

"Talk," Lance says in a low, fermented tone.

I'm not sure fermented is the word you're looking for?

edit: I think you're looking for "fervent"!

Lance's cold stare heightens over the scared Team Rocket grunt.

A stare can't really heighten. You could say, "Lance's cold stare intensified."

Most cases should be serious. Yet, there are times when it isn't.

Since "most cases" is plural, when you refer back to that with a pronoun, the pronoun should be plural. So, "Yet, there are times when they aren't."