Setting:
•Neilstone Family Home, New Bark Town, Johto•
•Present Amber aged 19•
•Late February: Two Years After the Schoolhouse Fire•
•Amber POV•
Chapter Four
A Name You Can Wear
"Hey Amb—err, I mean Wolfe! Sorry, still not used to it. Morning sweetie!" Smiled my wide-eyed mother as I walked downstairs in our new home in the Johto region.
It had only been three days since we moved into the quaint town of New Bark—known for its extremely windy weather, the windmills which produced most of the town's electricity, and the biggest landmark: Professor Elm's laboratory.
My original name was Amber. I am nineteen years old going on twenty in a few months, and up until two years ago, I was the Kanto region's top trainer. I was originally from Viridian City in Kanto. In Kanto, I was the Tri-Annual Indigo League champion as well as one of the few trainers strong enough to defeat Lance: the champion of the Kanto Elite Four.
My father had been a police officer working on patrol for practically all of my life, but a little over two years ago, he got promoted to a lieutenant over the inter-city crimes division since he became a "dual agent"—more of that later. Since his promotion, he had been working undercover in the Kanto region sniffing out leads of a really rotten organization known as Team Rocket.
Over the past year or so, to put it bluntly, I had to move my mother around…A LOT…and it was all thanks to my dad's job for the most part. After the last Team Rocket-related break in, we had to move her out of Kanto completely. But, that all worked to my advantage, since we bought my mom a house in New Bark Town in Johto, which was the region I was assigned to with my own job, which I'll explain in a bit.
Needless to say, Johto appeared to be peaceful at least—compared to Kanto. Of course, I knew better; my job said otherwise. Anyways, thanks to Team Rocket, my family had a pretty rough past year between work, break-ins, and other things that I personally had to tackle.
Here's Team Rocket in a nutshell: they were a very rotten organization that exploited Pokémon for profit. They used to work undercover in Kanto for years without any real notice. Their underground methods kept them off the police's radar, in any case. They got away with things, such as a rigged casino—which had very low winning statistics and gave out extremely rare Pokémon for high prices that led to one of Kanto's biggest Pokémon hoarding, trafficking, and neglect cases the region had ever seen. Anyway, it was all thanks to that Rocket Game Corner and a little experience from myself being an ex-Team Rocket member that brought the organization to the public's attention.
From there, they dropped the whole covert operations thing entirely, daring anyone to stop them. Even their own head boss was the toughest Gym Leader of the entire Kanto region. Anyway, some friends and I fought and won against Team Rocket, though it really was hard work.
The boss, Giovanni, swore to me he'd disband the organization forever, and I believed him. Word of my final battle with Giovanni spread pretty quickly, and despite my efforts to stay away from publicity, I became the hero of Kanto and all of that good stuff.
If only things were really that simple. Team Rocket had returned just years later with a personal vendetta against the Kanto Police and myself. To put it frankly, it was as good as having a bounty on my head. No one was certain about just how strong the reforming organization was; no one could get close enough to find out. Infiltration proved to be impossible since this time around, Team Rocket was playing a whole different ball game: extermination of anyone who got too close. With their return, Team Rocket was more like the mafia than ever since they not only killed plenty of good police officers, but the entire families of those officers were wiped out as well.
That's where I came in. Thanks to the fact that I had once been a member of Team Rocket, and more importantly, thanks to the fact that I played a vital role in defeating them the first time around, I was sought out by the covert Kanto Operations Extermination Task Force. Since that was a mouthful, people in the know always called them the Kanto Ops, which I just shortened to: The Ops.
The Ops were a secretive branch of the Kanto Police force, known to very few. I was shocked to find that my dad, himself, worked partly for The Ops, though he reported to both the Viridian Police Chief and The Ops' boss.
Anyway, The Ops desperately wanted my cooperation, so, I decided to check it out. It was run by my old mentor, Darrius Surge: a young genius of a man who had been affiliated with the police for at least a good fifteen years. After realizing that if I joined The Ops, I'd be able to help take down Team Rocket, I obliged to their requests.
I sacrificed a good many things, but I was told it was for the greater good, and I really hoped that was the truth. And so, two years later, I had my first solo mission as a secret agent of the Kanto Ops: find out if the rumors of Team Rocket operating in the Johto region were true. Thanks to previous missions, I already had a pretty vivid grasp of how bad it actually was in Kanto. They had undercover control of pretty much the entire region, even if most people didn't even realize it.
Anyway, back to the whole Team Rocket "mafia" business, the whole reason I moved my mother to Johto, aside from the fact that I was assigned to the region, was simply for the fact that Team Rocket wanted to exterminate her. After the last close call, which happened only a few weeks prior to us moving to Johto, Darrius found a house for her in New Bark Town. That way, at least I also had a home base if I needed one. Either way, I was headed to Johto; at least I got family to come with me this way.
Now, being in a secret bad ass organization similar to the military was just cool and all, and I actually liked the authority I had—and boy, did I have quite a bit of that—but not everything was just peachy keen. First off, like I mentioned earlier, my real name was Amber. Note the WAS part in that.
Since I joined the ranks, I was given an alias: Wolfe. At first, the name was a real burden, but I acquired a reputation pretty quickly in The Ops as someone people didn't want to mess with. Hence I was dubbed "Lone Wolfe" by many of my "fans".
In addition to the alias, I had to have a totally new identity to go with it as well. I was fine with that, even though it meant I had to totally adopt my alter ego. Really, it was fine.
As my last act as Amber, my first mission was to frame my own death on Team Rocket. That in itself was a pretty hard task. I had to say good-bye the hard way to my very best friend, Silver. And to top it off, I had to split up my Pokémon team. None of them remained with me once I swapped identities. And that… Well, it sucked, to put it honestly. I even got a copy of my very own death certificate to seal the deal. To the world, Amber Neilstone was dead.
From there, once Team Rocket really thought they had taken me out—and thankfully, they were so disorganized that they thought it was their work—I had pretty much the works done on me to change my physical appearance. For starters, my lovely chestnut-colored hair was bleached almost a platinum blonde. I was also forced to grow it out, which I found to be a bother since normally I never let my hair grow past my upper back at its longest.
Of course, my hair and name were only the start of it. I had corrective laser eye surgery done so I didn't have to wear glasses any longer, but in the end, I still wound up wearing colored contacts. My sky blue eyes were a stately sea green as long as I kept those in, which was mandatory—even inside headquarters.
I also had plastic surgery done on my face, which made it look pretty different. I didn't look like a little girl any more, to put it lightly. I looked like a serious young woman that didn't take much crap from people. And, after some fights I had gotten myself into, I pretty much fit that reputation well.
Also, the physical training of The Ops made me a lot more fit. I was trained in Pressure Point Control Tactics and Taekwondo in particular. Not saying I wasn't already fit, since after all, I pretty much lived on a mountain, and for anyone who knows mountain climbing, it's good exercise. Still, I was much more agile and nimble after my training, which was a real shocker since I used to be such a klutz.
And, to put the icing on the cake, I grew almost another half foot taller, putting me at about five foot, seven and a half tall. And so, overall, voice aside, I was completely different. As for my voice? I did my best to alter it so I didn't sound exactly the same. My voice had gotten harsher since I had joined, especially after my first real mission, which was to say, a big catastrophe and total bloodbath.
Back to the present, the previous night—in other words, about six hours before I walked down stairs on that bright day in New Bark Town—an idea struck me. Really, it was a brilliant one, though I was certain getting my mother to jump on the bandwagon would have probably have posed a problem.
Any who, I figured that since I was in New Bark, I'd might as well stop by Professor Elm's place to get a new starter Pokémon. It would've been a good idea since technically, I had free rein to do whatever as long as I worked on catching Team Rocket without blowing my cover. I felt more comfortable with a Pokémon around, and even if it would start off untrained, I could fix that problem pretty easily. My only issue was passing myself off as a new trainer to the Pokémon, who I was certain would feel my experience of being a trainer for just about half my life.
As I walked down the stairs the rest of the way and hugged my mother good morning in the foyer, I replied, "Morning Mom," with a pleasant smile. I then proceeded to the fridge in the kitchen while she followed, rummaged for some milk, found a glass, poured some, and silently offered some to my mother, which she shook her head no. Afterward, I replaced the milk carton, closed the refrigerator door, and turned back to my mother as I laxly drank a large gulp. "Hey, Mom. I was thinking of something. Please try to hear me out before you disagree, okay?"
She gave me the usual exasperated glare that naturally accompanied that phrase. I often said that, and it usually meant I was about to tell her something she'd object to, but she listened and replied. "Fine. What do you want to ask?"
"Well, I was thinking last night," I started off, "since I'm fresh in the region and I have no Pokémon… And since I'm already bored here, and I feel like I need to do something productive, and I'm certain it's only a matter of time before I get cabin fever, AND since Professor Elm's lab is so conveniently close…" I trailed off.
"—Are you out of your mind?!" She interrupted. "Wolfe! What on earth are you thinking?! Our lives are at risk, and you want to get a new Pokémon?!"
I glowered at her for not letting me finish. "Look at it this way, if you will. Our lives aren't at risk; we're in Johto. It'll help my new identity greatly if I could start off as a new trainer and travel around. And hey, who knows? I might just find myself a nice, juicy lead while I'm on the road. Besides, I've wanted to go to Johto for ages now. If Silver were here, he'd tell you that, himself. I practically bugged him with that fact daily. I'd love to see what the gyms here are like."
Back when I was a teacher at my own school, I often thought about traveling Johto, anyway. Back then, I really thought about passing off my teacher role to Silver, but if he really wanted to accompany me instead, I wouldn't have objected. But, since Team Rocket got in the way, that dream seemed to go up in smoke, and yes, that was a very bad pun.
But, since I was in Johto, and it seemed like I'd be there for a while, I didn't see why I couldn't make use of that opportunity. Sure, I couldn't use my old team since they'd give away my identity, but at least I could start fresh, which really didn't seem so bad.
"Oh, and I also want to compete in the Indigo League again, even if it's by a different name. I have a title to uphold, after all. And, to top it off, I'd be safer with a Pokémon by my side. Physical training's great, sure. I know how to fight, but I'd feel much safer with a Pokémon at my back," I added.
She sighed since she knew what I said was the complete truth. And, she knew she really couldn't stop me regardless. I was nineteen, after all. I had a very important job, and I got a paycheck for it, and even though I respected her, I was very headstrong. "Fine, but on one condition, if you don't mind," she replied.
"Yes??"
"You have to take your pokegear with you so I can call you. Also, if I were you, I'd have a background story ready. A nineteen-year-old beginner trainer isn't exactly something you see every day."
I smirked. I already knew I'd take along my pokegear. That was not an issue. Since I joined the Kanto Ops, Silph Company in Saffron City had developed a new device that really became popular quickly: the pokegear. It was a phone with video chat available, had access to the Internet if you were around Wi-Fi, served as a radio if you had the correct upgrades, and it featured all sorts of other handy applications, such as a map with an included GPS feature. It really was a neat little device that I pretty much never went anywhere without. It was also very convenient since it fit on my wrist or in my pocket and was a little larger than a watch.
"Don't worry about that, Mom. I need my pokegear for work, anyway. How else do you think I'd contact Darrius? And besides, D already thought out my background story long ago. That's a non-issue," I reassured her.
"I guess that's fine. Just be careful okay? I still can't believe they are making you do this. Team Rocket is dangerous; you should know that firsthand. Just because Team Rocket thinks you are dead, it doesn't make you necessarily safe."
I sighed. "I know, I know. I promise I won't do anything stupid, okay?"
I grinned. "And I want to do this; they aren't making me do a thing. I decided to join up; I decided to put my life on the line for this. It's something I believe in, and I'll see it through to the end. It's the least I can do. I want to move back home again to Kanto some day. And, I don't want them taking over Johto, so that's why I'm here. If another region falls, I don't want to even think of it," I replied doggedly.
My mother sighed again. "I know, honey. I'm just saying you've already sacrificed so much for this. You should have your own life at the age of nineteen. Friends. Maybe even a boyfriend. I admire your courage, but still, I can't help but worry about you. I'm your mother after all, and you've given me quite enough scares before."
I grinned deviously. "I promise I won't join Team Rocket this time, okay?"
That was the truth. I didn't plan on infiltrating them from the inside. That was a tactic I would have used as Amber. No, as Wolfe, I did things quite a bit differently.
"I know you won't unless your job requires it." She sighed as I finished my glass of milk. "Well, anyway, your father dropped off some stuff for you. I guess he figured you'd become a trainer again," she pursed her lips into a grimace. "Stay right there and I'll go get what he dropped off."
I waited while I tapped my foot impatiently. I knew my father knew me all too well. Sometimes I thought he knew me better than my mother, though thanks to the fact that we were both in The Ops more or less, he and I got to know each other very well over the past year. I knew Dad would feel safer if I had a Pokémon by my side; even an untrained one would suffice.
My mother returned with a giant trash bag seemingly full of stuff. My father had always been so "tactful." My mother grinned as she undid the bag's knot. "Okay, close your eyes and open your hands. I'll hand you stuff one at a time."
I restrained myself from rolling my eyes and groaning since the whole surprise thing felt so childish, but I appeased her and did as I was told. I pretty much guessed the bag would hold trainer items, anyway.
"Okay, here's the first thing," she placed a light object in my hands. It was large as it spread across both my hands and then some. It felt like a backpack, and when I opened my eyes, I realized I was correct. It was a very nice looking trainer bag. It was medium-sized, lightweight—although I guessed that was thanks to it being empty—made out of durable, waterproof material, and it even had my alias embroidered on the front in fancy black script writing. The bag itself was sky blue in color, which I found aesthetically appealing since it was my favorite color.
I smiled broadly as I checked out my new bag. Really, it was about time I upgraded, anyway. My old bag was tattered, and I was actually a little relieved to burn it with the schoolhouse. The new bag had a large zipper compartment for storing clothes, a smaller compartment for trainer items, a pokeball pocket, a secret zipper to store money and cards, another pocket which turned out to be a berry pouch, and a final pocket which held a Technical Machine case, not like it'd do me any good since all my machines were lost in the multiple moving boxes scattered throughout the house, and I didn't feel like fishing them out.
My mother continued to fish items out of the bag; the next one was my dual trainer ID and badge case, which was the same color as my bag. At the top inside of the case I already found my ID, updated with my current photo and alias, even. I was certain Dad got it for me himself, which caused me to grin. The bottom of the case held eight fitted slots, which I knew my Johto badges would fit nicely inside when I got them.
After that, the rest of the contents were pretty much basic trainer supplies. I was given five pokeballs, a few potions, a few Oran berries, new running shoes that were totally comfortable, and an updated map chip of the Johto region, which I immediately downloaded into my pokegear.
My mother smiled at me broadly. "Well, on the bright side, at least one of us will have something to do now. I suppose you're going to Professor Elm's place now, right?"
"Yeah, but first I'm going to pack some clothes and money…" I trailed off as I realized I was flat out broke, which was rare for me. Most of my money was safely squirreled away in my savings fund.
"Hold up! I have some new clothes for you since none of yours are unpacked yet." My mother handed me a clothes box that I didn't even notice beforehand.
I opened the box; inside was a red short-sleeved shirt and a gray skull jacket that would fit nicely over it. Underneath was a pair of black skinny jeans, which I had taken to wearing since I changed identities.
I grinned at my mother. "Thanks, Mom. These will definitely come in handy."
"So, you like?" She asked.
"Sure!"
She grinned in return. "I figured you would. I have another pair just like them so you can change into them once those are dirty. And no, your father didn't pick out your clothes. I know you won't go far with only two pairs, but you can do laundry at the Pokémon Center, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem."
I giggled. " I knew Dad didn't pick this out. If it were up to him, I'd be wearing stuff that made me look like a guy or something for boy repellant."
"Indeed. Your father is protective. It's a shame; I think he was really warming up to Silver, too," she laughed in unison.
I sobered up and sighed. "Don't worry, Mom. As soon as I'm done bringing down Team Rocket, I'll make sure things are back to the way they used to be. And I'll make certain Silver will come around again. Just wait."
"I know you will, honey. I have faith in you. This house isn't bad, though I can't wait to return to our real home."
I nodded at my mother as I agreed. I then decided to bound up the stairs and into my room with my new clothes. I passed Pepper as I went, but he just ignored me. In my room, I changed and admired my new look in the mirror. I was still shocked how the girl looking back at me looked totally different from whom I felt like I was. Even though I played the role of Wolfe well, I was always Amber at heart. So, when I saw myself after my transformation, it always took me by surprise.
The girl in the mirror looked serious. Her sea green eyes gazed back into my own, and her mouth curved slightly upward in an amused thin line. Her blonde eyebrows gracefully arched upwards, and her long eyelashes batted playfully as I blinked. Her face was thin, with a small, yet prominent nose and strong jaw that jutted down slightly, though it didn't look bad. If anything, it gave her a commanding look, which is what I needed. Her messy platinum hair fell about her face, and her unruly bangs parted to the left, covering her eye slightly.
I grimaced, as the hair down just didn't look right with the new clothes, which hugged my body nicely. I had definitely filled out in all the right places over the last few years. As I tilted my head downward, I realized my roots were starting to show through my hair, and to top it off, the sun seemed to bleach the platinum an almost golden blonde in some spots, which meant I had highlights. It didn't look bad, though I did need to do a root touch-up soon.
As for my skin tone, it was a few shades paler than I used to be. I used to be more of a tan, but now in the shadows, I was almost an ivory pale thanks to pushing papers a majority of the time instead of getting quality outdoor time.
My arms definitely had some muscle to them, though I didn't fit the body-builder description in the least. I had to admit, I looked pretty good. Totally different. As Amber, I reminded myself of a child who never really grew up. My face back then resembled a kid's, which annoyed me since it wasn't exactly chubby, but it wasn't exactly as prominent either. As Amber, I never actually looked menacing, while as Wolfe, people knew to leave me alone.
I sighed as I put my hair into a messy ponytail, which looked better at least. My bangs still covered my left eye slightly, but I was used to that. I smirked realizing that I looked like a badass lady, who I supposed could pass off as a rocker. That was funny since at heart, I really was a rocker, anyway—an old school one at that.
Despite my new appearance, I felt like a total fake. I didn't feel like myself every time I saw the new me in the mirror, and I doubted I'd ever feel totally comfortable as Wolfe. I didn't even know if I'd ever look like myself again, so I just let it slide. I decided to push my observations aside and packed my spare clothes into my new trainer bag.
I adjusted the straps on my bag, actually found a hidden stash of money that only I knew about, and left my room. I told my mother bye hastily as I set out the door and into the fresh, breezy late February day in New Bark Town.