Team Rocket (ConceptTopic, 6)
From Compile Worlds
Team Rocket (Known as Rokketto Dan in Japanese versions) is a gang of dubious criminals that debuted in Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow. Originally under the leadership of Gym Leader Giovanni, the team committed various crimes through out the series including, but not limited to, embezzling income from a casino in Celadon City, using the same casino to disguise their base of operations, stealing Pokémon and selling them as prizes via the casino, holding buildings hostage and kidnapping people. They, unlike the other teams in Pokémon games, did not seek rare or legendary Pokémon or status, but rather sought to make profits of off rare Pokémon and unsuspecting gamblers. Red and Leaf however, successfully foiled this grand heist. 3 years Later, Ethan, Silver, Lyra and Krys would have to deal with Team Rocket's reformation and their new scheme. Ultimately, they have failed and been disbanded. All it took for them to disband was a passerby kid who just wants to be the Pokémon Master!
Original Scheme
Mt. Moon
Red and Leaf first encounter Team R. at Mt. Moon, where they are stealing rare fossils and are capturing the rather elusive Clefairy. They foil their efforts by driving them out of the cave and obtaining one of the fossils. The other is subject to an unknown fate, but is likely taken home by the greedy Scientist or Super Nerd.
Game Corner
The Game Corner seems to be the main part of Team Rocket's scheme. It includes allowing people to gamble (including children and teens like Red and Leaf themselves) for money, which will then enable the lucky bastards to buy illegally stolen Pokémon as prizes. These Pokémon could be shipped into the Rocket Hideout below and used to supply the Game Corner without anyone noticing...
Er... until Red and Leaf found the switch behind the Team Rocket poster right in the damn lobby, that is. Who's dumb idea was that?
Hideout
The base of operations of Team Rocket was flooded out by Red and Leaf, and Giovanni was first confronted. However, the astray Gym Leader escaped.
Despite the fact that the Hideout is now probably empty, it continues to run business above the ground as usual by somehow suppling the Game Corner with stolen Clefairys and Sycthers.
Pokémon Tower
In the Pokémon Tower, Team R. was somehow able to avoid being possessed by Gastly and Haunter and held Mr. Fuji hostage. Most likely, they wanted Mr. Fuji's Pokémon Flute, which has numerous enchanting effects on some Pokémon. Red and Leaf climbed up the tower, defeating the crazy channelers all the way up, and also beat up the rockets here. They escaped, and Red and Leaf got the Pokémon Flute.
Silph Co.
At Silph Co., Red and Leaf encountered many a foe. Not only were they confronted by Team Rocket grunts holding the building hostage, but also found Giovanni and Green. Green was in the building for unknown reasons, and didn't seem to care about what Team R. was doing. Some speculate that Green may have even negotiated with Giovanni to gain the Viridian City Gym. After Dealing with them, our heroes confronted Giovanni again, only to have him escape again. The founder of Silph Co., who was being held hostage by the Team Rocket leader, gave Red and Leaf the legendary Master Ball.
Viridian Gym
At last the final showdown was here, Giovanni was revealed to be the Gym Leader, and one final duel led to Giovanni disbanding the Team, running off with over 9000 dollars, and possibly giving Green the keys to the Gym. Team Rocket was now plain ass broke, and had no leader to guide their greedy selfish actions. Despite this, business at the casino continued to prosper, and some of the remaining grunts didn't quite get the message...
Dumbasses.
Sevii Islands
On the Sevii Islands, Team Rocket still caused trouble with one last warehouse on Five Island. Red and Leaf eventually became frustrated with them after they stole both the Ruby and the Sapphire out of their hands. As such, revenge was necessary. They told the rockets the bad news, and without their stolen Pokémon or 90,000 dollars, they disbanded for good. Or so we thought...
Three Years Later...
Team Rocket returned, under four new leaders (three male and one female executive), and involved themselves in various scandals, including chopping off Slowpoketails and once again, selling illegally stolen Pokémon.
Azalea Town and the Slowpoke Well
Team Rocket's reformation in Johto is first discovered by Ethan, Lyra and/or Krys when they reach Azalea Town and find themselves unable to enter the Gym thanks to Team Rocket's sinister ploy. This though however, forces the bold young heroes to take action by going into the Slowpoke Well and stopping the production of Slowpoketails, and then, the Slowpoke abuse. The abuse operation, headed by the incredibly feminine, but somehow masculine Executive Proton, was thwarted, and the Team retreated.
Goldenrod scheme unfurling
Later on, Ethan/Lyra encounters a lone Rocket Grunt staring at the Goldenrod Radio Tower like a mindless idiot pondering something, completely ignoring the fact that the scrutiny of the public eye is beholding his every move. Nevertheless, this grunt continues to stare, plotting the not happy events to happen there later on.
Rocket in the Dance Theater
In Euctreak City, the Euctreak Dance Theater and one of the performing Kimono Girls are harassed by another retarded grunt, whom fails at recognizing the culture and insults the Kimono Girl by asking her to perform hula dances (although he also probably wants her to pole dance as well). Luckily, Ethan/Lyra arrives just in time to put the grunt's stage life to a quick end.
Mahogany and the Lake Rage fiasco
When the hero of our tale(whoever he/she may be) reaches Mahogany Town, the oh-so cleverly disguised base of Team Rocket is finally found. Sadly, the pubescent Pokémon Trainer must go find the cheating dragon fag Lance first and have him escort him/her to it. Once inside, Persian shaped security cameras (likely based on Giovanni's own Persian) forced a pair of grunts to repeatedly attack the player... until another cleverly hidden secret switch is found. Team Rocket's obviously fail design foils them again when two obvious passwords are needed to be let into the room of Executive Petrel. Even with the defeat of Petrel however, Ethan/Krys/Lrya still need his voice to enter the room transmitting the evil mutating radio waves that formed the Lake Rage Gyarados. However, Executive Ariana's Murkrow watched the entire encounter, and, unlike a crow, and more like a parrot, started to talk like Petrel. Ethan and co. chased the Murkrow into the locked door, where his uber voice acting skillz fooled the security system. However, the fat slut Ariana arrived in time to ruin your life. However, before Ethan/Lrya can pwn her, Lance makes it a double battle and instakills everything with his overleveled Dragonite. Once again, the Team is forced to abandon their primary headquarters, although this time, they run away to enact their final ploy...
The Radio Tower Heist
While Ethan/Lrya/Krys is running around pissing off Eusine and being awesomesauce for Jasmine, Team Rocket accosts the Goldenrod Radio Tower, and actually has the upper hand. With neither the teenage hero or the stupid champion to stop them, they could have easily enacted their ultimate plan of destroying all Pokémon genealogy by using the tower to broadcast their evil radio frequencies. However, instead, Team Rocket pulls their most epic leopard failure yet by instead using the tower first to make a desperate cry to Giovanni to rejoin them. Little did anyone know however, Giovanni was actually listening. Meanwhile however, the hero of Johto appears and takes down the three executives he/she met before, and ultimately, faces of with the new head of Team Rocket, Executive Archer. However, even despite their best efforts, they fail once again, disbanding permanently. The grunts themselves had finally gotten the message; gtfo, to put it lightly. However, Giovanni was still in hiding...
Giovanni's Final Clash
During the entire battle mentioned above, the Ethan/Lyra of the future appeared in the Tohjo Falls and discovered Giovanni had actually intercepted the radio transmission Team Rocket had sent, and had full intentions of moving in and reforming Team Rocket for real. However, the heroes of the future, for the sake of their past selves, and everyone, fought Giovanni, trying to get the message through his thick, balding skull. After the battle, Giovanni finally sees the error of his ways and disappears for good, leaving the Team forever "dead".
Finally.
Anime Duos
Team Rocket may also refer to two pairs of grunts that appear continuously in the Pokémon anime. One group, Jessie amd James, appears more often than the other, Butch and Cassidy. The former has been trying to kidnap Ash Ketchum's Pikachu for years, despite the fact that it is probably no longer a rare Pokémon worth it's weight in gold. The latter pair has been the brains of more sinister schemes, and often attacks supporting characters, such as Professor Oak, Delia Ketchum, and Ritchie. Either duo has their own set of running gags and memes, and both are often foiled miserably and humiliatingly.
Giovanni still heads the team in the anime, and the focus of the group remains the same, but he has also lusted after control of Mewtwo, a Pokémon originally created for him (and before him, his mother).
Trading Card Appearences
Team Rocket Grunts and Scientists have been depicted on numerous cards, and Team Rocket had it's own expansion set named after it. The set, Team Rocket Returns, featured new cards, and reprints of most of the old Team Rocket cards, and first displayed Ken Sugimori's awesome stock art of Jessie and James.
In the Pokémon Trading Card Game's video game incarnation, an evil team, known as Team Great Rocket appeared and challenged Mark and Mint to card duels.
Misc. Trivia
- Team Rocket has been the only team to appear in a game set twice.
- Team Rocket is also only team that didn't disband or was killed based on a lust for a legendary Pokémon's powers.
- Team Rocket is also the only team that probably makes it's fund money of off their illegal activities, as well as possibly Giovanni's income as Gym Leader.
- Finally, Team Rocket was the only team headed by a Gym Leader.
- Incidently, their true Johto leader in the manga was also a different Gym Leader.
- Jessie and James appeared in Pokémon Yellow, replacing random Rocket grunts. This marked an appearance in a game where it actually mattered.
- Additionally and curiously, Jessie and James are the only anime characters not borrowed from the games to have art drawn by Sugimori.
- Jessie and James also appear in Pokémon Puzzle League (A cover-up for Panel De Pon 2), as well as in official merchandise. This could mean that Jessie and James have become a symbol of Pokémon as a whole, and may actually be the real stars of the anime, and not Ash Ketchum.
- Team Rocket had to be disbanded three times in order to be fully abolished, with their leader having to be defeated twice.
- Coincidentally, the second defeat of Giovanni and the defeat of Archer have been revealed to take place simultaneously.
- Female Rocket grunts in Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal resemble Cassidy and Jessie.
- Team Rocket has the greatest influence of all evil teams, being in all five generations of games, anime, and manga, as well as appearing to influence similar baddies in spin-off games in their generations.
- There's a former Rocket Grunt that can be found somewhere in the new games. According to him, he planned to revive Team Rocket and set Unova as the base, but such things like wife and children stopped him, so...
Notes
- During the Johto portion of the Rocket Plot, when Ethan, Krys and Lrya are all mentioned, this event happens in both the originals and the remakes. When just Ethan and Lyra are mentioned, this event only happens in the remakes.
- In the original pair, Proton was not yet an executive, and his title in the originals was merely a grunt. This may also hold true for Petrel. However by end game, they are both executives at the radio tower.
