"So good to see you two have recovered," Giovanni greeted two of his Rockets, Butch and Cassidy. "I'm sure you're wondering why you're here. You have a new mission."
Neither liked how that sounded, both having spotted the half empty bottle of whiskey.
"You two were among the survivors… You were there when everything went to hell," the leader growled, both shivering with dread.
"We understand," Cassidy said just loud enough to be heard.
"You told the doctors about an egg Mew teleported away. I want you two to find it and bring it back here."
"Right, we'll do our…" Butch started. He and his partner flinched when their boss slammed his fist into the desk, rattling the contents.
"I don't want your "best," I want that damn egg!" Giovanni shouted.
"Yes, Sir!"
"Cassidy, go down to the lab and see if they've finally located the egg."
"Yes, Sir…" she began, stealing a glance at her partner.
"Leave!"
A terrified whimper escaped as she darted out of the room, leaving the two men alone. Persian had slipped out past her, clearly terrified of what might happen.
Butch was doing everything in his power not to tremble, knowing why he was here. He knew what may be said, possibly done to him…
"I heard you took charge, is that correct?" Giovanni asked, his voice eerily calm.
"That's correct, Sir. Thor had been killed. Everyone was panicking. So I started giving orders to try and regain control," Butch explained, feeling it won't sate the man's rage.
"Yes, of course, you were trying, but you still managed to fuck everything up!" the older man snarled as he made his way over.
"N-no one expected Mew to retaliate so violently!"
He barely had time to react when he was slapped across the face, sending him crashing into the floor. He held his cheek, tasting blood in his mouth.
"Yet you still let it slip through your fingers, just like that," the leader growled.
"No one would have expected it to blow itself up like some extremist! We were prepared to catch it, not fight like we're in some goddamned war!"
Butch instantly paled when realizing what he did, barely having time to shield himself when kicked sharply in the ribs. His boss was livid, kicking him wherever he was vulnerable, even stomping on his back.
It went on for several minutes, the only thing Butch noticing was as painful as it was, nothing broke. He knew he'll have bruises and some cuts, but given he had been given a mission, this was a light punishment. He wasn't sure if he should be grateful or not.
"Stand up!" Giovanni barked.
Slowly, he did, starting to steady himself when he was slammed against the wall, a yelp escaping him. The older man had him pinned by the collar of his shirt, their faces close enough for the smaller one to smell the alcohol. Butch did his best not to gag.
The young man couldn't help but wonder what happened to his boss ever since he returned from Unova. He changed so drastically, becoming more violent with his Rockets than he had in the past. Part of him felt jealous of the Rocket Trio being off in some unknown region, away from this nightmare.
Butch let out a small whimper when a fist slammed near his head. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for further abuse.
"I don't ever want to hear you back talk to me again, you hear me?"
"Y-yes, Sir."
"I hope we never have this sort of talk again." Giovanni tauntingly patted the other's bruised cheek. When he pulled away, he gave a familiar wave to leave.
Butch started to leave, doing everything in his power not to start running. Just as he was crossing the threshold, he stopped when his boss talked again.
"You better find that egg, or else."
As if struck with a whip, Butch ran out of the office, barely shutting the door behind him.
Walking as quickly as he could, he hardly focused on his surroundings. He only came back to reality when a hand landed on his shoulder. He spun, thinking Giovanni wanted to talk to him again, only to find a horrified Cassidy.
"Oh gods…" she gasped, seeing the bruises and split lip.
Before she could ask what happened, he pulled her into his arms, hugging her as tightly as he could. His whole body shook, unsure if he was scared or close to crying. She assumed both, slowly reaching her hand up to rub his back to help calm him down.
"Butch, what happened?"
"He-he's blaming me for the mission's failure," he hiccupped softly. "He's right, I should've done something that would have prevented this. I should have…"
"Don't," she scolded. She pulled away to look him straight in the eye. "It wasn't your fault, you couldn't have foreseen the outcome. None of us could."
"People died because of me!"
"If not from you, it would've been from someone else! Mew was going to take as many lives as possible. We're just lucky we survived. If you hadn't seen it woke up, hadn't called that retreat, far more lives would have been lost."
"Even so, people still died as they ran, tried hiding from the blast. Almost nothing survived… How could it have that much power left after everything we threw at it?"
"I…I don't know."
Cassidy hugged her friend again, her body shaking at the memories as badly as he was shaking. They eventually pulled apart once calming themselves.
The blonde could see her partner still blamed himself, unable to feel her blood boil that their boss is making him carry it all. As far as she knew, as some of the survivors knew, Butch did nothing wrong. He did what any of them would have done in that situation, that he had been able to save anyone at all was a miracle.
"Did you get the egg's location?" Butch asked softly.
"They found Mew's psychic pattern, they should have an idea where it is shortly."
"Oh…"
"It'll be okay; we'll find that egg and bring it back. Maybe if we're lucky, we could snatch any other rare Pokémon on our way back."
"I guess…"
Cassidy gave him a sad look as they walked over to the labs. She let him sit outside as she went in to see if there were any updates.
Finally alone, Butch covered his face, softly sobbing, unable to wipe the memories of that mission from his mind.
If he hadn't insisted they go, neither would have gotten hurt, had seen so much blood.
Even now, he could recall the smell of fresh blood, of burning flesh, the screams so audible, it was like he was back.
****Flashback****
Rumors had spread that the legendary mirage was sighted in various locations across Kanto. Most of it came from trainers they spied on or from a few Rockets who swore they saw a glimpse of it.
The better trained members were sent out to determine if it was true, that it wasn't a mirage. After weeks of thorough searching, only one Rocket managed to confirm the rumors were true.
It was an accident, some grunt that idolizes the bumbling trio, spotted the legend during a routine delivery for others. He tried to fight it when realizing what it was, yet it escaped as quickly as it appeared. The most he could do was get a photo as proof when he reported it.
The photo was more than enough for Giovanni to send out orders for a handful of his better agents to hunt it down. The knowledge that the photo showed it carrying an egg made the mission all the more important.
When Butch heard about it, he was excited at the opportunity. He was practically begging his superior, a man named Thor to let him and Cassidy join the capture.
Thor contemplated the idea before agreeing, trusting the two of them far more than they would the infamous trio had they been present.
Butch and Cassidy soon packed their things and headed out the second Mew's general location had been found.
It took two months to get to their destination. They had to be inconspicuous to avoid being detected by police or members of the Pokémon G-Men.
They took cars, dressed as civilians in case they had to stop for supplies at any point. When they reached the mountain, they left their cars parked in remote locations, a couple of grunts left to guard them, alerting the rest if someone came their way.
From there, they climbed, taking various trails that made the least amount of noise so not to alert their target. Hours ticked by before they almost reached the top, a few ahead signaling them to stop and get into formation.
Curled up by a river was the legendary mirage, Mew. It was drinking, lapping up as much water as it could.
"I can't believe it," Cassidy whispered, afraid to speak to loud.
"Look at the tail," Butch pointed out.
There was indeed an egg, the long tail carefully wrapped around it as if some treasure.
"Wonder what should be done to separate it from the egg?" a random grunt asked.
Without meaning to, Butch answered, "Best course would be to prevent it from escaping right from the start. Then we keep it low to the ground so if it drops the egg, it won't get damaged, even keep some Pokémon ready to catch it just in case."
"Good idea, Biff," Thor chuckled, patting the younger agent on the shoulder.
"It's Butch!" he hissed, keeping his voice low.
Grinning still, the older man pulled out his walkie-talkie, setting it so all the hiding agents would hear him. "Alright, here's the plan, Rockets…"
He repeated what Butch suggested, the younger man surprised he was actually listened, the other giving him an approving nod as confirmations came in.
"You can thank, Butch for it," he grinned again.
Butch barely held back a blush, not only having his name said right, but not having his plan stolen by a higher up.
"I want anyone with psychic or speedy Pokémon ready to catch the egg if it's dropped at any point. But more importantly, I do not want to see a single damaging attack. We don't need a scrambled egg. If I see one person attack it directly, I'll have your hide, you hear me?"
As Thor began to give orders to specific groups, namely for laying the right traps, Butch took the time to examine the Pokémon.
He felt his eyes widen when seeing something was wrong. It looked sick, really sick. It was emancipated, bits of fur missing with sores covering the bald patches.
He was so focused on its diseased appearance; he barely heard the order to attack.
Butch was hesitant throwing his Pokéballs while everyone else threw theirs out, surrounding the alarmed Pokémon.
As orders were made from Rockets to use various trapping moves, Mew glared, head snapping left and right to see itself surrounded. The legend arched its back, its emancipated figure more prominent than before.
"What is wrong with that thing?"
"Is it sick?"
"No shit, Sherlock, let's just hope it's not contagious."
As various grunts talked, they were taken off guard when the Pokémon suddenly leapt at a Liepard, ripping at its throat. The dark type screamed, coughing up blood, the grunt that owned it screaming as well.
"Get off of her!"
The grunt stared in horror when her Pokémon fell, twitching briefly before stilling. Mew pulled away, chunks of fur and flesh dropping out of its bloodied mouth.
"That can't be a damn Mew!" another grunt shrieked. She was shakily holding her Pokéball, ready to recall her Pokémon.
"It is a Mew, you moron!" Thor snapped, seeing the psychic tuck the egg closer to the body, keening to it. "Shit, we can't attack with the egg that close."
As if reading his mind, the legend gave them a hateful glare before energy wrapped the pink shell. Thor and the others quickly realized that it was being teleported.
"Stop it!" Thor shouted.
But it was too late; the egg was gone. It was an unseen loophole that the egg wouldn't have been bound by the attacks that prevent escape.
As furious as he was, Thor turned to his men, seeing the couple of scientists that came with them already working on tracing the psychic pattern. He gave a grin, knowing it'll be quick to find the egg, so they could focus catching the Pokémon without worry.
He barked out orders to attack, the braver members ordering their Pokémon to attack with all they had.
Butch and a few others were frozen in place, staring at the dead Liepard, having rarely seen such gore. He was shaking, unable to bring himself to call out more of his Pokémon, spotting his Mightyena keeping a safe distance. Recalling his Pokémon, he called out Cloyster, ordering it to attack from afar.
Despite the large numbers attacking, the psychic legend dodged, using the ground and air to avoid devastating moves. But in return, it would latch onto a vulnerable neck, tearing the flesh apart with its fangs and claws.
"What the hell is going on? I said to attack it, not let it win!" Thor snarled as he called out his Aggron. "Slow it down with…"
Before he could finish, Mew inhaled deeply, shocking everyone when a powerful Flamethrower came pouring out of its mouth.
Cassidy's screams were lost among others as well as the powerful Pokémon as it was roasted alive. The steel plating that served as armor melted, its thick hide bubbling before bursting into flames. But what made it more horrifying was witnessing the attack blasting through and around the Aggron, engulfing its trainer and several others nearby.
Agonizing shrieks and screams from the victims rang in the air, everyone scrambling to get out of the way. Those not caught directly in the flames, but still close were rolling around, trying to put out burning clothes or patting them away on screaming Pokémon.
Butch was scared, no terrified, the smell of burning flesh making him sick, barely keeping the bile back. Just getting a small taste made the urge to vomit all the greater, but he managed to hold it together.
He hardly recognized his voice when he started barking orders of his own.
"Kill it! I don't care how, just kill that diseased monster!"
Whatever was wrong with it, it had to be put down before anyone else was killed.
Those who heard him, they didn't care if it was from a proper rank or not, they took it as an acceptable order. They would no longer show mercy, it was it or them now. Even the Pokémon seemed to agree, no longer holding back their strength, tearing at the legend.
At some point in the chaos, a Scyther managed to get close enough, slashing with an exceptionally powerful X-Scissor. The legend was screeching in agony as it was thrown into the bloodied ground. Its small body was heaving heavily, bloodthirsty eyes glaring before they closed, finally stilling.
"Is…is it dead?" a Rocket asked nervously, calling for his Pokémon to return.
"Damn right it is!" a cocky one laughed. He and his Scyther walked up to the Pokémon, "How's that you little bitch? Not so tough now?"
Slowly more came over, others staying back, reality sinking in that many of their comrades were dead. A few began to cry at the carnage, others who just about lost all their humanity walked over the remains to examine their kill.
"Giovanni's going to be pissed," another Rocket muttered.
"Pissed or not, it had to die, for its sake as …"
Butch stopped in midsentence, eyes widening in horror when seeing the Pokémon's eyes opening, a dangerous glint shining.
"Retreat!" he screamed, already running, recalling his Pokémon as did others.
Some ignored him, not seeing the Pokémon stirring, others seeing or simply taking his word, running as fast as they could.
Before anyone had a chance to react, the half dead Pokémon's body began to glow, realization dawning on those too close to run.
A loud explosion rang through the air, immense power released, tearing everything around it apart. The shockwaves sent various people and Pokémon airborne, many still scrambling, landing well enough to keep running. Others were to dazed, caught in the blast as it continued to grow.
Butch continued to run, having grabbed Cassidy's hand, refusing to let her go, to lose his best friend. He could hear others following, not daring to look behind.
"It's catching up!" a terrified Rocket screamed, tripping over a rock, engulfed in the light, body incinerated.
"We're not going to make it!" Butch screamed in his thoughts, realizing no amount of running will save them.
He scanned for something that could protect them, eyes landing on several large boulders, screaming for everyone to run behind them. The second they got behind them, the blast struck hard, but didn't press any further.
Realizing they were safe, Butch gave a forced laugh as he quickly blacked out.
When he had woken up, he found himself in the hospital wing. He learned he had been in worse shape than he initially believed.
He recalled having been thrown from the shockwave, recalling something breaking after hitting the tree. Now that he was safe, he could feel how sore his body was, the medication making it less painful than it likely really was.
He not only broke his leg, but several ribs had broken as well. Even his arm had been snapped in several places, thankfully not the arm he used to take Cassidy's hand.
Whether he wanted to know or not, he learned there were other survivors, Cassidy banged up like him, though not as severely. The ones who hid with them were in similar shape, a very small handful somehow surviving the explosion.
He shuddered, not wanting to know how bad off they were, torn between hoping they survive and hoping they die peacefully. He could only imagine the number of skin grafts they'll need for the burns.
If only he had tried harder to convince more to retreat, not to get near the body. Maybe if he had, more would be alive, less would be in agonizing pain?
As he recovered, he overheard some talking about the area being scoured, some higher ranks disguising it as a ranger mission to clean the scene up.
Due to how powerful that Explosion was, Butch knew anyone that had been close to Mew was likely incinerated, Pokéballs included. It was a miracle he and Cassidy managed to recall theirs quick enough, not to lose any of them in the chaos.
Since the mission, Butch couldn't get the events out of his mind. He constantly had nightmares, waking up screaming almost every time.
Any time anyone talked about Mew, the mere word sent him in a fit, unable to keep himself from shaking, sometimes hyperventilating.
There was no way he could ever see the legendary mirage the same way again…
****End Flashback****
Lost in his thoughts, Butch felt a hand grab shoulder. He let out a gasp, almost falling out of his seat until seeing it had been Cassidy.
It pained the blonde to see him like this, having not once blamed him for signing them up, for convincing her to go. Had it been the other way around, she would have been the one doing the exact same thing, dragging him off to that nightmare.
Sitting down next to him, she pulled him into a strong hug, their heads resting on each other's shoulders.
The entire time Butch had been recovering from his injuries, she listened to their own team talk about the mission. Hardly anyone pitied her partner for what happened when word came that he tried taking control of the chaos after Thor was killed. The few that did were the ones who were grateful they listened to him to run, seeing him as a hero.
She remembered one of the higher ranked members that thought highly of her skills talk to her about switching partners. While Butch would recover from his injuries, the mental scars are likely permanent. She knew that of course, anyone would be mentally scarred after that, having had her own nightmares from the event.
She was offered a new partner when she was fully recovered, but she refused. She wasn't going to abandon Butch, not after he saved her life. He could have simply ran and left her in the dust, but he hadn't.
She was going to stick by his side and help him through this, knowing he would do the same for her.
The blonde found it absolutely cruel that the moment they were field ready, Giovanni picks them to retrieve the egg. It was like a sick joke.
She could hardly think of the legend without breaking into a cold sweat, yet knew Butch was worse off than her when it came to the Pokémon.
As uncomfortable as they were, they knew they had to complete the mission. Seeing how battered her partner got, she didn't want to think what would happen if they refused or came back empty handed.
Without saying a word, Cassidy got to her feet, Butch following. He knew the egg had been located, reading her features. So they went to the main storeroom to gather supplies they would need, the coordinates written down before leaving headquarters.
They made their way to Cerulean City, refilling their supplies before going towards the infamous Cerulean Cave. To think that one of the most dangerous locations was where the egg had been sent. Either Mew knew a secret spot or it really was sick to send its offspring here.
They were careful sneaking in to avoid various guards. Not only was the damp cavern filled with dozens upon dozens of powerful Pokémon, but was immense. So few traversed, any markers left behind had worn down, forcing the pair to make new ones for themselves.
"It should be around here," Cassidy said, not too worried about whispering.
Butch had called out his Mightyena, letting it and her Sableye scope around to look for the egg as well as alert them of any dangerous Pokémon.
"Maybe it got crushed?" Butch joked bitterly.
Cassidy spun around, staring at him in horror. "You can't be serious? I know what Mew did was horrible, but this one's just a baby!"
"We don't even know if its disease free! It could be rotting in its shell as we speak," he stated angrily.
"We still need to find it," she stated.
"And what, bring it back? That'll make the boss happy," Butch laughed.
"Do you want a repeat if it is sick and hatches?" Cassidy snapped, paling when seeing how scared he looked. "Butch… I…I didn't mean…"
Instead of yelling, he turned on his heels, taking off down a tunnel.
She gave a shout, trying to catch up, hating how much faster he is, even the Pokémon unable to keep up.
"Dammit," she cried, falling to her knees. The two Pokémon gave her a sad look, nuzzling into her gently.
Butch continued to run, only stopping when his leg ached, having not fully recovered from the mission. He knew she didn't mean to say it like that, knowing she was right.
He didn't want a repeat, want anyone to go through what they had.
He felt like an idiot, realizing he was somewhere unfamiliar, no visible markers present.
"Shit!" he shouted, kicking a rock as far as he could. He went white when the ground shook, a rumbling noise coming at him.
He couldn't muster a scream as he started to back away when a giant Graveler appeared, realizing the rock must have hit it. It was huge, almost as large as he was, unsure if it was scientifically possible.
He doubted he could beat it with Cloyster. Even with a type advantage, living in a cave likely gave it some resistant with the underground rivers flowing.
Butch found himself screaming when the Pokémon snarled, charging for him. He turned and ran as fast as he could, trying to find a place to hide or somehow lose it.
As he was leaping over various rocks, he felt his world slow when his foot got caught in a crevice. The bone snapped, ripping another scream out of him as he collapsed to the ground, twisting it even further.
Grabbing the injured leg, he let out a strangled cry, realizing he was going to die. He felt the ground around him shake as the Graveler got closer.
It leapt over some rocks with surprising agility, finding its fallen prey trying to desperately crawl away. A snarl escaped its mouth as the Pokémon lunged for the man with the intent to kill.
Mere feet away, it stopped, blinking in surprise as a pink glow formed around its whole body. It hardly had a chance to question it when it was picked up easily and thrown as far from the man as possible. Realizing there was something powerful around here, escaping as quickly as it could.
Butch had his eyes closed, opening them when hearing the crash, but further away, watching as it escaped. He was dumbfounded; briefly forgetting about his leg, wondering what scared it off.
"C-Cass?" he called out, hoping she was nearby.
Part of him hoped that it was her that chased it away and not something worse. His blood ran cold when hearing a familiar cry, only higher pitched, a pink blur zipping around him.
"Mew!" it squeaked out, finally landing in front of him, blue eyes staring.
Butch let out another scream, throwing himself backwards, struggling to get away from the pink kitten. He struggled to stand, only to fall, gripping his leg in pain.
The Pokémon cocked its head to one side, clearly confused at what he was doing. It attempted to get closer, mewling softly, jumping when he started screaming.
"G-get away! Get away from me!" he begged, backing away as best he could until he hit a wall, pinning him.
At this point, he broke down, his mind flashing back to the mission, the sounds and smells of death overwhelming him. Ignoring his leg, he curled in on himself, rocking back and forth, his cries echoing off the walls around them.
Unsure what was happening, but knew it was bad; the kitten stared at the terrified human sadly. It couldn't be the Graveler; it got rid of the rock type, chasing it away. So why was he still so terrified? The small kitten's tail and ears dropped, dawning on it that the man was scared of it, that the Graveler wasn't the problem.
It couldn't understand why though. Why would he be so afraid? What did it do to make him so scared?
The kitten didn't want to leave, not with the human injured like this. The Graveler could come back if not something worse.
It looked around to find a means of helping the human without instilling more fear. It looked for a possible Pokémon that could help, listening to see if the human had any friends that could help. It was hard though to listen over the man's crying, even as he started to grow quieter.
Flying a little away, the kitten looked for signs, eventually hearing a female voice shouting for something or someone. The Pokémon perked up, believing whoever it was would be able to help the man.
Taking a last look at the man, it flew off towards the new voice.
After a few minutes, it found the source, becoming excited as it flew straight into the blonde's arms, letting out a pleased cry.
"Mew!"
Cassidy almost screamed when a pink blur slammed into her, but stopped when a pair of bright blue eyes blinked at her. She couldn't believe her eyes that she found a Mew, certain it was the egg they were looking for.
"Okay, so I found you, now to find Butch," she sighed. She gently stroked its head, feeling it nuzzle in, a light purr escaping.
She had heard muffled screaming, recognizing it as her partner as well as the sounds of something chasing him. It scared her, hoping he was okay. She tried to follow the source, but there were too many tunnels and the sounds bounced off to many walls.
Cassidy yelped when the kitten flew out of her arms, zipping around her excitedly. It grabbed bits of her hair or a sleeve, tugging her to a direction.
"Are you trying to show me something?"
"Mew!" it squealed, taking off at her answer. It was fast, stopping periodically to ensure she was following.
"Hey wait!"
Chasing after the young legendary, Cassidy found herself having to jump over fallen rocks, many looking recent. There was more than once she almost tripped when her foot slid into any larger cracks or crushed stone.
"Butch!" she gasped when she finally found him. Mew was zipping above, excited that they've been reunited.
She ran to his side, wrapping her arms around him, feeling his whole body shaking. She saw his broken ankle, the sight making her sick by how it was twisted.
Realizing he hadn't noticed her presence, almost going into a catatonic state, she grabbed the sides of his face, forcing him to look at her.
"Butch, wake up! It's me, you're safe now," Cassidy begged, her heart racing.
It took a few minutes, repeating his name before he blinked, appearing confused of where they were as he looked at her with glossy eyes.
"Cass?" he groaned, sounding so tired.
"Oh thank gods!" she cried out, unable to hold back her tears. She hugged him tighter, almost forgetting about his leg until he hissed in pain. "What happened?"
He wracked his brain, trying to recall what happened, his eyes growing wide as it all came back.
"I…I pissed off a Graveler, a really big one."
"Did it hurt you?"
"Not exactly… I think I broke my ankle on some fallen rocks when I was trying to escape, but it didn't attack me."
"I heard you screaming, but your voice was echoing everywhere, I couldn't pinpoint you. Even Mightyena and Sableye were having trouble."
"I'm sorry for running off, I'm such an idiot!"
"It's okay, everything will be okay. But where did the Graveler go?"
"It got thrown by a psychic attack…"
"A psychic…"
Cassidy glanced at Mew, seeing it float not too far, beginning to piece things together.
"Was it Mew?"
Hearing his breathing hitch a little, she rubbed his back, trying to calm him down, repeating the question, wanting to be sure.
"Y-yes…"
"Then it saved you. Mew saved you! It led me back here to find you."
Butch snapped his head up, staring at her with disbelieving eyes. "Don't joke around like that, there's no way…"
"Mew!"
He stiffened when the psychic flew towards them, squeezing itself between their bodies, blue eyes not leaving his brown ones.
He wanted to run, to scream, anything to get away, but stopped when he saw something glistening in its eyes. The Pokémon was crying because he was crying. Something clicked, starting to see Mew for what it was, not what its mother had been.
Hesitantly, he reached his hand out, the Pokémon seeing this as it flew closer, rubbing against the fingers before nuzzling the whole hand. While he couldn't feel the fur, he felt the vibrations from the purring, hearing it even.
Cassidy could hardly believe her eyes seeing her partner freely pet the legendary Pokémon after so many nightmares.
"Butch?"
"Yeah?"
"Nothing, I'm just glad you're safe now," Cassidy sighed, feeling a smile beginning to tug at her lips. "We need to get out of here and get you to a hospital."
"Right," Butch sighed, glancing at the Pokémon. He knew that they had to bring it back, but he wasn't sure if he could go through with it.
This little Pokémon saved his life. It brought Cassidy to him, snapping him out of his nightmares. Not only that, but it was just a baby. Could he really hand over a baby to his boss to do Arceus knows what to it? Yet he couldn't think about abandoning it here either. It was just a baby, legend or not, it wouldn't survive.
Taking a deep breath, he gently brought the small kitten into his body, letting it curl against him happily. The tears have long stopped, the purring growing even louder than he would have imagined.
It was so tiny, almost swallowed up by his hand, unable to wonder if it might have hatched too soon.
Having been distracted by the Pokémon he thought to be afraid of, he jumped when hearing a Pokéball opening up. Butch looked up, surprised to see Cassidy with a Rhyhorn gently nuzzling against her thigh.
"When did you get a Rhyhorn?"
"I kinda found her shortly after you took off," she answered with a nervous laugh. "Come on, you can ride on her back; it'll be easier and safer than trying to walk."
Knowing she's right, Butch set Mew down so he'd have both hands free. He hissed in pain when he was helped to his feet, trying not to put too much weight on his ankle.
As quickly as he was standing, he half flung himself onto Rhyhorn, the Pokémon giving him a concerned look. Cassidy helped him sit straighter, his injured leg propped up as comfortably as possible so it wouldn't get bumped too much.
Once he was settled, they made their way for the exit, Mew having flown back into Butch's arms, purring away. Cassidy stayed next to him to ensure he doesn't fall off.
After a few hours, the two found the exit, now having to evade patrolmen. With their luck, it was dark, not realizing how long they had been in the cavern. Either way, it made it easier to slip past the guards and easily cross the water without being spotted.
The moment they were back on shore, Butch was back on Rhyhorn's back, the Pokémon and its new trainer marching back to town. Still in their disguises, it would be easy for them to get help and not get recognized.
As they neared the city, Butch managed to convince Mew to hide in his back, having Cassidy carry it. The moment they arrived, a few people saw them, seeing the state the man was in, rushing them to the hospital.
Within a few days of being there, Butch was allowed to leave. He had on a cast due to the damage, but he was given crutches.
A nurse pushed him outside in a wheelchair once he was discharged from the hospital.
Cassidy had come around to pick him up in a car, helping him in. Once he was safely seated, the nurse bid them farewell as she went back in with the chair.
Grinning, the blonde reached around, holding her friend's back, dropping it on his lap much to his confusion.
"What happened?" Butch asked. Whenever she smiles like that, it's often not a good sign.
"You know that white Pokéball you've been carrying around for Arceus knows how long?" she asked, her smile never leaving. She had already started the car, driving them out of town and back to base.
"Yeah? What about it?"
"Check it."
Not getting what she was talking about, his curiosity got the better of him.
Opening the bag, he found the ball sitting at top, recalling how it's usually buried at the bottom. He didn't even remember why he kept it, having gotten it as a promotion when he had to get some Pokéballs for a mission after running out.
Picking the ball up, he looked at it, dawning on him that something was inside.
Before he knew it, his thumb was over the button, clicking it twice to call out whatever was inside. Brown eyes grew wide as the newborn Mew was now sitting on his lap.
"Mew!" the kitten greeted happily.
"What the hell?"
"She got inside it at some point. I'm surprised we didn't hear it," Cassidy joked.
"Maybe happened when I was getting my ankle fixed up?" Butch grumbled, staring at the ball and Pokémon.
"Maybe… Butch?"
"Yeah, Cass?"
"You know, once we return to headquarters, we'll have to hand Mew over, right?"
"I know… But I don't want to…"
"But the boss…"
"He'll probably kill me, I know. But I honestly don't care anymore. Mew's just a baby, it isn't like its mother… It isn't sick, right?"
"I was able to bribe a doctor she could get looked at."
"And?"
"Mew's one hundred percent healthy."
Butch couldn't help but smile in relief, watching as the small kitten looked around as far as he allowed her. The smile faded though when thinking about the Pokémon's possible fate.
"What am I going to do with Mew though?"
"Are you positive you don't want to turn her over to the boss?"
"I am… Who knows what Giovanni would do to her? She saved me, Cass… I…I don't think I could live with myself if betrayed her like that."
Almost taking her eyes off the road, the blonde was left speechless.
Butch definitely changed since that mission. For as long as she knew him, he wasn't one to question or think about defying orders. Then again, after all that happened, she couldn't help but start questioning things.
"Well, if you don't want to hand her to the boss, we could find someplace private and release her back into the wild? Or we could secretly have her delivered to someone we know won't hurt her."
"Maybe…" Butch whispered.
"Mew…" the kitten mewled sadly.
She didn't like the conversation that they were having, namely based on their tones, the man's especially. Reaching up as high as she could, she gently pawed at his face to get his attention. When she succeeded, she gave him a pitiful look, tears forming. She closed them when he started to rub behind her ear, a sad purr escaping.
"Is something wrong?" Cassidy asked.
"I don't think she wants to leave," Butch answered, giving the Pokémon a sad look. "Why would you want to stay with us? We're not good people."
"Maybe Mew senses something about you? She does seem to really like you," Cassidy muttered softly. "Ever since that mission, you've completely changed. After you were released from the hospital, you didn't jump back into missions as you did in the past. You've even been acting kinder towards your Pokémon, not just Mightyena."
"So have you."
"Guess I have, haven't I?"
"Maybe we should leave?" Butch suggested.
"You're joking, right?" Cassidy gasped.
"Why not, we both agree that Giovanni's pretty much lost it."
Stopping the car, turning to look him, unsure if what she heard was right or if her partner, her best friend was even thinking straight.
"Butch, we know too much! He would kill us, possibly our Pokémon!"
"I know, but I honestly don't want to go back. I don't want to risk going on another mission and risk our lives like that. Never again…"
"Butch…" she whispered, reaching her hand out to touch his shoulder.
Mew looked between the two, her new trainer especially as tears began to fall from his tightly shut eyes. Her tail fell, saddened by what she was seeing.
After a few minutes, Cassidy having been in deep thought over her friend's words, she finally spoke. "You know, you might be right. Maybe we should try to leave."
"How so?" Butch asked, skeptical of what she meant.
"Just hear me out. I don't know why, but ever since that last mission we had in Sinnoh, it got me thinking."
"Thinking about what?"
"Why were we never fired after that failure? Same with all the other failures we had since the breeder center fell apart. I can understand him giving us a second chance the first couple times, no agent is perfect. But at that time, we weren't high up on the food chain. We didn't know as much as we do now. What could he want with us still? Want with members like Jesse and James even?"
"You think Giovanni's plotting something?"
"I don't know… You've been hearing the rumors lately, right?"
Butch paled, knowing what she was talking about, "Yeah, I heard about them."
Neither wanted to think about it, but the man recalled the vague threat, unable to stop the shiver of fear running up his spine.
He didn't want to find out if it was true people and Pokémon were being experimented on. He didn't want Cassidy to end up like that or any of their Pokémon.
"Mew…" the kitten whimpered, feeling their fear, curling up nervously.
Both were silent, thoughts of what to do running through their head before an idea popped into Butch's mind. It was a crazy idea though, knowing Cassidy will say it's insane.
"We could try to find a way to connect with the Pokémon League and request protection from them. So long as we provide enough information, the champion's surely to grant it."
"Are you insane? If we did that, we'll certainly die!"
"I know, but it's the best I could think of."
"Even if we did, there are agents set up in the League. If we're not careful, word would get back and Giovanni will send out hitmen."
"I know…"
"Butch, if we did this…"
"I know, if we screw this up, we're dead."
"And if we don't, we're likely going to be dead anyway," Cassidy sighed as she began to start the car again. She gave a smile, clearly scared, yet determined. "So why not pick the more exciting way then?"
"Cass…" Butch whispered, a smile forming. "Thank you."
"For now, we'll have to return to headquarters. We need to make some sort of believable report to bide us some time."
"Maybe we could request a mission to attack the Oak Ranch again?"
"Really?"
"Why not? The professor likely has connections with the League. He may listen to us if we begged for help."
"That makes sense, the old man wouldn't have become a professor without making good connections," Cassidy added with a slight smirk. "But if we attack the ranch, how do we avoid drawing suspicion?"
"Make a false arrest? Make it look like we got caught and arrested than sent flying."
"It could work, but we should still iron things out."
"I know, but it's a start, right?"
"A start for a new beginning."
"So what do we do about Mew though?" he asked, recalling the Pokémon.
"Keep her in her ball for now. We'll rent a hotel before we reach the base and teach her how to use Transform. We can have her look like something you'd catch. I mean, I caught a Rhyhorn, maybe you could have her look like a Golbat or a Ditto."
Butch gave a nod, hoping that plan would work as he looked down at the small kitten.
He began to gently pet her again, watching she leaned into his hand, body soon relaxing the louder she purred. While blocked out mostly from the engine, it helped him relax enough to fall asleep, Mew curling up to nap as well.
In the back of his mind, he wasn't sure if in some crazy way, the mission had been some sort of wakeup call to get out. But he knew one thing for certain; Mew had to be a sign of redemption.
As he drifted further into sleep, no nightmares had formed, thus allowing him to sleep peacefully.
14