Chapter Four

Rayne screamed when she heard the Arcanine leap at her and she closed her eyes. Waiting for the pain to come, Rayne was sort of surprised when no pain came and she slowly opened her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see Mewtwo standing in front of her with a barrier protecting them both. Rayne stared at Mewtwo with amazement and her eyes fell onto Mewtwo's right arm, which had blood flowing down it. Her eyes widened in surprise and she looked back up at Mewtwo with a mixture of surprise and guilt. Mewtwo didn't pay attention to Rayne and kept his gaze on the five Arcanine standing in front of him. Apparently, the Arcanine didn't seem how to deal with this new intruder and looked at the Arcanine with a scar on its face. The old Arcanine looked at Mewtwo a moment before its eyes fell upon Mewtwo's injured arm. It looked up at Mewtwo for a moment before looking back at the other Arcanine. All it did was nod its head and before Rayne could register what was going on, the five Arcanine charged at once. Rayne gasped and backed into the tree. Mewtwo on the other hand didn't seem as concerned and with the wave of his hand, created another blue shield that protected him and Rayne. All five Arcanine went crashing into the shield and went sailing backwards. While the Arcanine were recovering, Mewtwo turned and faced Rayne.

'I need you to stay back.' Rayne once again looked at Mewtwo's injured arm and then back at him.

"But..."
'No buts. Now promise me you'll stay back.' Slowly, Rayne nodded her head and moved closer to the tree. Once Mewtwo knew Rayne was out of the way, he turned to face the Arcanine who were quickly mounting another attack. The lead Arcanine stood in front of Mewtwo while two Arcanine went on the right and left. Mewtwo eyed the Arcanine closing in on his sides and knew that the only way to end this battle was to knock all of the Arcanine out. Keeping an eye on the leader, Mewtwo waited for the pack of Arcanine to make the first move. He didn't have to wait long and the one Arcanine on the right made the first move. It charged Mewtwo and opened its mouth in order to use bite. Mewtwo smiled and waved an arm out in front of him. This caused the Arcanine to go charging into another blue shield and sent it flying backwards into a nearby tree. This didn't seem to phase the other Arcanine and Mewtwo watched as an Arcanine from the left made a charge. Just like the previous Arcanine, the Arcanine on the left ended up crashing into the exact same tree that its companion had hit. Rayne watched in amazement as Mewtwo took out the first two Arcanine with the greatest of ease. Her eyes were filled with amazement and adoration when she noticed that the two remaining Arcanine on Mewtwo's sides made a flying leap at the same time. Her eyes were quickly filled with worry and Rayne called out to unaware Mewtwo.

"Mewtwo, look out!"Hearing Rayne's warning, Mewtwo looked around and noticed the Arcanine too late. The two Arcanine quickly tackled the already injured pokemon and knocked him into the ground. Not wanting to miss out on all the action, the lead Arcanine joined the battle. Rayne watched in terror as the three remaining Arcanine buried Mewtwo under their bodies.

"MEWTWO!" called Rayne in worry and concern. She watched helplessly as the Arcanine bit and clawed at the pokemon on the ground. Wanting to help in anyway she could, Rayne quickly grabbed a stick and went to join the fight when a bright light began to surrounded the attacking Arcanine. Rayne froze in mid step and watched in amazement as the three Arcanine were surrounded by the bright light and sent flying backwards. Watching the Arcanine go flying in the air, Rayne dropped her stick and watched as each Arcanine went crashing into nearby trees and getting knocked out. Once all of the Arcanine were knocked out, Rayne slowly turned back around and was surprised to see Mewtwo standing there. Looking him over, Rayne noticed at least two bite marks on Mewtwo's left arm and at least three claw marks on his back and right arm. Rayne looked up at Mewtwo and her brown eyes met with his violet eyes. Not knowing what do do, Rayne quickly looked away and turned around. She went to take a step forward when she heard a loud thump behind her. Turning back around, Rayne noticed Mewtwo lying face down on the ground. Apparently, the injuries from the battle had taken their toll and the caused Mewtwo to pass out.

"Mewtwo!" cried Rayne taking a step forward. She stopped in mid step however when an idea hit her. With Mewtwo unconscious, who was going to stop her from escaping the island?

Smiling, Rayne pulled out a pokeball and called forth her Rapidash.

"Rapidash, I choose you!" In a flash of red, Rapidash appeared in front of Rayne and neighed. In one swift motion, Rayne jumped onto Rapidash's back and turned it to face the ocean.

"Alright, let's blow this joint." said Rayne whispering into Rapidash's ear. Rapidash nodded its head and waited for its orders. Rayne smiled and turned back towards Mewtwo. Her smile soon disappeared however as a pang of guilt went through her. This was no way to repay Mewtwo for saving her life. Looking back at the beach, Rayne was silent for a moment before taking a deep breath and hopping off of Rapidash. Sighing, Rayne walked over to Mewtwo and knelt down beside him. Rayne noticed that Mewtwo was losing alot of blood and she had to do something. Thinking quickly, Rayne tore off her Team Rocket jacket and wrapped it around Mewtwo's back. Gently lifting Mewtwo's head up, Rayne laid his head in her lap and whistled for Rapidash to come to her. Obediently, Rapidash walked over to Rayne and Mewtwo and looked down at Rayne.

"Can you carry him? asked Rayne motioning at Mewtwo. Rapidash simply nodded and knelt down beside the two. Smiling, Rayne gently helped Mewtwo into a sitting position and looked back at Rapidash.

"Alright, you ready?" Rapidash nodded. Smiling, Rayne gently grabbed Mewtwo under the arms and carefully dragged him over to Rapidash where she then moved him onto Rapidash's back. Moving behind Mewtwo, Rayne wrapped her arms around his waist and gently kicked Rapidash in the side. Taking the hind, Rapidash slowly stood up and began its way back towards Mewtwo's lair.

An hour later, Rayne had managed to get Mewtwo back to his lair and had him lying down on what appeared to be a couch. Once she had him lying down, she ran to the cell where she had foolishly left her equipment bag. Grabbing it off of the cot, Rayne ran back into the main part of the lair where Mewtwo was and quickly got to work. Pulling out the first aid kit from her bag, Rayne threw it open and began pulling out clean bandages and various disinfectants.

"Okay, I put the disinfectants on the bandages and wrap them around the wounds." said Rayne talking herself through the steps that she was taught back at headquarters. As she began wrapping up the worst of Mewtwo's injuries, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. Looking up over the couch, Rayne noticed the same Meowth and Pikachu standing at the entrance of the room. They seemed to be worried about their master and looked up at Rayne with worry in their eyes. Rayne smiled and motioned for them to come in.
"Come on in you guys. I may need your help." Both of their heads popped up and they quickly ran over beside Rayne. Rayne smiled and patted each one on the head.

"Alight, Pikachu, can you got get a washcloth? I'm going to need to clean out the back injuries." Pikachu nodded its head and quickly ran out of the room. Looking at Meowth, Rayne smiled.
"Meowth, I need a bowl of cool water so I can soak the washcloth in it." Meowth nodded its head and it too disappeared into the darkened hallway. Once Rayne was alone, she looked down at Mewtwo and felt a wave of guilt wash over her. It was her fault that Mewtwo was hurt. She was the one who decided to run away when she had the chance. She should have just stayed put for awhile and learned a little more about the island before taking off. Taking Mewtwo's hand in hers, Rayne sat there and waited for Meowth and Pikachu to return with her needed materials.

Rayne didn't have to wait long for the pokemon to return for the two pokemon came in together. Pikachu had the washcloth in its mouth and in one hand, it helped Meowth carry the bowl of water. The two pokemon carried the bowl of water over to Rayne and placed it down beside her. Pikachu then handed Rayne the washcloth.
"Thanks you guys." she said dipping the washcloth in the cool water and ringing out the excess. Moving behind Mewtwo, Rayne gently lifted his head and upper back up and quickly removed her now blood soaked Team Rocket jacket. Throwing it on the floor, she then started to dab the deep claw marks. It took her about another hour to clean and dress all of Mewtwo's wounds and when she was finished, she found a chair in the corner and pulled it over in front of the couch. As she went to sit down, she noticed that Mewtwo appeared to be shivering in his sleep. Looking around, Rayne could see the blanket Mewtwo had offered her earlier. Walking over to it, Rayne bent down and picked it up. Walking back over to Mewtwo, she covered him up and tucked him in. Making sure that Mewtwo was comfortable, Rayne finally took a seat in the chair and smiled when Meowth and Pikachu jumped up onto her lap. They made themselves comfortable and laid down. Rayne smiled and her, Meowth and Pikachu began their silent vigil over Mewtwo.

Several hours later, Mewtwo was slowly regaining consciousness. He slowly opened eyes and looked around. He was kind of surprised to find himself back home. As he looked around, his eyes landed on Rayne. She was sitting in a chair in front of the couch and she appeared to be sound asleep. Her head was dropped and what surprised Mewtwo the most was seeing Pikachu and Meowth sound asleep on her lap. Slowly sitting up, Mewtwo placed a hand on his head as a wave of pain coursed through his body. Shaking his head, Mewtwo placed his feet on the cool floor and placed his head in his hands. Apparently, Rayne heard Mewtwo's movement because she slowly opened her eyes and looked directly at him. Once she registered that Mewtwo was awake, her eyes grew wide and she quickly stood up which caused Pikachu and Meowth to go falling out of her lap.

"What are you doing? You shouldn't be moving around." she said running over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. Mewtwo looked up at her with a look of confusion and surprise.

'You're still here?' Rayne nodded her head.

"Yeah, I guess I can stay a little bit longer."
'But why? You could have escaped when I fell unconscious.' When Mewtwo said this, Rayne quickly bowed her head. There was an awkward silence for a moment until Rayne spoke.

"I couldn't leave you lying there. I mean it's my fault that you were hurt in the first place." Mewtwo stared at her in disbelief. Shaking her head, Rayne quickly replaced her frown with a smile.

"Anyway, I think you should lay down for a little bit. I mean some of those injuries were kind of serious." she said placing her hands on Mewtwo's shoulders and gently pushing him back down on the couch. Mewtwo went to say something but was stopped when Rayne placed her fingers on his lips.

"Don't even say anything. You are going to lay down and that is final." she said bringing the blanket up to his chin and making sure he was comfortable. Seeing that Mewtwo was finally comfortable, Rayne smiled and turned her attention back to Pikachu and Meowth, who seemed happy to see their master awake.

"Alright you guys, I need you to keep an eye on Mewtwo while I go and wash my jacket. If he gives you a hard time, come and get me." she said bending down and picking up her Team Rocket jacket off of the floor. Pikachu and Meowth nodded their heads and rubbed against Rayne's leg. Rayne chuckled and bent down and patted them on their heads.
"Thanks you guys. I knew I could count on you." While Rayne was doing this, Mewtwo watched. He was surprised at how quickly his cloned pokemon had taken to Rayne and was even more surprised that she was going to stay.

'Maybe it's some kind of trick. Maybe she wants to stay here and wait for the rest of Team Rocket to come and rescue her.' Mewtwo thought to himself. As if Rayne knew that he was thinking about her, she turned around and placed her hands on her hips.

"Now, I know what you're thinking and I'm going to tell you right now, I am not hanging around until I'm found, I'm just staying here until you are back to full health. Once that day comes, I'll go back to headquarters and tell everyone that the mission was a failure." Mewtwo looked at her surprised.

'How did you know...' Rayne shook her head, ending the conversation.
"That, is my little secret." she said winking at him. Mewtwo felt his face start to turn red and he quickly shook his head. Closing his eyes, he turned his head, indicating that he had enough conversation and Rayne smiled. Looking down at Meowth and Pikachu, Rayne nodded her head and made her way into the forest, where she had seen a small stream earlier that day.

Meanwhile, back at Team Rocket headquarters...

"Hey Alice. Hear anything from Agent Rayne?" asked a rocket grunt saluting Giovonni's right hand man. Alice didn't seem to hear the rocket grunt and rushed on by him without even a salute.

'Man, what's her problem?' the rocket grunt thought to himself as he watched Alice's figure disappear around a corner. As Alice made her way towards Giovonni's office, she couldn't help but think of Rayne. Stopping in mid step, Alice placed a hand on a wall and felt the anger starting to well up inside of her.

'That monster must have kept Rayne as a captive. If he has hurt her in anyway...' Without really thinking, Alice let all of her anger out and punched the wall in frustration. Realizing that she had curious onlookers watching her, Alice quickly regained her composure and straightened out her uniform. She knew that there was only one way to rescue Rayne and that meant going to the boss man himself. Sighing, Alice continued on her way and didn't stop until she reached the office of Giovonni. Noticing that the door was shut, Alice gave it three loud knocks. As soon as she had knocked, a voice was heard on the other side.

"Come in." Taking a deep breath, Alice placed a hand on the door knob and began thinking of a way to tell Giovonni that his number one field agent was captured by a pokemon that had wiped his memory clean and even out smarted him. Deciding the only way to go was by telling the truth, Alice pushed open the door and walked into the room which held her and Rayne's future in its hands.

Back at Mewtwo's island, Rayne had found the stream that she saw earlier and began to wash her blood soaked jacket in it. She couldn't help but let out a gasp when she saw the clear stream turn bright red. Shuddering, she began to rub the jacket against a rock in the hopes of cleansing the jacket of the foul liquid. She was so lost in her washing that she didn't notice that the leader of the Arcanine pack was watching in the nearby bushes. It let out a low growl and Rayne froze. Slowly turning around, she gasped when she saw the Arcanine leader appear from the bushes. Dropping her jacket in the stream, Rayne slowly stood up and faced the angry leader. Arcanine growled at her again and Rayne shook her head.

"Oh stop it. We both know that you're all bark and no bite." she said placing her hands on her hips and frowning. The Arcanine stopped in mid step and stared at her. Smiling, Rayne placed her hand out in front of her and watched as Arcanine curiously began to sniff her hand.
"See, I mean you no harm." The Arcanine looked up at her and let out a happy bark. Smiling, Rayne slowly approached the Arcanine and carefully wrapped her arms around its neck. She could feel the Arcanine flinch for a moment before it finally relaxed and relished in Rayne's love.

"See, you don't have to act tough for me. I know why you attacked Mewtwo and me. You were just putting on an act for your friends." The Arcanine nodded its head and let out a sad bark. Pulling away from Arcanine, Rayne looked up at it and smiled.

"Come on. Why don't we go and pay Mewtwo a visit. You can apologize to him and maybe you can stay with me." Arcanine looked up at her with happiness in its eyes and before Rayne knew it, she was being licked by a very happy Arcanine.
"Okay, okay. You're welcome." she said giggling. The Arcanine wagged its tail and got off of Rayne. Wiping the drool off of her face, Rayne retrieved her jacket from the stream and turned to face Arcanine.

"Alright, lets go see Mewtwo." she said standing up and brushing the dirt off of her uniform. As she was doing this, something colorful caught Rayne's attention and she turned to look at the bright object. She smiled when she saw wild blue roses growing about fifty feet away from her and Arcanine.
"What pretty flowers." she cried running over to the flowers and kneeling in front of them. Bending over, Rayne took in the roses sweet scent and a smile formed on her face.

"You know what Arcanine? I think I'll pick these flowers for Mewtwo. That lair of his is kind of depressing." she said pulling out her pocket knife and cutting the roses stems. Once she had a total of ten roses, Rayne stood up and turned to face Arcanine.
"Hey, do you think I can get a lift? I don't want to trip and crush these flowers." Arcanine nodded and got down on its stomach. Smiling, Rayne took a running leap and landed on Arcanine's back with the grace of a gymnast. Patting Arcanine on the head, Rayne pointed towards Mewtwo's lair.

"Alright Scar, let's go." Arcanine looked up at her confused.
"What? Oh, the scar thing. Well, since you had a scar across your nose, I thought it would be a cool nickname. Do you like it?" Arcanine nodded its head and Rayne smiled.

"Awesome. So, let's get going before Mewtwo decides to send out a search party." Scar nodded its head and in three mighty leaps, he and Rayne disappeared into the forest and made their way back to Mewtwo's lair. Little did they know that danger was coming their way and everything Rayne had been trained for will be put to the test.

To be continued...