Chapter Ten: Walking away

You have five days, perhaps less, to get to Saffron City and rescue Jessie. If you don't you will be trapped here forever and history will never have a chance to be rewritten.

Butch abruptly turned the tap off, preventing the basin from overflowing and spilling out onto the tiled floor. Megumi and Keiko had been as good as their word in preparing the spare room for them and providing them with new clothes. Butch was just having a wash up whilst James and Meowth helped Keiko in preparing supplies for them.

They had estimated that it would take about two days to get to Saffron City by car. Once there they had to formulate a plan to rescue Jessie before the fifth day was up.

Even though it sounded insane, Butch now found himself believing Megumi's words. The woman had grown paler since their arrival and Butch was beginning to wonder if five days was being optimistic.

Megumi had explained that they all needed to be together for her to send them back. If Jessie wasn't reunited with the group then none of them could leave.

Now that it was clear that they believed her, Megumi had been more open and answered any questions that they had. One in particular had sent a chill down Butch's spine. It had been Meowth who had asked it. The straightforward cat had no problem in asking difficult questions it would seem. He had asked what had happened to them in this future.

Butch had been curious of this, too, but at the same time he had dreaded the answer. Megumi hadn't been sure but she had informed them with a heavy heart, that no record of them so far had been found. It was most likely that they had either joined the enemy or were dead. Butch couldn't imagine himself siding with any kind of organisation that sought to wipe out Pokémon and had decided that he would almost be glad if it was the latter.

Finishing in the bathroom, Butch went back into the bedroom and found Keiko waiting for him. The blonde gave him a small smile and said: "We've prepared a meal for us before we leave. Megumi's just serving it up now."

"Thanks," Butch managed to smile in return, yet his thoughts were already of the journey ahead of them.

Jessie wouldn't be involved in anything like this

Despite James and Meowth being adamant that Jessie couldn't somehow be more involved than the rest of them, Butch couldn't help but harbour his own doubts. Why else would she have been taken? The Order could have easily captured them all so why single out Jessie? It didn't make sense and even Megumi couldn't answer this for them. She seemed to think that they would learn more on their way to Saffron City. Butch wasn't so sure but they had no time to go looking for answers. He had seen enough. This future was no future at all for anyone and if Megumi was correct in assuming that they could do something to change it then Butch was determined to do so.

He had also enquired to know why she had brought them here. It would cost her, her life so why do so? Couldn't she have come back in time to warn them?

"Would you have believed me?" Megumi had asked him when he questioned her on this. "I had trouble convincing you here. Had I travelled back to see you then I would have had no chance."

"This future isn't how things should be," Keiko had added determinedly. "We'll do anything we can to change it."

"And what of you two?" Butch had asked next. It was obvious that the two women were lovers and, for Keiko especially, the knowledge of what would happen in five days time was most likely agonising. "If we succeed then what happens to you?"

"This future will cease to exist," Keiko had answered. "And so will our incarnations in this time."

She had reached over and taken Megumi's hand as she added, in a softer voice, "we were part of the resistance, that is how we met."

Butch had never considered himself a romantic, however, he couldn't help but feel bad for them. They were going to lose even each other. If they could cast aside their entire lives then Butch knew then that he could hardly refuse to help, not when they were going to give up everything even each other.

"Butch?" Keiko prompted, breaking into his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

The blonde gave him a small smile, "You don't want your food to get cold, do you?"

"No," Butch shook his head and he followed the girl from the room.

Megumi had already served up the meal by the time Butch joined them. He wasn't surprised to see that James and Meowth had already started eating.

The meal consisted of soup and some bread, hardly sustaining but, as Megumi had explained, in these times the Order controlled everything and even proper food was becoming a rarity now, especially in the outer villages.

He noted that Cassidy was seated at the opposite end of the table from them. She hadn't voiced any objections when Butch and the others had decided to accompany Keiko and Megumi to Saffron City to rescue Jessie but her lack of support was unsettling. Butch knew that they would have to all get along and work as a team but he was still angry with Cassidy and hurt by her betrayal and he just couldn't bring himself to make the first move towards repairing their friendship. This was partly to do with Butch's pride, he knew, but he didn't see why he should be the one to make amends when he had nothing to make amends for.

So he turned his attention to his other unlikely teammates. James and Meowth seemed more contented and happier now that they had a clear plan of action, although how they were meant to rescue Jessie from an Order which was clearly far stronger than Team Rocket had ever been, Butch did not know. He would have liked more time to learn more about Wild Fire but there just wasn't time. Megumi was sitting opposite him and Butch could see the strained expression on her face all too well. Even eating was becoming an effort for her now. They had to move quickly, there wasn't any alternative now.

A clatter of silverware against a bowl drew Butch's attention back to Cassidy. She had barely touched her meal and now stood, not even meeting his gaze as she left the room.

Keiko scowled at this and made to go after her but she Megumi placed a restraining hand on her arm.

"Let her go," the older woman advised and Keiko nodded, although she was clearly not happy with this at all.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence and when Megumi retired to her room to rest, Keiko requested to have a word with Butch alone.

"Cassidy's a liability," she stated as soon as they were alone, "sort her out or you'll fail."

"She'll be fine," Butch answered irritably. For a sixteen year old, Keiko had guts and wasn't afraid to say what she was thinking at all.

"Something's happened between the two of you," she added, her expression concerned more than angry but, so much like Cassidy, Keiko allowed aggression to take over when she was worried about something. "You're not as close as you once were."

Butch didn't bother to correct her to the fact that they had never been 'close' or at least not as close as Jessie and James were. He and Cassidy had always tried to maintain a strictly professional relationship, for the teams' sake as well as their own. Still, it didn't stop him developing feelings for her, as unrequited as they were.

"Things change," he settled on answering at last.

Keiko nodded, a little sadly, agreeing with this statement. "Just talk to her," she added, "we need all of you on side and Cassidy as she is now could complicate things."

Normally Butch wouldn't have taken any kind of orders from a girl who was younger than him but he knew that Keiko was right. Cassidy had a temper that could rival Jessie's quite comfortably and he certainly didn't want her endangering the mission at all.

"I'll talk to her," he assured Keiko.

"Thanks," the blonde gave him a small smile. Butch took this as his cue to exit and he decided that there was no time like the present and hurried back to the room that they were sharing.

He opened the door quickly and unintentionally interrupted the hushed conversation that James and Meowth were having. The two appeared almost guilty when he entered but Butch dismissed them when a quick scan of the room confirmed that Cassidy wasn't there.

For some reason, he felt a small amount of worry as he went back out into the corridor and tried a couple of the other rooms. One was a study and another a smaller bathroom. The other two rooms belonged to Megumi and Ash and Butch didn't want to look in there and disturb their occupants.

Instead he headed back downstairs, his worry blossoming into full concern when he failed to find Cassidy downstairs either.

Going back up to their room, Butch asked James if he had seen Cassidy at all.

"Not since dinner," James answered to this.

Butch swore under his breath at this. She wouldn't have taken off, would she? She couldn't have. She wouldn't have been that stupid. The Order was after them. Cassidy wouldn't have been stupid enough to go off on her own… would she?

He didn't know. He just didn't know what she was thinking anymore.

Cassidy felt sick to the stomach as she quickly slipped out of the backdoor and shut it gently behind her. Her head was spinning with Megumi's revelations combined with her own position amongst the team and how she had betrayed her partner. As the minutes had ticked by, Cassidy had felt more and more isolated and had thus decided to leave. Butch seemed to be quite happy to get along with James and Meowth and accepted this fanciful rubbish that Megumi was filling their heads with.

Fanciful rubbish… or so Cassidy told herself but doubts were also starting to eat away at her and so she had felt it best if she simply left. They didn't need her anyway. What was she to them? Butch and Meowth had made a point of ignoring her, Keiko openly expressed her dislike for her and Megumi was kind to her. Even James had tried to get along with her and Cassidy certainly didn't need his charity. She had managed on her own before and would be fine now.

"Don't you dare try to make me feel guilty over what happened. I did what I had to do."

"You're just like your mother,"

Butch's words echoed in her mind and she cringed as they brought back more painful memories. True, Kaede had betrayed her partner, but Butch didn't know the real reason behind this betrayal. There hadn't even been a betrayal. Cassidy had discovered the truth when her mother died. Kaede had killed her partner whilst out on a routine mission and then had tried to cover it up. Of course, rumours had circulated and without Madame Boss's support, Kaede would have mostly certainly been found out. Cassidy herself had discovered this in a letter written to her by her mother. It had been a week after Kaede had died and Cassidy had been going through her things and had stumbled upon it. Kaede's partner, Kano, had been nasty piece of work. Being of the lower down white squad, members weren't chosen very carefully, especially when Madame Boss had been in charge. Kano had beaten Kaede, bullying and torturing her for months and, one night after they had just set out on a mission, he raped her. Cassidy had already known how the letter would end. Kaede had been left pregnant and this had invoked Madame Boss's fury for Miyamoto had only two weeks before informed her of being with child herself.

Kaede had killed Kano as revenge and yet she was willing to love his child, to love Cassidy unreservedly and had brought her up alone.

When Cassidy had first read this letter, she hadn't known how to react. She knew that she should feel angry, hurt and even disgusted at this knowledge and, indeed, she did come to feel all those things, but later on. In the beginning she had just felt numb. When these emotions did set in, she had no one to vent them on. Kaede was dead and this angered her more than she couldn't confront her mother, that she couldn't ask her all the questions that were burning in her mind. There was no one to ask; everyone from that time was gone.

So Cassidy had forced herself to live with it and move on. This was something that she still found difficult and had not spoken of to anyone. She was glad that Kano had gotten what he deserved, despite him being her father, she could never have a loved a man who had treated her mother so badly. So it cut into her deeply when it was suggested that her mother had betrayed her partner. To everyone else, so Kaede had explained, Kano had been perfect and charming but to her he had been a monster, a monster that had pushed her too far.

Kaede had a reason, a good reason, for what she had done but what reason did Cassidy have for betraying Butch? He was her partner and she should have defended him against the Boss's wrath. How could she have betrayed him like that? What was she thinking of?

This was the real reason for her desertion of the others. Whether Megumi's story was true or not, it didn't matter to Cassidy. The fact was that away from Team Rocket and all the complications, she found that her secret feelings for Butch were growing and she was unable to suppress them any longer and they hurt. Her heart ached with the knowledge that she had blown any chance of him wanting to be her friend again let alone anything more. Butch was a great guy and she was so foolish not to see it. Now it was too late and Cassidy felt more alone than ever before. She had destroyed everything that she cared about and, at the time, she hadn't been aware that she was doing it.

Without looking back, she hurried down into the village. Larchwood seemed deserted as she entered and only a few homes had smoke rising from the chimneys. Cassidy shivered in cold and looked down at her borrow clothes in disgust. The grey skirt and pink jumper did not flatter her appearance one bit and this outfit was not something she would be seen dead in normally. She needed to find a phone and call the Boss. He would send a team to pick her up and then this whole nightmare would be over.

Go back to Team Rocket? Why? What does the Team and being the Boss's favourite hold for you anymore?

These doubts flooded her mind without her being consciously aware of them and now Cassidy was unsure again. What did Team Rocket have to offer her? Why was she wasted her life like that? Before she had been forced to rejoin the team she had, had her own dreams for the future. She had gone to Pokétech and then afterwards she had looked through college brochures. She had wanted to become a beautician but, of course, no Rocket Baby could ever escape the Team, especially her or Jessie. Cassidy had been forced to rejoin whereas Jessie had chosen to willingly. Now this could change. The Boss would see the carnage at Viridian and assume that she had perished. She could disappear and start again. She could start anew and leave this all behind her.

Cassidy felt a glimmer of hope at this idea. She could leave all this behind her until it faded into nothing but a painful memory.

All she had to do was find her way out of this dark, horrible village.

As she walked, Cassidy felt as though she was being followed and her suspicions were confirmed when she turned around in time to see a dark shape duck behind a cottage. She felt more annoyance at this than fear and her pace increased. As there was no one else around, Cassidy could only assume that it was one of the others coming to try and make her change her mind. She wouldn't, Cassidy resolved to herself. She wasn't going to believe Megumi's foolish talk.

So lost in her own thoughts, Cassidy was surprised when she looked up and saw two men standing a little way ahead of her, right on the edge of the path that led out of the village. They appeared to be in some kind of uniform, very similar to their Team Rocket uniforms aside from the lettering on their jackets. Cassidy's heart skipped a beat when she came close enough to read what it said: Wild Fire Order.

The village is ruled by the Wild Fire Order now, and very few free people remain

"It can't be," Cassidy whispered to herself. The Order… it didn't exist expect in the mind a deluded woman. A small stab of fear lanced through her but this passed when Cassidy forced it down. She couldn't do anything now that they had seen her and she was no longer wearing her uniform. They wouldn't know that she wasn't someone who had lived in this village all her life and she couldn't afford to appear nervous. If she fled now then they would know that she had something to hide.

Cassidy remained calm as she walked towards them. It was only when she made to move passed them did the first one stop her.

"Where are you headed?" He snapped out at her, his rough voice causing her to flinch ever so slightly.

"Cerulean City," Cassidy replied softly, keeping her head bowed so that he couldn't properly see her face. She had brushed her hair down from its usual style before she had taken her shower and hadn't bothered to restyle it afterwards and, looking back, she could only suppose that this was the reason that she wasn't recognised quicker than she was.

"You can't. No one travels between cities. It's no longer allowed."

"No longer allowed?" Cassidy demanded sharply, again forgetting any fear that she had previously felt. "What do you mean?"

"I mean it's forbidden now get on your way," the first grunt snarled and forcibly grabbed her arm to pull her away.

"Get off of me!" Cassidy managed to pull away from him and, not liking her attitude, the man struck her. Cassidy stumbled but did not fall. She moved backwards holding her stinging cheek as she glared angrily at them, realising her error too late.

"You…" the second grunt murmured, disbelief clouding his face, "it… it can't be true. You're…"

They reached for her again but Cassidy, frightened by the looks that they were giving her, managed to twist away.

"Get back here!" She heard them shouting as she ran back towards the village. Looking wildly around, Cassidy didn't know where to go. She wouldn't go back to Megumi's home and, in any case, she didn't want to lead these men to the others. Choosing a side street, Cassidy ran down it. She could still hear the men behind her but they had lost a bit of ground. Her heart was hammering loudly in her chest as she ducked between two buildings.

No one travels between cities. It's no longer allowed

What was going on? She wondered in frustration and, more importantly, where was she going to go now?

Leaning back against the wall of the nearest cottage, Cassidy sighed out loud, her fist slamming back against the stone. What was she going to do now?

"Got you!"

A scream escaped her despite herself as a hand lanced out of the darkness and grabbed her shoulder. Wincing in pain as the grunt's fingers dug into her skin, Cassidy found herself being pinned up against the wall by the one who recognised her first. They had doubled back and found her.

"You're coming with us," his companion snarled as he, too, reached for her but his smirk suddenly twisted into a cry of pain as he abruptly collapsed.

At the same instant, the other man was pulled forcibly away from her. Cassidy allowed herself to sag against the wall in relief as Butch all but threw the man to the ground. He sprawled there at their feet, his expression hovering between enraged and shocked before he scrambled up once more.

Butch was ready for this and one well-aimed punch sent the man tumbling again. There was a crack as he struck his head on the pavement and then was still.

"Are you okay?" He turned and asked her and Cassidy nodded, still feeling a little shaken.

"Nice hit," Keiko commented with a slight smirk as she re-holstered her stun gun and joined them. A chill ran through Cassidy at seeing such a weapon in the hands of someone who was no more than a girl really, yet any snide remark she might also have made to this died on her lips when Butch's previous concern for her turned into anger.

"What the hell do you think you were doing? Do you have any idea how much danger you just put yourself in?"

Cassidy flinched, despite herself, before her temper flared and she snarled back at him: "Don't you dare talk to me like that. I could have handled them just fine on my own."

"Yeah, it really looked like it," Butch shot back sarcastically. "What were you thinking of leaving like that? If the Order had found you…"

"I didn't know you cared," Cassidy answered furiously. With the unconscious grunts before her, she could hardly dispute the existence of the Order now, which meant that possible everything else that Megumi had said was true as well. Cassidy shivered at this likelihood.

"I don't care," Butch yelled back at her and these words cut into her like a knife although, outwardly, Cassidy refused to show it. "But you're a part of this, too, so I'm hardly going to leave you am I?"

"Why not? You're the one who wanted me gone remember?"

"Yeah, well maybe you should--"

"Guys!" Butch was cut off by Meowth's sudden appearance. The cat Pokémon was running as fast as he could towards them.

"Meowth," Keiko hissed once he was near enough, "you shouldn't be here. It's even more dangerous for you to be seen in the village."

"I know but you've gotta come back to the house."

"Why?" Keiko demanded, worrying clouding her eyes. "What's happened?"

"It's Megumi," Meowth replied.

Cassidy wasn't altogether sure why she had rejoined the others in the house. Butch had more or less summed up his feelings perfectly and she couldn't see that James or Meowth would want her around, yet she had gone back with them. Now that her temper had calmed somewhat, Cassidy had admitted to herself that those grunts had scared her and she didn't really want to be trapped here alone.

If Megumi was telling the truth about the Order then that meant it was all true; they really were in the future. A future without Pokémon… Cassidy felt more than a little sickened by this. Who would do that? Not even Giovanni would go that far…

Unwilling to admit that she had been wrong, Cassidy had maintained her silence once back at the house, her pride not letting her make the first move to try and make amends.

As it was they were crowded around Megumi's bedside, staring down at the fragile and pale woman lying under the duvet.

"What happened?" Keiko's tone was numb but the smaller girl's shoulders shuddered slightly and Cassidy could tell that she was barely holding herself together.

"She just collapsed," James replied, glancing up from his position at the other side of the bed. It had been James that had carried her back to her room. He was now pressing a wet flannel to Megumi's forehead for the woman was burning up with fever. Cassidy was surprised to see that he wasn't afraid to show this caring side to him in front of two people who had, until a day ago, been his enemies.

"One minute she was seeing to Ash and the next…" he trailed off, "I don't know…"

"Her body's weakening more than we had anticipated," Keiko answered to this, her voice still devoid of the feeling that was clear to see in her eyes. "You will have to begin your journey to Saffron City immediately. There is no time to lose now. We had hoped to accompany you but Megumi cannot travel in her condition. She will need to conserve her strength and I must stay with her."

"Of course you must," Butch agreed without hesitation and this irritated Cassidy slightly. She was only just coming round to the idea that Megumi was telling the truth and she didn't like the idea that they would now have to take on this alone at all.

"You… it… it can't be true. You're…"

A chill went through Cassidy as she recalled the Grunts words. They hadn't just been after her because she wanted to leave the village; they had recognised her and this disturbed her more than she wanted to admit.

Jessie had retreated to the back of the cell as the footsteps neared. With baited breath she heard the door being opened and then there was a blinding light as the man entering shone a flashlight directly in her face. Jessie was forced to shut her eyes as the sudden light after so long in darkness stung at her eyes. Then it was gone and the cell was once again plunged into darkness. Slowly, Jessie dared to open her eyes but could only make out two shadows standing at the doorway. The one who had been holding the light lowered his arm and turned to his companion and hissed something inaudible before she was once again left alone.

"You idiot!" Rich flinched as his Master turned on him as soon as they were clear from the cells. "Even now your incompetence never ceases to amaze me. I send you out on a simple mission and you cannot even get that right! Do you realise the jeopardy that you've put us all in?"

"Sir, I--" Rich stammered, unsure of what to say. His Master had been growing more and more anxious since their arrival at the Order's headquarters in Saffron City. As soon as the Master had learned of Megumi's treacherous plan, he had retreated there with his most trusted on servants and Rich had prided himself on being one of them, despite his failings over the year. It had all started with the shooting of that damn kid in Pallet Town, he thought gloomily to himself. Nothing had gone right for him after that and now…

"Shut up," his Master snarled, cutting off any excuses that he was preparing to voice. "I don't want to hear any more from you unless it's something I want to hear, understand? Good, now you have brought me the wrong one so I suggest that you take some Grunts and go back to Larchwood to rectify the situation. You can also deal with Megumi whilst you are there."

"But our informant said they were leaving," the woman at his Master's side spoke up, at last breaking her silence. "You will have to apprehend them on the way."

"Very well," his Master snapped, obviously annoyed at having been corrected. "Go, now," he commanded and Rich, knowing better than to linger, practically ran from the room.

The Master sighed angrily and turned away, not even noticing that his companion had also vacated room. However, she was not leaving the headquarters; she was heading down into the prisons.