Chapter Eleven: Setting Out

"I think we're all set," Butch announced as he shut the boot of the jeep. Stepping back, he glanced at his companions, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts.

It had seemed only natural that Butch should take charge. James wasn't a born leader, Cassidy had hardly said two words to any of them let alone express a want to take the lead and now that Megumi and Keiko were no longer accompanying them, Butch had done so, although he harboured his own doubts. Team Rocket saving the world? It was laughable really, he mused to himself. Butch had never thought of himself as a hero and even if they achieved what Megumi hoped they would, it would hardly make them so. Who would believe that their actions had changed the course of history? Butch still had trouble believing it himself and as yet they didn't even know what they were supposed to do. Megumi had plenty of theories but Butch still couldn't see why any of them would want to wipe out Pokémon.

Even so, he had decided to continue with this mission. There was no love lost between himself and Jessie but she was still part of Team Rocket. James and Meowth certainly wouldn't leave without her that much was true anyway.

Cassidy's mood had been sullen throughout the preparations for the journey to Saffron City and she didn't seem to want to break this now. Keiko had helped by packing them supplies. They had acquired the off-road jeep a few months back. It was unmarked however Keiko had warned them that few vehicles travelled so they would have to stick to the country roads. This would take longer if they stuck to the speed limits so Butch planned to break them. It wasn't as if they had to worry about being stopped by the police anymore anyway.

Keiko had also packed food and water as well as given them two handguns. Butch had kept one himself and, after some consideration, gave the other to James. He doubted that the purple haired male even knew how to fire one but James didn't protest or voice any concerns so Butch assumed that he had been incorrect in his assumption. Cassidy had pursed her lips together in annoyance at this but had refrained from saying anything. If Butch was honest, a few weeks ago he would have given her the other without question but now he didn't know if he could trust her. The same could be said for James, however, they were going to rescue Jessie so Butch figured he could trust the other male not to screw him over on this occasion.

"Remember," Keiko said when they were finally ready to leave, "you have five days. Keep to the back roads and don't stop any more than necessary. Good luck."

"Don't worry," Meowth said cockily, trying to make light of the situation it would seem, "Team Rocket never mess up."

"What do you mean? We mess up all the time," James answered to this and Meowth sighed.

"That's not going to reassure her, Jimmy."

"Let's just go," Cassidy snapped, cutting into this banter.

She stalked over to the jeep and got into the front passenger seat. Keiko had wisely given Butch the keys and, after saying their goodbyes, he got into the drivers seat. James and Meowth got into the back. Before starting the engine, Butch tossed the map that Keiko had given him into Cassidy's lap.

"What?" She jumped as though she had been thinking of other things.

"As we're taking the scenic route I'll need you to navigate," he snapped irritably. As annoying as James and Meowth could be, Butch wished that one of them were up front at this moment.

Sighing, Cassidy unfolded the map. "Do you think you can navigate yourself out of this village?" She added nastily.

Butch chose to ignore her as he put the jeep in gear. This was going to be a very long five days he thought to himself.

"I'm hungry."

Meowth had to struggle to suppress a snigger at the third statement from James regarding food in five minutes. The cat Pokémon was sitting behind the driver's seat and could see Butch tense up at the whining tone in the other male's voice. Secretly, Meowth was glad that James was starting to act more like his old self again. It was now that they were actually doing something to rescue Jessie, Meowth reasoned, although he was damned if he knew just what exactly they were going to do once they reached Saffron City. Not once had a plan been mentioned and this made Meowth more than a little uneasy. Even if they managed to save her and get back to the present, what could they do to stop this future from coming about? Meowth had his own reservations about the whole thing but he had a lot more to personally lose than the others. Meowth knew that if they failed then he would die.

"We haven't even passed Cerulean City yet," Butch broke into his thoughts, at last answering James's complaint, "and the food has to last us five days you know. I'm not having you eating it all now."

"And we only ate a couple of hours ago," Cassidy added to this, breaking her silence at long last. "You can't be hungry already."

James pouted and slumped back in his seat, "I'm bored and I eat when I'm bored."

"We could play a game?" Meowth suggested to this. As much as he didn't want to side with Butch and Cassidy, they were right. James could easily eat his way through all their supplies if they let him.

"This isn't a pleasure trip," Cassidy snipped back to this.

"I know but if it takes his mind off of food then it can't hurt," Meowth answered quickly. He had noted how the hostilities between James and Butch had almost become non-existent now but that didn't mean that he had to automatically get on with them too. They were stuck together by an ironic turn of fate and Meowth was simply trying to make the best of a bad situation.

"What game did you have in mind?" James asked the cat Pokémon, happy to play along for now it would seem.

Meowth frowned. Usually when they went for long road trips they would play the number plate game, which involved then taking the letters of cars' number plates and making up sentences that started with each letter; usually resulting in either dirty humour or complete nonsense but they hadn't passed another car since the journey begun.

"What about eye spy?" Meowth suggested at last.

"Yeah," Cassidy rolled her eyes, "Well I spy something beginning with 'I'; an idiot!"

"Why you--" Meowth flexed his claws and hissed at her but James cut him off with:

"Play it properly, Cassidy. It's meant to be fun and it will make the time pass quicker."

Cassidy snorted at this but relented, "Fine, I spy something beginning with 'C'."

"Car!" James said immediately.

"Yeah right," Cassidy sniggered, "as if I would pick something that obvious."

"Cloud?" Meowth offered.

"Nope."

"… there's nothing else," James said at a moment's thought, "unless you count yourself but that's too obvious."

"So you give up?" Cassidy asked, a little smugly and then, without waiting for a reply, added, "It's cigarettes." She nodded to a half showing packet that had been stowed in the dashboard.

"Okay then," Butch interrupted their game when James started to protest that it wasn't fair because he couldn't see them from where he was sitting. "Time for a break."

They had been taking Keiko's advice and had stayed on the back roads and Butch pulled the car over to the side of the road, just off one of the dirt tracks leading between two fields. As soon as he switched off the engine, Butch grabbed up the aforementioned cigarettes and got out of the car.

"That figures," Cassidy muttered, rolling her eyes.

Meowth said nothing to this and also got out of the car, eager to stretch his legs. He estimated that it would take them another half an hour to reach Cerulean, although they weren't going into the city itself. The plan was to go on to Vermillion and refuel. The port city was practically deserted now, Keiko advised, so they shouldn't have any trouble getting in. Cerulean, on the other hand, was one of the strong holds of the Order and she warned them to keep away unless they had no other choice.

James had also left the car but had started to walk down the road a little way. This caused Meowth to call out: "Hey, Jimmy, don't wander too far ahead."

James laughed and shook his head at Meowth's concern. Although he intended for his words to be light-hearted, there was more depth to them than Meowth cared to admit. With Jessie missing, Meowth feared something happening to his other friend more than ever. Those two had come to mean so much to him, not that he'd ever tell them that was. He wasn't even supposed to know about the two of them being a couple. Meowth wanted to wait until they decided to tell him but with recent developments, he knew that he might have to let slip sooner or later after all.

Forcing himself not to keep a watch on James any longer, Meowth went and joined Butch who was leaning back against the driver's side of the car, smoking a cigarette. Cassidy was a little further away, walking slowly down the same path that James had taken.

"So," Meowth jumped up onto the car roof, "What's with you and Cassidy? You used to be like tweedle dumb and tweedle dee."

Butch frowned, obviously not appreciating the analogy, "Nothing," he answered cagily, "not that its any of your business anyway."

Meowth didn't particularly care, but those two used to be as tight as Jessie and James and now they were hardly on speaking terms. He thought back to that day in the supply room. Even if Butch hadn't wanted to admit it, that was definitely a demotion that the Boss had given him. Just why not Cassidy as well? This didn't add up at all.

"What do you think happened to Team Rocket?" Meowth asked him, changing the subject for he knew that he wouldn't get any further information from Butch unless the green haired male volunteered it. "Did the Order really destroy them?"

"No," Butch shook his head, "I've been thinking about it and the answer's obvious, well it is to us at least."

This irked Meowth a little as it wasn't obvious to him at all, but then again he hadn't given it much thought, as there were plenty of other things to concern them, too.

"Yeah?" He found himself prompting when Butch failed to elaborate.

"The Wild Fire Order is Team Rocket," Butch replied.

"Hey, Jimmy, don't wander too far ahead."

James heeded Meowth's advice and only walked a little further down the road. Even though they were in the open countryside and it was deserted as far as he could see there was no harm in exercising a little caution, he reasoned. Still, it didn't feel right. There were no Pokémon and no other humans at all. It was as though time had been frozen and they were the other ones left in the world. A world without Jessie… although he was trying to put on a brave face, James felt as though he would break any minute. He wanted to do something more than what they were already. It didn't feel enough to him, not when he constantly worried about what the Order might be doing to her. Despite Butch and Cassidy's doubts, James knew that Jessie would never be involved in something like this. It just wasn't possible and, when he really thought about it, he couldn't see any of the others being involved either. True they were a part of Team Rocket but the Wild Fire Order went beyond anything that the Boss wanted to achieve.

Looking around him, James found that he still couldn't get used to the quiet. There were no Pidgeys calling and only the breeze disturbed the landscape. Even so, James was glad to get some fresh air. The car had no air conditioning and the atmosphere between Butch and Cassidy was intense. James, like Meowth, was curious to know what had happened between them but had the sense not to ask. He and Butch had a mutual tolerance for each other now and James didn't want to do/say anything to upset this.

A crunching of gravel close by drew James from his thoughts and he jumped slightly when he turned around to find Cassidy behind him. The young woman raised an eyebrow at this but refrained from commenting. She brushed passed him, keeping her arms folded as she walked.

James fell into a step beside her, unsure of whether she would want his company and why he was willing to offer it to start with. He and Cassidy had never been friends. Her feud with Jessie was enough to make him dislike her, as well as her and Butch constantly screwing them over in Team Rocket. James didn't really know the details of their feud but he had gathered that it was to do with both Jessie and Cassidy's childhood. James hadn't ever given it much thought until now. In truth he felt a little sorry for Cassidy at present. She had isolated herself from the group and, judging from the expression on her face, she was not happy about it, not deep down.

"This is pretty crazy isn't it?" He started, referring to their mission, in a bid to make conversation.

"Yeah," Cassidy answered disinterestedly, "Butch started theorising so I decided to leave them to it."

"Theorising?" James repeated, "About what?"

"He thinks that the Wild Fire Order is Team Rocket, stuff like that."

"Maybe we should go back," James glanced back towards the jeep as he spoke.

Cassidy shrugged, "You can if you like, but the conversation's pretty pointless if you ask me. We should wait until we get to Saffron City, then I'm sure we'll find out the truth."

James didn't really agree with this attitude at all. Surely they should be making plans at least? He voiced this to Cassidy and instantly wished that he hadn't when she retorted scornfully:

"Plans? As if any of yours ever work anyway!"

"Neither do yours," James shot back, "but we can't go unprepared."

"Do you really think that the four of us can help Jessie? Megumi has asked an impossible task of us."

"I'll save her," James muttered, looking away as Cassidy was making him feel more uncomfortable by the second.

She chuckled at his statement and shook her head, as though it amused her somehow.

"Do you really hate Jessie that much?" James added.

"What do you mean?" Cassidy paused.

"Do you think we should leave her, is that it?"

"Of course not," Cassidy snapped, becoming defensive now.

James sighed, his voice suddenly taking on a heavy tone that even surprised himself let alone Cassidy. "Jessie… she once told me that you two were close. I've never asked her what happened and I'm not asking you now as it's none of my business but I think it's a shame that two people who were once such good friends could fall out with such finality."

Cassidy was silent, considering this for a moment before retorting with: "You're right about one thing, it is none of your business."

"You know… I think I will go back," James said, never one for confrontations when he could help it and he certainly did not intend on getting into one with Cassidy. However, the conversation did effect him enough for him to say in passing: "I know you don't want to be here but it would be nice if you made the effort to get along just this once, for all of our sakes."

He didn't hear any reply that Cassidy might have made for he started to briskly walk back to where Meowth and Butch were waiting.

Jessie was not sure how much time had passed; it could have been hours or simply just minutes when light flooded her cell once again. She shrank back, despite herself and the door clicked shut and a key turned in the lock. The flashlight was switched off with a snap and she found herself and her companion once more plunged into darkness.

For a moment silence reigned, the other being nervous perhaps but, after a few precious seconds, she spoke.

"So… it's true… Megumi really did bring you then," a sigh, somewhat saddened, followed, "I did not believe my spies words so I felt I should come and see this for myself. It has been so long… I can barely remember events further back than a year ago."

"How can you not remember?" Jessie forced herself to ask, daring to question the woman. She seemed different to the others. Rich had become crueller and so were the other Grunts. It was as though he had forgotten that they were once on the same team. This woman… it burdened her, almost. There was also something else… she seemed familiar to Jessie, as though she knew her.

A laugh followed Jessie's question and a momentary pause followed before she answered: "Perhaps I choose not to remember? I would be lying if I said I did not know anything of what happened a year ago. I know of my own guilt and I know that I must put things right somehow. It's almost ironic that they captured you instead, isn't it Jess?"

It came to Jessie in an instant and she berated herself for not having realised who the woman was sooner.

"Cassidy? What are you doing here? Where are James and the others?" She did not even attempt to disguise the shock from her voice.

"It took you long enough," Cassidy chuckled bitterly. "You always said I was a traitor, Jess, and you were right."

With this she flicked the light back on, seeing no reason to hide anymore. The woman standing before Jessie was Cassidy, no doubt about it. Her hair was longer and was loose rather than in the style that it had been in ever since she joined Team Rocket. Whilst in the past, Cassidy had worn contact lenses; she now wore a pair of small glasses instead. On her right cheek there was a faint scar that was about two centimetres in length blemishing her otherwise perfect complexion. She wore a black pencil skirt and a grey halter-neck top with a white lab-coat thrown over the top of it. It was almost laughable how she wore a small silver cross round her neck; Jessie had known Cassidy for years and she was not at all religious. Just what was going on? Jessie did not understand it at all. How could she have changed in both appearance and demeanour so quickly? Jessie only saw her a day ago. This was impossible, wasn't it?

"Why?" Jessie asked once she had found her voice again. Cassidy's expression, one of sadness hidden by bitter-humour, did not falter. "What did you do? Where are James and Meowth? Why have I been brought here?"

Cassidy ignored her questions: "For the power, for what I could personally gain and because I had nothing left to lose. I know you are not likely to believe me but we are one year into the future."

"You're right," Jessie snapped back, "I don't believe you. What is really going on?"

Cassidy turned and began pacing up and down the small cell as though she were deep in thought but her words only sounded rehearsed to Jessie. As though Cassidy had been waiting a long time to utter them.

"I was offered by the Master more than Giovanni ever could and, of course, I took it. I might not have had… I've made some mistakes before all this happened."

"Why are you telling me this? Why won't you answer any of my questions?"

"Because I've had a hell of a long time to think about what I would do if Megumi succeeded in bringing you here. Of course, I had wanted to talk to the Cassidy that you know but there was a mistake and here you are instead."

"They were after you?" Jessie questioned, feeling a little confused as well as a sharp stab of fear. What was going on?

"My past-self was to be captured and brought here," Cassidy confirmed. "You see, I'm the key to everything. This future might not exist should she be persuaded to take a different path."

"Past-self? What do you mean? Why won't you give me any straight answers?"

"So, it would seem that I have to explain things to you instead. It's almost laughable seeing as we despise each other but I have no choice."

She glanced back towards the cell door before continuing, "I'm not sure how much time we'll have so I will do my best to explain. Some events you might be familiar with and others are completely new. A year ago I betrayed my partner. I blamed Butch for the failure of a mission to save my own skin. Giovanni, at the time, appointed a Scientist to carry out some important research work in his laboratory. It was a potion designed to make Pokémon stronger but… the Scientist, Professor Nanba, had his own agenda. Giovanni placed me there to report back all of Nanba's work to him. I guess he knew that Nanba was untrustworthy but even he couldn't have even begun to dream what Nanba's true intentions were. He was, in secret, working on a virus, the Pokévirus 2, he called it. This virus was designed to obliterate all Pokémon. I eventually discovered what he was really up to but by then it was too late. I was already in too deep. You know what the ultimate price for betrayal is. Nanba promised to protect me from Giovanni's wrath but in the end even he begun to suspect something."

"This doesn't make sense," Jessie again interrupted her. "Why are you talking as though these things have already happened?"

Again she was ignored.

"Nanba had also been poisoning the Grunts' minds and he had ones that were loyal to him and his cause. Nanba hated all Pokémon and wished to see them dead and, with that, he could control the world, or so he had hoped. His Grunts murdered Giovanni and took over Team Rocket. All those who did not submit to Nanba were also killed. The base under Viridian was destroyed to hide the evidence. It became a Rocket graveyard."

Cassidy looked away, but there were tears in her eyes now. "Nanba unleashed the virus but he didn't expect the authorities to act as they did. Kanto was sealed off from the other regions and the people were abandoned to Nanba's rule. He controls the food-stocks, the water supply… everything and the few true Pokémon that remain are under his control. He has stocks of the virus and uses this to blackmail the Government into leaving him alone. He could not control the world but this one region is enough for him."

"So he's the Master?" Jessie asked, deciding it best to humour her until Cassidy had finished her strange tale.

Cassidy nodded:

"Of course, there were those who tried to stop Nanba," she added, "That twerp and his friends were one group who tried. They had another reason, too. In order to get the information to create the virus I took some Grunts and broke into Professor Oak's lab. That artist twerp got in the way and Rich shot him. He died a few days later in hospital. Ash had revenge on his mind but Nanba knew just how to hurt him. He had his friends killed right before Ash's eyes. One by one they were killed but Ash managed to escape. He continued to Saffron City but Nanba was there to meet him. His Pokémon were butchered but Ash was allowed to live. To live after seeing the things that no ten year old should see… Nanba's punishments were always sadistic and this was no exception."

"What about Team Rocket?" Jessie asked when Cassidy paused again, "Surely someone there would have stood up to him? Most of the Grunts were loyal to Giovanni and it would have only taken one person to rally them all round."

Cassidy's expression turned pained and she forced herself to reply: "There was one. Butch and Mondo were in the supply room when Giovanni was killed. They heard the shots and went to try and help him. Mondo was killed but Butch managed to escape. He took those loyalist to Giovanni with him but Nanba soon found them. They were all killed."

"What about James, Meowth and me?" Jessie asked next, not sure what else to say.

Cassidy chuckled bitterly at this. "You three? You did what you do best; you ran away. Of course, Nanba sent men to track you down. He could not allow any former Rockets to escape. Meowth and the rest of your Pokémon succumbed to the virus and eventually you and James were caught. I am the only one left now."

Jessie took a moment or two to consider things. This tale… there was no truth in it. Cassidy was deluded or something, she had to be. There was no other explanation.

"I don't believe you," she snapped at length, "so why don't you tell me what's really going on?"

"I did," Cassidy shot back, venom in her own voice now.

"Well I think you're lying."

"You always were a fool, Jessie, but I didn't think that even you could be this stupid," Cassidy hissed back. "Have you any idea how difficult it was for me to tell you all of this? Do you think I would make up something like this?"

"I'm not saying you made it up. In your head it might very well ring truth, that's all."

"Fine, I'll prove it. If trained Pokémon still existed then why has Nanba allowed you to keep your Pokéballs?"

Jessie looked down at her waist and was surprised to see that the Pokéballs containing Arbok and Wobbuffet were indeed still clipped to her belt.

"Open one," Cassidy challenged.

Defiantly, Jessie unclipped Arbok's Pokéball and threw it. As it struck the stone floor the red light flickered briefly and then faded away. Concealing her dismay, Jessie tried the other and this met with similar results.

"That doesn't mean anything."

"Yes it does," Cassidy snapped, "Your Pokémon did not follow you through as it is only Meowth who is important to you succeeding. The others are insignificant."

Jessie shook her head and said nothing. The anger that Cassidy was displaying was very different from her usual bouts of temper tantrum. The anger seemed more controlled somehow and this unsettled Jessie slightly. This Cassidy was very different from the one whom Jessie used to call her friend. Perhaps… no, Jessie told herself. It was nonsense. It had to be.

"Fine," Cassidy sighed, "I can't say anything more to make you believe me but I need you to do something for me. Butch and the others are coming to get you. When you get back to the present you must talk to your Cassidy. You must convince her to sell Nanba out to Giovanni. If she doesn't then all will be lost. This future will be realised and then you will all die."

Cassidy paused by the cell door, waiting for Jessie's reply.

"Fine," she found herself replying, "I'll talk to you but I still think that this is madness." Anything to get her to leave, Jessie found herself thinking.

Cassidy nodded, her gaze softening for a moment before the hardness that Jessie had seen previously covered it again. "You will see that it's all true, mark my words, Jessie."

Then she was gone and Jessie was once again alone in darkness.