Team Rocket Neo
A Pokémon nightmare by
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Author's Notes
Four years have passed since Ash Ketchum and Misty Waterflower, victims of a brutal betrayal by their family and those they considered their friends, were forced to seek shelter with the terrorist group Team Rocket. They have spent this time growing in their terrorist skills and developing their own fearsome reputation amongst the law enforcement agencies of the Indigo region.
Now they face a kind of coming of age. As they continue to serve the interests of Team Rocket, they must face the possibility that they will be required to do something that violates their principles. When that happens… what will they do?
And in the background are the betrayers, those who had profited from their pain. What are they doing and when will books be balanced?
This is really a transitional piece. I am working on part 3 (of at least 6 as far as I can plot it) and that will have a lot more action.
Believe me, Ash and Misty are going to be very OOC. After four years of stealing and roughing up Team Rocket's enemies, you should expect it. Note: Neither has reached the point yet where they have been asked to kill.
Censor: R for some rather deliberate musing on sexual identity
Ages: Ash is 18; Misty is 18; Jessie is 25; James is 24; Brock is 26; Gary is 20; Daisy is 24; Giovanni is 40; Delilah is 39; Tracey is 22
CONTENT WARNING: Some minor profanity and a shades of grey alert. There are no heroes in this story, only those who are slightly less bad than others. Sometimes the price of survival is a lot higher than people expect.
Book 2 – Terrorists
Chapter 1 – How the World has Changed
FLASHBACK – FOUR YEARS AGO
"I tell you that Ash Ketchum and Misty Waterflower are alive!" Professor Samuel Oak shouted at his insufferably smug grandson.
"Yeah, right Gramps," Gary sneered. "They have come back from the dead to teach me the true meaning of Christmas. I don't think so somehow."
"Yeah," laughed Gary's lover, Daisy Waterflower. "Like, they got up and walked off with all those broken ribs and put each other back together without tipping off one of your contacts at the various hospitals in the area." Daisy laughed again, a contemptuous sound.
"They've been gone for three months, Gramps," Gary added. "Face it, I can handle killing without your help."
Oak scowled. "You are a pair of idiots," he said. "Do you forget Team Rocket so easily? They have interfered before, and they will again. If you are smart, you will be ready for the day you wake up with them leaning over you. Don't come crying to me then!"
Oak stormed out of the Cascade Gym in Cerulean City, his face flaming with embarrassment. He should have known that his idiot grandson wasn't capable of understanding the magnitude of this threat.
Well, he would just have to wait. Ash and Misty could stay hidden for decades in Team Rocket, but that wasn't their style. Eventually, they would come charging out looking for 'justice' or some other strange concept. When that happened, he intended to be ready.
FLASHBACK ENDS
Oak sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. They were alive, there was no doubt about it. Their faces were now well known throughout Indigo as being among Team Rocket's most feared emissaries. The amazing thing was that no one really believed it was the real Ash and Misty, but a pair of Team Rocket agents surgically altered to resemble them. Gary, and his wife Daisy, were lead proponents of this theory.
Oak sighed and looked at the back of his hands. He had to get a plan ready, but all that he could think about was to wonder where Delilah Ketchum was now.
***
Delilah Ketchum had not consciously smiled for four years now. Not since the moment when Sam Oak brought her the news that her son Ash was dead. He was only her foster son, the son of her late sister, but he might as well be her own child for all she loved him. She had mourned for months before something happened that, perhaps, should have stopped her pain but instead only heightened it to an unbearable agony.
She did not smile now, although she found the sun and the cooling sea breeze on Sabre Island in the Orange Archipelago pleasing and relaxing. She stood almost at the edge of a tall sea cliff, watching the tide beating on the hard white rocks below with an unhealthy interest.
If Ash could see her, he would be shocked. Her long red hair had lost much of its' vitality and was streaked with grey. Lines were forming around her mouth and her eyes. Speaking of which, those eyes that were once a bright vivid green but were now a lifeless slate grey. It had been an agonising few years indeed.
Everything could be traced back to the moment when Tracey Sketchitt had knocked on her door in the middle of the night. Delilah rose and saw that the Research Centre on the hill above Pallet Town was ablaze. Delilah was in hysterics when she admitted Tracey. The devastation at the Research Centre and Tracey's grim expression could only mean one thing: Sam Oak was dead. After loosing Ash, she knew she would not be able to survive this.
What Tracey had to tell her could not have been more different or more terrible. Ash was alive. Alive! He and Misty were both alive and well and had been at the Research Centre. Delilah could only listen in horror as Tracey described how he had entered the new Biology Lab to see Professor Oak held prisoner by two black uniformed 'grunts' from Team Rocket. Tracey explained how he fought and was easily overcome, and how he recognised the male Rocket's fighting style.
Ash and Misty: Members of Team Rocket. Delilah screamed at Tracey that he was a filthy liar, that this couldn't be true. Then Tracey told her how Ash and Misty had given the details of their betrayal by their kin and closest friends and how they had denounced Sam and Gary in the clearest terms. Tracey's description of Ash's actions and words were too right to be a fantasy, Delilah realised it was true.
Tracey told her that he was leaving Pallet, indeed that he was leaving Indigo and returning to his home in the Orange Islands. He had to think very carefully about his options. However, he would not leave her alone that night, not with 'that monster' Sam Oak possibly looking for revenge.
They were two lonely people who had lost their every friend, their every dream and their every illusion. Perhaps it was inevitable that they should have instinctively sought from each other the most ancient comfort two human beings could offer each other.
So it was that they left together the next day. Together they returned to Tracey's old home on Sabre Island. They were able to make a modest living from Tracey's art and Delilah's secretarial skills. Together they made a new life and tried to decide how they could find a place in a world turned upside down so comprehensively.
Delilah now watched Tracey climb the hill, his strange pink headband holding his long black hair out of his eyes. "You look a picture of beauty, Delilah," Tracey said. "Every bit the sea goddess of myth." Who would have imagined that he would have found her interesting? She knew he wasn't really interested in women as a rule. However, Tracey would not abandon her and he was more than willing to comfort her as she was willing to comfort him.
Delilah shook her head at her young lover's outrageous compliment. She blushed slightly, her halter top and sarong were a bit revealing, and it amazed her that Tracey, with his… preference… should be affected by it. "If that is a plea for another nude study, Tracey, forget it," she said severely. "I really don't look that good."
"Yes you do," Tracey replied with an expression of total sincerity.
Tracey hugged the hideously wounded woman to himself and tried once again to comprehend their shared pain. Every time he heard the distinctive sound of a Team Rocket air transport, he half hoped, half feared it was Ash and Misty. He had regular dreams, or perhaps nightmares, where they returned to carry him and Delilah off to who knows where. But years had passed and he and Delilah had only seen the pair in the news, developing a reputation as thieves and terrorists beyond compare. Eventually they stopped looking, for it only made their pain worse. The only comfort they had left in this harsh world was each other.
As Tracey and Delilah hugged, they smiled, even though they did not know they were doing so, and they absorbed warmth from each other. After a few minutes in each other's arms, they separated, having decided once again to stay alive, for just one more day.
***
"Prepare for trouble,"
"And make it double!"
"To protect the world from devastation,"
"To unite all peoples of our nation,"
"To denounce the lies of truth and love,"
"To extend our reach to the stars above."
"Jessie,"
"James,"
"Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender, or prepare to fight."
"Me-owth! Dat's right!"
The Gym Leaders of the Indigo Division looked at the intruders with expressions that reflected their utter surprise. They had been meeting in the huge glass dome atop the Pokémon League building in Viridian City, supposedly the most secure spot on the island continent of Indigo. The topic for the day was Team Rocket, and a suggestion by Master Trainer Gary Oak that the League should form a task force of senior Trainers to combat the terrorist organisation's increasingly bold depredations against League property and personnel. It seems that news of the agenda had leaked out.
Jessie and James, with Arbok and Victreebell out of their Pokéballs, were fearsome sights. Both had changed their style a little in the last few years. Both were wearing what could loosely be described as battle armour in the Team Rocket white field agent colours. Their black gloves and boots were now made of kevlar, as were their short white tunics. Jessie had kept her unique customisation of no cover over her abdomen, but had changed her hideously impractical miniskirt to skin-tight trousers with a loose white belt with a bright red 'R' buckle. Add on to that their six Pokéballs and their service pistols and they were every bit the terrorist legends that their reputation insisted they were.
They had entered in the most terrifying way they could achieve, by blowing out one of the glass panels in the dome and rappelling down onto the middle of the table. They now sneered around at the terrified Gym Leaders with some disdain. None of them seemed to have thought about using one of their Pokémon to defend themselves.
Quite an interesting bunch really. Among them there was that overblown ex-military guy, Lt. Surge, Brock Slate's absentee father, Flint and Sabrina von Daimen, a telepsychic and something of a nasty character in her own right. Oh… there was one missing. Daisy Oak was absent and her younger sister Violet Waterflower represented the Cascade Gym in her place. Giovanni was there too, in his public persona as the leader of the Earth Gym. His presence made Jessie and James all the more determined to do well.
"You have all been bad little monkeys," James stated in a mocking tone. He started to walk around the table, occasionally kicking a carafe of water onto a paralysed VIP's lap. "Didn't you think Team Rocket would hear of your little plots and schemes?"
"Well we did," Jessie said. "So our glorious Leader sent us to deliver a little message. Don't try it. We can break into your top-security meeting room and can get into your Gyms and Pokémon Centres just as easily. If you screw around with us, we will screw around with you, and believe me, you won't like it."
"You won't get away with this," Flint Slate grated. "You cheap thugs might posture in your Halloween costumes, but you will find it much more difficult to get out of this building. There are security people on every level."
"Oh dear, are you threatening little me?" Jessie asked brightly. She knelt on the table in front of Flint and began to stroke his wiry black beard like he was a fluffy animal. "I am so frightened," she simpered with a laugh.
James walked up beside her, put a boot on Flint's chest and pushed, making him topple over onto his back. "When will you people understand that you are totally out of your 'league,' if you will forgive the pun, when you are dealing with Team Rocket?" he asked, letting his expression become threatening. "Your security staff can't help you. Attempting to create a vigilante army won't help you. Only one thing can save you from Team Rocket's vengeance and that is this: Stay out of our way. Do not interfere with any of our operations or molest any of our personnel. You co-operate and you survive. End of message."
Jessie and James turned to exit the way they came in, when Sabrina suddenly spoke up. "Actually there is something you should know," she said in her precise voice. "While you were delivering your ultimatum, I was telepathically summoning help. I really think you should consider surrendering."
Once, this would have daunted Jessie and James, but no longer. Jessie actually laughed. "Oh sister, are you in for a surprise," she predicted.
At that moment about a round dozen security guards burst through the door. Victreebell unleashed a hail of razor leaves that sliced through armour and flesh. The pain made them reel back. Then Arbok body slammed her long length into them, knocking them back into the hallway.
In the chaos, Violet jumped to her feet and drew a Pokéball. Meowth was in front of her in an instant, holding a claw to her throat. "Don't try it, pretty," he hissed. He knew this was Misty's sister and that the young Rocket would feed him to her Dragonite if she was hurt, but Violet certainly didn't know about that restriction.
Jessie recalled Arbok and swapped her for Fearow. The massive raven-like Pokémon generated a mirror wave defence that deflected a hail of bullets from the security guards' weapons. VIPs hugged carpet, but the matter was getting out of control. If nothing changed, even if the three Rockets remained unharmed, bystanders would be hurt and that was unacceptable.
***
"Looks like things are getting pretty hot."
"Yeah. Should we go in after them?"
"Well, Jessie would be mad if we spoiled their fun."
"Fun? You call that fun?"
"I'm kidding! Come on, let's extract them with our usual style and efficiency!"
***
It was, indeed, getting kind of hot in there. Meowth had just knocked out Lt. Surge's Electrobuzz. Jessie had blown a second contingent of guards out of the room using Fearow's Omni blast and James was discouraging any other Gym Leader from interfering by having Weezing spit sludge in the face of anyone that moved.
"Here come more of them," Jessie warned. This group were wearing armour and were waving shotguns and laser rifles. Definitely more difficult to beat.
As it turned out they didn't have to bother. The entire glass dome turned into a trillion sparkling cubes of safety glass and Team White Bravo's Meowth-shaped blimp dropped down into the meeting room like the proverbial hand of god. The side access hatch swung open and a tall, heavily built young man wearing a black uniform with a red 'R' over the heart and mirror sunglasses jumped out. He was wielding a pair of MP-5K sub-machineguns like they were antique six-shooters. A Raichu, of all things, clung to his back, peering over one shoulder.
The man emptied half of his guns' magazines in the general direction of the security guards, who all dived for the floor. The way the first bullets zipped through the wall indicated they were armour piercing types.
Everyone panicked and ducked when the man started shooting, except Jessie and James who had every confidence in his marksmanship, even with the notoriously inaccurate sub-machinegun. He grinned at them in a friendly and engaging way. "Did someone order a pizza?" Ash Ketchum asked lightly.
"Very funny," Jessie snapped. She recalled Fearow and stamped onto the blimp. James rolled his eyes at her bad mood and gave Ash a friendly slap on the back as he walked into the aircraft. Meowth had already dived inside.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, let's stay calm," Ash said, sweeping the room with his guns. "That's right. No one tries to be a hero and no one gets hurt. We'll be leaving now. Thank you for your attention." He jumped onto the blimp and shouted over his shoulder. "Misty! Punch it!"
The blimp's three turbofan engines screamed to full power and the massive airship went into a dramatic power climb. As the aircraft lifted off, Ash waved jauntily to the Gym Leaders from the hatchway. "Bye now!" he called. "Nothin' but love for ya, you know?"
"Ai-ai-chu-ai!" [Bye, bye, suckers!] Raichu laughed from his place on Ash's shoulders.
As the blimp climbed away, Violet's eyes filled with tears. Daisy had insisted it was just a double, someone altered to look like her, but she had seen the woman at the pilot's controls. And the woman had seen her. She had waved in a friendly fashion and mouthed 'Love you, Sis' in Violet's direction. Her sister Misty was alive.
Sabrina looked up at the climbing aircraft with a horrified expression. "The Chosen One has been turned," she announced to no one in particular. "God help us all."
***
"Did you have to take off with that hideous steep climb?" Jessie shouted from where she was untangling herself from James at the back of the cockpit.
"No," Misty replied over her shoulder. "I just prefer it that way." A warning buzzer began to sound. "We've got company, two Security Police jet copters coming in from the west."
"Get us down into the streets," Ash ordered, strapping himself into his seat at the weapons/countermeasures console. Jessie and James just about strapped themselves in before Misty tilted the blimp into a screaming nose-dive into the artificial canyons of Viridian City's streets.
The jet copters had the advantages of manoeuvrability and speed compared to the blimp, but the blimp was being piloted by a young woman who felt the safety limits of her aircraft's design were suggestions by those too weak and gutless to know what was really possible. Already constrained from using their weapons for fear of civilian casualties, the SP pilots had to back off from the pursuit for fear of hitting a building in trying to match the blimp's wild manoeuvres.
"Take a left, rotate and hold," Jessie ordered, seeing an opportunity. "Ash, get the lasers ready."
"I'm well ahead of you, boss-lady," Ash replied, arming the blimp's forward dual laser cannon turret.
The blimp turned down a side street, rotated around 180 degrees and stopped dead. The lead jet copter turned the corner and right into Ash's sights. Ash fired the lasers and shot off the 'copter's tail rotor with his third shot. The aircraft auto-rotated the 100 feet down and smashed onto its' side. "Nice shot," Jessie crowed. "Now let's get out of here!"
The second SP pilot had pulled back when he had seen his comrade shot down. Now he saw the chance of revenge as the Blimp rose over the city. He lined up and fired off a Stingray heat-seeking missile at the strange aircraft.
"Incoming," Misty warned.
"I'm on it," Ash replied. Jessie tensed. She hated it when things got hot like this, too many things could go wrong.
Ash unleashed a cloud of phosphorous flares and Misty hauled the blimp over to the right, chopping back the throttles to halve their forward speed. The missile was decoyed by the flares and shot past.
Unprepared for the sudden manoeuvre, the second jet copter pilot shot right past the blimp too and into Ash's weapons sights. "You lose, pal," Ash said, firing one of the blimp's older but equally deadly ASRAAM missiles. The missile detonated under the jet copter and the aircraft began to dive, trailing flame and slowly disintegrating. With a sigh of relief, he watched the pilot eject and parachute to safety.
Eventually that won't happen, Ash warned himself. I'm not sure if I would ever sleep again. He blew out his breath and accepted a congratulatory hug from Jessie and a punch on the shoulder from James.
Misty smiled at him in her kind, understanding way. She knew how he felt. And they both knew that the day of decision was getting closer with their every new mission. If the people to whom they owed everything they still had demanded it… would they kill?
Chapter 2 – Evolution
The small cabin in the rocky highlands of the Viridian Forest could be the country retreat of any ordinary person. If you looked a little closer, you would see a black-haired man standing outside cutting wood while a ginger-haired woman sat nearby, talking to him. But this wasn't just any cabin. The first clue was that the man was wearing a necklace whose pendant was a stylised blood red capital letter 'R.' The 'cabin' was actually the only visible part of Team Rocket Safe House #2558.
"We were lucky today, Ash," Misty told her closest friend. "That mission could easily have turned into a bloodbath."
Ash wielded the axe again, cutting another log in half. "Don't remind me," he said. "I've still got the shakes and Jessie looks so green, I think she's going to miss another meal."
Misty shook her head. "Jessie and James tell me that it was never like this a few years ago," Misty said. "There was never so much… hatred and violence involved in this. Someone has upped the stakes and has begun to play for keeps. I would really like to know who."
Ash nodded and wielded the axe again. Working like this might be tiring, but it kept his mind off of unpalatable thoughts, like what would have happened if that ASRAAM had just blown that second jet copter apart. Somewhere on the line, he and Misty had made a huge compromise of their principles, and he wished he could remember when and where he had made the choice.
"We never had a choice," Misty said, reading his mind with her usual easy empathy. "Gary, Brock, Daisy and Professor Oak arranged it so we were finished in any normal life. Team Rocket was our only choice left, and that meant we had to change."
Ash nodded again. He leaned on the axe handle and sighed. "Sometimes I think it would have been better if they hadn't found us and we had died there," Ash declared.
Misty's face flamed with anger. "Damn you, don't you dare say that!" she declared coldly. "I wasn't ready to die then and neither were you! We still have a life ahead of us thanks to Team Rocket and I mean to live it." Ash looked up in surprise at her vehemence. What both of them said in their heads, but not aloud was: But I am only going to live if it I can live alongside you.
Neither of them had really expressed how they felt about the other since that moment when Ash saw a newly-recovered Misty and, believing life as he knew it was coming to an end, admitted feelings that he had never admitted before. Since then, therapy, training and missions had occupied them to the point where they could avoid such questions. Even so, they had become closer than friends, closer even than kin. James had even told Ash point blank to stop fooling around and tell Misty already.
As Ash looked at Misty, he reflected on how much they had both grown, both as people and physically in the past four years.
Ash was now 6' 5" and weighing in at a solid 250 pounds, most of that being perfectly conditioned muscle. He had let his hair grow longer in a style favoured by male Team Rocket agents, but had kept his spiky fringe. He had modified his black uniform so it fit tighter and didn't get in his way in a fight. He had also converted his tunic into an open-fronted jacket that somewhat resembled his long-lost blue and white sports jacket. He had learnt much and had grown in skill and wisdom too. He could not remember ever not knowing how to operate a type A7 blimp's weapons console or not being able to strip a newspaper article of all the nonsense and get to the real truths hidden within.
Misty was now a statuesque 6' 0" and, at 118 pounds, had acquired a trim, athletic build that James secretly envied. She had grown her hair long and it was now spilling down her back in a long ponytail to almost waist-height. Her uniform had been heavily modified at Jessie's insistence. The boots had built up heels and the main bodysuit had been cut very tight. Like Jessie's uniform, the tunic ended just under the line of the diaphragm and was arranged to highlight all of her best attributes, although Misty had scorned cutting away the middle of her bodysuit to expose her abdomen. That just looked silly, in her view. She was, in many ways, maturer than the older woman and was the real wisdom of Team Bravo.
Jessie had explained the uniform modification as a psychological weapon. She claimed that many men would be disoriented and distracted if faced by a woman who was so aggressively dressed. It sure as hell distracted Ash. Misty found that if she posed herself just right, he would forget whatever he was doing and just stare like he had been hypnotised. She liked that a lot.
Funnily enough, Jessie's even more revealing uniform seemed to have zero effect on James. Maybe it was a case of familiarity breeding contempt. Ha, yeah, right! As if! She had seen the way James looked at Ash whenever the younger man was stripped down for work like right now, with the upper half of his body suit knotted around his waist. Still, watching Ash cut wood so semi-dressed was having a pleasantly distracting effect on her.
"Ash, Misty, dinner's ready," called a voice. Ash looked up and saw Mondo Jones III, aka 'Young Mondo,' standing in the door of the cabin in his green medical/support division uniform.
"We're coming, Mondo," Ash confirmed. He picked up his jacket and his black shirt. He offered Misty his arm and the two young people entered the cabin.
***
As Ash had predicted, Jessie wasn't very hungry, despite the fact that Mondo's cooking was of the usual excellent standard. No one seemed really interested in conversation either. Jessie, James, Ash, Misty, Mondo and their assigned grey-uniformed technician, Rachel Corolis, all ate in silence.
Everyone was worried. Team Rocket, despite its' fearsome reputation, was actually a fairly non-violent operation most times. Thefts, bribery, corruption and extortion were all common practices, but massed acts of violence were unheard of, and assassinations were quite rare.
Recently, however, things had been heating up. The League and the Security Police were cracking down on Team Rocket's activities with massed raids on suspected TR-controlled gyms and operating locations. Several successful field teams had been captured when information about rare or well-trained Pokémon turned out to be a trap. Giovanni had responded by increasing the number of intimidation and sabotage missions. No one was comfortable in suddenly dropping out of the sky on a bunch of novices, terrorising them and stealing all of their (probably worthless) Pokémon just to put the fear of god in the locals.
After the meal, the team retired to the lounge area. Mondo turned on the TV so that they could watch the day's League highlights. After the highlights came the evening news. They were the top news story, but that didn't make anyone feel good. Once they would have laughed and cheered at hearing themselves being described as 'cunning, dangerous villains' and 'Team Rocket's most feared operatives.' Now they just felt tired. The cause was turning out to be a lot of soul-breaking nastiness and very little of the high principles that the indoctrination tutors at HQ promised.
The 'Cause,' Ash thought dispiritedly. It makes it sound so very noble. Right now I am nothing but a thief and a destroyer of lives. Not very noble at all.
Jessie was grim and staring out into space. James was hovering at her side, literally reeking of nerves. "Look…" she suddenly announced. "I… that is I and James…" she sucked in a breath. "We've requested that we all get rotated back to Headquarters. I think we all need a break before this pressure makes us get careless." Jessie sighed before adding. "I should warn you that the Boss doesn't like receiving requests like this. We… we will probably be broken up and reassigned, but I had to do it… I know none of you can take this pace much longer and… I… Well that's it, I suppose."
No one felt particularly interested in condemning Jessie for doing that without asking them. Ash hugged an exhausted Misty closer to him. "I won't be separated from you, Ash," she whispered.
"Don't worry, I won't let that happen," Ash assured her.
"You will do whatever the Boss says," she contradicted with a grim look. "And so will I. We don't have any other choice, Ash. We are Team Rocket, body and soul; he owns us." Misty seemed on the verge of tears. She was more tired than she had initially thought and, even though she had shouted at Ash for saying it, she was tired of living this life of compromised principle and lesser evils too.
"I swore the oath," Ash said gently, stroking her face, "but I didn't sell myself to the Boss or anyone else. He will find that if he wants to screw around with me, it will be a painful process. For him."
Misty giggled slightly. "You are crazy, Ash," she said. "After all we've been through, you are still not afraid of anything." Suddenly, and without any warning, she leaned up and planted a gentle kiss on his lips. "You are still my brave, stupid Ashy-boy. And I'm glad."
Misty got up and walked off towards her room. Ash stared at Mondo and Rachel, who were grinning at him with infuriatingly knowing expressions. "What?" he said. "Her morale is low and I'm helping her out, is that such a crime?"
"Is her morale the only thing you keeping up, Ash?" Rachel asked with a giggle. The scruffy technician stood up and walked out humming a romantic tune. Mondo dissolved into a fit of giggles too. Ash just scowled and thought about how very much he wished he could just come out and say what he felt for Misty without any fear of official disapproval.
***
Ash was manning the communications console in the cabin's large basement for the 2AM to 6AM 'Graveyard Shift' when the Headquarters central communications desk called. "Team White Bravo, confirm, primary code set," said an anonymous and probably digitally sampled voice.
"White Bravo, code set PS17, Rapidash Flotilla," Ash replied, pulling the code book off of it's shelf.
"Code 299P. 114-355-129-Echo, Alpha, Hotel," the voice said.
Ash flipped through the book to the page 299 and ran his finger down the list of codes until he reached the line with 'EAH' in the centre. The code '114-355-129' was in the left hand column. He slid his finger over to the right hand column and read back the code. "Response Code 999-178-638."
"Confirmed, please wait," the voice grated. There was a pause and then the video screen snapped on. Much to Ash's surprise, it was the Boss himself. Didn't that guy ever sleep?
"Ash," Giovanni greeted warmly. "How are things in Viridian, young man?"
"Er… a little hot, all told, sir," Ash replied nervously. "Should I get Jessie and James?"
Giovanni shook his head. "No need, Ash," he said. "Tell them that Team White Bravo has been rotated back to Headquarters effective from 6AM tomorrow. I'm replacing you with Butch and Cassidy's Team White Sierra."
Ash nodded, not at all surprised with this news. Butch and Cassidy didn't have the same problem with violence and intimidation that was so exhausting his team. They would probably actively enjoy terrorising the hapless locals of this area. A small core of loyalty tried to get some enthusiasm going for this, but all he could do was pray for a little mercy on the civilians. He also hoped that Cassidy wouldn't be brining her special sharp knife she normally only used when she and Butch wanted to relax. "Understood sir," Ash replied neutrally.
"Are you alright, Ash?" Giovanni asked.
"Just a little tired, sir," Ash replied smoothly. "The upsurge in counter-Team activities has kept us from getting enough rest, I think."
"Yes, I know," Giovanni replied kindly. "That is why you are being pulled back for retraining and reassignment. I will see you tomorrow. Headquarters out."
Ash blew out his breath as Giovanni vanished from the screen. He filled out the communications report for the happy bureaucrats back at HQ and started to mentally prepare for departure from the base that had been his home for the last four years. He also began to fret about what 'reassignment' meant. He swore he would not lose Misty. Apart from Raichu and Firestorm, his Charizard, she was all he had left from better times. She was also the most precious thing he had left from better times. The question was: was this a fight he could win? Worse still, did he even care about the price of failure?
***
Misty was up, too. She was sitting in a brightly-lit lounge, grooming her and some of Ash's Pokémon. She had Togetic, Staryu, Haunter and Vaporeon out of their Pokéballs plus Ash's Ninetails and Pidgeot. Raichu was sitting at her side, looking up at her in worry. Dragonite, Wartortle, and her Gyarados, Madcoil, were too big and so were staying in their balls. And Seaking just didn't do the dry land thing. She was grooming her friends and talking to them gently.
She was still amazed at how quickly Ash had got back into the capture and Training game. Whenever he and Misty had no immediate assignment, they were out searching for Pokémon.
For this reason, Team White Bravo had the largest number of owned, as opposed to assigned, Pokémon of any team. Ash had captured a Bulbasaur, a Squirtle, a Vulpix, a Pidgey, a Magicarp and an Abra to add onto his two assigned Pokémon. He had trained them all so well that they were now an Ivysaur, a Wartortle, a Ninetails, a Pidgeot, a Gyarados and a Kadabra.
By some miracle that Misty did not understand, Charizard returned to Ash a few weeks after they had arrived at the Cabin. He had somehow known, in the far-off fortress where he had been staying with his kin, that his Trainer needed him. He was a lot more powerful than Ash remembered from before. In recognition of his new power, Ash gave him a name: 'Firestorm.'
After a while, Jessie and James had got in on the game too, and they had captured several new Pokémon themselves, although they weren't as good Trainers as Ash, Misty felt.
Speaking of the finest Trainer she knew, here he was coming up from the basement. "Misty," he said. "Orders have come through, we're heading back to Headquarters." Misty nodded. She had expected this ever since Jessie had made her announcement. Her Pokémon swirled around her as they picked up on her worry. Ash thought she looked like an angel in her nightdress, with the fairy-like Togetic flying around her. "Misty," Ash said. "I won't let them separate us. We are going to be together no matter where we end up."
Misty sucked in a shuddering breath. "Ash, I won't have you destroy yourself for me," she said.
Ash bit back an angry exclamation. "Misty, don't you understand that without you I wouldn't have a life worth having? If you had died back in that forest clearing…" Ash paused and ran a hand through his hair. "I would have just closed my eyes and gone to sleep forever, Misty. I would have ended it, no matter what Giovanni had to say."
Misty looked at Ash in confusion. She felt the same way, but neither of them had said it so clearly before. "Ash…" she said and paused. "What are you saying?"
"I wasn't just relieved and disoriented when you woke up, Misty," Ash said. "I didn't want to say it before now, I mean we are hardly in the ideal circumstances to pursue it, but you must know now." He paused and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Misty. I will say it again, and this time we are both awake and alert. There are no double meanings, no confusion. I love you. You are my light and my life. I will never let them part us ever."
Misty's eyes began to fill with tears and she bit her trembling bottom lip. "Ash, I…" she paused. Her instinct was to laugh at him and run away, to protect him from himself even if it was at the cost of her soul, but she could not. She could no longer even imagine what it would be like if he were not there. "Ash, I love you too. You are my strength and my life. I will die before I ever let you go."
Ash and Misty stepped close. Misty looked up and Ash looked down and they exchanged a kiss that was so spontaneous and passionate that the empathic Pokémon began to coo sensually in their own languages. Both Rockets laughed at their friends' reactions and called those of them who permitted such treatment back to their Pokéballs. Then they kissed again, holding it longer, holding each other close and tight.
***
Jessie was not night person. She didn't like it when her nerves and fears (which were many and varied) kept her awake, but they were now. When she saw that the lounge light was on, she strode forward, ready to rip strips off of anyone else awake at this barbarous hour. She turned the corner into the room and saw Ash's Raichu, who looked at her with a warning expression and held a paw to his lips to command silence.
Jessie then heard Misty and Ash moaning, gasping out the other's names and sighing quietly. Jessie, angry, worried and confused, peeked around the corner and saw them together in what could be described as a compromising position. Jessie flamed a bright red, as only a redhead could, and retreated as quickly as possible.
James was probably very surprised when Jessie virtually ran into his room. He had been awake, too, wondering about what the future held when Giovanni received the request for recall. Jessie looked wild and desperate. "Jess… what?" he blurted stupidly.
"No words, idiot," Jessie snarled. She closed the door firmly and virtually jumped on top of James. James didn't know what to think and, after a very brief few moments, didn't want to do the 'think' thing at all.
***
Poor Mondo was at a complete loss to understand what was going on as the team ate an early breakfast and drank hot coffee before shutting up and leaving the base for the last time.
Jessie was in a foul mood, indicating that she had not slept at all well, and she was virtually shouting at James, who was even meeker than usual. Then the two sat at opposite each other at the table and began to giggle like school children over something. Ash and Misty came in next They were wearing only partial uniform, indicating that they had only just woken up. Ash got two coffees and enough cut fruit for two then sat down. Then Misty sat on his lap and the two ate breakfast that way.
Why me? Mondo pleaded to himself.
Chapter 3 – A Place in the Darkness
"Air Transport Romeo Whiskey 2-9-4, cleared for landing in bay 2," said a pleasant feminine voice.
"Bay Two, aye," Misty replied as she guided the blimp towards the huge hangers built in the cliffs below the headquarters buildings. She had never got over the sheer impressive power of the headquarters facility, especially from the point of view of a pilot. Ash, who was busy trying to convince the targeting computers to copy their engagement records onto a ZIP disc, was apparently not so affected.
Jessie and James were already waiting at the side hatch, both carrying their duffels. It was strange, sad and somewhat pathetic that all they could show for over twenty years of life could fit in about two cubic metres of storage space. Meowth was standing nearby, looking like he felt very uncomfortable.
Normally, there would be a little quiet chatter, finalising their upcoming verbal report to Giovanni and discussing what they intended to do on leave. However, after last night… well they weren't thinking about their report or their leave, indeed neither of them knew what to think about anything.
It was fair, on the whole, to categorise both of their emotional histories as 'abnormal.' James was so lonely and emotionally damaged that he would accept whoever would be so kind as to offer him the comfort of their company. He had never had a relationship that had lasted more than a few hours. Jessie had only had one lover previous to James last night, and that was when Cassidy had seduced a young and incredibly vulnerable Jessie during her time as a Trainee.
Jessie and James' relationship had started as a bond of friendship and survival on the mean streets of Viridian. They had retreated into a professional façade during their Team Rocket careers, but now they found themselves simply making excuses to spend time together. They increasingly realised that, sometime in the past eight years, they had simply grown too close to bear being apart.
There was a slight jerk as Misty eased the blimp into its' docking cradle in the hanger. After a brief pause the hatch opened. Jessie and James walked out onto the docking gantry and walked through the exit gate into the base proper.
In the cockpit, Ash and Misty were just finishing off shutting down the blimp's systems when Rachel walked in. "Guys," she said, "this is, like, really my job. You'd better get going. I'll finish off in here."
Ash nodded and stood up. "It has been good working with you Rachel. Thanks for everything you taught me about engineering."
"Yeah," Misty said with a fey smile. "Thanks for teaching me how to get the extra ten percent out of these birds. Wherever we go, it won't be the same without you, team-mate." Suddenly Misty's eyes filled with tears and the two women embraced. "Ex-team-mates," Misty sobbed. Ash put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt at comfort. Misty smiled at him, touched his hand and was able to let Rachel go. They grabbed their duffels and walked away from the blimp.
***
All four agents checked in at the Sergeant-at-Arms' Office, as per normal procedure. Much to Jessie and James' surprise, there was no special request from the Boss to see them. No, he wanted to see Ash and Misty! "Meowth, I don't get it!" Meowth almost shouted. "Our most successful tour of duty yet and da Boss wants ta see our back-ups!"
"Yeah, well we owe a lot of it to them," James said in a snide tone to the feline Pokémon. "Maybe Raichu is going to be Top Mouse from now on!" This possibility made Meowth look so horrified that James had to laugh.
Jessie firmly fought down a sense of jealousy. Such feelings were, in her view, unworthy of her. Ash and Misty's performance had been superb and she had no doubt they were moving on to great things, while she and James had been caught in a rut for some time. Still, it was enjoyable watching the look of surprise and fear race across the two Black Rockets' faces when they read Giovanni's summons. "Well," Jessie announced loudly, "that is the last we will ever see of you two, obviously."
If looks could kill, Ash's venomous snare would have instantly reduced Jessie to an anonymous grease spot on the far wall. Misty looked utterly terrified. James spoilt the fun by relenting faster than Jessie would have liked. "Don't worry," he counselled. "The Boss always issues new major assignments personally, it is just his personal touch, that's all."
Ash nodded in thanks. "Er… guys," he said, "I don't know how long we'll be here, but maybe we'll see you in the cafeteria tonight?"
Jessie shrugged. "Maybe," she said with a slight smile.
"If you are still in a position to eat without a straw," James amended. Both of them thought that was hilarious.
Ash rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Grow up, you two," he sighed. Misty grinned and dragged him off.
"What did he mean 'grow up?'" Jessie asked in outrage.
"Yeah! We're a model of maturity!" James added.
"Only compared to da Crèche babies," Meowth muttered and got Jessie's fan across his ear for his troubles.
***
Giovanni had worked on his poker face for years and was very proud of it. He could deliver anything from a birthday greeting to a death sentence without once changing his expression. He was now using it plus a little something his mother had taught him called a 'Basilisk Stare' to hold Ash and Misty firmly to the spot as they stood before him.
Both Jessie and James' reports had described the two younger agents' performance in the most glowing of terms. And Giovanni could rely on the reports of his own eyes. Their professionalism, notoriety and their dedication were a shining example that had suddenly made Team Rocket a serious career prospect for many young people. Now he had to decide if they were ready to move on to the next stage of their roles in the great game.
Giovanni was an experienced leader of men, and he could tell that Ash was ready to defy him with no care for the consequences if he did not like what he heard in the room. That reminded him of Joe. His brother was almost unmanageable when he was younger. The only thing that bound him to any hint of discipline was Miyamoto. Giovanni hoped to use Misty, who was calmer, wiser and more rational than Ash, to control the boy in the same way.
"So, Ash," Giovanni finally said, "what are your impressions of your first full tour of duty?"
Ash drew in a deep breath. He had to choose his words carefully. "It was… well it was very different to anything I've experienced before, sir," he finally said. Giovanni's expression did not change. "Certainly I wasn't aware that there was so much… violence being directed against the organisation."
Giovanni shrugged slightly. "We are outlaws, Ash," he reminded his nephew. "We must expect the opposition of society in general. Now I think there is something particularly on your mind."
"We were both very uncomfortable with the more aggressive missions," Misty interrupted, her expression firm.
Ash shot her a grateful look. "Misty is right, Boss," he added. "Self defence is fine by us, but terrorising random civilians struck us as being pointless."
"So," Giovanni purred dangerously, "you dislike my strategy and tactics, do you, hmm?" He watched the two young people move ever so slightly back in fear, but they did not back down and they did not relent. Ash took a moment to gather himself before meeting his gaze fearlessly. The message was clear. They had said what they said, and that was the only meaning their words had. "It might surprise you to learn that there is a reason behind everything we do, Ash, Misty," Giovanni said severely. "As junior agents, you neither have the security clearance or the need to know these higher reasons, do you understand?" Silence. "Do you understand?" Giovanni repeated more loudly.
Ash swallowed and Misty paled perceptibly. But still they did not relent. Giovanni sternly fought down a smile of glee. This was better than he had hoped. "I understand your discomfort," he suddenly announced. "And I note the risks you took to minimise injuries and damage to property while still meeting your mission objectives. I suppose I should really discipline you both for this." He smirked at the look of anger and determination on Ash's face. "But I will not, because I expected you to do that. You have performed exactly to my expectations."
Ash did not know whether he was relieved or annoyed. He was glad that he, and more importantly Misty, were not facing punishment, but it irked him somewhat that the Boss saw them as being predictable.
"Terror Raids are an ancient tool of the insurgent," Giovanni reminded them. "I will not be so trite or so unfeeling to suggest that we are doing this for those people's own good. However, I will remind you both that we are at war. And sometimes, when at war, you must do things that are both distressing and immoral. It is unfortunate, but it is also necessary." Giovanni studied the two young people carefully. He saw the scepticism on Misty's face clearly. "And yes, Misty, that is an extremely hollow-sounding justification, but it also remains true. We must fight with all the weapons at our disposal, including that of terror. Remember that the Allies bombed civilian populations with weapons up to nuclear level to break the morale of the German and Japanese nations in the second Great War of the last century, all in the name of freedom and democracy."
Ash and Misty looked at each other uncomfortably. It was obvious that they had never considered what was happening in those terms. Giovanni was glad that they understood this paradox, but simultaneously felt bad for destroying another bit of their innocence. "It never is an easy choice of black or white, is it?" Ash asked in a depressed tone.
Giovanni shook his head regretfully and sighed. "I don't expect you to understand all these… burdens, and why such dark avenues are necessary at once. You are both still young, and such bitter wisdom only comes with time. If, however, you still feel the need to actively abhor such necessities, do what I do, and ensure that every ruined life and every death accuses you day and night." Ash and Misty were shocked at the bitter tone of self-accusation in Giovanni's voice. "Be glad you are but foot soldiers, my young friends," he said. "Understanding the greater pattern can only make your nightmares that bit more vivid."
There was a sombre silence as the two young agents digested Giovanni's words. Giovanni, meanwhile had to fight hard to calm himself. He hadn't intended to put so much passion in his words, and had not intended to reveal so much of his own doubts and anguish to them, but it was done.
Still, the point was he had established that Ash and Misty were not content simply to tamely follow orders, but were ready to start improvising and developing their own tactics that better suited them. That was what Giovanni had hoped. "Now," he said after a moment, "back to the subject at hand. Given your excellent performance in your first tour of duty, I have decided that the time has come to give you a more wide-ranging assignment where your unique skills and temperament can be used to the full."
Giovanni leaned back and pulled a file folder out of his 'pending' tray and handed it to Ash. "Your new assignment is to a previously-vacant operational slot on the Seashell Coast in between Seafoam City and Cerulean City. This area is well known for its plant- earth- and water-type Pokémon and is frequently visited by large groups of Novices. Your duties are to, as far and to the extent you judge necessary, to provide a Team Rocket presence in the area. You will ensure that all those in the area are aware of our cause and realise that it is we who are the arbiters of what happens in Indigo and its' surrounding islands. Do you understand?"
More of the same, in other words, Ash thought sourly. Still, this was his chance to prove that there was an alternative to brutality and intimidation. He would not screw this up. "I understand, sir," he said.
"Who will be our team leaders?" Misty asked. Please, God, don't make us report to Butch and Cassidy, she pleaded silently.
Giovanni smiled with an air of sadism. "Why, haven't you guessed yet?" he asked brightly.
***
Jessie and James were eating a mixed salad with lots of a fiery paprika spice that James had once loudly declared was from decommissioned napalm munitions. Friday was vegetarian dish day at the main cafeteria, and this was the only dish either of them found palatable. Meowth, as a Pokémon, was exempt from the human menu, and was enjoying a broiled tuna fish.
"I've never wanted to be a Pokémon so much in my life," James whined as he drooled at Meowth's rations.
"Hey, hands off," Meowth growled, "dis is mine!" The cat was usually friendly, but he forgot all about friendship when it came to food.
Jessie sighed and tried a bit of the bland salad. The paprika was the only thing that made it edible, but every mouthful had to be diluted by a glass of water and yet still she wanted to scream. "I have always thought of vegetarian Friday as a way the Boss keeps us disciplined," she said with a sigh. She reached under the table and grabbed James in a tender spot. His quiet yelp and the way he almost fell out of his chair made her feel a lot better.
Suddenly, two new white-uniformed field agents walked in. There were always new faces when you were rotated back to HQ, so Jessie didn't pay any special attention until she realised that she knew these two. "James," she hissed. "Look!"
James turned and gasped. An unreadable Ash Ketchum and a very self-conscious looking Misty Waterflower were resplendent in new white uniforms. "I don't believe it!" James spluttered. "One lousy tour and they get promoted! How long have we waited, Jess?"
"Too long," Jessie replied gently. She was not angry, oddly enough, but rueful. She had known in her heart that this would happen. Ash and Misty were a phenomenon and were, indeed, on the way to the stars above, while she and James were condemned to a life as foot sloggers. "Don't be jealous, James," she counselled. "They deserve this."
James sighed reluctantly, but he had to agree. At that point, Ash saw them and came over. "I suppose congratulations are in order," James said. "Or is it commiserations?"
Ash shrugged. "Two parts of one and three parts of the other," Ash said. "It looks like leave is off for us, at least. The Boss is putting us through a very truncated command class and then is sticking us back in the field late next week."
Jessie raised her eyebrow in surprise as Misty continued. "We have just enough time to grab a sandwich and a drink before we have to be at our first session, so we've go to love you and leave you. See ya."
Jessie and James watched the two younger agents walk off. Even Meowth had stopped eating because he was so surprised. "There isn't any such thing as a 'truncated command class,'" James protested weakly.
"Until now," Jessie replied. Something was wrong. The Boss never treated agents like this. Even star performers, like they themselves in their younger days, had to complete a six week Command and Field Operations Management course when promoted to the White Teams. And it was standard procedure that an agent rotated back from the field received a minimum of two weeks leave. Cancelling leave and reducing the C&FOM course to one week for agents fresh back from their first tour was unprecedented and alarming. "Something is up," Jessie predicted. "Something to do with them, James. I am convinced that the Boss has big plans for them and I wonder if they will like what he has in mind."
***
About a week later, Ash and Misty were in the office of Mondo Jones, senior. This time, they were not young neophytes about to receive their first assignments, but newly-qualified team leaders, ready to depart on an open-ended tour of duty.
Through a two-way mirror, Giovanni watched them closely for any sign of uncertainty. He was increasingly aware of the incredible risk he was taking in pushing Ash and Misty so hard. So much, so very much depended on them. There was little time remaining and he had to get these new pieces in place as quickly as possible. However, there was the risk of overwhelming them if he moved too fast.
Not for the first time, Giovanni found himself resenting his brother for having escaped these responsibilities. Giovanni had never wanted to be a leader. Christ, John, he thought to himself, you are getting paranoid. Joe did not get himself killed just so you would have to take over from Mom and suffer in his place.
"Finally," Mondo said, "let me introduce your team." The door opened and four young people walked in. The first were two black-uniformed junior agents, followed by a green uniformed medic and a grey-uniformed technician. "Firstly, you back-ups. This is Charles Reilly and Naomi Athena."
Ash narrowed his eyes in what he considered a good 'commander' pose and examined the two Black Rockets thoughtfully. Charles was slightly shorter than Ash but had a similar muscular build. He had a wide, open and honest face, green eyes and dark hair with faint red streaks. He looked about Ash's age, and had the general demeanour of a veteran. Something told Ash that he was going to be fun to have around and probably would be a formidable fighter too.
Naomi was diminutive to the point of being elfin. She had long blonde hair that was parted along the centre at the front and hung down her back to waist level. She looked incredibly nervous and her smile was more than a little forced. She couldn't be more than 13 years old.
"And your support team. This is Second Technician Buddy Winters and Medic 1st Class Holly Travis."
Raichu, who had been riding on Ash' shoulders, smiled and waved at the newcomers. "Rai-chu-ai-chu-aichu-rai!" [Pleased to meet you all!] he chirped.
Raichu's friendly greeting helped Ash decide he wanted to drop the traditional 'commander' image. He stepped forward with a warm smile. "Good to meet you," he said. "I'm Ash Ketchum, and this is Misty Waterflower. I'm sure you are nervous. Well so are we, so the sooner we admit that to each other, the sooner we can begin helping each other."
Charles and Naomi looked at each other in shock. Openness from a White Team Leader? Surely this was some kind of trap!
"Don't talk much, do they?" Misty asked with a laugh. "Come on, you four, we are going to spend the next few years pretty much trapped in each other's company, so we might as well get used to each other now."
Naomi swallowed and finally offered Ash her hand. "Pleased to meet you, sir," she said quietly. "May I say it is a pleasure to be working with such heroes of the cause?"
Ash blushed and Misty hid a laugh behind her hand. "Thanks," Ash said quietly. "I'm probably guessing, but this is your first assignment, isn't it?" Naomi nodded, her face pale. "All right," Ash said kindly, "the most important thing to remember is this: It's okay to be scared. If you can accept fear, you can fight it."
Naomi nodded, still a bit stiff, but relaxing slightly. She offered her hand to Misty, who used it to draw the girl close for a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you, Naomi," Misty said gently.
"Charles Reilly," Charles said. "Call me 'Rocketboy!'"
Ash tried not to laugh. "Only if you call me 'Ash,'" he replied. "I think there is no room for protocol in the field."
Rocketboy nodded and shook Ash's hand. He shook Misty's hand and looked at the way she and Ash were standing together. "Oh sir… uh… I mean, Ash," he said, "um… I worked with Butch and Cassidy once… er…"
"Yes Rocketboy?" Ash asked with a sigh.
"Are you the ones they called 'The Twerps?'"
Naomi leaned back, expecting Ash to kill Rocketboy on the spot. To her surprise Ash started laughing. "Team Twerp," he gasped in between laughs, "do you remember that, Misty? It is what them, Jessie and James used to call us… and… Brock…" Ash suddenly stopped laughing as a pain he thought he had overcome suddenly jumped forward and bit him hard.
Misty put a hand on her lover's shoulder, her expression sad. "Easy, Ash," she said gently.
Rocketboy, feeling he had overstepped the limits, stepped back fearfully. Ash grabbed him by the arm. "You are not going to be frightened," Ash snapped. "We all have old hurts in this game, Rocketboy. All of us. But if you have any information that you think is relevant, no matter how much you think it might upset Misty or me, I want to hear about it, do you understand?"
Rocketboy nodded in relief. Misty smiled at him and shook his hand professionally. "I am going to enjoy working with a veteran," she announced. "I should warn you, however, that our style is very different from Butch and Cassidy's." From his expression, Ash could tell that Rocketboy felt that this was good news.
"And hello Buddy and Holly," Ash said, greeting his support team. "I hope you are both ready for a lot of action. Misty and I are very hard on equipment and personnel."
Buddy was a tall, almost painfully thin man with black hair. He looked nervous at Ash's camaraderie. Holly was as tall as Buddy but more generously proportioned. Ash had a strange feeling of déjà vu when he looked at the way she had plaited her long blonde hair. Of course, he thought, that is the way Nurse Joy always has her hair done! Both of them were in their twenties at least.
Misty noticed too, she grinned at Ash and joined him in greeting Buddy and Holly.
Mondo grinned at the way Ash and Misty had gone about starting their team building. Ah, it reminded him of the great days when Joe and Miyamoto Ketchum were still alive. Perhaps those golden days of Team Rocket were returning.
"So," Ash said, turning to Mondo, "when are we scheduled to go?"
Mondo was surprised. "Not for at least three hours, Ash," he replied.
"Good!" Ash said, rubbing his hands. "This gives us all a chance to get to know each other. Firstly I want to have you two in the Practice Halls," Ash pointed at Charles and Naomi. "I want to see how you handle your assigned Pokémon. After all, you are going to be capturing a lot more before the end of this tour. Then, I think we should all head down to the recreation dome and get to know each other."
Misty grinned. "Watch out," she said, "he cheats at chess. I don't know how, but he does."
Ash rolled his eyes. "You will learn very quickly that my girlfriend here is a heartless tease," he announced.
The four juniors looked at each other in surprise Girlfriend? They all thought. As a matter of policy, Team Rocket forbade liaisons between agents. Ash smiled at their surprise, a smile echoed by Giovanni in his hidden observation room. In the field, close, even intimate relationships were inevitable. Frankly, no one cared about them unless it started affecting the team's efficiency.
Misty punched Ash lightly on the shoulder. "I am not your girlfriend, Ketchum," she said forbiddingly. "You are my boyfriend and don't you forget it."
"Yes, Ma'am," Ash replied. He gestured for the others to precede him out. "So," Ash said conversationally to Naomi, "which Pokémon have the stuffed shirts in Quartermaster Stores issued you?"
The team walked out without first asking Mondo's permission. Mondo just stared, not knowing how to react to such insubordination. Giovanni grinned. Perfect, he thought. Just the right attitude to have: 'There is nothing we can't do!' The junior members of the team all looked very confused, but they were clearly relaxing around their new commanders. Mondo rolled his eyes and shrugged helplessly at Giovanni. Safely hidden from all eyes, the Boss was laughing his head off.
***
Giovanni's face was unreadable as he watched Team White November's Air Transport head off to the north. "They are going to do well, aren't they Mondo?" he asked, sounding more than a little nervous.
"I don't know how they do it," Mondo said, "but those other four seem ready to die for them already and they haven't known them more than a few hours."
Giovanni nodded. He hoped his lieutenant was right. So much, so very, very much rode on Ash and Misty's shoulders.
***
Violet Waterflower was in tears as she sat in her quarters at the Cascade Gym. Her younger sister, Lily, heard her weeping and walked in. "Jeez, Vi," she said. "Like, what's wrong?"
"Daisy," Violet sobbed. "She is, like, the most awful bitch sometimes."
Lily rolled her eyes. The two eldest Waterflower girls had been increasingly at odds ever since Daisy married Gary Oak a year ago. "What happened now?" she asked.
"She won't listen!" Violet blurted. "I told her that the girl flying that Team Rocket blimp was definitely Misty and she started shouting at me! Me!" Violet started crying again and Lily sat down next to her and tried to comfort her.
"Vi, Misty is dead," she said gently. "Move on."
"You didn't see her eyes," Violet said gently. "If you had, you wouldn't be so sure."
Lily sighed deeply and rolled her eyes. Violet had always been closest to Misty. Her death four years ago in Viridian Forest, less than ten minutes from home, had hit her hard. "Vi," she said, "I know you want her to be alive. So do I, but you've got to face the fact she's gone. That… impostor from Team Rocket is not our baby sister."
Violet quieted down for a moment. She looked up at her sister with an angry expression. "That is exactly what Daisy says," she hissed. "Which means, like, that is exactly what Gary says. Daisy doesn't think for herself, Lil. It is beginning to sound like you don't either."
Lily rocked back and had to restrain herself from slapping her sister. "I am not anything like Daisy," she snapped. "Our big sister might do and think whatever that grinning monster of hers tells her to do and think, but I don't!"
"Then listen!" Violet urged. "Lil, it was Misty! I know it! The way she looked and moved, the look in her eyes as she saw me… Lil, she acknowledged me… she actually said she loves me! I… I don't understand why an impostor would go to such lengths!"
Lily was shocked at the incredible tone of lingering horror in Violet's voice. That raid on the League Headquarters all those weeks ago must have really shaken her up. "Vi…" she began.
"Lily, I'm no idiot," Violet insisted. "I would know our sister if I saw her. It is her, Lil. She's alive. Like, she's one of Team Rocket now, but she and Ash are both alive!"
"But why would Gary and Daisy lie?" Lily asked helplessly.
"I don't know," Violet said. She drew in a deep breath and stood up. "But I am going to find out."
Lily stepped back in surprise. "Like, what are you talking about?"
"I'm going to find Misty and get her to tell me what is going on," Violet said in a determined tone. "I don't care how long it takes, but I am going to find her even if I have to knock down the door to Team Rocket's headquarters to do it!" Violet walked across the room. She pulled her travelling jacket out of her wardrobe and he Pokébelt with her six favourite Pokémon, including the Psyduck that once had belonged to Misty.
"You… you're crazy," Lily said. "Like, what is Daisy going to say?"
"She doesn't care," Violet said. "She told me that if I am so certain she is alive, maybe I should go to Misty and stay out of her hair."
Lily shook her head, that sounded like Daisy all right. "All right, I'm coming with you," she said in resignation.
"What?" Violet couldn't believe her ears.
"Like, if Daisy is so dumb she won't even listen, you've got to check this out," Lily explained. "And I'm coming, because, even if Daisy doesn't care about you, I do."
Violet ran over and hugged her sister. Within an hour they were gone. Lily was right about one thing. Daisy didn't care very much.
***
Ash looked around the beach-front building that was the visible part of the new base… no… his base on the long rocky Seashell Coast near Seafoam City. From here he would spread terror and confusion to all the locals, and may God have mercy on his soul, because his conscience certainly would not. Giovanni might have been right about the strategic use of terror, but it didn't make him feel any better.
As he looked around him, the team was settling in. "Seashell Base to Ketchum," Misty said with a laugh. Ash looked around to see Misty.
She had… changed her uniform. It was a hell of a lot tighter than the one she had worn after they had first been promoted. It highlighted her… attributes in a way that made Ash come out in a cold sweat. Completely unexpectedly, she had cut out the middle of her body suit, just like Jessie had suggested before, exposing most of her waist. Her service .357" Magnum semi-auto was in a back-draw holster on her left hip, and her Pokébelt was somehow at a very provocative angle. Misty laughed when she saw his expression. "Good, that's the effect I was hoping for."
"I… I thought you weren't interested in this sort of thing," Ash stammered.
Misty laughed easily. "We're leading now, Ash," she said. "We've got to remember that we have to make a psychological impact as well as a literal one." She ran her hands over Ash's modified uniform, with its close-cut body suit and the open jacket-like tunic Ash found gave him flexibility in battle. "Besides, why should you be the only one to have a hot uniform?" she purred.
Ash shook his head. "Well, it has had an impact on me if nothing else," he said with a rueful smile. "You are hereby elevated to 'Ash's wildest fantasy.'"
Misty grinned and winked. "I always knew I was, big guy."
Ash shook his head. "I have fallen in love with Jessie's long-lost kid sister," he told himself. He looked around the hanger cavern again. "Okay, people!" he shouted out. "Let's pick it up! We've got a job to do!"
To be continued…