The Master Six
Chapter Seven
I got the message in Vermillion City.
Me and Gavin were doing pretty well.
We'd go to different cities, win some battles. It was a pretty good life indeed. My flute, his blowgun, it all worked out pretty well.
Gavin was a nice guy. He really was. We got to know each other pretty well. We became good friends. We traveled together, and stayed mostly in hotels. Gavin didn't have any badges, but we would work on that. We never battled each other; we didn't really want to know how that would come out. Stryker was a cute Machop. He was polite, and a very good shot. Gavin practiced with him a lot. Gavin liked guns, but not real guns. Gavin didn't like real bullets and real blood.
He was all about just the tranquilizers and such that he used.
He is a pretty good guy.
Then there is Max. Max has become a Pidgeotto. It happened in a battle with a Flareon. The deal I had with the trainer was that I wasn't to use my flute. I agreed, but still I kicked his butt. Hah! And right then and there, Max evolved into a Pidgeotto. It was a glorious moment.
I wrote to Aunt Janet about it.
I wrote to Aunt Janet a lot. I told her of all my adventures. She was very interested in what I was doing.
She was glad to hear about Gavin. A little to happy to know I had a new friend. But adults are weird when it comes to girls and boys hanging out. Heh. But the important thing this time around was Max. So I sent her another letter.
The message I got back was from Mrs. Harringway, our next-door neighbor.
It came with a newspaper clipping.
Cerulean City Burns, Watery Fire.
There had been a fire.
A pretty big fire.
My home neighborhood had burned down. Not all of Cerulean City, just my neighborhood.
Nobody knew how the fire started, only that it did.
And that it burned down the entire neighborhood.
Home!
I had to get home!
* * * *
Mrs. Harringway met me and Gavin at the train station.
She was dressed in black.
As were we.
It was a sad day. A horrible day.
Everyone was dead.
Aunt Janet was dead.
The fire consumed the whole street, my entire neighborhood. All of it, gone.
I didn't cry. I wouldn't let myself cry.
Gavin tried to comfort me.
I wouldn't allow anyone to comfort me. I was sad, but I would be okay.
Aunt Janet was dead. My entire world was dead.
The Global Police suspect arson.
That means somebody started the fire.
Somebody was out there; the person who killed Aunt Janet was out there.
I would find that someone.
* * * *
The service was beautiful, of course.
The neighborhood used to be beautiful.
Aunt Janet used to be beautiful.
But now she was dead, they were all dead.
The only thing left was revenge.
I stood in the middle of the street. The street where I used to live. Staring at the house in which I used to live. It was burned. Everything was burned. I could still see the wallpaper inside the house. It was so...so unbelievable. I looked down the street; each house was just like the others. Burned out and destroyed. Burned out cars littered the sides of the street. The air itself seemed gray and sad. It was a horrible day.
"It's going to be okay Heather," Gavin said to me, he had his arm around my shoulders. It was comforting. Max flew through the air high above.
"Of course it is," I answered calmly, "it will always be okay.
"You sound so morbid Heather," Gavin commented, "c'mon. Talk to me."
"No Gavin," I said, "I have to face this myself."
"I don't know," Gavin said plainly.
"Of course you don't know," someone called from behind us.
I turned suddenly to see a young boy squatting on one of the cars.
"Hello Heather," Cid said to me, "long time no see."
"Cid?" I asked. Cid? Cid was here.
"Who are you?" Gavin asked defensively.
"I could ask you the same thing," Cid said to Gavin with a hint of attitude.
Cid was squatting on the car; his Mankey was perched on his shoulder. He was dressed in a navy blue buttoned-down long sleeved shirt. He had black pants, and gray sneakers. His hair was gelled, and looked picture perfect. The sun just happened to be to his left. It cast him partly in the shadows. The sun was setting, and the sky was orangish, but still dark feeling.
"Cid," I said, moving closer to him, "oh Cid, look at this. Look what's happened."
Cid stood up.
"Please leave us," he said to Gavin.
"But...I," Gavin protested.
"Gavin please," I insisted, "please go, down the street a little bit. I want...I need to talk to Cid."
"Okay," he said reluctantly to me, "but remember, I'll just be right down there."
He moved down the road to look at another house. Max flew down to him, and Gavin started playing with him.
I turned back to Cid.
"Cid?" I asked, "Are you okay? I know you lost your..."
"It was arson Heather," he said matter-of-factly.
"Yes Cid," I said, "I know. That's what the police say."
"I know who lit the fire Heather," Cid said.
"What!?" I asked with a start, "who?"
"Here," he tossed a crumpled piece of paper at me. I grabbed it from the air and unfolded it. It said:
Dear Cid, Jeffrey, and Heather,
Greetings pokemon trainers from this part of Cerulean City. I will be frank.
I am from Team Rocket. You have something that is ours. You have something we
want. We are very powerful. We are larger than even the Global Police know.
You have something that belongs to us, and we will do whatever it takes to get it
back. This fire was just a small example of our power. Don't try to run or hide.
We will find you. Have a good day.
Team Rocket
I looked at the letter for a long time. I reread it twice, three times. I couldn't believe it.
Team Rocket. What the hell was Team Rocket?
They were some stupid terrorist organization or something, right?
But that wasn't the worst part. The fire, was because of me.
The letter was addressed to me, I had something they wanted.
Me.
It was my fault.
"It was all because of me," I whispered, my legs turning to jelly.
"No Heather," Cid said, "it wasn't your fault. It wasn't all your fault. It was all our fault. You, Jeffrey, and I. It wasn't just because of you. Now calm down."
"Calm down!" I shouted at him, "Calm down! How do you expect me to calm down! My entire life is over. Some terrorists burned down my home and murdered! Murdered my Aunt Janet! All because of the three of us. And you want me to calm down!" I was almost in tears. The truth was horrible. I shouldn't be yelling. I didn't want to yell. I just had all these emotions.
The horror.
"Yes," Cid said calmly, "you must calm down. A lot of things need to happen now Heather."
"What?" I asked through salt water.
"Your friend over there," Cid said, indicating Gavin, "I know what the two of you are planning."
"Wha...what are we planning?" I asked, hanging on to his every word.
"Your team, the one you are planning to create. That is a wonderful idea Heather, and you must go through with it. Create your team, and you must challenge Team Rocket. They are powerful Heather. This is just the beginning. They want something, and they won't stop until they get what they want."
I looked up at him.
"Or until they are forced to stop," he said, "you are the one to stop Team Rocket. You, and Gavin, and the warriors you gather. Only you can stop them Heather."
"What about you?" I asked him, no longer crying, but understanding.
He looked down at me. Then he smirked.
"I'm already involved in something Heather, something big. And besides. Heather, I have a goal. You're hero is Misty right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"My hero is Lance, of the Elite Four. He is a master of dragon pokemon. He has very powerful pokemon. I want that. I want to be a master of powerful pokemon. Monster pokemon, that is what I want. And I can't stop that dream. It's calling me. The same way the fight is calling you. Only you can stop Team Rocket Heather. You must."
He jumped down from the car, and moved over to me. He gave me a quick embrace, and then turned down the road. Punch'em was still on his shoulder. He started walking, in the opposite direction that Gavin had gone. Gavin had now moved beside me. He put his arm on my shoulders again. Max brushed up against my head.
"You can do it Heather," Cid called over his shoulder, "I know you can."
I watched him go. The direction he was moving, he was literally walking away into the sunset. It was so dramatic and brilliant. The sun was setting, and the sky was orange. He had already disappeared into shadow. We could still make him out, but he was all dark.
"Goodbye Cid," I called to him.
"Goodbye Heather," he called back, "until we meet again."
And then he was gone. He disappeared behind a burned out house.
"What did he say?" Gavin asked me quietly.
"He said we have to fight," I answered plainly.
"Fight who?" Gavin asked, the both of us still looking at the setting sun.
"Team Rocket," I answered plainly.
"Just the two of us?" Gavin asked in a hush.
"No," I answered looking at him with hope in my eyes, "we have to find more."
Yes, more.
More people.
Warriors. Find them. Gather them.
And then fight.
Chapter Seven
I got the message in Vermillion City.
Me and Gavin were doing pretty well.
We'd go to different cities, win some battles. It was a pretty good life indeed. My flute, his blowgun, it all worked out pretty well.
Gavin was a nice guy. He really was. We got to know each other pretty well. We became good friends. We traveled together, and stayed mostly in hotels. Gavin didn't have any badges, but we would work on that. We never battled each other; we didn't really want to know how that would come out. Stryker was a cute Machop. He was polite, and a very good shot. Gavin practiced with him a lot. Gavin liked guns, but not real guns. Gavin didn't like real bullets and real blood.
He was all about just the tranquilizers and such that he used.
He is a pretty good guy.
Then there is Max. Max has become a Pidgeotto. It happened in a battle with a Flareon. The deal I had with the trainer was that I wasn't to use my flute. I agreed, but still I kicked his butt. Hah! And right then and there, Max evolved into a Pidgeotto. It was a glorious moment.
I wrote to Aunt Janet about it.
I wrote to Aunt Janet a lot. I told her of all my adventures. She was very interested in what I was doing.
She was glad to hear about Gavin. A little to happy to know I had a new friend. But adults are weird when it comes to girls and boys hanging out. Heh. But the important thing this time around was Max. So I sent her another letter.
The message I got back was from Mrs. Harringway, our next-door neighbor.
It came with a newspaper clipping.
Cerulean City Burns, Watery Fire.
There had been a fire.
A pretty big fire.
My home neighborhood had burned down. Not all of Cerulean City, just my neighborhood.
Nobody knew how the fire started, only that it did.
And that it burned down the entire neighborhood.
Home!
I had to get home!
* * * *
Mrs. Harringway met me and Gavin at the train station.
She was dressed in black.
As were we.
It was a sad day. A horrible day.
Everyone was dead.
Aunt Janet was dead.
The fire consumed the whole street, my entire neighborhood. All of it, gone.
I didn't cry. I wouldn't let myself cry.
Gavin tried to comfort me.
I wouldn't allow anyone to comfort me. I was sad, but I would be okay.
Aunt Janet was dead. My entire world was dead.
The Global Police suspect arson.
That means somebody started the fire.
Somebody was out there; the person who killed Aunt Janet was out there.
I would find that someone.
* * * *
The service was beautiful, of course.
The neighborhood used to be beautiful.
Aunt Janet used to be beautiful.
But now she was dead, they were all dead.
The only thing left was revenge.
I stood in the middle of the street. The street where I used to live. Staring at the house in which I used to live. It was burned. Everything was burned. I could still see the wallpaper inside the house. It was so...so unbelievable. I looked down the street; each house was just like the others. Burned out and destroyed. Burned out cars littered the sides of the street. The air itself seemed gray and sad. It was a horrible day.
"It's going to be okay Heather," Gavin said to me, he had his arm around my shoulders. It was comforting. Max flew through the air high above.
"Of course it is," I answered calmly, "it will always be okay.
"You sound so morbid Heather," Gavin commented, "c'mon. Talk to me."
"No Gavin," I said, "I have to face this myself."
"I don't know," Gavin said plainly.
"Of course you don't know," someone called from behind us.
I turned suddenly to see a young boy squatting on one of the cars.
"Hello Heather," Cid said to me, "long time no see."
"Cid?" I asked. Cid? Cid was here.
"Who are you?" Gavin asked defensively.
"I could ask you the same thing," Cid said to Gavin with a hint of attitude.
Cid was squatting on the car; his Mankey was perched on his shoulder. He was dressed in a navy blue buttoned-down long sleeved shirt. He had black pants, and gray sneakers. His hair was gelled, and looked picture perfect. The sun just happened to be to his left. It cast him partly in the shadows. The sun was setting, and the sky was orangish, but still dark feeling.
"Cid," I said, moving closer to him, "oh Cid, look at this. Look what's happened."
Cid stood up.
"Please leave us," he said to Gavin.
"But...I," Gavin protested.
"Gavin please," I insisted, "please go, down the street a little bit. I want...I need to talk to Cid."
"Okay," he said reluctantly to me, "but remember, I'll just be right down there."
He moved down the road to look at another house. Max flew down to him, and Gavin started playing with him.
I turned back to Cid.
"Cid?" I asked, "Are you okay? I know you lost your..."
"It was arson Heather," he said matter-of-factly.
"Yes Cid," I said, "I know. That's what the police say."
"I know who lit the fire Heather," Cid said.
"What!?" I asked with a start, "who?"
"Here," he tossed a crumpled piece of paper at me. I grabbed it from the air and unfolded it. It said:
Dear Cid, Jeffrey, and Heather,
Greetings pokemon trainers from this part of Cerulean City. I will be frank.
I am from Team Rocket. You have something that is ours. You have something we
want. We are very powerful. We are larger than even the Global Police know.
You have something that belongs to us, and we will do whatever it takes to get it
back. This fire was just a small example of our power. Don't try to run or hide.
We will find you. Have a good day.
Team Rocket
I looked at the letter for a long time. I reread it twice, three times. I couldn't believe it.
Team Rocket. What the hell was Team Rocket?
They were some stupid terrorist organization or something, right?
But that wasn't the worst part. The fire, was because of me.
The letter was addressed to me, I had something they wanted.
Me.
It was my fault.
"It was all because of me," I whispered, my legs turning to jelly.
"No Heather," Cid said, "it wasn't your fault. It wasn't all your fault. It was all our fault. You, Jeffrey, and I. It wasn't just because of you. Now calm down."
"Calm down!" I shouted at him, "Calm down! How do you expect me to calm down! My entire life is over. Some terrorists burned down my home and murdered! Murdered my Aunt Janet! All because of the three of us. And you want me to calm down!" I was almost in tears. The truth was horrible. I shouldn't be yelling. I didn't want to yell. I just had all these emotions.
The horror.
"Yes," Cid said calmly, "you must calm down. A lot of things need to happen now Heather."
"What?" I asked through salt water.
"Your friend over there," Cid said, indicating Gavin, "I know what the two of you are planning."
"Wha...what are we planning?" I asked, hanging on to his every word.
"Your team, the one you are planning to create. That is a wonderful idea Heather, and you must go through with it. Create your team, and you must challenge Team Rocket. They are powerful Heather. This is just the beginning. They want something, and they won't stop until they get what they want."
I looked up at him.
"Or until they are forced to stop," he said, "you are the one to stop Team Rocket. You, and Gavin, and the warriors you gather. Only you can stop them Heather."
"What about you?" I asked him, no longer crying, but understanding.
He looked down at me. Then he smirked.
"I'm already involved in something Heather, something big. And besides. Heather, I have a goal. You're hero is Misty right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"My hero is Lance, of the Elite Four. He is a master of dragon pokemon. He has very powerful pokemon. I want that. I want to be a master of powerful pokemon. Monster pokemon, that is what I want. And I can't stop that dream. It's calling me. The same way the fight is calling you. Only you can stop Team Rocket Heather. You must."
He jumped down from the car, and moved over to me. He gave me a quick embrace, and then turned down the road. Punch'em was still on his shoulder. He started walking, in the opposite direction that Gavin had gone. Gavin had now moved beside me. He put his arm on my shoulders again. Max brushed up against my head.
"You can do it Heather," Cid called over his shoulder, "I know you can."
I watched him go. The direction he was moving, he was literally walking away into the sunset. It was so dramatic and brilliant. The sun was setting, and the sky was orange. He had already disappeared into shadow. We could still make him out, but he was all dark.
"Goodbye Cid," I called to him.
"Goodbye Heather," he called back, "until we meet again."
And then he was gone. He disappeared behind a burned out house.
"What did he say?" Gavin asked me quietly.
"He said we have to fight," I answered plainly.
"Fight who?" Gavin asked, the both of us still looking at the setting sun.
"Team Rocket," I answered plainly.
"Just the two of us?" Gavin asked in a hush.
"No," I answered looking at him with hope in my eyes, "we have to find more."
Yes, more.
More people.
Warriors. Find them. Gather them.
And then fight.
