Foreword: This is the first of a two-part season finale. Well, something like a two-parter. What I mean to say is that action in this episode and the next episode will be very similar, much more similar than usual. =/
Bah. Never mind. ^_^;
***
Episode 09--
Equal and Opposite: Part I
"Boss Lokov, Master Giovanni wishes to speak with you on line one," Loki's secretary informed him.
Loki pushed the button on the intercom to reply to his secretary. "Thank you, Grace."*1*
A button began to flash on the video phone on his desk. He hesitated. Surely, this wasn't going to be good...
Click!
"Lokov, where is the power you promised me?" Giovanni asked sharply.
"Patience, sir," Loki replied with a slightly frightened tone. "I'm working on it..."
"Patience?" Giovanni frowned. "This is something that is wearing thin in me, Lokov. It is true that you're one of my most trusted employees, but I hate it when people break their promises to me. Surely you haven't forgotten Dr. Narcissus..."
Loki shuddered. He hadn't. Dr. Narcissus had promised to create a Pokémon whose power was unbelieveable and who was completely under Rocket control but came up with nothing. The day following the announcement of his failure, Narcissus mysteriously disappeared as Rocket agents took him to the Gyarados pen.
"No, sir," Loki finally said. "I haven't."
"Good," Giovanni responded. "I'm giving you three days. I expect success out of this Project Antiwarp, but if I don't get what I want, your little project will be completely shut down, and you... You will be out of a job."
"Understood, sir," Loki replied, relieved that his punishment would be no greater than Dr. Narcissus'.
"Then I'll leave you to your work," Giovanni said. "If you want to please me, it would be best to start right away."
"Yes, sir."
The screen went blank as Giovanni hung up. Loki replaced the receiver, paused for a moment, and sneered.
"How the hell can I get Giovanni what he wants if no one knows whether any shifter will go into a useful Pokémon or not... Unless..." He placed his hand on his desk and began tapping it with his index finger. "Unless McKenzie was lying all along... Unless he knows more than he'll say... But how can I get him to talk?"
A smile crossed Loki's lips as an idea came to mind.
"What if I... tried a DIFFERENT approach...?"
~~~
"Sir? Bill? Are you alright?"
"W-Wha...?"
Bill slowly woke up, finding himself on the floor. His cook*2*, Sophie, a twenty-something, plump brunette with bright, blue eyes, had knelt down beside him, nudging him a bit.
"Sir? Are you alright?" she repeated.
Bill sat up and held his head for a moment. "Yes, yes. I'm fine. Just a bit... tired, that's all."
"Sir, do you need to see a doctor?"
"No, no..." He stood up. "I'm fine. I've just been working hard on a few of my last projects. Harder than I thought, I suppose."
Well, technically, he was telling the truth. Alongside his research, he's had three or four shifts (part of one of his many projects) within the past four days.
"Then, maybe you should take a vacation," Sophie suggested before giving him a shy glance. "Speaking about vacations..."
"You're excused," Bill replied calmly, knowing very well what she wanted.
"Thank you, sir!" Sophie said with a bow. "You're very kind! I'll be leaving in a week, by the way..."
"I thank you for the compliment and your service," Bill replied before sighing. "And please... MUST you call me 'sir'?"
"Sorry, sir -- er, Bill."
"Thank you."
~~~
"You know, Sophie's right," Ziggy commented later on. "You really DO need a vacation. You look seriously overworked."
"'Overworked' isn't part of my vocabulary."
"It should be. This could be dangerous to your health."
Bill pretended to be shocked. "Ziggy Alpha... Concerned about my health? Well, this is a first!"
"Hey, I'm allowed to be worried about you!" Ziggy told him sharply. She paused for a moment and swiftly added, "If you're dead, then I'll have no one to talk to."
"And I'm sure this would be absolutely horrible," Bill responded with a bit of sarcasm.
"Damn straight it would be!" Ziggy snapped. "Do you have any idea how BORING it was for the ten years you forgot about me!?"
Bill chuckled and smiled as he looked at his hands, stopped at the keyboard. "Ziggy, Ziggy... It's your personality that makes my day... interesting."
"Well, glad to hear it!" Ziggy replied happily.
Bill started to snicker. He couldn't help himself.
"HEY! That was an insult, wasn't it!?" Ziggy began to fume.
"Forget I said it," Bill said to her as he continued to laugh.
Ziggy folded her arms and glared at him. "Hey! I have feelings too, you know!"
"Of course I know. I wrote the codes for them." Bill shrugged. "I might have slipped in a few typos. You have so many flaws in you that it's a wonder you're not human."
Ziggy growled. "Hey! Do you HAVE to be a smart mouth!?"
"Yes."
Obviously, Ziggy wasn't liking how any of this conversation was going. "You know, if I were real, I would have smacked you right about now!"
Bill grinned.
Ziggy growled again. "You've got a shift. Hey, when you get back, I want to have a word with you, Mr. Congeniality!"
"Alright, Ziggy. Alright."
Bill gave her a smile and proceeded to shift out.
"Why do I even like him!?" Ziggy asked herself as she followed him.
~~~
When Bill awoke, he found himself outside the lighthouse, on the beach. He didn't understand this. After all, he HAD shifted... right?
He looked down at his hands and found a pair of small, sky-blue blue paws. His feet were the same, and behind him was a long, blue tail ending in a fin and decorated with dark blue ridges.
{I must be inside Vaporeon,} he thought aloud and referring to one of his own Pokémon. {Ziggy!}
"Well, this is convenient," Ziggy commented as she appeared. "You didn't get TOO far..."
{Ziggy, what happened?}
"What do you mean what happened? You shifted."
{I know! But... Wait... What would my mission be this time...?}
Ziggy sighed, and her expression changed quickly from happy-go-lucky to grim. Bill shivered upon seeing her face like this.
{Ziggy, I don't like that look on your face...}
Ziggy sighed. "I'm not going to lie to you. It's not going to be easy or pretty."
{And this makes it far different from any other mission I went through?}
"You've got a point." Ziggy nodded. "But this time, you see... Loki... He's getting desperate. He wants information from you that you don't have. How to completely control shifting. How to control when a shifter goes in and out, where they go, and more importantly, into what they go."
{I told him I don't know how to do that sort of thing!}
"He doesn't believe you!" Ziggy sighed again. "You're going to be in deep trouble. Loki's coming in a Pokémon's body, and he's planning on catching you -- meaning your human self -- off guard by attacking you with an ambush. You've got to protect yourself from his attack. Zero says that Loki will attack once, but you, inside Vaporeon, will ward him off. But after that, he'll make a deal with a psychic Pokémon. A powerful one. Zero says you can move directly to another Pokémon if you need to, but otherwise..."
Ziggy trailed off. A moment of silence followed.
{Which psychic Pokémon will Loki shift into?}
"She won't tell me," Ziggy replied. "She started crying after the prediction when I asked her. All she said was... You can try to fight, but there's a good chance that you'll..."
{...I'll... what...?}
"There's a good chance that you'll still die. In Loki's second attack, there's a... very large probability that he'll... kill you."
More silence.
"I'm sorry, Bill. You probably didn't want to hear that."
He shook his head. {It was probably best to let me know.}
"What are you going to do?"
Bill thought for a moment. {In the first attack, I'll do what I always do. However, the second... I don't really know...} He paused for a moment. {How soon will he be coming?}
"He's already here."
Startled at the new voice, Bill looked up to see Oracle. She grinned and gave him a small wave.
"Bonjour, kiddie," she said before turning to Ziggy. "Hello, Creampuff! Long time, no see!"
{Creampuff?}
Ziggy held air in her cheeks so they puffed out.*3* "I'm not a creampuff!"
"Sure thing, Creampuff," Oracle replied with a smirk.
{I'd hate to be rude, but who on Earth is this, and how can she see you, Ziggy!?}
"I'll answer that one," Oracle replied quickly. "My name is Oracle. I'm the holographic informational aid programmed specifically to guide the shifters of Project Antiwarp, subdivision of Team Rocket. I can see all shifters and watchers*4*, so it isn't that hard to see something as big as Creampuff over there."
Ziggy growled.
"I couldn't help but overhear your pathetic attempt to save your little boyfriend, Creampuff," Oracle added.
Bill blinked with a blank look on his face. {...Boyfriend...?}
Oracle continued, "I just want to let you know that you didn't help him a bit. Master Loki was lucky enough to snag a close body that'll surely blow both your lover boy's body and mind..." She paused to chuckle a bit at her coming pun. "...Out of the water."
"He's not my boyfriend, and mind your own business!" Ziggy snapped. "Besides, Bill can take on whatever YOUR rookie has to throw at him!"
"My guy isn't a rookie..." Oracle winked. "Rookies, like your shifter, are losers."
"Oh yeah!?"
"Definately!"
As Ziggy and Oracle gave each other death glares, Bill sat down, rolled his eyes, and sighed. Obviously, this was going to take awhile.
~~~
A half hour went passed, and up at the lighthouse, a Haunter snuck in and began looking around. Luck was with Loki, who occupied Haunter, as of shifting that day, but he wanted to see if he had luck in finding what he wanted as well. He passed through walls, trying to find what he was looking for, but found nothing. Nothing in the main hall, nothing in the living quarters, and nothing in the cellar.
He began to release his frustration by firing Night Shade at random places throughout the cellar.
One of them, though Loki didn't notice*5*, struck Bill's body.
~~~
Outside, a searing pain went through Bill. He trembled and let out a small scream as he hunched over and shut his eyes tightly.
Ziggy gasped. "Bill! Are you alright!?"
{Something just happened... at the lighthouse...}
Upon hearing this, Oracle grinned. Before disappearing, she muttered, "My work here is done..."
Ziggy knelt beside him. "Really? How can you tell?"
{Even if... I'm outside my body... I can still feel... whatever happens to it,} Bill explained slowly before taking a shaky breath. {Something struck me. I think Loki might already be there...}
"Can you get up?"
He stood and nodded. {I'll be fine. I was caught off guard, that's all.} He began running on all fours to the lighthouse. {Hurry! We don't have much time!}
Ziggy nodded and followed.
~~~
It wasn't too hard getting into the lighthouse. Bill simply knocked the door open with a move he had taught Vaporeon a few years before, Surf. The hard part was still ahead, and he knew this.
The first place he looked was where he had left his body. He entered the cellar and looked around, shuddering slightly upon seeing his own body lay limp on the floor, slightly battered.*6*
He found nothing.
{Was it all just part of my imagination...?}
Ziggy shrieked in surprise behind him.
"Bill! Look out!"
He looked over his shoulder a second too late. Dark energy that made up a Night Shade attack slammed into Vaporeon's body, sending him flying across the room, stopping only when he slammed into the wall. Weakly, he stood back up and faced the Haunter floating in mid air.
{Loki...}
Oracle appeared beside the Haunter. "That's right, kiddies!"
{Great job distracting Alpha, by the way,} Loki commented.
"Thank you, Master!" Oracle replied happily.
{Unfortunately, you've also distracted what I really want...}
Loki floated toward Bill with one ghostly hand slightly ahead. At that moment, Bill attempted to defend himself by using an Ice Beam. It hit Loki for a bit, but he vanished before the full attack struck him.*7*
"Where did he go!?" Ziggy gasped.
{That's what I would like to know,} Bill muttered as he looked around.
Oracle gave them a devious look. "Watch..."
Suddenly, Bill felt something grab him by the neck and lift him up. He struggled to free himself, just as Loki reappeared. Ziggy stood and watched her best friend dangle, unable to help him because she couldn't touch either of the shifters, nor anything else, for that matter.
{I want to ask you to join us,} Loki said.
Bill froze. {What? Join... you? Are you out of your mind!?}
{We were once allies and friends, Bill!} Loki pointed out. {Why won't you join Team Rocket and work by my side again? I'm willing to forgive you for what happened to Tess.}
{Friends?} Bill scoffed. {This is coming from the same man who not only blamed me for something I never did*8* but also once left me behind to die in a Fearow attack!}
{I was going to go back!} Loki replied. {Besides, you're only exaggerating! The attack wasn't THAT bad!}
{I was in the hospital under critical condition for a week and a half after that!!}
{And I apologize for that. Will you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?}
Bill glared at him. {You've accused me of killing someone I cared deeply about, AND you left me to die... And NOW, after all these years, you expect me to forgive you and join an evil organization which goes against every code of basic ethics I live by!?} At this point, sarcasm became present in his voice. {Oh, sure, Loki. I'll forgive you and denounce my own moral values to go along with what is surely just another twisted and shallow scheme you came up with to get ahead in life.}
{Well, you don't have to be so damn sarcastic about it.}
Bill growled. {But it's the truth, isn't it?}
{No, I wasn't kidding when I said I want you to join Team Rocket,} Loki answered.
{Give me one decent reason why I should.}
{Power,} Loki replied simply. {The day I joined Team Rocket was the day I was granted a bit of authoritive power. And with it, I'm sure I can get some of the things I've always dreamed about. My lackeys love me, and they'll do anything for me.}
Bill rolled his eyes.
{Don't you see, Bill?} Loki continued. {With your intelligence and a little bit of Rocket power, you can get anything you want! Women, Pokémon, labs, money...}
{And a big ego like yours?}
{Like I said before, McKenzie,} Loki sneered, slowly getting more and more irritated. {You're a spunky little bastard. Unfortunately, sometimes it's not wise to be spunky.}
{In some cases, yes,} Bill agreed. {Loki, as of type alignments, ghost and water Pokémon have neither disadvantages nor advantages over each other, and neither do the attacks of a wild Haunter or my Vaporeon. May I ask where you found Haunter?}
{A trainer who just came from Lavender had caught him a month and a half ago, why?}
{Ah. So your host would be around level twenty-one to thirty, am I correct?}
{What are you getting at?}
{It's not wise to use a level thirty Pokémon to challenge a Pokémon at level sixty-three.}
At this, Bill struck Loki with Surf at full-blast. The force sent Loki flying into one wall and Bill slamming into the opposite wall. Both stumbled to the floor, groaned, and slowly and weakly got up. Bill grinned at his opponent.
{Ready for round two?} he asked with a smirk.
Loki snarled. {Unlike you, I know when to give up!}
There was a flash of red light as Loki released a confused Haunter.
"You haven't heard the last of us," Oracle snapped before softening in expression, winking, and waving to Ziggy. "Au revoir, Creampuff."
As she vanished, Ziggy pulled down her right eyelid and jeered in return. "Bitch queen!"
{Now that that's over...}
Bill went over and touched his human body with a paw. A spark of silver light transferred from Vaporeon into his human self. Slowly, he woke up and sat up.
"Now I can concentrate on Loki's next attack," Bill said before he stroked Vaporeon's head. "Thank you, my friend." He looked up at Ziggy. "Still no further word from Zero?"
"I'm afraid not, Bill," Ziggy replied.
"Hmm..." He stood up. "If I don't know which Pokémon Loki will be using, then I don't have much to help me prepare. All I know is that I should assume the body of a dark or bug Pokémon, but without known level, I could be planning on shifting into a Pokémon that puts me at a disadvantage due to a dangerously lower level."
Ziggy nodded.
"I think I still need time to think about this," he muttered as he took a PokéBall from one of the flat surfaces in the room and recalled Vaporeon.
"Time is what you don't have," Ziggy commented.
Bill nodded and began to walk up the stairs and out of the cellar. "This is unfortunately true..."
~~~
"Sir, Crocus had left a message while you were out."*9*
"Go ahead, Grace."
"They've located Agent Mondo."
"So?"
Loki was still in a bad mood after having lost to Bill the day before. He sat in his darkened office and spoke with Grace, who only gave him bad news after this.
"What's so important about that?" he asked his secretary. "Agent Mondo is no longer useful to us."
"Sir, just ask Master Giovanni yourself. He's on line one."
Loki's hand travelled to the flashing button on his video phone. He pressed it and braced himself.
"Lokov!" Giovanni addressed harshly. "Are you aware that one of your experiments had recently assumed Mewtwo's body and completely leveled Team Rocket's main office in Saffron City!?"
'Oh shit,' Loki cursed to himself before speaking aloud. "No, sir. I'm sorry, sir."
"Because of this, I have lost all patience with Project Antiwarp," Giovanni told him coldly.
"But sir--!"
"THEREFORE, I have decided to abandon the project and fire all those involved."
"Sir! Please! Just one more day!"
"Including you, Lokov."
"Sir!"
"The laboratory used for Project Antiwarp will be closed indefinately. You and your scientists have twenty-four hours to pick up your things and leave."
"Sir!" Loki pleaded. "Please! Just give us all one more chance!"
"If more shifters are created," Giovanni snapped, "then more will lose control over themselves, just like your Agent Mondo had. I cannot risk it. Besides, I have not yet seen the results you had promised me."
"Sir! I just need more time!"
"I'm sorry, Lokov. Please leave."
At that, Giovanni hung up.
Loki growled. "If that ass hole had only told me what I needed to know, Giovanni would have exactly what he wanted by now..."
Just then, the building shook. The wall behind Loki was blasted apart, and a Mewtwo had glided in.
{You... You did this to me!}
Loki jumped over his desk and continued to back into the opposite wall. Mewtwo, inhabited by Agent Mondo, hovered over and grabbed Loki by his collar.
{Now, I'll destroy YOU!}
Just then, the boy shrieked. His time inside Mewtwo was up. A light flashed and vanished, leaving a dazed Mewtwo.
Seeing this as an opportunity, Loki smirked and grabbed Mewtwo's arm. A blood-red light transferred from him into the genetic Pokémon. A few moments later, Loki's human body collapsed onto the floor as the Mewtwo examined his hands and grinned.
{With this, I'll finish McKenzie off*10* and redeem myself in Master Giovanni's eyes...}
~~~
Ziggy went into hologram form and proceeded through the lighthouse for Bill. She found him in his bedroom, pacing back and forth, deep in thought. She cleared her throat, causing him to jump and turn around, startled at her sudden appearance.
"Ziggy! ...You scared me. For a second, I thought you were..." His voice trailed off. "I'd hate to admit it, but..."
"Go on," she urged. "Ziggy won't tell anyone."
He smiled weakly at her. "I'd hate to admit it, but I'm a bit scared. I don't know what Loki will use to attack me or what I can do to defend myself. I don't know if my Umbreon is strong enough. I'm afraid I haven't trained it well enough."
"Have confidence, Bill," Ziggy said. "I'm sure no matter what he's in, you can come up and find a way to stop him."
"I hope you're right."
"I know I'm right." Ziggy gave him a smile. "Now, get some sleep. You need as much rest as you can get to stay alert and shift out at a moment's notice."
"You're right," Bill replied with a nod and a grim expression. "However... What if Loki comes while I'm asleep?"
"Then I'll find a way to wake you up," Ziggy suggested. "Don't worry about it. Just get some sleep. Heaven knows you need a bit. Go!"
Bill sighed and nearly flopped on his back on the bed. "Now that you mention it, I AM a bit tired... Thank you, Ziggy."
"No problem, Bill."
She stayed until his eyes closed. A few moments after she was sure he was fast asleep, she leaned in to kiss him on the forehead before leaving.*11*
~~~
In the cellar, Ziggy watched security footage for hours before yawning, sitting in her program window with her legs crossed, and resting her head in her folded arms.
"This is really boring," she commented as she yawned.
A few minutes later, she was fast asleep.
Beside her program box, there were four blocks, each with transmissions from each security camera in the lighthouse. One, which was positioned above the door, began to show a curious scene. One of the two doors was blown off its hinges, and a dark figure made its way inside. It looked up at the camera with glowing, blue eyes, just before the scene blacked out before turning into a block of static.
All this while Ziggy slept on...
~~~
Loki found it much too easy to enter the lighthouse. However, he wasn't quite done yet. Using Mewtwo's powers to his advantage, he easily located his target and made his way upstairs and stood in front of the closed door.
It's strange, how sometimes people can sense danger before it actually comes to them. On the other side of the door, it was because of this awareness of the coming darkness that Bill's eyes shot open. He sat up and took in a shaky breath, as if the room were colder than it actually was.
He threw his legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood up.
"Loki..." He whispered as his eyes drifted to the door.
The door was knocked open and fell to the floor with a bang. Behind it stood the Mewtwo.
Bill took one look at the Pokémon. He didn't know what it was*12*, but he knew it was strong... and that something horrible was going to come involving this.
{Yes...} Loki hissed maliciously. {I can feel your fear, and it's irresistable...}
"Ziggy!"
{She can't help you. No one can now.}
Bill began to tremble. "What do you want?"
{I've lost everything, McKenzie,} Loki informed him with narrow eyes. {It first started when you made me lose Tess. Whether you say you didn't kill her or not, I'll never forgive you for standing by to watch her die!}
At this, a blue aura lit up slightly around Loki before fading. It was during this that a pain shot up through Bill's left arm. He held it as Loki continued.
{Then, you abandoned me!}
"YOU abandoned ME," Bill replied softly.
Apparently, Loki didn't want to hear this, and the pain grew again in Bill's arm. He would have shifted out by then, but he feared that whatever he went into wouldn't be enough to stop Loki.
{And now, I lose my job and everything else I live for along with Project Antiwarp, my ticket to a rise in the Team Rocket employee ladder, and my only explanation is...}
Loki stopped abruptly. Suddenly, the pain spread to all parts of Bill's body. He screamed for a moment before the pain died down.
{...You.}
"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe YOU were your own problem all along?" Bill snapped. "If you weren't so blind by your own egotism and jealousy, then perhaps you would have had a better life!"
Perhaps he shouldn't have said that.
Loki glared at him. The pain grew once more. Bill stumbled forward but caught himself and weakly remained standing.
{I don't really care if you think I'm the problem or not,} Loki said. {Either way, seeing you die will make me a hell of a lot happier.}
"But it won't make things better," Bill told him. "Killing me won't help your life; it will just push you into even more trouble. Please, Loki! Stop now! Go back to your true body, start over with a fresh, honest start, and you might be able to find true happiness!"
Loki stopped. {Of course! I get it all now! It's so simple... yet beautiful! Yes, I will denounce my evil ways!}
Bill sighed... just before Loki, using Mewtwo's telekinetic powers, threw him into a wall with great force.
{What? You actually thought I'd be that sappy?}
Bill groaned weakly. He tried to get up, but found that he couldn't. In fact, he couldn't move at all. This was most likely because of another one of Mewtwo's powers.
He had no other choice but to shift.
'Zero... If you can hear me, please help me,' he pleaded silently. 'If there is one Pokémon that can stop Loki, whisper its name to my heart and help me find it. Please, Zero... I need you...'
He closed his eyes and proceeded to shift out.
~~~
Zero watched from an image created by her magic in the waters of the lake. Behind her stood a tall, cloaked figure with a white Sneasel standing next to him.*13* The image rippled and faded away.
"Lady Aigori, do you have instructions for us?" the cloaked figure inquired.
Zero stood up and turned around a bit while still looking at both the figure and his Sneasel over her shoulder.
"You are aware that Bill is a special young man, am I right?" she inquired.
"Yes, m'lady," both (yes, both) owner and Pokémon replied.
"And you are aware of the effects of his destiny, correct?"
"Yes, m'lady."
"This Loki..." Zero's gaze returned to the waters. "Though he will try to destroy Bill, he will fail. However, Bill needs enough time to escape and to reach a host and return to vanquish Loki. At this point, Father Time is not on his side. That's where you come in. Apollo, I want you to shift into one of Bill's Pokémon to keep Loki at bay long enough for Bill to find a host and return. Can you do that?"
Apollo grinned from under his cloak and nodded. "M'lady, I specialize in diversions."
Zero turned around completely with a solemn gaze. "Please, Apollo. I'm begging you. Help Bill protect himself."
"You can count on us, Lady Aigori!" The Sneasel saluted.
Zero smiled and nodded. "Thank you."
The cloaked figure shifted out with a flash of gold light as the Sneasel followed by vanishing.
Zero knelt back down beside the waters and touched the surface. She watched as an image rippled back into view, and she kept watching to see where the spark of silver light went.
"We can't afford to lose him," Zero muttered to herself.
The spark began to descend upon a Pokémon.
"Good luck, Bill..."
~~~
To be continued.
***
End episode 9*14*
---
Footnotes:
*1*: Reference to Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Bueller fans, can you guess who I've just made a reference to? ^_^
*2*: It's about time someone mentioned her, eh? ^_^; (No, she doesn't appear anywhere. I just made her up based on the claim that she does exist. =/)
*3*: This is actually a pun. See, in Japanese, "purin" means "creampuff," and anime Purin (aka Jigglypuff) puffs up whenever (s)he gets angry (specifically, when everyone falls asleep during one of the poor thing's performances). So, whenever Ziggy "puffs up" her face (kinda like Tsukino Usagi did a few times on Sailormoon) when being called a creampuff, it's really a Purin joke. =)
*4*: I don't know whether or not I've mentioned this before, but "watcher" refers to one of the holograms, i.e. Ziggy, which guide a shifter. I probably did, but can't remember. I really don't want to go back through and read eight chapters' worth of footnotes... _
*5*: I really can't say why Loki didn't notice Bill. If you recall in Present, Past, and Future Sight, Zero said that a shifter can see through the veil that hides another shifter. I dunno; I really didn't think that part through much. I suppose you can say that Loki never bothered to look down to find what he was looking for. ^_^;
*6*: Wouldn't you do the same thing if you saw yourself lying on the floor, kinda like you're dead? My personal reaction would be something along the lines of, "HOLY CRAP!!", but I'm trying to keep Bill in character, meaning calm and cool. Or at least he is most of the time... =/
*7*: It's hard to explain this without looking at an example. Let's say that getting hit with the full attack would have taken five seconds. If Loki managed to get away before getting hit by the full attack, he might have only endured one second. Only what REALLY happened was a bit longer, but I'm guessing you get the point by now.
*8*: He means he never killed (nor was a reason for the suicide of) Tess. Loki, of course, never believed him.
*9*: Out meaning physically out of the office, as in going to the restroom or out to lunch or something. Loki wasn't on a shift here. You can tell by reading further.
*10*: Yeah, I know I've turned Loki into an evil ass. (When I tried to create an evil antagonist for the story, I kinda went overboard... ^_^;) If you really want to understand why Loki hates Bill enough to kill him, check out Sailormoon for an example. See, in the original (meaning BEFORE DiC got their hands on it), Queen Beryl was once a sage on Earth who had fallen in love with the prince of the Earth, Endymion, aka Mamoru, dubbed as Darien. Unfortunately, Endymion had already fallen in love with the moon princess, Princess Serenity, and there was no way he could love anyone else. So, jealousy (and evilness) took poor Beryl over, and she destroyed the Moon Kingdom in an attempt to get rid of Princess Serenity so she could have Endymion all to herself. Now, how does this apply to Warp Series? Well, think of it this way: Loki (identified with Queen Beryl) became jealous and angry when Tess (our story's Prince Endymion) fell in love with Bill (the Princess Serenity of this story... ouch, that's a scary thought...). And, of course, the fact that Bill could only stand by and watch as Tess jumped off a bridge really didn't help his relationship to Loki. ^_^;
*11*: Hmm... Tess, Zoe, or Ziggy? *holds up a sign that reads: "I support datashipping -- Yay for Ziggy's crush!"* I'm sorry, but it IS kinda fun to write about her crush on Bill... ^_^ (For those of you who hadn't noticed this, even after the fourth episode, um... Wow. O.o;;;)
*12*: Though I'm aware that there's an unexplained Mewtwo carving on one of the doors (watch "Mystery at the Lighthouse" again and look very closely when the doors are opening -- you can see it a second time, but I can't remember when at this point... o.o;), Bill's not supposed to recognize Mewtwo. Not one (living) person in the anime knows about Mewtwo except for Giovanni. And, okay, Ash-tachi, plus Luna, after that new Mewtwo movie released last summer... Mewtwo Returns, right? ^_^;
*13*: Including the white Sneasel in the story is a thank you for the many good reviews sent in by Light Sneasel. *lifts up her glass to toast him* Here's to you, LS-kun!
*14*: Not too bad of an episode, in my opinion. Leaves you with a rather nasty cliffhanger, but don't worry, I won't leave you hanging. Unless, of course, I... o.o; *goes outside to knock on every piece of wood she can find* Anywho, Apollo was supposed to first appear in the third season, but I thought it'd be fun to put him in here. Or maybe it might not be fun because I've left you wondering how Apollo could be a shifter without being a member of Warp OR Antiwarp. Then again, I've left you guessing about Zero, and still no one has found out what she (meaning, her omniscence) was a pun on. (Sorry, LS-kun. Good guesses though. ^_^) And just for the record, this beat my earlier record for episode which took the least amount of time to write. It had formerly been four days (with Trading Spaces), but this just barely beat my old record with a mere three days. (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.) Go me! =D
Bah. Never mind. ^_^;
***
Episode 09--
Equal and Opposite: Part I
"Boss Lokov, Master Giovanni wishes to speak with you on line one," Loki's secretary informed him.
Loki pushed the button on the intercom to reply to his secretary. "Thank you, Grace."*1*
A button began to flash on the video phone on his desk. He hesitated. Surely, this wasn't going to be good...
Click!
"Lokov, where is the power you promised me?" Giovanni asked sharply.
"Patience, sir," Loki replied with a slightly frightened tone. "I'm working on it..."
"Patience?" Giovanni frowned. "This is something that is wearing thin in me, Lokov. It is true that you're one of my most trusted employees, but I hate it when people break their promises to me. Surely you haven't forgotten Dr. Narcissus..."
Loki shuddered. He hadn't. Dr. Narcissus had promised to create a Pokémon whose power was unbelieveable and who was completely under Rocket control but came up with nothing. The day following the announcement of his failure, Narcissus mysteriously disappeared as Rocket agents took him to the Gyarados pen.
"No, sir," Loki finally said. "I haven't."
"Good," Giovanni responded. "I'm giving you three days. I expect success out of this Project Antiwarp, but if I don't get what I want, your little project will be completely shut down, and you... You will be out of a job."
"Understood, sir," Loki replied, relieved that his punishment would be no greater than Dr. Narcissus'.
"Then I'll leave you to your work," Giovanni said. "If you want to please me, it would be best to start right away."
"Yes, sir."
The screen went blank as Giovanni hung up. Loki replaced the receiver, paused for a moment, and sneered.
"How the hell can I get Giovanni what he wants if no one knows whether any shifter will go into a useful Pokémon or not... Unless..." He placed his hand on his desk and began tapping it with his index finger. "Unless McKenzie was lying all along... Unless he knows more than he'll say... But how can I get him to talk?"
A smile crossed Loki's lips as an idea came to mind.
"What if I... tried a DIFFERENT approach...?"
~~~
"Sir? Bill? Are you alright?"
"W-Wha...?"
Bill slowly woke up, finding himself on the floor. His cook*2*, Sophie, a twenty-something, plump brunette with bright, blue eyes, had knelt down beside him, nudging him a bit.
"Sir? Are you alright?" she repeated.
Bill sat up and held his head for a moment. "Yes, yes. I'm fine. Just a bit... tired, that's all."
"Sir, do you need to see a doctor?"
"No, no..." He stood up. "I'm fine. I've just been working hard on a few of my last projects. Harder than I thought, I suppose."
Well, technically, he was telling the truth. Alongside his research, he's had three or four shifts (part of one of his many projects) within the past four days.
"Then, maybe you should take a vacation," Sophie suggested before giving him a shy glance. "Speaking about vacations..."
"You're excused," Bill replied calmly, knowing very well what she wanted.
"Thank you, sir!" Sophie said with a bow. "You're very kind! I'll be leaving in a week, by the way..."
"I thank you for the compliment and your service," Bill replied before sighing. "And please... MUST you call me 'sir'?"
"Sorry, sir -- er, Bill."
"Thank you."
~~~
"You know, Sophie's right," Ziggy commented later on. "You really DO need a vacation. You look seriously overworked."
"'Overworked' isn't part of my vocabulary."
"It should be. This could be dangerous to your health."
Bill pretended to be shocked. "Ziggy Alpha... Concerned about my health? Well, this is a first!"
"Hey, I'm allowed to be worried about you!" Ziggy told him sharply. She paused for a moment and swiftly added, "If you're dead, then I'll have no one to talk to."
"And I'm sure this would be absolutely horrible," Bill responded with a bit of sarcasm.
"Damn straight it would be!" Ziggy snapped. "Do you have any idea how BORING it was for the ten years you forgot about me!?"
Bill chuckled and smiled as he looked at his hands, stopped at the keyboard. "Ziggy, Ziggy... It's your personality that makes my day... interesting."
"Well, glad to hear it!" Ziggy replied happily.
Bill started to snicker. He couldn't help himself.
"HEY! That was an insult, wasn't it!?" Ziggy began to fume.
"Forget I said it," Bill said to her as he continued to laugh.
Ziggy folded her arms and glared at him. "Hey! I have feelings too, you know!"
"Of course I know. I wrote the codes for them." Bill shrugged. "I might have slipped in a few typos. You have so many flaws in you that it's a wonder you're not human."
Ziggy growled. "Hey! Do you HAVE to be a smart mouth!?"
"Yes."
Obviously, Ziggy wasn't liking how any of this conversation was going. "You know, if I were real, I would have smacked you right about now!"
Bill grinned.
Ziggy growled again. "You've got a shift. Hey, when you get back, I want to have a word with you, Mr. Congeniality!"
"Alright, Ziggy. Alright."
Bill gave her a smile and proceeded to shift out.
"Why do I even like him!?" Ziggy asked herself as she followed him.
~~~
When Bill awoke, he found himself outside the lighthouse, on the beach. He didn't understand this. After all, he HAD shifted... right?
He looked down at his hands and found a pair of small, sky-blue blue paws. His feet were the same, and behind him was a long, blue tail ending in a fin and decorated with dark blue ridges.
{I must be inside Vaporeon,} he thought aloud and referring to one of his own Pokémon. {Ziggy!}
"Well, this is convenient," Ziggy commented as she appeared. "You didn't get TOO far..."
{Ziggy, what happened?}
"What do you mean what happened? You shifted."
{I know! But... Wait... What would my mission be this time...?}
Ziggy sighed, and her expression changed quickly from happy-go-lucky to grim. Bill shivered upon seeing her face like this.
{Ziggy, I don't like that look on your face...}
Ziggy sighed. "I'm not going to lie to you. It's not going to be easy or pretty."
{And this makes it far different from any other mission I went through?}
"You've got a point." Ziggy nodded. "But this time, you see... Loki... He's getting desperate. He wants information from you that you don't have. How to completely control shifting. How to control when a shifter goes in and out, where they go, and more importantly, into what they go."
{I told him I don't know how to do that sort of thing!}
"He doesn't believe you!" Ziggy sighed again. "You're going to be in deep trouble. Loki's coming in a Pokémon's body, and he's planning on catching you -- meaning your human self -- off guard by attacking you with an ambush. You've got to protect yourself from his attack. Zero says that Loki will attack once, but you, inside Vaporeon, will ward him off. But after that, he'll make a deal with a psychic Pokémon. A powerful one. Zero says you can move directly to another Pokémon if you need to, but otherwise..."
Ziggy trailed off. A moment of silence followed.
{Which psychic Pokémon will Loki shift into?}
"She won't tell me," Ziggy replied. "She started crying after the prediction when I asked her. All she said was... You can try to fight, but there's a good chance that you'll..."
{...I'll... what...?}
"There's a good chance that you'll still die. In Loki's second attack, there's a... very large probability that he'll... kill you."
More silence.
"I'm sorry, Bill. You probably didn't want to hear that."
He shook his head. {It was probably best to let me know.}
"What are you going to do?"
Bill thought for a moment. {In the first attack, I'll do what I always do. However, the second... I don't really know...} He paused for a moment. {How soon will he be coming?}
"He's already here."
Startled at the new voice, Bill looked up to see Oracle. She grinned and gave him a small wave.
"Bonjour, kiddie," she said before turning to Ziggy. "Hello, Creampuff! Long time, no see!"
{Creampuff?}
Ziggy held air in her cheeks so they puffed out.*3* "I'm not a creampuff!"
"Sure thing, Creampuff," Oracle replied with a smirk.
{I'd hate to be rude, but who on Earth is this, and how can she see you, Ziggy!?}
"I'll answer that one," Oracle replied quickly. "My name is Oracle. I'm the holographic informational aid programmed specifically to guide the shifters of Project Antiwarp, subdivision of Team Rocket. I can see all shifters and watchers*4*, so it isn't that hard to see something as big as Creampuff over there."
Ziggy growled.
"I couldn't help but overhear your pathetic attempt to save your little boyfriend, Creampuff," Oracle added.
Bill blinked with a blank look on his face. {...Boyfriend...?}
Oracle continued, "I just want to let you know that you didn't help him a bit. Master Loki was lucky enough to snag a close body that'll surely blow both your lover boy's body and mind..." She paused to chuckle a bit at her coming pun. "...Out of the water."
"He's not my boyfriend, and mind your own business!" Ziggy snapped. "Besides, Bill can take on whatever YOUR rookie has to throw at him!"
"My guy isn't a rookie..." Oracle winked. "Rookies, like your shifter, are losers."
"Oh yeah!?"
"Definately!"
As Ziggy and Oracle gave each other death glares, Bill sat down, rolled his eyes, and sighed. Obviously, this was going to take awhile.
~~~
A half hour went passed, and up at the lighthouse, a Haunter snuck in and began looking around. Luck was with Loki, who occupied Haunter, as of shifting that day, but he wanted to see if he had luck in finding what he wanted as well. He passed through walls, trying to find what he was looking for, but found nothing. Nothing in the main hall, nothing in the living quarters, and nothing in the cellar.
He began to release his frustration by firing Night Shade at random places throughout the cellar.
One of them, though Loki didn't notice*5*, struck Bill's body.
~~~
Outside, a searing pain went through Bill. He trembled and let out a small scream as he hunched over and shut his eyes tightly.
Ziggy gasped. "Bill! Are you alright!?"
{Something just happened... at the lighthouse...}
Upon hearing this, Oracle grinned. Before disappearing, she muttered, "My work here is done..."
Ziggy knelt beside him. "Really? How can you tell?"
{Even if... I'm outside my body... I can still feel... whatever happens to it,} Bill explained slowly before taking a shaky breath. {Something struck me. I think Loki might already be there...}
"Can you get up?"
He stood and nodded. {I'll be fine. I was caught off guard, that's all.} He began running on all fours to the lighthouse. {Hurry! We don't have much time!}
Ziggy nodded and followed.
~~~
It wasn't too hard getting into the lighthouse. Bill simply knocked the door open with a move he had taught Vaporeon a few years before, Surf. The hard part was still ahead, and he knew this.
The first place he looked was where he had left his body. He entered the cellar and looked around, shuddering slightly upon seeing his own body lay limp on the floor, slightly battered.*6*
He found nothing.
{Was it all just part of my imagination...?}
Ziggy shrieked in surprise behind him.
"Bill! Look out!"
He looked over his shoulder a second too late. Dark energy that made up a Night Shade attack slammed into Vaporeon's body, sending him flying across the room, stopping only when he slammed into the wall. Weakly, he stood back up and faced the Haunter floating in mid air.
{Loki...}
Oracle appeared beside the Haunter. "That's right, kiddies!"
{Great job distracting Alpha, by the way,} Loki commented.
"Thank you, Master!" Oracle replied happily.
{Unfortunately, you've also distracted what I really want...}
Loki floated toward Bill with one ghostly hand slightly ahead. At that moment, Bill attempted to defend himself by using an Ice Beam. It hit Loki for a bit, but he vanished before the full attack struck him.*7*
"Where did he go!?" Ziggy gasped.
{That's what I would like to know,} Bill muttered as he looked around.
Oracle gave them a devious look. "Watch..."
Suddenly, Bill felt something grab him by the neck and lift him up. He struggled to free himself, just as Loki reappeared. Ziggy stood and watched her best friend dangle, unable to help him because she couldn't touch either of the shifters, nor anything else, for that matter.
{I want to ask you to join us,} Loki said.
Bill froze. {What? Join... you? Are you out of your mind!?}
{We were once allies and friends, Bill!} Loki pointed out. {Why won't you join Team Rocket and work by my side again? I'm willing to forgive you for what happened to Tess.}
{Friends?} Bill scoffed. {This is coming from the same man who not only blamed me for something I never did*8* but also once left me behind to die in a Fearow attack!}
{I was going to go back!} Loki replied. {Besides, you're only exaggerating! The attack wasn't THAT bad!}
{I was in the hospital under critical condition for a week and a half after that!!}
{And I apologize for that. Will you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?}
Bill glared at him. {You've accused me of killing someone I cared deeply about, AND you left me to die... And NOW, after all these years, you expect me to forgive you and join an evil organization which goes against every code of basic ethics I live by!?} At this point, sarcasm became present in his voice. {Oh, sure, Loki. I'll forgive you and denounce my own moral values to go along with what is surely just another twisted and shallow scheme you came up with to get ahead in life.}
{Well, you don't have to be so damn sarcastic about it.}
Bill growled. {But it's the truth, isn't it?}
{No, I wasn't kidding when I said I want you to join Team Rocket,} Loki answered.
{Give me one decent reason why I should.}
{Power,} Loki replied simply. {The day I joined Team Rocket was the day I was granted a bit of authoritive power. And with it, I'm sure I can get some of the things I've always dreamed about. My lackeys love me, and they'll do anything for me.}
Bill rolled his eyes.
{Don't you see, Bill?} Loki continued. {With your intelligence and a little bit of Rocket power, you can get anything you want! Women, Pokémon, labs, money...}
{And a big ego like yours?}
{Like I said before, McKenzie,} Loki sneered, slowly getting more and more irritated. {You're a spunky little bastard. Unfortunately, sometimes it's not wise to be spunky.}
{In some cases, yes,} Bill agreed. {Loki, as of type alignments, ghost and water Pokémon have neither disadvantages nor advantages over each other, and neither do the attacks of a wild Haunter or my Vaporeon. May I ask where you found Haunter?}
{A trainer who just came from Lavender had caught him a month and a half ago, why?}
{Ah. So your host would be around level twenty-one to thirty, am I correct?}
{What are you getting at?}
{It's not wise to use a level thirty Pokémon to challenge a Pokémon at level sixty-three.}
At this, Bill struck Loki with Surf at full-blast. The force sent Loki flying into one wall and Bill slamming into the opposite wall. Both stumbled to the floor, groaned, and slowly and weakly got up. Bill grinned at his opponent.
{Ready for round two?} he asked with a smirk.
Loki snarled. {Unlike you, I know when to give up!}
There was a flash of red light as Loki released a confused Haunter.
"You haven't heard the last of us," Oracle snapped before softening in expression, winking, and waving to Ziggy. "Au revoir, Creampuff."
As she vanished, Ziggy pulled down her right eyelid and jeered in return. "Bitch queen!"
{Now that that's over...}
Bill went over and touched his human body with a paw. A spark of silver light transferred from Vaporeon into his human self. Slowly, he woke up and sat up.
"Now I can concentrate on Loki's next attack," Bill said before he stroked Vaporeon's head. "Thank you, my friend." He looked up at Ziggy. "Still no further word from Zero?"
"I'm afraid not, Bill," Ziggy replied.
"Hmm..." He stood up. "If I don't know which Pokémon Loki will be using, then I don't have much to help me prepare. All I know is that I should assume the body of a dark or bug Pokémon, but without known level, I could be planning on shifting into a Pokémon that puts me at a disadvantage due to a dangerously lower level."
Ziggy nodded.
"I think I still need time to think about this," he muttered as he took a PokéBall from one of the flat surfaces in the room and recalled Vaporeon.
"Time is what you don't have," Ziggy commented.
Bill nodded and began to walk up the stairs and out of the cellar. "This is unfortunately true..."
~~~
"Sir, Crocus had left a message while you were out."*9*
"Go ahead, Grace."
"They've located Agent Mondo."
"So?"
Loki was still in a bad mood after having lost to Bill the day before. He sat in his darkened office and spoke with Grace, who only gave him bad news after this.
"What's so important about that?" he asked his secretary. "Agent Mondo is no longer useful to us."
"Sir, just ask Master Giovanni yourself. He's on line one."
Loki's hand travelled to the flashing button on his video phone. He pressed it and braced himself.
"Lokov!" Giovanni addressed harshly. "Are you aware that one of your experiments had recently assumed Mewtwo's body and completely leveled Team Rocket's main office in Saffron City!?"
'Oh shit,' Loki cursed to himself before speaking aloud. "No, sir. I'm sorry, sir."
"Because of this, I have lost all patience with Project Antiwarp," Giovanni told him coldly.
"But sir--!"
"THEREFORE, I have decided to abandon the project and fire all those involved."
"Sir! Please! Just one more day!"
"Including you, Lokov."
"Sir!"
"The laboratory used for Project Antiwarp will be closed indefinately. You and your scientists have twenty-four hours to pick up your things and leave."
"Sir!" Loki pleaded. "Please! Just give us all one more chance!"
"If more shifters are created," Giovanni snapped, "then more will lose control over themselves, just like your Agent Mondo had. I cannot risk it. Besides, I have not yet seen the results you had promised me."
"Sir! I just need more time!"
"I'm sorry, Lokov. Please leave."
At that, Giovanni hung up.
Loki growled. "If that ass hole had only told me what I needed to know, Giovanni would have exactly what he wanted by now..."
Just then, the building shook. The wall behind Loki was blasted apart, and a Mewtwo had glided in.
{You... You did this to me!}
Loki jumped over his desk and continued to back into the opposite wall. Mewtwo, inhabited by Agent Mondo, hovered over and grabbed Loki by his collar.
{Now, I'll destroy YOU!}
Just then, the boy shrieked. His time inside Mewtwo was up. A light flashed and vanished, leaving a dazed Mewtwo.
Seeing this as an opportunity, Loki smirked and grabbed Mewtwo's arm. A blood-red light transferred from him into the genetic Pokémon. A few moments later, Loki's human body collapsed onto the floor as the Mewtwo examined his hands and grinned.
{With this, I'll finish McKenzie off*10* and redeem myself in Master Giovanni's eyes...}
~~~
Ziggy went into hologram form and proceeded through the lighthouse for Bill. She found him in his bedroom, pacing back and forth, deep in thought. She cleared her throat, causing him to jump and turn around, startled at her sudden appearance.
"Ziggy! ...You scared me. For a second, I thought you were..." His voice trailed off. "I'd hate to admit it, but..."
"Go on," she urged. "Ziggy won't tell anyone."
He smiled weakly at her. "I'd hate to admit it, but I'm a bit scared. I don't know what Loki will use to attack me or what I can do to defend myself. I don't know if my Umbreon is strong enough. I'm afraid I haven't trained it well enough."
"Have confidence, Bill," Ziggy said. "I'm sure no matter what he's in, you can come up and find a way to stop him."
"I hope you're right."
"I know I'm right." Ziggy gave him a smile. "Now, get some sleep. You need as much rest as you can get to stay alert and shift out at a moment's notice."
"You're right," Bill replied with a nod and a grim expression. "However... What if Loki comes while I'm asleep?"
"Then I'll find a way to wake you up," Ziggy suggested. "Don't worry about it. Just get some sleep. Heaven knows you need a bit. Go!"
Bill sighed and nearly flopped on his back on the bed. "Now that you mention it, I AM a bit tired... Thank you, Ziggy."
"No problem, Bill."
She stayed until his eyes closed. A few moments after she was sure he was fast asleep, she leaned in to kiss him on the forehead before leaving.*11*
~~~
In the cellar, Ziggy watched security footage for hours before yawning, sitting in her program window with her legs crossed, and resting her head in her folded arms.
"This is really boring," she commented as she yawned.
A few minutes later, she was fast asleep.
Beside her program box, there were four blocks, each with transmissions from each security camera in the lighthouse. One, which was positioned above the door, began to show a curious scene. One of the two doors was blown off its hinges, and a dark figure made its way inside. It looked up at the camera with glowing, blue eyes, just before the scene blacked out before turning into a block of static.
All this while Ziggy slept on...
~~~
Loki found it much too easy to enter the lighthouse. However, he wasn't quite done yet. Using Mewtwo's powers to his advantage, he easily located his target and made his way upstairs and stood in front of the closed door.
It's strange, how sometimes people can sense danger before it actually comes to them. On the other side of the door, it was because of this awareness of the coming darkness that Bill's eyes shot open. He sat up and took in a shaky breath, as if the room were colder than it actually was.
He threw his legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood up.
"Loki..." He whispered as his eyes drifted to the door.
The door was knocked open and fell to the floor with a bang. Behind it stood the Mewtwo.
Bill took one look at the Pokémon. He didn't know what it was*12*, but he knew it was strong... and that something horrible was going to come involving this.
{Yes...} Loki hissed maliciously. {I can feel your fear, and it's irresistable...}
"Ziggy!"
{She can't help you. No one can now.}
Bill began to tremble. "What do you want?"
{I've lost everything, McKenzie,} Loki informed him with narrow eyes. {It first started when you made me lose Tess. Whether you say you didn't kill her or not, I'll never forgive you for standing by to watch her die!}
At this, a blue aura lit up slightly around Loki before fading. It was during this that a pain shot up through Bill's left arm. He held it as Loki continued.
{Then, you abandoned me!}
"YOU abandoned ME," Bill replied softly.
Apparently, Loki didn't want to hear this, and the pain grew again in Bill's arm. He would have shifted out by then, but he feared that whatever he went into wouldn't be enough to stop Loki.
{And now, I lose my job and everything else I live for along with Project Antiwarp, my ticket to a rise in the Team Rocket employee ladder, and my only explanation is...}
Loki stopped abruptly. Suddenly, the pain spread to all parts of Bill's body. He screamed for a moment before the pain died down.
{...You.}
"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe YOU were your own problem all along?" Bill snapped. "If you weren't so blind by your own egotism and jealousy, then perhaps you would have had a better life!"
Perhaps he shouldn't have said that.
Loki glared at him. The pain grew once more. Bill stumbled forward but caught himself and weakly remained standing.
{I don't really care if you think I'm the problem or not,} Loki said. {Either way, seeing you die will make me a hell of a lot happier.}
"But it won't make things better," Bill told him. "Killing me won't help your life; it will just push you into even more trouble. Please, Loki! Stop now! Go back to your true body, start over with a fresh, honest start, and you might be able to find true happiness!"
Loki stopped. {Of course! I get it all now! It's so simple... yet beautiful! Yes, I will denounce my evil ways!}
Bill sighed... just before Loki, using Mewtwo's telekinetic powers, threw him into a wall with great force.
{What? You actually thought I'd be that sappy?}
Bill groaned weakly. He tried to get up, but found that he couldn't. In fact, he couldn't move at all. This was most likely because of another one of Mewtwo's powers.
He had no other choice but to shift.
'Zero... If you can hear me, please help me,' he pleaded silently. 'If there is one Pokémon that can stop Loki, whisper its name to my heart and help me find it. Please, Zero... I need you...'
He closed his eyes and proceeded to shift out.
~~~
Zero watched from an image created by her magic in the waters of the lake. Behind her stood a tall, cloaked figure with a white Sneasel standing next to him.*13* The image rippled and faded away.
"Lady Aigori, do you have instructions for us?" the cloaked figure inquired.
Zero stood up and turned around a bit while still looking at both the figure and his Sneasel over her shoulder.
"You are aware that Bill is a special young man, am I right?" she inquired.
"Yes, m'lady," both (yes, both) owner and Pokémon replied.
"And you are aware of the effects of his destiny, correct?"
"Yes, m'lady."
"This Loki..." Zero's gaze returned to the waters. "Though he will try to destroy Bill, he will fail. However, Bill needs enough time to escape and to reach a host and return to vanquish Loki. At this point, Father Time is not on his side. That's where you come in. Apollo, I want you to shift into one of Bill's Pokémon to keep Loki at bay long enough for Bill to find a host and return. Can you do that?"
Apollo grinned from under his cloak and nodded. "M'lady, I specialize in diversions."
Zero turned around completely with a solemn gaze. "Please, Apollo. I'm begging you. Help Bill protect himself."
"You can count on us, Lady Aigori!" The Sneasel saluted.
Zero smiled and nodded. "Thank you."
The cloaked figure shifted out with a flash of gold light as the Sneasel followed by vanishing.
Zero knelt back down beside the waters and touched the surface. She watched as an image rippled back into view, and she kept watching to see where the spark of silver light went.
"We can't afford to lose him," Zero muttered to herself.
The spark began to descend upon a Pokémon.
"Good luck, Bill..."
~~~
To be continued.
***
End episode 9*14*
---
Footnotes:
*1*: Reference to Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Bueller fans, can you guess who I've just made a reference to? ^_^
*2*: It's about time someone mentioned her, eh? ^_^; (No, she doesn't appear anywhere. I just made her up based on the claim that she does exist. =/)
*3*: This is actually a pun. See, in Japanese, "purin" means "creampuff," and anime Purin (aka Jigglypuff) puffs up whenever (s)he gets angry (specifically, when everyone falls asleep during one of the poor thing's performances). So, whenever Ziggy "puffs up" her face (kinda like Tsukino Usagi did a few times on Sailormoon) when being called a creampuff, it's really a Purin joke. =)
*4*: I don't know whether or not I've mentioned this before, but "watcher" refers to one of the holograms, i.e. Ziggy, which guide a shifter. I probably did, but can't remember. I really don't want to go back through and read eight chapters' worth of footnotes... _
*5*: I really can't say why Loki didn't notice Bill. If you recall in Present, Past, and Future Sight, Zero said that a shifter can see through the veil that hides another shifter. I dunno; I really didn't think that part through much. I suppose you can say that Loki never bothered to look down to find what he was looking for. ^_^;
*6*: Wouldn't you do the same thing if you saw yourself lying on the floor, kinda like you're dead? My personal reaction would be something along the lines of, "HOLY CRAP!!", but I'm trying to keep Bill in character, meaning calm and cool. Or at least he is most of the time... =/
*7*: It's hard to explain this without looking at an example. Let's say that getting hit with the full attack would have taken five seconds. If Loki managed to get away before getting hit by the full attack, he might have only endured one second. Only what REALLY happened was a bit longer, but I'm guessing you get the point by now.
*8*: He means he never killed (nor was a reason for the suicide of) Tess. Loki, of course, never believed him.
*9*: Out meaning physically out of the office, as in going to the restroom or out to lunch or something. Loki wasn't on a shift here. You can tell by reading further.
*10*: Yeah, I know I've turned Loki into an evil ass. (When I tried to create an evil antagonist for the story, I kinda went overboard... ^_^;) If you really want to understand why Loki hates Bill enough to kill him, check out Sailormoon for an example. See, in the original (meaning BEFORE DiC got their hands on it), Queen Beryl was once a sage on Earth who had fallen in love with the prince of the Earth, Endymion, aka Mamoru, dubbed as Darien. Unfortunately, Endymion had already fallen in love with the moon princess, Princess Serenity, and there was no way he could love anyone else. So, jealousy (and evilness) took poor Beryl over, and she destroyed the Moon Kingdom in an attempt to get rid of Princess Serenity so she could have Endymion all to herself. Now, how does this apply to Warp Series? Well, think of it this way: Loki (identified with Queen Beryl) became jealous and angry when Tess (our story's Prince Endymion) fell in love with Bill (the Princess Serenity of this story... ouch, that's a scary thought...). And, of course, the fact that Bill could only stand by and watch as Tess jumped off a bridge really didn't help his relationship to Loki. ^_^;
*11*: Hmm... Tess, Zoe, or Ziggy? *holds up a sign that reads: "I support datashipping -- Yay for Ziggy's crush!"* I'm sorry, but it IS kinda fun to write about her crush on Bill... ^_^ (For those of you who hadn't noticed this, even after the fourth episode, um... Wow. O.o;;;)
*12*: Though I'm aware that there's an unexplained Mewtwo carving on one of the doors (watch "Mystery at the Lighthouse" again and look very closely when the doors are opening -- you can see it a second time, but I can't remember when at this point... o.o;), Bill's not supposed to recognize Mewtwo. Not one (living) person in the anime knows about Mewtwo except for Giovanni. And, okay, Ash-tachi, plus Luna, after that new Mewtwo movie released last summer... Mewtwo Returns, right? ^_^;
*13*: Including the white Sneasel in the story is a thank you for the many good reviews sent in by Light Sneasel. *lifts up her glass to toast him* Here's to you, LS-kun!
*14*: Not too bad of an episode, in my opinion. Leaves you with a rather nasty cliffhanger, but don't worry, I won't leave you hanging. Unless, of course, I... o.o; *goes outside to knock on every piece of wood she can find* Anywho, Apollo was supposed to first appear in the third season, but I thought it'd be fun to put him in here. Or maybe it might not be fun because I've left you wondering how Apollo could be a shifter without being a member of Warp OR Antiwarp. Then again, I've left you guessing about Zero, and still no one has found out what she (meaning, her omniscence) was a pun on. (Sorry, LS-kun. Good guesses though. ^_^) And just for the record, this beat my earlier record for episode which took the least amount of time to write. It had formerly been four days (with Trading Spaces), but this just barely beat my old record with a mere three days. (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.) Go me! =D
