Note for FF.net readers: Some content may be edited later for grammar and structure.

The following fanfiction contains some violent content. Discretion is advised.

-=-=-=-=-

Sign Posts (Revised)
by TG

(Part Six of Fate's Game)


"There are no limits in life save those we set for ourselves."

-=-=-=-=-

The tires squealed as Jessie smashed down on the brake peddle, causing them to lock.

James grabbed her arm, as the Jeep started to slide. "JESSIE!"

The Jeep began to lose control and slide sideways.

-=-=-=-=-

Misty felt a hand grab her. "ASH!"

Brock held onto the red-head tight, fighting back his own urges. "ASH, NO!"

-=-=-=-=-

The accident was over swiftly. It was 11:20 AM.

The Jeep was now sideways, the driver's side smashed against a gnarled oak tree. The vehicle had a noticeable bend to it, as inertia had attempted to wrap it around the large tree. Every window was broken by the sudden collision. A large chunk of steel and the axle had been sheared off its right side.

Within the wreak, there was a whimper. "Je... Jessie.." James wanted to cry -- the whole right side of his chest felt on fire. It was hard to take breaths without gasping in pain. Powder covered him, and he realized his head was buried in the deflated airbag.

Meowth slowly opened his eyes, and realized he was now lying on a duffel bag. A large bruise was forming where the seat belt had been before he had been thrown out of it. "G.. guys?" He got up, registering that nothing appeared broken, and his charm was still there. Then he heard it, a bubbling noise.

James slowly moved back in his seat, and then he felt the glass sliding off of him. He turned and let out his breath in what should've been a gasp.

Jessie's head was firmly resting against the airbag and steering wheel. Hardly any glass was covering her. Her face was turned away, and she wasn't moving.

James slowly moved her back against the seat, which caused her to moan.

"Ya shouldn' move 'er! She might hav' sumthin' wrong wit' her." Meowth moved forward and laid a paw on her shoulder. "Jessie?"

James reached down and released his seat belt, then reached over to hers. When Meowth grabbed his arm, he shrugged off the feline and clicked the driver's side belt. "Either help me or shut up, Meowth!" James kicked at his door until it opened. He reached in and slowly slid her body across his seat.

Meowth looked down at Jessie, who was still not moving. Then he saw what he didn't want to: several pieces of glass had punctured her exposed left side and midriff. "James, be car'ful! She's got glass in 'er!"

James barely heard. The pounding in his ears was deafening, and he easily picked Jessie up and laid her down on the grass. "Jessie, wake up.. please.. Jessie!"

Jessie's eyes twitched, and slowly opened. A faint smile formed, before she started to cough. A bit of blood slowly trickled from her mouth. She formed a few words, but nothing came out.

James looked at Meowth, silently pleading for something.

Meowth could only shake his head in disbelief.

-=-=-=-=-

"A.. Ash..?"

Brock felt the red-headed girl break free and race over. He grabbed his medkit and practically leapt the distance out onto the roadway. What he saw caused him to choke back tears. "God, no.."

Ash was lying on his right side, shivering. A red stain was forming mid-thigh on the left leg of his jeans. His left arm lay loose, as an enormous bruise began to form over its lower half. Blood was beginning to pool away from him. He coughed several times, and a small trickle of blood escaped his mouth and nose. The fingers in his right hand twitched, scarcely gripping onto what had been in his arms. He tried to focus on the creature, using every bit of strength he had to speak. "Pika.. chu.."

The small Pokémon looked no better. It lay on its left side, scratches from its impact with the pavement evidence the landing was hard. It's yellow fur was stained with blood, and it coughed violently several times, spitting up more blood. It reached out its right arm towards its master. "Pii..ka.."

Misty got down on her knees in front of them. She put a trembling hand on Ash's shoulder. "Ash..." She started to sob.

-=-=-=-=-

Cassidy spun around when she heard the crunch of metal. She saw the Jeep slide back from the tree slightly. "What.. NO.." She ran, sliding down the hill, then tumbling when her legs gave out. She felt something in her left ankle pop, and cursed. Then she saw it, James sliding Jessie's body out of the Jeep. She fumbled with her cellular phone, tears streaming down her face.

"Pallet Emergency Operations. What's the nature of your emergency?"

Cassidy bit her lip hard, letting the pain calm her. "This.. there's an accident. H-hurry please.. It's on the 19 to Viridian. I think there's Pokémon involved too..."

"Calm down ma'am, help's on its way. Can you give me an idea of how many humans and Pokémon are involved?"

Cassidy looked up at the Jeep. "Uh.. t-there's two humans.. a Pokémon.." She scanned the road, and then saw the boy. "Ketchum.. that kid, and his-"

There was a gasp on the other end. "Oh my! I'll be right there!" The connection was cut.

Cassidy dropped the phone, noticing something nearby. She was walking on sheer adrenaline. She finally dropped to her knees. "You.."

Gasglow looked up, his eyes struggling to focus. He tried to chuckle, but coughed instead. His voice was raspy. "Surprised?"

-=-=-=-=-

"Jessie..." James watched his tears dripping down onto her face.

She started to say something, but he put a finger to her lips.

"Don't try to talk.."

She mouthed words, then coughed. Every breath was filled with agony.

James bit his lower lip to keep it from trembling. "I love you..." He held her hand in his, and looked up at Meowth.

Meowth shook his head again, trying to deny his own fears as well as James'. He looked down the road and saw rescue vehicles speeding towards them. Maybe...?

Jessie pulled James' hand closer, coughing again, her breath rattling in her chest. She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

James slowly leaned down and kissed her, and then pulled back.

She clenched his hand tightly, then her hand fell limply to the ground.

James looked at his watch, hoping help would arrive in time. He looked down the road, seeing rescues vehicles. "Hurry, damn you..."

It was 11:25 AM.

-=-=-=-=-

"Dammit, why.."

The small man's suit was lightly wet from blood trickling from his mouth, and a small stain on his lower torso. "Made a deal.. that if I made sure you all died.. she.. would kill Giovanni.." His breaths came in quick, short gasps.. "Had to.. make you care.. make James vengeful.. all of you suicidal.. sounds kinda crazy... but... she said it'd work..."

Cassidy looked at him, trying to soak in the depths of his treachery. "Why did you-"

"Save her.. save you.." It took a bit longer this time to catch his breath.

Cassidy looked up, hearing sirens in the distance. "Save it, help's here."

Gasglow tried to shake his head, but it only lulled to one side. "Can't help.. too damaged. Never figure me out in time.."

Cassidy looked down, feeling sick at the sight of Gasglow's head lulled to one side. "What the heck do you mean? You look great for someone that just played tag with a half-ton of steel!"

"I'm not.. totally human..." Gasglow motioned with his eyes downward.

Cassidy popped the buttons off his jacket, and shirt. The skin of his torso and belly was ripped, but wasn't bleeding as freely as it should have. Underneath, pieces of metal, tubing, and wiring could be seen. Cassidy looked back up at him. "You're a machine!?"

"Cyborg.. part human.. Rebuilt by Team Rocket.. Giovanni wanted to save me.. as a machine loyal to him, before the Mewtwo stuff. Lead scientist that fixed me, got me out.." He took a few more deep breaths.

"Isn't there a shop or something back at HQ? Maybe this guy-"

"He's dead.. Killed by Giovanni.. Can't make it back to the shop.. in time.." He sighed.

"What? Hey, can't you fall into a stasis or something? I mean, there's gotta be-"

"Parts of brain and body still flesh.. Got pretty smashed up.. Surprised I'm online this.. long.." He smiled.

Cassidy wiped away some tears. "What..?"

"Thanks for.. caring. Do me a favor.."

Cassidy looked moved closer. "What?"

"Take body back to HQ.. Watch out for Giovanni..." He sucked in another breath, turning his eyes skyward. "Sorry.. Mya.." There was a small whine as his breath slowly hissed out, for the last time. The pupils of his eyes shrunk down to pinpoints.

Cassidy sobbed for a few moments, before closing Gasglow's eyes. She looked up and noticed the fire trucks stopping. Wiping away some more tears, she tried dragging the body away, but discovered it was too heavy. She started to walk back to her meeting point with Butch, when there was a rumble and the Ford Explorer crept in from around a stand of trees.

Butch jumped out and ran over, then gagged when he saw the body. "What the-"

"Help me get him in the Explorer, we've got to get out of here.." When no response came, she slapped him. "He's dead! We've got to get him back to HQ.."

Butch shook off the blow, numbly helping his partner load the body.

-=-=-=-=-

3:30 PM, the same day.

The waiting room in the Viridian-Sakaki Memorial Hospital was clean, if a bit smoky-smelling. Nobody was there but the four individuals that had been there for the last three and a half hours. Over an hour after the accident, Butch and Cassidy had also arrived. Delia Ketchum sat in a chair, occasionally erupting into tearful fits of sobbing. Next to her sat Misty Kasumi, caked blood still on her knees. Whenever Ms. Ketchum would start to sob, she would lean over and hug her. In a chair two spaces over from Misty sat Brock Takeshi, his head in his hands.

In the opposite corner of Ms. Ketchum sat a lone human, flanked by two others. When James had come in with Jessie's ambulance, one of the trauma nurses had insisted he be looked after. It had taken a half-hour before his bruised ribs were bandaged, and an x-ray made it clear he had not re-damaged his aorta from a previous crash. The doctor that he saw was extremely upset over his aorta, and berated him for not taking better care. Since then, he had been sitting in the waiting room, refusing to stay in a hospital bed if it meant being out of earshot of the trauma ward. Butch and Cassidy had arrived not very long after James had been allowed into the waiting room. Both looked relieved by James' condition, but worried over Jessie's.

A surgeon walked into the room. His dark-green scrubs were stained with sweat. He looked around the room at the six expectant faces before walking over to Ms. Ketchum. "Ms. Ketchum, I'm Doctor Justin Emeral. I'm the trauma surgeon that worked on your son, Ash."

She looked up at the man, hopeful. "Doctor, is Ash going to be all right?"

The surgeon grabbed a chair and slid it in front of her, before sitting. "This is the situation right now: Ash is out of surgery, and stable. I stopped the arterial bleeding from his upper left leg, which was the most life-threatening. He was administered clotting agents, and he's stopped bleeding internally. He's still critical, though. The most important thing now is the other serious injuries.."

Misty took Ms. Ketchum's hand, knowing where it was going.

"Ash's hip and the last three vertebra of his spine were broken. We've given him a drug that will halt further nerve damage. But until he's out of his coma, we won't know the extent of any damage caused to his nervous system. I've called in a neurologist, Dr. Kasandra Lee. She's specialized in treating children's cases. But she's going to tell you what we both already know: Ash's chances to walk again aren't good, considering the injuries..."

Delia swallowed, tears streaming down her face. "But we won't know until.."

"The coma is drug-induced. We'll give his body six days to adjust. When Dr. Lee is here, she'll talk to you about what to expect, and possible roads of treatment."

Delia only nodded, looking downward.

Misty wiped away some tears, then looked at the surgeon, "Thank you..."

The surgeon nodded, before picking up his chair and walking over to James, Cassidy, and Butch. He looked down at the middle Rocket. "You're James?" When the Rocket only nodded, the surgeon put the chair down and sat. "Does Jessie have any family that might want to be here?"

James shook his head. "Nobody else but us.."

The surgeon nodded. "I talked with the surgeon who is handling Jessie, Doctor Amanda Kestra. She's a crack trauma surgeon, our best. Jessie's still in surgery, but it looks like she'll make it out of the operating room."

James looked at the doctor, blinking away some tears. "You mean..?"

Dr. Emeral put on a skeptical look. "I'm not saying she's out of danger, just that things are going well. She's fighting, and I can guarantee there's a bed in ICU with her name on it. But after that, I can't tell. Dr. Kestra just wanted me to reassure you." He nodded to James and then returned the chair.

Cassidy hesitantly put an arm around James. "I told you she would make it."

James could only nod, feeling oddly numb.

Brock got up and walked over to the surgeon. "Doctor, when will we be able to see Ash?"

Dr. Emeral looked at his watch and thought for a moment. "I'll send in a nurse when they've got Ash settled into bed upstairs. You'll all be able to visit for a little while. This'll be his first night, so it'd be better to keep your visit brief. Tomorrow you'll be able to stay with him much longer. How's that sound to you?"

Brock shook the surgeon's hand. "Thank you very much, and thank you for saving him."

The surgeon only nodded, then left the waiting room.

Twenty minutes later a nurse called Ms. Ketchum, Misty, & Brock, and told them it was okay to go upstairs. As the elevator rose, Brock and Misty watched Ash's mother, both worried at what her reaction would be. The floor with the ICU was very sterile-smelling, and dim. Hardly any sounds could be heard except the occasional beeps of monitors and other machines. The trio were escorted by a floor nurse to Ash's room, which was missing its fourth wall for emergency access.

The room was very chill, and very dim. Ash lay in a bed, completely flat. The only thing covering him were multiple blankets. Though he had been cleaned up, the injuries of the accident were still apparent. The right side of his head had been shaven and bandaged, and his eyes taped shut Multiple tubes snaked out of him to bags and machines. A large tube exited his mouth, and attached to a machine. In time with a hiss and click, his chest rose as life-sustaining oxygen was forcefully injected into his lungs. A frame-like contraption attached to his hip and rode up to his lower chest. Both arms and legs were bound in casts. In short, Ash Ketchum was now existing on the whim of medical science.

Delia Ketchum only stood in silent shock, holding her son's hand tightly. His friends mirrored her emotions.

-=-=-=-=-

"Mr. Kojiro, I'm Amanda Kestra. I operated on your friend, Jessie."

James looked up wearily at the surgeon. She was garbed in dark-green scrubs, and still had her protective mask around her neck. James realized it had been five hours since Jessie had gone into surgery. "Dr. Kestra, yes.. Another doctor told me Jessie was going to leave surgery?"

Cassidy got up and offered the doctor her chair.

The female surgeon nodded to both Rockets before sitting down. "Jessie's doing very good, for the injuries she's suffered. She had serious damage to her internal organs. The most serious bleeding has been dealt with. Right now, we're worried about infection and organ failure. There is one other thing that I wanted to discuss with you, though..."

Cassidy looked down at the surgeon. "What is it?"

Dr. Kestra made sure she had James' full attention. "Her lower abdomen suffered serious lacerations. One of the organs that was damaged badly is her uterus and ovaries."

James looked down. "You.. you mean.."

Dr. Kestra put a hand on his shoulder. "I believe if she makes it past this critical stage, she will recover fully. That's not what I wanted to talk to you about. You said she doesn't have any other family or very close friends.. Now please be honest with me: are you in an intimate relationship with Miss Musashi?"

James blushed furiously, then nodded.

Cassidy and Butch looked at each other in surprise.

"The reason why I wanted to discuss the condition of her uterus, is that Jessie was carrying..."

James blinked several times, before the meaning sunk in. "She.. she was pregnant?"

Cassidy moved to a chair, and sat down, trying to not get sick.

The doctor nodded. "Unfortunately, the damage to her uterus aborted the three-week-old fetus." She put her hand on James' shoulder and squeezed gently. "I'm very sorry..."

James looked back at the doctor, then nodded very slowly. "Th-Thank you, Doctor.."

Dr. Kestra rose. "You should all be able to visit her in a few minutes."

-=-=-=-=-

James held Jessie's hand. It was cold and limp. "I.. I don't know if you can hear me, Jess."

Jessie lay in a bed, slightly elevated. Several heavy blankets covered her, though one could still see the heavy bandages that covered her lower torso. The ankle of her right leg was in a cast. Small bandages dotted her face, covering scratches from the glass. Numerous tubes and IVs ran between bags and machines to her body. Her eyes were taped shut, and a large ventilator tube ran from her mouth to a machine.

"Jess, please come back to me. I need you. I can't live without you."

-=-=-=-=-

Cassidy and Butch stood outside the normal entrance of the hospital. Cassidy pulled a pack of cigarettes from her purse and put one of the tobacco-filled sticks in her mouth.

Butch raised an eyebrow. "You're going back?"

Cassidy lit the cigarette, and exhaled slowly. "I just found out someone I care about is barely hanging onto life. She was also pregnant with a child. I murdered her child, and she might still die!" She drew on the cigarette again. "Getting lung cancer isn't on my list of evils at the moment."

Butch shrugged. "Yeah, lung cancer kills you slowly. We're just waiting for our souls to be snatched away in a flash of light." Butch checked his watch.

It was 4:35 PM.

-=-=-=-=-

11:58 AM, only 33 minutes after Jessie lost consciousness at the accident scene.

Cassidy held up her hand. "That's enough!"

Butch stopped the SUV and put it in park, then popped the back door. He walked around the vehicle. "You sure this is what he wanted?"

Cassidy nodded, then turned when the elevator door opened in the parking garage.

"Good Lord, what did you do to him!?" A slim man walked out of the elevator with a wheelchair. He was wearing a white lab coat and had wire-rim glasses. His dark-brown hair was shoulder length, tied in a ponytail behind him. He looked to be in his early-20s.

Cassidy looked at the body. "It's more like: what did he do to himself. You look familiar. Who are you?"

The man nodded slowly, looking over the body. "My name's Van."

Cassidy looked at Butch, then back at the man. "You look like someone we know..."

"That's because I'm Giovanni's son." He began to slide the body out of the back of the SUV.

The two Rockets helped Van load the body onto the wheelchair.

Cassidy slammed the hatchback closed. "Giovanni has two sons?"

"The one that you see at Silph is Giovanni's biological son. I'm the early result of cloning experiments at New Island. Gasglow smuggled me out of Team Rocket. Speaking of which, let's get him upstairs to Level 20."

Cassidy & Butch followed the young man as he wheeled the body into the elevator. After entering, Van swiped a card through a reader in the elevator. The ride was nearly instantaneous, even though it was twenty-one floors. As soon as the doors opened, Van started to wheel the dead cyborg through a maze of partitioned areas to the back of the lab.

Cassidy looked around at all the screens. "What kinda stuff do you make here?"

Van stopped at a large steel door and pulled a device from his pocket. It beeped and the door began to open. "Don't worry, you'll have time to get the five-star tour later." The door was nearly three feet thick and yet took less than thirty seconds to open.

Cassidy looked into the large, polished-steel room. A single examination table dominated the center of the room. A large, towering device sat next to it, and several wheeled trays stuffed with various equipment were pushed against the walls. Two doors and a wall of drawers were the only other adornments. "What's this, Frankenstein's Lab?"

Van stopped the wheelchair next to the table. "Half right, help me get him on this."

The two Rockets struggled to lift the body onto the table, finally groaning when they made it.

Butch moved his left shoulder around, flinching. "What the hell is he made of, lead?"

Van looked at the body, then reached into a pocket. A small beep could be heard, and the massive door closed. "Always wait until the door's locked down before discussing his condition."

Soon after the door slammed shut, a loud humming penetrated the chamber as multiple magnetic locks closed. Then the room became completely silent, interrupted by the quiet breathing of three humans.

Cassidy looked at the door and then at Van. "Right, now why are we here?"

The scientist nodded, then pulled off the jacket and shirt from the body. He unhooked two long prods, attached to the machine. Both were nearly four inches long and a half-inch thick. "This is going to be disgusting, so you might want to look away." He quickly plunged the two prods into either side of the body's ribcage.

Butch coughed a few times.

"Sorry.. it's required for this to work.." The machine the prongs attached to lit up and started to display statistics, as well as a layout of Gasglow's small body. Numerous regions were colored in red. "Wow, there's actual damage. Blown spinal connections. Mangled three of the servos in his upper body. Ruined the calibration of his optics. Looks like his power cells got damaged, and that sent his critical systems to Safe Mode."

Cassidy looked at the display, but it was confusing. Names and numbers that meant absolutely nothing to her flashed by. "So, what does that mean?"

Butch chuckled to himself. "He's dead, Jim."

Cassidy punched him in the shoulder. "That's not funny."

Van chuckled. "Actually, he's wrong. Not an army tank could take the boss out. It looks like he deflected something big and fast, though. Was he hit by a speeding truck by any chance?"

Both Rockets nodded, especially at the speeding part.

Van pushed a red button on the unit. "There, that should feed his body some power. Safe Mode can look like brain death. Since Gasglow's never been comfortable with his condition, he's never tried to figure out his limits... so it might have felt like he was dying. I don't think he's even gone to Safe Mode in his entire operating lifetime. At least, before he got this way." Van walked over to a door and opened it. It was apparently a closet, because the scientist pulled out two chairs. "Here, I don't normally have visitors in this room."

Butch sat down, but Cassidy continued to hover over Gasglow. "So he's going to live?"

Van nodded, before sticking two pads on either side of Gasglow's chest. He connected the pads to another machine which looked like a computer console. "What's left of his organic tissues are heavily protected. If whatever hit him hadn't been going fast, it probably wouldn't have damaged him enough for Safe Mode. I bet it was a spectacular wreak."

Cassidy felt tears start to flow down her face.

The young scientist looked at her. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Cassidy wiped away the tears. "Someone I know was in that wreak."

Van nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

Cassidy looked down at the body of her boss. "So is he going to wake up?"

Van checked the monitors. "He should be waking up any second.."

-=-=-=-=-

Six minutes later.

Van leaned over Gasglow. "Gasglow?"

Gasglow blinked. "Mya?"

Van shook his head. "No, this is Van. Are you Gasglow?"

Gasglow let out a sigh of relief. "Of course of I am. Where's Cassidy and Butch?"

Both Rockets walked over to the table.

"I guess the whole gang is here... Am I at HQ?"

The three looked at each other and smiled.

"What's wrong?"

Cassidy slapped him, then gasped and held her hand.

Van furrowed his brow. "That's an intelligent way to greet someone that's just come back from the dead."

Butch smirked. "That's Cassidy."

Gasglow frowned. "I deserved that."

Cassidy sat down, holding her hand. "Damn right you did.."

Butch shrugged.

Van walked over to Cassidy and carefully examined her hand. "So just what the heck is going on, if you may mind my asking Sir? First you disappear from the building, then I get a call from upstairs that your body's being brought in." He nodded to Cassidy. "It isn't broken, but it'll be sore for a few hours." Van walked back around the table.

Gasglow thought for a moment, looking down, then around the room. "Why can't I move?"

Van looked back from his computer display. "You've blown some spinal connectors, damaged three servos in your torso, and messed up the calibration on your optic sensors. Oh, and you damaged your power cells, too."

"Great, just great.. How long to repair them?"

Van shrugged. "Depends on how soon I can fabricate the parts. The servos and optics calibration I can do now. The spinal connectors will require a little longer, because of the surgery involved. The power cells I have no idea how I'm going to fix. They're way out of our technology range. Maybe if you could have another one of these things crash-"

"Don't say that!" Gasglow had a look of alarm. He sighed at the looks of confusion the other three Rockets had. "How bad are they?" Gasglow tried to squint at the display, but his eyes had trouble adjusting.

Van glanced at the display. "They're in a state I can only describe as the emergency shut-down for a nuclear reactor. My best guess is when you took that hit, the damage must have tripped sensors in the power cells and they shut down. The magnetic field is very weak, too. Didn't you once say that field was important?"

Gasglow sucked in a breath. "If that magnetic field drops, there's going to a few billion less people here! Is it losing integrity?"

Van looked at the monitor. "No, it's holding. I wish I had known about that particular danger."

Gasglow sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't like going into depth on the hazards connected with my body."

Van only nodded while he read a cascade of data on his computer.

Cassidy folded her arms. "So my secret boss is a homicidal cyborg with the ability to wipe out all of humanity at the drop of a hat. And my other boss is a homicidal human who clones people and Pokémon in his spare time, and plans to take over the world."

"I'm sorry for the deception, Cassidy, Butch. There isn't anything I can tell you that you would want to hear right now. So I suggest you both go and find out about the outcome of the crash."

Cassidy got out of her chair and walked over to the table. "I'm not leaving here until you come clean with us. All three of us."

Butch nodded. "You owe us that much."

Gasglow looked at Van. "You with them?"

Van looked back from the display. "It would serve the good of the team if we knew just what the hell is going on with you... Sir."

Gasglow tried to nod. "I guess you're right. So which secret should I fill you in on first?"

All three looked at each other, then at Gasglow. "JumpGate?" they asked in union.

Gasglow looked between the faces. "Who told you about that?"

Van smirked. "Why, you of course..."

Gasglow rolled his eyes. "Okay, we'll figure that out later. Is there a question I can answer that won't take all day and night to explain?"

Cassidy looked at Butch, who nodded. She returned her gaze to Gasglow. "Why did you set us up?"

Gasglow let out a deep breath. "It was noble sacrifice: for the utter destruction of Giovanni and Team Rocket, our souls would be forfeit..."

Cassidy wrapped her mind around that. She'd never considered it might be a noble sacrifice. "Wait, you don't have a soul!"

"Let's not argue philosophy, please..."

"Who was the one you were making the deal with?"

Gasglow stared straight into Cassidy's eyes. "Myamoto."

Cassidy bumped into Butch as she took a step back. "That's.. impossible. She's dead!"

"Death isn't the end of things."

All three Rockets looked at each other. Cassidy was the first to speak up. "Her ghost offered to kill Giovanni and destroy Team Rocket, if you'd kill us?"

"She's more than a ghost. Much more powerful. Much more.. evil."

Cassidy wrapped her arms around herself involuntarily. "You mean she's a... what, a demon?"

"Something like that.."

Butch clenched both his fists. "So you were going to sell us out to a demon?"

"I was planning on having to join you. If Team Rocket isn't destroyed, this world will suffer. I can't do that by myself. And while Team Blue may be faithful to a last man, even they don't have the firepower to do it. This takes something bigger than all of us, and there's nothing bigger than a celestial being."

Cassidy pushed her hand on Butch's chest, moving him back. She turned back to the table. "So what changed your mind?"

Gasglow chuckled. "Would you believe Myamoto?"

Butch rolled his eyes. "This is turning into a bad sci-fi movie."

Cassidy watched Gasglow's face, trying to discern if he was telling the truth. "Let me guess, this Myamoto was an angel?"

"Right. I know it all sounds insane. But look at the facts: I knew the exact place and time to set up the accident, hours before Jessie & James had left the city. You were right about the Spearow, it was a servant of that first Myamoto. Then I disappeared from the building and directly in the path of Jessie & James' Jeep. The good Myamoto did that. Care to explain how that would've worked without help from that kind of creature?"

Cassidy nodded. "That's all fine and dandy, but why get me and Butch to be friends with those two? You really expected us to go suicidal?"

"No, I expected you two to make the scene and expose yourselves. Then I was supposed to plant clues that would lead James and Giovanni to believe you had caused the accident deliberately. Both would start hunting you down. The evil Myamoto said you'd probably let them kill you out of guilt. Killing the kid and his Pokémon, and all the other stuff you've done, would've gotten you sent to her. After dying, Jessie would be told about your treachery, and that would push her over the edge. Four vengeful, hate-filled Rockets working for the bad guys. Evil couldn't hope to be so lucky."

All three Rockets looked at each other wearily.

Van cleared his throat. "I hate to be the pessimist, but do we even know their current situation? And now that there's a chance the evil Myamoto's plan failed, wouldn't she try again?"

"That's why I wanted Butch and Cassidy to be with them. Have I explained enough that you two at least are willing to stick with me? I'm going to need two good agents to keep Jessie and James from falling into Myamoto's hands. Besides, you're safer here than back with Team Rocket."

Cassidy looked at Butch.

Butch nodded.

She turned back to Gasglow. "We're in, but only until we can figure out a way to get this demon off our backs."

Gasglow looked up at Van. "Van, let them out."

The scientist nodded and pulled out the door control. A beep sounded and the large steel door quickly cracked open.

"Remember, you two need to watch out. If she's going after you, come back here. We'll figure out a plan in the meantime. Don't mention any of this to anybody. You need to retain your credibility while you have it."

Butch swiftly squeezed out the door, but Cassidy stopped. "Thanks for making my life a living hell... again." She disappeared out the door, and it slid shut.

Gasglow looked up at Van. "Let's get this stuff fixed as quickly as possible."

Van nodded and got to work.

-=-=-=-=-

6:30 PM

James looked at the VCR's display as he sat down onto the couch. He moaned as his ribs shifted under the tight bandages. The hospital wanted him to stay in the normal recovery ward, but the catch was he couldn't visit Jessie outside the normal visiting hours. Rather than not sleep in an uncomfortable hospital bed, James chose to not sleep on the couch at Alan and Ann's. Both elites had been devastated by the news of the accident, and demanded James stay with them. The news had already been relayed to Team Rocket Headquarters about the accident, and a leave was given to James.

"You're going to sleep on the couch with those ribs?"

James looked up to see Alan. Both Rockets had returned from a dinner meeting with Cassidy & Butch at a Denny's. "Oh, I guess.. I don't think I'm going to get much sleep."

The dark-green haired Rocket nodded and sat down in one of the chairs. "Ann did what you asked, and checked on Meowth..."

James waited, but the silence kept going on. He looked up at Alan. "What about him? He was doing fine.."

"He was a bit more injured than even he knew. Nurse Joy says it was the heat of the moment, it deadened the pain. She said he'll be in intensive care for at least a week, maybe more."

James nodded, then furrowed his eyebrows. "What about that kid's Pokémon?"

Alan was thrown off by his question. "The Pikachu?"

James nodded. "How was it?"

"Worse than Meowth. In fact, Ann said she heard from one of the trainers there that Nurse Joy started crying when they brought it in. Damn shame, really. I bet it doesn't survive past a week."

James closed his eyes. "Why did this happen.." It was a question to the universe rather than to Alan.

Alan got up from the chair. "Ann decided to sleep over at the Pokémon Centre. So when Meowth wakes up, there'll be someone familiar there."

James nodded, eyes still closed. "Thanks, Alan."

Alan nodded, though he knew James wouldn't see. "I'm going to do computer stuff and then go to bed. You know where the linens are. Night, James."

James nodded again. All he could think of at that moment was the accident, and Jessie lying in a hospital bed.

-=-=-=-=-

7:32 PM

Butch yawned, fumbling with the keys.

Cassidy trudged inside as soon as the door opened and flopped down on the couch. She looked around the apartment. It looked just like it did the morning Gasglow had called them in. Wait, that was this morning. She sighed.

Butch closed the door and locked it. He looked at Cassidy on the couch. "You going to bed?"

Cassidy shook her head "If I close my eyes, I'm going to see those bodies. You?"

Butch shrugged. "I'll probably get a few hours sleep. Tomorrow will be just as busy as today, might as well be ready for it. Listen to me being the optimist."

Cassidy nodded before laying her head back on the couch. "There's a first time for everything."

Butch nodded. "Including celestial Myamotos, Gasglow being a cyborg, and we almost killing our rivals and hating ourselves for it?"

Cassidy shrugged. "Giovanni's cloning was getting boring anyhow. Some spice in our lives should do us good."

"It's always good to put yourself on the celestial hit list. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get a few winks before I become a servant of darkness." Butch trudged off to his room.

Cassidy sighed. "We really shouldn't have eaten at Denny's together. James looked positively blasted. I bet he puked it all back up when he got back to Alan and Ann's." Hearing no witty reply, Cassidy knew Butch must already have closed his door. She spoke to no-one in particular, "Like I said, touching conversations."

-=-=-=-=-

12:10 AM

The nurse wrote down the readings on each of the machines before replacing a clear bag of fluid with another. She looked at the woman in the bed. It was so terrible to see people turned into slabs of meat. Her mother's probably not getting any sleep tonight. She walked to the nursing station. "Poor girl in 12, it's such a shame to see someone so young.."

One of the nurses looked up from her duty chart. "You should go to 21. That boy probably won't walk. They were in the same accident."

"Really? That's such a shame. They look like such good kids."

-=-=-=-=-

Three Minutes Later.

"Jessie.."

Jessie blinked her eyes. The last thing she had seen was James' smiling at her. Now someone was calling her. The room she was in was dark. She noticed she was laying in bed. "Wow, that was a bad dream.."

"Jessie..."

Jessie looked around. "Who's there?" She noticed she was in a hospital room of some kind. Now she remembered, she had been in an accident. She looked down and noticed she was in one of those terribly revealing hospital gowns. And she was gray? It must be a dream, she thought.

"Jessie..."

She slid to the side of the bed and gingerly slipped off, attempting to keep her dignity. "Who's there?"

A person appeared in front of her. The figure was wearing a forest-green hooded cloak, with the hood pulled over their head. Whoever it was, they were about Jessie's height, and had a lean build.

Jessie nervously tucked as much of the hospital gown around her frame. "Who are you?"

A light began to shine above the hooded person. "I have come here for you, Jessie." The voice was unmistakably feminine, though a bit husky.

Jessie looked at the light, curious. "What do you mean?"

The figure pointed behind Jessie. "See with your own eyes."

Jessie inched around so she was at the head of the bed, determined not to give this intruder a nice view. She jumped when she saw the person in bed. She almost didn't recognize herself. She saw the wires and tubes. "What is that?"

"That is your body."

Jessie moved to the side opposite the bed from the stranger. She looked at the tubes, and the machine breathing for her. "It is? It looks like I went through a train wreak.."

"A car wreak is the correct term."

Jessie remembered. The accident was terrifying, trying not to lose control of the Jeep. Somebody had jumped out in front of her, and she hit him. Hitting him caused the Jeep to slide sideways into a tree. That was strange, why would hitting someone do that?

"That someone was not a normal person."

Jessie looked up at the hooded person. "How did you know what I was thinking? And what do you mean by 'not a normal person'?"

"I have the ability to read the thoughts of those around me, I apologize for intruding... The person you struck was enhanced, special you could say. Hitting him was like hitting a brick wall."

Jessie looked back down at herself. Good thing for medication, it looked like she was... Jessie pulled back one of the blankets a bit to reveal the heavy bandages around her lower torso.

"The child did not survive."

Jessie suddenly felt sick. A wave of nausea forced her to grab the railing on the bed. "You're lying.. what person could stop a car like that. And how did you know I was pregnant?"

"That person you hit was a cyborg. Part human and part machine. He was engineered to be powerful. And I knew because that is my job."

Jessie looked down at herself, then looked at her own form. "You're job.. you're from the other side?"

The figure bowed slightly.

Jessie pinched herself. She wasn't asleep. "So I'm dead?"

"Yes."

Jessie looked at her hands. They weren't translucent, and they were gray, like the rest of her.

"It is still soon after you passed away, your color will return soon."

Jessie looked down at the body, breathing in time with a machine. "Why is it still breathing and stuff?"

"It is being sustained through medical science. When they perform a brain scan later this morning, they will find nothing."

Jessie looked up at the figure. "So you're my guardian angel?"

"I am much more than that.." The figure pulled the hood back. Myamoto smiled.

Jessie moved forward without thinking about it, moving through the bed. She grabbed onto her mother tightly.

Myamoto held the gray spirit of her daughter.

Jessie finally pulled back after nearly a minute of sobbing. "Mom.. I missed you.."

Myamoto nodded. "I know, Jessie.. I missed you too. I'm just sorry that we had to meet like this."

"Mom, why did this happen? You said something about a cyborg..."

Myamoto nodded again. "A servant of mine after he turned away from evil. I sent him to stop the accident, but it appears that was a failure. I'm sorry I couldn't save you..."

Jessie studied Myamoto's face, every contour, every line. She was everything she had imagined if she had been alive. "What do you mean 'save me'? Save me from what?"

"The accident was planned by Butch and Cassidy to kill you."

Jessie pulled away from her mother's embrace. "What? That.. that's not true. Cassidy would never-"

"She sent a Spearow to attack the boy's Pikachu. Their original plan would have you side-swipe the Pokémon and crash head-on into a tree. The same tree you slid into. The injuries would have killed you very quickly."

Jessie's mind raced with the memory of the accident. There was a moment when a man appeared in the road, standing in front of.. that Pikachu! It had been in the road! She would've hit it and.. the tree, the one she slid the Jeep sideways into. It was true. But where was Cassidy?

"She was waiting some distance from the boy's camp."

Jessie couldn't believe it, but there it was. Cassidy had tried to arrange her death. But-

"By gaining your friendship, she eased your suspicions. It allowed her to stay close to you, awaiting the perfect opportunity to kill you. Even now, she plots to murder you. She does not know she has inadvertently succeeded."

Jessie looked back at her body, lying in the bed. "James..."

"She will kill him soon enough."

Jessie spun back, looking her mother in the eyes. "She.. will?"

Myamoto nodded. "Once she is certain you are dead, she will target James."

"You mean James is okay?"

Her mother nodded again. "He is staying at a friend's apartment."

"Can I see him, before we go?" She looked down. "Um, is there-"

"Simply concentrate, and your appearance will change. When you are ready, take my hand." Myamoto put our her hand, waiting.

Jessie concentrated, and looked down. She was in her Team Rocket uniform, almost as if it were part of her very essence to be a Rocket. "Let's go." She took her mother's hand and the room shimmered. She looked around. She was in Alan and Ann's apartment.

James was asleep. His head was lulled back against the cushions of the couch, and he took slow breaths.

Jessie looked at her mother. "Will he hear me?"

Myamoto nodded. "When the living sleep, they can hear the whispers of the dead."

Jessie walked over and leaned over James on the couch. She looked at his sleeping form and felt tears start to wash down her face. Suddenly his breath began to steam and he shivered. Jessie looked up at Myamoto. "What's going on?"

"When spirits experience a great deal of emotion, the environment changes. It can become very cold, and certain living beings can feel a presence."

Jessie wiped away the tears, staring down at James. "James? James, can you hear me?"

James sighed, the chill air still causing his breath to steam. "Jessie..."

Jessie felt fresh tears come down her face. "James, I have to leave you..."

Thin trickles moved away from the corners of James' closed eyes, and his face contorted. "No..."

Jessie felt her lower lip trembling. "I'm sorry.. I just want you to know.. that I love you."

James' head slowly turned back and forth. "Please..."

"I'm sorry... I'll always be with you.. I promise. I will always love you..." Jessie had to steady herself.

James sighed, the trickles strengthening. "Love.. always.."

Jessie moved back, biting her lower lip. She looked at her mother.

"It is time, Jessie." Myamoto extended her hand, just as a bright light started to emanate from above.

Jessie stepped into the light, taking her mother's hand. She looked upwards. "I'm scared..."

Myamoto squeezed Jessie's hand. "Don't be scared, I'm with you..."

James woke, sobs wracking him. He looked around the room, shivering, tears flowing down his face. "Jessie..."

-=-=-=-=-

James walked out of the bathroom, almost bumping into Alan. "I'm sorry..."

Alan nodded. "It's understandable. Did you get any sleep last night?"

James nodded. "I got some.. but I woke up in the middle of the night. Did you set the thermostat low?"

Alan shook his head. "No, it was at 74. Why?"

James shrugged. "It felt freezing in here when I woke up. Must have been me."

"So you ready to go?"

James nodded. "We need to get there as soon as possible. I had a terrible dream last night that Jessie died..." James swallowed, feeling the emotions crash over him again.

"Hey, she's a fighter. You've got the bruises to prove it, remember?"

James nodded weakly, too tired emotionally to be amused by the joke.

-=-=-=-=-

Cassidy looked in her rearview mirror. "Hey, wave them down."

Butch stuck his head out the window and waved at the two fellow Rockets. "Hey!"

James and Alan walked over to the Explorer.

Cassidy leaned over, looking out the window at them. "Why don't we go together?"

"Sure, why not." Alan opened the back door and hopped in.

James slid in and closed the door. He looked at Cassidy. "Thanks... for being there and all."

Cassidy started up the SUV, nodding to James in the rearview mirror. "She's one of the few friends I have." This time, she wasn't lying.

-=-=-=-=-

Cassidy turned off the SUV. She looked at the police vehicle parked next to her. "Glad we aren't wearing our uniforms." The three other Rockets nodded as they got out of the vehicle.

When the four Rockets reached the waiting room, they found four people there. Two were obviously there waiting for other patients. The other two were Brock, and a woman wearing a uniform, Officer Jenny. Brock rose and pointed. "There they are!"

The four Rockets froze and started to back out, when two men wearing police uniforms walked in behind them. They were brandishing nightsticks.

Officer Jenny walked up to the four. She looked at Alan. "Are these three with you?"

Alan looked at James, Cassidy, and Butch.

Cassidy pushed forward. "He's my brother-in-law. We took his vehicle here."

Alan started to open his mouth, when Cassidy interrupted again.

"I'm sorry I got you into this, Al. Thanks for letting me borrow the car." She put the keys into Alan's hand.

Jenny nodded. "You can go, sir. I recommend you don't leave town, though."

Alan looked at the keys in his hand, then at the look in Cassidy's face. "I'm sorry, Cass. I promise I'll get you the best lawyer." He turned and walked out of the waiting room past the guard.

Cassidy turned back to Jenny. "So, what do you want?"

Jenny nodded to the two guards. They put away their nightsticks and grabbed James and Butch. Jenny pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "I'm taking you three in as Pokémon thieves. The rest of the charges I'll read to you when we get back to the station."

James pushed past Cassidy. "Officer Jenny, you can't do this! I'm here because a.. uh.. friend is in-"

Jenny cut him off. "I know you're here to visit Jessie Musashi. I'd arrest her as well if I could."

James got angry. "You can't arrest someone in the hospital!"

Jenny opened her mouth when a woman interrupted her.

"Excuse me, but what the hell are you doing?" Dr. Kestra pushed past the crowd blocking the entrance to the waiting room.

"I'm sorry, doctor. These three are wanted criminals."

Dr. Kestra looked at Officer Jenny incredulously. "Your work ruined, but you still got your man I see."

Jenny's face colored. "I honestly didn't know, Doctor."

James looked between the two women. "Know what? What are you talking about?"

Jenny spun Cassidy around and handcuffed her. She started to push Cassidy out, but stopped and looked at James. "You can stay here and talk to the Doctor." One of the male officers handcuffed Butch, and the officers led Butch and Cassidy out of the waiting room.

James looked at Dr. Kestra. "What's going on? How is Jessie?"

Kestra shook her head. "This morning I had a CT scan performed."

James studied her face. "What's that mean?"

Kestra stuck both her hands in her coat pockets. "It means that we scanned her brain activity."

"And?"

Kestra looked up into James' face. "The scan isn't conclusive. But her brain activity is very minimal. She might..." The woman sighed. "The scan points towards possible brain death." She grabbed James and helped him sit down when his knees started to give out.

"She's... gone?" Tears began to stream down his face.

Kestra struggled to come up with something. "We don't know for certain right now. I only performed the CT scan because her vitals hadn't strengthened. She didn't suffer serious head trauma. There were no signs of stroke, tumors, or hemorrhaging. Her lower stem, the part that regulates her body, is still working. It's like her higher brain just shut down."

James felt sick. He bent over, even though it made his ribs ache. "She's really gone.."

Kestra put her hand on James' shoulder, trying to comfort him. "I don't want to give up so soon. There's no reason this should happen! I've heard of patients like this, in comas so deep they show little or no higher brain activity. We can't give up this early in the race."

James looked up at Kestra, grabbing for whatever hope she was offering. "You.. you mean she might still be there?" When Kestra nodded, a small smile appeared. "Then we can't give up."

Jenny walked into the waiting room and looked at Kestra. The doctor nodded. "Okay James, let's go." She helped the Rocket to his feet, handcuffed him, and guided him out to her police Jeep.

-=-=-=-=-

"You're where!?"

Cassidy's voice crackled out of the speakerphone. "The Viridian City Police Station."

Gasglow sighed, then flinched. He turned back to Van. "That hurt!"

Van looked up from his work. "Sir, it wouldn't hurt if you had let me shut off your neural receivers."

Gasglow sighed again and returned his attention to the phone. "Okay Cassidy, I'll get you and Butch out of jail."

"James too."

Gasglow nodded, futile since Cassidy couldn't see him. Police stations didn't let prisoners use the vidphones (the screens tended to be smashed in anger). "I'll get him out as well."

"And I got some bad news, some really bad news..."

Gasglow laid his head back down on the table. "Please tell me it doesn't involve Jessie..."

"Jessie's almost brain dead."

Gasglow looked up. "Almost or completely?"

"I don't know, the doctor told James she just shut down overnight. I don't like this at all."

Gasglow nodded again. "You're right, it smells rotten. Just sit tight and I'll get you out in under thirty minutes."

"Okay." A click signaled the end of the conversation.

Gasglow hit the Speaker button.

-=-=-=-=-

"We don't know, sir, but someone bailed them out. One of the guards said he overheard Butch and Cassidy talking about someone named 'Gasglow'. I'll try to find out more." The line clicked.

Giovanni hit the Speaker button. "Very interesting. I never would have believed Gasglow could steal one of my best up-and-coming teams. Certainly not as brazenly as this. I believe you now."

Myamoto smiled, revealing a set of fangs. "Always the skeptic, right lover?"

Giovanni slid his hand up her back as she sat on his lap. "Well, when one is dealing with such a gorgeous liar as yourself, they must be certain about the facts."

Myamoto wrapped her arms around him, her face hovering inches from his. "Oh, of course."

Giovanni grabbed her thick purple hair, jerking her head back. "Now, you would never think of betraying me, right.. lover?"

Myamoto moaned. "Mmm... I would never give up such a handsome mortal as you, Giovanni. Certainly not the man who took care of my little girl so well."

Giovanni studied her face, and those dark-green, malevolent eyes. "Do not forget, she's my little girl too."

Myamoto shook off his hold on her hair. "I expected you to have already disowned her. You were young and stupid, remember?"

Giovanni took her chin between his thumb and index finger. "Whether you believe it or not, I care about her. And I wasn't just young and stupid. I could have anything I wanted.. and I wanted you."

Myamoto smiled again, waving her hand. The double doors of Giovanni's office locked. "And you had me. Now..." She moved to Giovanni's ear, whispering. "...it's my turn."

-=-=-=-=-

"Let Cassidy in."

Van activated the remote and the large steel door opened.

Cassidy walked in, flinching as the large steel door closed. "I see you're back on your feet."

Gasglow sat on the edge of the table, the twin prongs still stuck in either side of his ribcage. "Getting there. Where's Butch?"

"I sent him back to our apartment with James. I don't want James alone, just in case."

Gasglow nodded. "That's a good idea. I just got off the phone with one of our friends inside the police station. Someone sent a lawyer down there to bail you out. And it seems he paid one of the guards for some information on anything you said."

Cassidy had a look of confusion. "Who sent a lawyer?"

"Guess who."

Cassidy sighed. "I'm as good as dead then. But how did he know to check the jail? I mean, it wasn't that long since Alan left... he couldn't have told the boss that quickly."

Gasglow concentrated on the wall opposite him. "I think we just found out how Myamoto plans to get all of you. Now that I've broken our pact, she's gone to Giovanni. I bet she already has Jessie."

Cassidy fell backwards against the door, a look of fear frozen on her face. "You mean Jessie really is brain dead?"

Gasglow shrugged. "I don't know, but it makes sense. All she has to do is convince Jessie she's dead, and wait for the girl's body to be pronounced brain dead. The hospital will shut the machines off, and then Jessie really will be dead." Gasglow noticed Cassidy starting to open her mouth and cut her off. "Already got a judicial restraining order against the hospital. They can't shut the machines off, for now."

Cassidy sighed. "But if she's got Jessie, then all we've got is her body."

Gasglow nodded. "Right, and I'm stuck here as long as my power cells are down. If Myamoto's got her spirit, then we're pretty much fighting the same celestial enemy I was planning to turn on Giovanni."

A voice echoed from the doorway, "Perhaps it is time we even the odds?"

Cassidy spun around and moved away from the door. "What the..."

A woman slightly taller than Cassidy walked through the door itself. She had long, purple hair, and sky-blue eyes that sparkled with life. She was adorned in a dark-blue, hooded cloak, with its hood pulled back.

Cassidy nearly tripped over the chairs remaining from her last visit. "You.. you.."

Gasglow eyed the woman. "You're fashionably late as usual, Mya. She's already got Jessie's spirit, and she's working with Giovanni."

The spirit nodded. "I was witness to all of these things."

Gasglow began to slide off the table, when Van put a hand on his shoulder. Gasglow looked down at the prongs and sighed. "Really, and you did nothing because...?"

"I have been severely reprimanded already for my ill actions. Interfering would likely cause me to be demoted or worse."

Cassidy straightened herself out. "What kind of angel are you, that you would just let her kidnap Jess!?" She involuntarily moved back a step when the spirit turned its gaze on her.

"I am a guardian of the light, above all other concerns. There are matters more grave than this. No matter how important you believe this is, there are things of far greater importance!"

Cassidy shivered. "Did it just get chilly in here, or is that your wonderful disposition?"

Van looked up from his console. "Her disposition caused the chill. It's a spiritual thing."

Gasglow folded his arms. "So why did you come?"

Myamoto turned to Gasglow. "I came here as a courtesy. While I am not allowed to interfere, I have been told to provide one thing and one thing only."

Cassidy looked hopeful. "Weapons to fight the evil Myamoto?"

Myamoto shook her head. "No, that has already been decided as too radical. I believe the exact wording of the request was to give Gasglow a 'jump start'." She pulled out a small, spheroid device from apparently nowhere. Numerous lights blinked on its surface.

Van's eyes reflected the lights, as he stared at it in awe. "What is it?"

Myamoto brought the device close to Gasglow, and the monitor connected to him began to beep. He shuddered for a moment, and the monitor began to beep louder.

Van looked at the monitor, then the device in Myamoto's hand. "Whatever you did, it started one of his power cells back up. I don't suppose you're planning to leave that here?"

Myamoto shook her head. "It is a temporary loan from friends. I can only tell you that if Gasglow had remained on the inferior power supply provided, the power cells would have lost containment. That is an unacceptable risk." The device disappeared from her hand.

Gasglow pulled the two prongs from his sides and got down onto his feet. He looked up at Myamoto. "You know that puts me at a greater risk if something happens, correct?"

Myamoto nodded. "If need be, I shall return periodically to 'recharge' you. It is this, or I remove you from this place forever. You are too valuable here to do the latter."

Cassidy looked between the two of them. "So that's it? Here's a recharge, don't go spend it all in one place?"

Myamoto turned back to Cassidy. "That is all I can do now, I'm sorry." She nodded to Gasglow, before disappearing.

Cassidy folded her arms. "This Myamoto must have come from a place that was really uptight. The one I heard about was nothing like her."

Gasglow put on his shirt, then sighed when he realized the buttons had all been popped. "We'll figure something out. We just better-"

The phone rang. Gasglow picked it up.

"Yeah, what is it? What!? When? How? Did they try to resus-..? Damn! What did the administrator say? You've got to be kidding me! Did you talk to the nurse? That doesn't sound accidental to me, threaten to call in the board of health! Let's see if we can shake any rotten apples from the tree!"

Gasglow slammed the phone down. "Dammit!!" He bowed his head.

Cassidy looked at him. "What is it?"

Gasglow kept his head bowed. "Jessie's body died ten minutes ago."

-=-=-=-=-

Cassidy sighed as she walked away from the tree she had been standing under. It had been nearly two weeks since Jessie had died. Giovanni had immediately reassigned her and Butch to training new recruits, as close to retirement as Team Rocket gets.

James had been "attached" to the training assignment as a way of keeping him around. In the two weeks since Jessie's death, most of Team Rocket had begun to shun James. Losing your team-mate had a tendency to hang around one's neck. He was a walking pariah, and he knew it. His only friends were Meowth, Alan & Ann, and Cassidy & Butch.

Cassidy had just finished watching a funeral for Ketchum's Pikachu. James had insisted on going, though they had to stay far enough away not to be noticed by the large crowd of attendees. Cassidy leaned against the Explorer as James walked up. "You ready to go?"

James nodded weakly and got into the SUV.

Cassidy looked at James as she started up the vehicle. Since the accident, James had become terrified of driving, and refused to drive himself. The persistent rumor was that James was headed down the path of self-destruction and exile to a mental institution. Cassidy growled to herself as she spun the wheel and began the long drive back to Viridian. 'Idiots.'

James looked out the window, staring at the scenery. "Why?"

Cassidy looked at James uneasily, trying to discern if Gasglow's prediction was true, and Giovanni had told James the truth. "Why what?"

James looked back at Cassidy with hollow eyes. "Why did all this happen?"

Cassidy focused on the dirt road. "Some people say our lives are controlled by Fate. That no matter what we do, we're destined to go down a certain road."

James nodded weakly. "You think Jessie and that boy's Pikachu were meant to die?"

Cassidy shrugged. "I don't really know. If it were true, well... then Fate's really messed up."

James turned back to watching the scenery. "I'm sorry you got stuck baby-sitting me."

Cassidy glanced over at James and sighed. "It isn't baby-sitting, James. It'd be wrong to leave you to fend for yourself right now. I'm just glad the boss gave you a place to stay and let you keep your job." Her cellular phone began to ring. "Hello? Oh, hi. Well, he's here with me now. You sure? What about... Okay, it's your call." She pressed a button, ending the conversation. "Uh, James?"

James continued to stare out the window. "Yes..?"

"I've got someone I'd like you to meet. He's a friend of me and Butch."

James shrugged. "Okay."

It took over an hour to get back to Viridian City because of the traffic from the funeral. Another twenty minutes later, Cassidy had parked out front of the building. She got out of the SUV. "He's in here."

James got out of the Explorer. He glanced around for a moment as if someone had just said something to him. Suddenly the SUV exploded in a shower of glass and the top of it flattened in, driving the vehicle into the pavement. James now found himself on the ground.

Cassidy got up from the explosion, and started to help James up, when she saw it.

Or more precisely, her. She was dressed head-to-toe in black armor, adorned in spikes. Her gauntlets consisted of demonic claws. A black sword glowed angrily in her right claw-hand. There was no helmet on the suit of armor, though there was a sort of face-plate. Likely this was likely because her eccentric hair style wouldn't fit in a full helmet.

Cassidy slowly got up, half-shocked and half-scared witless. "What the hell..."

The women laughed, an evil, cruel-sounding laugh. Her dark-blue eyes were filled with deep hatred for everything they beheld. She rose from the wreckage, minor cracks showing in her armor. "Hell is a great word for it!"

James fell back against the side of the building in fear and shock. "No..."

Suddenly they heard what sounded like a bomb. Cassidy looked up just in time to see Gasglow hurtling down from 10 stories up. He smashed into the black-armored female, sending both of them deeper into the wreckage of the SUV. The explosion sent Cassidy to the ground and caused large cracks to form in the cement and pavement surrounding the mangled pile of steel.

James started to crawl sideways along the building, shaking his head from side to side.

Cassidy slowly found her feet, just in time for her ears to be pierced by a horrible scream. Something was thrown from the wreckage and slammed into the side of the building, cracking the masonry. She ran/hobbled to Gasglow. "You still alive or we about to get blown up?"

Gasglow slowly rose, though it was a wonder how. His right leg was twisted at an odd angle, and his left arm had been cleanly sheared off at the elbow. Part of his face showed hints of metal. He looked at Cassidy, then James. "Both of you, get out of here!"

James only stared, bewildered. Then he gasped in shock.

The armored creature rose from the wreckage, standing nearly eight feet tall. Huge, black-feathered wings unfurled from its back, and parts of its armor suffered from severe cracks or were shattered apart. The creature snarled in frustration, revealing two sets of fangs. A noticeable, black-purple aura emanated from her. "I just got this armor made, you little weasel! If you've got a soul, I'm gonna slowly rip it from your twisted remains!!" She flapped her wings and cleared the distance from inside the SUV's remains to the sidewalk.

James slid down the wall to a sitting position. "Jessie.. no..."

She laughed wickedly. "Why James, you look positively broken! What have they been feeding you?"

Cassidy stood up in front of James. "Back off, bitch. You may look like my friend, but you're not her!"

Jessie sneered at the woman. "You were never my friend.. And now you're going to pay for killing me!" She grabbed Cassidy's shoulder with her left hand, drawing blood. She laughed as the woman cried out in pain, and started struggling. Suddenly the struggle ceased.

Cassidy looked down at her stomach to find the sword shoved through it. The pain was so overwhelming, all she could do was stare blankly.

Gasglow slammed into the black-armored woman, throwing her sideways, and forcing her to withdraw the sword from Cassidy. Suddenly there was a quick motion and he noticed his whole middle torso spraying dark-red fluid.

Jessie laughed as the small cyborg doubled over and fell to the pavement. The aura around her brightened. "That's one down, a few billion to go!" Suddenly Gasglow faded away. Jessie screamed and slashed down with her sword, but the pavement was the only thing sliced apart. "NO! Who dares!?"

James held Cassidy, feeling her blood spill all over him. Shock kept him from crying, or even reacting in some noticeable way. He looked up and realized something was standing in front of him. It was familiar, but he wasn't sure why. The creature reached down and touched Cassidy's wound, causing the bleeding to subside. Cassidy remained unconscious. James then realized it was a Pikachu. A Pikachu the size of a Raichu. But.. when did Pikachu grow that big? And why was this one wearing an eye patch?

Jessie spun around. "Who the hell are you!?"

The over-sized Pikachu leapt to stand in front of the two downed Rockets. It's voice was high-pitched and squeaky. "Is this fight taken?"

James blinked. A talking Pikachu?

Jessie snarled and brought her sword up. "Any time, you dumb rodent!"

The Pikachu then did the most startling thing. It grew nearly three feet, and was suddenly adorned in golden armor. Out of thin air, it pulled a sword of blazing light. Two wings of golden light appeared from its back. James watched in dazed fascination as the human-sized rodent and the winged woman fought. The Pikachu held amazing power, and almost seemed to toy with her.

As they fought, James felt something growing within him. Was it rage? Rage at this creature that usurped Jessie's name and beautiful face? Yes, that must be what it is, rage. Rage that had to be released... all that hurt of the last few weeks boiled up. James threw himself at the creature, knocking her to the ground. He faintly heard the armored Pikachu yell at him, "Stop you fool!"

Jessie was unprepared for the interference. Her sword fell away from her grasp and she found one-hundred and forty pounds of mortal flesh laying atop her. She glanced up and saw a face filled with anger, pain, and sadness. Tears dropped off his cheeks onto her. Something within her broke free and her voice became softer. "J-James?"

He smiled. "Jessie.. Please stop.. I love you.."

Jessie fought back whatever it was inside of her and snarled. "Sentimental fool!" She shoved him off of her like he was weightless, sending him flying backwards onto the cement. She quickly reached for her sword, but a blazing light appeared inches from her face. She looked up at the one-eyed Pokémon, feeling cold fear embrace her. "Another time!" She vanished, as well as her sword.

The Pikachu slashed down, but she was already gone. "Damn!" The sword of light disappeared, and the Pikachu looked around. People were already starting to wander towards the scene. He blinked and the world ceased functioning. A woman appeared next to him as he shrank back down, armor and wings disappearing. It took a moment for the Pikachu to steady himself. He looked up at Myamoto. "Well, boss-lady, I did what you wanted me to. I fought her and she got away. Tell me this: is the transformation always this tiring?

Myamoto nodded. "You are still growing in power. In time you'll have a great deal more stamina..."

The Pikachu looked around at the scene of destruction. "Should we stay and help?"

Myamoto shook her head. "You have more to learn, apprentice. And I have already abused our relationship enough." She waved her hand and both disappeared. Suddenly the world started to function again.

-=-=-=-=-

James blinked. "Then they were gone..."

Dr. Kausing nodded. "What about when you stabbed Cassidy?"

James looked at the ground. "No.. I didn't stab her.. That evil lady did."

"The one that looks like your dead friend?"

James nodded. "Yes, but she had wings and fangs, like I told you."

He nodded and rose from his chair. He waved over the two orderlies.

James looked at the orderlies worriedly. "Is it time to leave again, Dr. Kausing?"

The psychiatrist nodded. "Yes, James... we're finished for today. We need to break past these feelings of guilt, about your friend Jessie. You need to move past the hallucinations, and see your real actions."

James rose when the orderlies gently took both his arms. "I'm sorry."

Kausing nodded. "That's perfectly fine, James. Nobody's angry at you for this. We just have to help you." He watched as James was led out the door and it was closed. He looked down at his watch as he scribbled in his notes. It had been three months since the young man had been brought in for psychiatric care. Dr. Kausing sighed, at the lack of progress more than anything else.

-=-=-=-=-

End of "Sign Posts"

Based on the original works...
"End of the Road" by Anni Ruecroft
&
"Field 24" and "Archangel" by R. A. Stott

Characters from Pokémon anime (C) 1996, 2001 Nintendo of America, Inc. & GameFreak, Ltd.
Characters & situations from "Field 24" & "Archangel" (C) 2000 Denivan Media Services, Inc. - Used with permission.
Situations from "End of the Road" (C) 2000 Anni Ruecroft - Used with permission.