-=-=-=-=-

Spiritual Revelations
by TG

(Part Eleven of Fate's Game)


"Whoever heard of a yellow brick road...
Why would you want to paint bricks yellow?"

-=-=-=-=-

"I can't believe I agreed to this!"

Cassidy smirked as she zipped up the little girl's jacket and stood.

Gasglow looked down at the little girl Samantha, then back up at Cassidy. "I don't like the idea of taking her to South America. You know the place is swarming in trouble with a capital 'T'."

The little girl appeared to be having trouble following the conversation. "What's a South America?"

The three of them were standing in a creme-white room, wearing cold-weather gear. A large, circular platform sat in one corner, and across from it sat a large console. Van was typing at a keyboard on the console, glancing at the screen.

Gasglow turned his attention to the girl. "It's a place filled with jungles, and some of those bad people are there."

Cassidy squeezed the girl's hand. "It's like a forest, but much hotter, and there's things there that can hurt you."

The girl nodded. She pointed at the range of devices strapped to Gasglow's belt. "What are those?"

Both Rockets looked nervous.

"They're things that hurt people, aren't they...?"

Cassidy knelt down in front of Samantha. "We're only taking them as self-defense. Nobody's really going to be hurt."

The little girl looked up at Gasglow.

He nodded, then tapped a few of the devices. "These aren't really weapons for people. They're weapons for spirits."

The little girl nodded. "Spirits are those bad people with the wings?"

Cassidy and Gasglow looked at each other wearily.

Cassidy turned back to the Samantha. "Did Mew say anything about people with wings?"

The little girl nodded. "She said that a lady with wings tried to kill Uncle Butch, but she stopped her."

Van looked up from the console. "Got it."

Gasglow turned around. "Butch's transponder?"

The scientist nodded. "The signal's faint, but it's still there. I've loaded the coordinates into the transmat's targeting system. It won't put you on top of him, because the mountains are scattering his signal, but it'll get you close. Whenever you're all ready to go..."

Gasglow looked up at Cassidy. "I still don't like this, taking her into such a dangerous situation."

Cassidy stood up, taking Samantha's hand. "She may be the only way we'll find Mew... Mew and Mewtwo may be targets now too."

Gasglow reached over and picked up a large, black backpack, easily hefting it. "That may be so, but I still don't have to like it." He stepped up onto the platform and turned around. He noticed Cassidy's hesitation. "It'll be much smoother than your last encounter."

Samantha stepped up onto the platform, pulling Cassidy's hand. "I wanna see Mew!"

Cassidy gingerly stepped up onto the platform. "Speaking of still not liking something..."

Gasglow nodded to Van. "We'll stay in touch via satellite, which should give you a good enough pinpoint to transmat us out if necessary."

Van nodded. "Good luck."

"Energize."

-=-=-=-=-

Brock sighed as he dropped the data pad onto his desk. "I don't understand..."

"Understand... what?"

Brock looked down at the data pad. "According to this latest scan, Black Lugia is no-where it shouldn't be, temporally speaking. It just appears in the future timeline for Level Prime."

Kinza pointed at the pad. "It says it appears about 15 years ahead of its last appearance. Maybe it decided to take a break from level-eating?"

Brock's eyebrows twitched. "A 15-year break? Exactly 15 years in fact. Where was it that whole time? There's got to be something, it can't just appear from nowhere... right?"

"If you had the ability to break the TDZ, would you stick around in normal space waiting to be found?"

Brock sighed, leaning back in his chair. "No... but Black Lugia couldn't have gotten away with enough energy to just float around out there. It had to have come out somewhere. You saw North's report... 30% mass isn't very much. How much do you think it had after it escaped?"

Kinza picked up the data pad and scanned through the numbers. "I'm no scientist, mind you... but this thing probably didn't travel very far. Maybe a few sub-levels down? When it came out, it probably wasn't all in one piece either."

Brock stared off. "We've already poured over Levels 1.2 through 1.8. They're all clean."

"Level 1.1?"

Brock focused on the Tomassamassa. "There's far too much interference, but we already verified that Level 1.1's Lugia is alive and well. If Black Lugia were there, one of its first targets would be that level's Lugia."

-=-=-=-=-

"I really hate surprises!"

Cassidy smirked. "No kidding..." She looked down at Samantha. "You okay, hon?"

Samantha nodded, then flinched when something cracked off a nearby rock.

The trio were currently sitting behind several large rocks. When they had appeared on the mountain path, a group armed to the teeth were waiting for them. They had immediately opened fire, forcing the two Rockets to duck behind the rocks.

Gasglow peeked over the threshold of the rock, identifying all eight of their assailants as black-suited Rockets. He ducked back down next to Cassidy. "Eight black-suits, but when did Team Rocket start arming their black-suits with automatic weapons?"

Cassidy sighed and laid her head back against the rock. "They're TS agents. They're the only Rockets who carry automatic weapons. I bet those are all standard-issue TEC-9s with the repeater pins installed, making them full-auto."

Gasglow looked down at Samantha, with her arms wrapped around Cassidy. "I believe they were using the extended clips, with 30 rounds of ammo. I also think they're using Black Cobras."

Cassidy shuddered. Black Cobra bullets were the deadliest one could be armed with. The bullets possessed a softer lead in their tips, which either changed into shrapnel or deformed to enlarge the actual bullet's damage path. It was all a matter of whether they struck bone or soft tissue. Either way, a target was going to be dead or only slightly alive.

The gunfire stopped. A soft, feminine voice echoed over the rocks. "Team Blue agents, surrender and come out. We promise we'll make your deaths quick."

Cassidy turned to Gasglow. "I know that voice..."

Gasglow cocked his head to one side. "I thought you hated TS agents...?"

She nodded. "I do, but her and Al live across the hall from me. We've exchanged greetings and all, maybe I can give you a diversion?" Cassidy looked down at Samantha. "I'm gonna have to stand up, just stay close to the rock, okay?"

The girl nodded and moved back a bit, obviously frightened.

Gasglow grabbed Cassidy's arm. "If they get a shot off, I won't be able to pull you away in time."

She nodded. "I understand the risks." She raised her hands and stood up.

A woman wearing a tight, black Team Rocket uniform was standing in front of the other Rockets. She flicked back her hair and smiled. "Cassidy, I should've known. I had you pegged a traitor from the day we met." She leveled a black Colt .42, also known as a Saturday Night Special, aiming straight for Cassidy's forehead. "Any last requests before I splatter your brains across the Andes?" Suddenly she screamed out in agony and fell to her knees, dropping the weapon to hold her head.

A man with dark-brown hair behind her got a look of alarm. "Bloody 'ell, they got psychics! Get the Jigglypuff! Somebody shoot her!"

Cassidy blinked as a light-blue bolt of energy leapt out from beside her, striking the group. She watched as everybody groaned and crumbled to the snowy earth. She looked down at Samantha and noticed she was perfectly still. "Samantha?"

The little girl looked up at her, her lower lip trembling and tears pouring out of her eyes. "I'm sorry..."

Cassidy got down on her knees and held the little girl, who started to let out deep, tearful sobs. "It's alright..."

Gasglow hopped over the rocks and tapped one of the twitching TS agents with his foot. He grinned with satisfaction when the man groaned. "Still alive." He quickly searched the agents from head to toe for weapons. He pointed a pistol-like device at the pile of guns and a beam of dark-red energy melted the pile into a block of useless metal. He walked back around the rocks, where he found Cassidy holding the little girl. "What happened?"

Cassidy looked down at the little girl, who had stopped crying. "She touched that woman's mind. She isn't the nicest person in the world, so..." She left the rest to be unspoken.

Gasglow nodded. "They won't be standing up for a little while, so take your time, both of you."

-=-=-=-=-

Gasglow briefly glanced down at the device in his hand. "It should be right through that..." He pointed at a huge pile of rocks and snow that had fallen over the mountain path.

Cassidy looked at the rubble, skeptical. "I don't think we can climb over that."

"Climb is not what we're going to do." He adjusted the settings to the pistol-like device, then pointed it at the avalanche. A beam of dark-red energy struck the debris, most of which started to smoke and melt away. Several larger rocks shattered or tumbled down the mountain. When Gasglow stopped, the path was littered with small rocks and wet from the melted snow. "I'll go across first to make sure there's no other hazards.

Cassidy nodded. "Just try not to slip and fall off the mountain, I don't wanna wait all day for you to run back..."

Gasglow grinned and walked through the rock-covered path. He stopped when he had reached snow-covered earth again. "Okay, let's go..."

Several hours passed as the weather became increasingly colder the higher they climbed. The further they climbed, the more narrow the passage became. Gasglow quickly stopped the group and tied a safety rope from himself to Cassidy & Samantha. The winds and snow soon made conditions near white-out. As they rounded a narrow outcropping, they found what was once a niche in the rock. It had been blasted apart, and small chunks of rock were strewn over the path.

Gasglow looked around. "Looks like someone has already been here." He pulled two devices from his belt, one of which was a light of some kind. "Everybody stay behind me." As he crept in, he noticed traces of blood.

Suddenly Samantha bolted forwarded, but was stopped by Gasglow. "Mew's hurt! We gotta hurry!"

Gasglow untied the safety line. "You two stay here." Before an argument could ensue, he handed the light to Cassidy and walked off into the darkness.

Cassidy untied the remainder of the safety rope, grumbling.

A voice penetrated the darkness. "Cassidy..."

The female Rocket took Samantha's hand and began to walk through the darkness. "Gasglow?" There was a tug on her hand. "What's wrong Samantha?"

The girl pointed to their left. "That way..."

Cassidy squinted to her left, looking at the cavern wall. She looked ahead of her into the pitch black. "You're confusing me, Samantha..."

Samantha reached down and picked up a pebble. She threw it ahead of her into the darkness. Almost twenty seconds later there was a small crack and an echo. "See?"

Cassidy edged her toe out into the darkness and felt it lose touch with rock. "That's creepy, the light should be showing a drop..."

The little girl grabbed Cassidy's hand and tugged her towards the wall to their left. Her hand passed through the wall and soon her entire body as she and Cassidy stepped through.

Cassidy blinked a few times before her eyes adjusted to the bright light. They were standing in a large cavern. In the center was Gasglow, in front of a cat-like creature. It was strangely humanoid in form, but possessed a sloped forehead and cat-like eyes. It stood on its hind legs and was pointing a paw at the small human, who appeared frozen. "Mewtwo..."

The creature looked at the two humans and its eyes narrowed. "Even more invaders?", it thought broadcast.

Samantha looked from Cassidy to the Pokémon. "That's Mewtwo?"

Mewtwo floated towards the two humans. "Why can I not read either of you? Neither of you are machines, yet something stops my abilities... WHAT IS IT?"

Cassidy looked down at the little girl holding her hand. "Samantha, be careful... Mewtwo's a very dangerous psychic."

Mewtwo floated back a few paces. "The child's name is Samantha?"

The girl nodded her head several times. "Are you Mew's friend?"

Mewtwo waved his paw, sending Gasglow stumbling forward to the floor. "I am Mew's... friend. I did not know you would bring other humans with you."

Gasglow brushed himself off as he got up. "I guess that's an apology. Where's Mew and Butch?"

Mewtwo looked at the small man. "Mew is resting after our last battle with a she-demon. Your human friend is still in a coma. Come, I will show you to him." Mewtwo turned and began to float through one of the cavern's many exits.

As they followed Mewtwo, Gasglow turned to Cassidy. "Is it me, or is Mewtwo actually being nice?"

The Rocket shook her head, then looked down at Samantha. The little girl glanced between the two adults.

Gasglow smiled weakly. "I know Mewtwo only by reputation..."

She seemed to understand and nodded. "Mewtwo doesn't want to hurt anybody."

They all stopped when the passageway widened out into another room. The "room" was little more than a cave with a large bed of straw. Lying in the bed, wrapped in several old-looking blankets, was Butch. A weeks-old growth of beard covered his face and cloth was wrapped around his head. His breathing was very slow and even.

Gasglow turned to the psychic Pokémon. "Why is his pulse and blood pressure so low?"

"His body functions have been slowed to protect him. Mew has been insistent that he would be retrieved by his human friends."

Cassidy knelt down, shaking a bit. "I told you not to go off and get yourself hurt... stubborn fool."

Gasglow walked over and hefted his pack to the floor. He opened it and pulled out a small box, then opened that to reveal a screen and keyboard. He then placed a smaller device on Butch's chest.

Cassidy coughed a few times, standing back up. "Um, is he okay?"

Gasglow tapped several buttons. "He has poorly-healed internal injuries. He needs to be transported immediately back to base." He reached into the pack and pulled out a telephone handset. "Van, are you receiving the telemetry data? Is the computer sure it can transmat him in his condition?" He glanced up at Cassidy. "If you want, you can go with him and take Samantha back. There's no need-"

"You need me here." She cleared her throat before continuing. "He isn't going to be very talkative, so I should stay where I'm needed."

Gasglow shrugged. "What about Samantha?"

The little girl grabbed Cassidy's hand. "I wanna stay..."

Gasglow shrugged again. "Guess that's decided." He returned his attention to the headset, "Van, transmat Butch now." Butch's form shimmered for a moment, then disappeared. "We'll be in touch." He put the headset back into the pack and stood.

Mewtwo glanced between the two Rockets. "Why are you staying?"

"You said something about Mew insisting Butch's friends would come. Was it intuition?"

Jessie walked in, wearing a white Team Rocket uniform. "Or perhaps it was FATE?"

Everyone spun around, Cassidy shuffling Samantha behind her.

Jessie smiled. "What... no gasps of alarm, no dramatic music?"

Cassidy rolled her eyes. "You never were big on entrances."

Mewtwo created a field of blue energy around him and the others. "You are too late, the human you seek is gone. Now go back to your pit!"

Gasglow pulled a device from his belt and pointed it at Jessie. "I think you better take Mewtwo's advice."

Jessie laughed. "You can't seriously believe I was after that loser Butch? I simply needed to wear Mew and Mewtwo out for the TS squad on its way here. Since you showed up, you brought out my first real target... the girl."

Mewtwo's eyes narrowed. "You cannot have her."

Gasglow squeezed the trigger, sending two shots at Jessie. But the demon simply waved her hand and the shots glanced off an unseen barrier. "Give it up old man." She balled up her fist and struck Mewtwo's barrier, causing it to shimmer and crackle.

The psychic Pokémon started to tremble in the effort of keeping the barrier up. "I do not know how long I will be able to stop her. Leave with the girl now!" There was a sound like a thunderclap that knocked everybody to the ground including Mewtwo.

Jessie smiled, her other hand still held out, palm smoking. "Like taking candy from a baby..."

Mewtwo struggled to get back up, but Jessie kicked the Pokémon clear across the room, where he slammed against the wall of the cave.

Gasglow leapt up and fired four times in rapid succession, then blinked in amazement to see the shots vaporize inches from Jessie's head. "Fine, let's try the hard way." He barreled at the unimpressed demon and struck out, hitting her several times in the torso. Each time, though, she remained perfectly still.

"Mechanical idiot." She balled up her fist and laid an upper cut on the cyborg, knocking Gasglow upwards into the ceiling of the cave. As he fell, she twisted around and kicked him straight into the empty pile of straw, causing the cave wall to noticeably crack in that location. She grinned, her fangs protruding, as she watched her old rival rise off the floor from protecting Samantha. "Ready for Round 2, Cass?"

Cassidy clenched her fists. "Time to dish out some just desserts..." She ran straight for Jessie and struck her with her best haymaker. She bit her lip to keep from sobbing in pain as several bones in her hand broke.

Jessie grabbed Cassidy by the front of her black uniform and lifted her straight off the ground. "You always were pathetic, Cass. Now you're weak and pathetic." She tossed the Rocket aside like a piece of rubbish.

Samantha's lower lip trembled as she looked over at Cassidy, lying on the floor doubled over in pain. "Au-Aunt Cassidy..."

Mewtwo slowly slid up, using the cave wall as support. "Die, demon!" He thrust out both his paws and released several balls of blue energy.

Jesse watched the balls head for her and blew like she was working on birthday candles. The blue balls popped, their energy fading away. "You're much better staying unconscious..." She cupped her right hand, forming a crackling red ball. She readied to throw it when a force knocked her back, the red energy bursting in a harmless light show.

Samantha rose to her feet, her eyes glowing dark-blue. Energy of the same color poured down her small body, causing her hair to move about akin to the angry tentacles of the Medusa.

Jessie took a few steps back in surprise before resuming her permanent sneer of an attitude. "Little girl wants to play with the adults, does she?"

Cassidy started to crawl towards the girl. "Samantha... don't fight her... please..."

Jessie turned towards the voice. "Don't you ever shut up?" She pointed her right hand at Cassidy, but a force started to pull it away. Her look of surprise twisted into rage. "I'll kill them ALL!"

"NO!!" The entire room was swept into a storm of psychic energies with Samantha at the center. Jessie was thrown backwards. She howled in anger as she was forcefully shoved back through the entire passageway and out into the large cavernous entrance. The energy sweeping her away yanked her forcefully out into the dark passage outside and she screamed as the force threw her into the darkness, and into a long downward shaft.

The storm subsided a little as the girl's anger changed into fearful tears. She threw herself into Cassidy's arms as soon as the older woman had stumbled to her knees.

Gasglow shook his head a few times. "That was some battle." He glanced over at Mewtwo, who was still slumped against the cave wall. "You okay?"

The psychic nodded slowly. "I shall recover my energies. It is important we hurry and awaken Mew. I am certain the she-demon will recover from that attack shortly."

Gasglow walked over to Cassidy, who was quietly rocking the girl. "Can you both stand?"

The Rocket nodded and rose from her knees, her face acknowledging the pain in her right hand. She took Samantha's hand in her left. "I don't want to put her through that again..." she said, as the group started to move out into the larger cavern.

"Leaving so soon!?" growled a voice from the darkness. Jessie stumbled in from the outside passage, large black wings sweeping out from her back. Red energies radiated from her, giving her the look of being on fire. She was carrying a sword of fiery-red energy. A thin ribbon of black liquid oozed from several cuts on her, including a gash on the side of her head. "Do you know how long a drop that shaft was?" She licked her bleeding lip, smiling. "Not long enough!!" She raised her sword...

"Jessie!" called a voice from another passageway. A woman with purple hair walked out, flanked by a small, cat-like creature that floated in the air.

Jessie blinked a few times before asking, "Mom? What are you doing here!?"

Myamoto shook her head as she spoke, "I am not your..." She left the title unsaid.

Samantha pulled out of Cassidy's grasp and ran over to the cat-like creature. "Mew!"

The small psychic Pokémon tilted its head, her eyes filled with questions. "Mew?"

Jessie pointed her sword at the creature. "Keep that thing away from me! I'm going to kill it before it does anything more to me..." She stopped when Myamoto walked out in front of the others.

"You will do no such thing. I've healed Mew, and I alone am easily your superior in power. Now leave..."

"No way are we letting her go!" growled the equally-battered cyborg. Gasglow glanced at Myamoto. "We can destroy her now." He pointed a weapon at the demon, but it was knocked from his hand. He glanced up at Myamoto.

Jessie snarled, "Next time!" She took a step back and faded away.

Gasglow turned on Myamoto. "What the hell are you doing!? We could have had her!"

"Mew... mew mew mew! Mew mew..."

Cassidy glanced between the two Pokémon. "Uh, what did it just say?"

Mewtwo nodded before translating, "Mew says that Myamoto would never destroy her own daughter. A mother's love extends to her daughter no matter what."

Gasglow turned back to Myamoto. "You were here the whole time... that was why Mew felt so confident we would save Butch! Why didn't you just-"

Myamoto cut him off, "I can't interfere directly, especially when my... when Jessie is involved."

Mew smiled as Samantha hugged the small Pokémon.

Cassidy turned to the conversation. "What do you mean? She isn't your... Hey, wait... you spoke like a normal person!"

The cyborg studied Myamoto for a moment as an expression of surprise covered his face. "You're different... your eyes aren't blue anymore... and your voice has changed."

Myamoto glanced between the two before nodding. "I had to alter my appearance and mannerisms, to give a convincing impression that I wasn't the same Myamoto you met before."

Mew glanced up at Myamoto. "Mew? Mew mew mew... mew mew mew mew?"

Samantha glanced at Mew in confusion, then looked up at the three adults. "She doesn't understand what you mean. She says you're Myamoto, and she wants to know why you say you aren't."

Myamoto smiled weakly. "I'm not the Myamoto of this world, I'm from a world very similar to this one."

Mew tilted her head to one side. "Mew? Mew mew mew! Mew mew mew... mew mew mew mew."

Mewtwo glanced at Myamoto. "That's impossible..."

Myamoto glanced back. "What's wrong?"

Samantha looked even more confused. "Miss Myamoto... Mew says you're wrong and you're her Myamoto. She says that she had to send you to a different world because that was what she was told to do."

She felt apprehensive and at the same time curious. "I'm the one that doesn't understand now. If I'm the Myamoto of this world, then who is the demon Myamoto? What happened to the Myamoto of Level Prime? It just isn't possible for me to be from this world..."

Samantha glanced at Mew for a moment, then nodded. She reached out her hand. "She wants to show you."

Gasglow looked between the various individuals. "I don't like the idea of a closed telepathic link. I suggest we all go in."

Cassidy put up her hands. "Wait, you want me to dive into Mew's head?"

Samantha shook her head. "Mew says that these aren't exactly her memories, but that she'll protect us from anything in them."

Gasglow glanced at Mewtwo. "I don't want our guard down. Can you break the link from outside if there's trouble?"

The psychic Pokémon nodded. "I will guard your bodies."

Gasglow glanced up at Cassidy. "Well, I don't know how this will work, considering our... improvements."

Myamoto glanced back at the two Rockets. "You need to make flesh contact with me. You might feel a bit disoriented, but it should work." She held out her hand to Gasglow.

Gasglow gingerly slipped his hand into hers, feeling rather odd. "Uh, okay... Cassidy?"

Cassidy took her boss's hand, a bit uneasy about this. She watched Myamoto take Samantha's hand and suddenly the world spun around her a few times and disappeared.

-=-=-=-=-

"Oh great, nobody told me this ride would make me sick." Cassidy slowly stood up, her stomach finally tucked back down into its proper place.

Gasglow shrugged as he appeared next to her. "It could be worse. Where's Samantha?"

Myamoto turned to the two Rockets. "Samantha is acting as a conduit for Mew, but she won't know what occurs here."

"Good, because I don't know what kind of parental advisory this will have."

Cassidy smirked at Gasglow.

Slowly a landscape began to form around the trio. It became a thick jungle, filled with the sounds of wildlife and a light mist.

Myamoto glanced around nervously. "This is South America..."

Cassidy did the same, but for a different reason. "It doesn't feel hot or steamy. No biting insects either... what kind of vision is this?"

Gasglow likewise glanced around, surveying the landscape. "A vision that conks out my sensors."

A rustling sound came from in front of the trio. A young woman with dark-purple hair appeared through the bushes, a machete in hand. Behind her were almost a dozen other people. Everybody was wearing camouflage jumpsuits with black 'R's on the chest. The woman glanced back at the panting men carrying packs. "Come on you bunch o' Slowpokes... we're on a tight schedule here! I want us on the mountain before dark!"

The trio sidestepped the group as they tromped past. Cassidy looked over at Myamoto. "You were rather pleasant..."

Myamoto frowned. "I was arrogant, ambitious, greedy..."

Gasglow stopped her. "Hey, you weren't totally at fault. Come on, let's follow them." He turned and began to trudge after the group.

As they walked, the jungle started to thin out. The ground became hilly, sloping upwards into the mountains. At various points along the way, the group in the past would stop, giving the trio time to rest as well.

Gasglow glanced up at Myamoto. "So what was all that about back there?"

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Why were you really in the cave? You could have healed Mew and left, but you stuck around... why?"

Myamoto glanced over at her younger self. It was so eerie to see herself, if Mew was to be believed and that really was her. "I... I can't really say, it just wouldn't be right..."

"You were protecting Samantha, weren't you..."

Myamoto and Gasglow looked at Cassidy. Gasglow nodded slowly. "Of course... that's a perfect deduction."

Myamoto smiled weakly. "I'm glad you figured it out... but I just..." Her voice trailed off when she turned her attention back to the group as they returned to their march.

Gasglow stopped her and turned her to face him. "Tell me what Samantha has to do with all of this. Her birth was arranged..." His face lost some color. "No... tell you had no hand in this!"

-=-=-=-=-

"What's she doing?"

Jesse shrugged, watching her friend sitting on the floor. "Psychic revenge plot, perhaps?"

Sabrina was sitting cross-legged on the floor in only her hospital gown. An angry blue glow flowed around her entire being, causing her hair to move around her. Her eyes glowed a similar shade of blue, focused far away on something unseen.

James scratched his head, then began to walk over. He jerked back reflexively as a barrier zapped him. "Hey, why is she in a psychic barrier?"

Jesse folded her arms, continuing to watch her friend. "I wish he was here to tell us..."

Both Rockets sighed. It hadn't been two months since the electric rodent... archnemesis for years and mentor in a few months of spiritual insanity, had perished. As much as they, but especially Jesse, hated to admit it... they considered the creature a friend. It was still a touchy topic to discuss.

"I hope somebody tells me what the heck is going on soon or I'm going to start throwing furniture," Jesse said, annoyed.

James and Meowth smiled weakly, not quite sure if she was be humorous or serious.

-=-=-=-=-

Myamoto turned her back to Gasglow. "It's being done right this instant..."

He walked around to face her. "What, what is being done?" he growled.

Myamoto kept her eyes averted. "She... Sabrina is following through with a... I guess you could call it a psychic order. I delivered it to her when I... when I healed her mind."

The leader of Team Blue rocked back onto his heels, absorbing this information. "Sabrina... Miss Natsumi..." It all came to him at once like a scream through the dark. "That was the call! You arranged for some kind of suggestion from the future to be implanted into Van. That was why Miss Natsumi felt so strange..." It all kept inter-connecting in his mind, tumbling about. Layer after layer, things that made no sense became clear. He was startled when he heard a loud smack.

Myamoto was holding her face, looking at Cassidy in shock.

Cassidy wiped away several tears. "You... you bitch!"

He grabbed Cassidy by the waist, lifting her and moving her away. "Get a hold of yourself! That was completely uncalled-for!"

Cassidy didn't struggle, she simply glared down at Gasglow. "It... it was like she... me and Van..." She didn't say the word, but then again it didn't need to be said aloud for the implications to be clear.

Gasglow was about to berate her for such a heavy-handed remark when he glanced at the hand on his shoulder, and then up at Myamoto. "Mya?"

There was no red mark to indicate she had been struck, but her eyes broadcast a great deal more pain than a mark could. "I'm sorry Cassidy... I can't excuse what was done. I won't hide behind 'I was just following orders' either. Samantha was truly a child of destiny, though... and it doesn't matter whose soul she carries, or the circumstances of her birth. She loves you like a mother, and I know you love her like a daughter. She belongs here, and bringing her here was the best thing that could have ever been done... for the both of you." She smiled weakly, wiping away a few tears of her own before turning and walking fast to catch up with her younger self.

Cassidy swallowed hard, watching the woman go. She glanced down at Gasglow, who was also watching his ex-partner. "You know whose soul Samantha carries, don't you..."

Gasglow started to walk, glancing to his side to make sure Cassidy was keeping up. "I wasn't sure, but after what she just said... I'm certain I know. You met her briefly..."

She nodded. "Do you know her?"

Gasglow shrugged. "I know of her. I guess it's rather ironic in a way... her younger self setting up the circumstances for her older self to be reborn."

Cassidy nodded again.

When they had caught up with the group and the older Myamoto, a silence fell over them. The trip continued as they finally entered the Andes Mountains. Even with snow and wind blasting about them, the trio felt no chill.

Cassidy glanced over at Myamoto, who even though there was no cold, had wrapped her arms around herself. The move was surprisingly similar to Jessie's... wrapping herself and sinking into her own world. "Hey..."

Myamoto glanced over at Cassidy with only her eyes. Just like Jessie. It was all the more eerie when she turned her head to look at Cassidy. "What?" A barely-veiled growl, just like Jessie.

Cassidy fought the urge to snarl back. "You know... that's just like Jessie..."

Gasglow, somewhat behind the two women, watched the exchange. 'I hope I don't have to step in...'

Myamoto's eyes became slits. "What do you mean?" The growl had retreated, now her voice was simply threatening.

'Quick girl, think of something...' "I just meant that was exactly how Jessie acted... back when I knew her."

Myamoto snorted and turned her attention back to the path. "You didn't know Jessie..."

Cassidy shrugged. "Maybe I didn't... but I knew how she felt about certain things, and we did stuff together. We celebrated your fortieth birthday together."

Myamoto glanced over at Cassidy for a moment, but didn't say anything.

"She was pregnant."

All three stopped. Myamoto and Gasglow looked at Cassidy in astonishment.

She nodded, looking down at the snow-covered path. "She didn't tell anyone. We found out after the accident... when..." She took a deep breath to keep the memories from bowling her over.

Myamoto turned and looked out over the landscape. At their altitude, she could just see under the clouds the vast jungle spread out over the land. "Rose..."

Gasglow shook his head before turning to Cassidy. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Cassidy shrugged, still focused on the path. "You didn't need any extra guilt at that moment. After she died, there didn't seem like a good time to tell you." She turned and walked past Gasglow. She put a hand on Myamoto's shoulder, causing the older woman to momentarily jump. "I'm sorry..." She then turned and started to catch up with the phantom group.

"It... the baby... would've been Rose," she said weakly. A chill went up her spine.

Gasglow gently placed a hand on Myamoto's arm. "You can't be certain of that... no-one can. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be? We can't second-guess what happened, it's just the way these things have turned out."

Myamoto glanced down at the man. Tears were still running down her face. "I know..." They both caught up to the phantom group, which was stopped in front of a large niche in the side of the mountain. The back wall was covered in various pictograms, carved into the rock. They had apparently been standing there for some time, while the younger Myamoto examined the niche.

One of the men grumbled, which caused the younger Myamoto to spin around. "What was that!?"

The Rocket pulled out a gun and aimed it at the elite. "I said you're gonna get us all killed! All you care about is getting your precious Mew, while the rest of us could freeze to death! I'm declaring myself the new team leader, we'll dump you off once we get back to camp." He waved her forward with the gun.

The younger Myamoto smiled as she walked up to the Rocket thug. She leapt forward, grabbing the gun and aiming it upward. A struggle ensued as both fought to gain control, the other Rockets looking on in shock. Several shots rang out before Myamoto kicked the man in the groin, knocking him to the ground.

A rumbling echoed around the mountain and the man looked up. "Y-You caused an avalanche! Run!!" He immediately rose and ran with the others. The trio of witnesses looked about as the entire mountain seemed to quiver in anger.

The younger Myamoto started to run as a wave of snow and rocks blew off the mountain. A cloud of snow was kicked up, obscuring everything. Minutes passed as the cloud of snow settled or blew away, leaving an enormous pile of packed snow and rocks.

Cassidy looked at Myamoto, who was standing with her mouth agape. "I didn't know..."

Myamoto nodded and started to speak when the avalanche shifted. She moved back a few steps as her younger self climbed out of the mess.

The younger Myamoto coughed, holding a large gash on her forehead that was bleeding profusely. As she stood, she spun back to face the pile of debris. "DAMN YOU!!" she yelled, her voice echoing off the mountain. She trudged towards the observers, passing right through Cassidy to stop at the niche. She then sat down and pulled off her heavy jacket before tearing a strip of cloth from her jumpsuit's sleeve. She used it to bandage her head, the entire time shivering.

Cassidy knelt down, looking at the phantom. "I... I can't believe she... you... survived the avalanche."

The older Myamoto took a deep breath, nodding. "I... I'm not sure I want to watch myself freeze to death."

Gasglow watched the younger woman slip the coat back on and then pull out a photograph. "They didn't tell me..."

Cassidy stood and glanced over at Gasglow. "Do you think they told Giovanni?"

He looked around, his mind wandering. "I have no idea... the man was... I don't know, he just seemed... destroyed." He looked over at Myamoto for some reaction.

The older Myamoto had turned to look out over the misty landscape surrounding the mountain.

Gasglow shrugged. "If I could attribute a shred of humanity to him, I'd say he was changed by this. I don't really know, I was busy locked away with my own emotions. Locked away with my infernal machine..."

"My little Jessie..."

He turned towards the younger Myamoto, who was staring at the photograph in her hands, crying. "Why is Mew showing us this... WHY?"

"Mew?"

Everybody turned towards the sound. Hanging in the air was Mew, looking past the trio at the phantom, a perplexed look on her face. "Mew?"

The younger woman stood. "Mew! Please... I... I need your help!"

Mew flew slightly closer. "Mew?"

The younger Myamoto walked through Cassidy and Gasglow, her hands outstretched.

The older Myamoto turned, her arms held out. "No... don't do this..." She shuddered as the phantom of her self stumbled straight through her towards the Mew. Suddenly the entire landscape blurred.

They were on the same mountain and Myamoto was still sitting.

Cassidy looked over at the other two. "What the heck just happened?"

Myamoto shuddered as a dark shadow passed over the trio. "I... I don't believe it..."

It was simply a shadow, but its outline was so familiar. The dark shadow bore blazing red eyes. "Myamoto..."

The younger elite looked up at the shadow as it fell over her. "W-Who's there?"

Cassidy felt a chill through her entire being. "W-What is that?"

Gasglow grabbed Cassidy's hand and pulled her behind him. "It's... Black Lugia. I don't know how, but it's in the past... Be careful Mya, even in these images, it's still dangerous!"

Myamoto moved to the side, stepping out the shadow as it crept closer to her younger self. "I don't understand."

The shadow spoke, "You are the mother of Jesse, are you not?"

The younger Myamoto stood and nodded her head. "B-But what are you? How do you know my name... and my daughter's name?"

"I have come to deliver you the world, Myamoto... as well as revenge against all those who have done this to you."

The elite nodded slowly. "I... I want to see my daughter again!"

The shadow seemed to nod as well. "You shall see her, and much more... but you must do something for me in exchange."

The older Myamoto looked at Gasglow. "This isn't me! This must be..."

The cyborg cut her off, "Level Prime, yes... I thought it might be that."

The younger Myamoto shook her head. "I don't understand... what do you want?"

"Open your soul to me... and you shall see your daughter again. You will be able to do whatever it is you like."

The older Myamoto was about to speak when Gasglow grabbed her hand. "I... I know this is just an image of the past. But it's insane! I can't believe I would give up my soul to Black Lugia..."

The younger Myamoto nodded. "I'll do it... if it allows me to see Jesse again, I'll do anything!"

The shadow swept forward like a wind, encircling and blowing into the younger form. She stumbled back before regaining her balance. Her green eyes were dark and malevolent. "The power... I can feel it."

A form materialized, floating off the side of the mountain. "Mew!"

Gasglow looked up at Myamoto. "What's going on?"

"Mew... Time for me to capture the world's rarest Pokémon!" The younger Myamoto grinned and reached out, then started screaming as a dark-blue barrier formed around her. Her screams became even louder as the barrier tightened in around her, matching her body shape.

Cassidy watched the screaming woman, feeling a bit of empathy. "What is Mew doing to her?"

Myamoto shook her head. "I don't know... but it doesn't look pleasant."

A dark-red mist steamed off the screaming woman and formed into something vaguely humanoid. A second form of light-blue flashed into being behind the screaming woman and leapt forward, merging into her. She immediately quieted down and fell to the snow-covered ground, moaning in pain. Then the landscape shimmered slightly. Myamoto was frozen in mid-stride, leaping towards something in front of her. The dark-red form flowed into her and suddenly her leap resumed.

Myamoto was yanked back when she tried to move towards the falling woman. Her... the younger woman's screams echoed off the mountain for several moments and were suddenly silent. Myamoto looked down at Gasglow, alternating between shaking in anger and pain.

Cassidy glanced back at the cliff. "So what did we just witness?"

Gasglow walked past the two women and looked over the edge of the cliff. He turned back. "I'd say we just witnessed a little something called 'the switch'. Unless I'm totally off, Black Lugia came into the past and corrupted the Myamoto of Level Prime to alter history. Mew of our level either switched souls or somehow split each and grafted together good and evil sides, including the Black Lugia corruption in the one that died here."

Cassidy looked between Myamoto and Gasglow. "What's a Black Lugia?"

Gasglow folded his arms, staring at Myamoto. "A very evil creature... one that is supposed to be dead. But this gives me the impression it isn't..."

Myamoto nodded. "You're right, Black Lugia is still alive. We don't know where it is right now, and all our searches are turning up nothing. We need to get back..."

The landscape swirled around the trio.

-=-=-=-=-

Cassidy shook her head to clear it of cobwebs. "You might want to give me a warning next time. The re-entry is almost as bad as going in."

Gasglow blinked a few times. "It was a quick ride... my internal chronometer reports only seven minutes and forty-two seconds have passed."

Myamoto looked at Mew in Samantha's arms. "Mew, why wasn't I ever told? I shouldn't have had to learn this from you, of all individuals..."

"Mew mew mew. Mew mew, mew mew mew."

Samantha looked up at Myamoto. "Mew says that part of you is still the Myamoto of that other world. You needed to believe that, for your sake and... PK's? Is PK a name?"

Myamoto smiled and nodded. "I know... knew him."

Cassidy walked over to Samantha and Mew. "Mew, could you do that trick to Jessie?"

Myamoto looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean? She's too far..."

"Mew! Mew mew mew... mew mew."

Mewtwo nodded in agreement.

Samantha smiled. "Mew says that of course she can do that to Jessie. But she also says that she already did that, and it didn't stop Jessie from coming back."

Cassidy smiled in return. "Good job..."

Myamoto and Gasglow exchanged worried looks.

She looked between the two. "That was good news, but you both look like somebody just died."

Gasglow looked at Mew, still in Samantha's arms. "We're going back to base to get ready. I would like it if you and Mewtwo came with us... our base is safe from demon attack."

Myamoto took Cassidy's arm. "Thank you..." She then faded away.

Mewtwo glanced at Mew, then nodded. "We will go with you."

Cassidy looked down at Gasglow. "You mind explaining all of this?"

He nodded as he shrugged his pack off and pulled out the handset. "When we get back to base." He put the handset to his ear. "Gasglow here, you got a lock on five people? Good, transmat now."

As Cassidy faded, she sighed. "Why must I always wait for the answers?"

-=-=-=-=-

End of "Spiritual Revelations"

Based on the original work...
_The Lugia Chronicles_ by R. A. Stott & Anni Ruecroft


Characters from Pokémon anime (C)(TM) 2000 Nintendo of America, Inc. & GameFreak, Ltd.
Characters & situations from _The Lugia Chronicles_ (C) 2000 Denivan Media Services, Inc. - Used with permission.
Situations from "End of the Road" and "Return Journey" (C) 2000 Anni Ruecroft - Used with permission.
Characters and concepts from "Terminal Solutions" (C) 2000 Steve Brunton - Used with permission.