-Chapter Five-



(New Team Rocket Headquarters, Laboratories, Viridian City)

"Dammit!"
A small stream of blood trickled from the new cut on Dr. Brown's palm. He gritted his teeth and pulled out the piece of glass; it's sharp, rigid point now coated in his blood. He brought his hand up to his mouth and sucked on the cut, to ease the pain.
::Ring! Ring! Ring! Phone call, phone call!::
He sighed as he stood himself up from the mess on the floor, making his way over to his phone.
"Hello?" He snapped, praying that Giovanni wasn't on the other end.
"Doctor, I need your help!"
He breathed a quick sigh of relief, then his expression changed to annoyance once more.
"Parker, now is not the time. I've got a huge mess to clean up thanks to Cassidy, and I can't…"
"I think James is in trouble!"
Dr. Brown paused. As much as he hated to admit it, he was guilty of playing favorites with the agents. He had taught Jessie and James when they had first joined the organization, and James almost immediately captured his heart. James reminded Dr. Brown of how he used to be…but that was a long time ago. Every time he looked into James' emerald eyes, he saw the life he used to love.
"What's wrong with him?" He asked after a long silence.
"I don't know… I think he's unconscious, but…"
"Is he breathing at all?"
"Yes, but barely…and not all the time."
"Pull his eyelids back and tell me…"
"I did already. All I see is white."
Dr. Brown sighed.
"Well…where are you?"
"I'm in the Meowth balloon. I think we're over Celadon City right now."
"Get here as fast as you can, Jessie."
He hung the phone and ran a hand through his hair.
So this is it, after all. What happened in Pallet Town…so many years ago. Is happening again. All too soon…
"It really is true… And now James…"
He swallowed. His mouth had become very dry. He couldn't continue aloud, and he forced all those thoughts out of his head.
"No…No, it's probably nothing. Exhaustion, perhaps. Maybe he got a little overheated. I'm sure that's all."

(Black Fortress, Prisoner Cells, Indigo Mountain)

The room was pitch black. No windows, no lights turned on. Butch wondered if there were any lights at all. He had been awake for almost an hour. He could feel the familiar cool metal of handcuffs around his wrists, and his back was pressed hard against a wall. He couldn't feel the floor, but he could hear noises underneath him. When he had first come to, the noises had been all around him, and they would travel. But now they all seemed to gather together in one area.
Butch fidgeted, becoming restless. He was eager to get out of the dark prison and get revenge on whoever locked him in it…and he wanted to find Cassidy, too. He tensed, hearing what he assumed was a doorknob start to rattle. A thin ray of light filtered inside as the door was opened, and Butch squinted at the brightness of it.
"That too much light for you, son? So sorry, but I thought you'd enjoy a change."
Butch didn't say anything. That was one of the first things you were taught in Team Rocket. You are to keep silent when your enemies have you captured. Even if you don't mean too, there's always a chance that you might say something that could help them somehow. This was extremely important when you were an agent with a particularly short temper.
"How do you like it in here? I personally think windows can ruin a room; it's so much better without them, don't you think?"
Again, Butch bit his tongue. The man before him looked him over.
"I see…so you're the quiet type, eh? I understand. I'll leave you alone, then."
Butch's eyes widened as the man reached over to close the door.
"No! Wait!"
He stopped and smiled, turning back to face his prisoner.
"You want to talk now?"
Butch nodded slightly.
"For starters…where am I and who are you?"
The man leaned against the doorframe and motioned his arm around the room.
"You, my friend, are staying comfortably in one of the new cells in my fortress, here on Indigo Mountain. And I? I am Midas Ranielli."
"Ranielli," Butch breathed. "Then…you're related to my boss?"
Midas smirked and Butch mentally kicked himself.
There I go! I should've just kept my mouth shut!
"Ah…so you do work for my baby cousin. Perfect."
Butch glanced around the room uncomfortably. Midas stood upright again.
"Is that all you wanted to ask me?"
"No… I want to know what you want with me."
Midas stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"You? Nothing at the moment. I'm keeping you here, though, because I may need you later. Once Giovanni finally drops by for a…visit."
Butch swallowed.
"One more thing. Where is my partner?"
Midas nodded, smiling.
"Yes, I wondering when you were going to ask about her. She's locked away as well. Unfortunately, she's not doing as well as you."
"What…what do you mean?"
Midas smiled sadly.
"Very unfortunate indeed. I tell my agents not to shoot unless in dire emergency and what do they do? They just fire away without thinking."
Butch stared at him with wide eyes, feeling bile rise up in his throat as his words sank in.
"She…was shot?"
Midas looked surprised.
"Oh good heavens, no! No, no, no!"
Butch relaxed, but then grew angry.
"Well, what did you mean, then?! Can't you just answer me getting straight to the point?!"
Midas ignored his outburst and continued.
"She was almost shot. The bullet actually hit the light fixtures in the ceiling. The glass collapsed on her. We have yet to stop the bleeding."
Butch looked down at the floor. He felt sick. Midas' sad smile faded, and his face became serious.
"Now I would like to ask you a question. May I?"
Butch nodded silently, unable to speak. He looked up as Midas pulled his and Cassidy's handguns from his pocket.
"You and your partner…both had these. What where you planning on doing with them?"
"We…"
"Were you going to shoot me? Hmm?"
Butch shook his head.
"No! No, we just had them for defense purposes!"
Midas laughed lightly.
"Oh, I see."
He put away Cassidy's gun and eyed Butch's.
"They look very nice. How well do they work?"
"I…I don't…"
"That's okay. I can find out for myself."
He raised the gun and pointed it at Butch's chest. His brown eyes widened again.
"Wait…wait a minute, we weren't going to do anything!"
"I know."
He stared at Butch for a while, and then shook his head. He lowered the gun so it was pointed at Butch's left leg.
"You understand how awful it would be if you escaped, don't you?"
Butch gulped and nodded.
"Y-yes, of course! But we…I…"
"And so," Midas cut him off. "You understand that this is strictly for defense purposes?"
Butch's heart was racing, his head pounding. He couldn't think straight. All he could focus on was the gun pointed at his leg.
"Wait! Please!"
"Don't beg please. It makes my heart ache so."
Midas finger pulled on the trigger. The noises in the room intensified to a loud roar in Butch's ears and whole body.
Butch screamed.

(Black Fortress, East Hall Bedroom, Indigo Mountain)

Two eyes snapped wide open at the sound of a scream. Ni Muchiwa sat up shakily in the soft bed. He placed a hand to his aching head and stared blankly into space.
"Oh, you're awake."
Ni lifted his head as the door opened and the man in the trench coat walked inside.
"Yeah…How long did I sleep?"
"A few hours. Three, tops."
Ni sighed.
"Oh… How did I get here again?"
"I found you in an alley. Remember?"
Ni shook his head.
"No…no, I don't remember anything," he whispered, pitifully.
The man smiled tenderly as his body morphed into that of a young woman's.
"You'll remember. Eventually."
Ni looked over at her.
"Why do you do that?"
"What? Change?"
She grinned.
"Because I'm ShapeShifter!"
Ni sighed again and nodded.
"Okay…and I'm…?"
ShapeShifter took a small brown journal from the bedside table and pointed to the name on the front.
"Ni Muchiwa. That's who you are."
She slid the journal into his hands and watched as he flipped through the pages.
"There's no writing in there. But there are a few sketches and some pictures are stuck inside."
As if on cue, a photograph fell from the book and landed on Ni's lap. He set the journal down and picked it up, eyes filled with confusion and a sense of loss. There was a girl in the picture. Her hair was multi-colored and she was smiling brightly.
"That girl," ShapeShifter started, "is in a lot the sketches. And the pictures are mostly all of her, too. She must have been important to you. A relative maybe, or a girlfriend."
Ni gazed at the picture for several minutes.
"I'm not sure…who she is. But…"
He stopped. ShapeShifter sat down beside him.
"But what?" She prompted.
He smiled weakly.
"But…my heart warms when I look at her."
ShapeShifter nodded slightly, frowning a little. Ni turned the picture over and looked at the word written on the back.
"Pie," he read aloud.
He looked at ShapeShifter, confused.
"Pie?"
She shrugged.
"I'm not sure what that means."
Ni looked back at the girl in the photo.
"Maybe…that's her name."
"Maybe. Like a nickname."
"Yeah."
ShapeShifter and Ni looked up as the door opened. Midas looked in.
"Ah, he has awakened! Still no memory, though?"
"No sir."
"Very well. You will teach him of our mission. And I'm sure he will be willing to help us, since we saved him."
Ni nodded gratefully.
"Yes. Of course."
Midas smiled.
"Good. Welcome to our little family, Mr. Muchiwa."

End of Chapter Five