End of a Reality

by Blue9Tiger and DarkMutatedBrock

*~*~*

H-hello?

Static.

T-Team R-rocket...... H-k-k-Q?

Static.

This is Agent Miyamoto! Currently on the t-track of-----

The sound of some kind of falling debris.

--Argh! Did you get that? I am currently on the track of Mew, as has been ordered, Madame Boss!

Sounds of whistling wind.

However.... I have not been having much luck.... I have spottted it, however! I am on its trail! I will not fail you, Madame!!!!

A crack of thunder.

Madame....? Hello.....?

Is there.... anyone....?

Another boom; a yell.

An avalanche--------------MUSASHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

--Excerpt from recording found in Team Rocket database. Date unknown. Location unknown; lost from the Viridian City Police Archives in a mild Y2K Mix-up.

*~*~*

Chapter 8: Oh, How the Rockets Burn

*~*~*

The sky above displayed every shade of ebony, casting lengthening umbrage against the mediocre buildings of Viridian City and the surrounding land. Pale lights emitted from the buildings in the city, but it was not enough to illuminate the immediate area, leaving the path leading to Route 1 so dark that one could not see a foot in front of their face.

And this was the route that three certain Team Rocket members walked. All three were ecstatic, and their bright moods could not be hidden by the complete darkness. What could send their spirits soaring to such dizzying heights?

They had gotten paid.

"Aaaaaaaaah........" Sighed a much-contented James. There were stars in his eyes as he waddled along , the precious paper clutched to his chest. "Two YEARS of dreams.... all granted in two SECONDS!!!!" He said, his voice steadily rising until he was giggling like a school girl. "Heehee... HEEHEE.... HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHE!!!!!!!!"

"Stoppit, Jimmy-boy," Meowth ceased his smiling for a moment to sweatdrop at the aforementioned Rocket. "You're scarin' us."

Jessie was in too high of spirits to notice that her partner was riding the clouds of over-elation, since her smile was crossing the entire length of her face in one gigantic flipped crescent moon. There was NOTHING that could make her glum at this point, neither any of her partners. Yes, nothing at all could POSSIBLY destroy this WONDERFUL mood, as the trio marched along, visions of snowgasboards, Growlithe toys, and round, shiny things dancing through their heads. NOTHING in Hell or in Heaven could every destroy the mood of pure jubilation, of triumph, satisfaction, accomplishment, and happiness, as James twirled around on a foot, glancing for a moment back towards Viridian forest before coming to a halt.

He smiled for a moment, sighing, until he suddenly froze. Jessie and Meowth were still plodding on ahead, laughing to themselves as James put a finger up, a few feet behind them.

"Erm..... guys?"

"Yeah? What is it, James?"

Jessie turned towards her partner, not shaken from her feeling of ecstasy. She eyed her partner expectantly, and the other returned a thoughtful glance. Though James wasn't the most observant person when it came to most things, his eyes usually did not lie.

"......I think the HQ's being blown up."

There was a moment of profound silence, in which all that everyone did was blink.

And then a volcano erupted, seething burning lava of a single word.

"WHAT?!?!!"

And then then the lava of tongues flowed.
"....WHAT DA MMMMEEEEOOWWTHH ARE YA TALKIN' ABOUT?!?!?" Meowth yelled angrily, swiping James across the face. "It ain't FUNNY ta joke like that!!!!"

"But I'm noooooooooot!!!!!" James whined, rubbing the scratch marks that Meowth had caused. He put up a finger and pointed it towards Viridian Forest. "Look!!!!"

Billowing ebony smoke climbed throughout the night sky, darkening the horizon even more so than it had been without the toxic gases to engulf it. Everyone's elated mood was shattered in that instant, at the sight of the headquarters in flames... AGAIN. Who... would DARE try to destroy the Team Rocket HQ once more? The acrid odor of burning wood, concrete, and FLESH reached their noses.....the very real horror of destruction was upon them.

"Yikes," Meowth uttered in such a high squeak that he was barely audible.

"J-Jess...." James gulped, his eyes wide with fear. "Why does it smell... uh.... like a bad barbeque?"

"I--don't know, James!"

"People didn't.... DIE when dat..... Mewtwo escaped, did dey?" Meowth continued to stare at the horrific spectacle.

"We didn't see anyone---that...died!!" Jessie answered, losing her confidence for a long duration. "We'd better go see!"

With that, she charged off ahead, taking the lead as was inbred in her to do. Yet, the portentous sight made her want to turn back..there was something strange about all of this...

"EEEEEEEE!!!!! JESS, JESS!!! Wait up for MEEEE!!!!" James cried, speeding off after her, and Meowth bringing up the rear, leaving a trail of dust across the ground, and not nearly as anxious to find out what was going on.

"Jess, are ya SURE dis is da smart 'ting ta do? We's GOT our paycheck!!!"

"Of course I'm sure, Meowth!! And the------paycheck can WAIT!!!!!" Jessie shot back, and it was evident that there was definitely something wrong....to make her not worried about MONEY? Money that they worked very hard to dishonestly earn?

James froze a moment, gaping at Jessie as she ran. The only reason that he resumed his running was because Meowth jumped up, grabbed his wrist, and began to PULL him.

"If we're gonna go dere, we might as well do it wit' speed, so START RUNNIN' ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

James stumbled forward and then nodded. "Right."

They were soon all dashing towards the distant, blazing inferno.

*~*~*

Ash stared at the wall in front of him. That's all he really COULD do. He was still in shock from the events from---what was it? A day? An hour? A minute ago? Time was hard to tell in this gruddy, grimy hell, as it seemed to focus all its energy on pressing down on people, on their minds......

And most of all, he was feeling guilty. Guilty about not running from Team Rocket when BROCK had told him to. Why was he so DUMB? Why was he so incredibly stupid.......?

Ash groaned, pulling his knees to his chest and laying his head down in them.

Misty, on the other hand, had cried herself to sleep. She was devastated when Brock was taken away. What did Team Rocket WANT with him? What good was he to them...as a...monster? This was all that occupied her dreams, her turbulent nightmares, that replayed the horrors of the day that had passed.

There was even more silence, as if Ash and Misty were avoiding speech, avoiding talking about the day....

But of course, one could always trust Ash to say SOMETHING.

"Wonder whose voice that was....?" It was more to himself than anyone else, but he said it in a normal tone of voice, which temporarily sparked Misty's curiosity.

"Wha-?" Misty awoke, her drowsy eyelids, stained with tears, lifting. "What voice, Ash?"
She rolled over on her side, that was sore and weak from being on one position for so long. Somewhere, a drip of water hit the grimy floor.

"Oh," Ash seemed a little startled, and then sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. "I dunno. Who was up there? It was, Brock, Ivy...." (He shuddered at that.) "...and someone else, too."

He paused, and got that familiar, dumbfounded look. "I think so, anyway."

"It was Team Rocket's boss," Misty answered in pure rage, that did not abate as she went on to say: "Funny, I don't hear them anymore."

"Yeah... didn't they come back?" Ash blinked. He had been more observant than usual, due to the lack of things to do in the cell. He shuddered. "What if they're doing more experiments on Brock? And... how do YOU know it's the Team Rocket leader? We've never seen 'im before.... Right?"

"I saw him. You didn't?" she asked in suprise, her mind focusing on a not-so-distant memory. It was so clear: all of hell's evils in one large man, with no regard for misunderstood Pokémon. Then she remembered Brock. "No...he can't take anymore......oh, GOD...what if they are, Ash?!" she grabbed the black-haired boy in terror. "What if they put him through more...PAIN?! What if--?!"

She stopped, her face drenched in sweat at the horrific possibilites.

"Well, I don't hear any yelling," Ash stated the obvious. "But then again.... didn't she say something like 'sound panes' or something? Maybe we just can't hear it....." He then answered her first question. "And I don't think I saw him.... You mean----the guy who was tryin' to get Mewtwo?"

He blinked.

"Brock's Onix was in the way."

Misty nodded, remembering Ash take Mewtwo to the pure waters before the despicable human could enter his line of vision. She gave Ash a hard stare.

"Lucky you didn't see him."

And her mind wandered back to Brock, and her eyes welled up again, tears quickly collecting into a puddle on the slimy floor. Her blue eyes wandered to the cell opposite them....its vacancy was so pronounced.

"Huh. Maybe that's why the voice is so familiar....." Ash thought out loud, nodding to himself. There couldn't be any other explanation. However, even as Misty began to cry once more, something was troubling his mind.... something.... faint, but firm at the same time.... He suddenly remembered something completely off topic. Something from second grade. The teacher had written on the white board, "What did you do yesterday?"

And he remembered what he had written, in his wide-ruled, mass-produced school journal.

"Yestirday i wennt too the moveys with my daddy then wie gat ece krem and i got chocolat annd my daddy got vanela cus vanela is thu coler of his favrat pokemun."

Ash blinked. How-----WHY had he remembered THAT out of all things? Ah, well.... he sighed, looking up.

There were more important things afoot.

Ash saw Misty crying again, and moved over towards her. "It's okay, Misty!!! We'll find Brock!!!!" He paused, and then shot himself in the foot. "And if we can't turn him back..... well, I can train him myself!"

Her expression was one of complete hopeless that swiftly turned into anger. The red hot anger derived from despair of not being able to help a loved one.

"TRAIN HIM?!! YOU CAN'T TRAIN HIM, YOU-----!!!!"

Misty lunged and grabbed his collar, shaking him violently, and was about to take it one step further when an unearthly roar rumbled overhead. "Wha--? Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Ash cringed, Misty's enraged face and voice blocking out any sense of sight or hearing.

A deafening crash was heard, followed by terrified human screams and wails, and the sound of something being ignited...

The realization came fast and furious. The building above was on FIRE.

Ash could smell something......

"Hey!!!" He yelled in realization, his eyes brightening. "Are they making Chili Pot Pie??!"

"No, genius!!!" Misty screamed at Ash, her face shading red. "There's a FIRE!!"
The orange-haired girl ran up to the cell, trying to slam the door open. "We've got to get out of here!!!" she screamed in panic.

As Ash was roughly discarded, he crashed on the floor, and rubbed the back of his head rather tenderly.....

BOOM.

He blinked. "Didja feel that?"

BOOM.

He stumbled to his feet, and fell back once more, crying out. It seemed as if Misty had sprained his ankle.

"Feel what?" Misty asked, roughly trying to pull Ash up to his feet, not knowing the slight damage she caused. The impending noise was heard again, and this time she was aware. "What's happening?!"

"AAAAGHH!!!!" Ash cried, gritting his teeth as he slammed into the floor once more. "You hurt me or somethin'!!!!!" He screamed at Misty, caught up in the panic of the moment.

"Aghh! Sorry, Ash," Misty apologized hurriedly, and was a bit more gentle this time, supporting him as she tried to pick him up.

Ash nodded, and leaned against the wall, panting heavily. "How.... are we gonna GET OUTTA HERE?!? We'd need a HUGE Pokémon to break those bars----like with TEETH and CLAWS and HORNS, and-----"

His prayers to heaven were answered by hell.

From outside of the cell, there was a heavy, slow, breathing, as the darkness seemed to grow, and to meld with the darkness that was already there. At first Misty thought it was only a shadow from one of the other objects in the corridor, but that assumption was proved wrong... VERY wrong, as blood crimson eyes snapped open, the two raging pits of perpetual hell emanating a single hue of red.

Without warning, the bars cracked, the pieces of metal being hurled elsewhere, that startled the two trainers. The monstrous jaws of the creature opened, and the long, reptillian tongue dripped acidic saliva, that ripped pores into the floor that hissed as it was corroded by the fluids. Misty looked up in horror at the horn projecting out of the monster's head, like that of a Nidoking, but ten times more deadly.

The hideous animal moved foward, the entire cell rumbling as a deafening roar tore from the abomination's vocal cords, sending Misty and Ash into stark terror. The deadly creature, whose blood-colored eyes were filled with the lust for death and destruction, as that is what it existed for, hurled itself at the weaker one, the boy, and leaned its jaws towards the terrified trainer, ready to tear him limb from limb.

Ash couldn't move. He could run. He couldn't hide. He couldn't yell, or scream, or fight back.....

He was completely paralyzed as the dinosaur-like, reptilian head came straight at him, the tongue dripping with that horrible saliva, that DISGUSTING, REVOLTING drool.... Was this one of Ivy's CREATIONS? It could not have POSSIBLY, EVER been human. It was a monstrosity, an abomination beyond words alone...

Not that Ash HAD any words at the moment. All he could do was stare, stare with his blackish, amber eyes into those of the horrific THING, those flaming pits of HELL that seemed to writhe in some kind of inner turmoil.... Strange... they looked kind of like Brock's......

And he just stared. Time seemed to be drawn out for an eternity, as he gazed into the orbs of the creature, the CREATURE that did not belong on the surface of EARTH..........

And yet, it WAS on Earth. And it was there, now, about to destroy and devour the terrified boy. Misty couldn't even scream: the monster exceeded all forms of nightmarish evils: she was entirely frozen. They could only sit in stark fear, waiting for death to come.

But it didn't.

The terrifying monter let out a long, low, growl. For a moment, its eyes lost their lethal glow, and it retreated slowly. just as a Dan'in appeared at the end of the corrdior.

"What the hell is going on in---?"

The red glow of fury engulfed the creature's eyes again, and it lunged, charging towards the Rocket, that was not fast enough to flee, and a scream of undeserved death punctuated the air as the monster plunged its protruding fangs into the other's chest, a fountain of blood shooting onto the abomination's snout. The heart burst as the creature chewed apart the innards, smashing the bones, the muscles, the marrow, all while the poor Rocket was screaming in absolute pain as he was being eaten ALIVE. There was nothing left save for a ripped cap. Misty could only stare, knowing... That could have been Ash. But it wasn't. Ash was still with her, not exactly safe, but..... the monster was gone. It had ascended to the upper levels, and the horrifying sounds of death came upon her ears again. She turned to Ash resolutely and urged, "Lets get out of here!!! NOW!!"

Ash was still in shock, and all he could do was stare at the wall on the opposite side of the cell. He.... had been.... spared by that.... THING...... but why? Why had the THING been so merciful to him.... and done such a......... MENTALLY-SCARRING-PSYCHOTIC THING to the ROCKET?!?! It didn't make any sense.........

"Huh?" Ash was brought back to reality by Misty's yelling, and blinked, finally nodding. "Good idea. I don't know what would happen if it came BACK........"

And so, Ash, supported by Misty, began to limp the hell out of there.

*~*~*

Just outside the burning complex that was-------HAD been------Team Rocket Headquarters, a purple-haired woman with half-closed eyes was walking away from a tower of flames. A look of pure serenity and peace was gracing her face.

"Rufus? Yes. It has been done."

A pause. A smile.

"All of it."

*~*~*

Ah.....sleep. Tranquil, placid, rest. No human could live without it. Not even Butch. He was resting on the bunk in his quarters, no dreams, just deep rest, relaxed and still. His chest rose up and down, silently, as he drifted on a pillowy cloud. Butch was known for his heavy sleeping, (not to mention his HORRENDOUS snoring), as could be told by anyone who worked close with him.

Like Cassidy.

Who was currently breaking the door down.

"DAMMIT, BUUUUUUTCH!!!!!!!!!!!! THE HQ'S ON FIRE, AND ALL YOU CAN DO IS WALLOW IN YOUR LITTLE DREAM LAND?!??!?!? GET UP!!!!!!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!!"

It took Butch a full minute to wake up. The green-haired Rocket fell out of bed, crawling towards the door. It would have been a laughable sight, hadn't the situation been so dire.

"Huh? Fihe? Whehe?"

His dark brown eyes shot open. "You didn't tell me befohe!"

He clamped his fist on the doorknob and shoved it open, joining Cassidy in the hall, and the grisly sight that greeted them. "What... the??"

Rockets---Grunts, Executives, Assassins, Hitmen, Combat Units, Paper-Pushers---the like---were ALL running to-and-fro through the hallway, like ants when their hive has been flooded. They were trampling over half-dead bodies, some dead from the fire, some from the smoke... and some.... from something else.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'I DIDN'T TELL YOU BEFORE'?!??!" Cassidy grabbed Butch's collar and shook him, bringing him out of the shocked trance. "THE MONSTER PASSED RIGHT THROUGH HERE!!!! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!!!! THEN, WHEN I CAME, YOU WOULDN'T ANSWER, SO I THOUGHT YOU'D SUFFOCATED!!!! AND NOW, YOU SAY THAT YOU DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE??!?!?!?"

She obviously was on the verge of hysterics.

"No, guess I didn't, Cass..." The other answered calmly, but filled with complete shock..that all of THIS could have taken place while he slept. He was even more shocked that Cassidy came to alert him. They were partners, and he always thought that was the extent of their relationship: just partners. If one was in trouble, let the other one fend for himself. Yet, Cassidy HAD come to warn him, albeit rashly, but nevertheless, came to warn him of the terrible danger.

But he didn't show his relief. There was no time.

And there wasn't any time for any more shouting either, as a familiar voice suddenly yelled: "WAAAAAAATCH OUUUUUUUTT!!!!!!!!" And the thin form of a blue-haired man crashed into Cassidy, who fell onto the ground with a loud THUMP.

Meowth was second to come running, but he shrank away as he saw the two rivals. "Dis ain't good."

Jessie followed, her eyes heating up as she saw Cassidy, her object of hatred, and Butch saw his, who was on TOP of his PARTNER. Meowth's prediction was fulfilled when Jessie sprang up, her dark blue eyes boring into the other's violet.

"Rghhh...what are you doing here, Cassidy?! I thought you were still in jail!!!"

"GET_OFF_CASS!" Butch yelled, glaring down at the blue-haired Rocket.

"Huh?" James blinked downward, and gave out a yelp as he leapt backwards, crashing into one of the fleeing Rockets, who promptly shoved him away and continued to run.

"UGH!!!! I probably have LICE or something, now!!!" Cassidy snarled in disgust as she rose to her feet, indifferent to Jessie's assumption. She then smirked at her rival, crossing her arms as James was shoved to-and-fro in the crowd behind them.

"Well, well, well!!! I'm surprised to see that you guys actually came in a time of Team Rocket need! Hmph!" The grin widened. "Then again, I'd bet my life savings that you idiots were just summoned by the Boss for news of your forced retirement... and now, you're too stupid to find a way OUT of the HQ!!! Hah-hah-HAAA!" She laughed, putting a hand to her mouth.

Jessie growled, her visage a glow of ire. "How dare you?! If WE'RE too stupid to find a way out, then why are YOU still here?!" she retaliated, a smug smile appearing on her face.

"Uhhhh... ahh... err...." Cassidy's smug demeanor suddenly fell, as she blinked at the other. Her facial muscles tensed once more, as she pointed an accusing finger at Butch. "It's because I was BUSY WAKING HIM UP, YOU PRISSY-BEAUTY-SCHOOL-DROPOUT!!!!!"

"Heeeeyyy!!!!" James whined in the background, still being shoved and unnoticed. "It's called 'POKÉMON TECH!!!!!'"

"Whatevuh," Butch grunted as he glared down at James. Jessie was about to retort when a familiar blonde-haired girl ran up to them, an authoritative, yet flighty air about her.

"Hey, you! Go find the boss!"

"Domino----!!!!!" James finally managed to pull himself out of the foray, and he landed on a heap on the floor. "Where'd you--?!??!?"

Cassidy was dumbfounded once more, and being on better terms with the top agent than Jessie and James were, ventured a question. "The Boss?" Her brow furrowed, and she thought to herself in a rather panicked manner: He isn't HERE?!? What if he's DEAD??!? Team Rocket can't go ON without a leader!!! I mean, he doesn't have any KIDS, right? Heh-heh.... Little Bosses running around? THAT'D be chaos. And even then.... DOMINO'D probably want to take power.... HAH!!! I'll bet she STARTED the fire........... I mean, no one HAS seen him since a few hours ago.....

However, this is what she said out loud, in an indignant tone of voice: "Hmph! Why don't you go find him??! You're 009!!! Not us!!!"

"I already looked, and if you want to keep your crummy position in this organization, you better look too!" the high-ranking Rocket ordered, smirking at Butch and Cassidy, then shifting her gaze towards Jessie, James, and Meowth. "That goes for you, too, losers!"

Before Jessie, James, or Meowth could protest, a mournful yowl was heard above the sheer chaos, and a significantly charred feline dragged itself in, its soft, fine, and Fancy-Feast-addicted tongue hanging from its jaws.

As Domino disappeared off to God knew where, James blinked towards the cat.

"Say.... isn't that-----?!"

"The Boss' Persian!!!" Meowth exclaimed, hesitantly walking towards the feline that intimidated him so much. "What happened, meeeoowwth?"

As they talked, the flames grew throughout the building, but no one noticed. They were attacking the very foundation of the structure. It wouldn't be long before it crumbled.....

"Mrrrrreoowwwwwwww....." Gone...gone...gone... The ivory cat limped foward, collapsing on corpse--strung floor, gasping for air. It was pitiful to seeit this way, for once experiencing the danger life had to offer.

The Rocket members could only stare in shock at the cat.... everyone, that is, except for James, who was turning his head around in a rather bewildered manner.

"Say...." he blinked. "What's that loud thumping noise?"

Everyone ignored him.

"What's gone?!" Meowth made a step towards the fellow feline. "Meeeoowwwth!!! What's wrong with ya?!? Usually you're tryin' to swipe at me or somethin'!!!"

"Mreowwwww......" The Persian looked at Meowth sadly, one whom it would usually look upon with condescension and disgust at the other's position in life, but not this time. This time it was overcome with sadness, sadness of losing a great and good friend for an unknown and doubtful amount of time, and it could only slump downwards, its long tail curling under it. Jessie widened her eyes.

The thump was heard a second time, louder.

"It's.... Whatever it is, it's getting closer...." James gulped, still being ignored by the rest of the strange congregation.

"C'mon!!!! Speak ta me, pal!!!" Meowth said urgently at seeing a fellow feline in such turmoil--even if it WAS "dat pesky Persian". "What's gone??! Da Boss?!? Do ya know where he is?! We need ta find 'im or else Domino'll have us by da tails!!!"

Mreowwwww....." Here..... the master's........ here...... The Persian gave a long, loud screech of despair, the cause of which was unknown, as it fell into unconsciousness.

"Huh?! Here!??!" Meowth blinked, dumbfounded. It took a second for him to realize that the Persian had gone off into dreamland. "H-HEY!!! Ya can't----!!!!"

"JESSIE........." The thumps seemed to be coming around the corner, and as his eyes darted around, James realized that the hallway.... was suddenly deserted. "Jessie, we NEED......" He grabbed her arm and began to back away from the dreadful sound. "....TO GET OUT OF HERE......"

"I KNOW that, James!! But BLONDIE here won't get out of the way!!" she answered angrily, glaring her petty rival in the face. Butch looked around.

"I heah something.....Cass, lets stop and cleah out. Thehe's something coming."

"It's the MONSTER that Bonnie was talking about!!!!!" Cassidy suddenly cried, grabbing onto Butch's arm as well. "She said it ate her partner----Clyde---in one GULP!!!!!!" She then yelled out and began running in the opposite direction. "LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!!!!!!!!!!"

"Y-yeah!!!!!"James agreed with one of their rivals for once, and HE dragged JESSIE away, giving out a yelp of fear as he dashed alongside Cassidy, both teams in a race for the exit.

"H-HEY!!!!!! You guys are forgettin' somethin'!!!! Meowth yelled, running after them. "What about ME-OWTH?!?!"

But then, he looked back, and saw the Persian... so helpless.... so pitiful..... so soft to the dangers of life.....

"Awww, I can't leave a fellow feline in need!" Meowth got into one of his preachy moods and stumbled over towards the cat. "C'mon!!! C'mon, geddap!!! I don't wanna die either!!!!!"

After two moments of no response, Meowth got aggressive again.

"YEEEAAARRGHH!!!! WAKE UP!!!!!!" He took his claws and slashed the cat's face, probably a bit harder than he needed to.

"MREOOOWWW!!!" the cat screeched as it sprang back into consciousness, and opening its eyes, it saw the Meowth, hazy in front of it. Shakily, it got to its paws, slipping on its hind legs, and falling to the floor. And all the while, the monster, now drenched in its victims' crimson blood, trudged into view behind them.

Meowth's eyes widened. There was... a shadow.... hanging over them..... he slowly, ever so slowly turned around, and by the time he had done a one-eighty, he was sweating with immense fear, and pulling down the urge to suddenly scream at the top of his lungs.

Maybe if I don't move, it won't see me. He thought, staying completely still. Like in that dinosaur movie!

That trick didn't work, and it definitely saw him, and it roared in wild anger, lunging for the tiny, round cat, but missed, as it was partially blinded by the red blood dripping down its eyes in wide streaks. Persian pulled itself toward the creature, and looked up contently, as if HAPPY to see this...... THING.

"AAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!" Finding that he wasn't better off if he was silent anyway, Meowth erupted in a stream of yells, ending with an "OOMF!" as he leapt and landed behind a stray desk that had been left in the hall for some reason or another during the recent panic. "Ah------!!!! PERSIAN!!!!!" He then uttered in a loud whisper, staring and wondering WHAT Persian had been smoking lately.

"Mreowwwww.....Mreowwwww!" Mas---Ahhhhh! The cat's flow of thought was cut off when three cruel claws gouged out one side of its furry face, and it flumped over on the floor, bleeding profusely.

"Mas----MASTER?!?!??!" Meowth's eyes were practically boggling out of their sockets, as he continued to stare at the deranged, insane, and utterly ludicrous cat.

"Mreeeowwwww..." it meowed in pain, feeling its bloodied eye fall to the ground, and winced as it was crushed under the claws of the monster, that roared again, its repulsive drool spilling out of its maw. It neared, opening its jaws for the kill, but Persian didn't budge. "Mreowwwww.." Master......!

Meowth now stared at the repulsive, revolting beast..... it had RIPPED_PERSIAN'S_EYE_OUT......... But..... there WAS something INEXPLICABLY familiar about it, something that made shivers go down Meowth's spine, caused his fur to stand on end, and turned his Pokémon blood to ice in his veins.

"Boss?"

The monstrous being didn't answer. It couldn't. It only responded to its own master, either that, or two words. Two words that could open its eyes, or close them, that could make it rise into awareness, or take its conscience away.

"Guess..... it ain't him....." Meowth chuckled nervously, backing away. "Eh-heh... Eh-heh...... Yeah.... I'd------better-------go......."

"Mreowww.....MReeowww!!" No...it IS him! It IS the master! Persian insisted, covering up the bloody socket with his paw, and staggered backwards. The creature fixated its blood-red eyes onto the larger cat, and a ripping snarl exploded into a roar, and it lunged its head for the final, decisive blow......

Persian cowered, meowing softly, refusing to attack the aggressor. Hopeless thoughts flitted through its mind.

"Mreow...Mreoow!!!" Master......

The jaws opened.

...Don't.....

The hideous tongue grasped Persian by the neck.

.....you.....

Persian was dragged into the monster's disgusting mouth.

REMEMBER ME?

There was an arubt stillness, as the creature suddenly froze, its muscles tensing as a flash of something or other lit up its vermilion eyes. They lost their hue for a moment, turning a human white, with beady, black pupils, until they went back to a "normal", redder, and somehow calmer hue. It then slowly looked downwards, dread of a waking nightmare in those hellish orbs, and giving a choked yelp, expelled Persian, who was slammed against the bloodwashed wall, covered with the revolting saliva, that somehow failed to corrode its flesh, but ate through its fur. The monster shut its scaled lids for a moment and gave out a terrible roar, not of anger... but one of PAIN, as if it had done something it horribly regretted...... It gripped its deformed head in agony, and charged towards Persian, lifting the battered cat up, and turned it over in its clawed hands rather clumsily, in an uncharacteristically panicked manner, trying to determine if it was still alive.

There was a moment of silence.

.................................No............................................

...........Per............sian.............................No.........................

Another long minute that stretched out for an eternity.

The Persian suddenly coughed, and opened its remaining, clouded eye. It blinked for a moment, and unexpectedly began to purr.

"Mreeeeeeeeeowww........" Master...........

The monster would have smiled if its mind hadn't been weighted down with other matters.

After setting the cat down and breathing a heavy sigh of relief, it took on a more serious gaze, and turned towards Meowth, stalking towards the mentally traumatized feline as red blood dripped down its ebony face.

"DON'T HURT ME!!!!! I DON'T WANNA DIIIIIEEEE!!!! AAHHHHH!!!!! MOOOOMMMMYYYY!!!!!!" Meowth was screaming in a high-pitched yowl, in hysterics as he covered his head with his small paws and curled into a ball on the floor, shrinking down into the tiniest possible size. "I NEVER EVEN GOT TA SEE DA LAST EPISODE OF SURVIVOR!!!!!!!!!! WAAHHHH!!!!!"

The creature turned its reptillian head to one side as if in confusion, and picked the small cat up with its free hand, looking at it nonthreateningly, if that was even POSSIBLE. In fact, the look seemed to be more of exasperation than anything else, and its glance was..... almost..... condescending......?

"AAAAAAHHH!!!! WAAAAHHHHH!!!!!! WAaaaahhhh....!!!!!!!! Waaaahhh....." Meowth slowly, slowly, SLOWLY calmed down, as he slowly raised his eyes towards the horrifying monster. There-----was-----STILL some evil left in it-----in fact, the eyes were completely consumed by evil, but unlike the ferocious monster, this maliciousness was..... familiar, welcoming, even. It was a controlled evil; an evil that preferred the background to the front lines, and an evil, that, at the moment, seemed to be in an uncharacteristic daze.

Meowth gaped. Then gawked. Then opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again.

"Boss, ya need to look down."

Strange that Ivy had used a variation on those words just before the whole ordeal, and those very same words echoed in the creature's warped brain.

He didn't NEED to look down.

He KNEW without even opening his EYES WHAT he was.

He was no longer human.....he was no longer a normal being, but a MONSTER...that had laid waste to his OWN headquarters, as well as to the HUMANS that were unfortunate enough to be inside it.

This awareness agonized his mind, and released a pained snarl. But that's all it was. A snarl. Not a human sound, not a WORD, but a growl. He dropped Meowth on the ground, his clawed hand slowly relaxing, and then shaking as he grasped at his scaled throat, and snarled again, desperately trying to speak. But it was....IMPOSSIBLE. His frustration escalated tenfold, and as he put his undextrous hands to his snout, trying to move it at intervals, he smashed his tail into the desk that Meowth had crashed into in a great fury.

AAAAYYAAAGHHH!!!!!!!" Meowth cried as we was dropped to the ground, and he skittered towards the shaken, injured Persian, where he figured it would be the safest to be. "Meeeowth!!!! Persian, I 'tink your 'Master' is STILL nuts!!!!!"

"Mreowwwwww.....Mreoww.." No, he's there...the master's there. Up here, he's there.

Persian meowed sadly, its eyes watery as it weakly brought its paw to its forehead, indicating the brain. Naïve as it was, it was very much in touch with its trainer's feelings. At least, to a point. Giovanni---if it was even right to call that terrible monstrosity by that once-great name, was again trying to speak, straining, forcing every muscle in his ragged throat, rubbing his disgusting, slimy tongue against his blood-soaked teeth in a futile effort to produce a discernible noise.

None came.

He lowered his now-reptillian head in despair, and without even looking, picked Persian and Meowth up again in its huge hands, hind claws scratching the blood-splattered floor, heading towards the door. But instead of going through it, he crashed through the wall, crashing through a pillar and splitting the final foundations of the building, so much enraged was he. But more so filled with remorse. He had MURDERED... with his OWN, revolting hands.... and teeth... and... his MOUTH..... he had stained them ALL with blood...and had the deaths of his own EMPLOYEES on his hands.... and that kind of thing could not be hidden on the inside. It was frank and blatant: it screamed evil. It was plain and pure... pure.....

What was this? Something vague..... untouchable... something he had not experienced in so long, so cold and granitic that his heart had become.... What was this sense of dread? Of depression? A feeling that seemed to drill its way into what remained of his dark heart and bury itself deep inside, manifesting itself as a raging, yet subtle demon....

It suddenly came to him, as he made his way into the forest, past the terrified Rockets which ran willy-nilly at the sight of him. This..... feeling...... that never came when he ordered an assassination, nor when he stole from the innocent, the poor... This.... feeling that burdened him so, that ached within his inhuman gut.....

.......Guilt.

Ivy had made good her revenge. The question was.....would he do so in return? Or would he accept it as a fair and just punishment for what he had done long ago? No one could tell by gazing into the anguished pits of blazing fire.

*~*~*

Professor Belina Ivy, otherwise known as Satan incarnate, was sitting on a stray rock in Viridian Forest, yawning as she looked down at her watch. She smiled. Judging from the way Giovanni's mind worked..... Gemini would be along shortly.

There was a sudden gust of oppressive air, and she looked upwards to see something blurred streak across the sky. It seemed to circle for a split second, and then dive downwards, a bit haphazardly towards her, as if it was in need of guidance... mentally and physically.

The smile widened.

"Then came the storm....."

*~*~*

DMB: Now, THIS is getting interesting! Forgive us for Giovanni's lapse into Ooc-World. He's.... er..... under quite a bit of stress. ^^;;;; Anyway..... REVIEW!!!

B9T: And look out for chapter 9! Thanks for reading!

TO BE CONTINUED......