Giovanni sighed and rubbed
his throbbing head. For years, the scientists at Team Rocket laboratories
had been working on a very special project. They wanted to create the most
something that had the most power in the world--a liquid to be used in
injections. For years, they had failed countless times. But they kept on
trying everything they could think of. Who knows what things they mixed
together for their concoctions? Giovanni wanted, more than anything, to
be the ruler of the world. He would admit it—he was hungry for power. And
if he could have a pokémon that had the most strength in the world,
he was well on his way to being on top. But none of the experiments on
pokémon had ever worked. So they had decided to try it on humans.
The agents didn't exactly come running up in crowds to sign up. So Giovanni
had to choose someone to "volunteer". Obviously, it had to be one of the
toughest agents he had, not just physically, but emotionally as well. Agent
009 was absent at the time—she was needed for a special mission elsewhere.
So, who else but his own daughter?
"Anyone else," he muttered
aloud to himself. "It should've been anyone else…"
He hadn't thought that it would hurt her. The other
experiments hadn't affected their test subjects. Why did it have to be
this one that actually did something? He frowned and thought, 'If this
doesn't work properly, those scientists will pay. I'll make sure of that.'
The electronic beep of
the heart monitor echoed down the hallways of the Rocket Clinic. Inside
her hospital room, Jessie lay in unconsciousness, as she had the entire
day and night before. James was reclined in a chair in an uneasy doze.
He had been up for hours straight, worrying about his partner. He had waited
endlessly by her bed until the nurses finally convinced him to try and
get some sleep. Meowth was curled up at his feet, snoring quietly as he
catnapped. Sapphire eyes opened slowly and gradually focused on the area.
Jessie sat up in the bed, careful not to disturb the hospital equipment
that was hooked to her arms and chest. She looked over at her snoozing
partners and then back at the hospital bed sheets.
'What the hell happened?
The last thing I remember is getting that shot for the experiment…'
She frowned.
'God, what have those
scientists done to me?! If anything happened to me…to my FACE or my HAIR,
I will KILL them!!!'
She whipped out her mirror seemingly out of nowhere,
as she does so nicely, and examined her reflection. Everything seemed all
right. She was as beautiful as ever.
'That's a relief,' she
thought contently, putting the mirror away.
She lay back down in the bed.
'It probably just knocked
me out is all…like anesthesia or something. That's probably all it is.'
She yawned quietly and closed her eyes again to
get some sleep.
Darkness surrounded her. All was silent
except for the sound of the wind. Her hair whipped around her wildly, several
strands of her crimson red locks flailing in front of her face, momentarily
blinding her.
You are brand new.
She wasn't disturbed by the sound of the voice.
It spoke gently into her ear, reassuring her that someone was there with
her…even if she couldn't see them.
Feel yourself. Every part of you has
changed.
Her cold fingertips ran down her gorgeous face,
her chest as it rose and fell, her perfect breasts, and her flat stomach.
She reached up and ran her hands through her hair. She shivered, realizing
for the first time that she was naked, and wrapped her arms around herself.
She DID feel different, she realized. Strange, as if she was in another
body…but the body she saw was her own…while the body she felt was not.
Confused and cold, she started to tremble.
You are reborn. Now, for a different
purpose than before.
After a moment, she found her voice and managed
to ask, "What purpose?"
Suddenly, the sound of the wind was replaced
by loud, terrifying screams. Screams of anguish, pain, and horror filled
her ears and her entire being. She raised her hands to her ears and cried
out, "What is this?"
As if in response, the darkness that had enveloped
her faded away to reveal flames, burning passionately at the scene of an
explosion. Before her, a crowd of people and pokémon were spread
out on the hot, burning ground. They cried for each other and reached out
for something…for anything to hold on to.
You did this. Your new power caused
you to do this.
She shook her head and whimpered, "What? No…I
didn't do this…I didn't…"
She suddenly felt a hot, sticky liquid trickling
down the side of her face. Then, she felt it traveling it several streams
down her body. She touched a hand to it and brought her hand back in front
of her face. Her blue eyes widened in panic as she saw it was blood.
You spilled this blood. Millions of
creatures you killed…this is their blood.
She began to shake uncontrollably as the blood
poured over her, engulfing her, seeping into her soft skin. "WHAT IS THIS?!"
She screamed, her hands reaching out to the dying people and pokémon.
Your only purpose now…is to destroy.
Jessie's eyes snapped open
and, once she was finally able to stop shaking, stared straight into the
green and midnight blue eyes of her partners.
"Jessie, are you okay?"
"Yous was thrashin' about
and screamin' like someone was after ya!"
Jessie took a few moments to recollect herself
and she cleared her throat.
"And what's to get so
upset about? Everyone has a nightmare every now and then, and I am no exception,"
she said in her ever-haughty tone.
But there was a tremble in her words; she felt
it, and hoped that neither of them had heard it. If they did, they didn't
say so, just exchanged glances.
The next day, Jessie was released
from the Rocket Clinic. They checked in with the boss and the scientists,
just so they could make sure there had been no other effects. Jessie did
not mention the dream. After that, they carried out their daily plan of
trying to capture Pikachu. They failed, of course, and were promptly sent
blasting off. When they had landed, Jessie felt a strange feeling come
over her, the feeling to just…just hurt something. She couldn't tell what
brought it on, but gave it to the urge and whomped James with the mallet.
She was in a bad mood for the rest of the day, up until she slipped into
bed later that evening. James took his sleeping bag into her room and unrolled
it beside her bed. When Meowth gave him a questioning look, he blushed
and stammered that it was "just in case she has a nightmare again". Soon,
all three members of the safehouse were asleep.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt,
now!"
The little electric mouse nodded and sent a
powerful bolt of electricity towards Team Rocket. When it hit, something
inside Jessie just snapped. She clenched her fists and stood completely
still throughout the attack, much to Pikachu and the twerp's surprise.
Jessie felt that there was a fire burning inside of her, it showed in her
eyes, in her fingertips, everywhere. Ash, Misty, and Brock took a step
back from her.
"W-what's happening
to Jessie?"
"I don't know…"
"Her eyes are turning
red!"
Jessie raised her hands to Pikachu, who stared
at her with confused eyes. She felt a surge of power rush through her and
escape from her fingers, straight into the mouse's small body.
"PIKACHU!!!" Ash cried
out as red blood spurted out from it.
Jessie paused, her eyes falling to rest on the
dead pokémon and the young trainer that ran over to it.
"What…have I done?"
she whispered to herself.
When Ash looked up at her with angry, tear-filled
eyes, and came running at her with his fist raised, she moved quickly to
the side. Though his clenched hand barely nicked her in the arm, she felt
that strange feeling inside of her again. This time, she felt her mind
practically shutting off and she couldn't see anything. She could only
hear…and she heard. And she felt, too. She felt her hands lashing out at
everything, felt the blood spilling on her clothing and her skin, felt
the familiar hands of James and Meowth holding her and trying to stop her.
When her vision returned, the three children lay dead on the ground and
James and Meowth were sprawled out, clutching injured parts of their bodies.
Meowth looked at her, his eyes narrowing as he quivered.
"Jessie…what have you
become? …Yous…yous is a monster…"
Jessie sprang up from her
bed and grabbed her throbbing head as she gasped for air. James jumped
up from his post in his sleeping bag and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Jessie? Did you have
another nightmare? Are you all right?"
Jessie shivered under his touch and almost lashed
out at him, like she had in her dream. She stopped herself, though, shocking
herself with that thought.
"What's wrong with me?"
She whispered.
James blinked.
"What do you mean? You
said everyone had nightmares, right?"
Jessie shook her head.
"No, not that…"
She shivered again and James pulled the covers
up around her.
"Jessie…"
"James, tomorrow morning
we're going to see Dr. Brown."
"Huh? But I thought he
said…"
She glared at him and he shut his mouth. If Jessie
said something, that's what they did.
"Okay, Jessie," he said,
starting to get up.
As he removed his hands, he lightly brushed the
back of her neck. Jessie jumped and the thought instantly entered her mind
that he was trying to choke her. James gave her a strange look before returning
to the floor. Jessie rubbed her neck gently and laid down again. She turned
onto her side and clutched at her pillow, but didn't sleep for the rest
of the night. Even so, the image of Pikachu lying dead before her remained
in her eyes.
End of Chapter One.