She was putting on her gloves when he came for her. Spotless. Good. "Uh… Jessica, everyone's ready…"

"Good," she whispered, closing her eyes to savor the moment. "Gilly, you will lead the attack."

Studying herself in her most faithful mirror, Jessica thought she looked like a true ganglord. They'll not soon forget this day. Team Rocket is back. Her clothes were dark and shining, the red 'R' shimmering like a blood ruby on her chest. The only things I'm missing are a cape and a gold cane, she thought.

"Bring me the prisoner," Jessica told the boy, and he yelped before scurrying off to get the man. Turning around in her small hotel room, crammed with boxes and crates of supplies, low-lit from her desk light, she studied the blue Mew hovering in the corner. "I am your master now, Mew," she said, walking up to it and snatching something off her desk. There were mats all around its neck. The wounds are scabbing, she noticed, bringing her glove to the Mew's fur. Good. "You will obey me," she told it. "Or I will make you."

Bringing the electric collar up to the Mew's neck, Jessica locked it in place, not daring to meet the Pokémon's eyes. It doesn't want to listen to me. Its nature is not to be a servant. She stepped away from the animal and pocketed the remote control. Sighing heavily, she waited for Gilly to return to her. That Mew helped me destroy the Painted Dragons' lairs in Saffron, Celadon, and Fuschia. All it needs is a little shock every now and then. She glanced up at the blue-furred beast, which was eyeing her cautiously. There is no one in Kanto who can stand against me and my Mew.

A few moments later, the door opened again, and Gilly came waddling in, Mrs. Supreme Extreme in one hand, a rope leading a blindfolded, bound man in the other.

"Gillford Matilda Gooseman," Jessica said coolly. "Well done." The boy handed her the rope. "The next time I see you will be in the Painted Dragons' underground base." Pacing around the boy, the rope now in her hand, Jessica stopped just behind him and whispered into his ear, "I should not have to tell you what the price of failure is."

"Of course Jessica!" Gillford saluted awkwardly and tried to levitate, but he fell over and messed up his preschool-style hair. "I won't fail you!"

If you do, you will go the way of Giovanni, Jessica thought. "Leave me." Her voice was cold, authoritative. A chill spread across Jessica's body when the boy shut the door behind him. She stepped up to the prisoner and took his blindfold off. He was a sweaty, middle-aged man with short black hair, thin-rimmed glasses, and a clean-shaven face. "Hello, Underboss Toriyama," Jessica said through the teeth. "Do you remember me?"

He looked away from her and spat at the floor.

"You're going to take me to the Painted Dragons' base in Viridian City," she said, tugging lightly on his rope. "The secret entrance. I want to meet your leader." The man never looked at her and never opened his mouth. His weak attempts at resistance annoyed the purple-haired girl. She slapped him across the face. "I wasn't asking."

"I-I… I'm not telling you anything!" Toriyama stammered.

"That's where you're wrong, man." Jessica stepped around the man as she had done with Gilly, stopping just behind him. Taking out her remote control, she pointed it at Mew. "You are such a stupid man," Jessica said to the Painted Dragons Underboss. "You've faced my Mew once before; you know how this will end. Stop prolonging the inevitable and tell me where the secret entrance to your base is!"

"I'll never tell!" The man's voice was grating to Jessica's ears. She pressed the second button on her remote, and the blue Mew drifted forward slowly. "N-no….! No, no, no! Nooooooooooooooo!" Underboss Toriyama screamed as he fell to his knees, covered in purple energy. He looked like a tree set aflame. The Mew's eyes burned aqua in the near darkness ahead.

Jessica tugged at the Painted Dragon's leash. "Good?" The man was breathing hard on the floor, moaning slightly. She jerked his leash harder. "Are you ready to tell me what I need to know?"

"Ah… ahh… ah…" the man panted. He's stubborn, she thought angrily. I'll have to try something else. "W-wait… stop!" he cried hoarsely just as Jessica began walking towards the Mew. Toriyama's head was bowed in shame, and he spoke lightly and slowly. "I-I'll… I'll take you there. Please. No more. No more…"

Jessica bit her lip to prevent the man from seeing her smile. "That's more like it."

It was the late afternoon by the time they came to the Painted Dragons' building. That's Gilly's fault, she knew. I wanted to attack first thing in the morning, but he took forever to organize the troops. Maybe I should find a replacement for that nitwit… The building was, outwardly, a Pokémon food store. A front. Three stories high it rose, like a giant's tooth, but she knew there were at least twice as many floors below ground, spread out as wide as a spider's web. The largest Painted Dragons base in Kanto. If I crush them here, we will have beaten them once and for all.

Jessica entered with the man, passing calmly by customers and employees to a far elevator. Inside the elevator, the man pressed a dozen buttons in a flurry, as if he were typing a password. Eventually, a little camera sprung out of the speaker hole and scanned Underboss Toriyama's retinas. Satisfied, the camera popped back into the speaker, and a moment later, they were shooting down into the depths of the base.

In the room at the end of the hall, she found them. The three of them were sitting around a table, the air thick with cigar smoke. Jessica couldn't tell if they were playing poker or drinking orange juice, but hate flushed in her cheeks the moment she laid eyes on them.

"Hey!" she shouted, kicking her hostage at the three. At once, the men got to their feet and shouted in surprise.

"What are you doing down here?!" the one in a fancy burgundy bathrobe asked. Jessica could see water Pokémon painted across his forearms, and a group of Poliwags swimming upstream had been tattooed on his throat. That's Ganglord Tajira… the man in charge of the Painted Dragons. He looked nothing like Giovanni to her.

To his right, a man with a grey-black beard and short-cut black hair stood in a simple ash-grey suit with a red tie and black-rimmed glasses. His tattoos covered almost all of his exposed flesh; Jessica saw dozens of Pokémon painted on his pale skin - and none of them were duplicates. This one has to be Lieutenant Sugimori. I bet he has one of every Pokémon tattooed somewhere on his body. The thought made her shudder.

To Ganglord Tajira's left was another man, standing stoically, wearing black robes and dark sunglasses. His thick black hair was gelled and spiky, and his face was clean-shaven. There were no visible tattoos on that man, but Jessica knew who he was anyways: Lieutenant Ohba.

"Who are you?!" Ganglord Tajira roared. "How'd you get down here?"

"My name's Jessica," the purple-haired girl smirked, taking out her Poké Ball. "I'm the leader of Team Rocket. I think you know why I'm here."

The three men glanced at the sweating Underboss Toriyama. "We heard rumors…" Lieutenant Sugimori said, "from Cerulean to Saffron… but… but we didn't know it was just a little girl, ha! You mean nothing to us, girl. Leave."

"I'll crush you," Lieutenant Ohba boasted. "I'll make you rue the day you decided to cross us."

The girl shrugged. "You can try."

In a flash of light, the three Painted Dragons threw their Poké Balls. Out came a Poliwrath for Tajira, a Gengar for Sugimori, and a Blastoise for Ohba. This is too easy. With a flick of her wrist, the girl's Mew came shooting out of its ball to hover in front of its three opponents. Three against one. And they don't have a chance. Pity.

"Today is the last day the Painted Dragons operate in Kanto," Jessica told them calmly. "Let me show you why."

In her other hand, the remote buzzed. Now is the time, Jessica thought fiercely. And maybe once this is over, mom and dad will finally be proud of me.

"I heard you won the Indigo League five years ago."

"Was it that long ago? Sheesh, time flies." Dylan dismounted from his Pidgeot and cracked his neck.

On the other side of the Viridian City Gym, Ryan stood battle-ready, a Poké Ball in his hand. "You must be really skilled to have won the league!" Ryan shouted.

Dylan shook his head. "Someone wins every year. Besides, I lost when I challenged the Elite 4. I didn't even get to face the Champion. That's the real goal… being champion. Not many achieve that honor."

"I will!" Ryan said, determined.

Dylan drew a Poké Ball too. "You have to get past me first."

"Hey, did you face a girl named Kelly a few weeks back?" Ryan asked suddenly.

"Might have."

"She had pink hair and fought with a shiny Raichu…"

"Oh yeah…" Dylan's eyes narrowed in thought. "I remember her."

"Did she beat you the first time you fought?"

"I don't remember."

Ryan breathed out in frustration. "Oh come on, you have to remember!"

"Tons of people battle me, especially nowadays. Gym season's almost over. Tournament's about to start. That means I'm going up against a lot of trainers desperate to get their last badge. Sometimes I fight a dozen people a day. Now, are you here to fight or do you want to talk some more about people who already have their Earth Badge?"

So Kelly did beat him. I bet she beat him in one go, too. "Fine, let's do this."

Dylan nodded curtly and threw his Poké Ball. Ryan threw his as well. Out from one came a Doduo; out from the other came Spectre.

"Doduo, the Twin Bird Pokémon. Its short wings make flying difficult. Instead, this Pokémon runs at high speed on developed legs." Dex told Ryan.

It's normal and flying type, Ryan thought. Perfect. "Spectre, use Thunderbolt!"

"Drill Peck, Dodou," Dylan told his Pokémon.

The bird and ghost charged at once another. Just before Dodou reached Spectre, the Haunter released a torrent of electricity from his claws, bathing his foe in super effective damage. The Doduo shrieked and stumbled, but kept running. Seconds later, the two-headed bird slammed into Spectre, poking him savagely with its Drill Peck attack. Spectre groaned and fell back.

"Mega Drain," Ryan shouted at his Pokémon, and Spectre proceeded to drain the remainder of Doduo's health from it, restoring a bit of his own. The Doduo, which had been ordered to perform another Drill Peck, collapsed on the dirt stage in mid-charge.

"Doduo, return. Go Pidgeotto! Hit that Haunter with a Wing Attack!"

"Thunderbolt it outta here, brah!" Ryan urged his Haunter.

Once again, two Pokémon charged at one another, flying as fast as the winds, and once again, Spectre arrived first, if only barely. His Thunderbolt rattled the Pidgeotto, causing it to squawk and have its feathers go everywhere. From behind, Logan cheered Ryan, the only one of Ryan's party to come watch him battle. Rahul and Alex couldn't make it cuz they needed to get some stuff from the Poké Mart. Oh well, they're missing a great show.

Then came Pidgeotto, like a wind demon, and it slapped Spectre across the face with its wing, sending Spectre flying back. Ryan knew that his Haunter would have fainted if not for the Mega Drain earlier.

"Thunderbolt again!" Ryan urged his Pokémon, and Spectre obeyed.

Once again, Spectre's attack went first, on account of him being faster than the Pidgeotto, and this time, the bird Pokémon could not withstand the shock. It fell smoking to the ground, forcing its owner to recall it.

"Pretty good, huh?" Ryan laughed carelessly. "My Haunter has TMs!"

"You talk too much," Dylan replied, frowning slightly, more to himself than at Ryan. He doesn't know how to defeat Spectre.

From Dylan's next Poké Ball came a Fearow. "Man, I hate Fearows!" Ryan shouted. "They're as ugly as my Grand Auntie Paprika!"

Dylan shook his head at Ryan and said, "Sky Attack, Fearow."

"Give 'em another Thunderbolt, buddy."

It happened fast as light, quick enough to take the breath away. The Fearow took to the sky, glowing and flying high. Spectre's Thunderbolt sailed right past it. Before Ryan could tell his Pokémon its next attack, the Fearow came down in a dive bomb, crashing into Spectre and knocking him unconscious.

"Aw…" Guess looks aren't everything. Ryan returned Spectre and readied his next Poké Ball. "Go, NaVorro! Take Down attack now!"

"Sky Attack!" Dylan ordered his Fearow.

The Fearow once again began to glow and took to the sky. Tauros flung himself recklessly at the bird, but missed, landing hard and rolling several times before coming to a stop. "Blizzard!" Ryan urged his Pokémon.

But just as the Tauros got to his feet, the Fearow came crashing down upon his head, knocking NaVorro savagely to the dirt floor. NaVorro let out a grunt of pain. At once, Ryan's heart began to beat faster. I have to win this battle. I can't let Dylan regain the momentum. "Come on, NaVorro, don't give up! You can do it! You can beat that ugly Fearow!"

NaVorro snorted and got to his feet, scanning the skies for his quarry. Upon finding it soaring over by Dylan, NaVorro let out a bellow and created a Blizzard attack around the entire gym room. The Fearow squeaked and cawed and tried to dodge the attack, but it couldn't. Ryan felt the tempest winds cover his body, felt snow against his skin. He started shivering. Maybe having NaVorro use Blizzard wasn't such a good idea…

When the wind and light cleared, Ryan found the entire place to be covered in snow. Behind him, Logan had been turned into a snowman. Even Dylan and Pidgeot were brushing snow off themselves like they were driveways in the middle of December. Ahead, hovering in the air like a UFO, Dylan's Fearow remained. But it was encased in ice. When NaVorro stamped his foot from below and prepared a Hyper Beam attack to finish off Fearow, the bird fell from the sky like an ornament from a Pokémas tree. Sinking into the snow like a crumbling statue of Ramses the Not-So-Great, Fearow did not move. Dylan recalled his Pokémon immediately.

"Alright, Farfetch'd, it's your turn!"

"Farfetch'd, really?" Ryan put his hands on his hips. "I thought you said you won the Indigo League! How could someone as good as you use a Pokémon like that?"

Dylan didn't respond; he didn't even look at Ryan.

"Freeze it like the last one!" Ryan ordered. All of his Pokémon are normal and flying types. That means they're all weak to ice attacks.

"Body Slam the Tauros, Farfetch'd!"

NaVorro once again created a Blizzard, and Ryan regretted not bringing his hoodie to the party. Just when Logan burst out of the snowman he had been encased inside of, another Blizzard covered the room, and he was blanketed mercilessly by snow. That's a shame.

But through the Blizzard, the Farfetch'd ran, damaged though it was. It flung itself recklessly at Tauros, its pathetic Body Slam landing right on the Tauros' face. NaVorro stumbled back, grunting in pain. He looked back at Ryan, breathing hard, and fell over. NaVorro had fainted.

"No way! There's no freakin' way a Farfetch'd could do so much damage to my Tauros!" Ryan complained. "I call hacks!"

Dylan shrugged. "He's a high-level Pokémon. If you want to stop whining, we can continue…"

"Fine!" Ryan shouted back, grabbing Myrrah's Poké Ball. If he wants to play, I'll show him a thing or two. NaVorro isn't my only Pokémon with super effective attacks against flying types…

Without warning, the ceiling began to shake. A few trails of dust and dirt fell from the upper rafters, landing in the snow. "What was that?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know. Probably nothing." Dylan folded his arms. "Bring out your next Pokémon, or forfeit. I don't have all day, kid."

Kid? Dylan's barely older than me! Ryan looked back at Logan, who had once again broken free from his snowman cage and was now waving golden pom-poms and cheering for Ryan like a proper schoolgirl. The teal-haired boy grit his teeth and returned his focus to the battle. "Go Myrrah! Blizzard attack!"

I'm turning into a spammer, Ryan realized. But my Pokémon don't have any other ice moves! Suffice to say, Farfetch'd could not survive two Blizzard attacks from two high-level Pokémon. It collapsed, icicles hanging from its nose and leek, and Dylan was forced to recall it.

Ryan knew he had a chance now - a very good chance of winning. Just two more… I still have four Pokémon. He eyed the huge Pidgeot perched loyally next to Dylan on a bed of snow. I wonder if he's saving the best for last. It won't matter, Ryan thought, I'll beat him either way.

The roof was shaking again, and so were the walls. Pockets of snow flew into the air or collapsed inwards. Logan fell face-first into the snow. Ryan looked all around, confused. This isn't normal. It doesn't even feel like an earthquake. Returning his eyes to the Pokémon, Ryan was about to speak when he saw the willowy form of a Dodrio materialize in front of Myrrah.

"Hyper Beam!" Dylan urged his leal Pokémon.

Ryan punched the sky. "Blizzard, Myrrah! Finish this battle with style!"

As the two Pokémon charged up their attacks and rushed towards one another, the far door swung open, blowing warm, dusty air into the frigid gym. A girl with mousy brown hair and heavy, dark eyeliner was waving her arms at them from the entrance, silhouetted by the bright light of mid-afternoon.

"Dylan, Dylan, come quick!" she yelled. "Dylaaaaaan! Hurry!"

"I'm busy," the teenager shouted back. "I'm in the middle of a Gym Battle. It won't take much longer." He eyed Ryan suspiciously.

What's that supposed to mean? He's losing. He has no chance. My Myrrah's super effective against both his Dodrio and his Pidgeot…

"It's the Painted Dragons, Dylan! They're fighting some kind of gang war! I think they're fighting Team Rocket, but I'm not sure!"

Dylan eased his Dodrio into its Poké Ball, stopping its Hyper Beam from charging up completely. "Show me," he said, running through the snow, past Ryan. "Sorry," he said to the teal-haired boy, "I have to see what's going on. Stay here; I'll be back soon."

"No," Ryan replied, looking to the girl. "You said it's Team Rocket they're fighting, right? Well, I have a score to settle with them!"

Dylan shrugged and said, "As you wish. Let's go!"

"I-I-I-I'm c-c-c-coming t-t-too…!" Logan declared, his teeth chattering as he hugged himself. He can't deal with the cold very well, Ryan noted. Like me.

"Did you see a purple-haired girl with a blue Mew?!" Ryan asked the girl with extensive make-up standing in the entranceway.

She shook her head. I know that girl's here. And if she brought the Mew with her… Ryan could feel the beating in his chest, the anticipation coursing through his veins and making his palms sweat. She won't leave this place with that Mew, he promised himself.

So the four ran out the door, into the light of day, to the battle that awaited them. If only they hadn't already fought most of a Gym Battle, maybe Ryan and Dylan would have had more Pokémon to fight against Team Rocket with. Oh well…

Pandemonium ravaged the streets, like a bull through the hall. There were Painted Dragons everywhere, and standing against them, Ryan noticed the familiar uniforms of Team Rocket - black or grey suits with gigantic 'R' signs plastered on their chests. They were impossible to miss. The Painted Dragons wore more menacing clothes, and looked like angry bikers, though their tattoos gave away just who they were. I wonder why they're fighting here… and now of all times.

People were running in and out of the Pokémon food store just ahead of the gym. "That's the Painted Dragons' base," Dylan told the others as they ran. "I always knew they were troublemakers!"

Zubats and Butterfree soared through the skies. In the middle of the street, a Rhyhorn was chasing a Growlithe. A spire of flames screamed past them; several men were shouting, pain thick in their voices. There were dozens of Team Rocket and Painted Dragon members, their Pokémon clogging the streets. From the Poké Center on the left, Alex and Rahul came running out.

"What's going on?" asked Alex.

"Team Rocket and the Painted Dragon are fighting! We have to stop them!" Logan replied.

"Yo Ryan, be my wingman!" Rahul grinned, stroking his goatee. "Come on Ryyyyyyyyyyan! Let's do this!"

"Alright."

"Sweeeet!"

"Just follow me, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." There was an unnaturally high level of obliviousness in Rahul's tone.

As the two split off from the rest of the group, Ryan dodged fighting Pokémon and gang members as he tried to explain to Rahul what was going on. "We're looking for a purple-haired girl with a blue Mew."

"Aaaalright…" Rahul said without a care in the world.

"You remember her? She attacked us in the snow near Pewter City. She was the one who stole all of the fossils…"

"Oh, yeah!"

Alex and Logan already had their Pokémon out, battling back the tide of lackeys and minions like a couple of Hashshashins. I can't do that. I only have four left… well not even, really. Skorge is new, and he's not a very high level yet, and Myrrah is injured from the Gym Battle… Ryan knew he had to save his Pokémon for Jessica. She's not getting away from me again.

Pushing their way into the store, Ryan went up to the cowering staff members that he could find, asking them if they had seen a purple-haired girl with a floating blue-skinned Pokémon. Most didn't even respond to Ryan, but those who did said they hadn't seen her.

Around a corner, a Meowth came running, being chased by a Mankey who crashed into an isle, spilling Pokémon food all over the floor. The staff member Ryan was talking to shrieked and ran out the door.

"It's hopeless!" Ryan wailed. "I don't know where she is!"

"Maybe she's not here," Rahul said knowingly.

"No, that's not it. Keep asking."

Rahul went up to the girl behind the counter, all smooth like usual. She was a pale, freckled girl with fire-scorched hair and wet jade eyes, delicate as a winter flower. When Ryan looked at her, he felt a tingling in his stomach. "Hey…" he said casually, poking his Sonic Screwdriver out of his shirt pocket and waving it at her playfully. "I'm Doctor Rahul Kanojia, and I'm on a serious mission! If you've seen a girl come through here with purple hair… you need to tell me where she went, right now! The fate of the universe is at stake! I'm the doctor after all!" he roared proudly, thrusting his Sonic Screwdriver into the air.

A Painted Dragon spotted Ryan and threw a Poké Ball at the boy. A lethargic Gloom popped out of it. The man smiled a brown-toothed smile and bid Ryan attack him.

"Fire Blast, Aegon!" Ryan commanded, letting his fire Pokémon out. "And quickly, come on!"

Aegon spit his dragonflame, and the Painted Dragon screamed and ran. No one else dared bother Ryan in that food store.

Rahul came hobbling over, his forehead glossy with sweat. "I found her!" he breathed. "Rose's gonna help us!" Rahul gestured at the red-headed girl next to him. She wore a company uniform of green-and-grey with pictures of Pikachus and Squirtles smiling all over the shirt, and her name tag confirmed that she was indeed Rose. "She saw the girl with the purple hair go in the elevator."

Rose bit her lip. I like it when she does that. "She caused this, I know she did. And that means she could have only gone to one place," the woman said, leading the other two into the elevator, past the fighting. Rose pressed a couple of buttons, causing the button pad to light up and a little camera device to spring out from the speaker port. It scanned her eyes, beeped, and a moment later, they were shooting downwards into the bowels of the Earth.

"She has a blue Mew," Ryan warned Rahul again. "Be careful. It's a legendary."

"Seriously?! I know Mew's a legendary!" Rahul grunted. "Who do you think I am, Xiao Bao?!"

"Okay, don't ever tell Alex that one, because he won't appreciate it."

Rahul sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, yeah…"

They reached the bottom floor not long after; Rose stayed behind, guarding the elevator. "This won't take long, will it? I'm on break soon…"

"No idea," replied the teal-haired boy awkwardly. "Uuuuh… why don't you play a game of seppuku or something, while you wait?"

She gave Ryan a dark look. "All this fighting's bad for business. If you guys make it stop, I'll give you 50% off any Pokémon food you want," Rose said hopefully. Ryan's cheeks flushed and he grinned, in spite of himself.

Well, in that case… Ryan exchanged a look with Rahul. They had their Poké Balls in their hands. And then they were running, running down the hall, paintings of old and older men on all sides of them, blurring grey and pink. The hallways smelled of smoke and cinnamon and dust.

Ryan's palms were slick with sweat again. I wasn't this nervous against Dylan. They could hear a struggle coming from up ahead, behind the last door at the end of the hallway. The door was tall and made of red wood, a golden dragon medallion carved into its face. Rahul kicked down the door as if it weren't a work of art. The grandiose gesture reminded Ryan of Pacific Rim.

Inside, the two were met by a wall of cigar smoke, causing Ryan to lean forward and cough violently. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he looked up and saw her. Jessica. Amongst a veil of smoke, she seemed to float. She's beautiful, like new-fallen snow. Too bad she's evil. Beyond Jessica, three well-dressed men were huddled. They looked like a man Ryan had once crossed paths with in Cerulean City. In front of them, their Pokémon lay collapsed on the floor - a Blastoise, a Gengar, and a Poliwrath. Across from them, the Mew sat in the air unmoving.

In Jessica's hand was a lighter, the flame dancing small and orange.

"Whoa, hey! What are you doing?!" Rahul yelled, causing Jessica to spin around.

Jessica's pale emerald eyes went wide. "You?! What are you doing here?!"

"I told you you wouldn't get away with this!" Ryan sneered, throwing Aegon's ball to the ground. Rahul followed suit by letting his Magneton out. "Let it go and there won't be any problems, okay?"

"Let it go?" Jessica was confused at first. Then she glanced at her Mew and giggled. "Oh, I see what you mean. Funny, I thought I caught this Pokémon. I thought it was mine to do with as I pleased."

"You tricked it."

Jessica's face contorted into an ireful frown. "By what right do you think you can tell me how to catch my Pokémon?!"

"You're evil. What you're doing's evil. Team Rocket's evil. I'm not going to let you get away with abducting that poor Pokémon! And beside," Ryan fumed, his voice rising higher and higher, "I can see how you're treating that Mew, and it's not right." The collar around its neck was locked tight. Even from this distance, the teal-haired trainer could spot the scabs along its bright blue fur, not to mention the matted hair and that sullen look on the Mew's face. It's suffering. She doesn't understand what it means to be a Pokémon trainer.

Jessica raised the remote control in her hand and pointed it at Ryan and Rahul. "Exterminate those two, Mew. I'm tired of looking at them."

"Mew…!" the Pokémon squeaked, high-pitched and fearful. It gave Jessica a timid look before floating over to face the two trainers and their Pokémon.

That look in its eyes… Mew's not evil like her. It doesn't want to follow her orders, but it has to. Ryan knew what he had to do. "Don't attack it, Rahul," he whispered. "I've got an idea." The boy slipped a hand into his bag, reaching for another Poké Ball. He made sure Jessica didn't see what he was doing. Taking a deep breath, Ryan's fingers brushed across the ball he knew he wanted. Easy now. Gotta go slow, or I'll blow my cover.

It was for just a moment, but when Ryan's eyes met the Mew's, he understood the pain and devastation it was feeling. Just like that night in Lavender Town, he knew. I won't let you down, Mew.