Chapter 2

Rebirth

(Ash's POV)

"Waaa!" cried Belle, Jessie and James' daughter, after her toy was taken from her by the telekinetic power of Alex, the son of Brock and Sabrina. And believe it or not, Sabrina also gave birth to another identical twin, a girl named Jenna. The four of us – Brock, Sabrina, Misty and I – were invited by the former Team Rocket members, to James' mansion. All of us were currently occupied with taking care of and watching over each of our children, who were either running around like little mischievous monsters (in the case of Claire, our daughter, and Demetry, Jessie and James' son), playing with toys (Alex and Belle), or using their psychic or Aura powers (Ethan, our son, and Jenna).

"Come here, baby!" Jessie cried with a soothing, motherly tone. "Ooh, did Alex take your toy from you again?" She lifted and hugged Belle to comfort her. Sabrina, meanwhile, gave a disappointed look at the grinning Alex – whose cheeky smile promptly faded – before turning her attention back to Jenna.

"Ash…don't you think we should do something more for Ethan?" Misty, my wife, lightly tugged the sleeve of my shirt. "He seems to be really…detached from Claire in a way, not to mention us."

We both then looked with concern at Ethan, who continued to cause the playing blocks around him to levitate, with Jenna. Although I was really surprised at the fact that he also retained his Aura powers since the end of him and Misty's confinement in Julius' former lair, two years ago, I was even more shocked to see that he also gained powers which pretty much crossed the boundary between Aura and psychic powers, as well. "I agree, Mist. Although he was cheerful and happy after we were reunited two years ago, something in him has made him go…sour…" I replied.

"Brock, I'm worried about Jenna, as well," Sabrina frowned. "Alex, I'm not worried about, seeing as how he's just a tad immature and all like Haunter, and he'll eventually grow out of it. But Jenna…" she paused, holding the fingers of her right hand gently over her mouth. "…I'm worried that Jenna might end up like…me, when I first met you…"

"Don't worry, honey," Brock gave a small smile to lift her mood. "I'm sure we can work it out, eventually."

"Eee! Belle, stop!" James squealed, as his daughter began to pull at his cheek and hair after Jessie had passed her onto his lap. "Jessie, Meowth, can't you do something?" he called out to his wife and friend, who had their backs turned to him. However, as they were facing in our direction, we could see them both chuckling softly with their hands over their mouths. "Hopkins! Hopkins! Help!"

"Yes, sir, how may I be of service?" the aged butler arrived after a few seconds of waiting.

"Can't…you…get her…off me…somehow?" he groaned in between numerous pulls of his cheek by his daughter.

"I'm terribly sorry, sir, but I believe that intervening on such…'family matters',is not my business as your butler. And even if it were, doing so at this very point in time would prove to be most detrimental to my wellbeing…most notably my back. Please excuse me, sir," Hopkins explained as-a-matter-of-factly, before leaving the room.

"In other words…" Jessie grinned, "…he's saying that he's too old for that stuff, darling!"

"Yeah! Why can't you deal wid' it yourself, James?" Meowth mocked as he played with a cotton ball. "After all, she's your child!"

"Ooohh…" James sighed, collapsing on his back as his daughter began to play with the puffy part of the formal shirt he was wearing. "Who knew that being a parent would prove to be such an inconvenience? Growlie! Help!"

"Ar…" the now-evolved Arcanine and James' favorite pet gave a lazy yawn as he stretched himself on the carpet, unwilling to move from his relaxed position in which Pikachu was unwittingly giving him a back rub from playing on top of his great body, along with Marill.

"Mama! Dada!" Claire beamed, toddling towards us and resting in my lap, after receiving a hug and kiss from Misty. Smiling, I lifted my daughter up and turned her around until we were facing each other.

"Claire, honey, why don't you go to uncle Brock and aunt Sabrina now?" I said. She responded with another smile, walking off in their direction. Although Brock wasn't a real relative, the years of travelling we did together had pretty much made him the older brother I never had. Claire stumbled just as she was about to reach Sabrina – who was also like a sister to me and Misty – who caught her before she fell backwards. Feeling safe and happy in Sabrina's warm and loving arms, Claire hugged her firmly, as the former leader of the Saffron Gym cradled her. Brock held out his hand above Claire, who reached up for it with her tiny hands and fingers, squeezing it.

"Oh! Are you finished now, Ethan?" Misty looked straight forward with surprise, after catching sight of him approaching her from the corner of her eye. He sat down in her lap, looking squarely at Jenna, who looked back at him in the same manner.

"Yes. I'm done, for now," he replied in a straight-forward manner. And a little on the cold side, I might add…

"Demetry, come to your mother! It's nearly time for dinner!" Jessie called her son gently, extending her hands outwards. Shortly afterwards, Demetry did so, taking his place in her lap while Belle continued to rub and squeeze her father's cheeks in a circling motion with both hands.

"You too, Jenna! Come to daddy!" Brock reached his free hand to Jenna, who walked over to him with a blank, but significantly less cold expression than that of Ethan.

"Well, I guess you should all follow me," James sat up, rubbing his cheeks. "I'm show you to the bathrooms."

"Come on, Claire! Time to wash up for dinner!" I said, getting up from my seated position on the carpet. Sabrina walked over to us with Claire still in her arms and handed her over to me, before going off to collect her fairly naughty son, Alex.

"Come here, ya little monster!" she grinned, lifting him up and hugging him. "You can play all you want with Haunter and Ludicolo when we get back home!"

"Hehe!" the one-and-a-half year old laughed as his mother gave him a kiss.

After washing our kids up, we followed Jessie, James and Meowth to the dining room. My mouth gaped open in disbelief as the doors opened: the table – and of course, the room itself – was literally huge. Beautiful 17th and 18th century-style portraits and sculptures surrounded us, and the table was easily over ten feet long, and the legs carved beautifully with the likeness of baby angels which adorned them. Three candle holders containing three lit candles each occupied the table, evenly spaced apart, and in perfect symmetry. The Champion's Quarters which I was given after my victory over Lance in the Indigo Plateau was one thing, but this was on a totally different level. Still, it wasn't the furniture or the room which made me stop in amazement, as I had seen it all before on our previous visits. Rather, it was something which differed between every day, and was on a much simpler level: food.

'Make sure not to pig yourself out, Ash…please,' Misty spoke to me through her unique powers of Aura, which she had retained from two years ago.

'Uhh…I'll try, Mist, but…' I looked at her, '…I smell roast beef and gravy! And chicken!' I insisted, before calming down after she gave me a soft elbow on my side.

"Well, here we are," James stood by the door, leading us in. "Sit where you like."

We went in and seated ourselves; Sabrina and Brock sitting next to each other on one side, while Misty and I sat opposite them. Meanwhile, Jessie and James sat on opposite ends of the shorter lengths of the table, while Meowth took his place close to Jessie. After waiting for awhile with our children in our laps, we placed them on the cushiony high chairs which were brought by the servants, who then removed the silver lids, surely enough revealing the scrumptious food within. Meanwhile, our children were all given warm soup with soft vegetables and meat to eat.

As much as I had liked to simply dig in right this instant, I kept my composure and nerves, trying to act like a ' proper gentleman', which Misty constantly told me to aim to one day become. Deciding to start the conversation, I spoke to James after swallowing the chicken pieces which were in my mouth. "Wow, I gotta say – this place sure is amazing every time I see it!"

"Well, my parents always liked to keep things in order," James replied with a small sigh of boredom at the image of picture-perfect orderliness. "I remember that it used to be so dull around here. But now, with Jess and Meowth here, everything seems so different and much more lively!" he smiled at his wife, who smiled back warmly while Meowth grinned.

"So, you two," Misty turned to Brock and Sabrina. "How are things in the Pewter City Gym?"

"It's a lot quieter than it used to be, actually," Sabrina replied. "The youngest of them is now 17, and they've matured so much."

"They've serious quietened down, all right," Brock agreed. "Sometimes, I even wonder if anybody's home! They still play around with Ludicolo and Haunter, though."

"Didn't any of them…y'know…start their Pokémon journeys?" I asked.

"Nah. Because they all grew up together in a large group, they're a bit too attached to each other for any of them to leave home. And besides – it'd be awkward facing your own family member for a badge, when you're already so familiar with the gym and all the Pokémon!"

"That's quite true," Misty grinned. "Although I always dreamed of one day becoming the world's greatest water Pokémon trainer, battling Daisy for the Cascade Badge would've given me a weird feeling as well."

We all laughed softly and ate awhile, before Jessie asked me a question. "So, Ash, how are your parents and everyone at Pallet Town? Are they good?"

"Yeah, they are. Whenever we go to visit, it feels as if Dad was never gone," I chuckled. "He's regularly spending time with all his old Pokémon as well, since Professor Oak showed him to the Pokéball storage room where they were held. My Pokémon are all coming to know Dad's, and boy, are they powerful, compared to mine," I smiled, slightly embarrassed. "Professor Oak, Tracey and Gary are all doing great, as well. Gary's even told me that he's gonna propose soon to his long-time girlfriend, Amanda. He seems to be incredibly nervous about it, though."

"Really? That's great for Gary!" Brock commented as he raised his glass of wine. "Although he never really seemed like the committed, marrying type. But then again, time changes things, doesn't it?"

"You can say that again," I laughed, taking a sip from my glass.

"Still, that's kind of expected about your dad's Pokémon, honey," Misty commented. "After all, he did achieve Champion status in Kanto, Johto and Hoenn. "

"And I thought I did well when I became Champion of Kanto," I sighed.

"You can't blame yourself for trying, Ash," James added, looking up as if he was wondering about something. "What was that old saying again? Ah, yes! They say that boys, by nature, always aim to surpass their fathers. And in doing so, they end up setting their father's achievements as the 'standard', constantly trying to achieve something even greater."

"Was that the case for you as well, James?" Jessie smirked.

"I…erm…well…" James' voice died down, along with his slumping shoulders. "Well, no, actually…I was too occupied with collecting…things…"

"Things? What things?" Sabrina asked.

"…bottle caps…" Jessie exhaled, holding her forehead. "James used to be obsessed with them. It was sucha weird hobby, as well."

"It so was not, Jessica!" James blurted in a controlled way, as if to tease her instead. "And do you not call obsessing over your hair and face even while we had a job to do back then, a 'hobby' as well?" he cheekily grinned, as his wife grimaced at him briefly before calming down.

"So, Misty, how are your sisters?" Jessie asked her, changing the subject.

"They're all good! And Daisy's been going out with Tracey quite often during the last two years whenever Tracey got a break period, during which he'd go to visit her in Cerulean. I don't know exactly, but I'd even go as far as to guess that Tracey might propose to her someday!" Misty giggled.

"That's great! The two of them are a really good match!" Brock chimed. "What about Violet and Lily, though? As far as I know, they're not engaged either!"

"Oh, they have their own boyfriends as well, and they'll probably get proposals sometime," Misty explained. "Honestly, I'm not as worried about them as much as I'm worried about the gym itself, should they eventually decide to move out."

"Ah, that's right!" Sabrina noted. "What'll happen to the gym when that day comes, Misty?"

"I dunno, exactly…it all depends on whether or not Daisy decides to move out, I guess. I mean, she definitely likes shopping and travelling so much more than taking care of the gym. And Tracey's not exactly the city-life type, and prefers to either observe Pokémon or do research alongside Professor Oak," Misty said, holding her fork slightly above her plate.

James' eyes then flashed, as if he had just remembered something he had previously forgotten. "Pardon me, but…I have something to ask all of you," he said to us. "Jessie, Meowth, my parents and I will be going to spend some time – about two weeks – in our summer home in the Sinnoh region in about a week's time, and, uh…I was wondering whether any of you would like to join us."

Misty and I looked exchanged glances while Brock and Sabrina did the same. Deciding that we had no other engagements, we smiled and nodded to each other, looking down at our children.

"Claire, sweetheart, do you wanna go and see the Sinnoh region with mommy and daddy?" I smiled, speaking gently to my child who replied by nodding enthusiastically.

"Ethan, honey, do you wanna go as well?" Misty spoke to him.

"I've got no problem with it," he replied rather vacantly, as Misty put on a small smile and nodded, although she was worried about him on the inside.

"We're all fine with it as well," Sabrina smiled at James, then at Jessie and Meowth, after consulting with her family. "It'd be nice to travel to another region, as well. I've literally never been out of the Kanto region."

"The Sinnoh region is a very beautiful place, honey," Brock grinned at Sabrina. "I promise you, you'll love it very much."

"Hey, we can go visit Dawn as well!" I said as it just came to my mind. "We should check on her – see if everything's alright."

"That'd be good, Ash," Misty agreed with me. "We'd be able to give her some support, as well."

"It's all settled, then!" James smiled, joining his hands. "We'll leave for Sinnoh together next Friday!"

(That morning, on New Island)

(Giovanni's POV)

As the helicopter descended upon the decaying remnants of the lab on New Island, I rose from my seat in preparation to leave the craft. I was accompanied by Domino, a few other agents and a team of specialists who were still clueless as to what my true intention for coming back here might be.

"What are we doing here, boss?" Domino inquired after the chopper had landed and died down. "I thought we abandoned this place after it was burnt down by Mewtwo, years ago! What object of value could we possibly gain from coming back to this place?"

"We are not here to obtain an 'object' Domino, but a person," I grinned.

"A…a…person?" she backed away slightly, as if she did so out of fear.

"Yes, indeed," I turned my head, nodding before giving orders to the specialists. "Scatter across the remains of the former lab, immediately! Search for any human remains you may find!"

With hesitant nods of acknowledgment, the underlings began to scamper across the grounds, searching every corner of the former lab. Domino, meanwhile, was still lost in thought as she continued to wonder about my motives. "Boss…what are you trying to gain from searching for human remains?" she asked with her hand on her chin, before recoiling with a gasp. "You…you couldn't possibly be trying to…"

"You are absolutely correct in your assumption, Domino," I smiled deviously. "I intend to revive my former team of scientists who had conducted the initial creation process and maintenance experiments on Mewtwo. And even if I cannot revive all of them, I must at least repossess my chief scientist on the project: Dr. Fuji."

"But sir!" Domino cried. "As far as we know, there are no facilities anywhere in the world yet, which are capable of regenerating humans from their remains! They only work with Pokémon fossils!"

"You are mistaken, Domino," I chuckled, shaking my head. "I must inform you, that I have had an undercover agent acting as a scientist on Cinnabar Island for years now, reporting to me regularly regarding the development of a prototype series of machinery which will be capable of resurrecting now only Pokémon, but humans as well. It is now time to test that machinery for ourselves."

Domino took awhile to process and comprehend the new information she had just heard, before turning back to the rubble which lay in front of us. "Understood, sir. I'll go now and supervise the specialists in their tasks," she said, walking off to join them.

My attention turned to my phone, which began to ring in my suit pocket. Peering down at the device to see who it was, I saw that it was the leader of my team of saboteurs in the Sinnoh region. "Yes, what is it?" I answered.

"We've scouted the entire vicinity of the prison the former Team Galactic admins are being held, sir," he answered. "There isn't a great number of guards around. We'll be able to extract them immediately tonight, sir."

"Good. Bring them back to headquarters by air, once you've extracted them. I will expect them in the Board Room, by 9am sharp tomorrow. Is that clear?"

"Impeccably clear sir," he replied firmly, and I ended the conversation, placing the phone back in my pocket. The wait was short – only about a quarter of an hour, before one of the scientists came scurrying back to me.

"We've found some remains, sir! There are still some old bones which we have managed to gather up!" he announced.

"Good. And how many sets of remains is that?" I looked at him straight in the eye, driving fear straight into his heart as his expression well and truly showed it.

"Ju…just one, sir," he whimpered. "Only one set of remains are left, and all the others seem to have disintegrated entirely…"

I continued to look at him a short while, finding amusement in his terrified stance, before finally deciding to give the man some well-deserved relief. "Well done. Gather up your men, and we shall return to headquarters and prepare for the night operations on Cinnabar Island. And do take care to ensure that the remains are well preserved," I said, turning around to return to the helicopter as Domino joined me shortly.

(Back at James' estate, in the evening)

(Ash's POV)

"Alright, you two, say goodbye to everyone!" I said to our children as we prepared to leave James' mansion.

"Bye bye!" Claire smiled, toddling up to Jessie, James and Meowth and receiving hugs from each of them.

"Ethan?" Misty looked down at our son, who was still standing as still as a rock, with a rather vacant look in his eyes.

"Goodbye…" he said after a few seconds of silence, with hardly a touch of liveliness in his voice. The three tried to respond with a smile, but their expression lingered on the line between a real smile and a worried frown.

"Say goodbye, sweetheart!" Sabrina smiled at Alex, who was in her arms. He proceeded to wave enthusiastically at Jessie and James, as well as their children and Meowth. His twin sister soon did the same, although in a more reserved fashion.

"Well, I guess we should start heading for the train station, though it's quite far away," Brock yawned.

"Huh? I thought Sabrina could…y'know…teleport around and stuff, just like her dad!" I noted.

"I can't right now, Ash…I'm all spent and exhausted," Sabrina exhaled, leaning her head on Brock's shoulder.

"Umm…Brock?" Misty said to him.

"Yeah? What is it, Misty?"

"It might take a few hours for you to arrive back at Pewter City by train. Why don't you stay with us for the night?" she insisted.

"Huh? Really? But…how would we get there?" Brock asked.

"It should be alright, Brock," I smiled. "I brought Charizard, Pidgeot, Staraptor and Garchomp with me."

"Well…" Sabrina murmured as she and Brock looked at each other for some moments, before smiling in agreement. "Alright, then, we'd be glad to come!"

"Great! I'll just call them out now," I said, releasing the four fliers from their Pokéballs, as well as Noctowl, who I had brought along for its night vision. Misty got on Pidgeot's back while I mounted Charizard, and Brock and Sabrina mounted Garchomp and Staraptor, respectively. All of us took care to secure our children, so they wouldn't fall during the flight.

"Claire, honey, make sure to tell mommy if you get sick, ok?" Misty said, as Claire nodded.

"Alright, guys, don't lose your grip, now!" I called out, as Charizard began to flap his mighty wings, eager for flight. I turned around to bid Jessie, James and Meowth farewell as we took off. "Bye, guys! See you next week!"

"Take care, all of you!" James called back as the three of them waved to us, smiling.

"Noctowl, you take the lead. Charizard, stay right behind him," I said to them as we began to soar through the air, before turning my head to look at Misty, Brock and Sabrina. "Guys, I'm gonna stay front so you can all see Charizard's tail. Stay close!"

"Right behind you, Ash!" Misty replied.

"Me too," Brock said. Meanwhile, Sabrina seemed to be having a bit of trouble acquainting herself with flying on a Pokémon's back. "Are you okay, honey?" Brock turned his head to his wife.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Brock," Sabrina said with uncertainty. "I'm just…getting used to flying on a Pokémon, that's all."

"You'll get used to it quite quickly, so don't worry about it," Brock chuckled, as we continued on towards our home in the Seafoam Islands.

We arrived home after around one and a half hours of flying, and were all exhausted. "God, I haven't been this tired after flying, in years!" Misty yawned, stretching her arms up before she descended Pidgeot with Claire soundly asleep in her arms. After Brock and Sabrina stepped on the front porch as well, I recalled all five of my flying Pokémon as Pikachu leapt on my back.

"Come on in, guys," I led Brock, Sabrina and their kids into the house, giving them each slippers after they had taken off their shoes.

"Wow, it sure is nice to be in this place, again!" Sabrina smiled, rubbing her arms as she also indulged in the warmth of our house, which highly contrasted the chilly winds outside.

"Do you guys want a warm drink or anything before we go to bed? It was rather cold out there," I said to her and Brock.

"Oh, no, Ash! We'll be just fine!" she insisted with a smile.

"Yeah. I think it'll be alright if we just went to bed," Brock yawned slightly.

"Really, it's nothing," I grinned. "We'll just tuck the kids into bed, seeing as they've all fallen asleep, and then we can have some hot chocolate or tea downstairs, if you'd like."

"We're perfectly fine with it, Sabs! Don't fret about it!" Misty added.

"Well, alright then," Sabrina chuckled. "If you insist, Misty."

After placing Ethan and Claire together in Ethan's bed and laying Alex and Jenna in Claire's, the four of us sat in the living room in front of a portable heater, with thin blankets over our shoulders. We each drank a mug of hot chocolate, except for Sabrina who opted for green tea. Pikachu and Marill were sitting on the floor, enjoying a bag of marshmallows along with two bottles of ketchup and sweet mustard.

"Thanks so much again, guys, for letting us stay here," Sabrina expressed her gratitude again.

"It's nothing, Sabs," Misty grinned. "And besides, it's better that you stay here tonight, instead of taking the train for hours, all the way back to Pewter City."

"Yeah. And plus, we can all go visit Mom and Dad in Pallet Town tomorrow, before heading off to Pewter again afterwards. I've gotta tell them that we're gonna be away in Sinnoh from next week, anyway," I said.

"Come to think of it, I never really got the chance to have a good look at your Dad's Pokémon," Brock pointed out while looking at the ceiling in thought. "But from what you've told me, he sure sounds like one helluva trainer."

"Uh-huh," I nodded. "He's got so many Pokémon, I think I've lost count. And most of them are real powerful as well. About over half of them are fully evolved, and others are either in their second-stage evolutions, or just simply chose to stay the way they are, like my Squirtle and Bulbasaur."

"Still, I'm quite surprised that with achievements like his, your dad manages to live a life which is almost perfectly private, from the public eye," Sabrina said. "After all, there aren't many people in the world today with achievements like his."

"That's the best thing about Pallet Town, Sabrina," I smiled. "Virtually everyone knows everyone personally because it's a small place, and we also respect one another's privacy a lot. Both of my parents were born there, and they figured that it was the perfect place for them to live together privately as a couple, after Dad had won the Hoenn title. I wouldn't know about it personally because I wasn't born yet at the time, but Mom told me that Dad was pretty much a celebrity everywhere, after he became the Champion of Kanto, Johto and Sinnoh."

"That sounds so great…" Sabrina trailed off briefly, before speaking again. "I would've loved to visit and spend some time in your hometown, years ago. The privacy makes it sound like it sure beats lounging around the same old gym, having perverted male trainer after trainer coming for me,rather than my badge," she chuckled.

"Oh, by the way, Sabrina, how are your mom and dad? Are they good?" Misty asked.

"They are, Misty, thanks for asking!" Sabrina answered with a smile. "Tate's been taking good care of them when he doesn't have any gym battles scheduled. And I've gotta say, he's improved his skills as a solo trainer dramatically in the past two years. I still teleport in and out of there on occasion to see how they're doing."

"Yeah. It seems he's upholding the Saffron City Gym's reputation for being the most challenging gyms in all of Kanto!" Brock laughed, before rubbing his nose lovingly against Sabrina's. "Not that he's got anything on you in terms of skills, honey."

"Oh, stop it," Sabrina blushed and patted his chest jokingly, as he leaned in and gave her a kiss.

About a quarter of an hour later when we were all finished with our drinks, we each headed to bed: Misty and I to our bedroom, while Brock and Sabrina occupied the guest's bedroom which we specifically arranged for whenever they, or Jessie, James and Meowth would occasionally come to visit. After bidding our friends goodnight, Misty and I lay down together in our bed, curling up together to share our warmth after handing a warm blanket to Pikachu and Marill: I had accidentally left the window slightly ajar before we left for James' mansion, and only just closed it prior to going to bed.

"Ash?" Misty whispered to me, placing her hand on my chest, close to my heart.

"Yeah?"

"I'm still worried a lot about Ethan…I think his…y'know…is getting worse," she looked down with concerned eyes.

"Don't worry about it too much, Mist. I'm sure it'll pass sooner or later," I said, rubbing her back and shoulder to comfort and warm her.

"I don't know exactly where it might be coming from. I mean, he was so cheerful again after we were reunited two years ago, but something changed along the way. At first, I thought it was the usual bit of temporary jealousy that some first-borns tend to have for their younger siblings, and that it'll pass, but now that it's been a bit over two years…I think it might just be because…" she trailed off.

"Because of what, Mist?" I stroked her face.

"During the two years we were apart and Ethan and I were taken captive by Julius, he focused a lot of attention on developing Ethan's powers of Aura, just as he did on mine. I think that it might still be having some kind of…lingering effect…" she held my chest firmer as she spoke, full of worry.

"It'll be alright, Mist. We'll go and visit Mom and Dad tomorrow along with Brock and Sabrina. If there's one person who Ethan genuinely likes, it's Mom."

"You're right, Ash," Misty smiled, caressing my face. "Your parents are so good to me, treating me as if I were their own child. I remember how I used to feel so alone after my parents died when I was little, but I never felt lonely again, after I came to know yours. Everything will be fine once we're with them."

"That's right, Mist. Everything will be fine," I smiled, kissing her gently on the lips. "Let's get some sleep, now."

"Goodnight, Ash. I love you."

"I love you too, Mist. Goodnight," I whispered as we kissed again, before falling asleep in each other's arms.

(Meanwhile, in the vicinity of Cinnabar Island, at midnight)

(3rd-person narrative)

"Are your units in position to storm the building?" Giovanni spoke into his phone with a touch of impatience in his voice. Five Team Rocket helicopters were flying high above the air with all external lights deactivated, so as to remain undetected by the oblivious security guards on the ground.

"Yes, sir. Twelve of us are in place and ready to take the lab on your command," the unit commander replied from his concealed position, a few dozen feet outside the security gates of the lab.

"Good. You may begin immediately, commander. And remember – only the scientists inside are to be kept alive, for now. You shall clear the immediate area of any security personnel, and then proceed directly into the building, taking everyone inside as hostages. And remember; this is a mission which requires the utmost discretion as possible: leave no witnesses. I shall give you further instructions, after we have taken the building. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir. We shall begin at once."

Several minutes before, Crystal Jenny, a 26-year old police officer assigned to Cinnabar Island, wandered around the grounds of the lab with a flashlight during her night watch. She smiled as she looked down and removed the white glove on her right hand, revealing a beautiful diamond engagement ring that her fiancée presented her the week before. She laughed softly to herself as she reflected on the day that she met Jason Hart, her future husband: she had actually caught him speeding in the busy streets of Viridian City and issued him a ticket, with a serious look on her face. After she received an apology and a promise to pay his fine from the brown-haired man, she was soon given the shock of her life: he actually asked her out for a coffee at the nearby café. Whether it was due to the sheer surprise she felt at that instant, or the relative loneliness she had experienced over the previous weeks, she was amazed even at herself as she actually accepted the offer. In the conversation that followed, she couldn't help but fall helplessly in love with him as they conversed about all sorts of matters, during which she discovered that the two of them a considerable amount in common. She had even gone as far as to cancel his ticket altogether, as the two of them locked lips for the first time.

After a few months of dating, Crystal moved out of her apartment and moved in with Jason in the eastern suburbs of Viridian. A few years followed before Crystal was transferred to Cinnabar Island for a month. With a heavy heart, she told her long-time partner that she was going away – only for a month, but a long time nonetheless, considering how they cherished each other. She felt her heart skip a beat as she held her hand to her mouth, shocked to see him kneeling before her and presenting her with the engagement ring she now had on her finger. Overjoyed with tears, Crystal hugged him tightly, vowing to resign from the police force one day so that she could spend the rest of her life with him, never separated.

Smiling, she put her glove back on her hand as she moved towards the front entrance, where Johnny, a local security guard, was standing tediously by himself against the wall. "Don't be so down and bored-looking, Johnny! Cheer up! After all, today is your last shift before you're given two weeks' leave, isn't it?" she grinned as she nudged him on the arm.

"Huh? Oh…sorry, Crystal…" he woke himself from his state of half-sleep. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I can rest all I want tomorrow. But boy, I should've had an extra coffee to last me the night!" he yawned.

"You'll be just fine," Crystal smiled as she walked away to begin patrolling the left side of the building which was now populated only with trees after all the merchandise and souvenir stalls had been packed away, following the end of the summer season. Looking to her right, she glanced at the four security guards who were also patrolling the area close to the front gate.

After making sure that everything was alright, she continued on before her attention was suddenly drawn to the sharp cries of one of the guards who were perfectly fine just a second before. Rushing back across the side of the building, she took cover by backing herself against the wall, her pistol in hand as she attached her silencer. Carefully, she peered from the corner towards the iron gate, where men clad in black clothing leapt over. Leaning forward more, she saw, to her horror, the bodies of the guards lying near the gate they were patrolling, and even that of Johnny, who was alive and well barely a minute ago.

She swung herself away, just as one of the men in black clothing turned his head in her direction. A fleet of five helicopters began to descend onto the main grounds of the lab, blowing about the trees and grass incessantly. Thoughts of her fiancée began to rush through her mind as she held her hand over her heart, looking down and whimpering with tears – not from the fear of dying, but from the fear of something worse. Would she ever see him again? How would he act, if he found out about the death of his future wife? Will she ever live to give birth to children and raise a family with him?

As fearful as she was for her life, Crystal resolved to act bravely, for it was her duty as a police officer to protect others from crime. She was all alone now: all the other guards were either dead, unconscious, or wounded and begging for their lives before the masked attackers, who mercilessly and coldly executed them each with a bullet through the temple. She could run, but in doing so, would end up endangering the lives of the scientists within. And so, in an act of selfless courage, she came out of her hiding place, rushing sideways towards a large tree for cover as she opened fire, hitting two of the dark figures with bullets aimed at their chest. Startled, the rest of the criminals began to look around frantically, trying to find the source of the silenced shots. Four more shots and four downed figures later, they finally spotted her as she began to reload her pistol. She immediately recoiled behind the tree as she found that she was empty, quickly grabbing another magazine from her pocket and shoving it into the pistol. But her face contorted in fatal horror, as she observed that the bottom end of the magazine was jammed, and wouldn't go in.

Then, as she lost all hope, one of the attackers silently ran up to her position and unloaded a bullet right into her lower hip, causing her to wince up and scream in agony. Tears streamed down her face as she clenched her teeth due to the excruciating pain, clutching her wound. Peering up with eyes of pure terror, she looked at the menacing figure with an expression of sadness, as if she was pleading with him not to end her life. Then, all went black as he brought down a baton with brutal force onto her head, knocking her unconscious...

"Well done, commander. The guards have been completely neutralized…but why are six of your men dead?" Giovanni said, tilting his head towards him.

"This wretched woman shot them dead, sir," the commander grunted, as one of them dragged Crystal's unconscious and bloodied body in front of him and flung her onto the ground.

"One single officer eliminated six men…impressive…" Giovanni smirked, not seeming to be concerned in the slightest.

"She still breathes. Shall we execute her now, sir?" the commander gripped the back of Crystal's collar and pulled strongly, causing her head to jerk backwards and reveal her neck. He holstered his silenced pistol and opted to pull out his knife, holding it against the skin of her bare throat. "Some of the men are simply itching to end her life, after the great inconvenience she caused us."

"No…I don't think that's necessary," Giovanni replied with an impressed tone, unfazed by the loss of the six men. "In fact, she may possibly be of great value…we shall brainwash her at headquarters, and use her to achieve our own ends," he smirked, before pointing to two grunts. "The two of you will keep a close eye on her and on the surroundings. We shall take her back with us once we're finished here. Execute all other security personnel who are still alive. The rest of you, storm and secure the building, immediately."

"Yes, sir!" all five squadrons of grunts and agents replied in almost military-like unison, before rushing into the building after knocking down the door. Giovanni started to walk towards the lab at a leisurely pace, accompanied by Domino, as the night air was filled with the screams of the scientists within…

Moments later, Crystal drearily opened her eyes, as the pain in her body seemed to hit her altogether again like a shower of knives. Her nails dug into the ground as she slowly tried to get up, before going still again as she heard the voices of two men, close to the doorway.

"You know, maybe we should just shoot all the security guys lying around here, again. I could never trust the special infiltration teams that the boss sends in. I mean, why can't we just blast our way in to start with? We're the ones with all the heavy equipment, and all!" one of them complained.

"Shut your mouth, you idiot!" the other scolded him in a hushed voice. "Do you even know why we had to execute this mission like this?"

"Uhh…no…why?" the first grunt scratched his head.

"The boss wants this to seem like an accident to everyone who'll see this scene in the morning! That's why he got everyone to attach their silencers! If we're detected or heard while doing this, then who knows? We might even be finished if that stupid kid who always meddles with our plans shows up again!"

"Oh…right…whatever," the ignorant grunt turned sideways. "But still, I reckon we should unload a few more rounds into these geezers. Just to make sure they're dead. The boss said he didn't want any witnesses, right? So, we're just doing our job for him!"

"Yeah, alright," the second grunt sighed. "We've got silencers on anyway, so we might as well."

The two of them then began to go around the grounds, shooting each of the bodies in the head to ensure their permanent silence. The last guard they came to was actually still alive, regaining consciousness just as they approached. His pleas for mercy were soon also put to an end. Crystal then placed her hand on the right side of her hip to feel for her pistol, but to her dismay, it was gone. She immediately went silent, not even daring to breathe as the two men came skulking back to check on her.

"And that, brings us right back to…hehehe…" the second grunt sniggered as they approached Crystal's body. "I've gotta say, she looks like one helluva fine girl. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, you sure are right about that, John," the other agreed. "Hey…since they're gonna be taking awhile, why don't we have some…fun with her?"

"Oh…I'm listening," the other chuckled evilly.

"They'll take about ten to fifteen minutes to come out of there, if you ask for my opinion. Why don't we entertain ourselves until then?" his companion knelt down right next to Crystal, throwing her uniform hat far away, stroking her thighs while he simultaneously breathed on and gently kissed her neck. Although she would have instinctively winced at this, Crystal stayed still with the utmost mental discipline. Feeling the passive touch of his pistol against her lower body, she decided to wait and tolerate the actions of the criminal for a bit longer before grabbing it at the opportune moment.

"…having fun?" the standing grunt complained, holstering his gun.

"Too much," the other replied as he turned Jenny sideways so that she was now facing upwards. He lifted her off the ground momentarily, before bringing her back down on top of him as he lay beneath her. Feelings of pure disgust ran through Crystal as she felt the man rubbing her neck and chest with his left hand, while his right hand caressed the bare skin of her stomach and worked its way down to her belt. When she felt his hand begin to undo the buckle, she decided that she had enough and lurched forward and out of his arms, swinging her arm back and picking up the pistol out of his holster with lightning-quick reflexes. After shooting the standing Team Rocket grunt in the neck, she spun around, shooting her stunned violator square in the forehead. Neither of them made as much as a sound as they lay dead on the ground.

Free from her captors, Crystal painfully stood up and began to leave the grounds, limping as she clutched her bullet wound in the hopes of stopping the bleeding. Although she tried desperately to remain awake and continue on down the streets, she was far too fatigued and weary. Finding no place to find refuge but a large dumpster bin in the alleyway, she reluctantly opened it and climbed inside, gaining a little mental comfort at the fact that it was filled only with cardboard matter. Blood still trickled from her wound and onto the cardboard, leaving a stain which slowly turned from bright red to a darker shade, and then finally to a dark brown. After closing the lid over her head, sleep began to overtake her once more, as she hoped with all her heart that she would live to see her fiancée again…

As Giovanni walked into the main foyer of the lab with Domino, he was greeted by the sight of about twelve scientists whimpering and huddling close to one another, kneeling with their hands behind their heads as the grunts aimed their pistols at them. Upon seeing the leader of Team Rocket entering the room, one of the scientists was overwhelmed with fear as he attempted to make a wild dash to the window to jump out, only to be stopped with three bullets straight into his back. The remaining scientists cried out in fear, not daring to move a muscle.

"Where is special agent Isaac? Is he not here?" Giovanni said to the grunts, completely ignoring the death of the scientist.

"Right here, sir," the agent revealed himself after he exited an adjacent room, accompanied by two grunts who walked behind him. He was slim and had fair hair which was of medium length, styled neatly to add to his disguise as a fellow scientist at the lab.

"You have performed admirably," Giovanni smirked. "I shall see to it that your are well-remunerated, awarded, and likely even promoted, once we return to headquarters."

"Thank you very much, sir. I will continue to do my best to serve you," Isaac bowed his head.

"And now, we must move to the more demanding part of our talks," Giovanni turned to the scientists. "You will show me to the chamber which contains the prototype machinery which will resurrect humans from their remains. If you co-operate, I am more than willing to guarantee you your safety, and your lives. Now, which one of you is the chief scientist in the project's development?"

A scruffy-haired and middle aged scientist stood up nervously and slowly, his hands still behind his head. "I…I am, sir…"

"Good. Lead on," Giovanni said, as two grunts shoved the scientist ahead. After walking down the corridor and taking a turn right and then left, they entered the chamber containing the machine which would resurrect the set of remains brought with them. A large, spherical tank hummed in a low reverberating volume, accompanied by two large tube-like structures on either side of it, connected by wires. Domino stopped and looked on with crossed arms, curious as to what the machine could do. With a click of Giovanni's fingers, two Team Rocket agents carefully brought in the case which contained the human remains. "Now, get to work," he ordered the scientist.

"Sir, I must warn you before we begin, that this machinery is still a prototype. We haven't perfected all the parameters and specifications yet, and going through with this might…" the scientist reasoned, before falling silent as Giovanni took a single step towards him, giving him a frightening look.

"The deal was that you do exactly as I say, and you and your fellows will live. Surely you do not wish to endanger anyone with your hesitance? And I assure you, that my undercover agent has informed me at numerous stages regarding the project's development, and I now expect this experiment to be finished without failure. Is that clear?" he loomed over the scientist, whose face began to sweat in terror.

"Y…yes, sir…right away," the scientist nervously stammered as he was handed the case of bones by the agent. He opened the door of the tank and the rectangular, large casing which was designed to host the test subject for revival. He opened the case and placed the bones carefully into the correct grooves which resembled the structure of the human skeleton. What would have taken several minutes for others, only took less than three for the head scientist, who closed the casing and the door as he exited the tank.

"I'm curious, though," Domino said, stroking her chin with her hand. "How can you regenerate things such as his brains and vital organs, when you only have his bones to work with?"

"In developing this advanced prototype, we worked on a way to regenerate the subject's intelligence and vital organs, using similar methods we employ when reviving fossils of Pokémon. Using our advanced DNA identification software, we are able to recreate the subject exactly the way it was, upon death," the scientist explained.

Placing his hand on the controls, he started up the machine, which began to produce a series of loud humming and bright sparks from within the tank. Following one final and spectacular flash of light which caused everyone to shield their eyes, the machine died down to a perfect silence.

"Is it finished?" Giovanni questioned, eager to see the outcome of the experiment.

"Y…yes…I'll go and open the casing, right now," the scientist made his way into the tank after opening the door and unlocking the casing via controls. As he opened up the lid of the large case, he stumbled back in shock. "Oh my God…"

From the casing emerged the body of the fairly-alive Dr. Fuji, although the few missing bones which weren't collected up by the team on New Island reflected upon his gaunt, hunch-backed and unstable form. His hair was wretched and his eyes a bloody red as he looked sideways and gave the scientist an enraged glare. Gripping him by the collar, Fuji's eyes burned into his like a raging furnace. "Why…have you…brought me…back?" he fumed.

"For you to continue with your work for me, as I have need of your expertise, once again," Giovanni said, drawing his attention.

"Gio…vanni…" Fuji murmured.

"I need you, so that I may once again possess our most powerful creation: Mewtwo. I shall reveal all details of my plan, once we've arrived back at headquarters. And once you've fulfilled you mission, I promise you that I will provide you with the necessary resources to once again attempt to clone your daughter, Amber, as well as locate your wife so that you may be reunited with each other," the leader of Team Rocket persuaded him, although he truly had no intention of going through with either promise.

After a moment of silence and thought, Fuji released his grip on the scientist, who scampered out of the tank and stood between him and Giovanni. "I will come with you again, sir," he hoarsely declared, walking out of the tank.

"Good," Giovanni nodded, smiling, before speaking to Domino. "See to it that he is dressed and ready to depart. We shall leave this place in ten minutes."

"Giovanni, sir!" the scientist cried. "You've got what you came for! Will you now release us, as you have promised?"

Giovanni stopped with his back facing the scientist. He ground his teeth in frustration, not looking back so as to hide the emotions on his face from him, before replying in a frustrated tone. "Yes, yes, you will be released soon enough. But first, I want you and your colleagues to gather so that I may address you all, before I leave."

"Thank you so very much, sir!" the scientist gave a sigh of relief as he was escorted by the grunts back to the main foyer where the rest of the scientists were still being held.

"Do you think he suspects anything?" Domino grinned.

"Not at all, Domino…not at all…" Giovanni smirked darkly as the two of them left the chamber, accompanied by the agents and grunts.

Minutes later, Fuji was escorted next to Giovanni by two grunts after being clothed in scientist attire. He looked vacantly at the ground with reddish eyes, standing as a mere shadow of his former self. Without saying a word, Giovanni proceeded to walk out of the building, through the entrance which was knocked down earlier by the saboteur agents.

"What? Why's he leaving? I thought he said to you that he was going to talk to us all before letting us go!" a female scientist whispered to the head who had accompanied Giovanni just before.

"What's going to happen to us?" a male scientist fretted. But Giovanni did not stop walking, instead heading back to the helicopters.

"Sir, what shall we do with the scientists? If we leave any witnesses, we'll be sure to be found out!" Domino enquired from the doorway.

Giovanni turned his head slowly over his right shoulder, with a smirk which immediately portrayed his inner thoughts. "Witnesses? …what witnesses?" he grinned, before continuing on to the helicopters. A devilish smile spread across Domino's face as she walked out to join her leader, but not before flicking her right wrist backwards at the grunts. The subtle action was then followed by the screams and cries of the scientists, who were silenced one by one at the hands of the Rocket grunts. Giovanni, Fuji and Domino left the building, not looking back once as the commander of the initial infiltration raid came up to them.

"Sir! The Officer Jenny we captured before is gone, and the two grunts who were assigned to guard the entrance are dead!" he frantically informed his leader who was as calm and composed as ever, like ice.

"Pay no heed to her. She is wounded severely, and will not last the night, wherever she may be," Giovanni dismissed the seriousness of the situation as he climbed into the chopper. "Clean up the entire scene – gather up all the bodies of the scientists, and dump them in various places inside the lab. Place the bodies of the security guards close to the lab, so that it appears that they died from standing too close to the building when it exploded. Take our dead back to headquarters on the fifth helicopter, and incinerate them. We will burn the entire building down, to destroy all evidence. And sever the gas pipes inside, so that the fire appears to have been caused by an accident."

The commander nodded and ran back to the grunts and agents in the room to relay the order. Moments later, all the bodies of the security guards and scientists were placed in various locations inside and outside the lab, and the gas pipes severed open. After all grunts, agents and specialists had been evacuated, the commander detached the pin on a fragmentation grenade and threw the explosive into the building. The lab exploded with a tremendous roar of fire, as the helicopters took off from the island.

As Giovanni sat in the helicopter and watched the lab burn ablaze, only one thought occupied his mind at present: should he have sent Domino with a team to retrieve or eliminate the Officer Jenny, after all?

(End of Chapter 2)

A/N: This must definitely be the longest chapter I've ever written…Chapter 3 will be uploaded sometime this week. Keep an eye out for it : ) .

Just so you know, there's probably going to be much more frequent changes between Ash and Giovanni's POV, as well as occasional 3rd-person narratives, in order to develop the dual series of events simultaneously. Although I was originally considering writing the final section in this chapter from Giovanni's POV, I just opted to write it in the 3rd-person narrative in order to include the Officer Jenny.

Chapter uploads and updates for this book will most likely be slower than Book II. This is because unlike Book II, I don't have plot specifications for each individual chapter, and instead have to work pretty much from scratch, with only my Master Plot to guide me.

Please leave your reviews. : )