Chapter 7

Broken Dreams

(Ash's POV)

It had been five days since I contacted Lance about Team Rocket's latest plot, and I was yet to receive an answer from him. However, the occasional fill-ins we received from Jessie, James and Meowth were very reliable, and didn't specify any kind of significant build-up of activity, therefore allowing us to relax somewhat for the moment.

Misty and I were in Pallet Town, visiting our parents again – well, my parents to be specific, but the loss of her own parents and her closeness to Mom and Dad pretty much made Misty a true part of the family. After meeting them again at home, we went over to Professor Oak's Lab to have tea together in the lobby, while all of our Pokémon were playing or resting together outside. Claire had a very happy look on her face as she cuddled Misty, while Ethan looked at least visibly calmer and even had a very small and barely noticeable smile on his lips as he sat on Mom's lap. The mere fact that Ethan was showing a bit of warmth at the moment was enough to bring relief to the minds of both me and Misty, who both looked at him as Mom held him in a warm and secure hug.

"So, Ash and Misty, how has everything been for you during the past few days?" Professor Oak asked us after taking a sip of tea. Mom and Dad were seated to his left, while Tracey was seated next the two of us.

"Everything's been fine, professor, thanks for asking!" I smiled. "It's hard to think that we'd be able to find some peace of mind while Team Rocket's still going on with their newest scheme, but we're feeling secure for the moment."

Just then, a combination of orange and blue scales zoomed past the window, drawing our attention with a sudden whoosh of wind. As if he knew what the exact cause was, Dad gave a sigh and walked over to the window, opened it and shouted out. "Salamence, cut it out! We're having tea at the moment, and we'd like some quiet!"

A low grunt came from Dad's Salamence as he and Charizard released their grip on one another, each giving a snort of smoke before flying off in different directions to join their other companions.

"He's been sparring again…he always does that," Dad muttered, returning to the sofa and sitting back down next to Mom. "He's probably the most battle-hungry out of all my Pokémon, now that I think of it – always nudging others whenever he's bored and wants another exercise…"

"Well, knowing Charizard, he was probably just as eager as Salamence, Dad," I chuckled. "They're dragons, after all – they've got too much pride for their own good!"

"Then again, at least we can thank the fact that Salamence usually never takes these mock training sessions too seriously," Mom smiled. "Sometimes, I thought he'd be able to burn down an entire forest if he took them too far!"

"That's one of the very reasons why I love water Pokémon!" Misty giggled. "They can grow really powerful, yet not be destructive as other types!" Her smile faded, replaced by a sigh of dismay as another water Pokémon came to her mind. "Except Gyarados, of course…he's destroyed the ceiling of the Gym on so many occasions since taking out those clowns who called themselves the 'Invincible Pokémon Brothers', that we had to hire a repairman who came in almost on a regular basis!"

"Aren't you forgetting that Gyarados is classified as a dragon Pokémon, as well?" I grinned, tapping her right cheek gently with my finger.

"I knew that, genius!" she mocked, poking me on the stomach before turning her head to Tracey. "Hey, by the way, Tracey, how are things going between you and my sister?"

"Ahahaha…I guess you could say that things are going great between us," Tracey laughed, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Doesn't she talk to you about this stuff?"

"Yeah, but I'd much rather hear your point of view on it, as well," Misty teased, elbowing him softly on the side.

After Tracey's face went red and he chuckled at Misty's remark, I turned to Professor Oak. "Umm…professor, where's Gary? Is he out again?"

"Oh! I forgot to tell you!" he smiled. "He went over to the lake not long ago. His girlfriend, Amanda, came by to visit yesterday, and is staying here for a week. Although, he wouldn't tell me exactly why he had to go on such short notice."

"Surprise! Guess what?" Gary flung open the door, a great smile strewn across his face.

"You finally got your Golem to improve its endurance, so that it doesn't get wiped out by a single Dragon Rage?" I joked.

"No, stupid!" he frowned and put his fists against his sides, before putting them down and smiling again ecstatically. "I asked Amanda to marry me! She said yes!"

"That's marvellous, Gary! Congratulations!" Professor Oak complimented, and we all clapped for him.

"So, have you thought about a date for the wedding yet, Gary?" Tracey asked.

"Nah, not yet," Gary replied. "We've decided to just go with the flow for the moment, and enjoy ourselves. We'll deal with all the details and that at a later stage."

"That's great Gary!" I smiled. "Where's Amanda now?"

"She's back in her hotel room. I'm gonna go back there later, and take her out for dinner later."

"Speaking of engagements," Misty grinned looking sideways at Tracey. "When are you going to ask my sister?"

"Me? Aah…" Tracey chuckled again, "I'll have a think about it, and pop her with the question when I'm convinced that it's the right time to ask, I suppose."

"Well, all I can say is that I hope you don't take too long," Misty sighed. "Daisy's already over 30, and I want her to be happy, y'know."

"Sure thing, Misty, I promise that I won't take too long," Tracey reassured her.

"That's fantastic, Tracey, dear!" Mom joined her hands. "I'm sure that you'll be a wonderful brother-in-law to Misty!"

After a few more minutes of conversation and finishing the rest of our tea, I spoke again. "Thanks a lot for having us again, Professor Oak. Could we please excuse ourselves? I'd like to go outside to see my Pokémon again."

"Of course, Ash, please go ahead! Tracey and I should get back to work, now," he nodded. "Oh! And we've also been expecting Melanie to return, today. You remember her, don't you?"

"Of course! She's the one who selected my Charizard's son as her starter Pokémon, right? It's been more than four years! I've been looking forward to seeing how much he's grown!"

"That's right, Ash," Professor Oak confirmed. "She should be here shortly. Meanwhile, why don't you go outside and check on your Pokémon?"

A short time later, Mom, Dad, Misty and I walked with Ethan and Claire behind the lab, where all our Pokémon were residing. Pikachu, Marill, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Totodile, Buizel and Dad's Plusle and Minun were all playing a game of hide-and-seek, although Bulbasaur's position would be revealed from time to time as Heracross couldn't help himself from sucking the sap from his bulb. Donphan and Tauros were eating berries together, while Charizard, Garchomp, Pidgeot, Staraptor, Swellow, Noctowl and a number of Dad's flying Pokémon were flying in the air, keeping an eye on the others. Butterfree was frolicking in the gardens with his family, amongst a patch of beautiful tulips. The rest of Misty's Pokémon were enjoying themselves in the large pond nearby, and on the broad meadows, Sceptile, Infernape and Snorlax were relaxing as they lay on their backs on the grass, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Snorlax and Infernape were both eating some grapes which lay in a mound beside Snorlax, who would pass some along to Infernape from time to time. Sceptile, meanwhile, didn't eat, instead choosing to simply relax with a small branch of wheat in his mouth.

All of my Pokémon also made friends with both my parents' Pokémon, as well: Kingler and Corphish quickly made friends with Dad's Crawdaunt, Charizard and Garchomp with Dad's Dragonite, Salamence and Charizard, among many friendships too numerous to count. Although Mom's Ninetales, Lyra, and Dad's Venusaur occasionally interacted with the others, the two of them were content to stay by each other's side – one such example of Professor Oak's theory that Pokémon reflect the feelings of their trainers. And just as expected, Heracross would sometimes attempt to suck the sap from Venusaur's flower as well, only to be swatted away with a Vine Whip, or warned to stay away by a small exhalation of fire from Ninetales.

"Pikapi! Pikachupi!"

"Marill!" the two pokemon came running as soon as they saw us, followed by Squirtle, Totodile, Bulbasaur and Buizel. Dad's Plusle leapt into his arms, while Minun jumped into Mom's.

"Hi, you guys. Having fun?" I smiled at them.

"Pi!" Pikachu nodded ecstatically.

"Hehe, that's great to hear," I said. "Anyway, Melanie – the trainer who chose Charizard's son as her starter – is expected to come back to Pallet Town today. You lookin' forward to seeing them?"

"Pika-pi!"

Just then, the tapping sound of footsteps on the dirt road came from afar, along with a lively voice. "Heey, I'm home!" Moments later, Melanie came running over the hill towards us with a big smile on her face. Her curly brown hair bounced against her shoulders and her short-brimmed white hat, and her brown eyes glittered with a most positive light.

"Welcome back, Melanie, how have you been?" Misty greeted her.

"Wow! I can't believe you're here again!" Melanie exclaimed. "Meeting you the first time was a great honor, but seeing you again is just amazing!"

"Hahaha…well, this is my hometown, after all, so we come by to visit every now and then. Misty loves this place as well – don't you, Mist?" I grinned at her, and she chuckled in response.

Melanie then caught eye of my parents, turning to speak to them. "Oh! And you must be…Mr. Ketchum's parents!"

"That's correct, dear," Mom smiled. "My name is Delia, and this is my husband, Chris."

"Pleased to meet you both!" Melanie beamed towards them.

"It's nice to meet you too, Melanie," Dad greeted her.

"That's a really cute hat you're wearing!" Misty noted. "It looks really nice on you!"

"Thanks!" Melanie grinned. "I bought it at a mall in Petalburg City. It's one of the nicest cities that I've ever been in – it's got a lot of stores and other places to shop, but it's still relatively quiet and it makes you feel like you're at home!"

"I know exactly how you feel, sweetie," Mom agreed. "Petalburg City is one of my favourite cities, and the Hoenn Region is also one of the places of which I have the fondest memories of."

"So, Melanie, judging from the fact that you've been to Hoenn, does that mean you've been through three regions now? " I asked.

"Yup! I've been through Kanto, Johto and Hoenn. I'm still trying to decide whether I should go to the Sinnoh or Unova regions next, but I want to spend about a month with my parents and younger brother before I go anywhere else."

"That's a good thing to do," Misty praised her decision. "It's very nice that you've decided to stay with your family for awhile, before you move on to your next region. Not only that, Team Rocket's incredibly active now compared to in the past, so it's best to stay safe for now."

"Yeah. I've heard the news…it's too bad for those people in Cinnabar Island…" Melanie hung her head.

"But anyways…what kind of Pokémon have you got, Melanie?" I asked after awhile, trying to switch the mood to a more positive one.

"Oh, right! I should show you!" she pulled out her Pokébelt and released all six of her Pokémon. Out came a Marshstomp, Medicham, Sableeye, Roselia, Swellow, and a Charizard, which had evolved from my Charizard's son, Charmander.

"Grooar!" Charizard growled happily, swooping over and landing in front of his son as the two of them gave each other a big hug. Charizard's son was now about two inches taller than him, and his wings slightly broader as well.

"Wow! He sure looks powerful," I said. "Have you left him at the Charicific Valley for awhile? They sure have a way of boosting your Charizard's power with the training they provide."

"Sure have, although I have to say that it was a really hard decision to leave him there, since he was my starter Pokémon and we have a strong bond," Melanie answered. "I sure missed having his firepower and his flying ability, but it all proved to be worthwhile in the end."

"By the way, Melanie," I turned to her, "did you Charizard show any signs of…arrogance or refusal to battle after it evolved from a Charmander?"

"Uhh…no, not at all! Why?" Melanie replied, confused.

I nudged Charizard gently on the side with my elbow as I murmured. "Why couldn't you be like that, huh, buddy?"

"Groooar!" he spat flames at me, charring my stunned face. "Grmph…"

"They're like…two completely different Charizards…" I whimpered, maintaining a weak, stunned grin as my fingers twitched one at a time.

"Why don't you head on home now, Melanie? I'm sure your parents will be anxious to see you again," Misty said to her, after wiping the black marks from my face with her handkerchief she pulled out of my pocket. "You should also say hello to Professor Oak along the way. Stay safe, now!"

"Okay! Well, it was nice meeting you all again! I'll be off now!" Melanie farewelled us as she made her way to Professor Oak's Lab.

Bulbasaur trotted over to Charizard's side, looking up at him as all of us watched Melanie walk away. "Bulba, bulbasaur, bul bulba?" ("Was that really necessary?")

"Char, groaarg, char, graarg, char char." ("He ticked me off. He should know by now what happens when he does that.")

"Pi, pikapika Pikachu chu-pika." ("Still, rather unnecessary and over-the-top, if you ask me.")

"Squirt. Squirtle-squirt, squirtle-squirtle squuuirtle squa squirt, squirtle squirtle tle squirt squir-squirtle squaa! Squirtle squeaa! Squir-squir-squir!" ("Yeah. Next time, just lift me up to his face, and I'll do that wild-animal face with the pointy teeth I did many years ago! It'll scare the daylights out of him! Kekeke!")

Bulbasaur let out a sigh, tapping his old friend gently across the back of his head with a vine. "Bulba bulba, bulbasaur…" ("Now you're the one who's being over-the-top…")

Hours later, we returned to our home in the Seafoam Islands on Pidgeot and Staraptor; Charizard chose to stay behind to spend some time with his son. As always after a trip to and fro from our home to mainland Kanto, we were exhausted and quite sore upon arrival, even though it was still midday. Pikachu and Marill were visibly worn out as well, supporting each other up by the shoulders.

"Ethan, Claire, did you have a good time with grandma and grandpa?" Misty smiled, looking at each of them as she walked inside holding Claire's hand. Ethan, meanwhile, didn't show any such signs of family affection, even withdrawing his hand and turning his head away from me as I moved mine to hold it.

"Yes, mommy! I love them both so much!" Claire beamed, hugging Misty's legs.

"How are you feeling, Ethan?" I asked him brightly, but received no answer: he simply looked away without saying a word, walked up the staircase and entered his room, shutting the door behind him. And once again, Misty and I felt as if our hearts had been shattered.

"Why don't you…go on upstairs as well and have a little nap, honey?" Misty said to Claire, trying her best to fake a happy smile. "I'll bring some warm milk for you later!"

"Okay!" Claire smiled, and raised herself to a standing position on her tip-toes, raising her head to Misty. Misty understood the gesture and leaned downwards, and the two of them gave each other a kiss on the cheek. After being helped up half of the stairs by Misty, Claire gave her an assuring look, signifying that she would climb the rest on her own, which she did.

Maintaining a smile until Claire disappeared from our view, I sighed in despair and held my face in my hands, whereas Misty started sobbing onto my shoulder.

"We tried to make him happy, Ash, but we just can't!" she cried. "I just don't know what to do anymore! Your mom was the last chance we had, but now that we're back home, it's as if nothing had changed at all!"

"I'm lost for words about it too, Mist," I comforted her with a hug. "We've tried everything – reaching out to him ourselves, taking him to meet your sisters, letting him spend as much time as possible with Mom…even getting Sabrina to try and read his mind to find out the cause of his behavior, and that didn't work, either…"

"It's all my fault…I should've been stronger…I should've remained faithful to you for every second I was trapped in Julius' former lair, and maybe I could've prevented him from developing into such a cold person! It's my fault! I'm a failure!"

"Ssh…it's okay, Mist. You're not a failure – far from it," I soothed her, caressing her cheek. "You're a loving mother and wife, and there's absolutely no-one in this entire world who could ever replace you. If the problem with Ethan is anybody's fault, then it's mine. I couldn't protect you that day, so it's my failure, more than anything. You've got nothing to be ashamed about."

"Ash…" she whispered to me after I kissed her on her rosy lips, looking into my eyes with those crystal blue orbs which I had fallen in love with, so many years ago. "…hold me…"

As Misty laid her head in my chest, I wrapped her in a warm embrace. Both of us were lost now in terms of how we should go about bringing real happiness to Ethan's heart. We were by no means a broken family, yet that was almost exactly the way we felt.

Then, our attention was drawn by the silent beeping of the video phone from the kitchen. Walking together inside, we saw that a message had arrived from the Pokémon League Kanto HQ, most likely from Lance.

"I guess we should open it – see what Lance has managed to do," I said, sitting down in front of the monitor as Misty nodded. Clicking on the message icon brought up an extended letter from Lance:

Dear Ash,

I have managed to contact the Elite Four, as well as the police chief headquarters of Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova, after consulting with our own. However, I am afraid to tell you this: no authorities anywhere have managed to prevent the gradual acquisitions of the radio broadcast centers and satellites from taking place.

The 'entrepreneurs' who are aiming to purchase the radio towers have all objected to the local authorities' decision not to enable the transactions to fall through. They have even gone as far as to conduct lawsuits against them, accusing them of violating the rights of free enterprise, and ridiculed the claims that they are agents of Team Rocket, through the provision of identification documents which are most likely forged, but still managed to slip through the system. Every single lawsuit has ended with outcomes that are completely in their favor. One by one, satellites all over this side of the globe are falling into the hands of Team Rocket.

Up till now, approximately just one or two of all major broadcast stations of each region has been seized by Team Rocket. We expect that they are gradually acquiring all of them one at a time, at specific intervals in time, so as to avoid arousing too much suspicion from the common citizens. As a result, I'm afraid that we are close to powerless in our abilities to act pre-emptively; we shall have to watch their actions closely for now, and keep close links with the Elite Four of the other regions on a continual basis.

But there is still some good news: after consultation with the heads of each region's Pokémon League HQ, we have agreed to holding a united assembly of all Elite Four members in three days' time, to discuss our course of action. Due to your heroics at the Battle for Kanto two years ago, and your links with the three undercover individuals in Team Rocket's HQ, you are also naturally invited to attend.

Lastly, I ask that you exercise strong measures for personal safety – of yourself as well as your family – in the coming weeks. Knowing Team Rocket's reputation of resorting to actual violence using weaponry instead of Pokémon, these are dark times for all of us, especially for someone as well-known to them as you.

I look forward to seeing you in three days' time.

Yours sincerely,

Lance.

"It looks like they've got things sorted in terms of what they're gonna do about it," I said. "Although it's quite worrying to think that they might come here after us. Do you think they'd have us in mind while they're carrying out their plot?"

"Always. But you, mostly," Misty answered. "I just hope nothing bad happens to the kids…I don't know what we'd do if anything does happen…"

"It'll be alright, Mist, trust me. And if we feel uneasy and that they're in danger, we could always temporarily leave them with Mom and Dad, or with Brock and Sabrina."

"You're right, Ash, but…" she sighed. "I don't know if anyone is truly safe from them. They have a way of…taking advantage of the things that people would do anything to protect…"

"You're right too, Mist. We'll deal with that in the coming days, and we'll definitely get more information on what's gonna happen, from the meeting in three days' time. But for now, we should rest – we're all exhausted."

"Okay, Ash. Wait for me in our bedroom – I'll just make Claire a cup of warm milk," she replied, kissed me on the lips and went into the kitchen, with Marill following behind her.

"Come on, buddy. We'll lie down on the bed and have a think about what we're going to do," I said to Pikachu, who gave a "Pi" and a nod in reply as he followed me upstairs. But the more I walked, I couldn't help but wonder…will Jessie, James and Meowth be able to pull through alright?

(Meanwhile, at Team Rocket HQ)

"We've been here for days, Jessie," James sighed as the three of them leaned together against a steel wall inside the communications center they'd been assigned to for the past week. "At this rate, I don't think we're ever going to get even close to discovering what they're truly planning."

"Maybe you're right, James," Jessie replied, her arms folded. "Every single report we've received from agents in all regions are just on personal progress, and even they weren't that important or helpful to us. We're still clueless as to what Giovanni's ultimate goal really is. But seeing some of these former Team Galactic goons around unnerves me – just why Giovanni sees need for them, I don't have a clue. I suspect something's up; he wouldn't have brought them over simply because he needs more human resources, which he's already got plenty of."

The trio continued to rest their backs against the cold metallic wall, until their ears twitched at the sound of a distant voice. They leaned towards the source of the chatter, but still kept in mind to remain unseen as two scientists spoke to one another around a corner to their left.

"That Fuji is a fool," said one. "Does he even realize that he's not going to see his family ever again? People should've learnt by now that the boss always promises one thing, but does the complete opposite."

"He's completely obsessed with that cloning experiment of his – you know that just as well as I do," replied the other. "That's all he thinks of nowadays, after he reemerged. And besides – it's not like the rest of us have any choice in the matter. This undertaking is simply too grand and demanding for us to refuse. If we do, we most definitely will be dismissed, and maybe even worse, seeing as how this is a top-secret experiment."

"Hmph. Yes, you are correct," grunted the first scientist. "But on a different note…do you really trust those ruffians from Team Galactic? Almost all of them, especially their leaders, are highly cynical about their 'role' in this project. You should see the way they look at us in the lab in a suspecting gaze when they think we're not looking at them."

"Well, the project is making lightning progress so far – we're closing in on completing the wave frequency for the normal radio wave streams with each day, but it seems that Fuji's still got ways to go on the unique frequency. I've got to say, I hate working in the same room as him…he's pretty much half-dead as he is, and he gives an eerie reek of death when you get near him. I'm getting quite frustrated though – I hate waiting around for him to make rapid progress on that special radio signal, but then again by nature, it would be several times more difficult to tweak and modify to perfection than the general stream."

"Bah, our break's already over," the first complained gruffly, looking at the clock which ticked above them on the wall. "It's time to get back into the lab, with that walking corpse again…"

"Those engineers had better hurry it up. We've been working incessantly for days, and the fatigue's starting to really get to me now," the second said, and the two of them entered through the lab doors, latching the locks behind them.

"We should go back to our station now, Jess," James whispered to her, after making sure that no-one was around. "We've been out here for too long already."

"You're right, James. Let's go," Jessie nodded, and the three of them treaded as lightly as possible back to their workstation. But they froze in utter shock as they turned to corner, to see Domino leaning against the wall on her left shoulder, her arms folded and right leg crossed slightly over her left as she played with the golden curls of her hair.

"What have the three of you been doing away? I thought you had been told to remain at your posts at this hour!" she gleefully mocked.

"What gives you the right to creep up on us and give us a fright like that?" Jessie raged at her. "Didn't your parents ever teach you anything about common courtesy when you were growing up?"

A small flicker of emotion twirled within Domino's eyes, almost as if Jessie had hit a sensitive spot inside her. Then, in her usual bossy manner, she scoffed at her. "That's of no concern for the likes of you."

Jessie's uncompromising expression also softened as she saw a miniscule hint of true emotion in the girl who had been nothing more than a bossy, authoritarian figure for all of her life in Team Rocket. Everyone who knew about Domino knew the fact that she was orphaned shortly after birth, but none knew the true reason why: some said that both her parents died in perilous missions a few days after he birth, and others that her parents were in fact just regular civilians, but she was adopted by an agent and raised in Team Rocket Headquarters. But one thing was for certain; she had no recollection of any family life at all, let alone the faces of her parents.

"Is there a problem here…?" a refined, young male said as he slowly approached from their right. It was none other than Silver. Domino instantly raised her head at the sound of his voice, snapping out of her momentary period of thought.

"No, Silver. These three were just in the process of…getting back to where they should be," Domino said snidely. She was one of the only few who were allowed to call him by his name, instead of 'sir' like the lower-ranking agents.

"Get back to work immediately," Silver glared at the trio. "If you do not, then you shall quickly learn that I am not as merciful or patient as my father." He then started walking off, chuckling lightly as he and Domino brushed their front strands of their hair against one another as he departed.

"Hmph. As if the boss's kid would want anything to do with a runt like her," Jessie mumbled to herself as she sat down on the chair. But an awkward and short silence drew her to look back at Domino, who gave her a demeaning glare.

"I'll just pretend that you didn't say anything if you get to work right now," she said and turned around, but stopped as something else came to her mind. "Oh, and I should tell you this – you remember the kid called Ash Ketchum, correct?"

"Yeah. What about him?" Jessie answered, not in the mood.

"We've placed microchips into his video phone while the house was vacated this morning. It appears he's received a message from the Dragon Master himself, who's called for a meeting of the Elite Four members of the five regions. They appear to somehow know some details of our plan. In other words…we expect there to be a mole somewhere within the organization. Perhaps you could…take greater care for the security of the information kept in the communications department from now on?" she smiled smugly at them, then left.

Jessie, James and Meowth all gulped as they watched Domino depart the room, her heels clacking against the metal floor with each slow and graceful step she took. At this point in time, just one single thought ran throughout all of their minds.

"We're no longer safe here…"

(End of Chapter 7)

A/N: Chapter 8 will be up next week. I've got some minor issues with the timing in this story, in regards to the gradual passage of time until the inevitable launch of the satellite. It's quite difficult, as I don't have a chapter-by-chapter plan like I did for the first two books. I'm finding ways to work around it and keep the story flowing, though.

The reference which Squirtle makes about his 'wild-animal face' is from the episode "Island of Giant Pokémon". You can see it on YouTube, and its video name is: 'Eric Stuart as Squirtle "Maybe they all got eaten by wild pokemon!"'

I've just started studying commerce at university a few days ago, so I'll have lesser time to write than before. I've got a whole wad of homework from my Economics, Quantitative Methods and Japanese classes, and I have to do them all by next week. But I'll keep at it, and try to put up a new chapter as soon as I can.