Jessie awoke with a start as a pungent smell forced itself into her nostrils. Gagging a little, she sat up, forcing Butch to withdraw from her reach quickly. The capsule of Awakening he'd broken under her nose was still smoking in his hand when Butch growled, "Stay calm." His Hitmontop echoed the cross-armed pose of strength Butch took up a few feet away from her while her captors allowed Jessie a quick look at her surroundings.

To her vast relief, James was snoozing in the cot right next to hers. She and her husband were still dressed and unrestrained; the only difference was the loss of their pith helmets. Unfortunately their Pokémon were restrained in police-issue collars locked around their waists. She gave her husband a firm shake. "Wake up, wake up," she commanded, irritated that he could be asnooze on her at a time like this.

Even as she did so, her gaze took in the rest of the military-issue tent. Judging by the clipped grass 'floor' and the temporary folding tables and chairs, they were still in Machu Picchu. Or near it. A lot of blueprints were scattered on the biggest table next to the portable coffee machine. Looked like one of the technicians' workstations to her.

Butch shook his head, "Don't bother. James won't be up naturally for a hour or so, easy." He reclaimed her full attention by sitting on the edge of her cot, Hitmontop still watching carefully for any funny moves on her part. Butch assumed an air of confidential sincerity, adding, "I've got an offer for you and you alone."

Jessie was instantly suspicious. "Really? I'm a married woman now, you know."

Butch groaned, "That's the problem, Jessica." The Lawrence's Army man lost his composure a little as he continued angrily, "Ever since Cassidy saw you pregnant, she's been harping for a cute little family life of her own."

"So what's the problem?" Jessie wondered, "You two have always been tight."

"As professional partners, yes," Butch briefly regained some of his restraint, "Oh, we had some fun times together on the side, once or twice, if we weren't seeing anybody else at the time. No strings attached, though. Not like you and your husband always had. Cassidy and I were both content to make the beautiful music at work; and it was beautiful." His voice trailed off at the happy memories of successful, profitable missions throughout the years.

Suddenly Butch snapped back to the here-and-now. "Until you," he pointed out with a touch of anger, "Now Cassidy's biological clock isn't just ticking; it's going off like a four-alarm fire! Every single day!"

Jessie couldn't help but smile sweetly, "And how am I supposed to put her out? I don't seem to have the, ah, fire-fighting equipment necessary."

She covered her surprise when Butch responded with a sly grin of his own, "Not put her out. Rub her out."

"You mean-?" she wondered.

Butch made a slashing motion across his neck with his hand, complete with old-fashioned "snik" noise.

"….Really?" Jessie drawled.

"Oh, yes," Butch nodded. Jessie was searching his face steadily for signs of deception, but the man looked perfectly serious to her. Butch continued, "She's gotten far too obnoxious about it. She won't even look at another man; that's the price of being so handsome and talented, I guess."

He paused as Jessie nodded sympathetically, "Heavy is the burden of being among the beautiful people, isn't it?"

"You bet, sister," Butch agreed warmly, "You see where I'm coming from. I knew you would. Besides, you and Cassidy have never had any love lost between you, right?"

He tried to continue, but Jessie raised her hand in a firm question. "In exchange for this service, I get…what? Don't tell me you'll just let me and my husband go."

Butch once more looked squarely into her eyes. "That's exactly what I'm telling you, Jessica. I don't care what you and that Ketchum runt are up to, that's Mr. Talbot's problem." Jessie fought to hide the tell-tale confused twitch of her eyebrows at the mention of Ash. Butch didn't seem to catch it, continuing, "Look, we don't have much time before the big man is back. He wants me and Cassidy to move you prisoners down to the village with him when he returns. That's when you'll have to make your move."

Jessie observed, "Sounds like you've got a plan, man."

Butch procured a tourist's map of Machu Picchu from his pocket. "We're in the main setup tent for the technicians, right here," he pointed out to her on the map, "Mr. Talbot's private car is parked just outside the ruins' gate. When Cassidy and I take you out that gate, we'll be passing awfully close to this very dangerous cliff edge right here. What a shame if Cassidy made a fatal misstep during your escape; it's so far down."

Jessie looked up from the map, catching the growing grin on Butch's face. He wondered, "You got that Yanmega on you?" At her nod, he added, "It know Whirlwind?" She nodded again. Butch finished, "Can you and Yanmega make it look good?"

Jessie's deliciously evil smile only grew wider.

Shortly thereafter, Jessie and James were stumbling along through the jungle. Both had handcuffs on their wrists, although Jessie's cupped grip was hiding the fact that one of hers was completely unlocked. She was also faking her distress; James was too recently awakened by smelling salts and was not. An unsuspecting Cassidy strode confidently in the lead with Butch on rear guard. Just a few feet ahead lay the first car Jessie had seen since arriving at Machu Picchu Village. And just a few feet to the right of her group, lay the edge of the long drop to the Urubamba River below.

Lawrence III, Oakley, and Annie were just emerging from the main gate to meet them at the car. With Cassidy's back safely to her, Jessie thumbed the restraint collar at her waist. Butch had also unlocked one cell in the set before leading her family out of the tent. She cast a glance back at her coconspirator for confirmation; Butch nodded ever so slightly.

In full view of Butch's superiors, Jessie drew the only Pokéball she could. "Yanmega, I choose you!" The huge dragonfly Pokémon appeared, all buzzing wings and flexing limbs. "Yan-yanmega!" The Bug-Type's bulging, multifaceted eyes let him easily catch a tiny arching motion Jessie made with her fingers as she commanded, "Whirlwind, Yanmega! Blow Cassidy away and out of my hair for good! Up, up and away!"

Getting the hint, Yanmega angled two out of his four wings (allowing the remaining pair to hold himself in mid-air) to unleash a Whirlwind at Cassidy's feet. Before the Army General could get a grip on her own Pokéballs, Cassidy was blasted off the mountaintop. The high arc she took from the directed shot left her scream echoing nearly as long as it took Cassidy to fall from view. Still in a half-stupor, James looked just as wild-eyed as Lawrence III and his guards at the coldblooded dispatch of Cassidy.

Of course Jessie wasn't done yet. As Butch yelped, "Go, Mightyena! Crunch Attack, now!", she was already jumping up to straddle her Yanmega's broad back. Jessie bellowed, "Yanmega, grab James and let's get out of here! Use your Speed Boost!" With a burst of speed that left the Morgans' breath and the snapping jaws of Mightyena behind, Yanmega scooped James up before diving over the side of the mountain.

Lawrence III's group and Butch met at the edge of the cliff at the same time. Nobody could see anything past the foliage of their escapees or Cassidy. Lawrence III turned a hopeful gaze onto Butch, asking, "Did she have any Flying-Type Pokémon on her?" Butch, playing his part to the hilt, refused to meet his gaze. With a heavy heart, he could only shake his head as he recalled his Mightyena; still staring after where his late, so lamented partner had disappeared.

"How unfortunate," Lawrence III sighed heavily, "She was an efficient and valuable employee. Replacing her will be difficult." His remorse disappearing as quickly as it had come, Lawrence III turned to his sisterly seconds-in-command. "Annie, Oakley, let's hurry down to the town and try to pick up the Morgans' trail. We'll find Ketchum yet."

Butch, suddenly freed of his despair, reached into his jacket pocket to pull out a small device. "I believe," he added, "I can help you with that, sir." Before Lawrence III's pleased gaze, Butch activated the portable tracer. Two signals-one for each bug secured in Jessie and James' clothing-immediately sprang into view on its tiny screen.

"Very proactive of you, Butch," Lawrence III commended.

Feigning embarrassment, Butch admitted, "I was afraid Cassidy might let them slip by, sir. She was getting very sloppy lately. Still….I never expected Jessie Morgan's hatred to…I mean, Cassidy didn't deserve that."

Behind Lawrence III, Annie and Oakley didn't look so pleased about being upstaged. Butch returned their hard gazes with a carefully calculated innocence. Lawrence III, out of respect for the recently deceased, did not comment. He just inclined his head toward the car; all of his underlings hastened to comply.

Meanwhile, Jessie leaned close to her Pokémon's head so Yanmega could hear her when she bellowed, "Now catch Cassidy! She and I are going to have a little girl talk." If Yanmega possessed eyelids, he would've blinked with surprise. Another Speed Boost to catch up to the falling woman later and Yanmega scooped his foremost limbs under Cassidy's armpits. Cassidy stopped shrieking to fall into a stunned silence, still staring at the ground swinging wildly just a hundred feet below her.

With Yanmega holding steady in mid-air and no rushing wind to compete with, Jessie switched to a normal volume as she purred, "Fancy meeting you here, Cassidy dear. Hey, that woman we were chasing at the ruins. What's her name? Where's she live?" Of course Jessie recalled the false name of Juanita; she just wanted to know if Cassidy would tell her the truth.

Jessie wasn't sure if it was Cassidy's natural defiance to interrogation or just the sudden shock talking when her prisoner gasped, "What? Her? I don't know-why do you care?" Jessie was sure she didn't have the patience for any subtlety right then. She leaned forward and dug her heels into Yanmega's flanks. The Pokémon, used to these nonverbal commands from many practice flight sessions, responded unhesitantly.

Cassidy, still dangling precariously from Yanmega's clutches, was being zigged, zagged, and whirled all up and down the valley. Mere inches from collisions every second. Instinctively she curled up into a ball, which just made Yanmega swoop in even closer. The wild Pokémon scattered before impact but the whipping tree branches and bare rock scraped against her, making Cassidy cry out sharply.

James, in the same position just one set of insect limbs behind her, clamped his own mouth shut with both hands. "Urp! Jessie!" he gurgled, "I think I'm going to be sick!"

"Suck it in!" his love bellowed mercilessly before turning back to Cassidy, "I want her name! Now!"

Cassidy crumbled under the stomach-churning, battering ride. Her cheeks already flushing with shame at her weakness, Cassidy shouted, "Crazy Juanita! She lives there! She's the caretaker of Machu Picchu!"

Another gentle touch to Yanmega's flanks and the dragonfly halted about ten feet above the river, much to James and Cassidy's mutual relief. Jessie purred softly, "There, there, Cassidy. You've had a rough day. Hey, when you get back to Lawrence's Army, notice how surprised they'll all be to see you alive. Especially your friend Butch. Ask him how my Pokéball restraint wasn't locked; see what he says." Jessie paused to meet Cassidy's surprised stare around Yanmega's side. She noted the sudden narrowing of Cassidy's eyes as suspicion fought Jessie's revelation.

Unwilling to wait for Cassidy to make up her mind on the subject, Jessie continued with a wide smile, "You owe me one, Cassidy. Even if you never let me collect on it; don't forget that. Now buck up, you're still among us; thanks to me. That's a good girl. In fact, you've been so good, I think you deserve a chance to cool off." At Jessie's whispered command, Yanmega released Cassidy to finish falling into the river after all. She immediately resurfaced, her tears of rage and shame mixing with the river's waters flowing down her face. Borne along by the current, Cassidy could only fume helplessly as Jessie's exiting laughter rang in her ears.

That, and the distant sound of James losing his lunch after all.

Once James had finished, Yanmega raced back up the mountainside. On a different edge, far from the main gate, Yanmega set down his humans to the consternation of the watching Pichus. A Pikachu far too much like Ash's annoying mouse stepped out of the less-evolved crowd to challenge her family's sneaking into their domain.

Jessie, her pride swollen with her long-awaited victory over Cassidy, flinched notably at the sight. But the thought of her miraculously revived mother's close proximity forced her to swallow that pride. With James still trying to get his wind back, it fell to her to explain, "We fell off the mountain! Don't hurt Yanmega for saving us! Look, I'm putting him back in his Pokéball right now, see?" Her Pokémon tucked away, Jessie even got on her knees to address the wild Pikachu as an equal when she added, "Please, we're here to see the caretaker. Can you show us where Juanita lives?" Jessie could not bear to add the 'Crazy' part about her mother. Bad enough having to use her false name.

The unstated desperation beneath her plea touched every wild Pokémon's heart around her. The Pikachu, unwilling to leave his guard post, immediately ordered a young Pichu to show them the way. Blowing a kiss of thanks, Jessie dashed off after the bounding Pichu. James yelped, "Hey, wait for me!" But he was already left behind. "How typical," he grumbled as he wobbled, still feeling green about the gills, into pursuit.

Shortly the Morgans arrived outside Juanita's hut. His duty discharged, the Pichu quickly left them to return to playing amongst the ruins. Jessie and James paid the departing guide just as little mind as they burst into the hut. As Jessie had hoped, her mother was home. Juanita looked up sharply at their unannounced entrance from her post at the still-unconscious Raichu's side.

"Mother!" Jessie cried, arms flung wide for an embrace. Seeing the eerie glow residing deep in Juanita's eyes drew Jessie to an abrupt stop. Juanita rose with quiet menace. She calmly spoke something in Spanish. It was not a reassuring sound, especially with the Morgans' translators turned off. Goosebumps rose all along Jessie's neck. James instinctively pulled his wife away from Juanita and back toward the door.

Which once again banged open behind them. A Machamp squeezed through. This particular Pokémon was so huge, even compared to the rest of his Fighting-Type species, that his wide palm nearly encircled Jessie's narrow waist when he grabbed her at his master's command. The four-armed humanoid's other palms definitely fit completely around her and James' necks. Yanmega, still the only unlocked Pokémon out of the couples' combined teams, could only join his fellows in peering out of their Pokéballs in frustrated helplessness. As speedy as he was, Yanmega did not dare try to outrace Machamp for his mistress' life.

Lawrence III and his retinue followed his Machamp into the hut. Butch was still brandishing the tracer, much to Annie and Oakley's annoyance. Lawrence III drawled, "Well, well, well. Look who decided to drop back in." So many inside the tiny hut made it very cramped. Lawrence III quickly suggested, "Let's take this outside."

"No," Juanita countered firmly, "The underlings can wait outdoors. The Nusta has something to show the pacco."

All of Lawrence's Army looked to their employer for confirmation. Without Machamp, Lawrence III would've been reluctant to be alone with the transformed Juanita. With his Pokémon already deployed, he had no fear to hide from his soldiers when Lawrence III said, "As you wish, my dear." Butch followed Annie and Oakley out.

With the hulking Machamp and his squirming prisoners still hogging a lot of the room, Juanita was forced to reach past the Pokémon to her cooking pot. Filling a spoon with her concoction from it, she added for Lawrence III's benefit, "You have proven your faith in our bargain by testing the jade orb. Allow us to prove our faith by testing the achiote."

Immune to Jessie's pleading eyes, Juanita held the spoon up to Jessie's lips. Somehow the prisoner choked out, just barely audible, "No…Mother…" The spoon wobbled briefly in Juanita's grip, spilling a bit onto Jessie's chin. Then it steadied. At Lawrence III's nod, Machamp's powerful fingers forced Jessie's mouth open. The bitter medicine went down. Within seconds, Jessie's struggles in Machamp's grip ceased. James' fight, on the other hand, redoubled as he tried valiantly to save his wife. Machamp's grip tightened on him so much that James' neck vertebrae creaked ominously. Still the human did not stop struggling.

Juanita checked Jessie's pulse and breathing quickly. She did not have to pull Jessie's eyelid open to study her pupils' dilation, however. The drug wasn't a pure achiote; the hallucinogenic was mixed with sedatives. Jessie's open eyes roved aimlessly all around. When Machamp set her down at Juanita's bidding, Jessie's wobbling stance was far more drunk than drugged. Well pleased, Juanita dosed James next. Thus both Morgans soon stood on uncertain feet, completely compliant with anything going on around them.

The Nusta reached onto Jessie's belt and refastened Yanmega in as Lawrence III recalled Machamp. The man was all smiles as he said, "Your skill with herbal medicine is truly impressive, dear Juanita. I trust there is sufficient achiote to administer to Mrs. Ketchum as well?"

Juanita cast a measuring gaze on the potion's remainder in her pot. "Yes. The Nusta will stay and keep redosing them as needed. Bring your Mrs. Ketchum here; we will make certain the sacrifices are ready for Noche del Maullar."

Her business partner's grin faltered as her words triggered an unexpected chill in him. Lawrence III did not like the mental instability hinted at in her constant change of reference to herself. Picking his words, he ventured politely, "Juanita, the ceremony only requires one sacrifice. I have no grudge against these two; all I require is a tidbit of information from them. Afterwards they can take up space in a cell until the Noche del Maullar is over."

The woman turned to him in a slow, eerily measured fashion. She added, "The Noche del Maullar has been improperly performed for centuries. Three sacrifices might help make up for the long insult. Do you object?" Lawrence III searched his memory for a reason but quickly came up empty, shaking his head. Juanita's head cocked slightly to the side as she fell silent momentarily. Rousing herself, she finished, "Extract your information from them and leave."

Lawrence III's cheeks flushed at her dismissal. His fingers rolled around Alakazam's Pokéball in his pocket. Perhaps it would not be such a loss if his Pokémon teleported not just the jade orb but a few of Juanita's vital organs out of her to break the connection immediately. The Incas practiced a different form of sacrifice than removal of the heart; but why should the neighboring Aztecs have a monopoly?

But now was not the time; especially if the jade orb refused to bond with anyone else afterwards. Savoring the thought of recompense in just a few hours, Lawrence III vented his frustration into James and Jessie's faces instead. "Listen, both of you! Where is Ash Ketchum? In a hotel below? Camped out in the jungle? Show me! Tell me!"

The drug forced the married couple to seriously ponder his question. Especially since they honestly thought him far away and quite safe to begin with. James slurred to his wife, "Think he's in Pallet still?" Shaking her head nearly made Jessie topple over. Laughing at herself briefly, Jessie finally responded, "Naw, went back to the Indigo Plateau, didn't he?"

James drew himself up to respond to Lawrence III as politely as he could. "Could be. He's back in Japan, though, that's for sure. Sorry you missed him." Both Morgans thought that was a funny joke in their current state; laughing uproariously and leaning heavily on each other.

Lawrence III was not amused. Yet he was also uncertain if their response was genuine or drug-induced hallucination. Juanita, sensing his dilemma, solved it for him. "They speak the truth; the one you seek did not come with them."

Lawrence III gritted his teeth, "Then if you are so empowered, mighty Nusta, can you tell me where Ash Ketchum might be found?"

Her answering smile was very thin. "We are concerned with the ceremony. As you should be. We have plenty of offerings on hand now. The younger Ketchum's freedom is your personal business. Go; find the boy yourself; if you can."

Again Lawrence III fingered Alazakam's Pokéball. Again he forced himself to dismiss the notion. With Juanita's apparently unconcerned back turned to him, Lawrence III took his leave. He was so furious that he didn't trust himself to agree with Oakley's alternating comments of support for him and hate for Juanita all the way back down the mountain. He was also too busy to be angry at his minions for eavesdropping back at the hut.

Text, original characters, and events Copyright © 2011 Keith E. Kimball. This is a fan work and not for profit.

All other characters, events, and trademarks Copyright © their respective holders including but not limited to Nintendo Company Ltd., Tatsunoko Productions, GameFreak, The Pokémon Company, Shogakukan Production Inc., 4Kids Entertainment, etc.