Denise, Caley, Adam, Evan and the Pokémon made a rapid return to the spot where they had left their companions, only to discover an unexpected sight. Cory was once again lying on the ground out cold, but it was the state of the figures around the young man that caused Denise’s mouth to drop open in alarm.

            “What happened to you guys?” she exclaimed. They were an utter mess; clothes scuffed with mud and hair in a tangled disarray. Rose had a particularly bruised eye, Errol was attending to a nasty nosebleed and James seemed to be staggering around clutching at his lower region.

            “Why there?” he croaked. “Why did he have to hit me there?”

            “We thought we had t’ings unda control,” Errol told Denise.

            “Cory seemed to be calming down so we slightly released our hold on him,” Rose added. “And then suddenly…”

            “He completely flips out again!” James cried. “Worse than before!”

            “You can see for yourselves what he did to us,” Rose concluded, as James continued to whine pitifully.

            “If you’d hadn’t caught dat Kenjoko, da kid woulda continued to beat us senseless!” Errol agreed. Denise suddenly drew a frightened breath. Evan looked up at her.

            “What’s up sis’?”

            “The Kenjoko!” she blurted. “I forgot to retrieve the ball once I’d captured it.”

            A chill passed over the group. Even James stopped leaping about from one foot to the other and stood there shuddering silently.

            “That’s not good,” Rose mumbled, shaking her head. “If anyone finds that Pokéball then-”

            Denise turned around rapidly. The others looked on with expressions of bewilderment as she began to run down the path she had appeared from.

            “I won’t let them!” she called back. “I mustn’t let them discover it”

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

            She scrabbled under the foliage in some swiftly dwindling hopes that the lost item may be still lying there. But all was in vain, as the D-Ball and its contents had vanished completely. Denise crumpled to the ground, her lip trembling - all that effort and she had faltered at the last hurdle. Her striving would be shattered if somebody released that reptilian monstrosity once more.

            How could I have been so thoughtless? she thought, sobbing softly under her breath. Denise was quick to steel herself to silence as she felt the soft touch of a hand on her left shoulder.

            “Lees doncry…” murmured a voice in familiar broken human speech. Cory was poised somewhat unsteadily behind her. There were noticeable dark rings under his eyes and his hands seemed to be shaking but the concern upon his face was unmistakable.

            “But I’ve undone all our hard work…” Denise spluttered. “I lost that genetic Pokémon.”

            “Somehow I get the feeling this isn't just another genetic Pokémon.” Rose remarked sceptically. Cory and Denise looked up to see her standing behind them; in her hands she held two halves of a mangled metal sphere.

            “The D-Ball!” Denise gasped with horror. “How on earth…?”

            “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Rose nodded. “No way an ordinary Pokémon could attack a capture device from the inside, they go into a kind of stasis when put in them.”

            “So that means…” Denise urged.

            “The creature's DNA prevented it from being sedated.” Rose concluded. "We're not dealing with something containable here."

            The trio pondered a while over this disappearance of the creature inside the device as the remainder of the group arrived to join them.

            “Whoa!” Adam exclaimed upon seeing the ball. “What happened to that? Don’t tell me that creature escaped!”

            “I’m not sure,” the girl replied. “Surely if the Kenjoko was free again it would be stomping around the city creating more havoc.”

            The others nodded in agreement. Eventually James spoke up.

            “Hey Neesee? Don’t worry yourself about it. What’s done is done, don’t puzzle over impossible concepts.”

            “Remember we’re still being tracked down here,” Rose added. “And speaking of which, we’d better return Evan to his parents. They’re bound to be beside themselves with grief by now” 

 

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

 

            “I don’t even want to know…”

 

            Jessie rolled her eyes and continued staring at the path ahead as she walked. Cassidy kept behind; fuming without any effort to hide her anger, while Butch staggered painfully at the back of the line, clutching the long leather coat (that Jessie had previously been using to disguise her uniform with) around him with one hand and rubbing at his eyes with the other. Butch simply grunted which signified he had no comment to make about his situation, most likely because he could not remember an ounce of the previous occurrences.

            “It was bad enough Jessie stalling our mission with that trip to get her face seen to without you wandering off in some delusional naked escapade,” Cassidy grumbled. Butch glared at the back of her then promptly blushed bright red as a couple with a Poocheyna on a leash wandered by giving him weird looks at the sight of the coat he was wearing. 

            “I'm seriously thinking of getting your mind checked out when we get back to HQ, Butch," Cassidy continued, before turning to Jessie. "And what did you go into that boutique for anyway? Doesn’t look like they managed to improve anything.”

            Jessie narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth, possibly to say something extremely cutting but she closed it again as an high-pitched voice echoed across the park.

            “MY BABY!”

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

            It wasn’t hard to deduce whom this overjoyed shriek had come from. Evan squirmed once more as his mother encased him in her suffocating grasp of relief outside the park gates. Denise stood a little distance away, watching the reunion with watery eyes and silently wishing for her own acceptance. After a minute or so, her head fell forward slowly until she was gazing at the ground, cold tears sliding down her cheeks. At this point, the background atmosphere seemed to fade away, the cooing of her mother echoing into the back of her mind, merging into her thoughts. Maybe it was the same intensity of the emotion Denise was feeling that had brought back this vision from so long ago.

            There she was, those many years before, dressed in a pale coloured blouse and jeans with her soft brown hair pulled back into a lengthy ponytail.

            Her mum, with long hair? Now that was something.

 

            Come on Denise…

            …you can do it…

 

            Lost memories, just like the memories Evan had of her. She could see it clearer now, almost like a camera being brought into focus. There stumbled a small girl, about one year old, her eyes bright with triumph as her two podgy legs thudded against the carpet toward the awaiting female figure who coaxed her so. It didn’t seem to worry Denise how she could envisage herself being so small, almost as if she was playing back an old home movie. She was drawn to the words of encouragement made by her young mother as the baby reached her outstretched arms and squealed with delight at her achievement.

 

            Who’s my precious little girl, huh?

            Who’s clever?

            You’re clever, yes you are!

 

            “That was some sacrifice you made there, Denise…”

            She snapped back into reality. There stood the tall, wide-shouldered countenance of her father, staring down at her with the utmost warmth. It was clear to see from the shininess of his eyes that he was proud of his daughter.

            “Uh…” Denise blurted, rather speechless. “It wasn’t really me…the Pokémon did more to save Evan than I did”

            “But I’m sure you played your part, didn’t you?” Mr. Nichols remarked.

            “Well…”

            “Now don’t go all modest on me young lady” the man grinned, ruffling his daughter’s hair playfully.. “I know full well how much of a primadonna you can be.”

            “Dad!” Denise protested in slight embarrassment as her companions exchanged smirks and giggles. “That was eight years ago. I’ve changed.”

            “Not in my eyes you haven’t," Mr. Nichols chuckled. "You’re still the same caring, dedicated daughter I knew back then. Now you and your friends come on over here, your mother has something she’d like to say to you” 

            “Uh…ok.” Denise shuffled her feet nervously and gave a quick glance back at her friends.

            “I guess she can’t say anyt’ing worse dan she already has done,” Errol added as he followed. James folded his arms and the childish pout returned to his face again.

            “She’d better apologise for calling me a hippie,” he muttered. Caley shook his head in disbelief and grinned to himself.

            “I just wanted you to know how grateful I am,” Mrs. Nichols said solemnly. “You found it in your heart to overlook my misgivings and you returned Evan to me when you could have just as easily taken him with you. Not only that, you risked everything you had to save him from that monster. I owe you a great debt of thanks. And I am so sorry for denying you your rightful place in our family, where you belong.”

            Denise promptly collapsed into another fit of tears upon her mother’s shoulder, but this time they were not ones of sorrow, they were tears of relief and happiness.

            “You don’t know…how much that meant to me,” she sobbed. “To hear you say that is...worth more than all the…money in the world.”

            “I couldn’t believe what I said before,” Mrs. Nichols murmured soothingly, hugging Denise close. “But when you're angry, it's so easy to say things you later regret.

 

            The past has passed, and now I must let things go.”

 

            This poignant statement caused James, Errol and Rose to look very miserable once more. It had reminded them of their own deep friendship with Jessie who currently refused to lose her past life, for reasons they couldn’t even comprehend. Even Adam was showing signs of upset, struggling with personal memories that the others had no knowledge of. But at this moment in time, Denise was so immersed in tearful joy that she didn’t even notice.

            “So you’ll forget about what I did wrong?” she asked her mother softly.

            “Yes, my darling. Do not fret so.” Mrs. Nichols replied as Denise sobbed all the more.

            “It seems you’ve gone through a lot since you left us,” Mr. Nichols exclaimed as he approached with Evan in his arms. “We’d love to hear about your adventures. You’ve certainly collected a colourful bunch of friends.”

            “Colourful?” James frowned confusedly.

            “Is dat betta dan bein’ a freak?” Errol scratched his head with his free arm while James bent down to look at his flared jeans. “Do my clothes clash or somet'ing?”

            “It’s an expression, guys” Rose smiled as Adam grunted disapprovingly for no particular reason.

            “Yes,” Mrs. Nichols agreed, eyeing the group with a little more respect than the previous time. “I apologise for my insults. You are always welcome to come visit Tropius Mansion in Johto and stay as long as you wish.”

            The eyes of Denise’s friends widened in unison, but none more so than James and Errol, to whom this name appeared to mean something significant.

            “Tropius Mansion?” James spluttered, while Adam just stood there with his mouth open at the fact Denise had lived (and dismissed) such luxury. "The fancy place in Palm Hills on Johto's south coast?"

            "Why yes!" Joanne looked somewhat surprised at such accurate location. "How did you know?"

            "We jus' so happened ta lend youse our maintenance' soivices a few years back, dat one time ya housekeeper was on vacation," Errol pointed out. It was at this point that Mr. Nichols' face lit up in realisation.

            "Now I remember!" he smiled, pointing at James. "You were the people that did such a wonderful job on all our windows."

            "Let me tell you, those upper ones were absolute murder to clean," James rolled his eyes, recalling the event. "Ever tried dangling from a chimney with only an Arbok for a safety line? Not the easiest thing, I assure you."

            "Speakin' o' chimneys," Errol piped up. "Dose sure gave me a hard time too. An' don't get me started on dat crazy lawnmowa. I swear dat t'ing had a mind of its own!"

            "Oh we know about that," Mr. Nichols chuckled, while Denise began to go red in the face. "The lawnmower has never been the same since our aspiring daughter tried making some adjustments."

            "You'll have to come back and set it right sometime, dear," Joanne agreed, as Evan looked on wistfully.

            "But but..." he stammered, running to his sister's side and throwing his arms around his waist. "Why can't she come back with us now? I wanna show her how much Harin has grown! She's like, a great big Tyranitar now! And Kidner is a real awesome Sandslash!"

            "I would, Evan...believe me, I would," Denise gazed down with a sad smile at his youthful enthusiasm. "But I've got to help Caley with what he has to do first. After all, it wouldn’t be fair to leave him after he risked so much to rescue me.”

            "Rescuuue?" Evan stopped clinging to Denise for a moment and looked back up at her with round eyes. "You mean like a damsel in distress, like one of those fairy stories?" His expression descended into one of mocking amusement. "Ohhh I get it now! Denise’s got a boyfriend, Denise’s got a boyfriend!”

            “You pack that in right now, you little Squirtle or I’ll-!” Denise snapped, before blushing and falling silent as Caley scratched the back of his head awkwardly and the others began to smirk amongst themselves. Except for Adam - he was looking rather hurt and disgruntled all at the same time.

            “Come come," Mr. Nichols tutted and shook his head. "You don’t want to show yourself up in public in front of your friends, do you?”

            “We understand if you have dreams to pursue now,” Mrs. Nichols continued. “And with the way you have handled yourself in such perilous situations I cannot see any reason to not rely on you to act in a mature manner. I trust you implicitly.”

            “Thanks mom,” Denise smiled widely as she wiped the wet marks from her cheeks and gave the woman yet another big squeeze.

            “But surely there’s some way we can repay our thanks before we go back home,” Mr. Nichols said, watching the light of the afternoon sun begin to dim toward the horizon. “Some measure of gratitude…”

            “Dinner?” was James’ immediate response.

            “I second dat!” Errol nodded furiously.

            “A bed for the night,” Rose sighed, rubbing her back. “At least one night not having to sleep on the ground is worthwhile.”

            “An IQ injection for the blue-haired idiot?” Adam suggested unhelpfully. This was met with growls from the rest of the group.

            “We could really do with some financial help,” Denise remarked with a glint of hope in her eyes. No sooner had she mentioned money than Mr. Nichols reached into his wallet, pulled out a wad of green notes and pressed them firmly into his daughter’s hand. She stared at them with alarm.

            “It’s all yours,” he said.

            “But…but…” Denise stammered. “It’s so much!”

            “No amount of money is too great to keep my Chikorita in good health,” Mr. Nichols told her. "Besides, I never felt your cleaner friends got paid enough, considering their efforts. And now my dear, I'm afraid it's getting pretty late. We were only here in Tatto for a short business trip, our flight home is supposed to leave soon, and…" the man's voice trailed off as he glanced at his watch, his eyes starting to glisten. Denise looked quite mournful at this point.

            “So I guess this is goodbye,” she said.

            “For now, I’m afraid so, honey,” Mr. Nichols murmured.

            “But it isn’t permanent” Mrs. Nichols insisted.

         

            “Whenever your journey happens to end, you and your friends have a place back in Johto, with us.”

 

            The rest of the group bubbled with gratitude as Denise gave her parents and brother a final hug farewell. Slowly letting go, Denise turned and walked away from them toward her friends, who were already making their way toward the nearest set of park gates. Glancing back over her shoulder, she smiled and waved as her family did the same. Then, Denise turned her face in the direction her steps were taking her and kept walking without looking back anymore.

            “Wow, I didn't realise how awesome your dad was, Neesee,” James jabbered excitedly as they walked. "To be honest, I didn't realise he was your dad at all, not until today. So where are we going to eat then, huh? Huh?"

            “Hey, give da kid some space, James," Errol frowned at him. "She’s jus’ left her family behind.”

            “I’m sorry,” the man hung his head in shame as his stomach moaned on cue. Denise looked at him with a sad smile.

            “It’s ok,” she said. “I know it’s been a long day and I expect we’re all just as hungry and tired as each other.”

            She looked to Cory at this point, hung over Errol’s shoulder like an empty sack. He had begun to snore softly.

            “We need to find a place to stay” Caley informed.

            “Preferably a place with separate rooms” Adam grunted.

            “Least we won’t hafta worry about where da dough is comin’ from, eh Neesee?” Errol reminded her brightly.

            “Hmm,” was the response. “Still…we can’t go overboard just because we have a few extra PokeDollars.”

            “A few?” James spluttered. “He gave you at least fifty thousand! I don’t consider that a ‘few’.”

            “Fair enough,” Denise nodded. “But that still doesn’t give you guys permission to go spending it on everything in sight. We have to make this last the whole way.” This caused a bit of disappointed muttering, but it soon vanished as Denise waved her arm at a particularly posh-looking five star hotel. “Now let’s get ourselves a good dinner and an even better night’s sleep in there. I think we deserve a little treat this once, don’t you?”

            No one could find fault in that suggestion; they were all too busy drooling over the lavishness of it all. James and Errol had sidled over to the menu board outside the door and were pondering over the contents.

            “And I’ll have one of those, and one of those, and- oooh! Definitely a couple of those…” James pointed with glee.

            “Dat’s almost da entire menu!” Errol raised his eyebrows as James looked to his friend like wanting everything was unusual.

            “And…?”

            “Didn’t youse hear what Denise jus’ said about rationin’ da green stuff?”

            “Come on, you two,” Rose called back as she stood in the hotel entrance, taking Cory from Errol's shoulder and watching out of the corner of one eye as Denise booked the rooms.

            “Beat you to the foyer!” James cried, dashing for the door.

            “You wish!” Errol smirked with equal immaturity, and before his friend could even put any distance between them, he had sped past and ran toward the glowing warmth of the reception area with a wide grin on his face. James made a desperate leap, and as Errol sprinted through the entrance he heard a nasty cold ‘thunk’ behind him. Turning around, Errol began to chuckle as James slid down the pane of glass in the door that happened to open the opposite way.

            “I won,” Errol announced, once he'd managed to regain his composure.

            “That wasn’t fair!” James whined, rubbing his nose. “Things would have turned out different if this stupid door had worked properly.”

            Errol shook his head as he promptly pulled the man to his feet.

            “Da door woiks fine, Jim. Ya just a sore loser.”

            “Oh yeah?” James exclaimed desperately. “Let’s see who can get to the top of that staircase first then!”

            “No sweat,” Errol grinned, happy to be immersed in a bit of healthy competition. Rose groaned as the pair of figures vanished toward the hotel stairs.

            “Why do I get the feeling they’re going to be doing this all night?”

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

            After a five win streak on Errol’s part, James gave up, but not without grumbling that the fact his friend was part Meowth made the odds very one-sided. Errol couldn’t deny this; after all it was most likely the fact of his enhancement that made physical tasks all the simpler. Following a hearty meal, Denise pointed out the sleeping quarters she had picked, and Rose organised the group members into them in her usual way. Then, after an exchange of tired farewells, everyone retired to get a little shut-eye.

            All except Errol. He had other ideas.

            “Boy, that was the most food I have eaten since…well, ever!” James grinned contentedly as he reached for the handle to their room. “Wait a minute…where exactly are you going?”

            “I’m goin’ out,” Errol stated simply from the middle of the corridor.

            “But it’s midnight!” James blurted out. “We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow.”

            “All da more reason to have a little fun, while we still gots da chance," Errol grinned. James faltered.

            “Did you just say ‘we’?”

            “Of course!" I wouldn’t leave Jimmy-boy outta t’ings now, would I?” James yelped as Errol grasped a hold of his other arm and pulled him enthusiastically down the corridor.

            “Hey kid?” he called to the pink shiny form watching them through the gap in the now open door. “Keep an’ eye on da others, ok? I’m countin’ on you”

            <Gotcha,> the Pokémon acknowledged, before disappearing inside the room again.

           

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

            Caley opened his eyes with a start. He wasn't certain just how long he had been asleep, or whether he'd even managed to go to sleep. Ever since retiring to his room, the trainer had found it increasingly difficult to get comfortable despite lying upon a mattress covered in the finest Mareep wool. But a case of insomnia seemed odd to have after such a tiring day - Caley was starting to wonder whether the day's events had swamped him with so many emotions belonging to other people that his mind was unable to switch off. Reaching out his arms, he touched upon a small furry body curled up next to him.

            “Kota?” he whispered. "Are you awake?"

            You're sensing it too, I assume, came the soft and weary psychic reply.

            "Yes, but what exactly is 'it'?" Caley blinked. Kota motioned over to the opposite side of the room where soft murmurs and grunts could be heard from the bed where Adam slept, accompanied by Cyzel.

            “Sounds like he’s having some dream there,” the trainer remarked as he swung his legs out from under the quilt and moved toward the wardrobe door where his jacket happened to be hanging. He didn't seem to catch on to Kota's hinting that Adam's dreaming was in fact so fervent, it was projecting thoughts and feelings at a mental volume loud enough to wake even the most inexperienced of psychic-users.

            Where are you going? Kota exclaimed. Caley smiled gratefully at his Pokemon’s obvious fretting as he pulled on his boots.

            “I just need a little time to sort out my thoughts,” he said. “That’s all.”

            Can I come with you? the Psybab asked hopefully.

            “Not this time, Psybuddy,” his trainer replied with a shake of the head. As he edged the door open a little; the glow from the outside reflected from the Pokemon's large, aquamarine eyes as he floated above the crumpled quilt. “I appreciate your concern but I must be alone for a while. Just this once…ok?”

            Alright then, Caley… 

 

            As Caley edged out of the door, Stian glanced up expectantly from his place upon the carpet while Cyzel uttered a small sigh.

            <It must be hard for the human> he murmured, shaking his head.

            <Considering how rare it is for humans to have powers like us, I expect so> Kota nodded, his eyes glowing as his telekinesis rearranged the quilt into a creaseless formation over the bed.

            <I admire his understanding for us,> Stian sighed happily, leaping onto the bed. <How do you put up with that cold-hearted child, Cyzel? He doesn’t understand anyone at all.>

            <Don’t you dare talk about Adam that way…> Cyzel bristled at the remark. <He has suffered more than you’ll ever know.>

            Cyzel looked behind him to where the adolescent lay, squirming under his own covers with a tortured expression of agony upon his closed-eyed face.

            “No…” he murmured. “No…stop…why are you doing this?”

            <See? Another nightmare blights his sleep…>

            <I didn’t realise,>  Stian murmured apologetically.

            <Exactly,> Cyzel muttered. <No one realises. No one understands the true reason for his coldness. He was scarred so deep I doubt he could ever be healed, because of that he is scared of being hurt again like he was hurt before.>

 

            “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

            Adam flung himself upright, panting erratically; sweat running down his forehead and shaking hands grasping the quilt like it was a matter of life or death. Seeing that no other human figure was in the room, he broke down into fitful sobs upon the pillow. While Stian looked on anxiously, Cyzel glanced accusingly at him and crossed the room to lend a paw of comfort to the trembling mass. Without hesitation, Adam threw his little arms around the furry feline’s neck and began to cry into his fur.

            “I saw them again…” he whimpered. “They took her away…my mummy!”

            Kota and Stian continued to watch with awe at the release of a seemingly hard figure’s emotion as Adam wailed all the louder, drowning out the volume in Cyzel’s coat.

            <I never would have known...> Stian shook his head.

            <You have to give that little guy credit,> Kota agreed. <He’s been hiding it so well.> The Psybab floated over to Adam’s side and placed a paw on the top of his head. A soft glow surrounded the psychic dragon and the now-vulnerable youth, until the eyes of the latter flickered slowly shut once more and he fell back onto the pillow.

            <It isn’t right to let him suffer like that,> Kota explained. <Especially when there is nothing any of us can do to bring his mother back. Sleep is the best prospect, for now.>

            <I know,> Cyzel murmured, placing his head upon his paws on the edge of the bed as he fondly watched his charge doze in a false sense of peace. <And it hurts me so to see him in such a state. It isn’t the first time he has had that nightmare, and it probably won’t be the last time either.>

            <All we can do,> Kota told him. <Is lend our assistance when it is needed. That is all.>

            <I guess that proves one thing,> Stian piped up as the Pokémon settled down to rest once more. <Humans are very complicated creatures, and can't be judged by appearances.>

            <Uh huh,> the others agreed, and with that, the trio drifted into an uneasy slumber.              

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

The streets of Mayni City were alive with the rhythmic waves of popular music, bright neon lights and the various enticing aromas of hot cooked food being sold from stalls at points along the high street. It almost seemed like the scene had exploded into a mass of colour and sound upon the strike of twelve - a cheerful sight to behold for the two men who passed amongst it.

“Jus’ da sorta atmosphere ta cheer us up an’ take our minds offa t’ings fer da moment,” Errol told his friend emphatically.

“I guess it would be nice to relax after everything that’s happened recently…” James remarked, his nervous expression easing a little.

“Yeah! You an me got some catchin’ up ta do, James” Errol smiled at his friend. “A night on da tiles is just what we guys need. An’ we gonna start by droppin’ in at dat place.” He motioned towards a decorated set of windows further down the street. They belonged to a casual looking bar that was currently playing host to several hundred people.

“Why there?” James asked. “Seems a bit overcrowded to me.”

“Exactly," Errol nodded. "Wit’ dat many people in dere we can jus’ stroll right in an’ no one will notice us! Besides, I hoid from a reliable source dat dis place is soivin’ free drinks tonight”

“’Reliable source’?” James repeated sceptically, with a sideward glance. His friend groaned.

“Ok, wise guy…it was a poster I saw on da outside of Brock’s salon dis moinin’.

 

But what does dat matta, dey got free drinks, let’s go!”

 

The freebies were a result of “The Volbeat” bar’s opening night and many of the city’s partygoers were taking advantage of the offer. It explained the laid-back, humoured atmosphere that surrounded the pair as they entered; many of the customers had obviously put away a few by this time. Weaving through the drowsy mass, Errol and James reached the bar and perched themselves upon two empty stools. A pert, shapely barmaid approached and eyed up the new arrivals with a sly smile.

“Hello boys…now what can I do for you two?”

“Give me a ‘Marticuni’, and hold da ice,” Errol replied, just as smoothly. “What’cha up for, Jimmy?”

“Preferably something that still leaves me with my senses intact after I’ve drunk it,” he replied dryly.

“Gotcha. And get a ‘Baileefs’ on da rocks for my friend. He doesn’t hold his drinks in too well, heh heh.”

“I’ll get right to it, handsome,” the woman winked, and retreated into the room behind to prepare the orders. James shot Errol a sullen glare as he continued to chuckle. It was then that a gruff voice spoke.

“Wellif it isn’t those guys from…thuh thingy…

 

…yeah…Team Rocket.”

 

“So much for being incognito,” James muttered, though it was more than obvious that a note of angst had crept back into his voice. Errol said nothing, but squinted his eyes and tried to work out whom it was that had made the comment. It wasn’t really a question of ‘who’, rather ‘what’ was sitting in a shadowy corner of the bar. Unusual orange flickers seemed to dance across its form as the figure started to sit up. Its neck was definitely too long to be that of a man, and it had a tail which appeared from around the corner of the counter, casting a brighter light upon its dark red, reptilian face . Errol and James’ mouths dropped open at the sight.

“What?” the humanoid Charmeleon snorted as it spat out a small tongue of flame to light up its cigarette. “Ain’sha seen a guy havin' a smoke before?”

“Err…well...no,” James fumbled. He was more surprised that the mutant hadn’t tried to capture them after making such a statement about their past Rocket membership.

"Dat doity habit went outta fashion years ago," Errol remarked, studying the creature's attire with a half-interested expression. It was dressed in an open black leather jacket (with a small insignia upon one side of it) a pair of equally black leather trousers and some sturdy leather boots. "Didn't anyone tell yas what smokin' does to ya health?"

"Screw my healf," the humanoid Charmeleon remarked carelessly. "That wuz fecked up when those sons o' Weaviles turned me into this fire breathin' freak o' nature a couple weeks ago. Them Team Rocket scientishts just don't geddit...humans and Pokemon, they're sep'rate for a reashun."

James exchanged studied looks with Errol. Neither of them had been aware of such unsettling developments in the organization's motives.

"Who are ya, anyway?" Errol inquired after a few moments.

"Mercer Dunn," came the reply. "But mos' people these days call me Ember. Y'can guesh why, can't yeh?" He began to chuckle in a rather unsettling way, causing both men to lean backwards with equally disturbed expressions.

“I don’t understand," James began in lowered tones. "If that guy is from Team Rocket and knows who we are, then how come he's not trying to turn us in?”

“I gets da feelin’ he’s too drunk ta care…” Errol remarked as Ember downed yet another cocktail and shuffled his stool forward in a rather clumsy way.

“You two mus’ be pretty cowardly ta wuss outta Team Rocket…,” he drawled, swaying from side to side. “Well’sno room fer spineless wimps in Team Rocket anyway. Good riddance, thass what I say…”

All of a sudden Errol stood up and his gaze focused angrily onto the creature.

“I am no wimp!” he growled. James grabbed at his shoulder to try and pull him back into a sitting position.

“Don’t rise to it; he doesn’t know what he’s saying!”

But it was too late; Errol was already riled by Ember's remarks.

“I’m jus’ as tough as you are!” he snapped. “Prob’ly more so!”

Errol gasped in surprise as a clawed hand shot forward and grabbed him by the front of his dark green shirt, lifting him several feet into the air.

“Wanna prove it?” the humanoid Charmeleon sneered nastily. And with that, Errol was tossed across the room and into the middle of a nearby pool table, scattering the players. Just as the stars cleared, Errol looked up to see a barstool flying straight at him.

“Catch that!” came a ferocious yell. Errol leapt nimbly aside and the object shot past and into the crowd, which dispersed rapidly in a flurry of panicked cries.

“Stop! Stop!” exclaimed the exasperated owner from a distance. “You’re driving away my customers!”

But Ember ignored him and continued to throw furniture, and drunken insults, at his target.

“Keep still, dammit!”

Errol was definitely not going to keep still for someone’s twisted enjoyment. Using every ounce of agility, he swerved dodged and skidded to avoid the barrage of glasses, bottles, chairs and even wall decorations that had been aimed at him. It was clear to James who was still sitting at the bar that his companion was beginning to flag.

“Roight! That’s it!” the enraged, inebriated creature roared. “I’ve ‘ad enough!” He leant forward in a wobbly manner and grasped hold of the jukebox, ripping it from the wall socket it was attached to. “Ere’s sommink ya can’t avoid!”

Ember began to laugh maniacally, until he felt the sharp sting of something hard across his back. Swinging round his blazing glare met with the nervous face of James, who was holding the remainder of a chair he had just smashed over the Pokemorph.

“You little pipsqueak!” it snarled, and dropped the jukebox to the ground to pick up the petrified man with both its clawed hands.

“I’ll teach ya ta mess with Ember! ‘Ow’s about I make you a date with tha front winda?”

James felt himself rise from the floor, held by the back of his sweater, and he shut his eyes in terror in anticipation of the almost imminent pain that was about to follow. Errol took a step forward to assist his friend but before he could reach Ember, James’ eyes had shot open again.

 

And they were no longer that calm shade of green…

…they were a nasty deep red.

 

With an unnatural animal-like cry James opened his mouth and a pyre of flame seared the air. It blazed across the room charring everything in its path before colliding with the opposite wall in a plume of hot, fiery sparks.

Ember released his quarry in alarm as the flames took hold of the surrounding décor. Errol dashed over and knelt down beside James, whose glazed expression was now something between stunned and confused. It was like he had no idea of what had just occurred a few seconds before. But the onlookers that happened to be the owner and his staff certainly did. And they had re-entered the room with buckets of water and fire extinguishers to remove the ‘pests’ from the bar.

“Get out of here, you freaks!” the o