Caley was awakened the next morning by the harsh ring of the bell outside in the corridor. Before he could sit up Adam, who had swung out of bed hurriedly, unceremoniously stood upon him.

“Come on! We can’t miss an emergency meeting!”

Caley rubbed the spot where Adam’s foot had hit him, then was swiftly kicked in the head by James, who had also awoken.

“Will you watch what you’re doing?” he exclaimed agitatedly at the second impact, but James didn’t seem to hear him. He just sat there, teetering upon the edge of the bed wrapped in the duvet with a nauseous, dishevelled look upon his face while scratching unwarily at his arm. Caley examined the expression.

“I feel really ill…” James murmured wearily. “It must have been the lumpiness of this bed. Plus I think I’ve caught fleas off that cat Pokémon.”

Cyzel gave a snort. He didn’t have any fleas.

“Who cares about that!” Adam snapped dismissively.

 

“Get your kit on, and hurry up about it!”

 

The Auditorium was once again filled with the sound of conversation, but this time the voices had a worried tone. As Caley, Adam and James sat at the far end of one of the upper rows Caley heard a shrill crying cut through the chatter.

“My hair! My beautiful, beautiful haiiiirrr!”

The voice sounded very familiar. James seemed to recognise it too as he suddenly cut back to reality, dropped the spaced-out expression and began searching for where the cry had come from. Caley soon found the answer, in the forms of Butch, Cassidy and Jessie who were sitting a few rows further down. Cassidy was wearing a ‘bored of the situation’ look and Butch was wishing Jessie would be quiet before the executives came on stage.

But Jessie wasn’t having any. She grasped at the few tufts that were what was left of her magenta hair and moaned some more.

“Why! Whyyy! It means the world to meeee!”

 Adam’s eyes widened as he watched the drama unfold.

“Whoa!” he exclaimed with an amused smirk. “She looks like she stuck her head in a blender!”

“So many scratches…” a woman murmured in one of the rows further down. “What could have possibly done that to her?”

“I bet it was that Triply” James sniffed haughtily. “Maybe now she’ll come to her senses and get rid of it.”

 

Caley looked thoughtful. He wasn’t so sure.

 

“Quieten down! Quieten down!” yelled the female executive. It didn’t seem to work this time; the negative emotion was so strong that the anxious comments of several hundred Team Rocket members continued regardless. The male executive broke his silence.

 “SILENCE!”

 The shock of hearing the sound of a hardly-raised voice caused the conversation to cease. The woman stepped up to the podium once more.

 “Now we know how you all feel about this sudden attack…”

 There were choruses of “What ya gonna do about it” and “What got Jessie?” from some of the more loudmouthed occupants of the hall.

“We don’t know what it was that happened to be prowling the underground apartment block last night," the female executive continued. "We received evidence from one of our Elite members that it resembled a dog Pokémon of some kind.”

The woman flipped a page on her clipboard.

“Other news. The canteen is temporarily closed as it seemed to have been raided, most likely by the same creature.”

There was a loud wave of complaints over this fact.

“Paw prints and some black fur were found near the scene, which scientists are now trying to identify. We have cancelled all lessons while the problem is being solved. Outside assignments are still expected to continue. Just remember to stay on your guard, the Pokémon may be hiding somewhere in the complex.

 

Dismissed.”

 

“Aww, no food?” Caley exclaimed, hunching his shoulders. How was he meant to think on an empty stomach? “I was really looking forward to a nice ham and lettuce sub too…”

             James turned slightly pale.

             “Ugh. Please don’t talk about food…it’s making me feel nauseous. For some reason I’ve completely lost my appetite.”

Adam grinned deviously.

“How about a Deep Dish Pizza,” he remarked cruelly. “Or a steaming hot bowl of soup, hm Caley?”

“Stop it Adam. You’re not helping,” the trainer sighed.

“Yeah, squirt.” James added. “How’d you like it if I were to throw up?”

“Oh, it wouldn’t bother me,” Adam remarked carelessly.

“...on you,” the man concluded. His younger companion said no more, and a tense silence ensued while the trio continued to wander the corridor. Then Adam piped up again.

“I know a place to go until the canteen is open. I found it while bunking a tactics lesson one Tuesday.”

“That explains a lot…” James said dryly under his breath, but Adam didn't hear him.

“Every spare moment I get I go here. The guys are real hospitable.

 

Come on Caley, I’ll show you.”

 

After a ten-minute walk the trio arrived at a large pair of white double doors with no windows. James took a step back in shock.

“Hey…this is…the old ICR! I haven’t visited here in ages, I wonder if the guys remember me…”

Adam ignored his ramblings and rapped upon the door. After a second or so a narrow portion of the door slid across and a pair of dark brown eyes glanced through the hole, scanning the group standing there for a second. The shutter slid to again and an excited voice was heard further away in the room.

“It’s my mate Adam. He's brought James with him, and a new guy too!”

Adam walked in through the now-open door, Caley cautiously following behind. James peered into the room and his mouth fell open. It was carpeted in deep red and comfy chairs were placed in every corner. In the centre was a huge snooker table and upon the far wall there hung a rather battered television set. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was a lot more than many of the residents had ever experienced. James’ eyes sparkled.

“They sure have improved this place since I last came.”

The teenage owner of the voice came over to Adam and the two shared a playful friendly tussle. Caley gazed about at the other occupants of the room, none of which really seemed to take a blind bit of notice of the new arrivals.

“It's so great to see you, James!" the adolescent exclaimed with joy, once he had released Adam from a headlock.

“Mondo!" James responded just as cheerfully while the two shook hands and patted each other on the back. "You haven’t changed a bit.”

“You know him?” Adam glanced at Mondo with noticeable disbelief. The figure nodded.

“I used to ship goods and provide background assistance to him and his team mates when I worked as a support agent! When the balloon needed repairing, I was there. When the submarine needed refuelling, I was the one doing it…”

“You were a real lifesaver” James replied admiringly. Mondo stepped backwards to let the trio further into the room before he could relock the door.

”You’re all welcome to stay, of course. This is the Intermediate Common Room. Everyone who doesn’t quite fit the regulations hangs around here.”

That’s appropriate for me… Caley thought to himself embarrassedly. Considering I’m an impostor.

Mondo gave him a beaming grin.

“Why don’t I introduce you to the rest of the gang, since Adam and James know who they are already.

Over there in that corner, that’s Jenna. She’s a real rebel, at least in the Boss’s eyes considering she hasn’t done an ounce of Active Duty since she came here.” The girl in her late teens with the olive green hair, pierced ears and dark makeup winked in Caley’s direction. He raised a hand shyly in silent greeting.

“Playing with the remote control, that’s Kevin," Mondo continued. "He’s a whiz with artillery but his television obsession sorta let him down. He just can’t stop staring at the thing!” The young man with spiky purple hair continued to mutter obscenities to himself while pressing occasionally on the remote control in his hand.

“And sitting by the window…that’s Errol,” Mondo remarked, his voice taking on a nervous hushed tone. “But I advise you don’t talk to him. I tried once and nearly got my head bitten off; he’s way too inward.

Caley turned his attentions to the aforementioned figure and got a thorough shock. He was certain it was the same man who had been patrolling the streets of Coyna City in a Policeman's uniform the day before. Now he was dressed in the same white outfit as the rest of his comrades - head perched upon his hands and gazing out at the dark atmosphere beyond with misty eyes and a pitiful heaving of the shoulders.

"There are a couple more visitors to this room but they’re out on duty right now," Mondo explained as James flung himself upon the sofa next to Kevin and started trying to wrench the remote from his fingers. "If you hang around a bit longer you may get a chance to meet them.”

To avoid the curious looks given to him by Jenna, Caley slid over to the window and knelt by the glass. Errol didn’t take his eyes from the scenery. He seemed to be staring at a point on the horizon that didn’t exist.

“Errm…so…how are you?” Caley murmured. It was the best way of starting a conversation that he could think of at the time. Errol grunted, and shifted the position of his hands. The trainer caught a glimpse of something shiny dangling from a chain. It resembled a coin of some sort.

“Where’d you get that from?”

“Hm?” Errol grunted. At least Caley had got a response. He attempted to build on this, motioning toward the object Errol was wearing that he had been referring to.

“That thing round your neck.”

Errol looked down at the glittering item, and his expression became heavier. He fondled it between the fingers of his left hand in a self-comforting fashion, but said no more. Caley looked back at the others in the room. Adam and Mondo were now seeing how far they could flick rubber bands across the room. James was curled up over at one end of the sofa sulking and rubbing a red mark from Kevin’s fist which had squarely made contact with his face (most likely due to his interference) while the aforementioned figure continued to fiddle with the remote. And Jenna had laid back with her CD player and closed her eyes, completely oblivious to the scenes around her.

Maybe it was pointless trying to pry anything out of Errol. Perhaps he just didn’t want to tell. Caley was beginning to think his idea to try and get to know the guy had been stupid when something was placed in front of him. It was the object from around Errol’s neck.

“T'be honest, kid,” he began. “I don't know where I gots it from. All I know is dat I can't let it go.

 

It brings me happiness an' despair all at da same time.”

 

Caley examined the item more closely. It was rectangular, with rounded corners, and it had four grooves deeply engraved into the surface. Upon turning it over Caley saw some words that had also been crudely engraved, more recently it seemed. Errol snatched his possession back before Caley could read them and placed it around his neck once more. Then he closed his eyes as a way of silent dismissal. With that, Caley breathed a sigh and left the window. Perhaps it was just best to leave the guy alone. After all, maybe the pain of his past was too strong...

 

...and the secrets buried too deep.

 

 “So…what did you say to that weird bloke in the corner?” Adam mentioned, through a mouthful of a sandwich. It was late afternoon, and the canteen was finally open serving free food for all.

“He’s not weird,” Caley crunched. “Just…lost.”

James pushed his food around the plate. He no longer had the expression of nausea but he still didn’t look that hungry.

“Well…what did you say?” Adam continued.

“I tried to find out about him," Caley began. "But he…wasn’t that keen to talk.”

“No wonder he doesn’t have any friends,” Adam shook his head, crumbs flying everywhere. “If he acts that way with everyone…and what’s up with you?”

He waved his sandwich at James, who was playing with his knife.

“I’m pretty fed up of this situation really," the figure muttered. "I don’t know why I stay here. I think The Boss has a grudge against me.”

“I’m not surprised, with the mess-ups you and those other two dumbwads kept making,” Adam muttered, though it wasn’t loud enough for James to pick up on.

“I wish I could leave…” he sighed. “…and get a decent job.”

“I wish you could too,” came a snappy voice from above their heads.

 

“It would save me the awful experience of having to see your irritating face every day.”

 

James looked up in alarm to see Jessie, with Triply by her side. She still looked a mess, tufts of hair stuck out in all directions where she had tried to arrange it in some way and the deep scratch marks covering her visage were all too apparent. Adam stifled a giggle, and Jessie’s icy gaze immediately turned on him.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Er…nothing,” Adam bit his lip, unnerved by the unexpected reaction.

“You’d better not be. Because you won’t want to find out what I do with those who annoy me, now would you?”

James’ brow furrowed. “Stop picking on the kid! He doesn’t know any better.”

Adam glared at him.

“Hey! I am not a kid!”

Jessie ignored the protest and folded her arms.

“That’s a new one for you, James. Sticking up for rookies. Huh! Well, you were soft then and you’re worse now…

 

I’ll be glad to see the back of you.”

 

She swiftly turned and walked down the aisle. James gritted his teeth and breathed a sigh of disbelief at the realisation that he’d been defending the case of a boy who didn’t even like him whatsoever.

“What a spiteful-looking creature,” Caley exclaimed, as he watched Triply gaze coldly at him and the others as it wandered after her.

 “Which one?” Adam sniggered. The trainer rolled his eyes but continued eating.

“She’s right though,” James murmured forlornly, staring at his food again. “I am just a failure. A washout. I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without her. No wonder she got promoted without me…”

“No, no,” Caley tried to be consoling. “You’re just having a crisis of confidence, that’s all.”

“Speaking of promotions,” Adam murmured. “There’s that Team Rocket Promotion ceremony in three days. That official celebration and giving of fancy awards.” He sounded rather put off at this thought, drinking deeply from his cup of lemonade with a serious expression.

“Oh…yeah. I forgot about that,” James grunted. “Another chance for me to have humiliation shoved in my face for a couple of hours.”

“My dad expected me to be promoted by this time,"  Adam continued. "I doubt I wanna stay around for his reaction to the fact that I ain't gonna be.”

Caley gazed at the two unhappy faces at the bench. It sounded like a depressing life, being a Team Rocket member. Always trying to impress the higher powers and getting along with whatever you could find.

 

He was glad that he would soon be out of here, but he deeply wished that he could take these misunderstood people with him.

 

 

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

 

 

“Caley, you seem…distracted tonight,” Adam remarked casually, as he teasingly dangled his glove over Cyzel’s head. The disguised trainer had been lying upon his back staring at the ceiling of his newly acquired companion's room for most of the evening. James gazed across with an expression of concern.

             “What'cha thinking?”

             “Some…plans,” Caley replied ponderously. He was desperately hoping this conversation wouldn’t venture any further. But he was going to be disappointed.

             “Plans for what?” Adam asked, pulling up his glove just before Cyzel had a chance to tear it to shreds.

             “Well, some other Team Rocket members stole something important from me and… I need to get it back.” The answer was close enough to the truth without being overly revealing. As friendly as Adam and James seemed to be, Caley didn't truly know them. They were part of Team Rocket, after all - how could he be sure where to place his trust.

“You got guts, s'all I can say," Adam grinned.

            “You do realise that there's an after hours curfew, right?” James remarked fearfully, fiddling with the curl of his hair in an uncomfortable manner. “If you're discovered walking the corridors after lights out, there'll be major consequences!”

             “Wimpo has a point,” Adam smirked, neatly moving aside as one of James’ boots came flying across the room, narrowly missing him by inches.

 

            "Something like this is gonna require a real good plan."

 

             Fifteen minutes later, Caley, Adam and Cyzel were sneaking through the blackened corridors once again. James had insisted on staying and guarding Adam's room. He didn’t fancy getting into any more trouble; his record as a Team Rocket member wasn’t that good already.

            "Pfft. Excuses, excuses," Adam remarked, keeping a close eye on Caley's movements while Cyzel followed with an anxious expression upon his face. "I bet he's just afraid of the dark. Scaredy cat."

            Cyzel glanced up at Adam indignantly. What was so wrong with being scared once in a while? The Cyameez felt he had very good reason to be after what he'd seen the night before.

            "All this 'creature' stuff," the rookie continued with a smirk. "I bet it's just one big scam cooked up by the Elites to keep everyone out of the corridors at night. No wonder that attention-seeker Jessie got in on the act. Well it ain't gonna fool me; takes more than a bunch of shallow words to convince Adam Mayhew."

            Caley glanced over his shoulder for a moment before waving the torch this way and that, looking for obstacles. He didn't happen to share Adam's scepticism. Why on earth would Jessie, a woman who seemed so enamoured with her looks, allow herself to be mutilated in such a way for the sake of bullying lower ranked operatives?

             “So whose room are you looking for?" Adam inquired smoothly.

             “I'm not looking for anybody's room," Caley admitted. "I seriously doubt the people who stole what I want back would have kept it with them."

            "Maybe if I knew what you were looking for, I could help better," Adam muttered, annoyed that Caley wouldn't just come out and tell him what the article was. The disguised trainer ignored this and promptly released Kota into the open. Opening his mouth to deliver the required instructions, the trainer was quick to shut it again and slow to a standstill when he noticed the psychic dragon's appearance. It was shuddering violently and bore a large bruise over its left eye.

             “That Pokémon’s real spooked, what happened?” Adam exclaimed, glancing at Caley like he'd assumed the trainer was responsible for the injury.

Kota responded by uttering a wail which Caley attempted to muffle by clutching the Pokémon close and letting him bury his pink bulbous nose into the folds of his uniform.

             “Were you attacked?” Caley asked Kota worriedly. He nodded furiously, imitating the look of the fiercest incarnation he could imagine and causing Adam to flinch as the reality of the situation sunk in.

            "You shouldn't have left the room, Psybuddy," Caley frowned at his Pokémon. "It's dangerous around here; especially so with the threat of that creature hanging over us all."

            "Ba-bab! Psy ba ba!" came the insistent response. Kota knew full well he had not ventured outside the room. Whatever it was that attacked him had somehow got inside.

            "Well, no point in us standing around here is there?" Adam piped up, trying to disguise his nervousness. Caley nodded solemnly before giving Kota a reassuring stroke across the top of its head. 

 

“We should get a move on…before we bump into anything unwanted ourselves.”

 

             The darkness seemed thicker and creepier than usual. Caley could sense an atmosphere of anticipation over the group as they moved towards the lower levels of the HQ. At this point, it started to dawn on Adam where the group happened to be heading.

            "Are you nuts?" he hissed. "We're walking towards the laboratory!"

            "Well it seemed the most logical place for a gen-" Caley sputtered out as he partially let his intentions slip. Adam began to frown at him.

            "Okay, you stop right there," he snapped in a surprisingly authoritarian manner. "We're not going another step until you tell me what you're after."

             At this point, Cyzel turned to face the corridor as its senses picked up a shape in the darkness, moving slowly, and purposefully, towards the group. It growled, the entire length of its furry back raised in threat. It was enough to cause Adam to forget interrogating Caley - the youth grasped Caley’s shoulder from behind, making him jump.

             “Something’s out there…it’s watching us. I bet it’s that creature. We’ve got to go.”

             “But I...” Caley grimaced.

             “Forget about whatever it is you're looking for!” Adam exclaimed. “We’re gonna be goners if we stay here! Now, come o-!”

Before he could finish his sentence, a figure sprung out of the blackness and barrelled into the adolescent in a flurry of claws and teeth. Adam cried out in alarm, and the creature exited in the other direction, back towards the dark.

             “Gngh..” Adam moaned bitterly, rubbing at his arm. “I’m bleeding…” He glanced up at Caley, a frightened look upon his usually stern face, but the disguised trainer was too busy deciding his next course of action.

            "If anyone's going to get any peace around here someone's gotta capture that Pokémon,” he announced.

"Ugh... don't be a hero, man!" Adam protested. "No one is going to thank you for it, believe me!"

Some way down the corridor, there came a long, drawn out howl. Adam cowered behind Cyzel.

“Besides," he concluded shakily. "I..I... really don't wanna go near that thing again.”

“You don’t have to come,” Caley replied calmly. “Just go back to your room and wait for me.”

Adam shuddered at the thought of the company that awaited him in there, and made no further movement. He was torn between walking into the jaws of death or returning to the snores of doom. Cyzel stood up abruptly, making Adam topple.

“Ezcya…” it purred reassuringly before pursuing Caley and Psybab, leaving his trainer crouched silently upon the tiles. A few moments alone in the dark was all it took to make up Adam's mind, and in one quick movement he left the floor to catch up with the group who had deserted him.

 

 

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

 

Elsewhere in the Team Rocket headquarters a figure strode purposefully toward her destination to complete a task of delivery. Her name was Denise Nichols and despite her young age she was quite an experienced scientist, but this wasn’t the reason why she happened to be visiting the underground laboratory. One of the scientists had tagged the girl following her nightly cleaning duties and ordered her to go and fetch him some more coffee from the canteen, much to Denise's annoyance. She strongly disliked being reminded of her demeaning status; if it wasn’t for her strong morals she could have been the one carrying out the mechanical construction work. But sadly, it was not to be.

Having been drafted into Team Rocket a year ago with the promise of becoming a great scientist, Denise had worked her way up the ranks of power from rookie, to junior assistant. When it came to undertaking senior tasks (a great deal of which were experimentation and mutilation of Pokémon) Denise could not bring herself to do it. Her feelings for the Pokémon held her back, and when the executives heard of this they removed her from the science foundation, but not before extracting every useful idea she had.

The Hover Jet just so happened to be one of those ideas. Denise ground her teeth as she watched the scientist ponder over a complicated equation. He didn’t even look up as she placed his coffee upon the desk by the whiteboard he was working on.

 

How could they? How could they just take all the credit…

 

Suddenly Denise’s thoughts were shattered as pained cries echoed above her head. It wasn’t unusual to hear this, but these cries sounded like nothing she’d ever heard before. She left the scene to investigate.

Ignoring the signs that read "Red Stripe Access Only," Denise followed the sounds and slipped into another part of the laboratory. The air here was a weird shade of purple, and there was a constant thrum of machinery at work. Following the intermingled sounds of distress and conversation, Denise spotted a group of scientists gathered around a weird blue Pokémon that was mostly obscured by their white lab coats. Concealing herself behind a computer terminal the girl listened intently to the scientists debate.

"This enhanced Azumarill is quite disappointing, Itzal" one remarked.

"Well what do you expect for such limited energy, Mito?" he complained. "We can hardly produce satisfying results without the use of experiment M1N4CH1."

"Perhaps if we were to put it in the machine again..." a different figure suggested.

"I doubt the Aquarill would be able to handle another gene blast, Enfys . Its DNA and RNA would fracture along the AC proteins and result in a mutation of the cytoplasm, while its cells would begin advanced stages of mitosis far too soon. But there’s no harm in trying."

No harm in trying? Denise spluttered inside her mind. Yeah, not for them maybe, but for the Pokémon, it would mean certain death!

She couldn't let this happen. But what could she possibly do? Casting her gaze around the room for something to avert the scientists' attentions with, Denise spotted a red lever marked 'fire alarm' beside the computer terminal where she was hiding. Without a further thought the figure leapt for the object, pulling it downward and causing a shrill siren to echo all through the room.

The scientists flinched, startled by the sudden noise. Mito sighed and shook his head.

"Olway must have made a Pokémon spontaneously combust again."

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Itzal muttered. “But it's not like we haven't told him before about our the state of our resources.

 

And we’re the ones who are always left to clean up the mess.”

 

Denise managed to repress the urge to heave at the thought of a Pokémon bursting into flames as the scientists marched out of the room.  When she could no longer hear their agitated complaints she snuck into the open once again.

The strange Pokémon they had left behind was bound to an examination table with some thick wire. It was blue with huge fin-like ears and arms. There was also a large bruise on the top of its head, where maybe it had been punished for struggling too much. As Denise approached the table it let out a squeal and tried to break free, though this only made matters worse as the wire cut into its skin, causing it to bleed.

“Sssh” Denise cooed softly. “I won’t hurt you.”

This seemed to make it relax a little.

“Rill?” it said questioningly. Denise resisted the urge to cry in pity for the scarred, terrified creature. Clenching her right hand she pushed the emotion down and gazed back at the Pokémon.

“I won’t let them hurt you either. I need to hide you somewhere before they come back, but these wires are too strong for me to break.” 

While Denise pondered she went to stroke the Aquarill’s head in a subconscious act of placation and it winced its huge eyes, somewhat expecting agony to follow. Denise retracted her hand, and the Pokémon glanced at her in surprise. Repeating her gesture, Denise smiled as Aquarill closed its eyes and hummed a strange melody, softly and calmly.

“That’s it. You can trust me.”

             The wailing of the fire alarm stopped, and the sounds of many feet could be heard, in an intimidating rumble.  Someone must have realized it was a false alarm.  Denise knew she should not panic; this would not help her situation. So she learnt toward the Aquarill and whispered,

            “I need a little faith on your part for this. Will you let me put you into a Pokéball? It's the only way I can rescue you from this horrible place.”

             The Pokémon looked her over and peered into her eyes for a split second. Then it nodded; surely such an option wasn't as torturous as the things it had experienced. With that, Denise lightly tossed her only Pokéball at Aquarill, and the spherical item bumped one of its huge ears. With a buzz of iridescent light the aquamouse Pokémon disappeared inside. Denise grabbed the ball and hurriedly dove behind the terminal just as the scientists arrived in the doorway.

             “Where’d the Aquarill go?” Itzal exclaimed.

             “It must have escaped somehow," Enfys responded. "I’ll send the alert.”

             “No,” Mito shook his head. 

            “It wasn’t near strong or aggressive enough to have any potential; the Boss would say we wasted time. Let's keep an eye out for our project and not mention anything to him yet, especially in light of Hereford's efforts. It's bad enough that his work is running around attacking operatives and giving us a lousy reputation.”

             The scientists mutually agreed and left the room. Denise quickly took this chance to make her escape with her new Pokémon, but the triumph at her successful rescue was short-lived. Denise took in a gulp of air and skidded to a halt. A wide-shouldered security guard blocked her way, wearing a stern expression.

             “What are you doing in here?” he boomed.

             “C-cleaning, sir,” the girl spluttered. Well, it had been partly true. The guard’s probing stare softened.

“Well, it’s my lucky night,” he grinned, placing a few coins into Denise’s gloved palm.

 

             “Go get me a cola, kid. Thanks a bunch.”

 

             As Denise edged further out of the laboratory, she sighed at her very close call and the fact that her intelligence wasn’t being put to good use. But at least another Pokémon was out of harm's way. Patting the Pokéball on her belt thankfully, she ventured towards the canteen once again.

 

 

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

 

 

             “Surely they have guards out on patrol looking for this Pokémon…” Adam spluttered, as the howls grew steadily louder. “Th…this isn’t our problem…”

             His sentence eked out into nothingness as the two boys drew up to the exit of the apartment wing, only to find the sentries slumped against each other, badly burnt and motionless. Caley checked for signs of life.

             “They’re still breathing," he remarked, shortly afterward. "Looks like that Pokémon ambushed them just like it did to you, the difference being you were lucky”

             “Lucky?” Adam exclaimed. “It bit me!”

There was silence as the two stood there for a second, weighing up the situation. Then a completely new voice cut into the situation.

 

             “Excuse me? What are you doing down here at this hour?”

 

             Caley and Adam swung round, their eyes meeting with those of an unfamiliar figure. The inquiry had seemed more puzzled than forceful, nevertheless Caley half expected his younger companion to reply with some snide remark. But Adam made no such response; instead he stood there silently and rigidly, his cheeks flushed with redness. The girl chuckled at the expressions she was being handed, and Caley relaxed slightly. Somehow he felt this stranger could be trusted, and so decided to take a risk.

“We’re going to stop this prowler once and for all, before this gets out of hand.”

"Seriously?" the girl blinked, thinking for a moment Caley was being sarcastic. When the trainer's determined expression didn't falter she began to smile before putting out her hand. "That's pretty admirable. The name's Denise; maybe I can lend some help."

“Sure! The more, the better,” Caley answered brightly, giving the figure's hand a quick shake before stepping over one of the unconscious guards. Adam gave Denise a nervous glance, expecting her to offer him a handshake also. Instead the girl patted Cyzel on the head, gave the adolescent a knowledgeable wink and strode after Caley and Kota, humming the melody Aquarill had uttered earlier. With all attentions directed away from him, Adam allowed himself a somewhat dopey grin and ambled after the others. 

“By the looks of your uniform I’d say you were in the same rank as James,” Caley said, glancing sideways.

“Yeah…that’s kind of a taboo subject these days," Denise remarked with a frown. "The Intermediate rank used to be one of the most relied-upon ranks in the Team Rocket hierarchy. Recon missionaries, product haulers, item suppliers... you name it. Since this Project Rebirth business, though, it just seems to have become the Boss’ place to dump all the people who don't fit in with his scheme of things. In other words, the Team Rocket trash can.”

She gave Caley a long hard stare at this point.

“Do you know James from somewhere?”

“Yeah," the trainer responded. "He ended up in Adam’s room because he was thrown out of his own.”

Denise sighed, with a true element of sympathy at James’ current state of affairs, while Adam muttered under his breath at the state of his own.

“How is he now?” she asked.

“Not good,” Caley replied. “The weird injections given to him recently have been making him sluggish. He wasn’t willing to venture out tonight; he couldn’t bear the thought of yet another black mark on his record.”

“And he’s got plenty of those already,” Adam smirked. Denise gave him a slight withering look.

“You’re rather cocky aren’t you?”

At this comment, Adam blushed again and fell silent.

“I've known James for a couple of years now," the girl continued, turning her attentions back to Caley. "He almost feels like the big brother I never had, but I can see from the puzzled look on your face that he hadn't mentioned anything about me to you. And I don't blame him in the slightest; James has a lot on his mind after what's happened to him lately.”

“And what do you do round here?” Caley asked.

“Just odd jobs,” Denise replied. “A few weeks back I was collecting Pokémon, now I've been acting as cleaner in the Team Rocket labs. In my spare time I like to think up ideas for new modes of transport.”

“So you’re an inventor?” the trainer exclaimed, most interestedly.

“I sure wish I was," Denise sighed. Another howl cut through the air, causing her to look up..

“I recognise that cry. It’s the territorial call of a male Houndoom.”

“Hu..hu..Houndoom?” Adam gibbered, burying his chin into his chest.

“So that's the creature that has been prowling around down here,” Caley exclaimed.

 

“We’d better contain it fast, before it causes any more destruction.”

 

Flinging open the cafeteria door, Caley and his companions gazed in shock at the benches, charred and scattered about the hall. One of the serving hatches’ shutters had a gaping hole in it, the plastic still smouldering from where it had been melted. The clattering echoes from the kitchen indicated a presence.

             “Keep quiet,” Denise whispered as the group crept between the rows of blackened seating. “We must take it by surprise, Houndooms are very quick on their feet.”

Peering through the gap in the shutter, Caley examined the situation. Food splattered the walls, paw prints were dotted about the previously shiny surfaces and pans, once full, were littering the floor; their contents strewn across the tiles. In the far corner with its head buried deep in a container of cooked rice was a dark-furred, broad-shouldered canine Pokémon. Long grey horns protruded from the top of its head and bony protrusions could be seen across its back and around its neck.

             “Have you thought of a strategy?” Denise whispered, while Adam grasped the counter in fear and Cyzel ducked below it. The trainer looked sheepish.

            “Not particularly. This really was a ‘spur of the moment’ idea.” In truth, the majority of Caley’s ideas were.

             “I see…” replied Denise absently. She picked her solitary Pokéball from her belt and gazed at it for a second. "Go, Aquarill!”

             The tall, shiny blue creature appeared in a burst of light and leapt happily. Caley smiled as Denise gave Aquarill a fond hug.

             “Please, do what you can to stop that Houndoom.”

             “You too, Kota” Caley whispered to his Pokémon. The two creatures leapt through the hole with furious cries. Startled, the Houndoom lifted its rice-covered face from the container only to be hit by Kota, who had opted for a full-force body slam attack. With a snarl of anger the canine shook its head, reared upon its hind legs and lunged with open jaws at its attacker.

             “That’s a bite attack!” Denise hissed. “Kota has to shift it, now!”

             “Teleport!” Caley shouted at Kota. The Pokémon did so, and the Houndoom ended up skidding into the cupboard behind while Aquarill chuckled to itself.

             “Maybe Kota is a bad idea, after all Houndoom is a dark type” Caley sighed, as the psychic dragon lodged itself into his arms. “But I doubt Stian is strong enough to stand up to it yet.”

             Cyzel crouched into a further defensive position.

             “And your friend’s Pokémon doesn’t like canines,” Denise added. “So I guess its up to Aquarill.”

             She uttered a call of encouragement as the Houndoom swivelled in a fury and charged again, eyes burning red. Aquarill dodged in a panic and clambered up one of the kitchen units. Making yet another turn, the dark Pokémon threw back its head and unleashed a pyre of flame. It made contact and Aquarill dropped onto the floor with a crunch, and a cry of pain.

             “No!” Denise exclaimed. She made a move to clamber into the kitchen but Caley and Adam tried to restrain her.

             “You can’t help. You’ll end up like those guards back there!”

             Denise fell back with a crushed expression.

             “This can’t go on! The Houndoom isn’t even weakened but poor Aquarill is barely moving…”

             Back inside the kitchen, the Houndoom growled and edged closer to the shuddering blue mass of its victim; its top lip curling to reveal a set of sharp, intimidating, whitened fangs. A silent aura enveloped the surroundings, leaving the solitary drip of a tap to simply enhance the anticipation. Then an idea struck Caley. He whispered hurriedly to Kota.

              With its paw placed directly above Aquarill’s head the Houndoom poised ready to strike, when a strange sound like the whining of heating pipes, echoed all round the kitchen. Looking up just a little too late, the Houndoom yelped as a torrent of water cascaded from nowhere; washing over the two Pokémon and splashing through the serving window, soaking the trainers outside. Denise gasped in shock at the icy cold as the liquid drained from the kitchen.

            "What on earth just happened there?"

            “I remembered something my dad told me once about liquids being easily manipulated by telekinesis," Caley exclaimed proudly, wringing out his shirt. "So I told Kota to force the contents of the taps in the kitchen to drench Houndoom.

 

            But next time, go a little easier on the water there, psybuddy.”

 

             The group clambered into the kitchen where Denise rushed to Aquarill’s aid. Adam took a wary step towards the Houndoom, lying still and soggy upon the tiles.

             “It don’t seem to be moving," he remarked. "Do you think its dead?”

             Denise stood up with an anxious expression, having returned Aquarill to its Pokéball. Approaching the fallen canine she bent down and carefully placed two fingers upon its neck.

            "Odd..." came the faraway comment. "It's pulse rate is unusually quick for a fainted Pokémon. We must contain it quickly - does anyone have a spare-

 

            ...huh?"

 

            The girl retracted her hand in surprise and horror at the sight of a large black tuft of matted fur that had become attached to the ends of her fingers.

             “Err…guys?” came Adam’s worried voice as he glanced down at the floor. “Something freaky's happening here!”

             The others continued to stare at the black convulsing mass. Its limbs had begun to stretch outward in a manner which could have been easily mistaken for a natural evolution process; except that it was not accompanied by the usual blinding glow that emitted from a Pokémon's body during this time, only an agonising series of crunches and moans. Denise winced, knowing all too well that this disturbing reaction must be the cause of whatever terrible experiments had been inflicted upon the poor creature. But neither she nor the others were prepared for the sight that was to greet them next.

Caley covered part of his face in disbelief as Adam pulled a disgusted face. All three figures steeped in firm realisation that what the Houndom was ‘evolving’ into was certainly not another Pokémon. None of them could utter a word as they watched the canine's pointed tail retract into the base of its spine and its partially fur-covered paws splay outward into five lengthier digits. Lavender coloured hair coursed down the back of the creature's head while its muzzle flattened out into a more defined and separate nose and mouth.

“This has got to be a nightmare,” Denise stammered, her pale hands shaking. Caley recoiled in alarm and drew breath at the now-human figure that was sprawled on the tiles in a large puddle of water.

“It’s James? The Pokémon is James? How could that be possible?”

“I bet it was a result of those injections you mentioned," Denise sobbed through her tears of fury. "They must have been the sole cause of this; whatever was in them has severely tampered with James’ DNA!

 

Pokémon enhancement is bad enough…but this? How low will they stoop?”

 

Voices were heard from down the corridor. It seemed the noise had been loud enough to disturb some other members nearby. Denise looked frantic, grabbing Caley’s shoulders and staring at him with a pleading expression.

“We can’t let them find us! Just think of the torturous things they will do if they discover James is the…the…”

She couldn’t bring herself to say it without breaking down again. Caley nodded sadly; Denise obviously thought very fondly of James and didn’t want to see him go through any more experimentation. And neither did he; after all, James had been through enough already as it was.

Caley thought hard about a solution. There was a possibility that Professor Gordon would be able to help - he had said he was a chemist after all. But that in itself would take time. For now they would have to get James’ limp form back to the apartment block.

 

And this would be easier said than done.