(-Chapter Four-)

Sunlight filtered into the small bedroom, dancing upon the thin sheets that were spread over the girl and her younger brother. The young boy rolled over in his sleep, his hand landing roughly on his sister's face. She stirred at the contact and scowled, knocking his hand off of her. She sat up, yawning, and stretched, then looked over at the opposite bed. It was empty. She got up from the bed and quietly stepped out of the room and into the kitchen…where the peaceful serenity of the morning was shattered.
"Pancakes! Pancakes!"
"Bacon and eggs!"
"No! Waffles!!"
"I want cereal!!"
Brock's crowd of brothers and sisters hung onto his legs, climbed up his arms, and tugged on his apron as they shouted out their preferences for breakfast. But Brock didn't seem to mind. He just nodded at their suggestions and kept on cooking. May watched them with wide eyes. She didn't know how Brock could remain so calm in all that chaos. She noticed Brock's dad, Flint, over at the table reading a newspaper and drinking from a mug of coffee.
"Sure is good to have you back in the house, son. I don't know I managed without you."
Brock looked over his shoulder to reply to his father and saw May. He smiled.
"Ah, good morning, May! Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah," May nodded. "I feel completely rested."
"Good. I hope you're in the mood for a big breakfast," he chuckled.
May giggled a little, too. Then the telephone rang. Flint rose from his chair and left the room to answer it. May took a seat at the table and watched Brock and his siblings. She cringed at the thought of several of her little brother running around and being all over her like that.
"Brock, it's for you," Flint said, coming back into the room.
Brock made his way through the mass of children and walked into the other room.
"So, what's for breakfast?" Max asked yawning, as he came into the kitchen.
"I hope you're really hungry," May replied with a small smile.
"Huh?"
Brock came back and without a word, finished breakfast. Everyone managed to sit around the table and eat it all up and soon, all of Brock's brothers and sisters had left the kitchen and went out to play. Flint followed to keep an eye on them.
"May, Max. I just got a disturbing phone call from an old friend of mine."
They looked at him with curious looks.
"What's going on?"
"It has to do with Team Rocket."
"Team Rocket?!"
They had not heard from or seen Team Rocket in three years now, and were quite content with it. What could they have done now?
"Something really bad has happened to Jessie…"
"What…?"

"Here in Cerulean City, there has been a very strange occurrence. Due to unknown causes, the Cerulean City Gym exploded today! The gym leaders, Daisy, Lily, and Violet were in complete shock when it happened."
A pair of big brown eyes turned towards the television and two pointy ears perked up.
"It was, like, so unexpected!" Daisy was exclaiming as her sisters sobbed miserably behind her. "We, like, have no idea what happened! The former gym leader Giovanni had like, come here for a battle, but like, we couldn't be in the room during it. So we like, don't know what went on in there! Our Dewgong is like, totally going to be okay, though."
A little hand tugged on a long sleeve.
"No, I can't play right now, I'm on the phone."
A little head shook and a finger pointed to the TV screen.
"Giovanni could not be reached for comment. Well, we don't know what kind of pokémon he had to cause such damage during a simple battle. And for now, it will remain a mystery to us."
The boy on the phone put down the receiver after asking the person to hold.
"Hmm…I don't know… What do you make of it, Pikachu?"
The pokémon looked up at his master.
"Pika, pi Pikachu pika-chu!"
"Yeah, you're right; it does seem strange," Ash agreed with his little friend. "Do you think we should check it out?"
"Pi pika," Pikachu nodded.

"Here you go, Professor Oak."
"Oh, thank you," the professor said, taking the policeman's hand and allowing him to help him out of the helicopter and down onto the ground.
Professor Samuel Oak looked around at the destroyed Cerulean gym, inspecting the area with his eyes.
"Hmm… Very strange…"
"Professor?"
He turned around at the voice and smiled.
"Ah, Ash! How good to see you!"
"It's good to see you too, Professor," the teenage boy smiled. "How are you?"
"I'm just fine, Ash. And how are you? I'll bet you're very busy now that you're a Pokemon Master."
He nodded and Pikachu jumped up on his shoulder.
"Yeah. No time for much adventuring anymore."
He paused and smiled at the creature beside his head.
"But me and Pikachu are still having fun, right buddy?"
"Pika!"
Professor Oak chuckled.
"Yes, I'm sure you are."
Then turning serious he asked, "Did you come here because of the gym explosion as well?"
"Yeah, I saw it on the news. I wonder what kind of pokémon could have done this…"
Professor Oak looked at the mess and frowned.
"In all my years of studying I've never seen a damage caused by a pokémon that was quite like this. Probably only a Mew or another legendary pokemon could do this, but I highly doubt Giovanni could have accquired that. And even the worst trained pokemon wouldn't do all this in a battle…" he said softly.
Ash looked at him.
"Professor?"
"I don't think…it was a pokémon at all."

Misty sighed and leaned back in the somewhat comfortable chair, daintily looking around the room. It was practically empty.
"You guys aren't here a lot, huh?"
"Not usually, no," James answered her, making some coffee. "We've recently been staying at another base…but we came back here when Giovanni called us here so…"
He stopped and just watched the coffee.
"…So Jessie could get the injection?" She finished for him and he nodded. "Well, I've called Sabrina and she's coming here as soon as she can. Hopefully, she can be of some help."
"Yeah, dat wasn't da only person yous called," Meowth said, coming out of the room he and Prima had settled Jessie in.
Misty turned slightly red and looked at him.
"Why are you listening to my phone calls?" she asked angrily.
"Cuz yous was using our phone, dat's why! Anyways, what business you got tellin' Brock what happened to Jessie?!"
"I just…I just…I just thought he should know!"
"Why?! We haven't been getting in their business for three years, why should dey get in ours?!"
"Meowth," James interjected, handing Misty a cup of coffee. "What's done is done, all right?"
The scratch cat grumbled something inaudible and poured himself a cup.
"Try not to get too angry with him," James said to Misty, whose face was now red. "We're both pretty stressed about this whole thing. We just don't want it leaking out to anyone…namely the police."
"I understand," she said quietly. "And I…I apologize."
"You're forgiven," he said, smiling at her, and she smiled back.
"And I'm sorry for lashin' at ya," Meowth sighed.
"Apology accepted, Meowth," she said, still smiling.
He couldn't help but smile back. Soon, everyone in the room was smiling. …But for how long?

Jessie leaned against a tree, tensing and relaxing, tensing and relaxing, tensing and relaxing as she watched James and Meowth argue over whose fault it was their latest mission had failed. But the voice she heard was neither James' nor Meowth's.
It's him. Look at him. He is a very beautiful man, isn't he?
Jessie nodded slightly.
But there is something very wrong with him, isn't there?
"Yes," she answered after a moment's pause.
And what is that?
She didn't answer, her eyes simply watching him and his muted words.
He is an idiot. You know that. A fool. He is always messing up things and screwing up your life, isn't he?
She hesitated.
Isn't he?
"I…"
Jessica…why do hesitate so? He is a moron. He is a pathetic, worthless nothing. He is absolutely useless. So why do you hesitate so?
"I don't…know…"
You agree with me, don't you?
She didn't answer. Tears began to form in her eyes.
Don't you?
She nodded.
Yes… Do you know what else he is?
She shook her head.
A nuisance. A pest. Do you know what we do to pests?
She shook her head again, though she already knew the answer.
We destroy them, Jessica. We destroy them…
"No…no, I don't want to…"
But you must! It is what you are made for! It is what you are destined to do! You destroy, destroy…
"NO!!" she cried out as she felt the flames burning inside of her.
DESTROY!
The darkness surrounded her and all she could do was hear. All she could do was hear the screaming…the spurting blood…and the sound of ripping flesh.

Jessie awoke in a cold sweat, trembling. She wrapped her arms around her, but she knew she was shivering because of the cold. She looked around the room and saw him. He was sitting in a chair beside the wall, slightly slumped as he slept and snoring softly. Her eyes watered as she looked at him. He was her partner, her friend, for so many years and she loved him in every sense of the word. And she had…she had… She turned away from him, terrified to even look at him. God, she had…she had…
"I…"
She closed her eyes tightly, trying desperately not to think about it. But she did. She thought about it all night. For she had…she had…
"…killed him…"

End of Chapter Four.