The book was �Hitchhiker�s Guide to the Galaxy.� She chuckled as she picked it up, then happened to glance inside of the cover. Inside of the cover was a stamp. It read �Pok�mon Island Library.�
Joey dropped the book and it fell to the floor below her. That book was the reason she had a price on her head! She jumped off the shelf and put the book back, then floated back onto the top of the shelf. She curled up, then fell asleep not long after.
Meanwhile, Jadsy was pestering Ira to do some things for her. Luke was lying on the couch watching TV, and was wondering just what Jads was pestering Ira to do. He shrugged his shoulders, then sighed because there weren�t any good shows on. He switched off the TV, then went to find a book to read.
He walked to the bookshelf and almost tripped over a book lying on the floor. He picked it up and read the cover. �Hitchhiker�s Guide to the Galaxy.� He glanced up at the bookshelf, because that book was usually on top. He bent down and picked up a pencil, then tossed it on top of the bookshelf.
�Ow!� Joey poked her head over the top of the bookshelf, looking very irritated. �Why did you have to wake me up? I was having a very nice dream!� She then threw the pencil back and Luke, which he caught easily.
Joey floated off the top of the bookshelf and looked around. She was beginning to get impatient, because she was waiting for Michi to get home. Joey didn�t care about Michi as much as Cassie though.
Luke smiled, then went back into the other room with the book. Joey glared at him, then pulled a small book of the shelf and took aim. She hurled the book at Luke, which hit him in the head, knocking him over.
Luke sat on the ground for a few moments, then got on his feet slowly. Luke turned around and looked at Joey angrily, who had a mischievous grin on her face. He tossed the book back to her, then sat down in a chair.
After a few hours, Luke glanced at his watch and swore a bit louder than necessary. He grabbed his car keys, then ran to his Mustang and drove away. He got to the hospital a little while later. Michi wasn�t waiting outside yet, and he was thankful for that.
Luke walked inside, then looked around. He went to Michi�s room and found her gathering up things such as balloons and cards. Luke snuck up behind her and poked her in the side. Michi giggled and spun around, then hugged him.
After gathering up the rest of the stuff, Luke took it out to the car, then went back to Michi�s room. There wasn�t anything else in the room. Well, anything besides Cassie. Michi picked her up, then put her in the stroller.
Michi pushed the stroller out to the car while Luke took care of the medical bills and stuff. He went out to the car a few minutes later, then helped Michi put the stroller away. They put Cassie in her car seat, then Luke and Michi climbed in. Luke had already put the top up on his Mustang, because the wind probably wasn�t very baby friendly.
Luke took his time driving back to the cabin. When they got there, Joey was the first one outside. When Michi and Luke climbed out, Joey reached in and unbuckled Cassie�s car seat. She pulled it out of the car, then took Cassie inside. Michi and Luke shrugged their shoulders and followed her.
When she got inside, everybody immediately commented on how cute Cassie was. Luke wasn�t sure how much of that he�d be able to put up with, but he knew it would have to be a lot. He had to admit, Cassie was really cute. Since Luke and Michelle were both Anthros, Cassie was an Anthro Raichu as well.
After two hours, Luke and Michelle finally took Cassie to their cabin, where her crib was. She as fast asleep, so they decided not to move her until she woke up again. Luke put a baby monitor near Cassie, then attached the other end to his belt as a portable radio.
Luke and Michi then headed back to the other cabin. Luke had a strange feeling for some reason. Something was missing, but what was it? When Luke walked into the cabin, Jadsy ran up to him.
�Ira�s missing!�
�What?�
�Ira�s missing! We can�t find him anywhere!� Jads was getting frantic. She and Ira were boyfriend/girlfriend, and she didn�t exactly like the idea of being separated with him. �He�s gotta be somewhere nearby!�
Luke looked at Jadsy. �Don�t worry, I�ll find him for you.�
Jadsy hugged Luke, then Luke sat down on the couch in front of the TV. At first Jadsy didn�t have a clue what Luke was doing, but then he began focusing his psychic powers. He closed his eyes, then he began to glow.
At first everything was very bright, then everything began to focus itself. Luke saw a vision of a laboratory, which he immediately recognized as Tac�s. Why was the vision taking him there?
Luke then saw two people in the lab. One of them was Ira! The other person Luke had never seen before. After concentrating a bit more, a name came to Luke: Denki. After he identified the man as Denki, Luke began to have brief visions of him. From what Luke saw, he knew immediately that Denki was a bounty hunter.
The vision continued, and eventually it became so realistic that Luke was walking around, watching Denki push Ira around the lab. Everybody else was standing around Luke, wondering what he was seeing.
�Jadsy, give me your hand,� Luke said.
Jadsy obeyed and stepped forward, and suddenly she found herself standing next to Luke in the vision. Luke�s powers were now working on Jadsy as well, so she was able to see what Luke was seeing. A look of horror appeared on her face when she saw Ira. Denki had tied him to a chair and was standing in front if him.
�Tell me where Joey is.�
Ira didn�t say anything, and it made Denki angrier than he already was. He move until he was face to face with Ira, then asked him again. Again, Ira said nothing.
Denki screamed angrily, then backhanded Ira across the face.
�Insolent fool! Tell me where she is, now!�
�Don�t you get it? Are you just brain dead? I�m not telling you anything. I made an oath when I joined Team Rocket47 that I would never reveal information for the wrong reasons under any circumstances.�
Denki pulled Ira up until their faces where inches apart. �Tell me, or I will have to remove your head.�
Ira spit in Denki�s face, then Denki threw him roughly to the ground. He pulled the sword out of the sheath on his back and held it right in front of Ira�s face.
�Do that again, and it will be your last mistake! This is your last chance! Tell me where she is!�
Ira took a deep breath, then looked up until his eyes met with Denki�s. Luke and Jadsy looked at each other and exchanged terrified looks.
�No,� Ira said defiantly. �I�ll carry the secret to my grave.�
Denki stepped back and screamed loudly, then pulled back his sword. He swung it with all his effort, right for Ira�s neck. Jadsy and Luke simultaneously screamed as he swung the sword, and moments later the psychic link with Luke was severed.
Jadsy was still screaming, horrified by what she had seen. The psychic link had been cut right as Ira�s body slumped over in the chair. Luke however, hadn�t lost the link. Jadsy had broken contact with him, which is why she was longer in the vision with him.
Luke watched, frozen in terror, as Denki placed his foot on the chair and pulled the sword out. He wiped the blade off on Ira�s shirt, then placed it back in its sheath. Denki kicked the chair and it fell backwards, sliding across the floor. He would have to find another person that was less defiant.
Luke decided to break the psychic link right then, because he wasn�t sure what would happen next. He was almost as shaken up as Jadsy from the sight, but Jadsy was frantic. Ira was her boyfriend, so it hit her especially hard.
Jadsy ran off to her room and locked the door so that she could be alone for a while. She threw herself onto her bed and sobbed into her pillow.
Luke and Michi would�ve offered to help, but they had their own matters to attend to: Cassie. They headed over to their cabin and walked inside. Michi picked up Cassie, then sat down in a rocking chair that had been given to her as a gift.
<Note: I�m sure most of you know how babies get fed the first few months of their life, so I�ll just skip ahead.>
Cassie fell asleep a little while later, so Michi put her back in the crib. Meanwhile, Luke was busy writing an E-Mail. He sent the E-Mail to everybody in his address book, then shut down his laptop. Basically, the E-Mail gave an update of his life (told everybody how things were going).
After Luke was finished with the E-Mail, he and Michi went back over to the TR47 cabin, bringing Cassie with then. They were careful not to wake her up. Luke put cassie�s carrier down next to the couch, then sat down.
Everybody played Go Fish, but they were careful not to wake Cassie. After they had been playing for a few hours, there was a knock at the door. Luke stood up and walked over to the door, then opened it.
There was a person standing there, looking very tired.
�I heard there�s a place around here known as TR47, and I was wondering if you could help me find it,� he asked.
�Oh, finding it is simple enough. Ready?� The person nodded, so Luke continued. �Okay, now this is gonna be hard to follow, so listen carefully. This is TR47.�
The person smiled, then took a step forward. �I want to become a member.�
Luke turned around, the said, �Hey guys, we�ve got a newbie here. What should I do with him?�
Joey walked in right then. �Just make him give the oath and get it over with. So, just like everybody else, the person had to give an oath of secrecy, that he would never reveal information, etc. etc.
After that he followed Luke to the living room, where everybody was playing Go Fish still. Magick happened to glance up right then. She and the person locked eyes, and continued to stare at each other. Luke had to get them out of their trance by snapping in front of Magick�s face.
�So, what�s your name?� Magick finally asked.
�My name? Oh, I�m Jake.�
Jake was about Luke�s height, and looked about the same age. He wore a deep red trench coat, blue jeans, and a dark blue t-shirt. His hair was the same colour as Joey�s and about the same length, though he wore it in a high ponytail. His eyes were a bright blue.
Joey wasn�t interested in the new member, until he said his name. She turned around and looked at him. After a few moments, she walked over to him and took his hand.
�It really is you isn�t it,� she whispered.
Jake nodded then smiled when Joey gave him a huge embrace. He hugged her back, then stroked her hair.
�Very nice to see you again too, Joey,� Jake said while Joey backed away from the hug.
�I thought you we�re dead...�
Jake smiled after seeing Joey�s confused look. �Nope. I�ll explain later.� His eyes locked with Magick again.
Magick turned a slight shade redder before looking at Joey. �Joey, how do you know Jake already?�
Joey looked to her friend and smiled. �Because, Magick, Jake is my brother.�
Everybody�s head snapped in Joey�s direction simultaneously, as if on cue. That was the last thing they would�ve expected Joey to say.
�He�s your brother?� Magick finally said, breaking the awkward silence.
Joey nodded and Magick stood up, then walked over to them. She became even redder, then turned away to hide her blushing. Joey poked Magick in the side, then Magick giggled and ran into her room.
Joey and Jake looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, then sat down to join the game of cards. Jadsy came back out of her room a few minutes later. She was still as depressed as before, but she had calmed down now.
Jadsy decided to join the game after watching for a few minutes. Perhaps playing would take her mind off Ira. Fortunately enough, it did. Jadsy, however, had the same reaction to Jake as Magick did. She couldn�t take her eyes off him, and Luke had to finally elbow her lightly to snap her out of it.
Magick came in eventually as well. She sat down right next to Jake without even thinking, then turned a brilliant shade of red when she realized it. Her face returned to a more normal color after a few minutes, but Jake had already noticed. He smiled, then continued playing.
After playing a while longer, they decided to stop for the night. They were fortunate to have spare rooms. Lisa and Harry slept in one room, while Jake slept in a room by himself.
The next day, Joey remembered that Jake had never told her how he had survived. She found him, then pulled him aside.
�Okay, we�re alone. I wanna know how you managed to survive when Denki went after you.�
Jake sighed. �If you really want to know that bad, fine. This is how it happened . . .�
<OH CRAP!!! Please, anything but a flashback!>
�Shut up,� Jake said.
<Fine, the next part is a flashback until I say it isn�t.>
Joey walked up the steps to the door of Jake�s apartment. She knocked on the door, then waited patiently for him to open the door. Suddenly she shivered, because something didn�t feel right. In the same instant the door opened, and Jake was standing there. He was happy to see Joey, even though she was there at least once a week.
They went inside, then Joey sat down on the small couch. Jake sat down next to her, then they talked for a few minutes. Joey looked around, because something still didn�t feel right. She shrugged off the feeling, then ate lunch.
Joey was about to leave again, when suddenly the door flew off its hinges. A dark figure stepped in the doorway and looked around. Joey recognized him immediately as Denki (which was mentioned before, so I�ll skip the description). He had just recently started stalking her, and she knew it was because of an overdue library book.
Denki, however, wasn�t just stalking Joey for kicks. He was a bounty hunter, and wanted her head for a considerable price that was being offered. Jake knew about Denki already. He quickly stepped in front of her, then glared at Denki.
�Don�t touch her,� Jake growled at him.
�Get out of my way, you insolent boy. I won�t hesitate to kill you both, if that�s what it takes to get what I want,� Denki replied.
Denki took a few steps closer, reaching his hand to the sword on his back. He was getting ready to pull it out of the sheath.
�Joey,� Jake whispered, �when I say now, I want to you run as fast as your legs will carry you, and get out of this place.�
Joey nodded, then they both looked back at Denki. He was only standing a few feet away now. Suddenly Jake yelled, �NOW!� and Joey took off running. Denki had expected something like this to happen.
Denki reached out and managed to snag the sleeve of Joey�s shirt. He held on tightly, and Joey struggled to get loose. Suddenly, without warning, Jake leapt forward and tackled Denki. The sleeve ripped off Joey�s shirt and she fell forward.
�Run!� Jake yelled. �Go!�
Joey nodded as she scrambled to her feet, then took off running. This time Denki was too distracted to grab Joey, and she managed to get away safely. Joey got a ways away, then pulled out a small pair of binoculars. She could see inside of the apartment with them.
Denki threw Jake off, then jumped to his feet. He was enraged that Jake had helped Joey escape, and he was going to get revenge. He pulled the sword out in one swift movement, then looked around. He hadn�t seen where Jake had gone.
Suddenly, Jake leapt out from behind the couch, but this time Denki had his guard up. He swung the sword at Jake and missed by inches. Jake landed near him and tried to sweep his legs out from under him, but Denki jumped to avoid it.
Denki then spun around, kicking Jake hard in the side. He fell over, then rolled aside to avoid having his head removed by Denki�s sword. Jake moved, and Denki did as well. For a few moments Joey saw nothing, but then suddenly Denki ran out of the apartment carrying his sword.
Joey knew that Denki always finished what he had started, and she saw that his sword was covered in blood. She fell to the ground, then began crying. After a few moments, Joey realized what sort of situation she was in. She looked at her torn sleeve, then got up. After wiping her face dry, she began running deeper into the forest.
<End flashback.>
Jake then held his hand up and showed it to Joey. There was a large scar going across the middle of his palm which was a few inches long.
�Denki didn�t actually kill me. Instead, he left me with this scar. When you ran off, we fought for a little bit. Denki eventually decided that he�d had enough, so he literally threw his sword at me. His intent was to kill me, but instead the sword went through my hand, pinning it to the wall. Denki decided to let me keep that as a reminder that he would do anything to get what he needed. Instead of killing me, he pulled out his sword and took off.�
Joey was amazed, because Denki had never shown any sort of remorse before. He actually had some heart in him, although it wasn�t much. Joey still hated Denki, and she knew that the little bit of remorse he had wouldn�t save her for the world.
Joey, however, didn�t have much time to consider this. The door broke off the hinges, then a dark figure stepped through the open doorway. Denki eyed Jake and Joey darkly, then slowly reached back and pulled the sword from its sheath.
I decided that from now on, I�m keeping my chapters short. It makes them easier to post, and also leaves lots more suspense between chapters. Thanks, Joey, for letting me borrow your characters. You literally saved my fanfic that was going downhill fast. In case you're wondering, Joey wrote the part in red. I guess that�s all. I�ll start Chapter XIV eventually. Probably tomorrow, but I�ll probably procrastinate. This is Luke Judd, blah blah blah, you get the idea. Bye!
�March 29, 2001