Joe gasped, then smiled moments later as he stared at entire shelves filled with various weapons. Just about any type of gun he could�ve imagined was there on the shelves.
�Well, choose your weapon,� Giovanni said. �But please, choose a weapon that isn�t going to make too much of a mess.�
�Well, doesn�t that defeat the entire purpose?� Joe asked.
Giovanni smiled a bit. �I like your ambition. But no, you don�t want to make too much of a mess. If you get blood all over yourself, people are going to wonder.�
�True,� Joe said. �Let�s see, what should I use?�
Joe began browsing through the weapons, then eventually pulled out a 9 millimeter handgun. Giovanni nodded, then Joe checked the clip. It was full, but he took an extra clip off the shelf just in case.
�That should be sufficient,� Giovanni said.
Joe followed Giovanni back out of the room, then they headed to Giovanni�s office again. They stepped inside, then Giovanni sat down at his desk.
�Since this is your first mission with Team Rocket, I�m going to tell you this. If you get somehow caught by the police, you�ll deny that you�ve ever been a member of Team Rocket, should the question come up. If you�re not caught, you�ll report back to my office as soon as the mission is completed.�
Joe smiled, then said, �You can expect me back within a week.�
�Hold on a second,� Giovanni said before Joe left his office.
Joe turned to face Giovanni again, then stepped back over to his desk. Giovanni stood up and stepped over to one of the filing cabinets. He opened a drawer and pulled out a few devices with looked something like computer chips.
�What are those for?� Joe asked.
�These chips disable any attacks by Pokemon. Attaching it to the victim is up to you, however. The neck will be the most effective place, as well as the hardest to discover if the victim doesn�t realize the chip is even there.�
Joe nodded, then took the chips after Giovanni put them in a small plastic box. Joe bowed slightly, then left Giovanni�s office. Giovanni sat down at his desk, then smiled.
Damned fool. Good riddance if he gets arrested. Giovanni paused in his thinking for a moment. Then again. If he does succeed, he�ll be killing members of an opposing team. Perhaps he�ll be a valuable asset to Team Rocket after all . . .
Crystal was walking through the forest with Ai, searching for Pokemon to capture. Crystal didn�t care for catching Pokemon herself, but Ai had asked her to come along. Crystal remembered that her first friends had all been Pokemon, but that was in a different area.
I wonder if Annie�s worried about me this entire time? I hope she�s not too sad. Crystal paused for a few moments, then sighed as she remembered something. I was one of the only friends that Annie had.
�Hey look, a Butterfree!� Ai said loudly, causing Crystal to snap from her train of thought.
Crystal looked to where Ai was pointing, and sure enough, a small Butterfree was flying slowly through the air. Crystal didn�t do anything, because she was only there in case Ai�s Pokemon fainted.
�Cyndaquil, go!� Ai yelled as she threw the Pokeball.
Cyndaquil popped out, then stood at battle stance. Ai smiled, because she knew that she had an advantage over the Butterfree. Crystal looked at Cyndaquil, then back at the Butterfree.
The Butterfree turned to face Cyndaquil, then suddenly Crystal gasped. The Butterfree had a familiar scar on its forehead, just above the left eye. If Crystal was correct, she had given that Butterfree the scar in a game of follow-the-leader. She had been flying through the trees, but the Butterfree didn�t successfully dodge a branch and plowed head-on into it.
�Cyndaquil, Ember!� Ai called out.
�Wait!� Crystal yelled as Cyndaquil began to obediently shoot small bits of fire at the Butterfree. It began dodging back and forth quickly, but Crystal knew that it wouldn�t last very long.
Startled, Ai looked at Crystal with a look of confusion. Crystal flew into the air and grabbed the Butterfree, the bits of fire spraying across her body. She landed hard on the ground, then groaned.
�Are you okay, Annie?� Crystal asked.
The Butterfree looked at Crystal with a look of confusion, then replied in a series of sounds that Crystal couldn�t understand. Crystal slapped herself on the forehead, then looked at the Butterfree.
�You probably don�t recognize me. Hang on a moment.�
Crystal closed her eyes, then began glowing brightly, using transform for the first time in months. Her body began to shrink as she transformed, her clothes disappearing into her skin. The Butterfree looked on in astonishment, but Ai was confused. She was wondering why Crystal had jumped in while she was trying to capture the Butterfree.
Once Crystal had changed fully into her Mew form, she smiled at Annie. Annie blinked rapidly, then shook her head a few times to make sure that she wasn�t just seeing things, and that she wasn�t dreaming.
�Did you miss me?� Crystal asked, still smiling.
Annie tackled Crystal playfully, then hugged her tightly. �Where have you been? I�ve been looking all over for you forever!�
Crystal giggled, then said, �Sorry that I was gone so long. I found some new friends, and I�ve been busy.�
Annie frowned. �Does that mean you don�t want to be friends with me anymore?�
�Of course not!� Crystal replied. �You�ll always be my best friend.�
Annie smiled again, then looked at Ai. �So, she�s one of your new friends, I take it?�
Crystal nodded. �Yeah. Her and seven others.�
�Are they all humans?� Annie asked, somewhat curious.�
Crystal shook her head. �No. There�s two other humans, one purple Mew, two Mewtwos, one pink and one purple, and an Anthro Raichu.�
�I thought Mews and Mewtwos were supposed to be really rare,� Annie said.
�They are,� Crystal responded, �but Team Rocket created clones of me from a sample of blood.�
Crystal and Annie continued their conversation, but Ai could do nothing but stand around and listen. She couldn�t understand a word of what they were saying to each other. After another minute or so, Ai cleared her throat loudly.
Crystal turned to face Ai, then blushed a bit, realizing why Ai hadn�t said anything. �Sorry, I forgot that you can�t understand what we�re saying. This is my friend Annie. We�ve been friends for a long time, but were somewhat separated after I became a part of TR47. I didn�t recognize her at first when you spotted her, so I didn�t stop you right away.�
Ai nodded. �I understand. Are we going to continue searching for Pokemon, or am I going to have to go back to the cabin by myself?�
�Hold that thought,� Crystal said. Crystal turned to Annie and said a few things, then turned back to Ai. �Just give her a few moments to consider my offer.�
�What offer?� Ai asked.
�I offered Annie the opportunity to join up with us.�
Ai nodded. �Great. We need all the help we can get. Especially in the way of Pokemon to battle with.�
After a few more moments of consideration, Annie tapped Crystal on the shoulder. Crystal turned to face Annie, then smiled.
�I�ll join, since it means I�ll be helping others . . .�
Ira looked at his watch, then sighed. Ai and Crystal were supposed to be back 30 minutes ago. He wanted to get going soon, since the members were going out on a recruiting mission. Ira paced back and forth slowly, causing the other members to get somewhat restless.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the front door opened and Ai and Crystal walking inside. Ira gave them an irritated look, which they didn�t notice. Ai walked up to Ira, then pulled a Pokeball out of her pocket.
�We caught a Butterfree while we were out searching for Pokemon,� Ai said happily.
Ira forced a smiled. �That�s great, but you�re over 30 minutes late.�
Ai frowned, realizing that Ira was right. �Sorry,� she mumbled.
Ira sighed, then said, �Don�t worry, it�s not the end of the world.� Ira then turned to the rest of the members. �Well, let�s get going. We�ve got recruiting to do.�
As the members were gathering their packs and heading out the door, Ira noticed that somebody was missing. He checked the members that were waiting outside, then sighed.
�Does anybody know where Melissa is?�
�She said she�s not feeling to well and went to bed,� Shrieker replied.
�Great, we�re down another member for recruiting,� Ira mumbled quietly.
�Well, we�re gonna have to have one group of three today, since Melissa won�t be able to make it,�Jads said.
�Agreed,� Ira responded. �There�s no sense in calling off the entire thing since we�ve been waiting so long to do this. Shrieker, triple up with Colli and Ai. Jads and I will pair up, and Joey and Crystal will form the third group.�
Everybody nodded, then Crystal looked at herself. �Er, I�d better transform before we leave. Hang on a second, everybody.�
Crystal changed into her human form, then checked herself over to make sure that she hadn�t missed anything. Satisfied, she put her backpack over her shoulders and regrouped with everybody else. Ira nodded, then everybody began walking toward Veridian City.
While most of the members were rather cheerful and happy, Shrieker was feeling rather dark. Something isn�t right. I can feel it. Shrieker glanced back at the cabin, then sighed. I�ve got a really bad feeling about leaving a single member behind at the cabin.
Shrieker tried to ignore the thought, but for some reason she couldn�t. As hard as she tried to ignore it, the thought kept coming back. Her psychic powers were definitely trying to warn her, but why? She glanced back at the cabin, a knot forming in her stomach, then sighed and continued walking . . .
Joe smiled as he walking through the woods, occasionally reaching to his side to make sure his gun was still there. He was on a mission, and he wanted to make sure that nothing would happen that would cause it to fail.
Joe chuckled evilly at the thought of what he was going to do. He had developed a hatred for the members of TR47, which is why he had chosen to leave. The decision to join Team Rocket came when Joe realized that he would be rewarded for wiping out a rival group.
Nearly lost in thought, Joe froze as he heard something. He jumped behind a tree, then listened quietly. He could hear people nearly, talking as they walked through the woods. The thing that sparked his curiosity was the fact that the voices sounded familiar.
Joe peeked around the tree, then smiled. It was the pests. He reached for his handgun, then restrained himself. It wouldn�t be a good time. If he attacked, the members with Pokemon abilities would come after him. There was no way that he�d be able to get the disabling chips on all of them in time.
Small beads of sweat began forming on Joe�s forehead as the group steadily came closer to his hiding place. He didn�t want to be discovered, because he knew that the members of TR47 would consider him a traitor. That meant he would be considered a threat to the members.
Joe smiled, because technically he was a threat to the members, but they didn�t know that yet. As the group walked past, Joe slipped from his hiding spot and quietly made his way through the trees. He knew that he was close to the cabin. If he couldn�t kill the members, he�d at least be able to destroy their hiding spot.
Suddenly Joe stopped. He realized that there had only been seven people in the group. He knew for a fact that there were eight members of TR47. At least, there had been eight members when he stopped going to the cabin. Could another member have deserted?
Joe shook his head. No, that�s impossible. The other members were all too loyal. There�s no way that one of them would leave. So, the question is, where is the eighth member?
Joe resumed walking, dwelling on that thought. He could see that cabin in the distance, so it wouldn�t be much longer. What if the eighth member stayed back at the cabin for some reason or another? Joe smiled at the thought. Perhaps the mission wouldn�t be a failure after all . . .
Shrieker looked around uneasily, still sensing the dark feeling that something was seriously wrong. The other members were beginning to notice, and the negative feeling was spreading through the group slowly. Crystal stopped for a moment until Shrieker passed her, then started walking again so that they were side-by-side.
�Hey, what�s up?� Crystal asked. �You don�t look very happy.�
Shrieker looked at Crystal, then sighed. �Something isn�t right. I don�t know why I feel this way, but something bad is going to happen.�
Crystal tilted her head a bit, giving Shrieker a confused look. �Something bad is going to happen? How can you be so sure?�
�I don�t know,� Shrieker replied. �All I know is that ever since we left the cabin, my psychic powers have been going nuts.�
Crystal walked a bit faster, thinking about what Shrieker had said. She slowed down when she had caught up with Joey, then said, �Shrieker thinks that something bad is going to happen.�
Joey glanced back at Shrieker, then said, �I have noticed that she�s been looking a bit concerned ever since we left.�
�Well, the odd thing is that neither of us have felt any such feelings,� Crystal said quietly.
�Well, I�m not one to doubt Shrieker�s predictions. Maybe she�s just more in tune with her psychic powers than we are.�
Crystal sighed. �I don�t know. Either way, this isn�t good.�
Shrieker suddenly stopped, then loudly said, �We�ve got to get back to the cabin now!�
The other members stopped and turned around, exchanging various confused or concerned looks. Without saying anything, Shrieker turned around and began running back toward the cabin at full speed. Joey and Crystal exchanged worried looks. Maybe Shrieker was right . . .
Melissa yawned and shivered, then pulled her blanket tightly around herself. She didn�t know why it felt so cold in the cabin, but she could only assume that her sickness was the cause of it. For a Pokemon, being sick was crippling. A sickness meant that all their energy was being diverted to battling the illness rather than being stored for attack purposes.
Melissa tried to swallow, but her throat was too dry. Melissa hated being alone. Since she was alone, she would have to get things for herself until the other members returned. Not only that, but there wasn�t anything for Melissa to do when she was alone in the cabin. Two members were required to enter the Headquarters.
Melissa sat up, then slid over to the edge of the bed. She stood up unsteadily, her legs trembling as she did so. She walked slowly to the kitchen, steadying herself against the wall with her hand in case she got dizzy from weakness.
Melissa pulled a drinking glass off the shelf in the kitchen, then turned on the tap and filled it with water. She sipped the water slowly, sighing as it moistened her parched mouth and throat. She dropped the cup in the sink, then went back to her bedroom, glancing at the TV as she walked past.
Melissa pulled the blanket off her bed, then wrapped it around herself and walked into the living room. She sat down on the couch, then picked up the remote and turned on the TV. She groaned loudly when the only thing that showed up on the screen was static.
�It looks to me like you need a little Russian love,� Melissa mumbled, standing up and walking over to the offending television.
Melissa smacked the top of the TV, then gave a frustrated sigh when nothing happened. She smacked the TV again with the same result. Somewhat irritated, Melissa stepped back and kicked the TV in a rough manner. Anything harder would have probably shattered the TV.
The TV sputtered, then a picture flickered onto the screen moments later. Melissa smiled, then sat back down on the couch. She picked up the remote and turned up the volume, then changed the channel to find something good to watch.
As Melissa was changing the channels, a cold feeling spread over her. This time, however, the feeling was purely psychic. It had nothing to do with Melissa�s illness. Curious, Melissa turned down the TV and began concentrating, attempting to find out what was wrong.
Melissa�s concentration was broken a few moments later by a faint click. Melissa opened her eyes and looked around, wondering what the source of the sound had been. She heard another click, then stood up slowly. The cabin usually made settling noises during the day, but nothing like what Melissa had just heard.
Melissa stepped around the couch, walking cautiously out of the living room. She looked around, and almost immediately spotted Joe standing at the front door. He was holding a device in his hand that looked something like a crossbow.
Joe smiled, then fired the weapon at Melissa. A faint whizzing sound reached Melissa�s ear, though the source was unknown to her. Curious, Melissa looked up at Joe.
�What did you just do?� she demanded.
�I�ll leave that for you to find out,� Joe replied. He hung the weapon on his belt, then removed his handgun from its holster.
Melissa gasped, then instinctively raised her hands in front of herself for defense. She was alarmed to discover that nothing happened. Normally a psychic barrier was supposed to surround her, protecting her from any form of harm.
Joe smiled, then said, �Try as hard as you want to attack me or defend yourself. Your psychic powers are useless with that disabling chip that�s attached to you.�
�So that�s what you shot at me,� Melissa said, glaring at Joe.
Joe nodded, then raised his handgun and pointed it at Melissa�s chest. �I�m going to give you a choice, and I�m only going to give it to you once. You can either come with me and join Team Rocket, or you can die.�
Melissa narrowed her eyes, then hissed. �I�ll never join Team Rocket. I may have killed Blade, but I know that there will be others like him.�
�Wrong choice,� Joe growled.
Melissa knew that she was out of options. There was only one thing left that she could do. It was life or death, and there wasn�t anything else she could do without her psychic powers.
Melissa growled loudly, then dove toward Joe with the intention of tackling him to the ground. Without a second�s hesitation, Joe pulled the trigger and fired. The force of the shot caused Melissa to fall short, landing hard on the floor in front of Joe.
Melissa clawed at her chest in agony, blood gushing from the wound. She rolled over on her back and looked up at Joe, her face in a contortion of pain. Joe smiled, then pointed the handgun down at her.
�Now you know what happens when you oppose Team Rocket.�
Melissa pressed her hand against her chest tightly, trying in vain to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, the bleeding continued internally. There wasn�t any way for her to stop it at that point.
Melissa looked up at Joe and tried to say something, but the only thing that escaped from her mouth was a bloody cough. Joe fired the gun twice more into Melissa�s chest, then stepped over her spasming body, heading toward the door that lead down to the Headquarters.
The door was locked, and Joe didn�t have the key. Frustrated, he punched the door, knocking it clean off its hinges. Joe smiled, then stepped over the broken door. He ran quickly down the staircase, then eventually reached the entrance to the Headquarters.
Joe pressed his palm to the scanner, then waited for a few moments. The scanner buzzed loudly, then a jolt of electricity surged through Joe�s body. Joe staggered back, then glared at the scanner. He punched the scanner in anger, causing it to explode in a shower of sparks.
Joe then looked at the massive door and grunted. He stepped up to the door and made a large sweeping kick, planting his foot firmly on the center of the door. A loud clang echoed through the long corridor, and Joe fell onto his back.
Joe stood up and brushed himself off, cursing himself for the stupid idea. He unzipped his backpack, then pulled out a cube with numerous wired protruding from the middle. He began twisting a few of the wires together, then hurriedly set the small device down and ran quickly down the corridor.
A few moments later, a bright flash of light and a deafening explosion reverberated through the corridor, causing large clumps of dirt and concrete to fall from the ceiling.
Joe quickly ran back to the entrance, then smiled. A large hole had been blown through the middle of the door, and there were large fragments of metal embedded in the walls and ceiling of the corridor.
Joe stepped into the Headquarters and looked around, then smiled. He walked to the center of the spacious room, then set down his backpack. He pulled a detonator off his belt and set it to three minutes, then started the counter and dropped the detonator into his pack.
Joe turned around, then began running quickly to the entrance of the headquarters. He ran down the long corridor at full speed and up the stairs, knowing what was about to happen.
Joe ran through the open doorway at the top of the stairs, then hopped over Melissa�s dead body. He nearly slipped on the puddle of blood that had formed on the floor. Blade threw the front door open and rushed out, then began running away from the cabin as quickly as possible.
Once Joe had determined that he was far enough away, he turned around to face the cabin, breathing heavily. He looked at a watch on his arm, which was synchronized with the detonator. There were just under 30 seconds left.
Joe counted down the seconds out loud as they ticked away on his watch. He looked up moments before time ran out, still counting out loud. He held his breath, hoping that the bomb would work.
Suddenly, as if the earth was trying to expel a small mountain, a massive bulge rose up where the headquarters was and Joe heard a muffled explosion. As a result of the blast, the cabin collapsed as if it has been stepped on by a giant.
A second explosion took place, and Joe watched the bulge in the ground grow even larger. Moments later the bulge broke open, sending a massive cloud of dust into the air. An ungodly roar ripped through the air, causing Joe to press his hands tightly over his ears. At the same time, a shockwave of pressure smashed into Blade, causing him to fall flat on his back.
When the explosion faded, the air was replaced by an eerie stillness of sound. It was as if sound no longer existed. The Pokemon in the area, who had been previously making their usual noises, had quieted completely. The silence cause Joe to shudder.
Joe looked to where the cabin had once been, but now there was only a dusty crater. The ground had collapsed in completely, so anything that would have otherwise held up in the headquarters was completely destroyed. Joe had partially accomplished his mission. The headquarters and cabin had been destroyed, and Team Rocket47 was now short a member . . .