The Misdreavus Menace
Part Two
Chapter Nineteen — A Blast from the Past
The nightwatchman did his rounds faithfully as he did every night when it was
his shift. While he knew never to be complacent in a job like his, he was
relieved that the nights were mostly quiet. Even in a place like Celadon City
with its casino, crime was at an all-time low. Ever since the infamous Team
Rocket had been caught and its members imprisoned, Kanto had become an even
better and happier place to live than before.
It had nevertheless been disquieting to hear in the evening's news the
bizzarre escape of Team Rocket's leader from jail. He wondered whether that
meant that the organization had somehow survived, remained dormant, and was
about to resurface. The news had reported that Pokémon were involved in
the escape. That was a bad sign—everyone knew that Pokémon were
frequently part of Team Rocket's modus operandi.
His route took him out of a side alley and onto the main street. He was about
to enter through the front door of the building he was guarding and proceed to
check the basement, but a strange glow caught his eye. He looked around to try
to find the source of the odd pinkish illumination. He then realized its source
was above him. His right hand automatically went for his weapon as he looked up.
The moment he lifted his eyes to see along the tall façade of the
multi-story structure, the building was shaken by a loud explosion. The top
floor of the building shattered into fragments before his eyes. Fire and debris
would rain down in seconds.
The quick-thinking man took advantage of those precious few seconds. He ran
across the street, reaching the other side just as the first pieces of concrete
struck the pavement. He leapt into an alley between two buildings to gain some
protection from the deadly rain, and immediately pressed the emergency call
button on his radio.
Was the pink glow the result of some new bomb, he wondered? Could Team Rocket
be behind this? Who would bomb the top floor of an unoccupied office building in
the middle of the night? And what would he report? He had seen no-one, nothing
unusual let alone suspicious, since he had started his shift.
The debris smashed into the pavement, sending shards in every direction.
Windows smashed in adjacent builings. Alarms went off. Soon the place would be
swarming with police and security.
The noise of the explosion and its aftermath subsided. Over the sound of
burglar alarms, the nightwatchman heard a voice on his communicator.
"Joe, you OK?"
He pressed the transmit button. "Yeah, I'm fine, but there's been an
explosion. Better send the fire brigade over, and the police."
"Roger," came the concise reply, ending the conversation.
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