Disclaimer: No, I did not have sexual relations with that woman! And I don’t own Pokemon, neither! Ok, ok, I lied… I did have sexual relations with that woman, sheesh! Can’t a guy have some fun once in a while?

Trials and Tribulations: Chapter 8: Like A House of Cards in the Wind

As we all know from the last chapter, Jessie and James had been sadistically tortured, while Ash, Brock and Misty were also tortured psychologically! Ash did manage to break away, but he failed in freeing his friends, and got the ass-whupping of all time! Trapped in a corner, Jessie and James both broke, Giovanni’s revenge on them has come into total fruition!

Six years earlier

“So, let me get this straight: You want me to join Team Rocket, act as a mole, and when the time is right, bust them? All the while, will have absolutely no protection from the law, and from TR, and I will be in constant danger? Me like!”

The person who said that was standing in the hot sweaty room of the police office. He was a striking man, though barely 25, had this air of danger and intrigue about him. He was built like a featherweight boxer, long sinewy muscle. His dark blue hair was slicked back, even though one or to strands stayed in the front. Dark shades hid his piercing black eyes, even though people could sense him watching. Dressed in all black, from his jacket and shirt, to his loose slacks and boots.

He had no name, at least for the moment, so all the people present called him what he was called in the streets: Angelus.

The people present other than him were three sergeants, one of the many officer Jennys (now a lieutenant) a Nurse Joy and the commissioner of police. They were all here to discuss with Angelus a large problem. The Team Rocket problem. Crime rates were slowly but surely rising and the severity of the crimes as well.

“Then I believe you’ll help us?” asked the commissioner, a heavy set man in middle age.

“When I said, ‘Me like’, I accepted. Duh!” Angelus replied. As he left the room, he shot back over his shoulder, “Don’t call me, I’ll call you.” Then he left.

Six years later

“And now Jessie, you either show them who you belong too, or James will be tortured like this for the rest of his life. How ever short that maybe,” Giovanni said to her, his voice carrying through the auditorium reaching the ears of the many Rocket agents, and assorted “guests” there.

Giovanni was on the podium sitting in a chair. Dressed in a red silk suit, he looked every bit of the menacing demon that his men and his captors perceived him to be. Jessie was handcuffed to his chair, looking helpless and defenseless, clad in only a skimpy lingerie. Her limp, red hair pooled around her, as if it was a desperate attempt to shield her almost nakedness.

James was stringed up spread-eagled in front of them, a mass of blood and bruises and scars. His eyes were locked on Giovanni, rage and sadness in his eyes. He struggled against his bonds, drawing more blood from his already abused body. Rumika, Jessie’s doppelganger, looked a bit shocked at first, but reasoned James would crack.

“Damn you, Giovanni, damn you, you fucked up bastard…” Jessie murmured under her breath. She tried to get up, to say it to his face, but he put a wagging finger in her face.

“Oh, no my dear, no more of that foul mouth of yours! One more defiant word to me, I will have them cut out James tongue. On second thought, I’ll make you do it.”

Jessie kept her mouth shut. She knew he would just force his Drowzee on her. The things that damned pokemon did to her… while its master raped her body; it raped her mind.

Jessie instead looked at James. Oh how much trouble they were in because of her. For these days they were here, (five, six? She had lost count) James had been sadistically tortured, both mentally and physically. They gave him drugs to make sure he couldn’t lose consciousness, whipped him, beat him, scrubbed iodine and salt in his wounds. Had him believe that Rumika was Jessie for a while… the list went on and on.

James looked back at Jessie. He started to wail in terror and pity for her, unable to cry. He had cried himself dry and no longer was able to do so. If it were just him, he could have kept going, could have resisted the torture, but what Giovanni had done to Jessie, recording their “little sessions” as he put it. It was too much to bear.

Ash and company were also there, prisoners as well. A botched rescue led to their capture. Their pokemon, long since taken away to the pokemon storage, made Ash, Misty, and Brock fend for themselves. They themselves had been tortured for a while, until Ash had broken loose. Ash had tried to fight his way out, to help save everyone, but he was caught and beaten. Every time he regained consciousness, they beat him some more.

Misty and Brock tried to help him, but were held back by gunpoint. They had tried to advance on Misty but Brock stopped them as best he could. That and the fact the Boss told them not to damage the goods, made them leave her alone.

Then of course, Mondo. Poor Mondo. Jessie still didn’t know what they did with the body.

“Alright, Giovanni, I’ll do whatever you want just let James go. Let them all go. I’ll even marry you if you want …” Jessie said suddenly, all hope gone.

“NO, JESSIE! DON’T DO IT! PLEASE!” James screamed at the top of his lungs.

“No, James. I’d do anything for you. I know I deserve it. Only I deserve to be punished,” she said monotonously.

“GIOVANNI! Please, please, please, I’ll go through with the wedding I’ll rejoin Team Rocket, hell, I’ll kill myself, just don’t make her go through with it!” James yelled in desperation.

“James, you will go through with the wedding, I don’t want your worthless ass in my organization, and if I wanted you dead I would just kill you myself. This is like more of an exhibition, a coup de grace, if you will. Commence, whore. I haven’t all day.” Giovanni said in a humorous voice.

As Giovanni unzipped his pants, he heard a click and felt something cold and hard pressed to the side of his head.

“WAZZZZZAAAAAAPPPPPPPP!” an Irish voice called out.

“What the hell, do you think you’re doing?” Giovanni demanded angrily. He turned his head slightly to see who it was. His eyes went wide with surprise.

“Michael? YOU!?!?” Giovanni whispered.

“Yeah it’s me. Hey look, I’d advise you to put on some clothes,” He said talking to Jessie.

“My hands are kind of tied,” she replied.

“Hold still.”

Michael pointed his gun, took careful aim and fired. The bullet destroyed a link in the chain and set Jessie free. He then put the gun to the side of Giovanni’s head. It took less than three seconds.

The Rockets in the crowd withdrew their guns and aimed them all at the stage. Michael had a grin on his face.

“With one word, I can have you killed,” the Boss hissed angrily at him.

“Oh, really? With one pull of me finger, I could shut you up,” was his reply.

“You will pay dearly.”

“You accept cash, check, or credit?”

“You could have been my right hand man. Your power would have been rivaled only by mine.”

“And what kind of power is that? The power to rape, and kill, and torture those who just want to quit? The power to never walk around using your real name, your real identity. No, thanks. Right now though my power IS rivaling yours, so hush your bum.”

“Michael” turned to the audience of people who had guns aimed at his head. He looked them all over, a smirk still on his face. Then he saw James, and his smirk turned into a frown.

“Cut him down.” He ordered to one of the men. “And tell that guy sneaking in the rafters to get his ass out there or I will shoot him.”

A curse was heard in the ventilation system and the sound of them climbing down was heard. Two agents went over to James and cut him down, leaving him unceremoniously on the ground.

“Well, Giovanni… I guess you’re wondering who I am, huh? Well believe it or not, I was sent by the cops to take down your little organization. And please, stop calling me Michael. It’s Angelus. “

An audible gasp was heard in the room, as the turncoat was revealed. Guns were clenched even tighter, and more clicks were heard as bullets were being chambered. “So. You were a traitor. I shouldn’t have killed that man, then. Why in the world did I trust you? I thought you were my friend!” Giovanni said.

“Maybe because of the way my eyes look in the candlelight or my finely chiseled ass, I don’t care. The point is you did. And look what it cost you. Oh well!” Angelus said smiling, shrugging his shoulders.

Giovanni began to seethe in silent rage. Then an idea popped in his head. It was risky but he had to try.

He threw his head to the side, the gun barrel now pointing at empty space. Before anyone could react, Giovanni had leapt off the stage.

“Kill Him!” Giovanni bellowed to his men. “Just don’t shoot the girl!”

Angelus dived away from Jessie, intent on not getting her harmed. Gunfire raced over his head and where he was seconds ago. Angelus fired wildly into the crowd, a few members of Team Rocket getting hit.

He kept going and ended up to an exit. Giovanni turned to them. “Follow him! Two promotions to the man who brings me back his lifeless body!”

As the majority of the members ran off to get him, only three guards remained. The captives saw it as their chance. In a flash, Brock tackled the closest guard and wrestled him to the ground. Misty also followed suit, and managed to clobber the other guard.

Giovanni turned in surprise at the commotion, but was hit from behind by Jessie. Giovanni staggered, but managed to keep conscious. He turned and punched the enraged redhead in her mouth. She stumbled back but launched a roundhouse kick to his head. The edge of her right foot connected with his temple, and Giovanni corkscrewed in the air and landed hard on the ground.

Revenge was pushed aside in her head and ran towards James, who was still on the ground. She picked him up and cradled his head in her arms.

“Oh, James…. I’m so sorry…” she whispered in his ear, fresh tears running down her cheeks.

James stirred at Jessie’s touch and the sound of her voice. His eyes opened wide. “Look out…” he stammered out, but it was too late. Rumika had snuck up behind her and kicked her in the head.

Jessie was knocked out immediately and she slumped to the ground. James snapped, all of the fury anguish and pain that was building up in him starting to manifest themselves in his rage.

Impossibly, he leapt up, the pain from his wounds only fueling him. His eyes were bloodshot, his girlishly handsome face twisted in a mask of rage. He started to advance on Rumika.

“Well, good you’re up! Now that that uncouth tramp is out of the way, lets go!” Rumika said with a grin on her face. Then she noticed James’s anger, his whole being radiating hate and malice.

“Darling, what’s wrong?” Rumika asked, dumbfounded. Why did James look at her like that? It was unnerving. James would have to be punished later.

“What’s wrong?” James asked, his scowl deepening, taking another step towards her. “What’s WRONG?” he shouted at her, his hands clenching and unclenching. The part of James’s mind that still functioned with any sanity was trying to remember all of the most painful and lethal moves he learned during training. Fantasies about his torturing Rumika played out in his head, making him almost giddy with delight.

Then he began to laugh. It wasn’t the usual arrogant laugh he used in his Team Rocket days, nor his real and heart warming laugh. It was deep low, maniacal laughter.

“Uh, James? Why are you laughing like that? You are not supposed to laugh like that! Look, I’ll show you the proper way…” she started in annoyance, but was cut off by James putting his fingers around her throat and began to squeeze.

“To scream out in pain and anguish? To die in a slow, horrible manner? Why, yes my dear, sweet Rumika, you will…” James said. This side of James had only been out once. That time years ago when Butch had insulted Jessie. It was fueled by all of the repressed feelings and memories of pain and sorrow in his life.

Once out, this side of James was capable of doing anything to anyone for doing anything wrong against the love of his life.

A mad frantic plan imprinted itself in James’s head. He wasn’t going to kill Rumika, not just yet. Giovanni would have that pleasure. All James needed was a knife and several tons of salt.

He punched Rumika hard in the face, knocking her out. He released the grip on her throat, and she slumped to the ground.

He ran over to Giovanni’s body. He kicked the leader of Team Rocket hard in the ribs, waking him up. Giovanni woke up to see James kneeling over him, smiling.

“What are you doing, you dolt? I’ll kill Jessie if you even touch me!” Giovanni shrieked out in surprise.

“Gee, well that’s funny, seeing as to how a) you’re going to be dead soon, b) Jessie’s over there and c) you’re going to die soon!” James exclaimed gleefully. Giovanni suppressed a shudder.

James picked him up roughly, and twisted his arm behind his back. They walked past the balcony, hidden from sight by stacked tables and chairs. Giovanni started to struggle, but James kicked him in the small of his back. As they passed the body of a fallen agent, James picked up the gun he had been issued. With a sudden movement, he threw the Boss down on the ground and shot him in the right knee cap.

Giovanni shrieked in pain, and clutched at his knee. Blood flowed freely from the horrible wound.

“You ever saw that movie Robocop?” James asked, as if he were talking to an old friend. Giovanni shrieked some more.

“Oh, you did?” James said, a grin planting itself on his face. He shot the other kneecap. Giovanni’s screams off pain were good entertainment to him.

“Do you remember that scene, were that guy had some lady hostage, and Robocop was there?” James continued. “ Man, that guy won’t be able to do anything for a while, huh?”

Giovanni’s mind was racing. He had seen Robocop, and he knew exactly what James was talking about. Trying his best to ignore the pain in his legs, he started to crawl away, leaving a trail of crimson on the floors.

James walked along side of the injured man making a desperate and futile attempt to get away. As James talked, he replaced the spent clip with a fresh one and chambered the bullet.

“Yeah, but that’s for another time. Ever saw that episode of Family Matters when Carl got shot in the ass, like so?” James said and shot Giovanni in the fleshy area of his butt. Giovanni started shouting out in more pain, now his butt spurting up blood, the red mixing in well with the crimson material of his suit. He still tried to crawl away, but was slowed down even more.

James noticed this and scowled. “C’mon, man! Walk and talk, walk and talk!” With that, he kicked Giovanni in his injured rear, kicking him a few feet in front of him. Giovanni started to shed some tears, his bravado and confidence gone.

“Please, James..” Giovanni begged, turning on his back, clasping his hands at him.

“Aw, isn’t that cute? You’re begging! That is so damn cute!” James cooed at him, as if he were a baby, and pinched his cheeks. Then he stood back up.

“You know what? I’m going to put a bullet in you’re head. You deserve it!” James shouted out proudly. He raised the gun, and aimed it at Giovanni’s head, all humor gone from his face.

Giovanni waited for him to pull the trigger. The pain was already too much for him to bear, and the blood loss was also too great, if he didn’t get some medical attention in a few minutes, he knew he would die anyway. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the bullet to come. Ten seconds past, twenty seconds.

Giovanni opened his eyes, to see James wasn’t there. Not wanting to take any chances, he started to crawl off again. A gunshot rang out, and he felt the bullet enter his heel.

“AHHHHH!!!” Giovanni yelled out. James was right behind him, grinning horrendously.

“Oh, no you don’t! I had to get you a present for your going away party!” James said. He held up the wicked looking knife in his hand.

“Oh, please no more, please no more…” Giovanni whimpered.

“Funny. Jessie said the exact same thing, and you didn’t listen.”

“I’m sorry…”

“You should be.”

With that, James leapt on top of Giovanni, pinning his arms to his sides.

“Oh, what a nice canvas I have today! Today I will show the class how to skin a raticate…. Any questions?” James asked to a class full of students in his head.

“Yes.. Johnny? No, you may not go to the bathroom right now, so just hold it! Pee on the floor if you want to! Just clean up after yourself!” the maddened former rocket said in exasperation at the imaginary student.

He leered at Giovanni, and rubbed the dull blade of the knife on his face.

“Class is in session.”

Brock had just barely knocked out the guard when he looked around. Misty was holding the other two guards captive with two guns she picked up, and looked like she was more than ready to use them.

Brock turned to his friend, Ash. He was covered in blood and bruises and cuts from the various beatings he had received. Even though it didn’t seem the proper time, he chuckled. Ash was too stubborn for his own good.

Ash breathed raggedly through his mouth, flinching involuntarily in pain. His chest went up and down, but barely.

“Hey Ash? Ash?” Brock asked, as he started to shake him, gently.

Ash slowly came too and opened up his good eye. The other had swelled shut.

“Misty.. is she ok?’ Ash rasped, trying to find her.

“She’s ok. Don’t worry, things are going to be alright.”

“I’m hurt bad, man. It hurts to breathe…” Ash started, but was caught short by a series of bloody coughs.

Internal damage Brock realized. Out of all of them, next to James, Ash had suffered the most damage, his attitude and defiance getting the crap kicked out of him.

Repeatedly. The Rockets who beat him almost seemed to enjoy it.

“Hey, Ash, just hold on, OK man?” Brock asked him.

He got in answer another series of coughs.

Brock helped his friend to his wobbly feet, being very careful not to jar him too much. Ash leaned heavily on him, his legs wobbly and ready to give at any given moment.

“Misty… where is she?” Ash asked.

“Over there,” Brock said, pointing at her. She was standing over two unconscious agents, gathering their guns

“Misty!” Ash called out, as loud as he could muster. He started to limp his way over to her.

“Ash!” Misty replied and rushed over to him. They met and embraced, clinging tightly to each other.

“Oh, I’m so happy you’re ok,” Ash whispered in her ear, trying to withhold another series of coughs. His body went limp in her arms, and he buckled under her.

“ASH!” Misty screamed, holding on to him.

Throwing a bit of a smile, he said, “ What can I say? I get weak-kneed around you…”

“Brock, help me out here!” Misty yelled at her friend. Brock was by her side in a minute.

“We’ve got to get out of here,” Misty anxiously said, looking at Brock as if he knew the answer.

Brock looked back at her, and sighed. “ I don’t know how to get out. There has to be some exit around here, but I don’t have a clue of the lay of the grounds.”

“She’s standing right behind you.”

Brock looked behind him. Jessie stood there, rubbing her head with a hand. She looked the worst for wear, a couple of small bruises, but nothing life threatening.

“Jessie…” Brock began, but he was cut off.

“Shove it for now, ok? We need to find James, and then we get the hell out of here. Well, actually, we kill Giovanni and Rumika then we get the hell out of here,” she said matter-of-factly.

Brock shut his mouth and tactfully held any comments. Instead he stood up, and took of his green vest, and handed it to her.

“I think you might want this,” he said.

“Gee, well green does bring out the color in my eyes, but the style is so passé,” Jessie sarcastically replied, but she put it on anyway, covering the red lace lingerie.

Brock grinned at her remark, but was back to business. “Ash is hurt bad. They busted him up pretty badly. And who knows how James is, through all the crap he was put through.”

Misty was ignoring them all, focusing intently on Ash. “Oh, no you don’t Ketchum, you’re not leaving me, do you understand!” Misty screamed at him.

“I’ll try not to…” Ash whispered softly.

“Yeah, you better not! You still owe me a bike…” Misty said, jokingly.

“Yeah, I do…”

Angelus raced down the halls, replacing the clip to his Glock 17. He had only five more magazines. Even though each contained seventeen bullets, it was barely enough to take out his pursuers.

Ducking down a hall, he pressed his body against the wall, counted to three in his head, and burst out into the hall, his gun blazing. Five hollow point bullets met their marks, hitting one guy in the chest, two in the torso of another, one entering the head of one, and another nailing an agent in his arm.

Smiling, he ducked back into the hallway. His position was both a good and a bad one. If any of the Rockets tried to come at him, he would be able to shoot them first, but the same thing was true for him. If he tried that stunt again, they would be expecting it.

Angelus smoothed back a loose strand of his hair with his free hand, and started to run down the hallway. His shoes made a loud noise as he ran, alerting his pursuers he was moving.

Firing a few shots behind him, not caring if they hit or not, he turned another hallway, and kept going. There was no need for him to stay. Already, eight bullets out of his seventeen were used, so he had no need to reload yet.

As he cleared the hallway, he almost backed back up. About ten Rockets were ahead of him, their weapons already out. He cursed and started to run towards them.

They fired wildly at him, their bullets ricocheting and imbedding themselves in the wood paneled walls. With a yell, Angelus leapt in the air, flipped once, and came down, his shoes planting themselves in the closest guys jaw. He started to fire at his companions while he was still in midair.

He landed with a jarring thud, his knees taking the brunt of the impact. Using his feet, he grabbed the guy he was on top of, fell down as the other Rockets started to fire at him. He lifted his legs up, and threw the guy on top of him, his body acting as a shield.

The bullets tore into the Rockets back, but failed to penetrate their true target. Angelus freed his arm and fired his gun empty pumping bullets into two of them, their blood staining the walls as they fell. The surviving members ducked for cover.

Angelus rolled the corpse off of his body, picked up his Heckler and Koch MP5 submachine gun and flattened himself up against the wall. The other Rockets that were after him flooded the halls, so he opened fire. It was nearly impossible to miss.

As the clip emptied, Angelus kept on firing with his Glock, and started running again. In mid stride, he dropped the submachine gun, pressed the release button for the empty clip in his Glock, replaced with a fresh one and put two bullets in one of the guys who was hiding, trying to ambush him in front of him.

“No, sweat,” he said to himself. Now to escape…

“Well, now this canvas is starting to look better!” James said gleefully, like a giddy school girl, who was just asked out by the guy of her dreams. James was still pinning Giovanni down, slashing his skin.

Already, most of his face was criss-crossed in ragged scars. Giovanni’s screams had been cut off by James stuffing some of the material of Giovanni’s suit in his mouth, and the head of Team Rocket was all to painfully aware of what was going on.

James wiped his brow with the back of his forearm, his hands covered in blood.

“Well, that’s it for now, class. We will take a small lunch break and then we will resume. Well take out your lunches!” James told the imaginary class he saw in his mind’s eye. James thrust his hand in a large bag next to him.

Giovanni’s eyes went wider. He knew what was in the bag. He started to thrash violently, trying to buck James off. James just shrugged and threw the contents in his hands on the tortured man’s face.

The salt landed on his face, causing more pain than Giovanni had ever felt in his life. He started to convulse, and thrash, but it was of no use. Whenever he started to close his eyes and surrender to the blissful darkness, James made more slashes on his face. Giovanni managed to spit out the gag in his mouth.

“James… please… stop…” Giovanni whispered in between convulsions and screams.

James seemed to be taken aback. “ What? Are you begging? To me?” James asked, an incredulous look on his face.

“Yes…”

“Well….” James pondered, stroking his chin, “ I guess I could stop my sadistic torture, and put a bullet in your head, or let you go….”

Giovanni nodded his head as fast as he could.

James picked up the gun he had dropped, chambered a shot, and stood up. He aimed carefully at Giovanni’s head. Giovanni closed his eyes, waiting for the bullet to come, for this one little bit of pain to take away all the rest.

A shot was fired. Giovanni at first didn’t register what was going on, thinking that something was wrong. Then the most intense pain he had ever felt, even more so than the flaying of his skin erupted in his body. He hoped his brain would shut down, that it would be all done soon, that this was the fatal wound. He didn’t want to live anymore, not after this.

James blew the wafting smoke from the barrel of the gun, his expression calm and businesslike, an evil glint in his eye. “I never said which head.”

Everyone turned towards the gunshot, even Ash, who was almost unconscious. Then a series of gunshots rang out in the same direction.

“James…” Jessie whispered, and without even thinking about it ran towards the sound. Brock also ran with her.

“Stay with Ash!” he shot behind his shoulder. Misty needed no instruction on this.

They raced to the farther end of the large auditorium. When they reached there, Brock almost threw up. The sight was so disturbing.

James stood over Giovanni, and was systematically shooting all over his body, making sure the wounds wouldn’t be fatal. Already, he had shot him in his shoulders, knees, wrists… almost all of his major joints.

Brock did throw up when he saw the blood and the bullet wound around Giovanni’s groin area. He retched nearby, emptying his stomach on the floors.

Jessie stood in shock at what James was doing. “James…”

James turned to her. At first, he seemed to look disorientated, as if he wasn’t sure of what was going on. Then the glint came back to his eyes, the evil sadistic one. He handed the gun to her.

“You get to finish him off,” he said to her.

Without hesitation, she aimed at him. Just before she pulled the trigger, Jessie and Giovanni locked eyes.

“I said one day you’d pay. What a kick in the ass it’s today,” she told him. She emptied the clip in his chest.

She dropped the gun, and spat on his body. “May he roast in hell.”

James followed her. “Amen to that.”

“We have to go to the pokemon storage facilities, get Meowth, Pikachu, and the other pokemon then we get out of here,” Jessie said. They had rejoined the others. Brock was still feeling ill after what he saw, but nothing was said.

“Where are they?” Misty asked, supporting Ash along with help from Brock.

“It’s luckily on this floor, but it’s a bit of a walk.”

Misty and Brock turned towards the exit to the auditorium. “Then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

As they started off, Jessie and James lagged behind. “I’ll be along in a minute. Just don’t worry about me,” James told her, giving her a short hug.

“But James, where are you going?” Jessie asked him.

“To take care of one more loose end.”

“Rumika… but….”

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”

Jessie looked into his eyes, pleadingly. “James you’re weak! Don’t go after her! She’ll get her due, just come with us! Please?”

James looked away, knowing if he looked in her eyes long enough, he would do what she wanted. He didn’t want her to know what he was planning, or doing.

“No, Jessie. You don’t understand, I have to do this,” he whispered, his head lowered. “The others need you, go with them. I’ll be there shortly.”

Jessie nodded reluctantly, kissed him quickly, and left to meet up with the others.

James made sure she was gone, watching her leave. Then he turned around and walked over to where Rumika lay, still unconscious.

He bent down and picked up a gun that was dropped by another Rocket. Checking the clip, he nudged her awake.

Her eyelids fluttered open, slowly and warily. She looked up at James, a bit of a smile on her face. Then her throbbing jaw reminded her of what he had done, of what he had said.

James stood over her, the gun pointed directly in between her eyes.

“James, what are you planning to do? This is no longer amusing! Put that gun down, so you can be properly punished!” she said in genuine annoyance.

“I should kill you right now,” James said, his features uncannily cold, his voice cold.

Rumika, slammed her hand on the ground. “That’s it James! Do I have to show you everything? Give me that gun, so I can show you how to threaten someone properly!” she said angrily.

James actually stepped back at that. “What-?” he stuttered out.

Rumika looked at him, clearly annoyed. “ Sometimes, James I wonder about you. I have to constantly punish you and remind you on how to do things. It just makes me so angry! Is this the way you are going to act when we get married?”

James flustered and surprised expression gave way to a grin and he started to laugh. “Rumika, you mean to tell me, that after all of this, you want to marry me?”

“Why of course, James, dear. I love you,” Rumika replied, smiling at him.

James stopped laughing. “Rumika, I don’t love you, much less like you. And how can you love me? You don’t even know me!”

James dropped the gun on the ground and started to walk away. Rumika stared at him, his words piercing her heart. No matter how sick she seemed, no matter how crazy, she still had a heart. And her heart belonged to James.

“But, James, I do love you!” she wailed, forgetting her proper decorum and manners.

James turned back around. “How could you love me? You have tortured me all this time, kidnapped me and my friends, hurt the woman I do love… That isn’t love.”

Rumika felt a tear go own her cheek. “You mean, you love that uncouth ruffian?”

James ran back to her and grabbed a fistful of her hair, holding her face close to his, a scowl all over his face.

“ Don’t you ever, EVER, call her any of those names again! I can excuse anything you say about me, do to me, but don’t you ever say or do anything to her! Get that through your proper and primped head!” he screamed at her.

He roughly let go, and left to go catch up with the others, leaving her there. More tears went down her cheeks, and she finally broke down, sobbing, even though it wasn’t proper for a lady to cry like a little child.

Bullets raced over Angelus’s head as he ran down the hallways, ducking his head. Reaching to a side holster on his belt, he withdrew a Beretta 89 Standard. He jumped forward and did a tumble in the air, firing his guns at his pursuers. As gravity reclaimed him, he emptied his guns as he hit the hard floors.

All of the bullets from the 9mm and the .22 met their marks. The Rockets clotted the empty hallways, the dead and dying on top of each other. Angelus muttered a silent prayer for them all as he replaced the spent magazines and kept on going.

Finally he reached his destination: the pokemon storage facilities. He entered the door, and closed it. He looked at all the stolen and genetically altered pokemon in the racks.

“It’s about time this crap came to an end,” he muttered to himself. He strode over to a computer and entered a few access codes. Soon, the equipment came to life. A few clicks here, a few clicks there and all of the pokemon were being teleported to different centers across the island.

“Tis’ a beautiful thing, this technology is,” he mused, as the last of the pokemon were sent. He looked around the lab for anything useful, and came up with a few pounds of C4 and a transmitter. A smile formed on his face.

He hooked the plastique explosives in all the places it would do the most harm (or good) and waited for the others. Angelus figured that if they survived, they would be heading here for their pokemon.

In about ten minutes time, the door opened slowly and cautiously. Angelus whipped around and aimed his guns, one at head level and the other at stomach level. One of the people outside saw him and ducked down screaming, “OH, SHIT!”

Angelus recognized the voice. It belonged to one of the prisoners. “Hey, you sods! It’s me! The guy that saved all your arses!” he called out to them, smiling.

They slowly walked in, hands raised, except for the orange-haired girl and the girl he had rescued from Giovanni. They were supporting the young pokemon master who had gotten beaten severely.

Angelus holstered the Beretta 89 and looked them all over. He was surprised to see that the bluish - haired guy was walking on his own power.

“Well, I’ll be damned. You should be the one getting the attention form those lovely ladies there,” Angelus stated. The blue-haired man shook his head.

“I’ll be ok,” he said matter-of-factly. Angelus nodded his head.

“Pikachu…” the beaten young man whispered. Angelus looked down at him.

“Hmmm… I take it, this is Ash Ketchum, the famous pokemon master?” he asked. The two ladies nodded their heads quickly.

“Yeah. Hey, look, Mister, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful or nothing, but where are our pokemon? We just need them and then we can leave,” the tallest one said.

Angelus turned around and faced him. “Yeah well, you can get them once we get out, ok? They are at the pokemon centers. As are your gear, so you don’t have to worry about a thing,” he told him.

Angelus then went over to the door, and sat down. He opened it slowly, and peered out. Seeing no one was there, he beckoned the others to follow him.

As they scurried out, he stopped the blue-haired guy.

“Hey, buddy, you think you can handle this gun?” Angelus asked, holding up the Beretta. He nodded his head. With that, Angelus handed him the Beretta and three spare clips.

“Then use it when you have to,” Angelus said and left, taking the lead of the group. James took the rear, and the group scurried down the hallways. They met no opposition as they headed towards the stairs.

Angelus cursed. The stairs could easily become a concentrated kill zone. A person who had a decent shot could easily kill anyone who entered between the banisters.

The undercover agent stopped the group and told them to stay. Then he dashed up the stairs as silently as he could, his back pressing against the wall, his guns raised. He snuck up to the service exit and peered out.

It was clear.

He ran back down and told the others. “Alright folks, it’s time to go.”

They nodded their heads and climbed the stairs as quickly as possible, James in the lead, Angelus in the rear. By some miracle, or just plain luck, they managed to get out of the HQ main building.

Surrounding the area were heavily armed cops and SWAT teams mobilizing. They saw the ragged group come out and all weapons were trained on them.

“DROP YOUR WEAPONS!” an officer Jenny yelled through a speakerphone. James eagerly dropped the Beretta and raised his hands sky high. Angelus boldly strode out, his Glock in full view.

“HEY THERE, PEOPLE! ” he yelled back, grinning like a Cheshire cat. All the guns were focused on him. He started to walk towards them, and he dropped the Glock on the ground.

“STAY RIGHT WERE YOU ARE, SIR!” the Jenny yelled out. Angelus ignored her until he was standing right next to her.

As he strode over to the unbelieving officer, he leaned over and whispered in he ear, “You guys so need better training. I would have put a bullet in my ass the minute I kept on walking when you told me to stop.”

The Jenny’s temper flared up. “Oh, yeah? Well, I’ll rectify that mistake right now!” she retorted.

Angelus shrugged, the large grin still on his face. “Well enough of that, my friends here not only helped bring down Team Rocket, but they also need some medical attention. Can you provide us with any?”

The Jenny nodded her head, back to business. “Urr… yeah.” She placed the speaker phone next to her lips and shouted out, “ALRIGHT! STEP FORWARD, PLEASE!” Then she turned it to the back of the large mass of cops. “AND WE NEED THAT AMBULANCE, ASAP!”

Angelus started walking away, when the Jenny grabbed his arm. He turned around sharply. “I did my business, now can I please go?” he said, all humor gone from his voice.

Jenny’s eyes flashed angrily, even as some of the police officers went over to the others and helped them past the barricade. “Now, you wait a second, Mister! We need you to go downtown to file a statement, and get some information on the situation! You can’t take off like that!”

Angelus reached into his leather jacket, and produced a folded manila folder and a micro cassette recorder, along with a few tapes to go along with it.

“I took the liberty of filing out a report for you, and some hard evidence against the organization. Now if you please..” he explained and took back his arm. Officer Jenny started after him, but was stopped as a few officers passed by. By the time they passed out her line of vision, he was gone.

Jenny scratched her head, and sighed in exasperation. “What next? A bloody signal?” she muttered under her breath as she got back her bullhorn and started ordering the officers around.

I told you how violent this was, didn’t I? Anyway, you know the drill. Send comments and suggestions to Shagti2@aol.com, and send all flames to Shoveitupyour@ss.com! G’night Gracie!