A Tricky Situation ~Touch and Go~ is ©1999 Seiya (starr.evans@mailcity.com)
and Hotaru (faris.greyweirs@mailcity.com). Steal it and we will sacrifice
you to the demon god Zoamelugustar so we can finally get Martina to shut up
about those damned curses.

Everything else belongs to somebody else; they know who they are. At least,
we hope they do, 'cause *we* sure don't ^_^;;


If you haven't visited it yet, A Tricky Situation can be found at
              http://fly.to/touchandgo/




                      Opening Theme: Our Evolution
             Title Screen: ...I Swear I'll Change the World.



    Starr, who jumped up and dashed toward Faris and James when she heard the
announcement, freezes. She feels like she's been slapped in the head. She
couldn't see Michael, but she knew what his expression would be.
    She doesn't want to see him. 
    After telling him that she knew he could grow past the duels, that she
believed in him, he'd let her down. 
    She runs from the arena, past everyone, and actually nails Kevin in the
stomach with her elbow when he gets in her way. Thomas tries to stop her more
gently. He places his hands on her shoulders.
    "Starr, calm down. It's traditional for the Victor of the Duels and Rose
Bride to be engaged."
    "NOT LITERALLY!" Starr retorts. 
    "How would you know?" Kevin says sharply. 
    "Because I'm the Rose Bride, you stupid, stupid nutsack," Starr snaps, her
voice dripping with sarcasm. 
    Everyone is silent. 
    Then.... 
    Starr explodes. 
    "I WAS KIDDING! WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? DON'T YOU
CARE!?" She pulls away from Thomas. "You people broke everything," she chokes,
starting to cry. 
    "Break the world's shell," Thomas replies simply. 
    "For the sake of revolutionizing the world," Julie finishes. 
    Starr shakes her head. "Yeah, Thomas, fine," she says flatly. "Sure, fine,
whatever." She starts to leave but runs head-on into a scowling Kevin. 
    "Where do you think--" 
    CRAAAAAAAAACK. 
    Time seems to stop. 
    Kevin's purple eyes go wide as he touches the very sore spot on his cheek
where Starr has slapped him as hard as she can. 
    Thomas blinks in surprise. 
    Julie regards Starr with interest. 
    Starr merely turns on her heel and walks to the elevator, pressing the
button. She steps inside, gives the 'Seitokai' her best Evil Eye, and the doors
close soundlessly. 



    Later, at Martina's house, Starr sits in the living room petting Raichu
while Ash describes what happened after she left. 
    "Well, Thomas and all those guys kept going on about the Revolution and the
Rose Bride and some other stuff--that Mike guy you like was there too, he said
something about 'shining things', I think--but I wasn't really paying attention."
    Misty looks sheepish. "We were too busy watching James yell at his mom and
dad." 
    Starr pictures the scene and smiles a little bit. According to Ash, who's
really gotten into the story, James REALLY chewed his parents out. The way he's
describing the scene would be been hilarious but for the reason it happened:
James in his white-and-blue dress with the little gold tiara sitting on his
head, in flame mode and roaring at his mom and dad. 
    Starr can't help it. A little giggle pops out of her. 
    Misty looks relieved, looking up from the sleeping Togepi in her lap. "You
better now, Starr? I was worried. I've never SEEN you get that mad." 
    "Remind me not to get on your bad side," Brock says jokingly. "I bet Kevin's
cheek still has a handprint." 
    "Hardy har," Starr says dryly. 
    "You're okay, though, right?" Ash inquires. 
    "Kind of." Starr looks down. Pikachu jumps into her lap and hugs her as she
goes on, "I still wish that hadn't happened. Those duels were a mistake. That guy
Orion...his kind, everything they touch shatters. He's careless about people and
their feelings."
    Suddenly she looks up and hands Pikachu back to Ash. "Hang on. Did you say
that Mike said 'shining thing'?" 
    "Yeah. It was weird." 
    "Son of a mother..." Starr remarks. 
    "What?" Brock blinks. 
    "Pika pi?" 
    "Guys, tell Martina I've gone back to see Mike, okay?" Starr says, rising. 
    "No problem," Brock smiles. 
    Suddenly Misty speaks up, "Where's Faris, anyway?" 
    "Pi pikachu," Pikachu shrugs. 
    "I dunno," Ash says. "I haven't seen her since she took off with Batts." 
    "Maybe I'll see her." Starr shrugs. Then she smiles. "Don't worry about Faris,
she knows what she'd doing. I'll see you guys later." 
    Starr walks out the door into the night air and takes in a long, deep breath.
It's steady, not shuddering. Starr's not going to waver for a second in what she's
about to do. 
    She goes into the garage and walks out with one of the mountain bikes. It'll
be about a half-hour ride to Ends of the World, but Starr doesn't mind. 
  

    Misty looks out the window to see a cherry-haired figure pedal down the
tree-lined driveway and into the night. 
    "Toge~?" Togepi blinks and wakes up. 
    "Shh," Misty soothes the baby Pokémon. "Go back to sleep. Starry will be back
soon." 
    "Starry?" Ash goes into a giggling fit. Misty sticks out her tongue and turns
her attention back to Togepi, rocking him gently until he goes back to sleep.



    "Innocence..." 
    Despite the fact that summer constellations decorate the night sky, the
land breeze chills beyond the bone, to the very core of the body.
    "...can sometimes blind you..." 
    Faris closes her eyes. 
    "...right?" 
    <You are hardly innocent,> Batts tells her. 
    "I know..." She sighs, opening her eyes again. Her lavender bangs sway a
little in the wind, tickling her forehead. The rest of her hair doesn't move
because it's tucked underneath a Rocket uniform. "Innocence dies too easily
in this world." 
    <... You've never been to this place before.> Batts turns his head to gaze
upon the sandy, deserted beaches. <No one is supposed to come here.> 
    "No one but scientists," Faris smiles. "Ever since I was a child, I always
wondered why the western beach was cut off from the rest of Cinnabar... it's
kind of nice to finally know why." She sighs again, and the smile is replaced
by sadness. "How depressing, that it should be my work that brings me here."
    <Do you have any regrets?> 
    Her eyes narrow slightly in sadness. "My only regret... is not telling
James, even once, even though I knew I may die tonight, that I love him."
She sits up. "I guess this is good-bye, Batts," she says, and she jumps off
the wall; "Take care of yourself--" and begins to walk towards a cold office
building several stories tall. 
    Batts looks after her with his own form of sadness. <Please don't die,
Faris,> he calls before teleporting away. 
    Faris wipes an involuntary tear away, and remembers. 
  

    "Faris!?" James cries, concern clear in his voice. He kneels over her,
but she knocks him away roughly. 
    "Don't touch me!!" she says sharply before rising to her feet, faster
than a viper, and running. 
    The surprise and hurt in his face is clearly evident. 
    "Batts!!" she calls, running directly for the elevator, which is behind
the judge panel. The Duelists all look shocked at this display. 
    Batts appears in front of her, and she screeches to a halt in front of
him. The second she stops, the two of them teleport away. 
    Clearly, to the other Duelists anyway, she had been rejecting James. 
  

    She takes a deep breath, and sighs it out. "My biggest mistake..." she
whispers, gazing off into the starry night, "was never once telling him
that I love him. I'm a fool..." 
    "Gen..." Ayanami, Faris' Gengar, looks up at her, concern on its face.
    Her eyes widen, and she looks down at it as if noticing it for the
first time. "Ayanami..." Faris whispers. She points to the locked doors
of the office buildings. "Please, walk through the glass door and unlock
them." 
    "..." Ayanami nods and melts into the shadows. 
    Less than a minute later, the door snaps open. 
    "Thank you," she smiles, and she walks in. Ayanami walks behind her. 
    Faris prepares to sneak in when she notices who is working the main
desk. An eyebrow raised, she strides up the recipient, whom is worrying
over a stack of papers. She clears her throat, and the man glances up.
    He smiles. "Ah, yes! Hello, Mr. Hill!" He stands and leans over the
desk, whispering over to her. "I've gotten everything ready for you. All
you need to do is walk down the main hall, take a left, and use this
keycard" he hands her an off-white plastic card, and she takes it "to get
in the elevator. It's the only elevator on this floor that goes all the
way up to the top building. The passcode number is 49019, and the elevator
only gives you five seconds to get in before it closes again. If it closes,
you'll have two more consecutive tries before it locks up, and then you'll
have to wait an hour before it'll let you in again. When you get to the top
floor, there'll be a bunch of guards. They should be shifting places in a
few minutes, though, so if you hurry you might get in before they can find
you." He leans back and smiles, handing her a slip of paper. "Here's the
entrance passcode into the Mewtwo lab. Have a nice night, Mr. Hill."
    Faris raises an eyebrow. "Since when do scientists work the main desk?"
    His smile turns into a scowl. "We don't have a lot of employees, you
know," he grumbles. "Sometimes we have to rotate." 
    She rolls her eyes. 'In other words, you're a low-level scientist,' she
mutters mentally. "In either case, who does this card belong to? Surely not
*you*, that would be far too incriminating."
    "Of course not," the man sniffs. "It belongs to my rival. He dropped it
by accident in the halls, and I happen to know the code for this card that'll
let him into the Mewtwo lab."
    Faris sighs, staring at the card. "I'm worried," she mutters before
heading down the main hall, Ayanami right after. 
    To her mild surprise, the code works on the elevator, and both trainer
and Pokémon enjoy a slow ride with eerie organ music on the way up. After a
minute or so, the elevator comes to an abrupt halt, and the metal doors slide
open gracefully. Faris and Ayanami exit, only to come face to face with five
guards.
    "Hey! Who are you!?" one of the guards demands.
    "Ah--I'm one of the relief guards," Faris lies, mostly for the sake of
seeing if they'll buy it.
    The looks of disbelief tell her clearly that they aren't buying it. "A
relief guard?" they repeat. The guard that had spoken before shoves her
roughly, revealing her front. "A relief guard wearing a Team Rocket uniform?
How stupid do you think we are?!"
    She crosses her arms, sighing. "Oh, no; my cover's blown," she says with
a tinge of drama. "Well, I'll tell you the truth. The higher-ups hired me to
move your Mewtwo, and make it look like it was theft so they can blame some
guys who've attended the Cinnabar Festival to spy on the results of the Mewtwo
Project and pack 'em off to jail. I figured dressing up as a Rocket would be
the best way to look as if I was a thief; I mean, if I was *really* in Team
Rocket, do you think I'd be stupid enough to try to steal something that
powerful? Look, here's my card;" and she flashes the card long enough for
them to register it as being a keycard, but not long enough to register it's
not hers; "just let me by, and we'll all pretend we never saw each other. Don't
ask, don't tell, hey?"
    The guards murmur amongst themselves. "It *sounds* plausible..." she hears
one of them say. 
    "I never heard anything about this," another one protests. 
    "Team Rocket has done some pretty daring things in the past; he *could* be
a Rocket," another one points out. 
    "Yeah, but how on earth could Team Rocket have found out about the Mewtwo
Project? It's impossible!" the fourth argues.
    "Quiet!" the original speaker says, turning to them. "Now..." As the five
of them discuss the plausibility of her story, Faris shrugs and nods to Ayanami.
The two of them walk past the group to the Mewtwo lab.
    The two of them have walked down to the end of the hall and opened the door
to the Mewtwo lab when she hears, "HEY!" 
    She glances back down the hall at the guards. "WE'VE decided you're lying!"
the head guard announces. "So don't you dare go into that room!!"
    Faris eyes narrow, and she sighs. "Ayanami..." 
    "Gen!" 
    "Send these idiots to dreamland with Hypnosis." 
    "Gar!" Ayanami turns to the guards with a vicious grin on its face, and
sends rows and rows of sleep-inducing waves.
    As they run towards Faris, the guards slow down and collapse onto the floor
halfway down. 
    She shakes her head, running a hand through her bangs. "Idiots. Ayanami,
good work. Stay out here and keep an eye out for anyone else. If any other
weirdos show up, pack them away with Hypnosis. I might take a while."
    With a nod from the ghost Pokémon, Faris enters the lab, quietly shutting
the door behind her. 



    Starr can see the arena ahead of her, its rose-patterned windows glowing
gold in the dark night. She speeds up to the glass doors, screeches to a halt,
parks the bike in a bush, and strides through the doors.
    Nathalie, who's reading a fashion magazine at the front desk, drops her
almost-book. "Oh..." she says when she sees who it is. "It's you...you had
the codename TOUGA."
    Starr nods. "Is Michael around?"
    Nathalie's face has grown a severely pissed look. "You think you can just
march in here and seduce my big brother and suck up to get the best codename,
don't you? Just because you're friends with HER, and just because you're...
you...YOU... Well, let me tell YOU something, you...you......"
    "Me, me, what?" Starr asks mildly.
    Nathalie turns a very nice shade of crimson not unlike her onii-sama's
hair.
    Starr grins.
    Then, abruptly, a thought hits her and she blinks. 
    She's beginning to catch onto what's happening here. If Nathalie-tachi
think Faris is Tenjou Utena, they must think she's... 
    "...Himemiya Anthy....."
    "What?" Nathalie demands.
    "Nothing," Starr says. "I'd like to see Michael, if that's all right."
    Nathalie draws breath to have an extreme spazz, but Thomas saves Starr
by entering the room. 
    Instantly Nathalie is all smiles and sunshine. "Big brother! How are
you doing?"
    Thomas shrugs and looks at Starr. "Is something wrong? You look kind of
pale."
    "Nothing's wrong," Starr replies. "I'd just like to see Michael, if
that's all right with you guys." 
    "I don't see any problem with that," Thomas shrugs. "I bet he's
practicing his piano again. Come on. I'll show you were the room is. This
place is a maze at night."
    "Thanks," Starr says sincerely.
    Thomas puts a hand on her shoulder and leads her down the hall.
    "You aren't going to slap me too, are you?"
    Starr looks up at Thomas and groans, "Oh, come on. I was mad and Kevin
bugs me. He's been nothing but a jerk since we got here and I was tired of
being pushed around."
    "Mhm..." Thomas nods absently.
    Starr recognizes the hall they're going down now. She looks and sees the
rose garden, its flowers luminous in the moonlight.
    When she looks back, Thomas seems to have made a mental note of this.
    Finally they reach the music room. Michael is indeed there, picking out
an odd little melody with one finger. 
    Starr knocks gently on the door. "Mike?" 
    Mike looks up, and a smile spreads across his face. 
    "I'll leave you guys alone." Thomas smiles and disappears. 
    "I thought you'd never talk to me again," Michael says to Starr. 
    "I felt so bad. I wasn't going to announce Faris and James' parents
plans, but it was unexpected. It slipped out. Julie gaveme the message.
She looked annoyed when she did." Michael's smile grows. "She thinks
they're idiots, I bet." 
    "I agree with her, personally," Starr giggles.
    Suddenly Michael turns and looks at the door, then looks back. "This
bugs me. I know no one would listen in on us, but I want to talk to you
in private."
    "Where, the rose garden?"
    Michael shakes his head. "Come on. I'll show you."
  

    "I'm not coming out, Mike." 
    "Starr, you look fine." 
    "Tell me again why I am wearing this?" 
    "Because Nathalie was screaming at you that it was traditional and
you wanted to make her leave you alone." 
    "Another low point in my career. This is psychotic." 
    Michael smiles and leans on the door frame. "The stars are really
pretty tonight... wow...I've never seen the sky so clear...oh, look, a
shooting star!" he says in an exaggerated impressed tone.
    "Auauauaaaaugh..." Starr groans. "Fine."
    Michael turns.
    A figure clad in a Rose Bride dress steps out from the shadows into
the moonlight, dark cherry hair taking on a bluish hue from the moonlight.
    Michael blushes. "You honestly do look pretty," he says.
    Starr plunks down on one of the walls of the arena, kicking the full
skirt of the dress out of the way. "No trying to pull a sword out of me."
    Michael blinks, but lets the comment pass. "Sorry. I know all this duel
protocol bothers you, but once Kevin brought someone up here out of uniform
without permission and Thomas kicked him out for a while."
    Starr nods. "It's not a big deal."
    "So you forgive me?"
    Starr hugs Michael. "Of course. You didn't know it was going to end
like that. I wish it hadn't happened, but there's nothing we can really
do now but hope for the best."
    "Is...Faris going to be all right?"
    "I can't say," Starr says honestly. "I've been her friend for a bit
now, but she's unpredictable just like the rest of the world. We'll just
have to see how it goes. All we can do for her now is talk to her when
she wants to talk, leave her alone when she wants to be, and make James
feel better." 
    Starr jumps down off the wall and walks to the center of the arena,
sitting down and then lying on her back. "You were right," she says,
smiling. "The stars *are* pretty up here."
    Michael sits next to her. "I'm glad you aren't angry." 
    "I was," Starr admits. "I was worried you'd given up and you weren't
ever going to try and be yourself or try to get beyond these duels. I
know you have a friend who did once. Someone really close to you."
    Michael is visibly shocked. "Okay..." he says slowly. "I've been
trying to ignore Thomas and all those guys about this for a while,
because it's nuts, but sometimes I'm convinced it's true that you and
Faris really are...I mean, everything's changed, and we weren't sure
if it had really happened, but now we're sure. You and Faris have to
be...you know. It wouldn't make sense if you weren't."
    "Well, I don't know if I'm what you think I am. I might be and have
no idea," Starr says. "But all I know is that right now I'm Starr Evans,
and you're Michael Corwin, and we are supposed to be watching the stars
up here, not talking about Rose Brides and Duelists, right?"
    Michael smiles. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
    Starr sits back up and leans on Michael's shoulder. "Thanks for
bringing me up here."



    Faris sighs and leans her back against the metal door, staring
down at her booted feet. Her shoulders sag and she runs a hand
through her bangs, forcing herself to look up.
    The room itself is just what she'd expected; meticulously clean
computers, monitors, controls, et cetera, in every possible space
without inhibiting the ability to walk about. Even the floor is shiny.
Faris wonders briefly who would do a janitor job in the same room with
so dangerous a creature, but such thoughts flies out the window as
soon as she finally rests her crimson eyes on the legendary Mewtwo.
    Her eyes go wide.
    "Suge~..." she breathes as she steps toward it. The creature
appears to be sleeping, although she wonders how it can sleep when
it's covered in wires, mostly on its head (not surprisingly, she
muses to herself, since Mewtwo is supposed to be a psychic Pokémon).
Besides which, it's lying on a stainless steel floor, surrounded by...
well, whatever metal it was, it's probably some incredible alloy; she
can see a number of shallow dents on the walls. This "cage" covers the
entire back of the wall, and the way she can see into it is via a clear
front. It's probably not Plexiglas--it'd have to be much stronger than
that to keep Mewtwo penned in--although that's all she can think of.
    Faris creeps towards the creature, keeping as silent as possible,
and kneels in front of it, placing a hand on the clear wall. Just being
in the presence of such a magnificent beast keeps Faris at the top of her
nerves, wary of anything that might happen next.
    After a long moment of quiet, she relaxes, but not by much. "You must
be miserable in such a place," she whispers, eyes transfixed on the
lavender-and-white monster. "A specimen for scientists to gawk at, with
barely any room to move... this is cruel. Beyond cruel! I wouldn't blame
you if you killed them all..." She closes her eyes and sighs. "I'd be the
same way..."
    She glances over at the control panel on the other side of the room.
"Screw the team. I'm letting you go free. I wouldn't wish this life on
anyone."
    When her face is turned away, Mewtwo opens an eye. He shuts it as
soon as she looks back. "..." 
    When Mewtwo lifts his head lightning-fast and demands, "Who are
you!?", Faris shrieks in surprise and falls over.
    Through pure reaction, Faris replies, "Faris Greyweirs!"
    "Why are you here!?" 
    "To capture you!" 
    He scowls at her, giving Faris a moment to collect her thoughts.
Her heart throbs wildly in her chest, threatening to leap out of her
chest at any second. Something at the purely figurative back of her
mind hums a little, disturbed by this, but Faris can't figure out
what's wrong. Something...
    "The control panel on the widest box," Mewtwo states flatly.
"To your right."
    She glances over at it, and stands. 
    "That's the one that opens the door to this thing," he continues.
"That's the panel that controls the main door on this thing. Release
me! Do it!!"
    The forcefulness in his voice causes Faris to spin on her feet
without thinking about it. As she looks over the control panel, the
buzzing at the back of her mind gets louder. She pauses to think
about it...
    And her eyes narrow.
    She stands straight, her arms akimbo, and glares at Mewtwo. "Why
should I!?"
    He snarls quietly. "That was your intention, *wasn't* it?"
    "Demo ne, who's to say you wouldn't just kill me as soon as I let
you free?" Faris reasons coldly. "I might be human, but I'm not
*completely* stupid." 
    His tail thumps on the metal floor, clearly showing his agitation.
"..." 'That human resisted my mind control...' Mewtwo sulks, rethinking
his plan. "I promise I won't kill you," he says, lying through his teeth.
    "Promises are cheap," she replies, crossing her arms. "You're strong,
you're dangerous, and after all this time, you must hate humans."
    A low growl emanates from his throat. "I'm not in the mood for games,"
he states, tail thumping away. 
    "I'm not in the mood to die," Faris replies dryly. "Listen: I'll make
you a deal. Let's talk. I ask you a question, and you answer it honestly;
then you ask me a question, and I'll answer it honestly."
    Mewtwo raises an eyebrow. "And what proof do either of us have that the
other won't lie?" 
    "We don't," she replies honestly, walking around the devices and sitting
down in front of him. "We have to assume we're telling the truth. You can go
first." 
    He broods over this for a moment, then nods. "Fine. I have time. You, on
the other hand, do not." 
    Faris demands, "What's that supposed to mean?"
    "I was to go first," he reminds her dryly. "What is your true objective?"
    "In what nature is this question being asked?"
    "You have to answer my question before you can ask something," he tells
her sharply. "I repeat: What is your true objective?"
    She sighs in mild annoyance. "I was sent here by my boss in order to
capture you." 
    He considers this for a moment, then nods. "Your turn." 
    "If I had let you out, would you really have killed me?" she says
immediately.
    "Yes," he replies nonchalantly. "And I would have enjoyed it. You
were correct in your assumption that I despise humans. My turn. Who
ordered you to 'capture' me? As if you could really accomplish such
a thing."
    She shrugs. "I wasn't really expecting to come out of it alive,
in all honesty," she replies. "My boss did--ordered me to steal you,
I mean."
    Mewtwo's tail goes THUMP. "..." He growls, knowing that she's
managed to worm her way out of directly answering the question.
    "My turn," she says with a straight face, recognizing his
displeasure. "What would you have done after being released?"
    "Lie in wait outside this thing, then pick off the scientists one
by one as they entered this room," he replies. "Once they were all
dead, I would have left for somewhere quiet to further plan my next
move."
    Faris looks thoughtful as he continues, "What is the name of the
one who sent you to steal me?" 
    "Giovanni," she replies. 
    His eyes widen. "Giovanni?" he repeats, apparently recognizing
the name.
    Faris chooses to ignore this for now and instead says, "How would
you be able to get out of here? Cinnabar Island isn't called an
island because it's really a peninsula."
    He scowls at her. "I hadn't thought of that. Why would Giovanni
send you to retrieve me?" 
    "I... honestly don't know," she admits. "At first I thought it was
because, I dunno, 'cause he wants powerful Pokémon around to help him
take over the world, but now I have to wonder what his intentions
really are." She raises an eyebrow. "How do you know who Giovanni is?"
    Mewtwo scowls and turns his face away. "He was in the memories of...
someone important to me," he rumbles.
    She blinks. "Someone important..." she repeats, musing over this.
    He clears his throat, obviously not wanting her to chase the subject.
"And why would you take orders from Giovanni?"
    "He's my boss," she replies dryly. 
    Mewtwo's tail goes WHUMP WHUMP WHUMP in annoyance. "And what exactly
is Giovanni the boss of?" he seethes.
    Faris considers calling her turn for a couple seconds, then decides
she can wait. "Team Rocket," she replies simply.
    There is a moment of silence as Mewtwo waits for her to elaborate.
    "And...?"
    "And what?"
    "What is Team Rocket?" he clarifies, tail thumping away.
    "Hmmm... Team Rocket?" She thinks this over for a moment. "Well, the
majority of Team Rocket consists of a bunch of nobodies who are too lazy
to do things the honest way and want to use Pokémon to get rich quick.
Basically, we're a bunch of thieves who're the pawns of a guy who's just
using us to get something personal."
    Mewtwo smiles a little at the description. "Do *you* fit into that
majority?" 
    "Who, me? Nahh. I couldn't care less. I just do this because it's
something to do," she says nonchalantly. "Most of the Rockets are also
Rockets 'cause they don't have anything else. I asked around a while
back. I have plenty of other things to do with my life. And besides, I
don't like people."
    "I'm much the same way..." he muses in reply. "What section *do* you
fit into, then?" 
    "Iya, I've let you skip my turn for long enough," she smiles. "You
said you learned about Giovanni from the memories of someone important
to you. Who is that important someone?"
    He glares at her, remaining silent for a moment.
    "I'm waiting..."
    "...She is no one you would know."
    Faris scoffs at the notion. "I'll take that chance. Try me."
    "......" His tail thumps quietly as he says, "Lenna Inverse."
    She blinks. "Nan desu tte!?" Faris gasps. "Lenna Inverse...!" In a
flash, she recalls the many trips Lenna had taken to Cinnabar. She
usually said it was to visit her parents, but being that the two of
them rarely went to see Nicholas and Martina (Faris usually hung around
the Cinnabar Gym when Lenna wasn't around), she didn't think it was the
truth. She enjoyed herself, however, and so she never bothered to
question it.
    To both of their surprises, Faris begins to laugh. "Oh, the irony...!"
she gasps between breaths. "To think... it would lead... back here...!
It *must* be destiny!" 
    "What must be destiny? Tell me!!" Mewtwo demands, not liking being
in the dark. 
    She giggles and wipes away a tear. "How did you get to know Lenna?"
she queries, choosing to ignore his question. 
    "It's *my* turn," he growls. 
    "No it's not, I let you skip some of my turns so I get to skip some
of your turns," she smiles. "How did you get to know Lenna? I'm really
curious now." 
    He scowls at her, not liking this one bit. "I refuse to answer anymore
questions until you tell me what importance Lenna was to you," he states
flatly. 
    Faris calms down slightly, and gazes at him seriously. "She is--was--
my aunt," she replies, correcting herself in mid-sentence.
    Mewtwo blinks. "'Was'?" he repeats.
    She glances away. "Aunt Lenna... died... eight years ago..." Faris says
softly.
    It's Mewtwo's turn to register shock. "...died?" A shadow of sorrow
flies over his face. "Yes... that would explain a great deal..." He looks
back up at her. "What did you say your name was again? And--are you male
or female?"
    "Female," she replies, pulling her hair out from under her costume.
"And my name's Faris Greyweirs." 
    A sigh heaves out of Mewtwo's chest. "Yes..." he murmurs. "I remember
a young girl named Faris with lavender hair in her memories..." His tail no
longer thumping, Mewtwo looks back up at Faris. "It seems we have something
in common...we have both lost something dear to us."
    "And I ask again, how did you come to know Lenna?" Faris repeats. 
    He shakes his head. "It's dangerous to stay here," he replies. "The
scientists come early in the morning. If they find you here, they'll take
you away, and while I'm in this thing, I can do nothing to stop them. Let
me out, and we can move somewhere secluded."
    Faris considers this for a couple seconds before nodding. "Sure. You
won't kill me, right?" 
    He awards this semi-joke with a curious look. "You aren't serious,
are you? Take the life of someone important to Lenna? I'd sooner kill
myself, and I currently have no intentions of doing so."
    She smiles and stands. After several minutes of fooling with the
controls, the main door into the cell creaks from disuse, jolts to a
start, and pulls open.
    Mewtwo stands as Faris walks back to him. Together, they pull off
the many wires attached to his body. 
    "Any idea where to go?" Faris questions on their way out. 
    "None at all," he replies evenly, walking on his hind legs. 
    She sighs, her head tilting a little. "Anyway... do you have a name
other than Mewtwo?" 
    He gives her a curious look as she pulls open the door. "Name?" 
    "What other people call you," she clarifies. 
    "..." He blinks. "I am Mewtwo." 
    "Gen?" Ayanami turns around. Its smile turns upside-down fast when
its eyes light on the six foot, seven inch-tall Pokémon. "G-g-g-g--"
    "It's okay, Ayanami," Faris reassures it. 
    "Ayanami?" Mewtwo repeats. "That's a Gengar." 
    "I know that," she smiles. "But I call it Ayanami. Here, Ayanami,
get back in the Pokéball."
    It is only too happy to oblige in the presence of the incredible
Pokémon. 
    He scowls slightly at the sight of the containment orb known as a
Pokéball, but does not comment on it. "For what reason do you call it
'Ayanami'?" he queries instead as the two of them walk down the hall
towards the elevator.
    "Well, there are a good-sized number of Gengars in the world. By
calling the Gengar I train 'Ayanami', that distinguishes it from the
other Gengars. That's the purpose of a name," she explains.
    "Ah, I understand now," he replies, looking thoughtful. "No, I
have no name. Neither do I need nor desire one. Names are for a
species where there is more than one. I... am the only Mewtwo..."
His voice trails off, a tinge of sadness shading into his tone.
    "You can't be sure of that. You were genetically engineered;
there's no guarantee another Mewtwo wasn't created as well," Faris
points out, using the keycard to open the elevator.
    "In either case, I do not desire a 'name'," Mewtwo states rather
sharply as they step inside. "It is pointless." 
    She shrugs, pressing the button for the first floor. "Have it your
way then, Mewtwo. A shame; 'Sephiroth' would have made a cool name.
Suits your personality, too."
    "How so?" he queries in spite of himself.
    "Well, Sephiroth is the main villain from a video game called Final
Fantasy VII," Faris explains as the elevator begins its downward
descent. "He was very powerful and very cold. He had incredible abilities,
and he was genetically engineered to be a biological weapon. After a while,
he learned his mother was an evil space virus called Jenova--although he
thought she was a creature called an Ancient, which was somewhat better
than an evil space virus--and he went insane. It's more complicated than
it sounds, trust me," she adds at Mewtwo's skeptical look. "Technically,
Jenova wasn't really his mother, but he didn't know that. In any case, he
torched the town he was in, got killed, got reborn through a clone, and
continued on a quest to become a God." She pauses. "I think that's it. I
liked Sephiroth, in any case."
    "How could you like someone such as that?" he queries with clear
disbelief in his voice. 
    She smiles as the elevator dings. "He and I are too much alike. I
couldn't possibly hate him." 
    Mewtwo, Faris, and Ayanami exit the elevator and enter the hall. As
they walk, Faris continues, "The word 'Sephiroth' itself originally comes
from Kabbalism, though. It's a religion, an extension of Judaism. The
concept of the Sephira--the plural of Sephiroth, or maybe it was the other
way around? I keep forgetting--is the growth of the soul through different
stages, or something like that. I never really studied Kabbalism that much,
so I only loosely know the basics. Anyway, there are about 10 Sephira on
this thing called the Tree of Life, and as you rise higher to the top, you
come closer to union with God. I think. Religion was never my strong suit."
    The low-level scientist working the main desk drops his papers as he
stares at Faris and Mewtwo, chatting as if they were buddies.
    "The name 'Sephiroth' sounds interesting," Mewtwo admits. "I'll consider
it." 
    "Ah, sou--" Faris tosses the card to the desk jockey. "Here's your card
back." She turns back to Mewtwo and smiles. "Jaa, ikou ka?"
    He can't help but smile back. The two of them exit the building. 
    The scientist blinks...blinks...stares down at the card...and tosses
it to the side. "Unbelievable..." he mutters, eyes wide enough to fall
out of their sockets.



    "Are you all right?" 
    "Mmmhph..." Jessie opens her eyes slowly, her vision blurred. She
blinks repeatedly against the bright lights until her eyes get used to it.
    Sitting next to her is a kindly smiling Orion Abraxas. "...huh?" She
blinks again and takes in her surroundings. The two of them are sitting on
a white leather couch (it looks expensive); there's a coffee table in front
of it, with various medicinal items sprawled across it. The walls are
decorated with a number of paintings, mostly of the stars, and the glass wall
leading to a balcony a ways back behind the couch shows off an incredible
view of the city night. 
    Jessie blinks and attempts to sit up. She abandons this action when a
sharp pain sears up her side, and the redheaded Rocket flops back on the
couch cushion, holding her side.
    "You took quite a beating," Orion says sympathetically, taking her hand
into his. "I couldn't stand to see beauty as incredible as yours be abused
so viciously, so I decided to take you back to my apartment and nurse you
back to health." He strokes her hand slightly. "I am glad to see you're
getting better. By the way, you must be parched. Would you like something
to drink, Miss Langley?"
    "Oh..." Jessie says, blushing slightly. "Oh, you can call me Jessie,
sir. Thank you, I would like something to drink." 
    He chuckles at her shy tone. "No need for the formalities, my lovely
Jessie. If I am allowed to refer to such a beautiful angel as yourself by
such a familiar title, you are by all means free to call me Orion." He
stands. "I have a drink ready in the kitchen. I hope you like iced lemonade,"
he says as he heads into the other room.
    Jessies smiles a little, still blushing. 'What a great guy...' she thinks
as she slowly sits up, placing her hand on her cheek. 'I wonder if he's
single...' 
    She flinches a little, suddenly noticing a pain on her face. She rubs
it a little, and when she pulls her hand away, her fingers are tinged slightly
with red. She scowls. 'Stupid bitch. I hate her. I'll get her for this, I
swear!' She clenches her fist. 'James is MINE!!'
    "Is something wrong, Miss Jessie?" Orion queries, bringing a glass of iced
lemonade in for her. "You look a little upset." 
    "Oh..." She smiles weakly. "I was just thinking of Faris." 
    He nods sympathetically, handing her the glass. She sips from it as he
says, "She certainly is a cruel girl. Much different from when I last saw her."
    "You knew her before this? You didn't act like you'd met her." 
    He laughs and smiles charmingly. "That's because I didn't recognize her.
Last time I saw her, she looked and acted much differently. I'm sad to say that
she's become a much less...*agreeable* girl since way back when."
    Jessie shrugs. "I haven't known her for that long myself." She sets her
glass down on a coaster on the coffee table and sighs, hunching over a little.
"I'm kinda hot. Could you turn up the air conditioning?"
    "I would have already, but I'm afraid it's broken at the moment, and it
won't be until tomorrow that the repairman can come to fix it. Until then, it
would probably be best for you to take off that jacket," Orion suggests.  "It
looks rather stifling."
    "Yeah, you're right," Jessie agrees, unbuttoning the front. 
    Orion watches silently as she slips the jacket off, revealed the sleeveless
white top she had been wearing underneath, folds the jacket, and sets it down
on the table. 
    Jessie sighs and deliberately leans into the dark-skinned man. In response,
he wraps an arm around her shoulders. 
    "You feel a little tense, Jessie," Orion comments. "You should relax." 
    She smiles a little. "Oh? What do you suggest?" she queries coyly, hoping
that he'll offer to massage her shoulders. 
    He smiles charmingly, his green eyes locking onto her blue. "I can think
of a number of things," he replies smoothly before tilting her head up with
one finger and kissing her. 
    "!!!" Jessie exclaims in surprise before returning the embrace, getting
into the rhythm of it. 'Damn, he's one hell of a kisser,' she thinks as the
two of them lie down together on the white leather couch, still kissing. 'Let's
see James ignore me now!!'



    Down at the southwestern beach, where civilization is at a virtual
standstill beyond a single cottage, Faris and Mewtwo are enjoying the view of
the stars, talking quietly as they gaze into the starlit night sky. 
    "Lenna and I met a long time ago..." Mewtwo recounts. "I don't remember how
many years ago it was, but one day she came in with one of the head scientists,
the one named Cara Raymond. When she saw me, she collapsed, looking very ill. I
didn't think much of it, because all of the humans had an odd streak to them. But
that night, she came to visit me. She opened the cage and came inside, and
admitted that she had a hand in my being..." He stops for a moment, to search for
the appropriate word. After scanning over many, he finally decides on,
"...imprisoned as a 'specimen'. I remember exactly what she said back then: 'I had
a hand in creating this world for you.  Looking upon you now, I regret everything.
I'll do anything to make your existence even a little better...even if that means
my death.' She was so pure, so sincere, that I felt something inside.
    "Now, back then, I was only a child, and I wanted someone to be with. She was
the first human I had met that offered to ease my existence, and thus, my reply
was, 'Please come a little closer...I'm always alone. I hate being alone.'
    "She lied down next to me, embracing me, and at that moment I knew I wanted
her to stay with me. However, I knew if the scientists found her, they'd take her
away, and there was no way to hide her."
    "The door was open," Faris points out. 
    He grimaces. "I know. Don't think I don't curse every day of my life forgetting
about that door. I instead spent the night establishing a mental connection with
Lenna. We shared memories--which is how I came to learn of Giovanni and you,
Faris--and my feelings for her deepened. We could speak mentally, and just being a
part of her memories gave me great happiness.
    "That was the first time in my life I felt such happiness," he sighs, a tinge
regretfully. "The scientists were livid when they found us together, but the only
thing they did was limit our time together. They were at least intelligent enough
to recognize Lenna and I had a strong bond, and she was the only one I would obey
the orders of without being beat into it first."
    "Somehow, I can't imagine you being beat into anything, Mewtwo," Faris smiles,
looking up at him. 
    He smiles down at her, tail wrapping around her. "I have no excuses. I let
myself be bullied into doing what I did not want to do, simply because it was
easier than struggling eternally. It was only later in life that I realized the
more I let them 'train' me, the stronger I would become, and eventually I would
be strong enough to destroy them. But at that time, I had no excuses."
    Faris sighs. "I wish I could be as straightforward as you," she says, resting
against his body. "Please, continue." 
    "Lenna would come to visit me frequently, and tell me what the outside world
was like, beyond the labs and these beaches where the scientists occasionally let
me wander--under tight surveillance, of course. I was young and naďve then, and I
dreamed of someday seeing the outside world. When I fully realized my ability to
fly, my hopes for such a thing grew. I dreamed of someday flying away from this
tight, horrible world I grew into and, with Lenna, seeing the world. As long as I
was with her, I felt I could do anything.
    "But then... all of a sudden, Lenna stopped visiting me. She would visit me
every week, with an extended visit every two months."
    Faris nods, remembering those bimonthly trips to Cinnabar. 
    "I grew increasingly nervous as each week passed, as she had never failed to
come see me, not once. I tried to contact her mentally, even though we were a
great distance apart, and of course I received no reply. I began to fear that she
was grievously injured, and wished for her wellbeing. It was a purely selfish wish;
I wanted her to recover from whatever hardship she was suffering so that I could
see her smiling face once more. As the months passed, my selfishness began to give
way, and I begin to fear for her instead of for me." He sighs, a long, tired sigh.
"Even after all these years, I kept hoping she would return, even though I knew
with each passing day that it probably would not come to be."
    "How sad..." Faris murmurs. "And now, to learn that she's dead... but you must
have suspected that already."
    "It crossed my mind several times, yes," Mewtwo admits, "but I did not wish to
seriously consider it; to think such a thing would be to forsake all hope. It was
hope that she would return that I did not destroy the lab sooner; and now, I have
lost that hope..."
    Faris strokes his face gently. "I thought the same thing when Lenna died, and
I ran away from the murderer. It was also a selfish desire; I didn't want the 'bad
man who hurt Aunt Lenna to hurt me too'. Her killer chased me into the forest, and
I tripped on one of the tree roots and sprained my ankle. Apparently, I hit my head
on a rock too, because I was knocked unconscious. Batts later told me that he'd
teleported me to safety in the Cinnabar Island Hospital before her killer had laid
his hands on me. I was in a coma for a week; I dreamed of death during that week.
I was told later by one of the nurses that no matter how many times the doctors
pulls Batts away from me--ah, I forgot to tell you, Batts was my first Pokémon. He's
a Kadabra now, but at that time, he was an Abra. Aunt Lenna had given him to me as a
gift for my eighth birthday. I was ten then, and even with Aunt Lenna's help and
training, he couldn't evolve. 
    "Anyhow, no matter how many times the doctors pulls Batts away from me, he would
teleport out of their arms and back to my side." She smiles reminiscently. "We talked
in my dreams. I wanted to die, because without Aunt Lenna, I had nothing. Or so I
thought. Batts convinced me that Lenna wouldn't have wanted me to die, that she
would have wanted me to survive and live to become a beautiful young woman and make
her proud." Faris wipes away a few tears. "We also formed a psychic link back then,
and we sealed it with a promise. As long as I kept a burning hope for the future in
my heart, he would always stay by my side. He's kept his promise better than I have;
even when the beacon of hope dimmed to a candleflame, and almost died out, he's always
been with me. Even when I feel hopeless, like I want to die, he's always there for me.
He spoils me entirely too much..." Her tears cut her off.
    Mewtwo pulls her a little closer with his tail. "...you are like me..." he
comments softly. "'Hope' no longer has any meaning...but we continue to live.
For what purpose? For whose purpose? Perhaps for the sake of a possible
future...Lenna believed in destiny, that nothing happens without a reason. She
believed that our meeting was destiny." He shakes his head, and turns his gaze
onto Faris. "I believed that then too. Now I know...knowing Lenna was only the
prelude to destiny. You are a sharp contrast to Lenna, and we have only just
met, but I feel as if I have known you my entire life. Our feelings are the
same. It can't be a mistake; I know meeting you is my true destiny."
    Faris smiles, blushing slightly. "I believe in destiny too...Aunt Lenna
taught me about destiny and fate. You and I, this encounter is the very
definition of destiny." She closes her eyes.
    Mewtwo rests his head on the cool sand and closes his eyes as well.
    To the rhythmic sound of the eternal ocean, the two of them sleep
peacefully underneath the stars.



   "Innocence, while it still lasts, is a beautiful thing. It is also a
dangerous thing. Innocence can place a person in grave danger at the hands
of those who are worldlier than them, who can manipulate those around them
without a second thought. Innocence is a young ewe in a world of wolves--
hunted, devoured, and defenseless against the forces of fate and destiny.
Not everyone is as they first appear; one cannot survive if they rely on
the face value of everything they see. 
    "Everyone who lives on this earth is a separate personality, as
strikingly different as vermilion and aqua--as strikingly different as
benevolent and manipulative. The earth is a contrivance of personalities,
each struggling to rise to the surface in their own separate way. The
earth is a toybox of personalities, all tossed together in a single chest.
The earth is a department store of personalities, with people putting on
and tossing aside lives as they deem fit until they find what is right for
them. The earth is an exhibition of personalities, on display for the gods
to observe and control. The earth is a museum of personalities, all competing
against each other for attention from the spectators, who wander from world
to world. The earth is a curio box of personalities; a twisted hand may have
worked even the most delicate and beautiful piece. Earth is all of these
things and much more. Innocence can only take you so far until the raging
stream of personalities drowns you and sweeps you away.
    "Earth is..." 
    James shuts the book quietly, reflecting on what he'd just read. As
strikingly different as vermilion and aqua, as different as benevolent and
malicious... wait, wasn't it a different word?
    "It's too late. I can't concentrate on what I'm reading anymore," he
mumbles to himself, checking his watch. 1:30 AM. 'I wonder if Kerry is still
up... I don't think I'll be able to finish this book before I have to leave,'
he thinks, fretting a little.
    He glances at the phone on the dresser. There's a phone in almost every
room in this house... James bites his lip as he reaches for the receiver. Yes,
Kerry had given him his number, and yes, he'd told him that it was fine for him
to call at anytime, but... it *is* late, and this isn't the first time this
thought has crossed his mind. However, every time James thought of it, he forgot
about it by the time he could get to a phone. Now that he's next to a phone...
Well, it couldn't hurt to leave a message.
    As soon as he dials the number, it occurs to James that Kerry doesn't have
an answering machine. He's about to hang up the phone when someone picks up.
-Hello?-
    "Kerry?" James says in disbelief. "What are you doing up so late?"
    There's a little laugh on the other line. –I was staying up working on
something. You don't need to worry about it. What are you calling for, James?-
    "Oh, well..." He fumbles a little over the words as he continues, "Well, I
just... I don't think I'll be able to finish the book you lent me before I have
to leave."
    -Well, in that case, keep it.-
    There's a pause. "What?"
    He can almost hear Kerry smile. –Unless you learn something from it, that
book is useless. I don't want to have given it to you for nothing. Simply
finishing the book won't help either. One cannot divine all the meaning from a
passage simply by reading it once. James, keep that book until you have grown.
Having accomplished that, then you can give it back.-
    James smiles. "Thank you, Kerry. I know someday I'll give it back to you."
    -I believe in you. Until the next time we see each other--good-bye, James.-
    *click* 



    /We're the same, aren't we./ 
    I like to think so. 
    /But do you truly think we are?/ 
    I dunno. You -are- a Pokémon... but then, the physical form really has
nothing to do with anything. 
    /...Do you truly think so?/ 
    Well, the body -is- just a plaything of the soul. 
    /The quote goes, "The -mind- is just a plaything of the -body-."/ 
    Mind, soul... the Japanese character "kokoro" can refer to the heart,
the mind or the spirit. No matter what word you're using, it ends up being
the same thing. In either case, it shouldn't matter what form your body takes,
as long as your souls speak the same language. Soulmates aren't called soulmates
because they share the same form.
    /...I'm glad./ 
    ......? 
    /Because...I was a little afraid./ 
    You? Afraid? It seems a little outrageous. 
    /I could face any enemy and not bat an eyelash...but you're different. You
are...my equal./ 
    But I'm a human. 
    /We are equals. I am convinced of that. As you said, soulmates aren't called
soulmates because they share the same form. Our hearts are the same. I think...
no, I believe...that you and I.../
    Are soulmates?
    /..................../
    Perhaps you're assuming too much too soon.
    /....Perhaps I am......./
    In any case, what are you doing in my dream?
    /...................................../ 
    Mewtwo? Mewtwo! Where did you go? Mewtwo, I asked you a question! Mewtwo!
MEWTWO!!



   Starr coasts back up the driveway of Martina's house. The front door is still
open, surprisingly. Starr thought for sure it'd be locked and she'd end up having
to sneak in a window. Being in Team Rocket, she does know how to do so without
tripping an alarm, but breaking into your best friend's mom's house is just demented.
    "Starr?" 
    The door opens and Starr is bathed in a warm light. James is standing at the
door, looking both relieved and a little disappointed.
    "Oh, nice to see you too." She pretends to pout. 
    This elicits a smile from James, but it soon fades. "Starr, do you know where
Faris went?" he implores. "I haven't seen her in so long...I couldn't get to sleep,
I was so worried. I think she might still be mad at me for what my idiot parents
did."
    "She won't be mad at you," Starr assures him. "Faris is reasonable. She wouldn't
be pissed off without a reason. True, she's really furious with her mom, and probably
with your parents--heck, so am I--but you're not guilty. Breathe, James. Everything
will turn out all right." 
    At this James gives her so hopeful and cute a look that she can't help but giggle.
"Really?" he says. 
    Starr nods. "Yes, really." 
    James lets out a long sigh of relief. "Do you want any hot chocolate? I found a
mix in the kitchen."
    Starr makes a face. "That stuff tastes like instant liquid packing peanuts. If
you value your health, don't drink Martina's diet hot chocolate mix."
    James nods. "It's that bad?" 
    "Worse. Trust me." 
    "I always trust you. Does Martina have real chocolate?" 
    "Are you kidding, James, look at the woman." 
    "I guess not." James's lower lip sticks out cutely. "Rats. I really wanted some
cocoa. I'm good at making it, too. It was the one thing Jezebel never complained
about."
    "Speaking of the Shrill One, where'd she go?" 
    "I don't know." 
    "Do you know where Jessie is?" 
    "Last time I saw her, she was with Orion." 
    WHAP. 
    "OUCH!" 
    "You shouldn't hit yourself in the forehead like that, Starr, it could hurt."
    "It DID!"
    "Are you all right?"
    "Fine now...dammit. Jessie is such an airhead. Orion is possibly the horniest
guy on earth. If my guess is correct, they're probably playing Shag Tag on the
white leather couch by now." Starr rolls her eyes, then shakes her head. "Geez.
My friends and my enemies are disappearing left, right and center. I'm glad
you're still here."
    James grins and gives Starr a little hug to try and banish the worried look
from her face. He prefers seeing Starr happy. It cheers him up, too.
    His effort has the desired effect. Starr grins. "I guess I shouldn't really
worry. Faris can take care of herself...." 
    James watches, interested. Starr trails off, looks at the ceiling, hums a
few bars of a bizarre little song, paces a few tiny circles on the floor, checks
the expensive-looking grandfather clock (it shows the time is 4:32 AM, although
whether or not it's accurate, she doesn't know), then... 
    "AUAUAAAUGH! This is going to drive me insane! James, will you come help me
look for Faris? I have a very nice Friday-the-Thirteenth feeling about her just
leaving like this."
    James nods. "All right. But how will we look?" 
    Starr holds up a keychain liberated from somewhere. "Martina won't care if we
borrow a vehicle or two." 
    "But where do we start looking?" 
    *beep beep* *beep beep* 
    The two of them jump and look around before James spots a pager lying on the
couch. "Weird. Faris left it." 
    Starr picks it up. As she does, she loses her grip and almost drops it.
    Whilst catching it, her finger hits the MESSAGE button.
    She looks at the screen.
    Her eyes grow huge.
    "James, we are going and we are going now."
  

    "Why didn't we take a car!?" 
    "WHAT?" 
    "I SAID, WHY DIDN'T WE TAKE A CAR?" 
    Starr looks back at James, who's hanging on for dear life behind her. "Because
I don't have a license for one! I only have a motorcycle license!" 
    "Why?" 
    "BECAUSE!" Starr says. 
    "Okay!" James gives her the thumbs-up. He's no slouch with a motorbike himself,
and had there been a second motorcycle he would have taken his own. Rockets are
trained in using different modes of transportation, in case they need to make a
quick getaway and swipe a vehicle. 
    "But what would Faris want over on that part of Cinnabar?" Starr wonders out
loud. "It's closed to the public! There's nothing over there but a deserted beach!"
    "Yeah, and a few research facilitiEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...." 
    Starr screeches to a halt, causing Raichu to bump his nose on the front of
the sidecar. 
    "CHU! Rai rai churai??!" he demands. 
    Starr shushes him. "James! Do you know what's at those facilities?" 
    "No, why?" 
    "I heard that a place down there cloned an Aerodactyl from DNA in an old piece
of amber! James, Faris must have been sent there to get something like that."
    "Alone?!? That's dangerous!!!" James yowls. 
    "I know, that's what bothers me! Why didn't we all get sent together--oh,
don't tell me that one screw-up with Pikachu--"
    "Faris is there ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" James is having a first-class,
professional spazz.
    "I KNOW!!!! I HEARD!" Starr hollers. "But the question is, why? Even if the
Boss thinks I'm a screw-up, he would have at least sent me as backup!"
    "Maybe he didn't want us to know!" 
    "But why would he want that?" Starr feels as though she has just inhaled a
popsicle straight from Kenji and Jason's mutated psycho freezer.
    This bizarrity is very sinister. 
    Starr isn't going to let it slide. 
    She turns to her fellow Rocket. "James, this has become very X-Filean. I for
one want to know what's going on. I am going to that frickin' restricted area. 
Agent Mulder, eat your heart out." 
    "RAI RAI!" Raichu proclaims. This translates roughly as 'Trust No One'.
Neither James nor Starr is aware of this since Batts isn't around, so
unfortunately the joke is lost.
    With that Starr guns the motor and tears off down the road.
    "WAAHHHHHH!" James screams, once again hanging on for dear life. He doesn't
want to lose his best friend as well as his girlfriend. That would really be too
much.



    Faris blinks a couple of times, her eyes adjusting to the early morning
sunlight. "Mmmhhmphh..." she murmurs, rolling onto her side.
    And faces the legendary Pokémon Mewtwo. "You're awake," he states. "I was
wondering when you would." 
    She makes a face at him. "You're impatient; this is the first time I've
woken up so early and stayed up," Faris grumbles as she pulls away from him.
"I had a dream with you in it."
    "..." He glances away. 
    "We weren't really doing much of anything," she continues, rubbing at her
eyes and yawning. "Just talking. But you seemed convinced that we're connected
in some way." She yawns and stretches, hair fluffing up a little in the breeze.
"That... let's see, what did you say? You said we were equals, and that you
believed we were soulmates. I disagreed, saying it's too soon to say anything
on that subject, and then I asked you what you were doing in my dream. You
didn't say anything, and you disappeared." Faris stands, and Mewtwo follows
suit. "I called out for you, but you didn't come back."
    "......" He coughs a little.
    Faris eyes him a little. "Were you meddling in my dreams?"
    "No, not exactly... I apologize. I should have requested your permission
beforehand. I set up a psychic link between the two of us," Mewtwo explains,
not looking her in the face. 
    She lets her arms drop to her sides. "Why?" 
    "I..." An almost unnoticeable blush tinges his cheeks. "I... like you."
He coughs again. "I assure you, though, I did not enter your dreams. That
dream must have been a side effect of the new connection."
    Faris smiles gently. "Well, I don't mind," she says, scratching her head.
"You and I are alike, after all." 
    Sephiroth smiles lightly. "Do you know what I like about you? ...Your
mind. It's filled with music." 
    "Music?" 
    He nods. "Yes. Like an orchestra, all creating the most magnificent sounds
possible all at the same time, to form a work of art. It's beautiful...."
    She turns to him and blushes slightly. Silence falls between them for a
few seconds; then, she bows slightly. "Well, I guess this is where we say
good-bye."
    Mewtwo stares at her. "What?" 
    She rises and states seriously, "I was sincere in my intentions to free
you. If you follow me, you'll just become a pawn of Team Rocket. You've been
subjected to human control for too long. Fulfill your dream, Mewtwo, and fly
away. Live life the way you want it. Don't worry about me; I can just quit the
team. I've been meaning to for a while, anyhow."
    The great Pokémon remains silent for a long moment, his head bowed. When
he finally raises it, he is smiling. "Please... Faris. Call me Sephiroth. If
it were from anyone else, I would not accept it, but..."
    Faris' eyes soften, and she wraps her arms as far as she can around him in
a great hug. Mewtwo, now dubbed Sephiroth, starts in surprise; his own eyes
soften as well, and he returns the embrace.
    When they separate, they are both smiling. "Then... this is good-bye..."
Faris says softly, looking up at him. 
    Sephiroth shakes his head once. "No; I'm sure we shall meet again," he
replies. "It's a promise." 
    Faris' smile grows, and she wipes some tears from her face. "It's a
promise," she agrees, nodding. "Then, I'll see you later...Sephiroth."
Waving, she turns and walks away. Every few steps, she turns her head to
look back at him. 
    Sephiroth gazes after her for several long moments, even after she's out
of sight. With a heaving sigh, he flops back down on the sand and closes his
eyes. 



    Starr flops down on a bench, exhausted, and James joins her. The two of
them have been searching with Raichu for over three hours for Faris, and have
come up with zilch. Raichu had gotten cranky early and returned to the
motorcycle to nap in the sidecar and recharge. Worry and lack of sleep have
both drained their energy, and now there's nothing they can do but take a nap
and resume their search.
    "Starr, you don't think..." James starts, then bites his lip.
    "Don't I think what?"
    "You don't think... whatever Faris was sent to capture... killed her..."
    Starr presses a finger to his lips. "No," she says firmly. "That's NOT an
option. There's no way Faris is dead. I mean, she's FARIS! Even if whatever it
was went wild, she can handle herself. So don't even think she might be dead.
Injured, possibly, but NOT dead. If we start to think that, we'll never stop,
and if Faris is injured, that's the last thing she needs--for us to be too busy
worrying to look for her!" She heaves a sigh, then sits back down into her old
position. 
    James stares down into his lap at his clenched fists. "I... I just can't
stop thinking about her," he squeaks. "I don't know what I'd do if..."
    "You'd be able to figure something out. You're a clever boy," a familiar,
teasing voice sounds from behind them. 
    Starr and James whip around to see a smiling Faris, wearing a Rocket
uniform, leaning against the fence a few yards away from them. "Hi," she
says casually. "Didja guys miss me?"
    "FARIS! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN????" the two of them scream together. 
    "You had me worried to DEATH!!" Starr snaps. 
    "I was afraid you might have been *killed*!!" James follows up. 
    Faris blinks rapidly, put off guard for a moment. Then she laughs into her
hand. "You two are really morbid, you know that? Here, I'll be right over."
    After several minutes, Faris manages to climb up the fence, balance on
the slanting-upwards bend in the fence, evade the barbed wire on the underside
of the curve as she swings down and starts climbing down on the other side,
climb down partway and then jump the remaining 15 feet.
    As soon as she lands, Starr and James crush her in the hugest hug she's
ever experienced. 
    "ACK," Faris gasps until they clue in that they're crushing her and let go.
    James and Starr immediately switch from Pissed Mode to Worried Mode. "Are
you okay, Faris? That thing you were after didn't hurt you, did it? Did you get
that thing, anyhow? And what WERE you after? And why didn't the Boss send us
too?? It must have been incredibly dangerous without backup!!" the two of them
badger her in unison.
    Faris holds up two gloved hands. "Hold on," she replies. "I can't answer
several questions at once, you know. Anyway, let's get back to Martina's house.
I'll answer questions then, okay?"
    The two Rockets seem satisfied with this, and nod yes.
    "Let's just get out of here before anything else happens, okay?" James
pleads. His girlfriend smiles at him and nods.
    As they walk back to the bike, Starr queries, "What were you after anyway,
Faris?" 
    "I already said I'd tell you later. Come on, let's go already; this uniform
is too damn hot, and I want into change into something cooler." 
    Feeling a little suspicious, Starr nods warily, deciding to chase the subject
later.



    Faris emerges from the shower, feeling refreshed and filled with energy.
She's gone through sleepless nights plenty of times over without complaint;
going without a shower after a night of sweaty work, however, is one thing
she can't stand. She wraps a soft white towel around her body and another
towel around her hair; after drying herself off a bit, she exits the bathroom
and heads for her room.
    Where Starr, James, and Misty, along with Raichu and Togepi, are all waiting,
sitting on her bed. (Ash didn't want to come because he was too embarrassed to
see Faris wearing nothing but a towel; Brock would have come, except everyone
else insisted he not be there. Pikachu decided to keep them company and shock
Brock into submission should he try to peek (as requested by Faris).)
    The lavender-haired girl is somewhat annoyed to see them. "This isn't a
peep show." 
    James blushes at the thought of it. 
    "We want to know what you were doing last night!" Misty demands, undaunted
by her words. "Why were you going around in a Rocket uniform?"
    She removes the towel from her hair and tosses it onto James. He's about
to pull it off when she says dryly, "You may want to keep that there--I'm going
to change." She raises an eyebrow at the other girls and continues, "I want the
two of you to turn around too."
    Misty and Starr glance at each other, shrug, and turn around; James does so
as well, still blushing underneath the towel. Raichu remains in his current
position until Faris picks him up and bodily turns him around.
    Discarding the towel onto the floor, Faris pulls out a pair of white shorts
and a tie-dye tank top along with panties and a bra. After pulling all the various
articles of clothing onto her body, she flops backwards onto her bed. "You can
look now."
    James pulls the towel off his head as Starr and Misty look down at her,
crossing their arms. "You said you'd explain, so explain," Starr says seriously
(as serious as she ever gets). "What were you doing over at the western beach?"
    "Well, you ask me to explain, but..." Faris looks thoughtful. "It's not easy
for me to say."
    "Because you were busy betraying our trust?" Misty demands.
    Togepi tears up a little at his mother's harsh tone, so far staying quiet
because of his sleepiness. "Brrriiiiii..." he cries a little, and Misty turns
her attention to him immediately, soothing him.
    She flashes her an annoyed look. "Might I remind you, Misty, that I invited
you to come along, and you accepted. I never once said that I might be on a
mission. And you knew already that I'm a member of Team Rocket, as were all the
other people accompanying me, so you knew there was a risk!"
    "YOU said you were going on vacation!"
    "I was telling the truth!" Faris argues. "We were going on a vacation; it 
just so happens I had to do a bit of work while I was here!"
    Now that Togepi's been subdued, Misty opens her mouth to further continue
the argument. However, Starr cuts her off. "Look, let's not dispute the fact
that we're all here to steal Pokémon. Yes, Misty, that's what we were sent here
for, but I wasn't told anything about going to the western beach. If I wasn't
told, I severely doubt James and Jessie were told either. Isn't that right,
James?"
    He nods. "Yeah...I was just as worried as you, Starr."
    "That's right," Starr nods. "So let's not worry about the details just yet.
Faris, just tell us what you were doing."
    Three young faces wait (im)patiently for an answer.
    Faris looks at Misty, then Starr, then James, then to Starr and Misty again.
There is a pause; then her face changes as if something had dawned on her. "Hey,
where's Jessie? I haven't seen her all day."
    "Orion took her away," James informs her. "None of us have seen her since the
duels yesterday."
    She makes a face. "So Jessie's gone to visit the No-Tell Motel. Likely, Orion
and she have been shagging all night and are just now enjoying a post-coital
cigarette." 
    Misty blinks and looks to Starr. "'Shagging'?" she repeats. "Is that what I
think it is?" 
    Starr makes a face. "Don't ask." 
    Faris sits up, ignoring the two. "I suppose it's my responsibility to go get
her. I was the one who beat her up, after all. James, you're coming along too,
right?"
    "Huh?" he says, completely caught off guard. "Why me?" 
    She smirks lightly. "'Cause Jessie won't abandon Akio's lap to come with me;
she hates me. With you there, however, I could possibly persuade her off his lap."
    "Hey! You still haven't answered our question!" Misty protests. 
    "Later," Faris replies with a slight wave of the hand. "C'mon, James, let's go
before things get worse." 
    Starr and James glance at each other, and the looks on their faces both
clearly state they think Faris is stalling, but they nod in agreement without
dispute. 
  
  

    *FZZT* 
    "Infomercial..." 
    *FZZT* 
    "Infomercial..." 
    *FZZT* 
    "Now, you too can achieve a healthier, shinier--" 
    "INFOMERCIAL...." 
    *FZZT* 
    "Oh, John...." 
    "Oh, Marcia...." 
    "Oh, give me a break!!!" 
    *FZZT* 
    "Someday, somehow, I know there's a better way! I'll find a--" 
    "--Satellite receiver company that'll actually PICK UP GOOD PROGRAMS!" 
    *click* 
    *click* 
    "NOOOO! AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH! IT ISN'T WORKING!!!!!!!" 
    "KILL IT!!!" 
    "--you'll see! Tomorrow is another day, and--" 
    *FZZZT* 
    "That was too close." 
    "I don't know what's worse...the quality of the batteries in this remote,
or these people's acting skills!" 
    "What skills?" 
    "Right, I forgot. They HAVE no skills! I MOCK their skills! I point and
laugh at their lack of skill!"
    "What the heck are you doing?!" Ash yells from the kitchen. 
    "NOTHING..." Misty and Starr call. 
    "I wish Faris'd let me come along with her and James to go get Jessie,"
Starr sighs. "Even if Jessie's decided she despises me again, Faris and James
have their work cut out for them to get Jessie away from Orion. Besides which,
I want to be able to kill Orion if he hits on Faris...or James for that
matter."
    "EWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!" Misty yells. "He'd hit on JAMES????" 
    "Please. He's hit on Thomas and Kevin." 
    "EEEEEEEEEEEEEW!!!" Misty yells even louder. 
    Ash comes back in laughing. "And Misty liked Thomas, too!" 
    Misty turns to Ash. "Shut up, you little dweeb!" 
    "What?" Ash grins from ear to ear. "You were talking about how dreamy he
wa--OWW! MISTY!!!!"
    "Guys, chill!!!" Starr yells, separating them. Whilst she does so, she hits
the channel up button on the remote, which she's still holding. Then she happens
to get a look at the TV set. 
    "...We interrupt our regular programming for an important bulletin. An
unidentified, large Pokémon has been sighted around West Cinnabar beach.
Trainers are warned by authorities not to approach, as--"
    "West Cinnabar beach?" Starr lets go of Misty and Ash, dropping the remote.
    Then, everything comes crashing together violently.
    "Rai chu?" Raichu waves a paw in front of his trainer's eyes.
    "Chuuuuuuuuuu...rai raichu, chuuu...."
    Starr blinks.
    Raichu still isn't totally satisfied. He jumps on her head.
    "NGAAA--URF!" Starr yowls, falling flat on her face. She gets up, spitting
out carpet lint. 
    "What happened?" Ash asks, leaning over so he can look at Starr.
    "Faris was at the western Cinnabar beach," Starr replies.
    "Yeah? So?"
    "Think about it," Starr tells the trainer of Pikachu as she gets up off the
floor. She heads for the door.
    "HEY! Where are you going?" Ash demands. 
    "Ends of the World," Starr replies. "Hrm. I seem to be spending a lot of
my time tailing Faris these days. It's weird."
    With that said, she dashes out the door. Raichu hops into the sidecar of
the motorcycle (which Starr left out just in case Faris and James needed her
help dragging Jessie out of No-Tell Motel), Starr plunks onto the seat, and
seconds later Team Rocket--or one of its members, anyway--is speeding off
again.
  

    Starr pulls up in front of Ends and looks around. "There doesn't seem to
be any kind of lodgings around here, let alone a motel."
    "Chu?" Raichu asks. 
    "Auauauauaaaaugh." Starr groans, flopping forwards over the handlebars.
"Dead end AGAIN!!!" 
    About that time fate decides to step in and help her out.
    Several loud screams and crashes begin emanating from somewhere. Starr's
head pops back up. 
    "Gee. Do you suppose that might be Jessie?" she asks, overly serious.
    "Chu, rai rai?" Raichu shrugs, playing along with the joke.
    Of course it's Jessie. Starr recognizes the sound of THAT Rocket spazzing
anywhere. She parks the motorcycle and runs off in the direction of the chaos.
  

    "COMING THROUGH!" 
    Michael jumps and hits all the piano keys at once. 
    "Huh?" he wonders, going to the door in search of the person causing the
ruckus.
    He looks down the hall to the left--
    ***CRASH***
    "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING."
    Kevin, and he sounds very annoyed. Michael looks down the hall to the right
and sees Kevin fighting with an equally annoyed--and VERY sarcastic--Starr.
    "I was watching where I was going, Saionji-sempai. I watched you coming
down the hall, I watched you look around and see me, and I watched you step
right out into my way on purpose so I would crash into you," Starr says calmly.
"Speaking of which, you're still in my way. Can I go, or do I have to smack you
upside the head again."
    Kevin looks as though he's about to yell at her, but he moves. Starr packs
a hell of a punch, and he doesn't want to experience being slapped again.
    Starr turns and sees Michael. 
    "Oh, hey..." she says, smiling. "I was here to inquire if you'd seen Faris,
James or Jessie here." 
    Suddenly another screech echoes down the hall.
    "BITCH!"
    "Never mind," Starr sweatdrops. "I think I can guess where they are."
    "Here, I'll show you where they are," Michael offers, indicating a hall
branching off to the left. "Orion's apartment is this way."
    "No-Tell Motel..." Starr mumbles.
    Michael hides a grin.
    When Michael and Starr arrive at the door, they see Faris looking largely
unimpressed at Jessie's ranting and screaming act. James is inching away from
the door gradually, and Orion looks rather amused.
    "...and if you think for FIVE seconds that you're going to steal Orion from
me *too*, you little--"
    "*a-HEM.*" Starr makes a loud throat-clearing noise.
    Everyone jumps.
    Starr waves.
    Jessie, seeing the cherry-haired Rocket there, assumes that Starr is her
ally. "Starr, don't you agree that ANYONE would do what I did if she had her
best friend stolen and then got beaten up when she tried to get him back from
some prissy little--"
    "Jessie--" 
    "--who acts like she HATES him?" 
    "Jessie..." 
    "Well?" 
    "Well, what?" 
    "WELL? Wouldn't you have done what I did!?!?" 
    "Actually no." 
    "See, Faris, Starr is--WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATT???" 
    "I said no." 
    Jessie blinks. "Wh- wh--What do you mean no?" 
    "I mean no. If I'm depressed, I go for chocolate and a bubble bath, not
Shag Tag and the No-Tell Motel," Starr shrugs.
    James is turning redder and redder. 
    Starr notices and turns to him. "If you want to go, you can." 
    Faris nods. "It's not like you're obligated to stay and listen to Jessie
ranting." 
    "RANTING???" Jessie demands. 
    "Ranting," Faris repeats. 
    "YOU LITTLE--" 
    Starr tunes the fighting out and peeks past Jessie into the apartment.
White leather couches of course...rose patterns on various things...a nice
star chart tacked up on one wall...
    ...And a bed with very, VERY messed up blankets.
    "Heeeh..." Starr squeaks, looking away when Orion glances at her curiously.
    She turns her attention back to Faris and Jessie; the latter has just
finished her latest rant.
    Faris makes an unimpressed face. "Well, if that's the way you feel, stay
here." 
    Everyone blinks. "Huh?" 
    "James and I will go on a date into the Festival, and you can... enjoy
yourself... for the rest of your life here. We're not coming back for you again,
Jess. As far as we're concerned, you deserted the team," she explains in a
clipped tone. "C'mon, James, I'm sick of her BS. If she likes her coffin so much,
she can stay there for the rest of eternity. You coming too, Starr?"
    "WHAT!?!?" Jessie fumes. Starr gives her a strange look.
    "Uh... I guess so..." she falters, walking to her side. She gives the
infuriated Jessie a quick glance before the three of them leave the room.
    "Grrrrrrrr......." Jessie snarls, clenching a fist. "You think you're gonna
be rid of me THAT easily!?! I bet that's what you were planning all along!!!"
    She's about to chase after them when Orion gently places his hands on her
shoulders and coos into her ear, "Now, now... she's not worth a second of your
thought, and you know that."
    At the sound of his voice, Jessie melts into a happy little puddle. "Well...
of course not! I'm way better than she is..." 
    "Of course, Jessie," he purrs. "But even so, you can't let a snit like that
talk to you in such disrespectful tones. I'll tell you what. Jessie, you bring
her back here and I'll teach her a lesson." He kisses her on the base of her
neck, leaving a hickey behind.
    Jessie sighs blissfully, a pile of vanilla pudding in his arms. "Sure...
I'll get her," she smiles dreamily. "I'll teach her not to mess with me
again..."
    Orion's catty grin, which is unseen by Jessie, grows considerably. "I'm
sure you'll succeed. Now. Go. You don't want to lose them, do you?" He pushes
her gently, to get her started. 
    She almost falls to the floor, but he catches her just in time. "Hurry up,"
he admonishes her lightly. Eager to please, she scrambles off after Faris-tachi.
    Orion watches her leave, smiling slightly. With a low chuckle, he strolls
back to his Italian imported white leather couch, sits down, and picks up a
random iced drink from the coffee table in front of him. Almost ceremoniously,
he takes a sip.



    "Hee hee heee..." 
    "What's so funny?" 
    "Heee heee heee heee....." 
    "James, you are starting to freak me out. Tell me what's so funny!" 
    James giggles a little more and smiles over at Starr. "I just find this
whole date highly ironic. About a month ago, I would have given my right arm
for Faris to accept an invitation to go out with me. Now *she's* the one
who's asking *me*!"
    "Well, don't let your ego get *too* big," Faris teases, glomping him
lightly. "We *are* engaged after all." 
    "That reminds me, are you okay with that, Faris?" Starr queries, looking
to the younger girl. "I mean, at the duel arena, you were pretty upset and
all..."
    "Oh, that?" Faris waves it off with a flick of her hand. "It's not a
problem; that was just reaction. I mean, there are worse people I could be
engaged to. And at least I'm engaged to someone I love." With that, she kisses
a lightly blushing James on the cheek.
    Starr grins. "You're finally admitting you love him?" she teases lightly.
    "Yes; I love James," Faris replies matter-of-factly, arms still wrapped
around his neck. "I'm happy about our engagement."
    James' blush grows a little deeper. "Well, I don't want to get married
just yet," he confesses. 
    This evokes a laugh from his fiancée. "I don't either," she smiles. "I'm
just saying that when we eventually get married, I'll be happy about it."
    James smiles, still blushing. Faris laughs and kisses him, then whispers
into his ear, "And I bet you'll be happy when the wedding night comes, hmmm???"
    His response is to turn beet red. "Um, uh, well, uhhmmm....... Er......
welll.............." he stammers.
    Starr laughs too. "I bet I can guess what you said," she grins. "You are
EVIL, Faris!!" 
    Faris grins back at her. "I couldn't help myself," she winks. She un-latches
herself from James' neck and grabs his arm. "C'mon, James, let's go on some
rides, okay?" she smiles. 
    "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," Starr smiles. "I'll see you later,
okay?" 
    James and Faris smile. "Sure," the two reply in unison. They wave good-bye
as the cherry-haired Rocket runs off.
  

    Jessie glares at her two teammates as they walk about the festival, talking
and laughing and generally enjoying themselves. She's been stalking them for
quite some time now, and it severely pisses her off that they're so happy together.
The thought that maybe the two of them are right for each other doesn't cross her
mind; she's too used to thinking of things the way she wants them to be.



    Sephiroth yawns, letting the sun warm his body as he relaxes on the beach.
He's in a good mood, even though he's yet to leave the beach. Faris is happy,
and that makes him happy. She's with the boy, James, whom she's so fond of...
Knowing that she's happy makes him happy. He likes being happy, it's a nice
feeling. Being near Faris makes him happy, and so he didn't leave. Maybe he'll
stay around her for good. He hasn't really decided yet. For now, he's just going
to enjoy the sun and listen to the lulling sound of the waves...
    "There it is!" a voice calls in the distance, but Sephiroth ignores it. When
the first sharp pain stings into his shoulder, he just brushes it off. When the
second, quickly followed by the third, arrives, he opens his eyes, starting to
get a little annoyed.
    Hmm. Humans. Should he let them live? They're dressed all funny, and they're
scrambling around like ants. It's really rather amusing.. He's in a good mood.
He'll ignore them. 
    One of them fires another shot, which lands at the base of his neck.
    That one hurts. A lot.
    Sephiroth is instantly on his feet.
    In the same motion, all the humans raise their guns.
    He scowls. NOW he recognizes them. Tranquilizer guns. He remembers those
things all too well...the scientists must have sent them. He's going to pay
for his carelessness...he should have known they would have come for him.
    It can't be helped now. It's his own fault...Sephiroth thinks as he sweeps
away half of the miniature army with a single psychic blast, and the other half
shoot their entire load of tranq darts into his body, that he was a fool to stay.
A fool. A fool. A fool.. a foo..... f.......... 
    His thoughts and vision already blurred beyond recognition, Sephiroth shuts
his eyes and collapses onto the beach.
    There is a long moment of silence. 
    "Is it down?" one of the people queries tersely. 
    The person next to him bak's him over the head. "Hurry up! We have to get
Mewtwo back to the lab. If those elephant tranquilizers end up killing it,
WE'RE the ones who'll have hell to pay!" 
    With a murmur of consensus amongst the troops, they scramble around the
6'7" Pokémon, drag him over to their truck, pack him aboard, and then make
tracks for the laboratory.



    "Mmmm...." 
    "Faris? Faris? ...Hey, Faris!" 
    "Huh?" Faris blinks, then turns her gaze to a concerned James. 
    "Are you okay? You seem kinda out of it..." he says. 
    "Mm? I dunno, I just felt tired all of a sudden," she replies before
yawning, as if to prove her point. She leans back on the bench they're
sitting on. "Maybe because I didn't get any sleep last night."
    "You want to go home?"
    She makes a face. "Go home to Martina? No thanks. Let me just be with
you..." With that, she rests her head on his shoulder.
    James blinks in surprise, then smiles fondly at her. He leans his face
down next to hers and softly kisses her on the cheek; then, a whispered,
"I love you, Faris." 
    Before he can pull away, she whispers back, "I love you too, James."
    Smiling, James glows with pleasure.
  

    "Isn't that couple on the bench over there so adorable? Just like my
husband and I when we were younger," an elderly woman comments to a
red-haired girl standing behind her.
    Her equally grayed husband, standing next to her, nods. "It's wonderful
to see young people so deeply in love, don't you think so?" 
    "No," Jessie replies in a clipped tone, glaring at the cozy twosome
from the middle of a line in front of an ice cream shop.
  
  

    Starr is meandering around. Michael couldn't come with her to the
fair, but she doesn't mind. Raichu and Batts offered to be her dates.
Well, Raichu did. Batts just kind of shook his head and came along,
although he did smile a little when she shared her Skittles.
    Starr takes a huge bite of her raspberry ice and watches a group of
kids playing Red Rover. 
    The night's almost too perfect. 
    She really wishes the pessimistic little voice in her head would shush,
but she really has a bad feeling about this. Usually there's a steady
breeze...tonight, none. The air seems to be pressing down...waiting?
    She wants to find Faris and James. Faris said they'd be on the East
Beach...she's about three-quarters of the way there.
    She looks out over the flat ocean. 
    A faint, pale glow shines out, a pinprick of light on the west
beach... 
    It only takes her a few seconds to settle it. 
    She hurriedly finishes the raspberry ice and heads for the East
beach, walking a bit faster than usual... 
    "<Hey, wait up!>" Raichu protests. 
    <What's the matter?> Batts asks Starr. 
    She shakes her head. "I just hate feelings of impending doom." 



    "...what...think...is supposed to mean?" 
    A snort. "What are you, stupid?!" 
    Sephiroth blinks slowly, repeatedly, his blurred vision slowly
beginning to clear. The voice, female, continues, "What's going on
here is OBVIOUS. There's a leak in the system. Even though you're
boring and dense, I would have thought even YOU could figure that
out, *Mr* Ilser."
    An annoyed noise. Three figures are slowly coming into view; the
three head scientists. The strawberry blonde woman and her male,
brown-haired counterpart are arguing, as usual. The other woman
scientist, with the unusual short-cut chestnut hair is, as usual,
ignoring the two.
    The male, Shaun Ilser, frowns at the woman, Alisa Laurence. "What
are you so angry about, anyhow? We have Mewtwo back. It shouldn't be
too hard to find the traitor."
    "You're too simplistic, even if you ARE a male!" Alisa snaps back,
blue eyes flashing. "We can't just jail the traitor. The Mewtwo Project
is FINISHED, and Team Rocket knows about it! We need to figure out who
THAT person is," and here she jabs a finger onto a TV screen, which is
playing something over and over, "and make sure he PAYS for messing with
our plans!!" 
    "In all likelihood, that person will eventually return for Mewtwo,
one he or she learns that Mewtwo has been recaptured," the brunette woman,
Cara Raymond, states calmly. "Speaking of Mewtwo, he's awake."
    "Who cares?" Alisa snaps crabbily. "I put TOO MUCH work into this to
let some punk from Team Rocket steal it away!!"
    Shaun grimaces. "You're overreacting again, Alisa," he grumbles.
    She notices. "That's MISS Laurence to YOU!"
    Sephiroth looks on sullenly at the hopelessly squabbling children. For
people with 'genius' IQ's, they certainly do spend a lot of their time
arguing... he switches his gaze to Cara. Although she's an aloof woman,
he likes her somewhat better than the others. He's never once seen her
raise her voice or lose her temper, much unlike Alisa, who blows up at every
little thing. Most of all, she's the only one who is unafraid of him. All of
the others, including Alisa and Shaun, fear him to some extent; she simply
doesn't care. In a strange sort of way, he finds that comforting.
    Cara glances at him for a split-second, then walks up to Alisa and Shaun.
"Something has been bothering me for a while now," she comments, interrupting
their current subject of dispute. "We all know Faris Greyweirs attended the
Cinnabar Festival this year. It made front-page news."
    Alisa glares at her. "Yeah, SO?" 
    Ignoring her rude tone, Cara continues, "Consider this: Faris Greyweirs is
the niece of Lenna Inverse, the Pokémon breeder famous for being able to calm
down even the worst-tempered Pokémon. She did so with Mewtwo as well, remember.
In fact, before she died, Lenna was to be Mewtwo's designated trainer."
    Sephiroth's attention is riveted directly on the three of them as Alisa and
Shaun nod slowly. 
    "Faris is famous for never coming to the Summer Festival, yet for some
unknown reason, she chose to attend this summer--the same summer the Mewtwo
Project has finally been completed. What's more, Faris' hair is lavender,"
Cara calmly explains. She points to the lavender-haired Rocket talking to the
caged Mewtwo on the full color screen. "This person, my colleagues, is most
likely Faris Greyweirs."
    Sephiroth's eyes widen, then narrow. His tail thumps against the ground, but
the others ignore him. 
    Alisa scoffs. "But that's a man!" 
    "I don't know," Shaun says, regarding the video with renewed interest. "That
hair looks a lot like it's tucked into his sweater. Faris Greyweirs is the best bet
we have. What an incredible scandal! Who would have thought Faris Greyweirs is a
member of Team Rocket?"
    Alisa grins viciously, any previous arguments immediately erased from her mind.
"If we let that slip, her reputation as a Pokémon trainer would be ruined."
    A low growl emanates from Sephiroth's throat. They continue to ignore him. 
    Cara and Shaun give her wary looks. "What are you suggesting?" Shaun queries
rhetorically. 
    She rolls her eyes. "What are you, stupid? You should know exactly what I'm
saying! We arrest Faris Greyweirs on the terms that she's a member of Team Rocket."
    "Other than this videotape, we have no proof," Cara reminds her calmly. 
    "I really don't care!!" Alisa snaps. "This is a matter of pride now--I'm NOT
going to let anyone, even if it's Faris Greyweirs, get away with ruining MY work!!!"
    /For the sake of YOUR pride.../ Sephiroth seethes, standing on two legs, /you'll
sacrifice someone else's freedom!? Unforgivable...completely unforgivable!! Isn't
it enough that you've killed *my* hope for the future!?/
    Shaun's shoulders sag a little and shakes his head, but wisely decides not to
argue. "When do we arrest her?" he sighs. 
   "Immediately!" she smirks. 
    "We need a warrant to search her house," Cara states. "Excuse me, I have
something else to attend to." 
    Alisa glares at her as she smoothly walks towards the door. "We'll think
of something!" she snaps to her back as she grabs the microphone for the PA
system. "Attention, all guards!! I have identified the would-be thief of Mewtwo:
it's Faris Greyweirs! All of you, get your butts out into the city and arrest
her!! If you have to hurt her, so be it! Knock her unconscious if you have to!
Resisting arrest is just another crime to add to her list!"
    "Hold on! What if they kill her!?" Shaun protests. 
    "KILL her if you have to!!" Alisa adds, turning off the mike. During the
splitseconds it takes for her to turn to scream at Shaun, several thoughts race
through Sephiroth's mind. 
    /they'll kill faris--kill her!? this is my fault, my fault entirely, I should
have run away--run?!? run!?! since when have they ever taught me to run away!?
it's their fault...their fault...their fault...THEIR FAULT!!!!/
    These thoughts, and billions other like them, converge into the following:
    The humans stole his freedom. Now they are going to steal the freedom of the
one human he likes that isn't dead.
    The destruction of freedom is an unforgivable sin. They have sinned against
him all his life, sin after sin after sin, and he took it with no complaints.
They took everything they wanted from him without giving one whit in return,
they molded him into their image of a perfect fighting machine; and he allowed
them to do so.
    That ends now.
    There will be no forgiveness. There will be no mercy.
    There will only be death for the relentless sinners.
    Yes...he will live up to his name.
    Even on the other side of Cinnabar, the shock waves of the explosion on the
western beach are tremendous enough to throw people to the ground.



    The kids are shaken to the ground. Starr goes sprawling in a graceful
faceflop, as do most of the people on the street. 
    She gets up and looks around. A dull red tongue of flame is flickering up
over the ocean, from the direction of the West Beach.
    "Chu!" Raichu groans indignantly, getting up from underneath Batts. 
    <I believe that was the impending doom,> Batts remarks. 
    That's enough for Starr. 
    She and the Pokémon take off at a dead run. 
  

    Faris' eyes snap open. /something's wrong--/ 
    At that split second, James and she tumble to the ground from the shock.
    "What was that!? An earthquake?" James yells, rudely snapped out of his
peaceful reverie. 
    "No..." she whispers. "You didn't..." 
    "What?" he utters, staring over at her rapidly paling face. "Faris, what--"
    "Look." She points a finger. He follows her lead; what he sees is a blazing
beacon of fire and destruction miles high and, unfortunately, only miles away.
    His mouth drops open. "Oh my god..." 
    Faris whispers, her face deathly pale, "He's coming. And he's angry.
Sephiroth..."


    |ortus aeternus   mors innocentia   sentire repente   ira occultus|
    The heat of the blaze around him would have melted anyone else to a pile of
ashes, but not him. No. His power protects him. The power of science; the power
of humans. It's almost ironic, that humans have no power by themselves but hold
the ability to give incredible power to others. Perhaps it's their weakness that
breeds their cruelty.
    In either case, he doesn't care. 
    As Sephiroth stalks down the streets of Cinnabar, death follows him. An icy
blue aura surrounds him, and as he proceeds towards his unknown destination,
everything around him crumbles into nothing. The screaming, panicking humans
are the only things that catch his attention; that is, until he kills them. The
human race is a parasite, leeching everything it desires off everything around
them. He holds no regret in his heart.
    |strages strages: vale caelum !    strages strages: vale serenum ! |
    "Mommy, Mommy, please wake up!!" a little girl sobs to her mother, whose
prone body lies in the street, surrounded by a mysterious red liquid. "Please,
Mommy, don't leave me alone, I'm scared..."
    Sephiroth turns his head to the girl. A pinprick of feeling strikes his
heart before his eyes flash, and the barely standing building above the girl
and her dead mother tumbles down on top of the two.
    He turns his head back to the path before him without giving the girl a
second thought. The humans are pouring into the street, some of them attacking
him, some of them wisely running away. Those who run away will be left alone,
for now. There is no where they can go.
    |vale vale: caelum serenum !    salve salve: caelum sanguineus ! |
    Those who attack send other Pokémon out to battle with him. Another display
of the shortcomings of humans; they know they are too weak by themselves to fight
one such as he; and thus, they summon their Pokémon, their servants, to work for
them.
    Sephiroth's eyes narrow. 
    Any and all monsters facing him are pitched thousands of yards away, leaving
the humans alone. 
    More Pokémon sent out. 
    The same result. 
    Growing tired of this, Sephiroth psychically tears the humans to shreds. They
are not worthy of any extensive length of attention.
  

    |ortus occultus    mors repentinus    sentire imprudens    ira aeternus|
    "Attention, everyone in Cinnabar!" a female voice announces over the island-
wide PA system. Her voice is surprisingly calm and monotone as she continues; "The
explosion was caused by the Pokémon sighted earlier on the western beach, which
is known as Mewtwo. It is now on a rampage, and is destroying everything in its
path. Mewtwo is heading towards the eastern beach. If you value your life, stay
out of its way." The PA system goes dead.
    Starr's mouth drops open.
    "Eastern beach......"
    This being the main street right TO the Eastern beach, she's right IN Mewtwo's
way. Not to mention the fact that Faris and James... 
    THUD. 
    She turns in time to see a rather hapless trainer and his Jynx slam head-on
into the wall of a building. 
    "CHU????" Raichu exclaims. 
    Batts looks shocked. <What kind of psychic power does this Mewtwo have, to be
able to do this???> 
    "There's no way I'm sending you guys to fight that thing," Starr reassures them,
though she feels very UNreassured herself.
    "Rai.." Raichu latches onto Starr's ankle in a grateful hug. 
    Starr sighs, then a wave of fear washes over her. She's right in the middle of
harm's way, Faris and James are too although they aren't nearly as close, she doesn't
know WHERE Jessie is, and--
    "AAAAAAAAAAAA! MOMMY!"
    The noise of panicking kids jolts Starr back to reality.
    When she turns to see what's going on, she's totally unprepared for what she
sees. 
    A HUGE lavender-white Pokémon, stained gold by the flickering fire, is looming
over a group of kids--probably a day camp, they all wear green shirts--huddled behind
an overturned fruit cart. 
    One thought enters Starr's mind. 
    NIBELHEIM. 
    Drawing a huge breath, she yells, "HEY! OVER HERE! PICK ON SOMEONE WHO'S AT LEAST
CLOSE TO YOUR OWN SIZE, YOU..."
    Mewtwo turns and glares.
    All he needs is Makou eyes.
    Starr refuses to back down, though. As of now, Mewtwo is just glaring.
    Sephiroth looks at the girl facing him. She must be insane to face off against
him. It's strange...the two Pokémon by her aren't attacking...she's actually pushing
them behind her. 
    She yells again. "LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE! MURDERER! PSYCHO! DESTROYER... YOU...
YOU--SEPHIROTH." 
    Sephiroth is taken slightly aback. He determines after less than a second, though,
that she doesn't know his name. It's merely a coincidence. Having established that, he
levitates her a few feet in the air--to his eye level.
    Her eyes go wide. 
    /Traitor/ 
    He drops her and gives her a 'gentle' psychic push that sends her crashing into a
game stand. 
    "AAAAAAA--OWWW!" 
    Stuffed Chanseys, chocobos, Charmanders and Chu-Chu's rain down around Starr,
but she gets up again. She runs to the kids and herds them all over toward the stand,
which is sturdier than most. She looks around for Mewtwo. Oddly, it--he?--seems to
have gone. She shrugs and focuses on making sure the huge group of kids huddling scared
in the booth is safe.
    She stands. 
    "Now stay there, you'll--" 
    One of the kids screams, "LADY! LOOK OUT!" 
    "CHUUUUUUUUUU!" Rachu yells in alarm. 
    Starr gasps and straightens. 
    She half-turns-- 
    --And something strikes her hard across her back and head. 
    Namely, Mewtwo's tail. 
    The world tips sideways and slowly fades to fuzzy black as Starr's green eyes
glaze over. She falls to her knees, then flat on her stomach, eyes closed, oblivious
to the world.

    |ortus innocentia    mors aeternitas    sentire in occulto    ira repentinus|
    Sephiroth's eyes narrow as he glares down at her. He's about to finish her off
when the pinprick comes again. 
    He decides to leave her instead, and turns back towards the direction he'd been
originally heading to. 

    "wake up!" 
    "Uooohhhh..." Starr moans as someone pokes her ear. 
    Raichu. He's sitting on her. Batts sighs to the electric mouse, <Good. I was a
little concerned. Usually Recover works faster than that.> 
    "Chu." Raichu hugs Starr. 
    The kids are clustered around her when she opens her eyes. "where'sh myewtwo?"
she asks a little indistinctly. 
    "The huge Pokémon went down that road," one of the kids says. "You're not going
to follow it, are you?" 
    Starr stands up, wobbling. "Wh.....hey......that road goes...th...!!!!!!!! Someone
could....... **AAAAAAAAAAAIGH!!!!!***....JAMES!!!! FARIS!!!!!!!"
    With that slightly inarticulate point made, Starr shakes off the rest of the
dizziness, stands, and orders the kids, "You stay here. Two of my friends are out
there. I have to help any way I can...." 
    She turns and dashes off, following the trail of various smashed objects in
Mewtwo's wake. Raichu nods to Batts, who teleports them to Starr's destination..
  
  

    strages strages: vale infans !    strages strages: vale innocens ! 
    "Oh my gosh..." Misty whispers, covering her mouth. 
    She, Brock, Ash, Pikachu, and Togepi all gaze, dumbstruck, at the approaching path
of destruction. 
    "We...we've got to stop it!" Ash declares, his cap turned backwards. "We can't
just *let* Mewtwo go around smashing whatever it wants!" 
    "I don't think we should do anything for now," Brock says. "I don't think it sees
us yet, but if we don't get out of its way now, we could get killed!" 
    "But..." Ash protests, turning to his friend. "We can't just *let* it go on a
rampage!" 
    "PIKAPI!!!!" Pikachu yells, jumping up into her trainer's face. "PI pikachu!! Pi
pi pi pi PII~~ ka!! CHUU!!! Pika chu PI!!"

    Stunned, Ash falls silent to listen to reason. 
    "Ash, don't be stupid!!" Misty yells, taking advantage of this. "You heard the
announcement same as we did! Mewtwo is REALLY DANGEROUS! This isn't just some
Pokémon battle where you'll just lose a fight, you could lose your LIFE too! We can't
DO anything!!!"
    The young Pokémon trainer is about to argue this point when three older boys run
out from the other side, yell something undistinguishable to Mewtwo, and throw out
their Pokéballs. 
    Ash stands immediately. "I can't let those guys fight by themselves!" he says
determinedly. Before Misty or Brock can stop him, he runs out into the battlefield,
three Pokéballs already in hand. 
    "PIKA PIIIIII~~~~!!!!!" 
    "AA~~SH!!!!!!" "ASH, DON'T!!!!" 
    vale vale: infans innocens !    salve salve: infans fatalis ! 
    Before he can throw out Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Pidgeotto, however, the Pokémon
of the three other boys are sent flying. The three boys themselves are flung in
midair, then messily dissected by flying debris--all of which are being controlled by
Mewtwo's icy psychic aura. Their bodies and limbs and internal organs, now separated
from each other, fall into a heap.
    Ash abruptly reconsiders, comes to a new decision quickly, and turns to run back
to Pikachu and the others. Before he can take a step, a small orb or energy hits the
ground where he is, sending him flying.
    Luckily, he lands on Misty and the others, and although they take on various
scratches and bruises, and Togepi is crying, they remain largely unhurt... which
cannot be said for the other boys.
    Through the smoke of the explosion, Mewtwo emerges. Misty shushes Togepi to the
best of her ability, and the moment is pure tenseness as they wait to see if Mewtwo
will attack them; out of pure terror, Ash-tachi remain deathly still; 
    The psychic Pokémon ignores them as if it didn't know they're there, and continues
on its way. 
    "There's nothing we can do to stop it," Brock whispers to Ash and Misty as it makes
its way off. Togepi is still frightened, but he isn't crying as hard as it had before.
"The only thing we can do is try to stop the fire and help any survivors."
    "I agree," Misty nods, pulling out her Pokéballs and holding Togepi. "We'll use
our Pokémon to put out the fire!"
    Ash, still stunned, only nods. 
  

    |ortus repentinus    mors occultus    sentire in aeternum    ira innocentia|
    Jessie stares out at the approaching death. Her arms are limp at her side. It
seems almost as if she's already dead. 
    After a long moment, she turns her head. 
    James and Faris are still standing there too. They haven't left or fled. They're
standing, side by side, expecting death. Probably hand in hand, too. 
    She turns her head back to the monster. "Why am I doing this?" she murmurs to
herself. She wipes the forming tears from her eyes, and walks over to join the two.
    Faris glances at her as she stops next to James. "What are you doing here, Jessie?"
she queries in a non-demanding tone, just one denoting curiosity. 
    Jessie shakes her head. "I don't know, either." 
    "It's going to be dangerous." 
    "Yeah...I figured." 
    "He's after me." 
    |strages strages: vale infans !     strages strages: vale innocens ! |
    Jessie and James both stare at her. "How do you know?" they question in unison. 
    Faris doesn't meet their gaze. "...I'll settle this myself. There's no need for you
two to get needlessly injured. Run off and hide somewhere. Oh yes..." She looks past
James, to Jessie. "If I die, you have my blessing. Now get out of here, both of you."
She turns away.
    Both Jessie and James' face register surprise. They exchange a glance; James shakes
his head. "I'm not leaving you," he states evenly, squeezing her hand a little. "I'm
not going to leave you alone. I promised I wouldn't."
    A tiny smile forms on Faris' lips, and she squeezes back.
    Jessie nods, forcing herself not to look at her. "I'm not leaving either. If I die,
I'm sure as hell not going to die alone!"
    "Thanks, Jess," Faris smiles. 
    This time, Jessie can't help but take a glance. 
    A black shadow appears against the stalking flames only a couple hundred yards away.
    "He's here," Faris whispers. 
    vale vale: infans innocens !     salve salve: infans fatalis ! 
    Out from the raging waves of fire, Sephiroth emerges. 
    Her grip on James' hand loosens, then breaks off entirely. 
    "Faris--" 
    "Don't try to stop me," she tells him quietly, taking a step forward. "This is
something I have to do."
    "But--!" 
    "I SAID," Faris repeats, glaring at James, "DON'T try to stop me." 
    He hesitates a second, but steps back and nods. 
    She looks away from him, turning her gaze to Sephiroth, a newborn angel of red.
"When we said 'it's a promise'..." she whispers, "I never thought it would come to
this." She closes her eyes. "I guess it's up to me now."
    As she approaches him, Sephiroth takes no heed of her, as if she didn't exist
at all. His attention goes only to those nearest to him, such as that small girl
and her older brother, both sobbing in terror--
    Faris breaks into a run.
    It's not like her to care about other people, but this time it's different.  She
doesn't know why, and her pace doesn't slow, even as Sephiroth's already dark red
tail, like the claw of a scorpion that's already struck several times, crushes the
boy in one blow.
    He takes aim to finish off the now screaming girl.
    James starts running. A second passes before Jessie takes his lead.
    "YAMETE~~~!!!" she screams, throwing herself in front of the little girl in the
desperate hope that Sephiroth will recognize her and stop himself. 
    Sephiroth's thoughts are racing ten thousand kilometers per second. At that moment,
even Faris looks like another sinning human.
    His tail, as deadly as any scorpion's, does not slow for her.
    |vale vale vale vale vale vale infans innocens ! |
    |salve salve salve salve salve salve infans fatalis ! |
    Time seems to stretch across infinity as Sephiroth twirls around, using his tail
as a deadly whip, ready to fling Faris into the stone building one hundred yards away.
    The flow of angered tears of blood colors everything around them crimson red....
    CRAAAAAACK.
    "Aaahh..." Faris gasps, her eyes widening in shock.
    In the near distance, the church bells of the Ends of the World Arena crash
wildly as Sephiroth's tail smashes into James, who had pushed Faris out of harm's way
to take the brunt of the blow himself, and sends him flying.
    There is a second CRAAACK, off one hundred yards away. 
    Although it is fainter than the previous one, it is by far more sickening. 
    The ensuing moment comprises of Starr, Ash and the others arriving too late;
Jessie stopping in her tracks only yards away from Faris and Sephiroth; Sephiroth
slowing down long enough to realize where he is and what he's been doing; and Faris'
reaction to what had just happened.
    "Iya... IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!"
    Even as the agonized scream leaves her mouth, Faris is on her feet and sprinting
to James' still form. 
    The scream echoes through the night air, even though the roar of the flames is
intense enough to crush thought. 
    "My god..." Jessie whispers before taking flight herself. Starr, Ash and their
crew take to their feet a split-second after.
   Sephiroth remains where he stands now, numbed by the depth of what he's done.
    "James...James!! JAMES!!!" Faris shrieks, pulling the still James into her lap
and shaking him, as if it would do any good. Her calls continue to the point where
they border on hysteria. 
    "No.. noo..." she sobs, dipping her head onto his chest. "Noooo...." Her tears
overflow, and she lifts a hand to try to wipe them away.
    A different wetness touches her cheek even as the tears and brushed off. She
pulls her hand away...
    Jessie and the others arrive in time to see that her hand, which had been
supporting James' head, is drenched in fresh blood.
    Faris stares at her hand, bottom lip trembling. Faint, indistinguishable noises
come from deep within her throat. Her eyes, colored the same crimson as the liquid 
on her hand, go wide and indistinct. 
    "You promised..." she whispers to the smoke-laden air, "...you promised... you
wouldn't...leave me alone..." 
    And she faints. 
    Toppling forward onto the still form of the one man she loves, Faris faints. 
    "Oh, god, what a mess.." Jessie mutters sympathetically as she pulls the older
girl off of him. "I guess it was just too much for her to handle." 
    "Don't make fun of her!" Ash snaps. "James is dead, she has a right to be upset
enough to faint!!" 
    "I'm not making fun of her!" Jessie snaps back, her own blue eyes starting to
fill with tears. 
    Starr and Batts step forward and kneel next to James. Gently, Starr pulls him
into her own lap, holding his body close to hers, as if she could somehow keep the
warmth, which is steadily draining from him, from departing completely. Her tears
spill onto his blood-stained face, and she sobs.
    Misty, Brock, Pikachu, Togepi and Ash fall silent, their own eyes filling with
tears. Even though for most of the time they had known him he was a thorn in their
side, now... now he was almost a friend. And even if they still didn't like him,
it's still heartbreaking to watch.
    Jessie can't look. She can't bring herself to look. 
    Batts takes a step forward. <...> His eyes glow soft blue as he stares at the
young man. A few seconds pass. 
    <He is not dead.> 
    Everyone's heads snap up, including Jessie's. "What?!" 
    <He is not dead,> Batts repeats. <He was only almost dead. I used Recover on
him, so he's not on the brink anymore. I think I may be able to save him. However,
the odds aren't in his favor, so...> 
    "Do it anyway," Starr says quietly, tears still melting down her cheeks. "Even
if it's a 1% chance, we've gotta try. Faris would never forgive us if we didn't."
    "Yeah...that's right," Jessie agrees. "Save him, Batts, for Faris' sake, okay?"
    <I would have done so even if you hadn't asked,> he replies before falling
silent with concentration. His entire body glows lavender-blue, and James' body
takes on a very faint version of the same aura. 
    Several tense minutes pass. 
    Ash swallows hard. "Hey..." he says weakly to no one in particular. "I thought
psychic Pokémon could only use the Recover move on themselves. How come Batts can
use it on James?"
    "Shut up, stupid brat," Jessie replies in a tired tone, missing its usual
harsh edge. "Who cares how he does it, as long as he can do it."
    "Jessie," Starr says in a slightly scolding tone, but she too sounds tired.
"Ash, before we met upon the way here, I got hurt by Mewtwo, and Batts healed me.
He told me when I asked him afterwards, that the reason he can do such a thing is
because of Faris' training. She wanted him to be able to do such a thing in case
one of her Pokémon was ever hurt and she wasn't near a Pokémon Center. So, they
worked together, and after a few weeks, he mastered the ability to use Recover on
other Pokémon--and on humans, too." She sighs, bowing her head slightly.
    As the minutes pass, Sephiroth watches in silence. An empty hole is growing
within him; a horrible feeling from the knowledge that he may have killed someone
important to Faris. The heat of the fire, beyond that of a hundred thousand open
ovens; the sound of the fire, equal to the crashing of a giant waterfall or the
howling of hurricane winds; the smell of the fire, mixed with burning buildings
and corpses; even the sight of the fire, as real and yet as unreal as anything one
could imagine, all fade away into nothingness compared to this realization.
    "What of us? What do I say? Are we both from a different world? 'Cause every
breath that I take, I breath it for you. I couldn't face my life without you, and
I'm so afraid. There's nothing to comfort us. What am I, if I can't be yours?"
    Sephiroth's indistinct sight comes into focus as the strange stanza enters
his thoughts. He turns his head to Faris, who is lying, as still and as beautiful
as a delicate china doll, in Jessie's arms as the crowd continues to watch Batts
attempt to heal James, and hope.
    'Your mind...' He blinks, and even he starts to cry in sorrow. 'As you wish
for death, even then your mind is filled with music.'
    Sephiroth turns to the inferno surrounding him and everything. 
    He shuts his eyes, and concentrates. 
    Over at the Pokémon Center several miles away, which has not yet been touched
by the fire, every Pokéball containing a water Pokémon cracks open. 

    Although the aura is somewhat stronger, James has yet to make any motion
denoting that he is close to recovering consciousness. 
    The hope that everyone is struggling to keep a hold on is starting to fade.
    Batts' aura dies down, and he lifts his head.
    "He's not going to last, is he..." Jessie comments quietly as she toys
with Faris' hair. 
    <...> He shakes his head. <Probably not. Even though I used up most of my
energy, I wasn't at full strength.. the best you can do is pray.> 
    "But I don't believe in God," Jessie says quietly. "What do I do then?"
    <...You can quietly despair.>
    "Yappari..." a faint voice says. Jessie glances down to see that an ashen
Faris has awakened. "He's going to die...." 
    Batts closes his eyes. <It is the more likely option. If I had been at full
strength, perhaps, then...> 
    "It's okay," she whispers, eyes slightly glazed over as she struggles to
get up. Jessie helps her as she continues, "I suppose I shouldn't have been so
naďve to trust his promise..." Gently, she takes him from Starr's arms and
cradles him, as tenderly as one would rock a small child, or perhaps a cherished
doll that had just been broken beyond repair. She brushes a strand of hair out of
his shut eyes, and whispers, "Even though I know you intended to keep it...I told
you, but you wouldn't listen..." Her tears fall onto his cheeks, and to the others,
it almost looks as if James is crying too. "I told you...everyone I love...goes
away..." 
    This time, not even Starr can argue with that. And James isn't conscious to. 
    The soft shuffling of earth grabs everyone but Faris' attention. 
    Their eyes grow wide, but Sephiroth is not there for them. None of the others
make a move, but their eyes are riveted on the giant psychic Pokémon.
    He stops next to Faris. 
    "..." Her eyes slide over to him, and she lifts her head. 
    Their eyes meet. 
    "Go...gomen nasai," he says quietly. 
    She nods slowly. "There's nothing you can do." 
    He shakes his head. "I can try." 
    As Sephiroth lifts his right hand over James' chest and his icy blue aura
flares up again, Faris smiles a tiny bit. "You think you can imitate Batts'
special technique?" 
    "If he would die anyway, then could I at least try to undo what I've done to
you?" he queries quietly. 
    She nods. "Yeah..." She gazes down at James, whose body is beginning to take
on the glow of Sephiroth's aura in his attempt to finish the healing job.
    Wiping away tears, she begins to sing.
    "Life is a soft, fading flower. Death is a dark, silent abyss," she quietly
intones.
    The roar of the fire has dimmed, thanks to the work of the water Pokémon
Sephiroth had summoned, but no one notices anything but the song.
    "But there is hope after, No need to fear, Life and death are A part of
rebirth."
    Ash glances to Misty and Brock, and sees in their profiles the strength of
their wish. Pikachu jumps up onto his shoulder and he smiles, comforted a little
by her presence. With her, he listens to Faris sing.
    "Through emotion, Past confusion, There will always Be hope and rebirth."
    Starr wipes away some of her tears as Raichu and Batts lean on her lap. She
glances down at them, and smiles a little when she sees Raichu wiping away tears.
She strokes his head gently, already a little at ease just by having him close. The
three of them listen to Faris sing.
    "Don't stop dreaming Keep on searching Don't abandon Your hope for rebirth."
    Jessie relaxes a little as she listens to Faris sing. Even if, later on, they
may be fighting again...right now, hoping a little can't hurt, right?
    Sephiroth's eyes soften. 'Such beautiful music...' he thinks before the aura
around James brightens to a brilliant azure.
    "Floating gently Embrace future Know there shall be.... Rebirth.."
    James' eyes twitch, then flutter open. He blinks, then smiles weakly up at
Faris. "You have...a beautiful voice..." he croaks.

    Faris starts at his voice, then stares down at him. One look at his
smiling, warm face, and she lets loose a cry of joy and wraps her arms
around him in relief.
    He happily returns her hug, resting his head against her chest.
    The others, minus Sephiroth and Batts, crowd around James, glad to see
he's finally regained consciousness. "Are you okay?" they chorus. "Chu,
chu?" Raichu and Pikachu add in. 
    James continues to hug Faris a little longer, then turns to them and
smiles weakly. "Yeah, I think so," he says, "but I have a killer migraine.
I don't suppose any of you have any aspirin on you?"
    The laughter is a little strained, but honest.
    "Auughh!" Ash cries, realizing something. "What about the fire!?"
    "That has been taken care of," Sephiroth says quietly. "I have seen to
its extinguishing."
    It's then that everyone realizes, again, that he is there.
    An unsettling quiet falls over them.
    Faris lets go of James, letting him fall back into the crowd, and stands.
She turns and walks up to Sephiroth, then bows. "Thank you," she says in her
most sincere voice. 
    He looks away. "You should not be thanking me," he replies in a low voice.
"Because of my irresponsible thirst for vengeance, I caused...all of this..."
He sweeps his left arm out to indicate the destruction of most of Cinnabar
Island. 
    Faris shakes her head. "Iie; I understand your reasons, even if they don't.
And that's what matters most, right?" Her features take on a nostalgic air.
"Aunt Lenna...I think I finally understand how you must have felt when you told
him, 'I forgive you'." She steps forward and falls into a hug with him.
    Sephiroth looks surprised, even shocked by this action, but he features
soften, and he hugs her back. 
    James-tachi look duly flabbergasted by this.
    "Wh- wh- WAIT a second here!!" Starr yells. "You mean MEWTWO was what you
were after in your mission!?! You were sent _alone_!? And you didn't tell ANY
of us!?!?" 
    Faris flinches a little, then turns around to face her partner and friend,
laughing nervously. "Sou yo!  You aren't going to get mad over a little something
like that, are you?"
    Misty joins in when Starr screams, "YES!"
    "Oh, come on! It turned out all right in the end, didn't it?"
    "You call a situation like this 'all right'?" Sephiroth questions, disbelief
clear in his voice. 
    "SEE?! Even the big psycho Pokémon agrees with us!!" Misty snaps.
    Faris can't help but smile. "His name is Sephiroth."
    "EHHH!?!" Starr shrieks. "Who named him that!?"
    "I did..."
    As Starr, Faris, and Misty continue to share their friendly banter, Ash and
Brock move to join them. Jessie doesn't make a move; she instead opts to turn to
James and talk to him instead. "You sure you're okay?"
    He smiles. "I'm pretty sure I'll live."
    Jessie laughs a little. "I suppose that's better than you were a few minutes
ago."
    She sighs.
    "You really were worried about me," James observes, looking at her sideways.
    "Of COURSE I was!" she snaps. "You are my best friend, James!"
    "You don't act like it a lot of the time," he remarks.
    She blinks, surprised. "Huh?"
    "Most of the time, you smack me around for doing something you deem as stupid,"
James continues, "even if you made the same mistake. Remember the incident with that
kid and his Farfetch'd? You fell for his trap too. But just the same, you almost
punched me out of the balloon and to my death because you said *I* was the one who
was stupid!" 
    "Ahh..." Jessie falters. "Well..." 
    "Jessie." James straightens himself and faces her, an uncharacteristically serious
look on his face. "I think you're just fooling yourself. How many years have we known
each other?"
    "Ah... well... about..." Jessie pauses to try to count in her head. "Let's see,
I'll be 18 in July, and you turned nineteen last March...and I was 16 when we started
stalking Ash for his Pikachu...so about..." She pauses again, but it's only a
second-long pause. "Seven years or so. Give or take a few months."
    "That sounds about right," James nods. "And in all those seven years, you never
once said anything about wanting to get romantic." 
    "'Cause I figured you weren't interested," she counters dryly. "I dropped hints
left and right, but you never got any of them. By the time we joined Team Rocket, I
gave up and just left things as they were." 
    He sighs, resting his forehead against his hand. "Maybe we'd better continue
this discussion later, Jessie..." he suggests. 
    "We probably better," she mumbles in agreement. 
    James sighs again, this time with a little more irritation in his voice. He
scratches at the back of his head. When he pulls his hand away, it's covered in
dried, flaky blood. 
    He makes a face. "I really need a shower," he comments before gazing up at the
night sky.


    Raichu lets out a long sigh. "Rai rai chu..." he comments to Pikachu, at his
side. 
    She nods in agreement. "Pika, pika," she replies. 
    Meowth scowls at them. "You think YOU had a rough night? I was stuck in here!"
he snaps. "If I hadn't broken one of the windows t' get out, I would have suffocated
from the smoke!" 
    The three of them look out together at Starr, Ash, and the others, whom are
trying to recover whatever they can from the wreckage of the fire. It was a curse
within a blessing that Martina's mansion had caught fire. Although the upper floors
were mostly completely ruined, most of the things on the first two floors could be
salvaged. The two of them are currently sitting on a water-ruined leather couch,
watching everyone rummage through the smoke-stained furniture, trying to see if any
of their stuff survived. 
    Martina, fortunately, is not around, so no one has to listen to her. Those in
the room with Raichu, Meowth and Pikachu now include Starr, Ash, James, and Misty.
The four of them are searching for any remains of Ash's belongings; this is the room
where he'd stayed.
    "Pi pi pika..." Pikachu sighs when Ash recovers yet another potion that's been
burned beyond recognition. "Chaaa..."
    "Rai, rai," Raichu offers comfortingly, patting her on the back. "Raichu rai rai.
Chu? Raichu rai!" 
    "Chu, chu..." Pikachu nods, agreeing. "Chu chu pika pi ka."
    Misty stands, wiping her brow (and getting it stained with soot at the same
time). "So what have you guys been talking about all this time?" she asks Meowth,
sitting down next to them. Togepi stirs a little, yawning from his nap, but he
goes right back to sleep. Misty smiles and pats the top of his head a little.
    "Nothin' much; just who had it worst last night, and how bad it smells in here,"
Meowth comments dryly. "I STILL say I was worst off. Least you guys were outside!
I was stuck in here, bored out of my mind, and then all of a sudden the whole
island's goin' up in smoke, and I have NO idea what's going on..."
    "Pika!" Pikachu cuts in. "Pikachu pi ka ka pi. Piiiiiiika!" she finishes with
the Pikachu version of a bida.
    "Why, you little--!" Meowth growls, getting to his feet. 
    Ash gets to his feet and stretches. "Cut it out, you two!" he calls to them.
"We all had a bad night last night. So let's not argue and keep looking, okay?"
    Starr nods as she and James attempt to pull open a very well stuck cabinet
drawer. "Hey, that reminds me," she says. "Where are we going after this little
excavation?" 
    "Hmm? I'm not sure, Faris said something about going to town," Ash murmurs.
    Misty nods. "Yeah, she said the Cinnabar officials wanted to have a word with
us about the Mewtwo incident." She doesn't look too happy about it.
    Neither do the rest of the people in the room.
    "That's going to be a lot of fun.." James mutters to himself, almost slipping
when the drawer gives a little. "Likely, the survivors will try to lynch us."
    Ash sweatdrops. "You don't really think they'll go that far, do you?" he wonders
aloud, a little worried.
    "To you? Doubt it," James replies just before he and Starr go flying when
the drawer (and its contents) gives way and shoots out across the room. 
    "Owww..." Starr groans. "James, get off me!" 
    "Geez, that just does NOT look or sound right," Meowth mumbles under his breath.
    "Sorry," he mumbles, picking himself off of the younger girl. As James stretches,
a loud CRACK is heard, and he winces visibly. "Owwwww..." 
    As Starr goes to pick through the spilled contents of the drawer, Ash speaks up,
"So, what did you mean when you said you didn't think they'd lynch me?"
    James stretches again, this time without so loud a crack. "Not just you," he
clarifies. "You and all your friends. You didn't know a thing about any of this.
Now, Faris is probably going to get it worst, because she's the one that had that
rendezvous with Sephiroth, and people are gonna blame her for setting him off. I
don't know if they'll blame Starr or Jessie or me, but if they find out we're all
in Team Rocket, they won't care if we didn't know anything about it either." He
makes a face. "When the masses are in a frenzy, they always look for a fall guy to
blame. You just better hope you don't get caught up in it. Riots get really nasty,
especially if you're the brunt of it." 
    "How would you know?" Misty comments. 
    "I've been at the brunt of a riot before," he says dryly. "Just take my word for
it when I say riots aren't fun. I've had to live through one too many..." He sighs
again. 
    Misty and Ash exchange a wondering look, but don't say anything. 
    "Anyway," Starr says as she gets up, holding up Ash's Pokédex. "I found this in
the wreck of the drawer. The maid or someone must have stashed it in there. You're
lucky, Ash, it doesn't look like there's any damage on it at all."
    "Oh good," he says, relieved. She tosses it to him, and he catches it and
immediately opens it, checking to see if everything is working. 
    Misty watches him for a couple more seconds, then turns to James. "So..." she
says, faltering for a second. "Uh, James. I was just wondering, do you think anyone
will blame you guys?" 
    He shrugs, getting back up. "I have no idea. If anyone finds out we're with
Team Rocket, though, probably yes." 
    "You think anyone will find out?" 
    James eyes her for a second. "It depends on whether or not you kids are going
to keep your mouths shut or not." 
    "Huh?" Ash lifts his head suddenly. "Oh, don't worry. We won't tell anyone."
He goes back to his work. 
    "Why not? I mean, after all the times we've tried to steal Pikachu, I'd think
that you'd turn us in, no problem!" Meowth cuts in. "You've beaten us up plenty
so far!"
    "Don't be rude!" Misty snaps, arms crossed. "We're friends now, and we don't
backstab our friends. Isn't that right, Ash? Pikachu?" 
    "Mmm," Ash agrees absently. 
    Pikachu nods. "Pika." 
    James smiles faintly. "Do you now." 
    Starr stares over at him. "You know, James, you're starting to act a lot like
Faris." 
    He stares back at her. "Really?" he queries, honestly surprised. "I hadn't
noticed." 



    "The number of injured persons is 16 so far. The number of casualties is
uncountable. The current estimated cost of damage repairs is well over five
billion dollars. And all of this is the fault of the Pokémon Mewtwo!" the
police chief of Cinnabar Island announces, talking to Faris in image but mostly
directing his words to the crowd. "What do you have to say to such a thing!?
I'm sorry, but such a dangerous creature can't be allowed to live. You'll have
to let us take custody of it, Miss Greyweirs!"
    She raises an eyebrow. "And if I let you do such a thing, then what?" she
says sharply. "You know how powerful he is. He could easily destroy this entire
island if he wished."
    James, Starr, Misty, and the rest exchange glances. That may not have been
the best thing to say... Sephiroth's expression is unreadable. The fact that he
is allowed to walk free sets more than one survivor at unease.
    "All the more reason to keep him locked up!" the police chief counters. "It's
my job to see to the safety of the public. The Pokémon is a first-class threat to 
society. He HAS to be put under lock and key!!" 
    To Faris' dismay, the crowd roars in agreement. Before she can give her reply,
however, a smooth female voice states, "I disagree." 
    "Huh?" Faris and the police chief utter, turning to a woman with short-cut 
chestnut hair walking elegantly up the steps of the public platform.
    "Who are you?" the police chief demands. 
    Sephiroth's eyes widen. "You--" 
    "My name is Cara Raymond," she says evenly. "I am the only surviving member
of the Mewtwo Project." 
    "The Mewtwo Project?" the police chief repeats. 
    "Exactly," Cara nods. "You don't think something as incredible as Mewtwo was
simply an accident of nature, do you? No. He was genetically engineered by my
colleagues and me to be the perfect fighting machine."
    A low mumble spreads through the crowd. However, Cara ignores them as she
pulls out all her ID cards. "If you don't believe my story, this is my ID,
including the ID identifying me as a member of the Mewtwo Project." She hands
it to the police chief; after a few seconds of study, he nods grudgingly and
hands it back. 
    "Just what was the intention behind the Mewtwo Project, if the outcome is
so dangerous?" he grumbles. A few shouts of agreement rise from the crowd.
    "It was the intention of the project for the outcome to be dangerous," she
informs him evenly. "However, mankind arrogantly assumed he could control such
a creature without taking into account that living creatures designed to be as
intelligent as Mewtwo have more than enough ability to form independent thought.
Mewtwo's desires were not the same as those of the humans who created him, and
as a result a wide rift formed between the creator and the created."
    "You talk a lot like Ikari Gendou," Faris comments. "Must be because you
look like his wife, Yui."
    Cara ignores the comment and goes on, "Hatred for those who keep you locked
in the cage is natural for a newborn child, who sees the outside world but is
never allowed to stray into it. Is it not logical to hate something that keeps
you from something you desire? Is it not natural to hate something that treats
you like you are less than you are? Is it not understandable for an enraged 
child to lash out, whatever his means? It may not be forgivable, but I believe
it is certainly understandable." 
    Sephiroth stares. "Cara-san..." 
    Cara remains quiet for a moment to let this sink in. No one has any comments.
Finally, she continues, "The Mewtwo Project's first finish date was about eight
years ago, when a designated trainer was found and chosen. We had originally
planned to let that trainer mold Mewtwo into what we desired. However, the 
trainer chosen was...unable to rise to power, and therefore we were forced to
extend the Mewtwo Project, with our scientists training Mewtwo."
    "Eight years..." Faris murmurs.
    Cara smiles mirthlessly. "I was one of the three head scientists. My other
two colleagues were growing impatient in the search for someone else who Mewtwo
would obey. We instead decided to announce the completion of the Mewtwo Project
to the world, and thereby invite the trainers of the world to try to 'tame'
Mewtwo. Before such a thing happened, a mysterious person came and set him free."
She looks pointedly over at Faris. Faris returns it was an innocent smile. Cara
shakes her head and continues, "Something happened. Apparently, Mewtwo took a
liking to this person. When we discovered that this person was Faris Greyweirs,
we suggested that she be arrested. One of my colleagues desired execution.
    "Mewtwo did not take this lightly. 
    "I had a strong guess as to what would happen once 'execution' was
mentioned. I left as soon as possible.  I managed to escape unscathed. I'm
afraid I cannot say the same for Laurence and Isler," Cara says dryly.
    Starr shakes her head. "She certainly doesn't act like Gendou," she
mutters. "Or Yui." 
    "And then Mewtwo went on the rampage and destroyed half of Cinnabar,"
the police chief finishes. "Your point is?"
    Cara gives him a patronizing look. "My point is, I did not spend ten-plus
years on the Mewtwo Project as the cost of half an island's population for it
to be liquidated by human hate. My proposition is to make Faris Greyweirs the
designated trainer of Mewtwo."
    The silence is so thick you could slice it with a knife and spread butter
on it.
    "What?" the police chief asks in disbelief.
    She turns to him. "You heard me," she says smoothly. "The preparations are
already complete. We had been anticipating this event several years in advance.
All we-- no, all I-- need now is the consent of Faris Greyweirs to be the
designated trainer." Cara faces Faris. 
    "..." She nods. "I'll be Sephiroth's trainer, if that's all right with him."
    Sephiroth smiles wryly at the two women turn their gaze to him. "If I had
actually been given a choice in the matter, you would be the one I would have
chosen anyhow," he states dryly. "It is all right with me."
    The police chief is gradually turning redder and redder. "Now, wait a
minute, Miss Raymond," he blusters. "I don't care what you say, the fact remains
that Mewtwo killed a countless number of people!"
    Cara switches her gaze to the man. "And for that, I mourn everyone's loss,"
she states with zero emotion. "But that does not bring the dead back to life. No
matter what you say or do now, it cannot fix what has already been done." She
turns to the crowd. "That goes for the rest of you. It is natural to feel
bitterness and hatred in such a situation. In the end, a life is a life. But
those who survive should not dwell on the past too deeply." She turns and nods
to Faris. Together, they head off the platform. Sephiroth and Starr-tachi follow.
    Nobody raises a word of protest. 



    The familiar mini-van cruises along on its way to Ends of the World arena.
As all of Martina's vehicles being more or less charred, it was the only mode of
transportation available.
    "Why are we going back there, again?" Ash queries. 
    "You didn't have to come if you didn't want to," Starr says. 
    "No, I wanted to come. But why are we going?" 
    "To see if they need any help. I don't know if the fire even GOT this far 
out, but if it did..." 
    "They're going to need a lot of help replanting that rose garden," James 
comments.
    Faris gives Starr a little grin. "I wonder if Orion's car suffered the same 
fate as all Martina's." 
    Starr rolls her eyes. "If it did....women of the world, rejoice."
    "HEY! I liked his car!" Jessie protests.
    Starr and Faris exchange looks and sweatdrops.
    As the van pulls up in the driveway, everyone is greeted by the sight of a
more-or-less untouched Ends of the World (there's some damage, but not a lot--
they're lucky, Starr thinks) and Michael, Julie and Thomas standing in the
doorway.
    Faris turns off the ignition. 
    *chik* 
    Michael looks at the stopwatch and grins. 
    Starr smiles at him. 
    "Do you always carry that around?" Ash inquires. 
    "More or less," Julie says with a ghost of a smile at Michael. 
    Faris examines the arena. "You didn't take a lot of fire damage. You're
lucky." 
    Thomas nods, smiling at Faris, though this time it's not his playboy smile,
but a sincere one. "Only the lobby sustained any real damage. The arena in itself
is pretty much untouched."
    Misty and Ash exchange a look. 
    Without even turning around, Faris says, "If you two are thinking of a rematch,
forget it." 
    As Misty and Ash sigh and acquire sweatdrops, Thomas says lightly, "I would
have thought you'd be the first to suggest a duel for old times' sake...Faris."
With a slight inflection on 'Faris'.
    Now Faris and Starr exchange looks. 
    AND evil grins. 
    'Should we?' Faris's grin seems to say. 
    'Oh, be nice to the guy.' 
    'It'll be fun. Especially if Orion shows up.' 
    'Well, when you say it that way....' 
    James looks nervous. "It's never good when they smile like that...." 
    Finally, Faris and starr turn back to the crimson-haired Seitokaichou 
doppelganger. "Sorry, Thomas; maybe later, when I've got more time on my hands,"
Faris says. With a straight face, she continues, "I'd love to go at it again with
you now, but I'm afraid we have a previous engagement."
    Starr has a sudden coughing fit. James gets the hiccups. Jessie hides an
insane grin behind one hand. Starr recovers and says, "We just stopped by to ask
if you needed any help cleaning up after the fire, but since your arena doesn't
look badly damaged, we should probably go unless you need us."
    "Hold it." Michael approaches Starr and hands her something...a pale blue
envelope.
    "Open it when you get where you're going, okay?"
    "We aren't leaving the island for good just yet," Starr tells him.
    Michael turns a cute shade of pink as Thomas gives him a questioning grin.
Julie looks down, strawberry-blonde curls hiding what's probably a similar smile.
    "Well, anyway..." Michael says, somehow managing to keep his voice from
cracking. "I'll see you later." 
    Starr nods, and she and the others turn to leave. 
    "Just a minute," Thomas speaks up. They stop, but only Faris and Starr
look back. "Faris...will you really come back?" 
    She smirks lightly. "I wouldn't miss it," she says with a touch of poisoned
sweetness. Her eyelids droop, and she continues, "Not even for the revolution
of the world." 
    Thomas, Julie, and Michael's eyes all widen significantly.
    Ignoring them, Faris hums Rinbu- Revolution as she and the others troop back
to the minivan. 
    "The identification for me as Sephiroth's trainer should be ready by now, if
Cara's time estimate was correct," she comments. 
    Starr puts the envelope in her pocket. "Guess we go to the jeweler's we dropped
Cara and Sephiroth at next, huh. But are you really going to come back to duel with
Thom?" 
    Faris grins, with a touch of sadism. "You know how Touga defeated Utena by
making her think he was her prince? I hate to be cliché, but let's just say I'm
giving him a taste of his own medicine."



    The sunlight reflects off the silvery metal of the rectangular tag and the
engraved script of "Faris Greyweirs is the designated trainer of the ultimate
pokémon, Mewtwo" as Faris holds it up. James, Starr and Jessie admire it from
behind her. 
    "This is her identification, Miss Raymond?" Jessie queries, turning to Cara.
"Just this little necklace?" 
    "There isn't anything more to it?" Starr asks, doubt evident in her voice.
    Cara shakes her head. "It's not just a necklace. There is an ID printed on 
the side in microprint, which can only be seen through a microscope. This is to
ensure that a false copy isn't made. And on the back, my signature is printed 
along with the signatures of the other two head scientists, Alisa Laurence and 
Shaun Ilser. It's full proof that Faris is who she says when she claims to be 
the trainer of Mewtwo." 
    "He does have a name, you know," Faris mutters as she turns the tag around
and admires the messy script of Cara and her deceased colleagues.
    "I am aware of this," Cara replies smoothly. "However, that is a name you
gave him, not I. Therefore, both of us are free to call him what we please. He
is both Mewtwo and Sephiroth." 
    "Che," Faris frowns, pulling the chain of the tag over her head and around
her neck. "Do as you please, I suppose. Can I ask you something, though?"
    "What?" 
    She crosses her arms. "Why did you defend Sephiroth?" 
    Cara glances over at Faris. "He is my pride." 
    Faris shakes her head. "No, not as your specimen. The way you spoke of him 
makes me believe you understand how he feels." She tilts her head slightly. 
"You seem rather cold to me. It's hard to think that you could understand 
anyone's feelings." 
    "Like you're one to talk," Jessie mutters. Starr elbows her lightly to 
shush her. 
    Cara smiles slightly at that. "You are partially correct in your assumption,
Greyweirs. I believe I have an idea how Mewtwo feels about the world around him;
however, my situation is vastly different from his own, and therefore I can never
know exactly how he feels. Although I cannot feel another creature's pain, I can
still understand why they feel it. That is a scientist's way, in the end."
    "Hmm, sou ka?" she smirks in reply. "I'm much the same way."
    Cara nods. "By the way, aren't you engaged to that boy?"
    "Huh?" James brings his wandering eyes to meet Cara's.
    "Yes, we're engaged," Faris replies. She elbows him a little. "C'mon, introduce
yourself." 
    "Uhhh...hi," James says, waving a little. "I'm James, James Dupont. Nice to 
meet you. These other two girls are my friends Jessie and Starr."
    Jessie and Starr wave. 
    "You; Jessie," Cara states, directing her voice to the blue-eyed Rocket. "Isn't
your surname Langley?" 
    Jessie scowls a little. "Yeah...so?" 
    Cara raises an eyebrow. "Isn't that the name of a famous rich family?"
    "Pure coincidence," Jessie states flatly. "No relation. None at all!"
    She shrugs lightly. "Since you're so insistent, then I'll leave it at that." She
turns to Faris. "I was just curious, do you have an engagement ring?"
    Faris blinks, then raises her left hand. The Rose Signet from the duels is
still on her ring finger... "Sort of," she says. "James, did they ever give you a
Rose Signet?"
    "Hmm?" James blinks. "Who gave me what?" 
    "The guys at Ends of the World. One of these," Faris clarifies, lifting her hand.
    He takes a good look at the rose signet. "No, they never did," he says after a
few seconds. 
    "I still have mine," Jessie comments. 
    "Whaaaat?!" Starr exclaims. "You still have that thing? You were supposed to
give it back!" 
    "Orion said I could keep it, so there!" Jessie replies, sticking her tongue out
at her. She pulls the rose signet off her left ring finger and offers it to him.
"You can have it. I don't need it." 
    Faris and Starr both give her surprised looks. Jessie notices. "What?" 
    "You won't be able to return to Ends of the World without that ring," the former
explains. "Meaning, no more Akio--ara, I mean Orion." 
    Jessie sniffs a little. "Who cares," she says, waving a hand. "I can find another
guy anytime I want!" 
    Faris and Starr exchange a glance. 
    James smiles, either oblivious to or ignoring all of this, and shakes his head,
then takes the ring from her. "Thanks, Jess." 
    "Yeah, sure," she says, but a trace of a faint smile does not go unnoticed. 
    Faris watches this for a second, then turns to Cara. "Where's Sephiroth?" 
    "I imagine he's somewhere in the back," she answers mildly. "The concept of
jewelry seems to be foreign to him. Then again, what purpose is there in jewelry
in something that was not meant to be decorated?"
    Faris smiles lightly as James comments, "Didn't Ash and his friends go back
there?" 
    Starr nods. "Yeah, they did. Misty said she wanted to look around. I guess Ash
and Brock figured they should stick with her." 
    "So, where will you be leaving to, Faris?" Cara queries politely. 
    "I'm going to Viridian. I intend to leave on the next boat." Faris checks her
watch. "That should be in a couple of hours." She turns to Starr-tachi. "We should
probably leave soon. Starr, could you get Ash and the others, please?"
    She nods. "Sure," she smiles before taking off for the back.
    Jessie takes a step forward. "Faris, I've been meaning to ask, what are we 
going to do about the kids?" 
    "What do you mean?" 
    Jessie frowns. "I don't know why you brought them along, but I bet you had
some kind of reason. And that reason probably had something to do with your
mission, am I right?" 
    Faris smiles serenely. "Yes, actually, you are. I'm surprised."
    Jessie scowls at her. James takes this opportunity to continue with the
questioning. "Then, since the job's over, why are we letting them stay around?"
    Faris smiles. "Still think of them as twerps? They've gotten used to you."
    He blushes a little. "No, it's not like that. You just aren't the type to
lug around dead weight. Jessie and I were wondering about it this morning, when
we were rummaging through my room." 
    She shrugs. "That reminds me, did you find your book? What was it--THE TRUE
HUMAN MAGIC?" 
    James smiles a little. "Yeah. I'm glad. I was really scared that it might have
gone up in flames, but it wasn't even marked with heat or soot or anything."
    "Sou ka?" Faris raises an eyebrow in slight surprise. "Funny, being that your 
room was on the third floor...but anyway, that's not important right now.  I don't
know why I'm still putting up with Ash and his friends. I guess because I like
them."
    "How can you like little kids as annoying as them?" Jessie demands.
    Faris smiles and giggles behind her hand as she watches Starr and Ash-tachi walk
up from behind them. "Well, you're just as annoying as they are, and I like you." She
closes her eyes, still smiling. "Well, sometimes." She opens them again and looks
past Jessie. "Don't you agree, Ash? Misty? Brock? Pikachu?"
    Brock looks away, scratching his chin.
    Misty snorts. "She reminds me of my sisters."
    Ash just makes a face. Pikachu does likewise.
    Faris laughs a little as Jessie biiiiiiida's the lot of them. "Well, that's okay.
You don't have to like each other, you just have to cooperate." 
    "Why should we!?" Jessie and Misty demand in unison.
    "Because you are going to be with us for a while yet," Sephiroth's deep voice 
sounds. They turn around to see him approaching them. "And there is no telling what
even an hour from now may bring."
    "Oh, come on. What can happen in an hour?" Brock questions, crossing his arms.
    Sephiroth shares a glance with Faris. She shakes her head.
    "Let's just go."



    Misty slowly stirs her fruit smoothie with her straw as she feeds Togepi little
bits of her sandwich. Something's been bothering her ever since Starr and Faris
dropped the rest of them off at the food court at the harbor.
    "What's on your mind, Misty?" Brock queries. "You look pensive."
    "Nothing, really..." she sighs. "When are Starr and Faris going to get back?
I mean, it's been almost an hour..." 
    "Donn wurry, dell be hurrn five minutesh'r sho," Ash says around a mouthful of
food. He swallows, then says in a clearer voice, "What's the rush, Misty? The boat
won't be leaving for another half an hour or so. And they called just fifteen
minutes ago. They'll be here in plenty of time." 
    "No...it's not that..." she murmurs. 
    "Brriii?" Togepi wonders, pausing in his meal to give Misty a curious look.
She smiles at him a little, but she can't keep it up. 
    "It's just...Faris controls Mewtwo, right?" 
    <His name is now Sephiroth,> Batts reminds her from underneath the table. 
    "Right, Sephiroth," Misty corrects herself. "She controls Sephiroth...he's
completely obedient to her, right?" 
    "<That's what he said,>" Pikachu nods between bites of her apple. "<He said
he'd do anything she wished him to do, right, Raichu?>" 
    "<Yeah, something like that,>" the orange mouse Pokémon nods as he eats his
mid-afternoon snack from the fruit bowl. 
    "..." Misty nods. 
    "Yeah, so what about it?" Brock asks. "If he's obedient to her, then that
means he won't do anything bad anymore, right?" 
    "Maybe, maybe not," she replies. "Faris is a member of Team Rocket, and
Sephiroth will do anything she says. What if she has him help Team Rocket take
over the world?" 
    "...You're right. I hadn't thought about that," Brock grouses. "Actually,
I'd completely forgotten she was in Team Rocket..." 
    "<How can you forget something like that?>" Pikachu wonders before swallowing
the rest of the apple whole. 
    "<Guess he's just absent-minded,>" Raichu cracks. "<Mmm, bananas! I love 'em 
when they're mushy <3 >"
    "But what are we gonna do?" Ash queries. "You're right...I didn't think of it
that way." 
    Misty sighs, resting her head on the table. "I dunno what we're going to do,"
she replies. "I don't this there's anything we can do." 
    "Anything you can do about what?" James asks, his arms filled with his purchase
from the various food shops surrounding them. Jessie's next to him, her arms
similarly overloaded with edible bounty. 
    "Oh, nothing, just little kid talk," Misty says in a slightly clipped tone.
    James looks hurt, noticing the tone. "Hey, I'm not the one who called you a
little kid." 
    "Who cares?" Jessie says before Misty can say anything. She plunks herself
into a chair as far away from the others as possible and continues, "Their problems 
aren't our problems." With that, she digs in.
    "I'll say," Ash mumbles under his breath.
    James sweatdrops a little, then sits opposite of her between Misty and Ash,
then fixes in to his own repast.
    Misty, Brock, and Pikachu stare at them, sweatdropping a little. "Wish I had
that much money," Brock grumbles. 
    Misty leans her chin against her palm. "You're going to get fat if you keep
eating like that," she dryly comments to Jessie. "What do you need so much food
for, anyway?" 
    Jessie awards this comment with a dirty look, then smiles sweetly. "You're
right;" and she slides her half of the remains; "after all, you've got a lot more
growing left to do than me."
    Misty's left eye twitches. "What did you say!?!"
    "You heard me!!" Jessie says as she flashes her a frozen smile, starting to
get up.
    "Now, now; be nice, girls," Faris calls to them patronizingly. Starr, Meowth,
Sephiroth and she approach their table and stop (bringing more than one stare on 
account of Sephiroth's presence). "We've still got a long ways to go 'til we're in
Viridian. Wait for then to kill each other, 'kay?"
    Jessie and Misty growl a little, but they back down.
    Starr grabs a chair from the next table and slides it over, then plops down on
it. "I don't know whether say it was fun or it was crazy," she comments to Faris.
"You are really, REALLY cruel."
    Faris smiles. "But you must admit, they ate up every word." She takes a small
bow. "Guess I'm just a great actress." 
    "Maybe you took manipulation classes from Akio-lech," Starr retorts, poking her.
    "From Touga, actually," Faris counters with a straight face. She checks her
watch. "Ah, sou, sou... we're leaving in a half hour. I'll be back in a little bit,
okay?" 
    "Where are you going?" James queries. Unnoticed by him, Meowth starts stealing
food from James' pile. 
    "There's just one last thing I have to take care of. It won't take long," she
assures him. Faris turns to Sephiroth and smiles warmly. "Jaa, ikou ka?"
    He smiles a little in return.
    With a flip of her hair, Faris leaves with Sephiroth one step behind.
    "..." James pouts a little. 
    Ash notices. "What's up with you?" 
    He pokes a little at his food. If he notices that Meowth is eating most of the
rest of it, he doesn't care. "...It's nothing." He shakes his hand. "Nothing at all!
Just something stupid." 
    "If it's something stupid, then it's not nothing, is it?" Starr points out before
taking a bite out of the cheeseburger Jessie had given her. 
    James' cheeks turn pink. "Well...I don't wanna say," he mumbles. "You'll make fun
of me. Not you in particular," he quickly amends. "But everyone else will."
    "James, I've gotten so used to your little insecurities that nothing could shock
me any more," Jessie assures him. When he gives her a wounded look, she adds quickly,
"Just like you've gotten used to my insecurities. We know everything about each other,
so there's no need for shame."
    He scowls at her. "We don't know everything about each other," he mutters. "There
are some things about me you don't know about. And I'm sure you've got plenty of
secrets yourself. Or did you think I forgot about four years ago?"
    She pales a little, then lets a nervous laugh loose. "Well, that's all in the
past..." she assures him, shaking a hand. "Just tell us what you're thinking. We
promise we won't laugh, okay?"
    A nod of consensus bobs around the table.
    James still looks a little unsure, but he relents anyway. "Well...I just kind
of feel a little jealous."
    Blinks. "Jealous?" Misty repeats. "About what?"
    He coughs into his hand. "Ahhh...of, uh...Sephiroth."
    Blink. And stare. "Sephiroth?" Meowth repeats unbelievingly. "You're jealous
of *Sephiroth*? But he's a Pokémon! What on earth d'ya think HE'S gonna do?"
    James scowls at him, then stares into his soda. "..............."
    "Toge?" Togepi asks Pikachu.
    Pikachu shrugs. "Pika, pika... pika pika chu."
    "Brriiiii..." he mutters, scratching his head.
    James' face turns pink. "See? You're making fun of me already," he mutters in
a low voice. 
    <Actually, you are just in your suspicions, James,> Batts comments from
underneath the table. 
    "Huh?" the entire table states. 
    <Faris is fond of Sephiroth. And Sephiroth returns those feelings tenfold.
In other words, he is in love with her.> 
    A VERY long pause. 
    "Love?" Brock repeats. 
    <Love.> 
    "But how can a Pokémon be in love with a human?" 
    "Did he tell you that??" Meowth adds in. 
    <No, but he did not declare himself completely obedient to her whim for no
reason. I am certain he is in love with her.> 
    "So what am I, sliced Magikarp?" James sulks. 
    "Actually, I'm not that surprised," Jessie muses. "I still remember when you
fell in love with that one girl with the Paras, Meowth." She pokes him in the head.
"Maybe it's just kitty love."
    Meowth bats her hand away. "You leave me alone," he grouses. "I ain't got nuthin'
to do with this psycho love trapezoid."
    <James, you do not need to worry,> Batts speaks directly to the blue-haired man
as the others continue to converse/argue/banter/et cetera. <Faris does not suspect
his true feelings, and Sephiroth will not want her to suspect them. While it's true
he will eventually look upon you as an unworthy rival> and here James cringes <you
will win, in the end.>
    "Why's that?" he mutters.
    <Because you are human, and Sephiroth is a Pokémon. I am all too aware of the gap
between the two. You will win because you are human.> 
    James sinks lower into the dumps. "Is that the ONLY reason?" 
    <You also have the advantage of knowing her longer. However, in the long run,
that will be rendered useless, for Sephiroth is psychic and sooner rather than later
he will know everything about her... Still, that does not erase the memories you have
with her. Faris does not forget easily. She truly loves you. She won't let go of that
without a fight, not after what she's been through with you.>
    He smiles a little, though whether it's sincere or bitter, one can't tell. "So, for
the time being, she'll stay faithful." 
    <If you are referring to Sephiroth, she will always be faithful.  She likes him,
but she loves you. And as I stated before, no matter how fond of him she grows, he is
still only a Pokémon, and he is aware of that as well. He will not say a word about
his feelings to her.>
    James feels a little comforted by those words, but not much.



    "Yes?" Sephiroth holds Faris' gaze. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" 
    Faris leans back against a telephone pole and lifts the tag around her neck. "See
this? This is my identification, for when I say I train you. My proof to claim." She
pulls it off, lifting her hair into the heavy sea breeze. "Do you remember what I
said when we parted ways last?" 
    "..." He nods. "You told me to fly away and live my dream." 
    "Exactly." She holds out the tag to him. "I still want you to do that." 
    "...?" Sephiroth awards this action with a curious look. "What are you saying? You
don't want me around?" 
    Faris shakes her head. "No, it's not that. I like you. But as I said before, if
you follow me, you'll become a pawn of Team Rocket." 
    "You said you would quit," he states flatly. 
    She sighs lightly. "Don't feel insulted," she says gently. "I'm doing this because
I like you, and I don't want to tie you down. I'm nearing the end of my journey. You're
just beginning yours. Therefore, I wish for you to train yourself." And with this she
takes his hand and presses the tag into it.
    Sephiroth blinks, then stares down at the pendant. "......" He looks up at her.
"But..." 
    "But nothing! You said you were completely obedient to me, right?" she says
sharply. Her features soften, and she continues in a gentler tone, "This is what I
want for you. If you change your mind, then come find me, all right? But for you, I
want you to discover for yourself what's best for you." She smiles. "Ne?"
    "............" Sephiroth glowers down at the tag in his hand...then nods. "All
right. I agree. I'll hold on to this."
    "For now, you're your own trainer," she says. "Good-bye." With that, she hugs him.
"Maybe we'll see each other again? And maybe not on such dire terms, like last time?"
    He smiles and chuckles a little, hugging her back. "I'll try my best." 
    They stay as they are for a moment more, then separate. Faris nods to him. 
    "I'm not leaving until you do," she states. "And remember, I have a boat to catch
in twenty minutes." 
    "..." He nods. "I'm glad I met you," he says with a small smile. "Thank you.
Because of you, my life gained meaning." 
    Her cheeks turn pink. ".....You're welcome, Sephiroth." 
    They smile at each other. 
    And Sephiroth lifts off the ground, using his psychic ability to fly. "Then,
perhaps we'll see each other again, someday." 
    Faris nods. "Someday..." 
    And Sephiroth flies off into the endless blue sky. 
    Faris watches him until he's a mere speck in the sky, and then not even that. 
    With a sigh both relieved and regretful, she turns and heads back into the port. 
  
  

    "You certainly took your time," Jessie comments as Faris returns to the table.
"Where's Sephiroth?" 
    "I set him free," she states simply. 
    Silence. 
    "You set him FREE!?" 
    "Yes." Her eyes narrow slightly. "Do any of you have a problem with that?" 
    Everyone exchanges glances. The truth is, every one of them has a problem with
that to one degree or another, but they're not going to admit that. Not outright,
anyway. "No..." 
    "Then let's make tracks for the boat, all right?" she states rather than requests.
"I'll explain why later, when we're at sea." 
    A collective sigh rises from the group, but they all mumble assent. 
    She makes a face at them. "Don't be like that. I promise that I'll explain. You
can all bug me to death if I don't keep that promise."
    "I'll remember what you said," Jessie warns her as they gather their things. 
    "Of course you will," she replies dryly. 
    As the group heads for the dock where their boat is waiting, James walks up next
to Faris. 
    "Hey... Faris... I was wondering..." 
    "Yes?" 
    He hesitates. "...Never mind. It's not important." 
    Faris blinks and stares over at him. However, she doesn't push the subject, and
he falls back to the end of the group. 
    They walk to the boat in silence. 
  
  

                   Ending Theme: Amour Sonnet (instrumental)








NOTES FOR EPISODE VI of TOUCH AND GO:

	This was one hell of an episode, wasn't it? When James's life was at
risk, I was crying my eyes out... and I wrote it. Yipes, ne? 0_o (Then again,
I was listening to Komm süsser Tod, Junshin, and Thanatos while I was writing
it, and all three of those songs are REALLY depressing... well, Thanatos
isn't a song, per se, it's BGM, but there was a song written to the tune
of it which I was also listening to...) If I wasn't so damn fond of James and
if it wouldn't totally screw up the entire story, I might have let him die.
*Might* have. I was tempted to while I was writing because everything pointed
to that. But of course, it was not meant to be, because if I killed him off,
everything Starry and I have planned for the ensuing episodes would be
completely f***ed up. And besides, I'd miss the little bishounen.
	Anyway, onto the usual notes... just had to get that other stuff off
my chest...


 - Ayanami, Faris' Gengar, is named after Ayanami Rei (one of my favorite
characters) from Shinseiki Evangelion. Ayanami Rei, the First Children, is
very cold and very indifferent.

 - The whole WHUMPing of the tail is based off my best friend's younger
brother's cat, Calvin (named after Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes, because he
acts like him). Calvin the Cat is big, fluffy, adorable, intelligent, and
NASTY. He has a VERY bad temper, and if you even *touch* his irresistible
white tummy, he'll claw your hand off. Whenever he's pissed, he growls and
his tail goes WHUMP WHUMP WHUMP and you know someone's going to get bitten
or clawed if they get too close. Our nickname for him is Mewtwo.

 - "Jaa, ikou ka?" is semi-casual Japanese; it means something along the lines
of, "Well, shall we go?"

 - Iced lemonade is a double pun...Akio drinks lots of iced drinks, and "lemon"
is a quite apt description of his personality... >;ţ

 - The passage James is reading is slightly based off the translation of one
of the duel songs from SKU (Chikyuu wa Jinbutsu Chinretsushitsu).

 - That's a really big "BITCH!", isn't it?

 - It's rather obvious, but Alisa and Shaun are based off Asuka and Shinji,
both from Evangelion. Cara's sort of based off of Rei, but not really. Just
partially. I guess you could say it's a combination of Ritsuko and Ayanami.

 - I wrote Yume Nashi no Yuumei. I love it, and if you don't, biiiiiiiida to
you. Sephiroth really is living up to his name, isn't he? ^o^;; I wrote this
part right after seeing Mewtwo Strikes Back! for the first time, so it's very
slightly affected by that. (No, there was not a drop of blood in MSB!, but
he *did* blow up the research facility he was created in. And his aura was
blue in the movie as well as in TaG.)

 - The person announcing stuff is Cara. I forgot to mention it in the episode
itself, but it's not that important a detail anyway, so I'm not going to
write it in.

 - When Faris screams "Iyaaaa", I had in mind the scream Eternal Sailormoon
made in the final episodes of Stars when Mars-tachi died. (That was really
sad ;_;)

 - The strange verse Sephiroth hears in his mind are lyrics from the song
Thanatos ~If I Can't Be Yours~ (I was listening to it at the time).

 - "Yappari" means "as I thought". "Gomen nasai" means "I'm very sorry". "Sou
(yo)" means "that's right"; "sou ka" means "is that right?"

 - The song Faris sings is another thing I wrote. It's the second ending
theme for Tur'ennyn; the title is "Mirai no Kibou ~REBIRTH~". Yes, it's
supposed to be sung in English.

 - The duel between Thom and Faris isn't written into the episode because I
didn't have time for it. It's instead going to be written into a special,
plus an extended end to episode 6.