From: Adrian Tymes <wingcat@pacbell.net> Subject: [PW!] Party's over, man Date: Wednesday, July 28, 1999 11:24 PM Two Rockets spied a Pidgey landing on the outskirts of Celadon City. They clung to the shadows, observing with menacing eyes as two humans - one stiff as a statue - disembarked, and the Pidgey morphed into a duplicate of the mobile human. "Are you sure they won't recognize us?" "Not a chance, mon cher. I got these disguises off a couple o' party goers. They'll think we're just locals." The female reached inside her costume, touching a still-tender scar. "That Persian's going to pay for what he did!" "You said it. But let's wait until the time's right..." ["What? Did you really think Slasher ate them?" scene switch] Celadon's equivalent of a Pokemart was the second tallest building on its island. Five stories tall, not counting the roof, it offered a spectacular view of the city...including the nearby Celadon Mansion, formerly a twin of the shopping tower, but currently minus its top floor. The sounds of reconstruction could easily be heard on the neighboring roof, repairing damage from a mysterious fire intense enough to actually melt support beams in places - bringing the total height down just a few centimeters. To Doppler, of course, the fire was not so mysterious. He had been there when it broke out, even if several floors below. The contractors hired to rebuild were actually one of his front organizations - although they were hired not out of any plot of Doppler's, but rather because they simply outbid the local competition by, they claimed, running a more efficient outfit. Doppler liked to think that their efficiency was due to his ideals - no artificial distinction between human "supervisors" and Pokemon "laborers" meant more bodies actually working. In reality, however, the market for building materials was still tight following Doppler's tantrum of a few months ago; his followers had their own caches, allowing them to undercut market prices. Doppler began to wonder if it would be worth it to start buying out local businesses. He could use a city of his own, and something as small as, say, Pallet simply would not #YOU!# He blinked. #I told you what would happen if you DARED to come near me again.# #Excuse me? I'm just chilling out here.# #Do not presume to mock me. I know you. The only "chilling" you do is against your enemies, right before smashing their frozen remains.# #Look, I'm in too good a mood for this. Let's not fight, ok?# #I...am also not in the mood to fight at this moment. I shall give you three seconds to-# And Doppler was gone. While her face had spent too many years frowning to smile easily, Sabrina did at least lessen her scowl. She took Doppler's place on the roof's edge, taking in this city's majestic beauty... ["99 Poke stock options?"[1] scene switch] "What a complete and total dump!" "Mimic agree. Mimic thought Celadon take pride in look and smell good." "One thing's for sure. Pokestock's over." "True. Official end moment probably happen when mass of trash exceed mass of people on streets." Seth chuckled as he surveyed the mess. Paraphenalia, bits and containers of food, damaged musical gear, and other rubbish lined the streets - not so much as to impede movement, but definitely enough to induce dissonance with the clean, perfumed streets one usually associated with Celadon. "You know, someone could really clean up around here." "Enough with jokes. Friend said meet here. Should be here." #So I am.# Seth recognized the voice instantly. Being mental in origin, it had not changed in twenty years, even if the body behind it had begun to show signs of age in his time. In slow motion, he turned around, hoping that Mimic had not betrayed him... #I wouldn't call it betrayal. If this woman is the one you seek aid for, he was right to seek a powerful cure. Even just barely touching her mind, I can tell her troubles are beyond her ability to recover from.# "Sabrina." Ice nearly formed on his breath. #You say that as if you had reason to be scared of me. Why?# "I..." #Don't say it. Don't think it. Don't even-# #STOP!# Sabrina half-smiled. #I sense you once had some training in controlling your thoughts. If you wish privacy from me, I suggest you use it.# Her smile vanished. #But I will have to know what happened, in order to be of assistance.# Seth's mind latched onto her words. His thoughts spun away, trying to find any other chain of thought besides...that. "Why aren't you speaking?" #This is but a projection of myself. I am currently defeating yet another worthless challenger. Doing both this and that at the same time is an...amusing stretch of my abilities. But enough of this. Time to find out...what's...# Seth looked up, his mind finally clear. Sabrina's eyes had gone wide. #Impossible!# His mind was so clear, his defenses against his natural curiosity were not engaged. "What?" #This can't be...unless...# Seth staggered under an abrupt mental assault, far exceeding anything he had ever experienced. His mind lay open before Sabrina like a book...then like a single page in that book...then a single paragraph... a single word... #Doppler.# He resumed breathing, then stared daggers at Mimic. "You..." #Do not blame the Ditto, half-breed. I would have found you out eventually in any case. In fact, it is probably best that this was how I found you.# Seth shifted his daggers from Mimic to Sabrina, but said nothing. #Mimic, I know what Oak has said of you. I know what many who have met you think of you. I know I can trust you to tell good from evil. You would not be friends with these two if you thought they truly posed a threat to us. But you will forgive me if I am not as trusting of a Rocket who went back into the fold even after experiencing their worst, even if he thinks he can reform Team Rocket...or of the spawn of Doppler.# "Umm...can Mimic ask one favor?" #Speak, Ditto.# "No tell anyone about Seth and Aerie? Would cause much trouble if many know." #Agreed. I do not *trust* your friends...but I will give them a chance to prove themselves. They are on their own until then, so far as I am concerned.# Seth ground his teeth, shifting his attention back to Mimic. #And I will do *you* one more favor. He should cool off by the time he reaches you.# Mimic found himself on top of Pokemon Tower, next to Aerie. Seth found himself next to Pokemon Tower, with his transformations disabled for a few seconds. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-" *whump* "-iyyite!" [2] Slasher found himself safely on the ground next to a Seth-shaped crater. ["So, does 'iyyite' now count as a swear word?" scene switch] The two Rockets were, to put it mildly, nonplussed to see their targets vanish in front of them, followed closely by Sabrina's projection. They sighed, growled, and made other noncommital noises of displeasure, then peeled off and discarded their costumes. He was not amused. These had been *perfect* disguises, but they would not work outside of this situation. She wondered what the value was in a pair of human-sized herring suits. Especially red ones: they stuck out like sore thumbs. TBC? [1] Which is what a friend of mine thought I was talking about when I told him about Pokestock '99. [2] Think Link. ^_-